Talon

[color=teal][i]Blaze grimaced as his wound drove his blood from his body. he oculdn't take it anymore. He cast Fire on himself, cauterizing the wound and ceasing the bloodflow.[/i] [b]Loren:[/b]Damn, you're nuts. [b]Blaze:[/b]Wutai trained. I'll injure myself greatly if it will prevent death. Besides, the elemental materia I have connected to the Fire raises my resistance to it. I just wasn't expecting the fire assault by my old......friend. [i]Blaze nearly spat the word as Aris sat on a crate, focusing her Cure materia's energies into her own body, then into Blaze's. Blaze had no idea what the look in her eyes was for. Sofia knew.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b]What, is something on my back? Am I burned irrecognizably? Is it....my BRAID?!?! [i]Blaze instinctively grasped his mark of graduation from the Pagoda of the Five Angry Gods, the most distinguishable feat in Wutai's training. Luckily, it was still there.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b]Phew. [i]Sofia simply laughed lightly as she and Roland went to get cleaned up, Blaze's gun trained on Loren.[/i] [b]Loren:[/b]What? I'm not with the Turks. I'm just a mercenary! [b]Blaze:[/b]I only trust myself and my guns. And if I can find it, my sword. [i]Blaze felt absently at the strap to his father's old Gradius, a long katana his father had forged. When Blaze had returned to Rocket Town, he'd learned that Cid had hid the weapon someplace because it was forged by Gladi Kitsune and would have been searched for voraciously by SOLDIER. Blaze sighed. He hadn't found it yet, and it was supposed to mold perfectly to him. Not too powerful, not too weak... Aris took her own firearms out of her holsters and trained them on Loren as Blaze relasped into his wishes for vengeance. Loren, luckily, had not shown any connection to the Turks. Otherwise, blaze would have made sure there weren't even ashes left of her.....[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Blaze coughed as he regained his senses, which he wished he hadn't. His careful eyes examined the surrounding area, mainly the rooftops, for the sniper. He found more than one. Sofia, still reeling, was directly in the path of one's scope.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b]Sofia, look out! [i]Roland's senses were aware of the blood spattering his clothes, his face, and his left hand. He heard multiple ice-tainted bullets fired until the hammer hit the stock with a dull [/i]click[i]. Sofia looked carefully ahead of her, seeing Aris breathing heavily, his right hand clasping his left shoulder, his left hand holding the unsteady Ice Twin. He was out of ammo, but there were four dead snipers. they had been foolish neough to forget that materia bullets' range was multiplied by four. Aris turned around, dropping his right hand. His eyes seemed glazed. Aris, blaze's partner who'd arriver right after the sniper, was injured as well.[/i] [b]Roland:[/b]Aris, you'll live. We've got to get to the warehouse. You deserve that for the stunt you pulled, Blaze. An ambush on the Turks...if they were weak enough to fall against such an old ploy, my explosion would have killed them. [b]Blaze:[/b]It didn't even kill civilians. The train is still on the track! And who do you think killed Frost?! Aris and I! [i]Roland ignored him and his wounded partner. Blaze led the way into the warehouse, keeping his Lightning Twin out. A loud noise in the corner of the main room called forth a single shot, directly to the left of the sound's origin.[/i] [b]Loren:[/b]Any worse at aiming and I'd be smoking through my neck. [i]Blaze didn't lower his gun, even though the recoil had increased the blood flow from his wound. It hadn't been an ordinary sniper shot.[/i] [b]Roland:[/b]Who are you?[/color]

[color=teal][i]Blaze dashed through the pipe, reloading the Twins and keeping an eye out for the pip he knew they'd have to come out of. He reached it and jumped atop it. He reached into his pocket, glad his jean jacket had such old things.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b](into radio)Sofia, this is the Fox. Trap's set. You got the Gatling Gunners ready while I was gone? They ARE coming out of the pipe, though, right? [b]Sofia:[/b]Yeah, we got 'em aiming right at the pipe. And yes, the Turks are confirmed in the pipe. It's your show. Just hope Roland hasn't found out yet. [i]Just then, the swordsman, leading the group out of the pipe, appeared. Behind him was the bald man, the chick, and the redhead. There was another that Blaze didn't recognize, but it didn't matter. Blaze checked his guns, making certain that his Added Effects were in place next to the Lightning and Ice, then checked his bangle to be sure the Elemental was with his Fire. He aimed carefully, then fired two shots simultaneously. The lighning- and ice-charged shots hit the ground right in front of Murisai. The swordsman whipped around, preparing for battle, as Blaze smirked vicariously.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b]Welcome to the nightmare, Turks. Swordsman, I wouldn't turn around if I were you. Wutai trained as you were, even you can't face two Gatling Gunners with your back turned! [i]Two large, gun-toting mechs appeared from behing a whole bunch of junk. Rude cracked his knuckles, making certain his brass knuckles were all ready. Reno sighed.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b]Let's fight! [i]The Turks separated, two each taking on a Gunner, leaving Murisai to handle Blaze. Blaze had jumped down and pulled his guns to bear, but Murisai lifted his sword, catching one of the Twins and keeping it at bay. Blaze levelled his other weapon, just as Murisai raised his flintlock, deadlocking both weapons yet again.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b]Damnit. Should have expected as much from you, Murisai. [b]Murisai:[/b]Damnit, Blaze, why'd you leave the Pagoda? Why'd you pick THEM? [b]Blaze:[/b]Pick who? I'm just fightin' for *grunt* The Planet! And for my FAMILY. [i]The weapon deadlock continued, but blaze had one up on Murisai. He fired the Twin locking the sword, the electrified bullet hitting the blade and jolting Murisai enough to make the blade and gun separate. Blaze backpedaled, aiming carefully at the now-recovering swordsman. Then the Fire spell hit him.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b]****!!!! Sunuva....materia. Damn you, Murisai.....[/color]

[color=teal][i]Azaria crept over to Aris, whose normally pale skin had turned bleach white. Not a good sign. She lifted her hand to touch her chin, bloody where Aris' hand had grasped it. She shook him. He didn't wake up. She tried to heal him. It worked. She sighed with relief. Healing didn't work on dead men. But why wouldn't he wake?[/i] [b][u]Dreamscape[/b] [i]Aris threw himself against the bars of his prison, trying his best to break free. A shadowy figure in the background laughed heartily at the Drow's futile attempts.[/i] [b]Figure:[/b]You honestly expect to break free from a cell of your own making? [b]Aris:[/b]WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!?!?! [b]Figure:[/b]Temper, temper, Aris. Face it. You cannot have her. Everything's a lie. Life, love. None of it matters. [b]Aris:[/b]You're wrong! It does matter! Everything matters! [b]Figure:[/b]You are extremely stubborn, little brat. But it doesn't matter. You realize that once she falls, you will have either to slay her or yourself. [b]Aris:[/b].....yes. And I choose to slay myself, if the time comes. If my love for her is not enough to save her. [b]End Dreamscape[/b][/u] [b]Aris:[/b].....yes. And I choose to slay myself, if the time comes. If my love for her is not enough to save her. [i]Azaria stared, having heard every bit of Aris' conversation in his dream. Every word he'd said in his dream, he had said in reality. And Azaria cried. Aris had resigned himself to die....for her. No, it couldn't be her.....but what about the kiss? What about the blood and the burn? Did Aris truly feel that way about her? It didn't matter. She decided she'd act upon it later, after Aris healed and woke up of his own accord. She just didn't expect him to wake up right then and there, still bleeding from open wounds. He did. And he cried.[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris walked over to a bust of his father, knowing what she was feeling. He snapped back the head of the warrior's bust, revealing a small, magical gem. Aris touched it.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Fome alanis katoll! [i]A whole wall of the room vanished, revealing a training hall of sorts. Azaria stared as Aris removed his shirt and picked up a pair of daggers. Azaria couldn't help but watch as Aris began to attack a mess of elf-shaped dummies, who, enchanted to act as real warriors, attacked back. Azaria stared as Aris' body moved with a lethal grace, slashing the red off-gem that "killed" each dummy in turn. His muscles rippling, the sweat shining on his brow in the chandelier light, and the look of intense concentration mixed with light relaxation and ease made for a very off-putting show, especially as Aris supple movements drifted closer to Azaria. She looked up as if from a trance as Aris returned to her side, his practice finished. His body showed no signs of strain apart from his sweat. Then he grinned haphazardly, grasping the red gem again with his whole hand. Giant dummies bearing real weapons, large clubs and swords, mostly, appeared. Ogres. Aris dropped his daggers and rushed into the fray, attacking with reckless abandon and wolfish lust for drawn blood. Azaria stared as wound after wound opened on his bare chest and arms, nearly crying out for him to stop. And stop he did, when the last ogre-dummy fell to the ground, "unconscious". Blood all but poured from Aris' wounds, and Aris walked steadily to Azaria's bed. He bent down and grapsed her chin gently, lifting her head and kissing her deeply, just once with all his might, and then turned away. It wouldn't do for Azaria to see his tears, not after what he'd done.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]That is how I feel about you. I know that for sure. [i]He walked to his sleeping roll, not even bandaging the already-clotting wounds on his torso. He didn't have to look to know that Azaria was touching her lips and looking shocked, as if she'd seen Father Tobias in a brothel. He forced himself to sleep on his side facing away from the now-paralyzed girl, even though a particularly cruel wound was open on that shoulder and another at his waist. He cried as he fell asleep at last to the Drow Five-Hundred-Breaths.[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Blaze looked at the door Roland had exited through and shook his head, grinning broadly.[/i] [b]Sofia:[/b]He doesn't know about your plan? [b]Blaze:[/b]No. I made sure of that. I have to run to Wall Market. Make sure the thugs keep them busy...I'll need a few minutes to get some supplies. [i]Without waiting for a reply, Blaze strode out of the warehouse, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. The nicotine-free brand from Wutai was all he'd let past his lips into his lungs. He'd even scoffed the mako-infused cigar his father had once smoked... Blaze sighed when he reached Wall Market. Some debris from the WEAPON attack still remained. He quickly strode up to the large pipe in the wall.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b]Mona? Where's your father? I need some...oh, ****. [i]The teenager's body slumped to the floor, a large dagger protruding from her back. Blaze rushed into the back, finding Mona's father, his supplier, in the same condition. Blaze sighed and walked to the crates, pulling out four cartons of his cigarettes. Then he pushed the crate aside and opened the cellar door. He smiled and grabbed his spare materia. He fitted them into the stocks of his guns, the Twin Snakes. He sighed grimly, making a mental note to give Mona and Scipt a proper burial after his plan was set. All he needed was one more thing. He walked into the weapon shop and emerged with a carbon bangle on his arm. He fitted a Fire materia into it, feeling it sap his bodily strength for magical strength. That was all he needed. As he walked out of Wall Market, three thugs emerged from Mona's "house". Two of them held bloody daggers. Blaze grinned and forced his braid back behind his head, drawing out the Twin Snakes. The thugs saw him and rushed at him. Nobody in Wall Market reacted to the lightning and ice residue in the air, nor did they react to the resounding noise of gunshots.[/i] [b]Blaze:[/b]Damnit.....the Turks'll be at the warehouse soon. I have to hurry. Poor Mona.... [i]He picked up his heels and ran for Sector 3, keeping his guns out. He wouldn't have much time to prepare for his ambush if he didn't get there before the Turks....[/i][/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'd like to apologize to everyone again. Let's do this!

[color=teal][i]Aris sighed, pulling out a waterskin and drinking from it. He looked at Azaria, moving closer to her and undoing her shoe quickly and lightly.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]This was a temple to...to....my...mother. She was a Drow priestess....but she was the last one living after giving birth to me. She'd fallen in love with a human....and.....a huge battle between my father's company and the Drow ensued. Everyone, including my father, died. Mother watched on in horror as she was mortally wounded. She managed to bury everyone who was dead...then she left for Menendil...where she left me and died. [b]Azaria:[/b]Why would you take me to a place so special to you? [b]Aris:[/b]To...protect you. Come on, my father's quarters are inside the main temple. We ought to be able to rest for a while, among other things. [i]Azaria looked down, noticing that Aris had put a splint on her ankle and used some numbweed to dull the pain. She wrapped her arms around his neck, noticing at last the jolt the motion gave Aris....and her.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]This is where my father stayed. Until...then. [i]He layed Azaris down in a lovely, king-sized bed. The test of time had missed the chamber somehow. The beautiful room was filledr with beautiful tapestries showing the history of the Drow...ending in a seemingly foretold birth. Aris' birth.[/i] [b]Azaria:[/b]But...how....are we staying hidden? [b]Aris:[/b]Only people who are led here or who were born here know of this place. Meaning just you and me. Nobody else.... [b]Azaria:[/b]Ok.... [b]Aris:[/b]Azaria, how do you feel about me?[/color]

[color=teal]No, MS700, you won't. I apologize, but your post quality and haphazard throwing of a martial arts style conflict with the SOUL of my RPG. I cannot accept you. Please forgive me. Beat-the-crap-out-of-people isn't a martial arts style. And QA, thank you for your information. Maybe you can help me when other people need some information. Valen should be here soon....[/color]

[color=darkslategray][b]Name:[/b]Blaze "Fox" Kitsune [b]Age:[/b]22 [b]Gender:[/b]Male [b]Sexuality:[/b]Believed to be heterosexual (hasn't shown interest in ANY direction). [b]Alliance:[/b]SENTINEL [b]Personality:[/b]Quite reserved for a man his age, Fox has stood alone ever since his parents were murdered by the Turks in a raid on Rocket Town. He is genial when he wants to be, which isn't "as often as Cid would attempt to launch a shuttle" as they said in Rocket Town. He tries hard not to focus on vengeance, but after [b]Meteor[/b] destroyed Shin-Ra, it has been the only thing on his mind. He does not allow anger into his lifestyle, and thus his thirst for vengeance makes him somewhat of a paradox. When he finds himself brooding over his parents' deaths, he pulls out his guns, a token from his acceptance into SENTINEL, and thrusts himself headlong into his katas. He is clever, strong, and focused, and as a matter of fact managed to survive a direct assault by WEAPON on the Mako Cannon while operating as a SOLDIER. His strength has increased since then, as has his worldy knowledge, but he shows no interest in sex, drugs, or alcohol. In fact, the only thing he seems to care for is the well-being of other people. He appears rough around the edges, but then, so did Cloud to Aeris..... [b]Biography:[/b]Born in Rocket Town before Cid's failed launch attempt, Fox grew up wondering what "Shin-Ra" and "SOLDIER" were. When he turned six, for his birthday, he recieved a wooden sword from his mother's friend, Cid. Cid, it seemed, was very happy about something or other involving the space program and told Fox all about the merits of a life as a member of SOLDIER, though he himself had never been one. Immediately, Fox began training himself physically and mentally, wanting with all of his heart and soul to become strong enough to join SOLDIER. At the age of sixteen, Fox passed the test. He became a member of Shin-Ra's military arm, SOLDIER. Fighting mainly against monsters produced by Mako Reactor's around the world, he found himself growing further from his hometown. he decided it wouldn't do and returned home, if only for a little while. It was then that he witnessed the Turks murdering his parents for "crimes againt their employers". The images of Reno and Rude were burned into the back of Fox's eyes, and if Fox's hatred hadn't been stemmed by Cid's warnings of "No, kid! These guys'll tear you apart!", Fox indeed would have murdered the two on sight. They were gone shortly, leaving Fox to redouble his efforts to make himself a strong, intelligent fighting machine. He was playing right into Shin-Ra's hands. His mind set, he forced Cid to give him a ride to Wutai. He took up martial arts, going AWOL from SOLDIER....or so he thought. After two years of stringent training in the martial arts at the Pagoda of the Five Gods, his aura was now focused on inner calm. Fox's mako-blue eyes had become fiery red through direct control of his anger aura. He is almost emotionless, though he knows that down that path lies destruction. Fox had managed to allow a few emotions back into his life and set out for SOLDIER again. After a series of brief reprimands from the higher-ups in SOLDIER and Shin-Ra, Fox settled once again into the pattern of destroying creatures for Shin-Ra. It came to his attention that in his two-year absence, one of the members of his team, 1st class SOLDIER Zack, had vanished. Sephiroth, too, had disappeared. Fox shrugged it off and began to climb the ladder. Four years later, Fox was stationed at Junon Harbor for the firing of the Mako Cannon at WEAPON, which had been released a short time before. Just as the weapon was about to be fired, while Fox was doing the rounds on Junon's gun, the klaxon sounded, alerting everyone to WEAPON's presence. Battle stations were readied, and Fox, a strange sensation in his belly, drew out his sword and stood prepared. A barrage of conventional weaponry proved useless against WEAPON, who retaliated with an attack of its own. Fox was nearly directly hit, but his sword drawn in a blocking stance and his focusing on ki energy being absorbed into the large blade, Fox survived. The blade did not. He was knocked unconscious after aiding Cait Sith, whom he knew was a Shin-Ra employee operating a remote control doll, in rescuing the prisoners they had taken for the public execution. He awakened in Junon's waters, a sickly-looking dolphin keeping him afloat. Just looking about him, at the pollution evident, made him sick. He withdrew from SOLDIER, tossing his broken sword's hilt from him as he walked towards the harbor. it was a short time later that he came across a broken, battered body in the gutters of a ruined Midgar city's seventh sector, which the attack by the WEAPON had opened up again. The body showed all signs of an attack. It was a member of AVALANCHE, as far as he could remember. Somebody named Jesse, he baguely thought, remembering a brief exchange between this person and the infamous Cloud during an altercation at the Mako Reactor in the video files. It seemed that she and her partners had not escaped the plate from falling. As he pondered this, he remembered exactly who had killed the AVALANCHE members before releasing the plate to fall to the ground below. The Turks. Picking up a nearby sword which had been planted deep in the ground after burying the body, he set off for the Golden Saucer. He needed to get drunk or the rage that engulfed him would kill him. He arrived at the Golden Saucer and proceeded to drink, realizing it would take a prodigious amount of alcohol to make a martial artist drunk. He began talking with somebody at the bar, a person named Roland Gilead. Fox began talking about his history in Wutai, and Roland began asking questions about how Fox felt about The Planet. An offer struck the table: join SENTINEL and fight the Turks to help The Planet. Fox thought it over and decided to check it out, finding that SENTINEL was interested in taking over, or at least managing a hold on, The Planet's various cities. Such a wide range of operation impressed Fox, and so he joined after a few months' deliberation. His main reason for joining was, to him, for a feeling of brotherhood. Fox joined and received a new set of weapons from Roland as a gift to a kindred spirit. A pair of high-caliber semi-automatic pistols. With the pistols, Fox proceeded to take his first taste of vengeance for his family by murdering a member of the Turks, an agent he'd discovered named Frost. After committing the murder, Fox felt something he'd not felt in years, an emotion that turned his aura-eyes a deep, emotionless dark color. Satisfaction. He moved on to Fort Condor, consolidating SENTINEL's hold on the region near Midgar...... [b]Weapons:[/b] [i]Twin Snakes:[/i] A pair of semi-automatic high-caliber pistols capable of single fire or three-shot bursts. Named by Fox for their signature serpent design on the stocks, the guns are made of steel-reinforced silver, the bullets fired charged with whatever materia Fox has fitted into the circular holder in the stock. Fox has not let these guns from his sight with the exception of sleep and shower since he received them. [b]Materia Equipped:[/b]Ice and Lightning [b]Appearance:[/b]See attachment.[/color]

Aris knows about Rayne from Tobias. And the books about his destiny. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=teal][i]Aris took the blow full to his face and landed hard-backed onto the ground.[/i] [b]Kayo:[/b]Now THAT will leave YOU on the ground for hours. [b]Aris:[/b]Don't count on it! [i]The fire spear that Aris had retrieved from the monastery pinned Kayo to a tree. Before Kayo could react, Aris knocked him out with a large, white stone that glowed with an odd power.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Stone of Twilight....you will forget everything about us for a long time. If you wake up anytime soon, that is. If you don't...well, sorry for making you forget your whole life, man. [i]Aris looked at Azaria and sighed.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Alright, alright, I'll carry you. But you might want to help the guy on the ground over there. [i]Azaria did so while Aris charged a dove in the trees with delivering a message to Tobias.[/i] [b]Azaria:[/b]What did you write? [b]Aris:[/b]Just that our plans have changed. I've never told anyone about my secret place, and in the unlikely even that demon wakes up and remembers ANYTHING, he'll know where we WERE headed and go there. [i]Aris picked Azaria up and tree-hopped as fast as he could, leaving no trace of himself and Azaria behind. Even the unconsious wounded man would know nothing of Aris' secret place. His hiding place in the Drow grove.[/i][/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From here on, these two are found when chaosfaerie says so. Any villages she wants to visit.....and such.

[b][center][u]I do NOT include the ending of the anime series or the manga for plot purposes. This RPG is my way. Sorry, Madame Takahashi....[/b][/u][/center] [i][color=teal][center][u][b]Tokyo, Japan. Nerima Ward. A small, peaceful neighborhood.....yeah right.[/i][/u][/b][/center] As it happens, in Nerima, a small group of powerful martial artists duke it out daily. Normally, this wouldn't be surprising, with the exception that each of these martial artists bear superhuman capabilities. And that's the weakest of them! [i]Now, say there was this young man, whose father could NOT resist putting him in arranged marriages right and left for a small amount of food, an okonomiyaki cart....or a dojo. Anyway, say this boy's father took him on a ten-year training trip, leaving the boy's mother with a written and signed promise that the boy would become the "manliest man" ever, or else the woman would aid the duo in committing seppuku. Well, this training trip took this boy and his father across the Asian countries, traning in all of the most arduous and rewarding martial arts styles. Such as the "Cat Fu", a painful technique taught by the father tying the young boy in a string of fish sausages and tossing him into a den of hungry cats. unfortunately, this did not work, and instead gave the boy a tremendous fear of cats. Daddy dearest attempted to cure this fear by tying the boy in a string of sardines and tossing him into a den of hungry cats. This didn't work. So he tried tuna. Didn't work. But the boy DID learn the "Cat Fu".....eventually. They eventually reached the mostinfamous of all the great Asian land's training grounds. Unfortunately, being Japanese and not Chinese, they didn't know a damned thing about it! Immediately, father had son jumping atop the bamboo poles sticking out of the small springs below them. Son lost his concentration, so father decked him, landing him in a small spring. And out popped....DAUGHTER?!?! Yes, the boy had landed in the infamous Jusenkyo Cursed Springs' Nyannichuan, or Spring of Drowned Girl. Which means, when splashed with cold water, the poor little boy becomes a poor little girl! Of course, daughter gets vengeance and knocks father into a spring. Out pops Panda Dearest! Now, on the way out for their training trip, Pops offered his son to the head of the most prodigious martial arts dojo in Tokyo to the man's daughters as a fiancee. Note: his SON. Poor little boy/girl and Panda-man arrive in Nerima...as a girl and a panda. They arrive at the dojo, the boy gets in a heap of trouble....and winds up engaged to the actual martial artist daughter of the clan. That is, the one that hates men...[/i] Well, it really happened. The boy's name is Ranma Saotome, the father is named Genma Saotome. The martial artist and his daughters (daughters ordered from youngest to oldest) are Soun Tendo, Akane Tendo (Ranma's man-hating fiancee), money-hungry Nabiki Tendo, and ever-cheerful (and house-cleaning) Kasumi Tendo. Of course, Soun's wife was the best friend of Nodoka Saotome, Ranma's seppuku-enforcing mother. But you already knew that. Let's skip ahead. Ranma's remet Ryouga Hibiki, the ever-lost Drowned-Pig-cursed boy with a crush on Akane and strength enough to lift a concrete wall, and Shampoo, an amazon warrior-girl cursed by the Spring of Drowned Cat dedicated to marrying Ranma, even if she has to KILL him. Ranma's battled Mousse, Shampoo's half-blind (never remembers his damned glasses) would-be suitor with a penchant for hidden weapons that don't make any sense (like a training toilet) and the curse of the Drowned Duck, and Cologne, Shampoo's knowledgeable and herbally-inclined grandmother that won't stop calling Ranma "Son-in-Law". Barely worthy of mention are Mikado and Azusa, the Golden Pair of Martial Arts skating.....of whom Mikado stole Ranma's first kiss. Poor girl/guy!!!! Ranma's fought and learned from Happosai, Soun and Genma's teacher and master in the art of Anything Goes Martial Arts with an obsession for pilfering womens' panties. Herb, Mint, and Leaf, chinese warriors searching for a cure for Herb's locked Nyannichuan curse have also met defeat at Ranma's hands. As has, don't laugh, Pantyhose Taro, an ox-eel-yeti-swan-octopus cursed boy determined on getting the man who named him to CHANGE that name. Of course, Happosai named him....right after dipping the newborn boy in the aforementioned spring of Drowned Yeti-Riding-An-Ox-Carrying-A-Swan-and-Eel. Pantyhose later cursed himself with octopus-spring water in order to get revenge on Happosai. And we can't forget Tatewaki and Kodachi Kuno, as well as their father Koucho. Tatewaki, determined to murder Ranma's boyfriend and "free" his pigtailed-goddess from him. That is, date Ranma's girl form after murdering boy-type Ranma. Impossible, ne? Kodachi has a similar plan in mind. Kill Ranma's girl form and be with Ranma's guy form. As for their father, Koucho...he's Ranma's principal, who's determined to give Ranma as well as the rest of the guys in the school buzz-cuts, and the girls bowl-cuts. It's also moot that he talks with a hawaiian accent to the "wahines and keikis" of Furinkan High School while he tries to keep them late (locking the gates and standing in front of them defiantly AIN'T gonna work against Ranma....) and hurl pineapple bombs at them. Of course, we can't leave out Hinako Ninomiya, Ranma's child-like teacher with the ki-sucking coin attacks that turn her into one helluva hottie. Or Gosunkugi, another Akane-crushed boy whose hopelessly dedicated to nailing voodoo dolls to trees, wearing candles on his head, and chanting "DIE SAOTOME, DIE SAOTOME"......right outside the Tendo dojo. Or even Ukyou Kuonji, another of Ranma's fiancees, who carries a giant battle spatula and a portable grill for her okonimiyaki. For the longest time, Ranma thought "Ucchan" was a boy. Of course, now Ukyou is actively pursuing Ranma....to marry him! Fiancees, curses, martial arts, ki energy, and pineapple-hurling principles. What's a half-girl, half-guy to do? Well, that's about it. Now, here's another story about poor little Ranma.....I mean, Ranma and his girl-form, Ranma-chan........[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [b][center]Required Information[/b][/center] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=crimson](YES, you can be an original character or returning star.) [b]Name:[/b]Duh. Include nicknames such as Ryouga's "Charlotte" and "P-Chan" [b]Age:[/b]Of course. Add two years to character's age if you look it up. [b]Cursed:[/b]If yes, include the curse. [b]Eyes:[/b]Why not? [b]Hair:[/b]Sure. [b]Weapon:[/b]If any. In Mousse's case, this is a moot point...... [b]Style:[/b]Martial Arts style, if any. [b]Techniques:[/b]Character's signature attacks. Again, do research..... [b]Personality:[/b]What's your person like? [b]Appearance:[/b]If possible, give an example of your curse's appearance. [b]Bio:[/b] Your character's history in brief. (If you pick an actual character, PLEASE do a little research on the character if you haven't seen the series....) [b]Goal in Life:[/b]Be it marrying Ranma or just plain pinchin' panties.......[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [b][center]My Stuff[/center][/b]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=deepskyblue] [b]Name:[/b]Ranma Saotome, a.k.a. "The Pigtailed Girl", "Son-in-Law", and "Ranchan" [b]Age:[/b]18 (Two years after settling in with the Tendo family) [b]Cursed:[/b]Spring of Drowned Girl. [b]Eyes:[/b]Blue [b]Hair:[/b]Black as a boy, red as a girl. Always in a pigtail, though that might change with Ranma's fancy. Or Akane's.... [b]Weapon:[/b]Doesn't use one, though he's been trained with them all. [b]Style:[/b]Saotome School of Anything Goes, with Amazon Warrior Arts, (M.A.) Figure Skating, Tea-Ceremony, Eating, and Rhythmic Gymnastics thrown in. [b]Techniques:[/b] Mouko Takabisha- Arrogant Tiger Blast. Summoned pride and confidence is ejected in a yellow ball at the enemy. In Ranma's case, NEVER in short supply. Invented by Ranma to battle Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan, which Ranma seems unable to use.... Shi Shi Hokodan- Depression Suicide Attack. Ejects a HUGE amount of depression energy into the air and falls back to earth, making one helluva crater. In Ranma's case, ALWAYS in short supply. Cat Fu- Ranma begins to "yowl". To put it simply, when exposed to cats or a cat for an extended period of time (in the exceptional case of MANY cats at once, in which the effect is instantaneous), Ranma "becomes" a cat. He adopts the mindset of a feroicious cat, becoming nearly invincible. He moves, yowls, and acts like a cat. He even shreds things like a cat. The only person that can get him out of this reverie is Akane, in which case Ranma will curl into her lap, purr, and then revert to normal. Everyone else becomes saw-dust or shavings. Like Tatewaki Kuno's bokken. Hiryu Shoten Ha- Heaven-Blast of the Dragon. By luring his opponent into a battle-rage while Ranma remains calm, collected, and cool, Ranma creates a spiral path. When Ranma and his opponent reach the center of the spiral, the cold currents of Ranma's "Body and Soul of Ice" conflict with the volcano-hot battle rage as Ranma uses a spiral uppercut. The conflicting temperatures, the spiral path, and the uppercut create a tornado of such power that the opponent is raised into the air and dropped violently and painfully much later. Increases in power according to how much battle-rage is exuded. [b]Appearance:[/b]See attachment. [b]Personality:[/b]Ever cheerful, carefree, and boisterous, Ranma's not exactly the serious type. He does sulk quite often, mainly blaming himself for everyone else's mistakes when people get hurt emotionally. He spends an especially large amount of time thinking about Akane Tendo. It's not like he WANTS to call her a macho chick... [b]Bio:[/b]To make a long story short: Ranma's dad promised him to a few girls' fathers, took him on a training mission, got both of 'em cursed, and returned to the first promised one's dojo. now, Ranma's making up for a whole lot of other people's mistakes, as well as his own. And he's stuck as a girl half the time. Whoever thought he'd become such a water-magnet? [b]Goal in Life:[/b]To find a cure for his curse.....and then, maybe figure out how he feels about Akane.....if she'll keep from pummelling him long enough![/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [b][center]Miscellaneous Stuff[/b][/center] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=teal]I'll be using a different color font for when Ranma's a girl. This is his boy font, [/color][color=pink]this is his girl font.[/color][color=teal] If you have a cursed character, please do the same in order to make it easier to understand. Also, I would like to thank Rumiko Takahashi for such an original manga and anime series. I'd also like to wish all who join an enjoyable time![/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris sighed, standing alone amidst a horde of broken, destroyed, and otherwise out-of-action ogres and orcs. Aris knew, from a cry he'd heard, that Azaria had been taken. But to where?[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Blood of my body, point the way to she whom I hold dear! [i]Shattering his left wrist's skin with Risal's blade, Aris stared at the blood forming on the ground, pointing an arrow at a hastily retreating figure...[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]He doesn't even bother covering their progress with a blood-stopper? Amateur! [i]Aris dashed after Kayo, pulling Risal out and focusing hard on the blade's ability. Kayo, too busy pulling on Azaria, didn't notice the twister of blades descend upon him once more. He did, however, notice the pale-skinned figure darting into the spell and grabbing Azaria before the blades could injure her too much.[/i] [b]Azaria:[/b]Aris!!! You fool! He was saving me!!! [b]Aris:[/b]Azaria, that....person!....is the one that injured Tobias before! The one that burned my chest! He was there to KIDNAP you!! [b]Azaria:[/b]Wha...it's....why would.......WHY WOULD HE WANT TO KIDNAP ME?!?! AND WHY DO YOU WANT TO PROTECT ME?!?!?! [i]Aris simply turned his head away from Azaria, walking towards his ancestral home, making certain that the scent of Azaria and himself were wll covered. Nobody, not even a demon, could track them in his ancestral home.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]I have my reasons for protecting you. Or rather, my REASON. I'm going to my ancestral home, an isolated place away from the rest of this complicated land's fights. You'll be safe there, at least until Rayne gets his crystal. Then I have to make my choice. [i]Aris began walking steadily towards a gap in the trees, making a beeline for his Drow-goddesses' temple.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]You comin' or not? Or would you rather demon-boy back there have his way with you? [i]Azaria reluctantly began following Aris. Meanwhile, "Demon-boy" was tending his wounds and fuming about losing his quarry.[/i] [b]Kayo:[/b]That....that....that....that DROW!!!!! I'll kill him.....I'll rip his ears off and I'll kill him!!!![/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris sighed, walking over to Azaria and pressing her hand to his still-bare chest.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]I am in pain. And because of it, I can never smile, either. Azaria....there will always be something for you. For me....there is only death and pain. [b]Azaria:[/b]Please.....let me heal you. [i]Aris simply nodded, and Azaria focused her energies. Aris bit down on his leather gauntlet to keep from screaming in pain. Azaria gasped as she watched his skin rupture and bubble, slowly and painfully healing. Her magic caused and healed fresh wounds as the burn dissipated. Eventually, as she stopped her magiks, the wound and burn were completely gone.[/i] [b]Azaris:[/b]Oh, God.....what happened?! That's NEVER happened before. [b]Aris:[/b]There is an explanation. You are trying to heal one too close to you, even just by his own judgment. [b]Azaria:[/b]What...what do you mean? [i]Aris simply sighed and placed his hand on her cheek. A single tear rolled down as he quickly summoned his courage and kissed her quickly, briefly. Almost as soon as he had done it, he pulled back, hiding his tears and heading out of the library. Azaris stood stock still, unable to comprehend what had just happened.[/i] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [b]Azaria:[/b]ARIS, WAIT!!! [i]Azaria ran to catch the drow the next morning. Aris was busy saddling hs horse and preparing his riding gear. He didn't stop as he mounted the stallion, checking that Fierce Dragon was ready in case he required it as a lance.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]I can't. Being here is turning me sour, and this uprising of orcs in the forest is the perfect excuse to leave. I'll be back this afternoon. I hope.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [i]Aris hadn't planned on finding his demon pal frombefore rallying the troops.[/i] [b]Kayo:[/b]Come on!!!! The goddamn Chosen One is by herself, now! Her guardian is tracking some ogres down! We march!!! [i]Aris leaped from the wood, drawing Risal and standing in front of the army.....and found himself face-to-face with legions of vampires, wraiths, and ogres.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Oh, Holy Shit......Risal, you're gonna be my best friend......[/color]

[i][color=teal]Aris stared at the door, half wishing Azaria would come back in and heal him, half wishing he could die without her ever seeing him again. He wiped the fresh tears from his face, lifting his weights again. He was somewhere around fiv-hundred and thirty-seven when Father Tobias reentered the room with warm meatrolls and a cup of hot klah.[/i] [b]Tobias:[/b]So....I was right. [b]Aris:[/b]I wish you weren't. [i]Aris sighed and put the weights down, sitting on his bed and picking up a meatroll.[/i] [b]Tobias:[/b]You know, you really should have allowed her to heal that burn. [b]Aris:[/b]No. Somehow.....it hurt. A lot. As if it were making it worse. [i]Aris grimaced at the memory and sat up, thinking hard.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]I have to get to the library! [i]Aris rushed forward, leaving Tobias to handle the last of the meatrolls and think. Tobias stared at the wieght, realizing just how much Aris was lifting.... Aris was busy tearing through book after book, looking for what he'd seen earlier. The book of Prophecy.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Pillaging for Profit....no.......Pits and Pendulums....no.....Pornography....later.....Portents......no.....Proms and Dances......no........Prophecy! [i]Aris tore through the book, finding what was listed about the Chosen One. What he read encouraged and dismayed him at the same time.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]"The Chosen One, when captured by the evil vampire lord, Rayne, will be the most destructive force known to mankind. It is through the acts of those who love her that she will become the most benevolent force ever beheld. Also, connected yet apart from, the Chosen One, is a Drow child with human longevity. This Drow, whose name is clouded by time, shall be the most powerful warrior seen on this planet. It is his lot to stop the Chosen One should she ever stray to the side of Rayne. This Drow, if he fails, shall die the most horrible death imaginable: He shall be bitten by vampire and werewolf at once. Should he succeed, his birthright shall be fulfilled. [i]Aris staered at the page. Him, a Child of Destiny?!?! He droppped the book and looked at his hands. Maybe he would find who his parents were! he continued reading, never noticing Azaria entering the library...[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris stared at Father Tobias, examining his head. He pulled out Risal when he found the culprit, slapping the large bulb at the back of Father Tobias' skull with the flat of the katana. Azaria started.[/i] [b]Azaria:[/b]WHAT THE HELL?!?! You could have killed him!!! [b]Tobias:[/b]Urgh....head...hurts........ARIS!!!!!!! [b]Aris:[/b]no, I couldn't have. See? He's all better. [b]Azaria:[/b]What about the bloody lump? [b]Aris:[/b]What bloody lump? [i]Azaria pointed to the bloody lump.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]I didn't do it. [b]Azaria:[/b]You PINHEAD!!! [i]Azaria stormed off after healing Father TObias' new headwound, leaving Aris and Tobias in the chapel.[/i] [b]Tobias:[/b]Well, lad....yet again you've managed to piss her off. I need some ice..... [b]Aris:[/b]Yeah.....I guess...you do. There's some in the wine cabinet. [b]Tobias:[/b]Aris, you surprise me. You did your chores! I might have to change my opinion of you and side with the village! [b]Aris:[/b]Village...? [b]Tobias:[/b]I won't hide it any longer, you're the most popular lad in town....with everyone but Azaria, it seems. All the young women, even the human ones, want the daring warrior-strategist for their own. Except her. Aris....you MUST protect her, even if she hates you. She's- [b]Aris:[/b]I know. So I'm popular....I'd rather....never mind. [i]Aris handed Tobias the ice, walking to his room and carefully shutting the door. He thought hard about it as he shucked off his shirt and lifted his weights, staring at his wall, where the carving he'd made of Azaria and Tobias hung. He sat like that for an hour, lifting his weights mechanically, before he noticed the tears seeping down his face and falling to the bed.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Tears...? Why am I.....crying? Is it because she....she....hates me? I've made a huge mess of things. [i]He dropped his weights, which sent a loud THUD resounding through the whole monastery, and stared at his hands.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Do I...love her? DO I LOVE HER?!?!?!?!?! [i]He fell to his knees on the floor, staring at his hands. Father Tobias and Azaria threw open the door.[/i] [b]Azaria:[/b]Aris, are you alright?!? We thought you'd died! You never drop your...Aris?!?! That burn...Aris, are you alright?!? [i]Aris looked at Azaria as she instinctively bent over to heal the large, angry red burn on Aris' chest. He gripped his fists and pulled away, the "healing" hurting worse than anything.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Agh! [b]Azaria:[/b]Aris?!?! [b]Aris:[/b]Out....please...just out! [b]Azaria:[/b]But...your burn.... [b]Aris:[/b]I need no healing. just peace of mind. Please, just get out before the pain drives me insane! [b]Azaria:[/b]Let me heal it! [b]Aris:[/b]Your healing hurts worse than the pain for me, now! Just PLEASE......I need some time alone. I can handle the burn. it hurts no more than the gash did earlier..... [i]Azaria and Tobias left the room, amazed at the difference in the Drow. He'd never before been serious anywhere but in a fight, and today, he'd done his chores and now this.... Azaria worried that he might be sick. Tobias KNEW what was wrong with him and kept quiet. It wouldn't do for him to say anything just yet......[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris bent backwards, snapping all of his latent mental capacities to attention, to avoid a double punch from those flaming gauntlets. If only he hadn't been in such a rush, he'd have picked up Fierce Dragon.....Risal and the crossbow would have to do.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Damned fool. I've battled MUCH worse than the likes of low-class, not to mention LEVEL, demons like YOU. [b]Kayo:[/b]Insolent little...ARGH! [i]Kayo took Aris' bait, swinging wildly out of anger and missing that Aris was leading him in a spiral pattern. Aris suddenly brought a glowing Risal up, right in front of Kayo's face.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Gel'na Jyar Ilsfi ARIS!! Aris Vorpal Tornado! [i]Aris disappeared as a thousand slashes made deep cuts all over Kayo's skin. As the blade-storm dies down, Kayo jumped upwards and ran off before Aris could restore his senses.[/i] [b]Kayo:[/b]Farewell, Vorpal elementalist! You will not stop me, now, from finding this Azaria, the Chosen One! [i]Kayo vanished as Aris stared after him. As Aris' senses returned to him completely, he turned around and ran for the monastery.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b](thinking)[i][u]Azaria?!?! No, it couldn't be......then again, it has to be! I've got to protect her! I MUST!!! I'd rather die than see her...in....pain......?!?![/i][/u] [i]Aris slowed to a jog, wondering about what had just crossed his mind. He came to the monastery's door, forcing it open and walking inside. He saw Azaria, safe and sound, and let out a long sigh. He gripped himself, mentally shaking himself to what was going on. He looked at Azaria once and felt strangely....peaceful. Something was wrong with him. He was thinking of something that made him incredibly happy. And it WASN'T chili-dogs...or hanging from the ceiling right over Azaria......it was just Azaria.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Yup, that's it. I'm a moron. I'm going insane. This is all a dream, right? [i]Unfortunately, a large burn from a punch to the chest by kayo told him it WASN'T. Then he noticed the light surrounding Azaria. He drew out Risal, rushing to her side.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Azaria, WATCH OUT!!!![/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris was minding his own business, clinging happily to the rafters just above Azaria and making certain that chili from his chili-dog didn't drop onto her....dress, when the scream rang out. Azaria, luckily, reacted first, running to where Father Tobias was currenlty cloistered. Aris fell down just behind her.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Ow.....Father! [i]Aris dashed after Azaria, drawing his sword as he saw a figure assaulting the old man.[/i] [b]Kayo:[/b]Too late, warrior! I have what i need! The information from deep within Tobias' skull! [i]With that, the villain jumped through the already-broken window and dashed off into the night. Aris, sword at the ready, jumped out of the window and followed him.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Azaria, STAY THERE! HELP FATHER TOBIAS! [i]Azaria stared after the drow as he dashed into the night, following an even more distant shadow.....[/i][/color]

[i][color=teal]Aris strode happily into the church, munching on the remains of a chili-dog and some spiced potatoes. He wondered why he was feeling weaker, but shrugged it off. he saw Father Tobias.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Hello, Father! It's a really nice day, though I've already spent most of it outside. I hope you have a wonderful sermon, later on. Most of the people in the pub WILL be coming. They seemed to like staring at me a bit too much.... [i]Father Tobias didn't reply as he stared at the gaping hole in the side of Aris' arm. Apparently, the drow had completely forgotten the bleeding wound while munching away on potatoes and chili-dogs. Aris, meanwhile, was heading for the library. there was that book of his he'd been meaning to get to reading....[/i] [b]Azaria:[/b]Good God, Aris, what happened?!?! [b]Aris:[/b]Eh? What do you mean, Azaria? I just got back from the village thing. I was ambushed, which is odd, orcs don't have the mental capacity to ambush....but I came out fine. Oh, then I went to the pub and got a whole bunch of people reinterested in church. Anyway, i'm just peachy. Why? [b]Azaria:[/b]Um...look at your right arm. [i]Aris stared and nearly fainted.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]I completely forgot about that! That must be why people at the pub were staring, my arm is almost completely OFF. This is most interesting....must also be why I'm feeling weaker. [b]Azaria:[/b]What do you MEAN intersting? You were OBVIOUSLY thinking with your stomach AGAIN. I can tell quite easily, chili-dog breath. [b]Aris:[/b]Hey! You've cut me to the quick! You forgot the spiced potatoes. [i]Azaria simply smacked her forehead as she began to heal Aris' arm. When that was done, and without skipping a single beat, Aris was up and reading a book titled "Strategies of the Great Liang". Obviously, it was a war novel about the Liang stretegist that Aris was always emulating, but no matter. She returned to her own book, noting that Aris was climbing the wall to his usual perch. He read the book while hanging upside down, which Azaria thought must be the reason he never used his brain until he was in battle. She simply sighed and quickly returned to her book....[/i] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [i]Father Tobias was sweeping his study when he saw a small memo that had fallen from Aris' pocket. As he read it, his face turned grim, and he rushed into the library to fetch the Drow.[/i] [b]Tobias:[/b]Aris! Aris! Tell me everything about your encounter! ARIS!!! [i]Father Tobias was quick to note that Aris had fallen from the ceiling. Apparently, with his concentration divided between hanging from the ceiling and reading AGAIN, he had not had enough mind left to focus on the Father's cries. Azaria simply looked at Aris concernedly, who was wincing from severe pain shooting through his back.[/i] [b]Tobias:[/b]Good heavens, child, when will you stop being so naive? [b]Azaria:[/b]Naive? What do you mean? [b]Tobias:[/b]Never mind. Aris, did the orcs and ogres TRULY organize into battalions? Did they really ambush you?! [b]Aris:[/b]yeah, why? Ow..... [b]Toias:[/b]Stop hanging from the ceiling and you won't get headaches anymore. Azaria....leave us for a moment. [i]Azaria did so, wondering what they were going to talk about.[/i] [b]Tobias:[/b]Aris, lad, WHEN will you stop hiding in the shadows of the ceiling so that Azaria forgets you're there? WHEN will you realize that she is far too.....short-sighted to even notice your affection? [b]Aris:[/b]Affection? What do you mean? Anyway, what about the orcs and ogres? [b]Tobias:[/b]They were organized.....they used an ambush to try to take Menendil's most skilled warrior to his demise.....this shows an uncommon level of intelligence in a group of orcs and ogres. [b]Aris:[/b]I thought so, too. What do you mean affection? [b]Tobias:[/b]Damn you and your multi-track mind. Everyone in the city KNOWS you are in love with her except you and Azaria! [b]aris:[/b]...Um....no. Anyway, WHAT ABOUT THE ORCS! Can't you stay focused? [i]Father Tobias sighed in exasperation.[/i] [b]Tobias:[/b]Lad, it means they are being stirred by a dark force in the Underworld. AND there is only ONE dark force capapble of giving orcs enough brains to fill a thimble. His name was Rayne, and his coming was foretold. Once he has his "chosen one", and only he has the knowledge of how to find her besides a few priests in this world, he will be near invincible. [b]Aris:[/b]So I take him out. Big deal. Slice, dice, hack, slash, everyone goes home happy but this Rayne guy. And maybe me. battles make me hungry. [i]Father Tobias raised his hands to heaven.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]So you're praying for food, too? Man, you seriously gotta work on staying focused, Father. Now, about this Rayne guy again...? [b]Tobias:[/b]It's not that simple! Only the chosen one can stop him! And all the signs of the stars say that YOU were chosen to protect this person, along with several others! [i]Aris pondered this thought.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]So......my job is to protect the chosen one that could make Rayne invincible? So that Rayne doesn't get him, and so that he can kill Rayne? [b]Tobias:[/b]Exactly, except for all we know, the chosen one may be a girl as well. [b]Aris:[/b]yeah, sure. Maybe it's Azaria! Ha! Father, don't make me laugh! [b]Tobias:[/b]Well, anyway, do you think you're ready for this burden? [b]Aris:[/b]I ain't leavin' 'til I know who to protect. And will there be lots of food for me when i get back? [i]Father Tobias simply stared to the ceiling and sighed woefully, leaving the room and shaking his head. he would need some serious sleep to get rid of his latest "Aris-ache", his favorite term for the headaches that Aris frequently caused him.....[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris' horse Frenza covered the many miles to the village easily. As Aris rode into the village, he detected no sign of orcs or an orcish attack. His well-trained sense of smell, however, was detecting something that should not have been.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Frenza....the villager did say East, right? I thought so. But....there is nothing here. I smell a hint of burn.....though it could just be a hearth-WHOA!! [i]A large, flaming mass of wood and clay came soaring over the trees, exploding near Frenza's hooves. Aris drew out Risal, his blessed katana, and jumped off of his faithful stallion.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]A catapult missile!?! What the.... [i]As that thought escaped his lips, a horde of orcs and ogres dashed from the forest. It was an ambush! Aris stood firm, drawing out Fierce Dragon, his fire-spear, and used them in combination, destroying the entire first legion of orcs. Not even growing tired, he slashed and hacked his way through ogres, orcs, and ballista crews. Something was not right, though. An entire battalion lay in hiding, using a ploy just to get Aris? An entire battalion? An ambush?! This was barely beyond Aris' comprehension, as orcs and ogres RARELY get along, and when they do, they most certainly can't get their heads to knock together enough without lethal repercussions to come up with such TERMS as battalion and ambush, much less utilize these most effective battle strategies. As you can see, Aris is one hell of a thinker, as well as a strategist that knows much about battling orcs and ogres.. Anyway, back to the hacking and slashing. Aris had cleaned a good three-fourths of the field of foes, but decided to kill the rest with a flair. He whipped Risal towards the ground, pointing Fierce Dragon in a line perpendicular to Risal's hilt, forming a "T" with the two weapons. He chanted a magical spell, combining the Vorpal and Fire elements of his weapons in a devastating spell.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Vorpal Fire Tornado! [i]A huge twister, filled with blades and tongues of fire, tore thrpugh the remaining legions of ogres and orcs. The twister died down, giving Aris the go-ahead that there were no more enemies to be thinking about. Aris began his ride home, wondering how the hell orcs andogres could become so organized just to take him, Aris, out. As a side-note, he also planned to kill that poor villager that had said this village was under attack. Or maybe the man's family had been held hostage. Aris decided he would ask Azaria to find out for sure. But after he ate. Healing could wait. Aris decided he could wait to get the huge gash on his right arm healed by Azaria. He also decided he just couldn't wait to get home to the Crystal Inn's famous spiced potatoes.......[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Father Tobias sighed and returned to the old piano. He was nearly there when he heard a loud clattering. Azaria, too, looked up hastily. A villager was running in, blood gushing from a gash in his chest.[/i] [b]Villager:[/b]Father.....the...the orcs...are marching! A band of them....has.....just....attacked my home.....to the east. Aris.....tell.... [i]A dark shape dropped from his upside down perch on the ceiling as Azaria healed the wounded man.[/i] [b]Tobias:[/b]Aris...you heard? [b]Aris:[/b]Every word. I have a duty to fulfill. [i]Aris grabbed Risal and headed for the door, strapping on his armor and walking through the large doubledoors. A grin appeared on his face. more and more action was coming his way. Something was going down.....[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Sira and Aris looked to each other, shiging and grasping each other's right hands, blood from a knife wound to each palm flowing between them. They knew what they needed to do.[/i] [b]Aris and Sira:[/b]By the blood of the gods, blood of the love and power, and blood of the Holy Trinity Balance of Life, Progress, and Balance, our blood, we hold our oath! Our life's blood is spilled to fulfill that which shall save a soul from damnation! Neshaia, mother, SAVE THIS FALLING ONE FROM FIRAND, GODDESS OF THE BALANCE'S END!!! [i]A white beam descended upon Taka, ceasing her spells and laying her peaceful. Neshaia held her, crooning over her.[/i] [b]Neshaia:[/b]Child, what is wrong? My son tells you he loves you, and you use your elven powers against him, drive him away. [b]Taka:[/b]But he does not love me! [b]Neshaia:[/b]He does, child, he does. More than you shall ever know. His heart, and thus his body, are seperated. He loves you with his pure, innocent half. He loves Serenity with his arrogant, life-is-mine-so-let-me-live-it half. But he will always love you. But by spilling his halves' blood and fusing it, they have made a monumental choice. A choice that may well kill them both. [b]Serenity:[/b]Great Neshaia....forgive me my selfishness. But Aris...he is....he has been with me for four years! If I cannot be with him....I.... [b]Neshaia, Aris, and Sira:[/b]Calm, Serenity. [b]Aris:[/b]Come with me, Serenity. Come to my cabin. There is something Sira and I have agreed upon.....in blood. [i]Sira kissed Taka, with love, just once. He held her as she wept, and as Rin grew jealous in a corner.[/i] [b]Taka:[/b]Aris....I.....I love you. But we...we cannot. You love her, don't you? [i]Sira simply nodded, tears flowing freely down his face. He lay Taka in her bed and began scrubbing Kanda's fur free of Serenity's blood.[/i] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [i]Aris led Serenity into his room, pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply. He reached to his dresser top and grabbed the small ring. He pulled it before Serenity.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Serenity Half-elven....would you be my bride? I swear, you are the only woman I shall ever, ever need. Or want. Or have. [i]Serenity just teared up, nodding and throwing her arms around Aris' neck. Aris barely had time to blush as Serenity grinned mischievously at him...[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris saw the scene before him, and an unsharable pain and ager welled up within him. Serenity reappeared, the blood still coating her hand. Aris instantly shifted into his Hybrid form, Serenity growing curious. Aris held the crying elf, Taka, to his body, telling her she would be hurt one final time. But not by his choosing Serenity. Taka looked hopeful.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]This is it. I must take this. I can cause no more pain and survive. I have made my final choice. [i]He drew his klaive, holding it above his head, facing Serenity. Taka gasped. He was going to murder Serenity! The blade flashed once, Serenity screamed......and Aris collapsed to the deck in two pieces. Or rather, two beings. The original Aris, if he could be called such, embraced Serenity. He had not changed in appearance, except his scars were completely gone. But another Aris, one much lighter in nature and color, was holding Taka. Both were still lycanthropes....just different. The darker Aris, the Serenity was holding, held the whip. his face seemed much darker, not in appearance, but in spirit. as if he was spiteful of his other half that had been severed. The lighter Aris stood, holding taka. She was crying, and he cooed lightly. His hair was silver, and his eyes emerald. His clothing was exactly opposite that of Aris' in color and style, preferring no shirt at all and a pair of grey, not black, jeans. In his hands was a large sword, very large. It was white metal, inlaid with a golden dragon along the back. White-Aris stood, adressing everyone in the room.[/i] [b]White-Aris:[/b]My name is not Aris. It is Sira. I am as well a Drow. I, and Aris, are no longer wereWOLVES, but wereTIGERS. I am a white tiger. I am more genial and kind in nature. He is...my dynamic half. We have seperated so that we can cease hurting you. No, Serenity, Aris is not evil. He just hates me. Once I am gone from this room with Taka, he shall be as loving and caring for you as ever. But one day....we shall merge again. And we shall hurt somebody.....now, orange tiger, be GONE!!!! [i]Aris cracked his whip at Sira, lashing a laceration into the weretiger's face. Aris morphed into his tiger form, his now-orange body rippling with muscles.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]One day, Sira, you and I shall find who is the stronger and faster. One day soon. Serenity....I am sorry. We must endure this punishment until I have atoned for my sins against you. I never ceased loving you. I never loved her. The half of me that was WEAK loved her. And now, as you see, he is gone. Let us go...[/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris smiled guiltily, bringing out his whip. Plated with silver, and tipped with razors made of the same stuff, the weapons made Taka gasp in awe.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]It is not deadly to me while I am in Drow form. But it is deadly to vampires and other werewolves. It was given to me by a dying man, a man who said I reminded him of himself when he was a boy. [b]Taka:[/b]It is a wonderful whip. Can you...show me? To help...clear your head? [i]Aris cracked the deadly weapon through the air, slicing it like a hot knife through hotter butter. Aris flowed the movements with his being, drawing symbols, slicing designs. The whip cracked and sparked, lashing the wall of the room. Aris seemed to be following a certain pattern, dancing with his fiery intensity. The whip, taka knew, was an extension of Aris. She felt rather than saw that Aris could kill with it, or lash gently, not even stinging his "target". Her eyes grew wide as she realized what Aris was lashing into the wooden wall. An image....an engraving of taka, Serenity, and Neshaia. The three most important women to Aris in one engraving. It was perfectly done, with nobody in front. Aris then turned his stare to Taka, arcing his whip around her and drawing her nearer to him. The whip did no even so much as scratch her. he cried silently, not from grief or happiness. But from the pure fact that his whip was what he lived by.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]I wish I could have been a fisherman. [b]Taka:[/b]No, you don't. I saw you get seasick earlier. [b]Aris:[/b]...... [i]Both of them laughed, Aris smiling and walking towards his cabin. Taka let him go, holding onto the bandanna she had "stolen" from his back pocket. She tied it around her wrist, kissed it, and walked back to her pegasus. Her mind was unbelievably clear......[/i] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [i]Aris stepped into the room he and Serenity had shared. He walked over to that portrait of her that he kept with him. His tears did not fall. His sobs did not come. An emptiness filled him as he kissed her portrait. He looked to Heaven, an odd peace filling him.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Mother Neshaia....please care for her. Please show her that I will always love her. [i]He pulled out a small ring, a blue diamond atop it, and kissed it once before placing it on the portrait.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]Serenity.....I would have asked you to marry me. I loved you that much. Now, Taka is easing my pain and saving my life. She....loves me. And I love her....yet I want to be with you. What am I to do? I do not want to lose your memory....but I love Taka....what can I do? [i]He climbed into his bed, sleeping alone for the first time since he was fourteen, and quickly began his dreams of running through the forest after an unseen girl that seemed to elude him.... He had no way of knowing Serenity was standing over him, crying again and again that she would marry him. Aris slept on, and Serenity cried on. She snuggled into his arms, kissing his lips. Aris sighed in his dreams, giving up on his quarry....[/i][/color]

[color=teal][i]Kitsune pulled Mira's lips to his, holding her close, though his burn screamed for release. He kept the kiss on for a while, then stubbornly stood up. He wiped the tears away from his face, stumbling over to Phalanx. He looked up, noticing that Veil and Zieg had made a combined effort of repairing the damage. He smiled as he collapsed to his knees yet again, but he stubbornly stood and climbed into the cockpit.[/i] [b]kitsune:[/b]Everyone, into your MPSB's. James, I'm sending Cooler the coordinates for a secluded area away from the Academy. Nobody could find us there if we tried. [i]James nodded, and after climbing into Cooler, began to lead the party to the area....which turned out to be the inside of the extinct Mt. Fuji. Veil commed Kitsune along the way.[/i] [b]Veil:[/b]Kitsune, promise me you will not do anything rash and foolish once I tell you this, okay? Wait until you've been to a hospital, first. [b]Kitsune:[/b]....Agreed. [b]Veil:[/b]I hacked the school's main files a long time ago....your special elective....it's a project titled Replisoldier. They were controlling your mind, drilling you to kill and kill and kill. They used drugs, steroids and stimulants, mainly, to turn you into a super-strong, super-fast, lethal killing machine. That armor is a protective shell that also enhances your reaction time. There were kinks in the program....you have a high risk of death from cancer and overuse, but....your body is extremely resilient and you are damn near unkillable. There isn't a trace of cancer, and....they cloned you. [i]Kitsune stopped, staring into his comm.[/i] [b]Kitsune:[/b]They....CLONED me!?!?! [b]Veil:[/b]Yes, they cloned you, believeing you to be the ultimate killing machine. what they didn't count on was your conscience...and your ability to....to.....to love. The clones all failed and became generic soldiers, incapable of reproduction, emotion, and extreme "friction". You killed the last one when you blasted the MPSB that burned you. [i]Kitsune clenched his fist so hard, he broke the neural connection to his helmet. This action saved his life, as that neural connection was needed to control his actions and inject the carcinogenic steroids into his skull. He stared into his monitors. he knew Mira was staring at his, praying for him to be okay. He had made a promise after all.[/i] [b]Kitsune:[/b]James...it's your call. I'm going with you guys. But I swear to God, after I heal up, I am annihilating the Academy. those inhuman beasts have got to PAY!!!! [b]James:[/b]We continue to the destination, then get you to a hospital. Run on stealth. Don't want the news to report a bunch of giant robots walking through town towards Mt. Fuji....[/color]

[color=teal][i]Aris snapped awake, his body healed. Scars stood out where the burns had been, but it was of no concern to him. He searched the room, praying to find Serenity, praying it was all a dream, though the scars alone told him it was not. He cried again, but not as deeply as he thought he might. Something had stolen the intensity of the emotion, or rather, someone had felt it with him. Aris' hand clenched the sash left him by Taka. He looked at it, finding the answer he needed. He balled it to his face and wept. He cried, knowing he'd hurt Serenity. he cried, knowing Taka had sworn herself to him. And he cried, realizing that he was never going to see either of them again. He glared at the mirror in Xvirran's room. He'd been angry and wrong to jump to conclusions like that. He climbed to the deck, finding Taka leaning against the mast. He walked forward, taking her in his arms, startling her.[/i] [b]Aris:[/b]I have nothing left. [b]Taka:[/b]I know. I saw everything. I am...still.... [b]Aris:[/b]You still love me....you are still mine....after I nearly died because I lost her? You still love me even after that? [b]Taka:[/b]Aris.....I will love you forever. Even if you were a golem.....I would still love you. That is what love really is. [b]Aris:[/b]...I am sorry i hurt you. And I am sorry I must hurt you again, for one day I will. Just know....that a third of my heart is yours....and a third of my heart will always be Serenity's. [b]Taka:[/b]What about the other third? [b]Aris:[/b]....Though I should not be so light-hearted, a third of my heart shall always belong to chili-dogs! [i]Taka sighed as she leaned in to kiss Aris, who shook violently with an unspoken sob as he kissed her back, feeling her sadness. She knew he sensed an unrest within himself that would destroy them all if left unchecked. So she allowed him to leave her embrace. Before she turned, a huge wave arose to either side of a straight path, like a shock wave. Aris had run to the horizon, needing space and the exhiliration of a long run. To dare himself, he ran home to Lethranaia and back, using the waves generated by his dashing to speed the ship's voyage, cutting it short by quite a few days. Aris returned to the deck, Taka's sash wrapped around his chest, a symbol of honor to the maiden that had given it to him. He also wore the sash of Serenity's dress about his waist, a symbol of honor as well. Taka saw the tears of conflict within the boy threatening to destroy him, so she embraced him and "stole" his pain yet again. She sent him to his cabin, and when he left, the pain she had taken from him made her sob and choke on Aris' grief. She wanted to get to the mainland, now, inexplicably a mere day and a half away. She saw Aris' sleep, saw him cry out in pain. And she wanted him to be happy.....but she wanted him for herself, as well.[/i][/color]