FicWad

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Chapter 27: To Set What Was Once Wrong Right

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They had been traveling for a while across the rather deserted area. Seras did wonder why they had not simply appeared there before letting one of the more useful gifts that she had developed to activate. It was a passive gift and recalling that wards were able to detect active gifts were grateful in this difference from moth magical beings in their use of the sight. Within moments the passive sight allowed her to see the obviously ancient wards that surrounded the place. They were however distinctly not human in their appearance and were almost certainly alien in their thought process.

'My love what is with these wards?' Seras finally asked mentally as even their hearing would have trouble with the wind that their passage left.

'The Kateni are many things but short sighted is not one of them,' Horus sent back in response. 'They wanted to keep their places secret especially as this planet is a quagmire in many ways. There is also the fact that this is a sort of prison and the security is formidable considering their abilities without technology let alone the marvels they created with it.'

'This is going to be one of those talks isn't it?' Seras asked as she snuggled closer as the bike seemed to kick up even more dust. 'So is there a reason that nothing seems to be nothing living here besides the wards?'

'Yeah there are plenty of traps and security devices hidden about,' Horus sent with an amused tone coloring his mental voice. 'The Kateni really wanted to make sure this sword was kept away from anyone. A corrupted form of their greatest relic with the boosts that grants causing a taint similar to one of Riddle's vices is a bad thing. Most likely it is blood lust which for a Kateni is high enough as it is. I know the ring... the thrice blasted thing that it is whispers of power ambition and control. In short it can take the nicest person and make them a megalomaniac. Odd that it is sealed beyond the living and dead so it will be very hard to get too. Most likely it is sealed with whoever wielded it last. Thing most likely is more corrupting than Sauron's One Ring.'

'Well it could be worse,' Seras sent as she watched a turret pop up and fire shots at them before they quickly darted and weaved through the killing field without dropping in speed at all. 'I guess I shouldn't have said that then... still there is the fact that someone with enough information could decide to gather such items is there not?'

The quick pace of the bike increased as the silence was palatable mentally while the outside was full of the sounds of movement and charging weapons systems. The systems had long since rendered the area barren of all life and what little entered was quickly purged. While the Kateni were less scientifically oriented than their cousins that did not mean that they were all brawn and no brains even if they were often considered barbarians do to their clannish ways as it is hardly the same thing to compare planetoid and star system sized ship development. Each had chosen their path to excellence one in the art of war in the individual fighters and the other with numbers and machines.

'Yes there have been times when I have worried about that especially with how extreme his issues were and how they would easily influence the weak minded,' Horus sent after a time. 'Still I need to focus on dodging these thrice blasted sentinels!'

'Great,' Seras thought to herself in a huff as she closed her eyes and focused on the steady beating of Horus's heart which seemed to ignore the adrenaline that should have been flooding his system do to the outside stimulus around them. 'These nuisances are ruining our adventure... or are they? I guess that this is considered somewhat exciting still wish we could have flown or teleported closer to the sight. Lousy no good magic detectors and the like always ruin things and this seems to be the case ever since I stopped denying what I am now. I swear it is like the universe has a sense of irony or some deity is watching to see us jump through hoops. Still most of the ones that I have met seem well adjusted for immortals with considerable power far more than my sire seems to be currently. Why Alucard has to go through this second childhood I will never know... although it does beat his morose vengeful time.'

The two had fallen into a comfortable silence as they careened wildly across the waste land that surrounded the killing zones as they made the approach to the temple they were seeking. Far be it from the Kateni to ever make anything easy as they personally felt that nothing that came easy was worth it as the only worth was if something had to be paid in blood, sweat and some times tears. That this was designed to prevent any one of weak will, character or most likely body from even attempting to acquire the dagger was a testament to their stubbornness.

Still unlike their cousins they had some regards for humans though not many of the current majority on the planet fit their narrower definitions. Their cousins while equal in age development wise with the greater bulk of humanity had run across some of the lesser advanced strains of humanity and were sadly not impressed. Odd as it seems humanity had repeatedly climbed up when knocked down with an almost feverish will to survive. That was something that even the others could respect even if they loathed the ignorant petty and short minded as well as short lived strain that seemed to be breeding like rabbits. Now while the Kateni respected the powerful wither it was in physical, mental, political or even economic strength varied depending on circumstance mean that something was more serious here than normal considering that they would go to the lengths to hide the location from even the most advanced of technological and magical detection was another strike in how serious that they took this.

Still there was a small chance that they had managed to overcome even their firmly held belief in both the superiority of their species as well as culture to accept that sometimes even the fittest do not survive. They were an old race although they had embraced conflict and war to strengthen them while their cousins had become content with their superiority and migrated far from either their home space or any of the star kingdoms or star empires with which the various interacting races communicated with.

These worries were going through several parallel processes in Horus's mind while if he had been paying more attention to how little Seras seemed concerned he would have been appalled. The Elder Races as the group had become collectively known were some of the only races to have records of the past few attempts en mass of the demonic hordes to expand into this dimension. That was something that any sorcerer worth his weight in verteron would respect.

'Still there are not too many relics or discoveries in system of any of the other Elder Races,' Horus thought with a moment of giddiness as he playfully darted dodged dipped and ducked through the increasingly improving killing fields that the sentinels set up. 'I have to admit that these sentinels are rather powerful especially considering that they had to have been here for several millennium if not possibly a few million years. That is one of the things the Elder Races have in common a tendency to have finally reached the maturity to build to last and not to sell. That was not a thought that the mundanes were any where near ready to deal with as much as that pained the mystics who had accepted both the long term planning and short term needs. Plan like you would live forever but live like you may die today had been the maxim for us for over a hundred thousand years it seems. Even before the Demon Wars there was a tendency to have that mindset what with the skirmishes with the other races and how the younger races were envious of what we had done. It does make it seem more reasonable why they refused to help as they saw it as our pride leading to our comeuppance.'

As they raced closer they could begin to see a minor haze on the horizon and Seras started to feel the need to turn around increase. She just held him tighter as he gunned the bike faster which caused the wake they left to leave a traveling spout behind them do to the suction caused by their passage.

Where their had been earlier defensive cannons popping out of the ground and spinning to aim at them to fire energy bolts, there were now several slight disturbances beneath the sandy ground. It was as if something was literally swimming through the sand.

'Sand rays,' Horus thought as his eyes detected the motion to the surroundings. 'What are those doing out here? They are normally only found near the fountain of the water of life. Could the Storm Riders of the Sand been involved in safeguarding this? I should have known this was never going to be an easy op. No plan survives contact with the enemy let alone reality.'

Horus jumped the bike higher just as a form flashed under them jumping through the space where they would have been. As soon as the ray passed under them he aimed the bike lower just missing a shot from the aerial turrets.

'Ground and air defensives limiting creating a near constraining kill zone,' Horus thought to Seras with his mental voice thick with respect. 'Now this is going to put my piloting skills to the test!'

'Boys will be boys,' Seras thought and snuggled closer which shrunk their profile as he leaned forward more. 'Still even I like the rush.'

The duo raced the bike now having to weave vertically as well as horizontally as they kept up a break neck speed as they careened across the desert wastelands. They were however not confronted with simply endless sand as ruins from previous civilizations dotted the landscape. The dry heat of the desert had preserved them and the wind had smoothed them down somewhat. That did not mean that there were not signs that they were from peculiar civilizations. There was neither Eastern, Middle Eastern nor Western styles prevalent in the designs, and they lacked the pillars of Egyptian, Grecian, Roman, Babylonian and Indonesia which should not have been possible.

Seras Felt a moment frustration at not being to explore the obvious out of place ruins. They had in a way resembled a circular tower in shape similar in ways to the leaning tower of Pizza but were slightly shorter and squatter in their appearance.

'I really need to look into those later,' Seras thought to herself before deciding to ask Horus, 'Horus love any idea what civilization those were from?'

'The circular towers?' Horus thought back after a moment. 'They did seem somewhat out of place; didn't they? Well I would have to place them as not one of the known civilizations. Now considering that we are located in the desert but neither the Sahara, the Gobi or the Arabian that does bring some concern. If we were near the Pacific I would guess Lemurian and the Atlantic most likely Second Atlantean, but neither of the styles tended to circular towers as much as squared around squares. Though it could be a Kateni influenced civilization.'

'Wait a minute you are saying that Lemuria existed?' Seras practically screamed down the link. 'There has been no evidence to support it and I have given a lot of flexibility to the notion of multiple cities that were the sources for the Atlantean myths, but this is getting a bit ridiculous...'

'Atlantis...' Horus sent before trailing off with a mental sigh of frustration. 'The first was Cianna which was a great city that was most prominent one hundred thousand years ago. It was destroyed in the Fall at the beginning of the Demon Wars. Lizard arrived there and it was very bad. The city was on a festival day and most of the surrounding communities were there. If I had to estimate it would be at least the size of Beijing and Hong Kong together normally and the festival added maybe New York or LA and the surrounding areas and you have some idea of how many people were there that day.

'The Second Atlantis was the one that went to war with Lemuria. They were magical civilizations and the aftermath left most practitioners and mages unable to utilize magic beyond the most basic for thousands of years. That was about twenty thousand years ago. There was some speculation that each was a puppet state for the larger Sorcerer groups at the time. No one really talks about it though so it might be one of those dirty little secrets although the Sorcerer's Guild was established soon after.

'The third Atlantis was predominantly low level sensitives mostly psionics and it fell to complications. To be honest it was as close to paradise as any pure human civilization came to. If I recall correctly there are decedents trying to revitalize the civilization in the modern system. It was a republic and they tried to bring the rise of the Greek Republics and Roman Republic in an attempt to restore the civilization they felt was lost in their fall. There is some possibilities that the infighting in the mystic community hastened there fall but they did have a millennium of relative peace so it was not so bad. They were firm believers of personal rights as well as responsibilities so some of their influences are present, but there has been no real proof of a conspiracy or organization in a while. Not that it means much considering that we don't travel in the same circles...'

'Every time I think I have a handle on things there is more to the story,' Seras sent with a sigh. 'At least life will never be boring.'

'There is that,' Horus replied full of amusement. 'What would we do in a normal life. We would be so bored we would go stir crazy!'

'You know it is so hard separating fact from fiction about these things,' Seras suddenly said. 'Wasn't Lemuria supposed to be about reptile men and it was further back?'

'That is where things get complicated,' Horus said with a sigh. 'Human history is far older than most know and while there are reptile sentients as well as feline and avian sentients as well as real dragons sentient and non sentient there are inconsistencies with some of what is known.'

'Go on its not like we don't have time to discuss these things as we drive,' Seras stated. 'Is it me or is it taking a while to get there?'

'The Kateni are very good at what they do so the wards are rather large and they were capable of bending space somewhat,' Horus answered offhandedly. 'Now out the Lemurians there were a hominid variant and a reptile variant. Though the reptile did go wandering off to outside the human sphere of space. There is a lot outside the one hundred and twenty galaxies in the universe after all. There have been races that developed here and a strain of humanity was one of them. The current populous is a combination of native development and several waves of colonists from various humanoid civilizations. Why humans developed simultaneously and staggered across the universe is anyones guess although there is some theory that deals with time and dimensional travel in addition to the Draken and there ancestors carrying genetic materials from world to world unintentionally eons and longer ago.

'Now the felines I have mentioned are the Kateni and their cousin races which branched off hundreds of millions of years ago. Felis Sapien was an interesting development but were enhanced by contact with other even older races. Herpo Sapien is interesting as well as Drago Sapien. As odd as it sounds that is the relative Latin definitions and when human civilization is ready to deal with that it will be the incorporated nomenclature. It just makes sense since there is a parallel development. The more ascended of the Draken have over their at least billion years of existence plumed more than humanity has although they did it much slower since they have a very long life span. Humanity is somewhat short lived at the moment and even the more developed forms peter out after a few thousand years. Without outside influences even pure tech can only sustain a human mundane for about two thousand years. At that point as sad as it is the limits of cellular regeneration and genetic therapy begin to become to cumulative.

'Humans were however a somewhat established race although we seem to be the universe's dumping ground. Whenever one of the higher powers has an off day they take it out on humanity. One thing that is different about all of humanity in general is that we tend to get up when knocked down far more readily than the other races. We are a tenacious determined people.'

'Well that is a good thing to know,' Seras sent with a happy appeased feel. 'I would hate that humanity has completely become apathetic and willing to lie down and die. Sadly there are far too many that would do so...'

The rest of their ride quickly passed as they lapped into a comfortable silence. Seras held tight to him as each passing moment required more skill and concentration as the approach became beyond challenging to accomplish. There were however a few stray thoughts that passed through Horus's mind as the level of protection became more than merely intriguing and became impressive.

'I hate to admit it but even a troop of SPECTES would have issues here,' Horus thought to himself before corkscrewing up to evade the next layer of challenges. 'To think that the Kateni would be able to set safeguards that even sensitive and mystic enhanced and enhancing mecha let alone power armor is very impressive. Though it seems that there have been enhancements to even there designs. There is definitely more here than meets the eye...'

Coming to a halt with the bike having thrown a wave of dust up at the sudden stop and turn, they were met with a very somber sight. The temple was very large even with how little of its true size was on the surface. The size of at least the great pyramid in size and that was the equivalent of the capstone. The area immediately outside of it was littered with wind scored bones and there was a decidedly eerie lack of teeth or claw marks on any of them.

The two turned their heads to gaze at the temple in detail as the scope of it started to fade and they could look at the details. Unlike an Egyptian pyramid there were steps up as similar to the Aztec temples although there were subtle mixing of styles or better perhaps part of the roots shown here. It was a sand swept tan with the original clearness only sightly faded and most likely that without the killing zones and the obvious dry heat that it would have been green with vegetation.

The two had finally made it to the temple and ascended the stairs that stretched up to the entrance. There was an air of danger about the place that made the mad dash across the wasteland seem tame in comparison. Most people if they even made it this far would have been driven back by the shear presence that grew with every step of the ascent. Wither it was lucky or an unfortunate accident they made their way to the top and saw the door that they had to open.

"Well this looks daunting, "Seras said as she looked at the door which seemed most likely to bar even her ability to pass through it. "So any Ideas on how to get in?"

"I got a few," Horus admitted as he looked over the carvings on the door. "Now considering that they don't want any of their own to get in let alone any other group they must have made more safeguards than normal. Then again it could be that they used this for a different purpose and added the other stuff afterwards."

"You were uncertain how long it had been here though?" Seras asked. "You did mention being thousands if not tens of thousands to millions of years old. How could that be?"

"I guess some things just didn't settle with the bond or something is preventing those answers from remaining in your head," Horus said with a sigh. "I would guess the later than the former though. You know the history of our race or at least most of it. Some of it is just not acceptable to the majority of our populous let alone the world at large. Initiates learn that once humanity stretched across the galaxies and that empires rose and fell across the vastness of space. The Demon Wars and the Fall were not the first time. It is a somewhat closely guarded secret that Earth is a nexis and actually that was close enough to its name. I believe it was Trigandus Etri Nexis Trigunda roughly Third Ring Galaxy Single Star Focal Point Third World."

"There is more to things than they appear than," Seras said as she looked at the door and the fact that there were several warnings on the door it seemed. "It looks like there is more than one language here..."

"Three at least on the surface," Horus agreed with a whistle, "Kateniesian, Tri-Galactician and Drakenian of all things."

"I take it Kateniesian is the Kateni language and Tri-Galactian is the imperial standard," Seras said looking over the strange scrypts. "I guess the runic one is the Kateni and the other is the Tri-Gal. So which one is the Drakenian?"

"The one you didn't notice," Horus said with a shake of his head. "It has to be the most interesting of the lot. Drakenian is rarely written by anyone but them. Oddly it is a rather simple yet descriptive language. Three forms runic, glyph and cursive. Humans can only seem to read the last two as the runic requires one to be able to think in the language to actually understand it. Maybe it would be better to say a pure blooded human would never be able to read it. Never mind trying to pronounce it you just don't have the vocal cords for it thankfully."

"I take it would be a bad thing if I could?" Seras asked concerned about the way he had dismissed the thought.

"It's the second purest language out there after the divine," Horus said with a shudder. "You know those myths about reading the bible backwards unmaking something. It would never work in human languages, but Drakenian comes close. Speak it and it is so... Well for us anyways. The Draken thankfully have to intend something. It would be a bit like wand users just holding a wand and saying cut and a cutting hex coming out. It would be a bad thing."

"So what does it say?" Seras asked after she had seen him digesting what it said.

"Long and short it simply says go away," Horus said with a shrug. "It's the warning parts that are interesting though. It basically says why one should never try to enter this temple and that one must understand the need to sacrifice this temple from the hunt to safeguard all hunts."

"That sounds rather deep although they do like their hunts and would do almost anything to continue them correct?" Seras asked with a sigh as he nodded. "Well in that case there must be more to the warning than simply go away and death awaits if you enter huh?"

Yes," Horus said as he traced some of the symbols on the door. "Here lies the shadowed form of the great blade. Cursed beyond even the Lord of Mayhem and the Lady of Mass Destruction's darkness. Beware all who enter this place none may pass unscathed. Guarded by the Hunters in the Dark woe be any who enter this place. Strong of mind and body to cross the accursed wastelands turn back for even here not even the Battlelords of Old could escape unharmed. Head the warning of the Battlelord, Draken King and the Right Emperor himself none mortal nor immortal, god nor demon, divine or damned enter this place. Seek not the accursed blade lest all you desire is lost."

"Heavy," Seras said in a horrible accent. "This is some heavy shit."

"Remind me not to let you watch the Lethal Weapon series," Horus said with a sigh. "I am just sorry but there is no way you can pull that voice off, but you are right this is some seriously heavy shit. I thought maybe this would be as bad as one of their usual trials, but this is going to be some seriously fucked up luck. The guards are moist likely resistant to most magic. The layout changes like a puzzle box maze and to top it off there are most likely traps designed to deal with even the most potent of immortals. Don't know what happened but even if the blade is somewhat secured there is the fact that the essence needs to be extracted and the sword returned to our world."

"A challenge," Seras said with a serious tone to her voice before smiling. "It has been far too long since either of us had one of those..."

"And this will be one," Horus said with a grin. "Magic resistant if not immune opponents, a constantly changing setup and to top it off the prize is going to be guarded as well as the path with tricks and puzzles. I guess you dressing as Lara Croft was an omen of sorts."

"And here I thought it was so that you could see that I am not wearing knickers," Seras said with a purr.

"There is that," Horus said with a grin before getting serious. "Now from what I read this thing is blood sealed and that would have kept most who got here from getting in let alone out..."

"How you going to get around it and what blood does it need?" Seras asked with interest.

"Well considering that it was sealed by three different parties any or all would be my guess," Horus said with a sigh. "Minor thing about mystics is that we cannot be Draken or more accurately have a majority of the blood or magic in our bodies. The same in part goes to the Kateni and I think the highest hybrid with Kateni blood had a little over a quarter heritage. Both races can successfully crossbreed with humans which shouldn't work on the surface genetically anyways. I know the Kateni have a very minute trace of dragon blood and that it came from the precursors of the Draken. The thing is their cousins had the more potent blood but embraced the non physical not that they couldn't tear a pack of master blood demons apart or most lesser Nosferatu."

"Get to the point love," Seras said as his monologue seemed to get to long. "What does that have to do with the situation at hand. I know that you mentioned Star Born blood in your veins but we are on a schedule here."

"Right short story than," Horus said with a smirk. "Each of the Twelve were from one of the Greater Houses and it so happens that mine is from House Etriael. A house known for power in all aspects. This was supplemented by their tendency to marry every seventh or eighth or so generations with a powerful Kateni warrior. So the blood was a bit more potent. They were one of the few mixed bloods to never be looked as lesser in their society. The fact is that while most of us are very distantly related the blood ratio has held at a better than a few percent over the past hundred thousand years without new Kateni blood being brought in. There is however speculation that the Zoanthropes altered because of latent Kateni genes."

"So two out of three should allow an unlock you think even if the percentage is low," Seras said before trailing off. "You said that the Etriael married the powerful..."

"Sadly the Draken are very seclusive the past few million years," Horus said with a grin. "Most left this part of the universe if not this dimension eons ago. True they pop up every now and again but their space is so far away it is not even funny. I guess it is a bit like the True Faerie having migrated to their home dimensions or ones created to be similar. The fact is that the Star Born gained their abilities not just from surviving the rigors of space but in aiding a very ancient Draken. Sure it had ascended to a state of pure energy but it was trapped and unlike the last time something like that happened in another dimension a race hadn't grown around the world that had settled around the sleeping form of one."

"That's big," Seras said in shock. "Planet sized dragons used to traverse the stars. How did any one not get eaten?"

"By the time they reached that size they were past their earlier carnivorous ways and absorbed a lot of energy from cosmic rays and the like," Horus said with a shrug. "So I have even if it is almost negligible traces of all three races who sealed this. I always wished that I had some of the heritage a bit stronger. Well until I learned I was a full shifter almost."

"What do you mean?" Seras asked. "I have seen you change your body in ways I and even Nym never thought possible."

"A minor truth about whatever original and current higher powers are out there," Horus said with a chuckle. "Even if one is a shape shifter they cannot fake being a Draken let alone the different ranks. Hell not even Draken are able to shift to a higher ranks form until they earn it. Just one of the few rules that no one has managed to break."

"Really even with magic making almost anything possible no one has found a way around that?" Seras asked with a smirk. "Someone has been bound to try and at least come close."

"Mimic the physical form and some of the auras yeah," Horus admitted. "There are several non physical signs to someone doing that though and I cannot think of what would be a worse magic to mix than that."

"We are getting seriously off topic here," Seras with a sigh. "Are we getting started or not?"

"Let's," Horus answered as he sliced his hand and put it to the door causing it to open.

"Now this si going to be fun," Seras said as she smirked before the pair flashed through the door.

Their timing could not in a way been worse. The temple was shielded against any known form of teleportation and even Shadow Walking and portals would not work there. The two were effectively cut off from the rest of the world. It seemed that chance was ready to give Genma a helping hand.



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While the duo were in the middle of dealing with a truly dangerous attempt to retrieve the dagger containing this fraction Riddle's of psychic essence, the kids were about to be entering something that would prove to be a camel straw incident of epic proportions. Happosai and Jiraiya were both out peeping having believed they had convinced the other to look after the brats while Occamy was mired in the annoying paperwork that required his personal thrice sealed signatures that even as much as he wanted no replication or clone or time shifting would aid in. That his grumbling was heard by the assistants that were scurrying around who had over the years learned not to chuckle about his misfortune anywhere near his heightened hearing as the reaction was most unfortunate.

It was do to these circumstances that one of Genma's greatest blunders would have been possible with the given time allocated. It was not that Genma was evil per say he just was selfish and full of pride far more than most yet his gluttony had at least somewhat been curbed over the years as the other teachers were while having their own vices more likely able to not let the short term cost them so much.

"Now then to begin training in this technique we need a rather deep pit." Genma said having taken on the wise sensei voice he used in such occasions. "To make the training more effective you will be doing it barehanded while in these weighted suits. Now put them on and get started!"

The boys and tomboy quickly nodded and set to work as they were all used to discipline by now and as odd as it sounded Genma was far less strict and demanding than the Academy teachers would be. Naruto however was aware that the Ninja Academy was less strict but the determination to excel and prove himself along with the others was too great. The group was driven and without the negative reinforcement that had been prevalent in his life Xander had dove into the way of this life with vigor. Harry and Ranma were well used to the demands that were set and they understood that their instructors set the bar high to make them strive to better themselves and that even Genma was dedicated to the Art even if he at times let his stomach think for him.

The other trainers were aware of why each of them had their foibles as it was how they chose to fill the void in their life that had developed do to their experiences. Considering all of the misfortunes that they had suffered on their ways to reach the heights of their greatness. Such was the cost of hard work that something would be sacrificed to reach their utmost potential in any given field.

Jiraya had driven himself to his books and that while a pervert and at times overly indulged in the carnal thoughts and acts was coping with how his life and his dreams had gone even if eh simply wanted to one day settle down on an island where he could simply walk and see scantily clad women all the times.

Happosai had for two different reasons fallen into his perversions. The first was as a way to supplement and restore his reserves as well as enjoy life as he had lost most of his family as he had out lived him and the second was that it would force his students to fight him to make themselves strong in mind and body. Sadly that hadn't worked too well as Soun and Genma had bent far too often even if he did enjoy making them bend.

Genma was in a way haunted by his own mistakes especially with the two schools he had developed and sealed. Void techniques were dangerous and could easily consume the weaker willed. He had been left empty after the incident with his friend's death and had sealed the schools. He found the emptiness faded when he was eating so he indulged to make the feeling go away. His original mistakes and the numerous engagements he would have made while some were for food to appease that terror he felt were justified to him like all his actions and that was simple. He was driven to make his son the best to prove himself better and that Happosai had not tainted him.

Occamy had thrown himself into his work in making those under his responsibilities were able and that when the next time came they would be better prepared. He would not make a mistake in times of peace again. The mystics had sacrificed so many in their shadow war and most gave themselves to the cause and eventually lost almost all connections with the outside world. Was it any wonder that the more driven among them lived hard and played hard since they fought so hard? They were at war even if it had settled from outright war to mere skirmishes as the number of remnant demons that actively sought to return their overlords grew smaller with each passing century. Thankfully the vast number had realized that if their former masters returned they would not be celebrated but once more enslaved.

Mystics were a driven people. It was encoded in the very genetics that differed them from the masses. There were a purpose given and a promise made. It was one of the things that had been once more driven into the skulls of every initiate. They may have turned the tide and driven the monsters back but that did not mean they were the only threat nor that they would not return.

Initiates while young were at times drilled and ground into the ground like any other basic recruit. While the genetic improvements and other natural enhancements allowed for their bodies to far more readily reach their optimums and maintain them with somewhat simple ease that did not mean that they did not need to develop their body before enhancing it with their own energies even if that did occur naturally in times of stress and need.

This meant that while Xander was physically behind in the rigorous training that he would catch up quicker than most. That was also augmented by the mystical weight and resistance that the hellmouth had provided. The others were more physically fit than he was although it would be a fact that Ukyo would struggle with some of their secretive training although the boys had lobbed that to being only a sensitive and not that was a double whammy as she was also female and somewhat would be limit in her speed and peak of development. That was not to say that her current limits could not be overcome but it would require forcing her reserves to grow as well as strengthening and widening her bodies pathways along with intense physical conditioning.

It meant however that Ukyo threw herself into her training both with and away from the boys in her families style as she did not want to fall behind. In an unaltered world she still would have been slower than Ranma and that was without the improved training methods and results. That she was unaware of how much the other boys were constrained would not have helped her mood. The boys kept increasing the resistance and constraints to provide a challenge. The boys had resistance, pressure, constraint as well as other seals designed to force their bodies and energies to work harder. The seals easily forced them to expend far more energy just to move than even the training that Kakashi's rival would need and that was just the resistance seals effects on the muscles and energy reserves. The pressure seals worked similar to weight or gravity seals slowing them down and forcing their muscles to work harder while the constraint seals made sure they would not suffer from burnout.

So the scene before Genma was of his students throwing themselves into the arduous training. Normally he would have found a pit and had the boy catch the cats but having them do this and then chase the cats with weights would be better. It was harder and more grueling so it had to have better results. He was however torn about teaching the others as Ranma was his son and wanted him to be the best, but it was best to keep the boy's training partners challenging as otherwise he would have to fight the boy more often and that would cut into his time.

The boys were digging with their hands and each had to remember not to overly reinforce their hands naturally with their chi. This was an exercise to build up the strength and toughness of their hands and it was lucky that their were not too many rocks in the somewhat porous ground. In a way it was like digging sand at the beach only the ground held together a bit more.

"I swear I read this in Dragon Ball," Naruto muttered as he forced his hand into the ground while the weights and seals made him work harder. "Well it worked there so it might here since the idea is sound."

"I hate to say it but so many of the ideas are sound in theory," Ranma said near Ukyo. "The problem is that most people need more fundamentals before they are ready for that level of training, but I guess that we are that dedicated to do this so young."

"It does sound like a good idea this part at least," Harry said as he started to pull a somewhat large rock from where he was digging. "I don't know about the rest of it though since he neglected to tell us too much."

"It could be worse," Xander said as he wiped a bit of sweat from his head. "Still I need some hard training to catch up!"

Ukyo was panting as she watched in shock as the others even Xander seemed to be doing better than she had before wondering, 'How much have they been holding back?' Shacking her head she turned back to the task at hand grateful that some of the hardening training was preventing her hands from turning into bleeding shreds. It was a good thing that she had to be able to deal with damage to her hands and still fight especially burns which would have been worse.

The group continued to dig as fast as they could as they felt the skin slough off and heal as they went with each moment making their skin harder to damage but no more calloused or rough. What good would it do to have their manual dexterity limited for strength? With that simple act their bodies were adapting sadly with Ukyo adapting slower and yet had a bit of a start do to handling the things that she did in her cooking.

Time passed and they came across rocks that had to be tossed out that were increasing in size and often they struck the harder earth and stones. None of them cried out and while they did not cry their eyes shone with the unshed tears do to the pain they had to overcome to get stronger.

They dug from afternoon to nightfall with only a bit of sleep as they had dozed off as they came to the ends of their stamina for a moment with Ukyo snoozing every now and again. Finally they had a pit that was deep enough and the area around and the edges had been compacted with kicks and punches along with shoring it up with some of the rocks they had come across. The panting of the kids as they climbed out of the pit was easily heard.

Genma looked over them and the pit and nodded solemnly before saying, "An adequate start now to the second part to work on your speed and stamina. You are to chase after and grab as many stray cats as you can find. If they are wild cats all the better. You will need to work to get them without being scratched. To think that you are not ready for the ultimate speed, agility and dexterity test... when I was your age I was dodging hornets nests and knocking them out without killing them."

Xander and Harry just sweat dropped while Naruto and Ranma grinned on. That would be impressive but they did not think the man had it in him to do that so young. They did think that it would be a good advanced lesson later. Perhaps the current training would help in that as well.

Finally the boys and one tomboy darted off in search of the mysterious and elusive cats. As they were in the country there would be some of them to keep the pests controlled. Soon enough the others had located the cats and the chase began. It was sadly hampered by the weights and seals and even Ukyo was struggling with the new weights that she had added to the ones from the digging.

The problem was that Naruto seemed to keep stumbling across foxes and not cats. The boy simply petted them friendly and darted away. He never questioned why wild animals had been so friendly but he had always had an affinity with them. He wondered if that was what his animal form would be before shrugging it off as he focused before he continued to seek the elusive cats. Its not like when he went back to Konoha that he would ever use this experience.

'Really what kind of ninja has to hunt down cats?' he thought as he shook off the sudden feeling of dread as his eyes narrowed as he spotted something in the shadows before darting after it. 'Success!'

His success was short lived as the cat for reason unknown started to maul him and the pattern continued every time he caught a cat. To put it he was irritated and changed the parameters to start incapacitating the cats that he ran across. He would not fail!

Ukyo was meanwhile trying to sneak up on her targets and like many a gennin learned cats were quick and had claws. The villagers thankfully slept through her shouts of pain and swearing. Soon enough a scratched up Ukyo held her number of cats. She grumbled as she dropped off more and more cats.

Harry had seemed to have the opposite problem of Ukyo and Naruto. That being that the moment he popped in an alley he was inundated with cats. Female cats at that!

"Why does this being easy concern me," Harry murmured as he scooped up some of the cats while others wormed their way into his jacket. "Yes this is definitely concerning."

Ranma had in an inspiration alternated between grabbing as many cats and few cats to force himself to get used to the weight by alternating more weight and more trips. He like Harry seemed to have an affinity for felines in that they seemed to enjoy coming up to him and begged to be pet and cuddled.

'This would be so embarrassing if any were a Shapeshifter,' Ranma thought with a sweat drop. 'I swear it is almost as bad as mundane girls rubbing against Horus or Occamy. I fear that we will have to deal with fan girls in the future.'

Soon enough the group had managed to get the sufficiently irritated cats gathered. Far too many were alley cats and almost feral strays which made them worse than wild cats which were also among the mix. On the plus side none of the cats were vicious or infected although only Ukyo would have suffered from the disease if any of the bites or scratches infected them. The others had a heightened enough immune system and regeneration to stem any disease that the felines may have been infected with.

With that the five listened to Genma and placed the cats in the pit although Ranma as well as Harry were lest than pleased to do so. They momentarily wondered why they dug a pit and gathered cats and then placed them in a pit. This was especially so in the cases of Naruto and Xander as despite not knowing it that they were deeper in their connection to the fauna of the world. Ranma should have noticed as well, but it had been far too many years since his mother had taken him to a shrine for his blessing. How Nodoka had stumbled across a shrine to felines and foxes one can never tell, but it could have been worse she could have accidentally made a pact with a succubus or the like in her fervent belief that he would provide her grandchildren to spoil as she was well aware that getting Genma to provide another child and specifically a daughter for her to raise were rather low.

"Now then there are a few steps in this technique that remain to be done," Genma said as he was slightly shocked that they had grabbed enough cats and that most of them were practically starving. "Now that the cats are in the pit you will need to wear some special clothing..."

Oddly enough the overeager students readily complied as Genma attached the many pocketed weight suits he had sown together. The suit was originally designed so that he could have his students carry large amounts of stolen goods, but he knew that the others would skin him alive and not just verbally but actually. That was one of the reasons that he had to get this training right the first time. He was making sure that the children would be tired and less likely to resist the training even if they were overeager enough to make him reminiscent of his time with the Master. Genma had noticed that he was getting less distracted from the students and if he didn't hurry they would abandon him and where would his retirement be than he wondered.

Far too quickly they were weighed down with enough weight to make even the boys sluggish when circulating some of their chi around. Xander was faring only slightly better than Ukyo do to the constant strain that the Hellmouth had provided. Genma was far too stupid to wonder what could go wrong as his moment of triumph was at hand and he would prove he was the best teacher their was by having the best students there were and he didn't drag the boys and Ukyo on panty raids like Happosai or peeping like Jiraiya. Besides at most the kids would get scratched and clawed up a bit and maybe gain a few light scars that were appropriate. He like always dismissed the female as the lesser sex even after seeing his Master and Jiraiya get repetitively beat by them and he had been on the receiving end of angry feminine wrath.

Genma while not a complete fool was still an idiot and tended to ignore things that did not fit into his world view like why he was afraid of Nodoka and her katana. He did overlook Ukyo as she was weaker, slower and more to his mind female. He of course was grateful that the boy had yet to show interest in the fairer sex and sadly he was overlooking the fact that even though the kids were young there was the off chance that Ukyo had her first red dream let alone started emitting those pheromones or going through her cycle.

Genma had managed to get the strait jacket like contraptions around them before stuffing the pockets with fish products before tying the additional items to the outfits.

'I guess it is a good thing that I blindfolded them or they might get a bit reluctant at this point,' Genma thought as he started adding the odd smelling pouches to the suits. 'Still I wonder why that lady said adding this and catnip would help get a cat in that frame of mind... Well I best put more in if that was for one cat and there are dozens in the pit.'

"Well in you go," Genma said as he shoved the kids into the pit before slamming the lid shut. "Now stay in there until you learn the technique!"

The kids were thankfully not piled together in the pit as most of them had managed to flip and slow their descents to land in crouches on the ground. Even the younger ones of Harry and Naruto had managed to do that with ease while Ukyo landed on top of Xander in a position she rather wanted to be in with Ranma and not one of his younger friends.

Genma had underestimated the effects that food let alone catnip and that stuff would have and the bound group was forced to readily jump around to avoid the cats lunges but it would most likely not last. They themselves had missed any food since the day before and were running low to keep up the pace needed to avoid the flying balls of fang and fur seeking food. If they had been young or he had not added that ingredient to make them more potent than what happened next would not have happened.

The boys started growling at their inability to escape the cats. Naruto seemed to shudder a bit while the others each tried to find a way out. They each had tried to boost their strength, but a part of the suit had a few seals on it to limit chi as well as a few pressure points that Genma had pressed when he put the suits on them. It is known that everyone has a fight or flight instinct and in mystics they tend to lean towards fight unless that would be overly suicidal.

The boys were being dog piled by the cats and they were scratching clawing and digging to get the food. They were however scarfing the food as fast as possible and that was before they got into the catnip. The result would normally been humorous as catnip works on felines regardless of form as a mild relaxant lowering inhibitions and anger in most cases. Nodoka had been drawn to the temples that she had because she had a very minute portion of the matrons blood flowing in her veins which despite Occamy and Oroborus being largely identified with serpents and birds did have feline blood.

So while the captured cats were slacking their hunger they were also pretty much stoned out of their minds and Ranma and Harry were well buzzed by the catnip. Things then went down the drain as the ingredient that Genma purchased was designed to improve the felines, but it triggered the females heat and their were a rather large number of female to make cats that had been caught interestingly enough and as they were in the same area their was a fact that they would likely cretch when they had kittens so the females were less territorial as they were mounted by the toms as they cavorted around and upon the barely aware forms.

The assault had been slowly forcing their minds deeper into the primal parts of their mind and this was where the technique worked. The mind at its most primal would be imprinted with the psyches of the cats around them. Normally in the cat fist the subject had terror stricken psyches imposed on their fragile mind. It was in a way a low form of possession and mystics were immune to unwanted possessions although they could permit a spirit to join with them.

The problem that Genma could not foresee was that the felines were in an amorous and not agitated state. This was the psyche that was imposed on the somewhat prepubescent group. The group would have most likely huddled together as their minds worked to integrate or eradicate the psyche that was being drilled into them. Mystics were a warrior race or more accurately species and as such during the more dangerous time they had developed a born, breed, fight and die mentality. What good was a weapon if it took too long to get the next batch ready to fight when the current ones were dieing off? So mystics on the contrary of a long life developed physically early that is to say they had a two to three stage puberty which forced the body and mind to develop faster, but age slower upon completion.

That would have been a non issue if it hadn't been that Ukyo had in some ways been an early bloomer and had started to awaken to her sexual identity. Ukyo was a sensitive even if not a fully developed one and that do to the lack of such training made her more susceptible to the effects than any of the others there. So it was do to this coupled with it being her first cycle and in the aftermath of her first red dreams that the impressions of the cats in heat repeatedly slammed into her psyche and instead of going into the normal neko-ken went into her own amplified primal rut.

The boys while they had some training in countering mental influences had not been prepared for the sudden influx as their minds sinking into instinct finally realized what Xander had on meeting Ukyo. Their friend was a girl and to make matters worse sounded like she was in need. On the plus side they were still restrained by their suits for the moment. Ranma being closer to her age and having been around her more was getting the full treatment of Ukyo's sudden flux of hormones and pheromones literally were triggering his latent instincts in such matters. Xander had been aware of the differences in the sexes, but he was not used to the sudden instinctual knowledge that was saturating his mind. Naruto on the other hand was worse off as kitsunes were more needy than even cats and the sudden rush in his hormones, the pheromones around him and the mental onslaught of primal lust were throwing not only his system but the slumbering kyuubi's into a super aroused state from a near zero libido.

With a puff of ninja smoke a shadow replication of Kyuubi's near human form appears mewing in heat as well. With her arms and hands unbound, she crawled over the available males and rubbed against them trying to get them to act. When that failed to get the males to do more than rub back against her she was able to realize they were bound and started to rub against Ukyo causing the pair to release more pheromones to drive the males out of their control.

The boys had been attempting to get free, but in their state they had no recollection of their abilities save those that had become instinctual ingrained. With the sudden increase in the potent pheromones and the sounds around them their struggles increased and soon they had managed to have freed their eyes. Their eyes were slitted and cat like including Naruto's who did have a slight difference in the shape do to the Kyuubi's presence. Their struggles had not ceased and had been only fueled by the sight before them.

Kyuubi was rubbing her self against the bound Ukyo and had managed to flip the girl over and was nuzzling her while grinding herself against Ukyo's blindfolded face slowly working the soaked blindfold down. Getting frustrated at the lack of reaching the scent she was almost drunk on Kyuubi tore off the offending cloth to reach her goal. She let out a bark of success before sticking her snout into the scent and started to lap at the readily available source.

The boys were struggling in their suits as they lacked the leverage to tear them off even if they had gotten closer to the scene. They were knee walking over with their backs hunched and the suit stretching as they tried to rip it off of them as it was interfering in their needs. Sadly for the group they were not having much luck although their nails were starting to sharpen to cut the accursed tangles off of them.

Genma was on the surface and all he heard was loud meows and yowls and as all his time with Happosai never really left him with a sexual education thought that the boys were struggling valiantly with the cats to learn the dreaded neko-ken. If he was actually familiar with the sounds that satisfied or at least pleasured or best said being pleasured females of any species made he would not have believed that the technique was being acquired as a martial art and not a marital art.

With each passing moment the increasing agitation of the boys increased as Ukyo sadly was falling deeper into madness from the ravaging of a vixen in heat. Odd as it sounds the fact that she was lapping at Kyuubi as she rubbed against her was actually in part do to the fact that she was sweating heavily from both the weights and the rush she was experiencing. Wither that was from the thirst or the need not to suffocate from the copious juices was a question best unasked. There was of course the simple matter that Ukyo was subsumed completely in the mentality of the female cats and did what was natural in such a state. It would be best if someone would be able to keep the normal trigger from the neko-ken from manifesting of the girls dreams of okomiyaki and martial arts would end with her being a master... of marital arts of both sensual and sexual excess.

Eventually the boys started to break free. Luckily for Ukyo it was Ranma who broke free first as he was physically stronger and more developed. Lucky in that it was the one she wanted and not from just a purely socially and sensibility value, however there was the fact that Ranma had been well named as he was a wild horse indeed and without a doubt as she soon found out. Now while Ranma and the others had some training in the mental arts the fact that such a situation was not originally to be covered for over six months when the boys had reached a point in there development and training to embrace their inner animal totem. The training for that had unfortunately allowed the situation to degrade to this state and instead of a simple flight desire they were dealing with the carnal desires for the first time being fully manifest and not the subtler manner they had become accustom to experiencing.

For the boys they had a natural animal instinct while Ukyo's was completely shaped externally by the cats. She was at that moment about as willing to ignore any pleasure or deny any interest in satisfaction. So there was little resistance as when she had rolled over to pin the shuddering Kyuubi that her ass had been swinging enticingly and would have not looked out of place on a female cat strutting to get a tom or in this case becoming a true queen cat in getting some toms to scratch her amplified itch.

It was to the sight of Ukyo's upturned and bare ass moving indulgently that the tom in Ranma's mind came completely to a halt before pouncing on the receptive queen. It was sadly a rut that would drive the other boys into a deeper frenzy as they would in turn get free to act on their instincts to bury themselves in the receptive and welcoming bodies of the queen and vixen before them.

It was Naruto that ended up more often with Kyuubi and each time he jumped back after catching his breath and taking his place after someone had removed him to take his place did he shift more and more into a kitsune hybrid. That however did not mean that the others remained with their base form appearance and while it was a little known fact that the neko ken effectively changed a person into the near human form and with it an increase in speed, strength and dexterity there was the visible effects of the slightly pointing of the ears as well as the pupils changing into slits.

It was that form that the others were currently having been induced in and both Kyuubi and Ukyo were being kept occupied with boost to their already high stamina stretching out there experience. In the normal case of the neko-ken training the subject gains a high fear of cats and in a fight or flight sense will flee into their mind which has gained an impression of a cat like mind. Normally a positive stimulus is used to counter that fear, but that would most likely not be necessary as the group was subjected to a very pleasurable experience so soon after the psychological trauma was impressed.

The slight bites and scratches that the group had given to each other wither in passion or irritation would normally have no effect. Normal subjects did not have a mystic heritage or even worse in this case a very latent Zoanthrope heritage. Occamy was like his counterpart the survivor of the Triad and had gained the traits of a Zoanthrope and Mystic vampire from it. It was in his legacy passed to his descendants and regardless of the number of generations it tended to linger waiting for the right moment. Without that heritage the boys would merely have gained a feline form as an alternate form similar in some ways to the animagus transformation which in itself was an attempt to duplicate true shapeshifting as it had been a survival trait to escape the sudden witch hunts that the wizards seemed to have brought down upon most magic users.

As the group was running entirely on instincts and a combination of aphrodisiacs and being high on catnip, there was the fact that they were lacking techniques and going to maximize their instant gratification that did not mean however that the ladies were lacking in stimulation and sensory overload merely that they were reaching it through the slightly awkward method that a teenager inexperienced that is would reach. The boys were more into the rut than in maximizing their partners, but there would be time for that later.

Eventually the stamina wore out of both the cats and the humans. They had collapsed into a pile of sweaty bodies and they slowly made their mental way back to each other. Ukyo had curled into a ball at what had happened while the boys dealt with the sudden rush of memories and sensations as they practically relived the past few hours. The main problem that they faced was that Kyuubi was there and wanted to be satisfied again and she settled down to educate the boys in how to best pleasure females and used herself and Ukyo as examples. It was in a twisted way an attempt to drive her back to herself.

Ukyo was being torn in her mind as part of her welcomed the rush and sensations that she had experienced starting again while the other felt the societally ingrained shame at acting like she had. She knew it would be impossible to marry with this having happened. That was one thing that the boys were not planning on for decades give or take a century after they had understood the long view of their life spans. Social norms were vastly different between the two cultures and the boys had long since been ingrained in two different behaviors with the outsiders being for normal and their normal ideas for the community. They had however almost subconsciously considered Ukyo not to be an outsider, but now they were dealing with that and the revelation of her gender. Ukyo however had already crystallized her realized identity and it would while being satisfying have repercussions outside of the boys.

'I guess they are my boys,' Ukyo thought as her body moved under Kyuubi's ministrations. 'At least this time we can enjoy it and thankfully the boys are in no condition to worry about the aftereffects of their roots having been in my jade gate. Father would kill me if I was with a child out of wedlock let alone this young... but I like it... I like it a lot! If I could I would do this all the time and stop only for food and maybe snuggling with the boys...'

The orgy in the pit continued for far too long. Genma had expected them to have learned the technique and jumped out of the pit by now. Still he was safer away from the pit and he didn't like the sounds coming from there one bit. He did hear the sounds of strenuous activity so they had to be learning the technique. Although he wanted to make sure they finished soon he could eat some of the food since they didn't need it and it was not like he had put all of the food in their suits.

Genma was shocked when they finally had emerged from the pit. They had torn the grate off with a simple swipe as the blades from their claws had left the exploding mess as nothing but pieces. To make matters worse there was another that came out and it was female. That the girls were naked and showed signs of that was very troubling. He had been planning to make sure that the boy had no female attachments and he had come so close to even if he had to be careful that the others never learned of his multiple engagements that he had never meant to bind and he had phrased them carefully to avoid those things.

'Great of all the things that I should have considered is what that man meant by the cats being more eager,' Genma thought as he shuddered at the glare of those stalking forward from the pit. 'It is obvious even to me that the boy has been with her! Now my plans will be ruined unless... yes just find a way to convince Nodoka to take her as one of her son's mistresses and I will be off the hook.'

Genma was single minded and did have the tendency to not think things through, but he knew better than to underestimate his wife's desire for grandchildren. He was lucky to survive her desire for a child and that in part was why he took so many training trips as even with his training he was lucky not to die.

"Well this is unexpected," Genma managed to say as he tried to fit the role of wise sensei once more. "It would appear that the herbs didn't strengthen the cats in the way I had hoped than."

"No shit pops," Ranma said as he glared at the man with his breathing struggling to contain the released id and enhanced libido. "So what are we going to do now?"

"That is what I wish to know?" Occamy said as he appeared behind them. "Care pray tell to tell me why Bast seems to be having a furious fit and wishes to skin you alive Genma?"

"Neko ken," Harry muttered as he started to come out of the submersion of personality. "Sounded like a good idea, but as usual things went wrong."

"The short method than," Occamy said as he glared at Genma and seemed indifferent to the scene before him. "For most of you the effects will be minuscule as you had already released most of the limits to your potential and its growth. The girl however is different. She should be dead or worse, but she is not. It would seem that the art allowed the bleed over of your chi to stabilize her as the neko ken enlarged her pathways. Thankfully you lot know enough meditations to prevent the insanity from recurring. I expect you to keep an eye on the girl though as she does not have such training and it would be most disastrous for a neko ken augmented fighter went on a killing spree..."

The boys had looks of horror at what would happen if the masses had experienced such an event and what it would mean. Japan as most of Asia was more or less of a there but not bothering anyone supernatural community. It would be dire if they were given such negative press especially if ti made it outside the country.

He looked at them disappointedly before taking a deep sniff before continuing, "Although the positive emotional feedback from your activities may augment most of the initial training afterwards. Now then Genma it seems that you have forced a situation on us with your actions. We cannot permit the girl, Ukyo was it, to be outside of our supervision as even the rudimentary chi techniques that her family has passed on would not be augmented by the feral state. Even those rediscoveries of your so called forbidden techniques would pale at the damage wrought."

"What has this miserable excuse for a student done now?" Happosai asked as he appeared on the scene. "It had better be good considering that he has ruined my night because of it!"

"The same here," Jiraiya said with an annoyed voice. "You ruined my research so speak up what did you do this time Genma?"

"Well... I... um," Genma started as he suddenly looked around. "Is that the national nude female volleyball champions?"

"What where?" Jiraiya and Happosai asked as they looked around to see the pretty girls.

With that Genma darted away drawing a sigh from Occamy before he smirked. The kids were coming out of it more than they had been although Ukyo and Kyuubi were still trying to drag the boys back to playing with them. It would seem for a moment that Genma had escaped.

"Well you two are far too easily distracted," Occamy said with a smirk.

"You didn't stop him either," Jiraiya said with a huff.

"I did not need to do so," Occamy said with a smirk. "It is not as if he could escape... he is merely delaying his punishment and that... will only make it far... worse."

The men shuddered at that knowing that nothing good would come from that look. They were experienced and as such had gained time to make knowledge into skill. He was a matter of turning knowledge and skill into ultra efficient actions. That was without his tendency to be the pinnacle of subtle manipulations as had been testament to several so called accidents and disasters in the past. Why he had even arranged for them to accidentally end up peeking on hermaphrodites before being discovered. The memory still had not been erased even after drowning several gallons of sake repetitively.

"Why do I think that no matter what we planned to do that he is suffering worse?" Jiraiya asked Happosai.

"He may be my student," Happosai said with a shiver, "but he is the master of getting himself into suffering."

"Like being dumb enough to get caught by Tsunade when I have no chakra to harden myself against her fury," Jiraiya said with an equal shudder. "Genma is so going to suffer something far worse than death now."

"Even I learned not to run when he got in this mood," Happosai said with a shudder.

Meanwhile with Genma he had thought that he was home free before he bumped into someone.

"Watch where you are going," Genma said before he looked up at who he bumped into.

"Hello Genma," Occamy said with a smile. "Just the person I wanted to see..."

The screams were heard by the group who shuddered before turning to Occamy with a look.

"What you though he would get away?" Occamy laughed after he looked at them. "Besides we have way ward students to get back to training. This situation is no reason to slack off and in fact they need to work harder now."

The students just groaned as they knew that they had gone from the frying pan to the fire. Why couldn't they have stayed in the pit? At least their they were uninterrupted and they were releasing enough of the tension that had built up over the years. Still being out of the pit would be nicer. Now if they just survived their training...



************

"Why do I think that things are going to be harder than they seem?" Horus asked Seras as he looked at the drawings on the walls.

Seras raised her eye brows and said, "This is definitely not what I expected to see..."

"You are telling me," Horus said with a wide eyed look. "It seems that something went truly wrong if all three races had to band together to lock this away. I know what the outside said, but it looks like it was a truly epic battle."

"A rising force on two sides," Seras said. "It is obvious that one side is vilified though I cannot read the descriptions..."

"Behold the rising of the Corrupter," Horus began to read the inscriptions. "He who fought not for the glory of the clan nor the honor of his house, but to slake his foul lusts for power and carnage."

"Well he definitely seems like the evil sort," Seras said as she traced the figure standing on a hill with his enemies slaughtered around him while his troops did things to men women and children. "I take it that they didn't stand for his actions?"

"They most assuredly did not," Horus said with a sigh as he looked at the next seen. "It looks like they started to gather together after there was a great fight in which even the Kateni Battlelord was injured in the fight and the more sinister of the Kateni banded together with him."

"I take it that a disgruntled and overlooked lower class Kateni was the one to find the sword," Seras said as she looked at the scene showing the rise of the Corrupted before he became considered the Corrupter by the Kateni. "Well the pictures do give a general idea of what happened, but it would help if I could read the words."

"With the rise of the Corrupter expanding his interests and activities outside Kateni space the other great races eventually encountered him," Horus said as he pointed at the next scene showing the Kateni Corrupter fighting against the Empire's finest. "The Empire for the first time in countless thousands of years went against a Kateni force. Most of the troops on both sides were heavily injured and it only drove the Corrupter into a stale mate. House Etrael saw what the troops they had trained had done and rage overcame them. They brought out their greatest ship and mightiest fleet and in their traditions rebuilt them to be sure of overwhelming weapons' superiority after the small fleet that had been in the area had been destroyed. The Vorshlaque II was commissioned at over a hundred miles long it was a fleet carrier designed to deal with the threat."

"That still does not explain the Draken influences though," Seras said before seeing the next scene. "I guess I spoke to soon. The destruction of the hatching grounds and the loss of a generation would motivate anyone I would think."

"Not anyone..." Horus said with a sigh before a pause and a shake of his head, "considering... That issue is not important right now, but the Draken are different as they are aware at almost the moment of conception. Far few are ever stillborn and even then it is most likely they are dormant until their eggs are ready to hatch."

"They mobilized their scattered and highly independent civilization and tore into his forces," Seras said as the next panel came into view with a shudder at the sight. "I don't get why they seem more sad than normal at the casualties though..."

"The Draken are if not the most than one of the most long lived races out there," Horus said with a sigh. "They are known to live to be a half a million years old before going through a process of ascension into pure entities without the need for any physical form just their will. Also there is the fact that like Mystics they are reincarnated with some if not all of their memories intact. Hell even at a certain level they can control when and where they are reborn. The best we get is to keep all of our memories and abilities even if we get a karmic clean slate between incarnations and that is if one reaches the level of Master as Journeyman and under only have the slightest of impressions at that point."

"That does not explain the shock and rage if they merely need to be reborn though," Seras countered as she knew there had to be a serious reason to do so and practically growled out the next part in agitation. "So I ask why is it that they seem so enraged?"

"True immortality is a rare thing and it resides in the soul," Horus said slowly showing his hesitation as he had closed his eyes and sighed before he continued. "Most however do not retain their experiences between cycles in more than a slight manner. To one who has lived so long and where death of the body is just a part of the natural cycle the death of the soul is greatly feared."

"Did the sword kill their souls?" Seras asked in terror as she realized that it would permanently kill her as well which was something she had not considered in a while as after her fights with Das Millenium and seeing Alucard come back from so much she did not consider she could die so easily anymore."Tell me did it do that?"

"I wish that it had Seras love, I truly wish that it had done so," Horus said after a moment in a voice that sent shudders of fright up her spine worse than any before. "What happened was worse. The pain of a torn soul is truly great and one I would not wish on my enemies. Even Riddle didn't tear so much as split his soul which is less traumatic and look how his psychoses grew. For an immortal only insanity is more feared than death as to live forever trapped in your own world is even worse than simply ceasing to exist. Perhaps that is why most consider the Mad Ones to be truly cursed..."

"The Mad Ones?" Seras asked in confusion. "Why have you never mentioned that before?"

"Its part of the origin myths of several races," Horus said with a sigh. "Take a look up above us and you will see it..."

"It looks different from any that I have seen before," Seras commented as she saw the birth of creation depicted coming from a void that seemed to be described as randomness. "I was always led to believe that in the beginning there was the light..."

"It depends what you mean by light," Horus said with a sigh as he pointed to the drawings. "There was nothing but the void and the emptiness there. Then arose the First bringing something into the nothingness and the void itself still remained. Chaos First of all Primordials was self created from the nothingness it created itself. Her children populated the void. There was no sight, no sound, nor any physical communications to be found in the void, but that did not mean that they did not communicate., there was the silence external while the mind itself connected the children of the void. Time passed and Chaos created a new form of chaos called Order. Order was on the surface diametrically opposed to Chaos who birthed him, but that was merely a misconception as pure random chance of true randomness and order are equally probable. As Chaos had done Order created life, but like Chaos's children they were diametrically opposite. Change was an impossibility to the static order that was created and stability was impossible for the rest of Chaos's children save Order. Their children struggled for dominance and the void was filled with epic battles. In the end the battles were too great and Order was loosing and withdrew for a time to hi sown plane where his children could grow strong..."

"Why does this mirror a twisted version of the Fall," Seras mumbled as she looked at the scene before her of the retreat "I wouldn't be surprised if one called themselves Light and the Other Dark."

"That came later," Horus said. "Order came with his soldiers and struck into the very heart of the void. Those caught in the attack shuddered and were never the same. Chaos in rage struck out at Order and their struggle for mutual inhalation eventually led to reality as we know it forming. Born of their mixed power a new entity was formed Balance and the universe shuddered at her offspring. They had the adaptability of chaos, but the stability of order. Draken, Kateni, and the rest were her offspring."

"Well that is different, but that does not answer anything about the whys and what happened after," Seras began before seeing the next few panels. "Never expected to see everything laid out like this though. It seems a bit too easy..."

"Mostly I think it is to convince us to go back with what was sacrificed," Horus said with a shrug. "Though the curious would be drawn ever closer..."

"To meet there fate you mean," Seras said with a sigh. "It seems the information is a double edged sword in a way as it beckons us further while trying to explain why they went to such lengths."

"I really would like to know how the blade did that though," Horus said with a hint of excitement. "Now that is something that I have always wondered about, how any of the soul weapons were formed and what they have in common. To tell the truth that has been bothering me since I first heard of them... well that and why there is no mention of them being used to slay any of the Great Beasts. It would have been the perfect way to deal with them and yet there was nothing mentioned. Not a single account of any of the Old Ones, Ancient Ones or the Great Beasts dying in anything but an epic struggle that would have crippled the dead gods. It is just so frustrating with everywhere I have been and the number of sights that I was able to use my rank to look after that I never have come even close. It would be ironic if the one time I am not looking for it that it simply falls into my lap. Basically what has been truly vexing in its nature is that there are tales of soul destroying weapons in many cultures, but there has to be a common connection..."

"So I take it that this is the hobby that you were not sure made you as much of a geek as a fighter than," Seras said with a giggle. "Seriously there could have been any number of interests that you could have that would not even faze anyone in chasing you and this is certainly not one to be concerned about. Besides for a fighter there being a weapon that makes all the training and caution useless is important to know about..."

"The common source," Horus said with a whisper as his secret project became revealed. "I always suspected that it might have been something like this, but a common source for all of them... it just seems surreal. Its kind of funny that after mentioning that the twisted humor of finding it in one of the places while not looking for it after all. The timing is just cruel though..."

"Because we have no time to dally," Seras said with a sad smile. "Just remember that it is not like you are not searing all this into your memory so that you will not forget. Now we do have some time since we have not tripped anything yet and you are just so cute when you get worked up and flustered like this. It is a nice change from how cool you tend to be at times. So tell me about this and let us for once get to indulge our obsessions."

"Some would say an obsession is just a vice that we haven't eliminated but even the angelic have at least one personal vice," Horus said with a chuckle before the lack of a laugh from Seras reminded him about something. "I guess that movie didn't come out yet... remind me to take you, Integra and Alucard to see it. Now that is something that they will find hilarious. Look at the platypus indeed..."

"You're getting distracted dear," Seras chided but with plenty of good humor present in her voice. "Now back to the important parts since I cannot read these languages."

"Right then," Horus said after a wince. "Basically this tells of how the first of the soul destroying or actually devouring blades were formed. Formed from the teeth of a supposedly extinct branch of the Draken's predecessors. To be precise the Crystal Star Dragons as they were called as unlike normal Draken at the latter parts of life they were not pure energy, but energy saturated into their crystalline forms. A rather startling difference to be told. Now from there it goes how the progenitor of the line slept for eons until such time as his space drifting form was covered and became a planetoid until it was finally a planet and life settled or developed there. None of them were sure which it was and is immaterial in the end."

"That seems like it would be a bit too long for it to be remembered," Seras commented at the absurdity of people not noticing that their home sat upon a slumbering giant. "I take it that the Draken line was still extremely long lived even back then?"

"Yeah they were still very long lived even several million to billions of years ago," Horus said with an amused chuckle. "That does tend to make then far too conservative in their planning though since they can take thousands to almost millions of years to decide things. Sadly that does really makes quick decisions difficult and as you know 'In times of war...'"

"'Inaction leads to almost as much death as wrongful action or even unthinking action'," Seras finished with a wry grin. "Still that is true in other situations as well, but that is not the point! Now then back to the story before we get to have some adventures in this temple."

"All right considering that while this is fun that we do need to not go lallygagging at all the discoveries we have stumbled across," Horus said with a sad sigh of resignation. "Basically the oldest of the Crystal Star Dragons slept and when he awoke unknowingly destroyed the world that had grown around him. The other Draken were upset because they had taken the sentients in similar to a stray animal and had grown quite attached. In their ignorance and arrogance they cast him out and his physical form settled into a mountain even after impact and became the source of the soul killing weapons. When he was driven from his sealed form he lost his memory and became the first of a new sort of vampires... eventually he regained some of his memory and drifted off somewhere. The people he had lastly sired had been left with twelve weapons of his made from his bodies claws while his heir was left with his tail spike formed into a lance. The thirteen weapons nominally took the form of crystal daggers and the leadership flourished. However a fang had been gifted to the Kateni and it was that fang given to a demi mortal descendant that was their relic. Rather fascinating really considering how much of our history is shaped by random events and their ramifications. The story moved on how do to the energy absorbing abilities of the blade that most if not all energy attacks including psionics, magic, and life energy attacks were useless against the wielder although the blade hungered to sate the thirst that it had been cursed with. The fang was in a way a natural horcrux were as long as it remained those bound to it would as well."

"The culminating battle was massive," Seras whispered as the scene that followed. "It looks like great power was summoned up and unleashed..."

"Spells that would later be labeled as the Forbidden Sealed Spells by the Guild," Horus said with a whisper of reverent awe. "The spell equivalents of nuclear, and total conversion bombs are truly.... impressive. Such simple names for such devastating might and yet still so many to be of such force to be known. Still odd as each element had it's absolutely most destructive techniques - Dark Element Ultimate Technique: Unholy Retribution, Light Element Ultimate Technique: Divine Damnation, Shadow Element Ultimate Technique: Daemon Slaythe, Air Element Ultimate Technique: Perfect Destroyer of Planets, Fire Element Ultimate Technique: Plasma Nova Storm, Water Element Ultimate Technique: Crushing Depths of the Void, Absolute Zero: Flash Freeze Big Wave, XXX. Still it is hard to believe that anyone could throw them like is being depicted. Most sorcerers even at higher levels would have been rendered unconscious. The sword practically made him immune to any direct attacks similar to how the Rian have been becoming more resilient as well..."

"Horus?" Seras asked in sudden concern. "What is it? What have you figured out now?"

"How could the Rian have such a similar crystalline protection in their shells?" Horus asks in dawning horror. "There must have been a piece of one of them there and with it slowly growing in concentration inside their bodies they have been gaining the same resistance as the oft called Progenitors in the worlds that they still dwell in."

"Why would they be called that?" Seras asked wondering what they had created.

"Well odd as it sounds they sired a form of vampires, shapeshifters, magic users and physical adepts who are virtually immortal," Horus said with a sudden cock to his head. "I wonder why we did the same. I guess the needs of such help is the reason although the methods were different. They created a form of lesser vampirism to keep the various night races such as the various non infernal demons and the like while they created a form of lycanthrope to be their day time protectors and inspire awe in the masses. They granted those mortals loyal to them power either in the form of magic or physical enhancements cumulating in a near physical immortality so long as their bodies were neither destroyed nor their heads removed from their bodies do to the manner in which they altered their bodies chi flow and capacities. It did render them unable to use magic after the fact though and severely curtailed their ability to procreate."

"Why does that sound familiar?" Seras asked. "Do you think it was in a report about various supernaturals?"

"Perhaps," Horus conceded with a grip. "Although in other realities similar variants came into existence. It is a rather lucky occurrence that none of Riddle's essence traveled to those realities considering that the Guild and others have treaties to not go there unless necessary or are asked. They are more than able to prevent incursion by the threats that we deal with and as such it would be a waste of resources to send troops and supplies to already secured fronts."

"So while our reality and world in particular seems to draw the crazies trying to destroy or at least conquer it there are other realities where this is not the case," Seras said with a sigh. "Why do we seem to have such a problem?"

"Just our luck I guess," Horus said with a shrug. "There are plenty of worlds were demons invaded but were only with the force of the Old Ones and Ancient Ones. Those eventually were driven out by various methods as the Great Beasts were finite in number while the massive number of lesser yet still greater demon and devil lords are more prone to schisms that could be utilized. Worlds without end are out there for us to explore. The Guild however has gone more to look at the different planes, dimensions and realities versus once more exploring our sealed galaxy or mostly sealed galaxy. The other earths seem not to have such a limitation and there has been a proposition to use them to get around the seal."

"So basically everyone uses the travel between dimensions since this barrier prevents mundane and magical methods of travel outside," Seras said as she sorted and analyzed the situation. "Well as interesting as this is we still need to go forward, but at least we are better prepared for what we have to deal with. Is there any chance that the ring will be easier to acquire?"

"Sadly this might be easier than the ring," Horus said with a sigh as he closed his eyes. "The ring is behind a number of wards. Nothing living, dead nor undead can breach the barrier. I see an old specter sealed wearing the ring. He is dressed in rather strange garments and like all there is made of ectoplasmic materials. The preceding area is protected by an alignment system being a magical equivalent to a time lock. By the looks of it is also protected by a contingency and it is most likely a prophecy at that. No sadly the sword will be easier to retrieve as the wards also prevent any form of travel, but not viewing."

"Why do I think that this will not be anything simple like South America?" Seras asks in irritation.

"Because the maze also seems to be linked to the proving ground," Horus said with a sigh still with his eyes closed. "There is the fact that wither this was built or modified for this purpose this is still a proving temple and such certain things are here."

"Well there is a reason that we are armed to deal with beings that are immune to both mundane and magical attacks," Seras said with a grin. "Besides considering neither of us hunt humans as much as even those pale imitations the blood demons or even freak chip vampires we do have the hunting instincts to indulge in."

"Yes it is definitely time to sate that particular lust," Horus said with a feral grin reminiscent of Alucard. "So what does the winner get?"

"What do you think?" Seras asked as her fangs lengthened and her shadows grew darker.

"Well either way we win," Horus said with a smirk. "Let's get the party started!"

The two walked forward to the end of the hallway. There was a door their that was heavy and well fortified. It was a dull gold color that was engraved with a different scene.

"So what does it say?" Seras asked. "There a trick to get in right?"

"Last chance to leave," Horus said with a feral grin. "Let the ones who challenges this proving ground speak their intent."

"Safety measure?" Seras asked.

"Considering that similar one's are designed to be sprung without warning and it ruined a few hunts," Horus said with a chuckle. "Yeah they put in a last step so as to not have the unworthy or the unprepared accidentally take the test."

"So all we have to do is say we wish to take the test?" Seras asked as she turned to the door and frowned. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing it just needs to be in one of the correct languages," Horus said. "One last key..."

Horus suddenly turned and seemed to grow an aura of menace before speaking a bizarre tongue that Seras did not follow verbally as it was a series of growls and hisses, but that did not stop her from hearing the thought that was behind the words, 'We challenge to prove our honor and the glory of our pack! We challenge to complete the task of our elders to rid the sacred sword of the corruption! We seek to prove our worth by doing our duty!'

There was a responding sound before the door suddenly slammed shut behind them and the door before them opened a few moments after. They saw a small chamber that had another door in it. Along the walls were statues and between the left and right side were chests.

"Well there is nothing left to it but to do it," Horus said as he strolled into the chamber. "Come on its time..."

"Time... to... play," Seras drawled out with a primal grin before stalking into the chamber.

The pair went to a chest each and opened them before grabbing the weapons there. If they survived then they would be trophies and if not well they got to use some cool toys. Horus grabbed several of the throwing discs as well as the spears. Seras however had gone for the blasters as well as the nastier heavier fire power options. That was not to say that Horus ignored the guns, but that he was looking more critically as he recognized them from recordings and the like as well as having trained with a few that he was irritated that he had not packed as they were restricted items in his time even more than currently.

"Oh this is going to be fun," Seras said with a child like grin at getting to have some sweet new toys.

"Of course you grabbed the Redeemer and the Ribbon guns just because they are ultra tech equivalents of your normal guns," Horus said with a sigh. "Girls and there toys... do they ever grow up."

"What about you and your toys boy?" Seras asked. "Those definitely look even less Geneva friendly than mine..."

"Their practical," Horus said in a sniff. "Boomers and a Double Destroyer is more than enough to deal with most situations. Only one's practical are the Ribbon guns since they are named that since they leave the target as nothing but ribbons, while the Redeemer is like taking your Halicon to hunt squirrels way too much power for the task."

"Sop why is it here than huh?" Seras asked with a smirk. "Didn't think so."

"Fine," Horus said with a sigh. "Just for that I won't accidentally tell Walter how to tweak them."

That drew Seras up short. She liked the modifications that Walter did. He did seem to always know what she or Alucard needed altered for their tastes. She suspected that Horus was going to try to find a way to gain his services even after death. There were ways to recruit spirits and even full souls if they did not reincarnate and their was some trade between the parts of the Netherworld after all.

"That is so not fair," Seras said with a pout. "Now lets grab everything that kills and go kill some things..."

"I like your plan luv," Horus said with a grin. "There will be plenty to kill that is for sure..."

************



When Horus and Seras finally made it back and heard about the incident it was Horus's comment which seemed the most appropriate, he had simply said well at least none of them were in puberty or there would have been issues. Horus really didn't see what all the fuss was about for the most part although he did understand that later in life their would have been a chance of unwanted pregnancies but that was a simple matter from his point of view. Then again that was because of the way that he ways raised and the culture that he ways a part of since almost his birth.

'Really now making such a big deal about something normal,' Horus thought before his concentration drifted. 'Well I can understand before and I guess those issues would currently be relevant. Still the fact that there are ways to deal with unwanted pregnancies such as the suspension charm and preventative ones as well or even transferal spells are somewhat going to be common. Really as soon as the ability to transfer a prenatal without danger so many issues became irrelevant almost as much as the stasis charms modification to halt a pregnancy and resume that one later or transfer out to a surrogate mother if there are risks for carrying to term.'

"So how do we deal with the kids now?" Seras asked as she was unsure how this would affect things. "Ukyo is no longer a hanger on and there seems to be a chance of complications, but at least there won't be that to worry about I believe..."

"None of them were old enough to have sired a child though it is rather close in Ranma's case by several months at the least," Horus said with a sigh as he was grateful that there was hopefully not going to be the issue of the talk and why the boys had already had that. "There was a minor chance in Naruto and Kyuubi's case as both are kitsune and they and other spirit kin and shapeshifters tend to develop even faster than other mystics in such matters. Shorter pregnancies coupled with an earlier multi part puberty as well as delayed menopause has repetitively allowed our population to rapidly recover in times of crisis."

"There is a cost to that isn't there?" Seras asked in a quite voice. "Otherwise there would have been a greater number of the gifted over the years. So what is it?"

"So true," Horus said with a sad sigh, "and it is simply this. That the natural reproductive rates lower the chances of children in any unions as the energy within us equilibrate with the rest of the population to prevent a complete demographic from completely fazing out a subspecies. That is in part why there are so many variants in humans. Nature somehow creates a ratio of how many can be mundane, sensitive, magical and mystical and there is little we can do to alter this as even magic and science should realize it is better for the species; however mundanes are a normally smaller portion of the populous and will become outnumbered by the sensitives again within the next few centuries. Still variety prevents the chance of a disease or sudden change in favorable genetics from loosing large parts of the species. It is deeply tied to our instincts and our bodies rhythms. If there had been a disaster people tend to seek comfort in sexual acts instinctively knowing they need to redress the change as well as release the tension and uncertainty that is caused."

"Well that does seem to make sense," Seras commented. "Still why is there such a hesitation about this? Something had to change didn't it?"

"Do to the lack of real danger to the mystic community the population has had a very stable situation until this century," Horus said dropping into a stuffy professional tone. "Sudden changes in global populations were sensed and a similar effect to the baby boom of the sixties is happening currently among our population. More of us are born, but there is none of the pressure to trigger too many cases of premature puberty. The multi stage one's are common and are to allow us to develop mentally to deal with where we are physically. In the kids case this means that they will mature enough to handle the situation even if they are not physically able to procreate although their bodies are able to complete the acts that do so."

"There is more though," Seras said sourly. "Ukyo was a sensitive and her development has been shaped by this. If we left her she would most likely be diagnosed with an early case of sexual hypertension and clinical nymphomania and that is something that would be even more out of place here than elsewhere. The neko ken blended with her, but not in as much as a martial art but a marital art. She was already asking when she can get taken again and when I said she needed time she started begging for things she could do until she could be with her boys again. We cannot let her go in her state and the inquisition that her father would cause would be disastrous or did you forget that the world here is still ignorant for the most part and this would be a most unfortunate way to reveal anything let alone everything?"

"While I agree with the fact that things need to be handled they are already being dealt with somewhat," Horus said with a sigh. "Genma was already formulating ways of calming the situation and if anything was discovered Ukyo would be in an arrangement with Ranma already. The problem is that the neko ken enhancements are already available consciously because of this disaster and if the situation arises as it seems to there will be the problem of when she goes in heat. Do you know why there are fewer female necromancers than summoners? It is because the rush that we deal with tends to result in pregnancies in the untrained and in the recent past being driven out as a scarlet woman or branded as the town whore for being different. Summoners at least get a companion of a sort and they tend to be a female in form so the only fear that they would have is a mundane seeing them doing what they considered an unnatural act. There is a large part of why complete disclosure will be bad until the social mores are less reactionary. Ukyo will get what training we can provide that she can handle and she will be going with and most definitely on a potion to prevent any issues from cropping up. My concern is that she would try to convince the boys to fuck her as her mind equates that entirely with love now considering how cold her father was to her. There is not much that we can do in this situation but at least it is far from salvageable or is there more that was brought up that was worrying in your woman to woman talks?"

"You hit the nail on the head in both meanings there," Seras said with a sigh as she sat down next to the tree before dragging him down next to her so she had someone to hold. "If any one finds out she would be conditioned to conform to the current social values and that would be a disaster as she seems to be entirely obsessed with sex. I give her less than a day without a self induced orgasm before she tries to even proposition Happosai or Jiraiya and you know neither are interested in a pre pubescent so that only leaves the kids!"

"Knowing our luck she would find the scroll for Hinako's technique and have a way to assume an adult form to indulge her knew needs.," Horus said with a sigh. "Still though there is the fact that the boys as well are reevaluating things between them now. I know they plan to get Ukyo up to speed on what techniques that she can along with a crash course in transmutation. I do have to admit that I fear her finding a way to transmute a trainer suit and just put that on and drift for the rest of her life as she drowns in pleasure until the day that her body dies."

"That is something I didn't think at all about," Seras said with a shudder. "I take it that you feel that she will almost be required to have several orgasms a day not to go insane in some way or shape?"

"Yeah it will equalize the hormones and bring things back into focus," Horus said with a slow sigh before continuing, "but there is also the fact that her life centered around the art before and the sudden surge of hormones are almost as bad as mine on Halloween and she will have that monthly with increasing pressure if she tries to abstain. The kids at least will enjoy the humiliation that we put Genma through."

"There is something important that you are not telling me though," Seras said with a seductive purr in her voice. "So what is it that you feel you need to hide from me, my love?"

"The effects on all of them will be more lasting mentally than in others," Horus said with a sigh. "Each of the boys had some very distant Zoanthrope blood and it is a wonder that it remained repressed for so long. Ukyo however was not a mystic and there is always the chance that the neko ken will allow the safeguards that prevent siring or turning as it is more often called. It is lucky that a scratch does not cause the change in the case of mystics. Most of the safeguards such as willingly inducing with a bite are still there, but the fact remains that the neko ken was in a way a form to induce the enhancements of either primal possession or real shapeshifting. The speed and agility boost is enough and that is without the healing factor and other neural changes. I give it a few years at most before one of their games results in Ukyo changing. The reason most forms of lycanthrope are weak against silver is the moon is used to power the boost and change. A tolerance at most is possible outside of temporary rituals. The effects of the change on a mundane are brutal and it would not go well with how little real physical conditioning she has been through. We will be upping the training, but it is inevitable that Ukyo will become a feline Zoanthrope. For the most part that is better considering... "

"Considering what exactly?" Seras asked in concern at the girl she had sought as a somewhat maternal object. "Tell me..."

"Life span," Horus said with a sigh. "Most sorcerers tend to have mortal girlfriends in the beginning if they were raised mundane, but they will most likely outlive them. That is a reason that most journeyman and higher start to withdraw to the community. We understand each other and are less prone to rejection."

"There is that," Seras said with a sigh. "It is too bad that you don't have that problem anymore. Think of all the poor women that are never going to be with you. Why must you let them suffer so? Then again, there is the fact that for once we seem to get more of your time. On the plus side without the disaster that would lead to her obsessions this Ukyo will have a more stable relationship with her Ranma. Still it is nice that they won't have all those odd hangups that they had before..."

"Let me guess you just remembered somewhere that we should be," Horus said with a sigh. "That is the problem of having been here for a few years, there is far too much that is glossed over when once reflects on what once might have been."

"Yes without the being abandoned Ukyo will be better adjusted," Seras said softly. "Still the other potentials will occur and this time little Ukyo will not have the need to be possessive. I do wonder the effects of her burden on her and the others. They will not fit in with normals and that is even if Ukyo does not change. The Neko ken might actually have been a spiritual method to get around magical methods. The primal possession will make them more id driven and less likely to be stoic..."

"They will be a part of our world," Horus said sadly. "They will kill something that of his group only the other Ranma had done. Killing should never be easy emotionally but done only out of necessity not merely because one can. For all of the other fiancées talk of killing they had none of the killer instinct. Ukyo will be secure in her sexuality at least and the rest of the children will adapt. Sadly soon enough they will be considered at initiate level and thus able to be chosen by the various orders. Each do have their specialties but so far the Shadow will gain membership of them at the least with the others tacitly giving secondary memberships. Despite her family Ukyo is a ninja in training not in the colder and more lethal past here, but of the skills without the killer edge. Before they are sent to there homes each will serve in a team. The plan of Harry, Ranma, Naruto and Xander under someones' guidance seems to be off kilter with the introduction of Ukyo. She will need intense training to keep up. Perhaps if she goes along as a familiar things will work out still with four members and a captain. Five under a leader is a bit less balanced, but would be balanced in the elements in the oriental manner."

"So you think that they will be a good team," Seras said with a smirk. "Well they are rather close already so as long as they do not allow there private past times to disrupt their professional matters things will work out. It will do the mot of them good to have more friends. Still this has pointed out that we need to keep a better eye on Genma in the future..."

"Despite evidence to the contrary," Horus began. "There are far too many lynch pins in life. I had believed that this event would be prevented and forgot about it. It was a necessity of destiny in a way as it brought them closer instead of tearing them apart as the older Ranma had experienced. I fear that this is one of the many mistakes that will find a way to repeat itself. The universe abhors imbalance and as such an equilibrium will be found. Funny I still feel like they will somehow end up cursed similar to Jusenkyo. Ranma will at the very least spend time in female form. Harry will as well. It seem sad that it is a requirement to better understand the sexes to spend time as another gender. It does help to solve the unexplainable questions though. I shudder to think of them indulging in shifting for sex so young. Still what they do in private is none of our concern as long as it is not detrimental to their training."

"You sounded so cold there for a moment," Seras said with a shudder. "What caused the change so?"

"Despite that we are family there is a necessity that haunts us," Horus said. "We may joke and laugh and have fun but all of us must accept that our duty is binding and that someday we may die to carry it out. Still the kids will be better off when we are away from this place. It is shocking that her father agreed to allow us to drag Ukyo along."

"He never stuck me as much of a father," Seras said sadly yet with a slight snarl. "It is better off with Ukyo being with us."

"Letting your maternal tendencies get the better of you love?" Horus asked with a smirk. "There will be plenty of time to put the practice to use. I don't plan on dying anytime soon and jsu tthink in a few centuries of all the grand kids running around to spoil..."

Seras let out a squeel before imitating Nodoka in her cry of, "Grandbabies! Oh when can we start?"

"Soon," Horus said. "Soon my love when we get home..."



************



The boys had managed to drag Ukyo with them and with some pestering were going to be going to a school again. Sure they were going to go to a school to complete the necessary education or at least sit the tests. They did not want to see what the old man would do if they let Genma allow there education to slack. He was one really stringent man after all. They were even somewhat looking forward to it after all they had heard the rumors and it sounded better than that other school who only seemed to have one fighter with a real reputation and he had issues that would make their continued sparring less interesting.

No the boys had decided they had no reason to go to that school and regardless of the reputation that Hibiki Ryouga had they felt that Urameshi Yaskue seemed to have more and better skilled fighters coming to fight him and they could always use a good spar. Who knows what they would learn? There had even been rumors of some of the Makai breed of demons showing up and there had been a reported sighting of both Hiei and Kurama. Those two had quite the reputation and Kurama was someone that Kyuubi wanted to see again see how much of Yoko Kurama remained in his human guise. Well that and as a good rival for Naruto's skills as a fox.

"So we are decided than?" Ranma asked his friends with a slight sigh.

"Yessss," Harry said with a half lidded gaze in a long drawl full of irritation and a touch of annoyance caused disappointment. "Genma's plan is foolishness as usual."

"Ukyo would not be able to come with us unless she cross dressed," Naruto said with a sigh. "I don't know about you but I don't like leaving a woman hanging..."

"Speaks the guy with his own nymphomaniac vixen," Xander said with a sigh. "Still I agree going to the school the fat man wants is unacceptable. The fights would be sub par and we would harm our training holding back that much. Besides I don't think Ukyo could last too long without us..."

The boys looked down at the squirming Ukyo who was doing her best to distract the boys. She had to admit that they were right now if only they would stop talking and take their frustrations out on her she would get some real relief.

"I suspected you lot would decide that," Occamy said as he stood suspended from the overhang by his feet. "You will need to up Ukyo's fitness level though. Not that any of you would mind the exercise or the contortions involved..."

The boys just smirked as Ukyo had a serene grin at what she knew would be coming and hopefully cuming.

"Still we can't let your other training slide," Horus said materializing out of the shadows behind them with Seras in tow. "Sad that we need to make sure Genma cannot think of a training method to compare."

The boys gulped at that. They knew that these two could be even more sadistic than Jiraiya or Happosai. They at least indulged in some activity that the boys enjoyed as well. Still the two while perverts had their limitation in age though they were planning on peeping on the girls when they got older. Little did they know that Ukyo would not mind that or more when she was older.

"Still I had hoped," Ranma began before looking at the sign. "Well we can always come back and challenge them later."

"If they were serious about challenges they would leave a student to defend their schools honor or at least leave a note," Occamy said glaring at the building. "At least you don't need to waste your time with such matters since you won;t be going to that school with him. His ancestors while strong are unworthy to fight. They are the worst losers than anyone save the Kuno family."

"Still they do tend to learn the more unusual techniques," Harry began looking at the building with a frown. "It was a perfect opportunity to learn several eccentric mundane and sensitive combat skills. A pity to have to waste the opportunity as finding the masters they trained under will be time consuming."

"You sound annoyed Harry-onii-chan," Naruto said with a slight smile. "You wanted to see a fight to integrate more styles didn't you?"

"I am merely disappointed, Naruto-nee-chan," Harry said with a sigh. "A chance to improve ourselves without too much time spent to reach the training is essential considering that we are all on a limited time scale. You will need to go back to Konoha in a few years and the Wizards will seek me as they are aware I am not dead. Xander has his own friends to protect and his home will be shortly a battleground and must be prepared. As for Ranma-sempai there is the fact that despite outside influences Genma will cause problems. Others will seek us for our power. The rumors of Makai breed demons appearing in Tokyo is almost as disconcerting as the lack of other demon breeds in the vicinity. The quite is not settling."

"I have heard rumors of the Reikai choosing a new detective," Horus said with a sigh. "Making contacts with the established in the sensitive and magical communities is essential to aid in the collection and cross referencing of information. Oddly Genma has been more than inclined to go to areas of high saturation in spiritual presences. If we did not keep an eye on him he would have made cheap marriage contracts than run out on them. Even though you are not on a team yet you can practice with this mission."

"What mission?" the boys asked for once a real hunger in their eyes.

"The identity of the new Reikai Tantai and who his or her support crew is," Occamy said. "This will be an official mission with all that entails. Horus will be listed as your team leader and expect your training to be much... more... intense!"

The boys shuddered at the dark exuberance that he was radiating. They liked training but they knew that their teachers liked to push them to insane levels and that was normally. They had a sinking feeling about this. The boys nodded before vanishing with Ukyo delightfully and contently sandwiched between them. They were going to play with her again and she could not be happier. There was a small part that was disappointed in them not going to the all boys school as it would have been naughty sneaking in and playing. It was a good thing that her mouth was occupied or her cackling would have made most shudder in fear of what the girl would be inflicting on them.

"You ever going to tell them what you know about all this?" Horus asked with a smirk.

"Why would I do that?" Occamy asked with an evil grin. "There are several lessons that they need to learn and this is just the opportunity to learn them. Besides Koenma will go spare and that will eb quite amusing."

They couldn't help but smirk. This was going to be fun and besides who knows what wacky highjinks the brats would get into. Horus recalled his time and realized this was why his sensei was always amused when he suffered so. It was just.... so... much... fun!

The dashing group shuddered where they were even though Ukyo was shuddering for different reasons. Suffice it to say that Ukyo would never fit in the mundane world anymore. Though if she was a few years older she would be more popular in porn and that was without the contortions that she was learning.

Still the boys could use the time to try to find a way to get Seras or Horus to tell them what happened out there. There had to be more than what they had let on. It had been annoying how they said they would tell them when they were older.

************