Tied to a cross as black as shadow, Ranma Saotome experienced first hand the joys of hell.
***
"RANMA! WAKE UP!" She held him, quivering in absolute fear for the boy laying in her arms. Tears, glistening slivers of escaped horror, fell from her eyes as her sorrowful cry. She had done it. She had forced him to eat the food, even though he was feeling sick. She.. she had killed him!
Her sister, the eldest of three, busily chattered on the phone. In only a surrealistic way did she understand the hurried words, the panic of her tone.
"He's not breathing!" Nabiki grimaced, clumsily grabbing the boy's wrist. "No.. no pulse either! Dad! He's dying!"
She didn't understand. Couldn't understand. Time and time again he had been hurt, time and time again he recovered. Yet.. now..
Soun held his hands to his head, hysterically jabbering, "Boy! Get up! This isn't funny Saotome! Have you no honor! You're making my little girls cry!"
"Some one help him! Wake up Ranma.. please!" she pleaded, begged to everyone, yet to no one.
***
Tichondrius wasn't a demon, despite appearances. Standing at just over seven feet tall, with pale skin shriveled skin, two jutting horns, feet like a bulls, and an impressive leathery wing span, it wasn't very hard to confuse him as one. Not that he cared, either, such things were beneath his notice.
Stoic, he watched the Well of Eternity, entranced by what only he saw. The interconnecting leylines of energy that made up the Universe coalescing into this quaint little pool was always something of interest to him. Though he knew what it was, what it did, and it's purpose, he had yet to fathom a reasonable explanation as to just 'how' it was created in the first place. Normally this would be one of the great debacles upon his mind, as he was never one to let a mystery go unanswered, but this time..
"It's time to even the score." he spoke, a dark voice with a hint of nobility. A sinister grin spread, sharp teeth gleaming in the depressive gloom the Eternity Well gave off. Instantly, his form shimmered, imploding upon itself as it shrunk into a ball of angry hell fire, before slamming into the well of Eternity, and disappearing.
For a brief moment, as the waters began to settle, a brief shimmer sparkled near the well. The outline of a regal woman faded into existence. She stayed like that, caught between material form and spiritual, staring at the well. Slowly, she began to fade, sparkling outline blinking out one by one.
"What are you doing now?" her soft voice asked, before fading away in the empty chamber.
***
The flames. Never ending. Always burning. Always consuming.
Always..
Always..
"I suppose you're wondering. 'Why me?" a deep voice boomed, cutting through the haze of pain that had settled over his mind. The question, tone erupting with disgust.
Eyes slowly fluttered open, he raised his head to stare.
"Tichondrius, at you're service." the demon greeted, extending his clawed hand as if expecting something to shake it.
Ranma stared at the hand for a moment, before glaring at the demon who mocked him.
Chuckling, Tichondrius lowered his hand, "Seeing as you're all tied up, We'll forgo Etiquette then, shall we?"
...
Frowning, "They didn't remove your tongue yet, did they?" the demon inquired. It would make sense, what with the lack of insults he had been expecting by this point.
...
"Very well. I'll talk, you listen, mortal." Tichondrius snapped angrily, "In answer to you're unasked question, yes, you are in hell. Condemned to spend all Eternity trapped within the flames for the sin of arrogance." he chuckled then, "To the point. Your 'Ego' landed you here. Understand so far?"
...
"Yes yes. Your ego. How many times did that ego of yours cause people trouble? How many lives were almost lost because of you? Hmm? And what's worse, you knew you had a problem with it, but you ignored it." the 'demon' shrugged, "Karmic balance is a bitch."
Ranma finally moved, lowering his head once again, eyes closing, as if accepting his fate.
"I see you aren't paying attention." he sighed. Well Tichondrius ole boy, you knew it wasn't going to be easy. Snapping his fingers, a lever appeared out of the smoke generated by the ever burning flames around them. "Let's start this meeting off right." he said wickedly, before pulling the level all the way down.
The anguish in hell that day almost rose to new heights.
***
Akane raced after the gurney, puffy red eyes focused on the body of her fiancée. Even now Doctors and nurses were trying to resuscitate him...
***
Tichondrius grumbled, dismissing the lever and the pain it was inflicting upon the boy. "Do you enjoy this?"
Ranma whimpered, tears of agonizing pain fleeing his eyes. He didn't care that it would be construed as unmanly, he was dead after all, and in hell. What fate could be worse then this?
"I didn't think so." the demon chuckled, floating up until he reached ever level with the boy. "What would you do.. if I told you, I can end the pain? If I could free you from this prison, never to return so long as you followed my will? What would you do?"
"Go..go.." the boy whimpered.
"What was that? I'm sorry, I don't understand gibberish."
"Go.. to.." Ranma smirked, thinking himself a clever little bastard, despite the horrible pun, ".. Heaven."
Tichondrius pouted, a sickening sight one could be assured, "I didn't think so." he sighed, floating away abit. "I suppose you'll have to stay down here then, forever consumed by the flames of your sin." as if in key with his words, the green/white hellfire rose in intensity, like a withering snake the flames licked his body, once again causing Ranma to scream.
***
"I'm sorry ma'am, you're not allowed in the operating room." The nurse barred her path. It would be so simple, to knock her out of the way, to force her way into the room Ranma was dying..
To force herself in, so she could watch her fiancée die.. die because of her.
***
Tichondrius banished the flames as an insidious idea popped into mind. "Hmm.. I wonder, how would Akane scream when I touch her? Or that fine mother of yours, Nodoka?"
Ranma's head snapped up, eyes flaring dangerously as he growled in hate, "You touch em and I'll kill you!"
The demon grinned, "Sorry kid. It's in the job description, you know? Damned souls get eternal suffering? Get it?"
"But.. but! They aren't dead yet!! How could their souls be damned?"
Chuckling darkly, the demon answered, "Silly human. This is Hell! Time has no meaning here! All Damned Souls destined for this place are here already!"
"No! You leave them alone!" Ranma yelled, ineffectually struggling against his bonds, as if he had a snow balls chance in hell of breaking free. "Deal.. a deal! You were talkin about a deal! I'll do anythin! Just don't hurt Akane or mom!"
Tichondrius zoomed up in the blink of an eye, staring directly into the pain filled orbs of the boy. "Interesting. You'd willingly become my pawn, in exchange for the release of their souls from Hell?"
Hesitating slightly, Ranma steeled himself before nodding, ripping his eyes away from the Demon as he did so.
Tichondrius hmmed, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "Very well. I'll release their souls, erase their Karmic Balances. From there though, it's up to them to stay out of hell. They continue being the sinners they are, and they will end up back here. That acceptable with you?"
It was a chance. A chance to get out of here, to escape the pain, and to save his loved ones. No matter what the future held, knowing that he saved them from this one horrible fate, well, that was payment enough. ".... Deal."
"Good." The demon smirked, before slamming his fingers into Ranma's chest, bypassing skin, muscle, and bone. "Receive my mark!"
***
"CLEAR!"
BZZZZZT!
"I got a pulse! Blood pressure is on the rise!"
"How long was he out?"
"Sketchy, 3 - 15 minutes? It's a miracle he's even alive!"
"Brain activity?"
The nurse breathed a sigh in relief, "Confirmed."
***
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(Posted Fri, 28 May 2004 21:47)
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