Eyes of a Dragon
A Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
Disclaimer: I don't own any sort of copyright to either Ranma 1/2 or Sailor Moon, no do I have any right to receive any sort of material benefit from my borrowing of ideas from the two series. I worship their creators, and beg them not to strike me with lightning bolts from heaven for my presumption... unless I do a horrible job, in which case I should probably commit seppuku to restore my honor. I'm merely attempting to show my supreme worship of, and, let's be perfectly frank, my complete obsession with, anime, and Ranma 1/2 in particular.
PROLOGUE
Ranma looked up at the sky. It was getting towards night; he'd need to find a good place to camp.
He sighed. Training was all he did now; he hadn't been back to the dojo, or school, for over a month. Too many memories; too many well-meaning (or ill-meaning) encounters with people who didn't care or didn't understand.
Kuno was out for his blood; Kodachi, Shampoo, and Ukyo all pursued him harder than ever. Oyaji, Sound, and Cologne all trying to manipulate him more, trying to coerce him.
Oddly enough, Ryouga hadn't been giving him any grief; he was probably feeling the same way. Lucky pig; at least he could get lost at the drop of a hat, without trying to lose everybody who attempted to follow him.
'Poor Ryouga. Poor him. Poor...'
He refused to go any further. Last time he did that, he wrecked a good-sized area of the forest with a Perfect Shi-Shi-Hokodan.
There was a faint rumble in the sky, as clouds drifted in from the north.
'Not enough time to set up a shelter. Maybe I can find a cave or something to weather it out,' he thought, looking around for a likely candidate.
A small cliff-face rose up off to the right, and he headed towards it. The cliff had a few sizable niches and a few caves, mostly near the top, except for one largish one that was only about twenty feet off the ground.
He shrugged. This seemed to be good enough.
He crouched, then jumped up to the opening, and peered inside. It was quite large, and the cave went back farther than he could see.
'Perfect. I'll just get some wood and I'll even have a fire.'
He set his pack down by one of the walls, and jumped down to the ground to get the firewood, while the sky grew darker and the rain began to fall.
The fire crackled and hissed as he laid out his sleeping bag, and then sat and watched it burn.
Akane was dead. It was time he accepted that. His first real friend in ten years, maybe even more than a friend, gone. He'd never find out if they'd fall in love; he never got the chance to really train her.
It was all his fault. Maybe if he fought harder, or maybe if he had stayed home in the first place, she'd still be alive...
"It's my fault. If I had tried harder, she'd still be alive. If I had killed Saffron sooner, she would have had time..."
"And maybe she wouldn't, youngling," a deep, hollow voice echoed in the cave.
"Huh? Who's there!?"
Ranma whirled, looking around. He hadn't sensed anyone approach, and he couldn't see or hear any movement beyond the firelight.
"Who, me? Why, I'm only a memory of ages past..." the voice replied with a hint of humor.
A formless light seemed to gather in the cave, illuminating...
A reptilian face, with a long scaled body coiled up behind it, far longer than anything Ranma had seen before. A dragon.
Ranma's eyes widened. He'd never really seen an actual dragon; Herb wasn't really one, after all. It was... huge!
It was also slightly transparent.
"Wha...?"
The dragon's eyes danced in a lively pattern. "If you don't close your mouth, youngling, you'll be catching flies soon."
Ranma shut his jaw with a *snap*, and flushed.
"Whaddya want?" he said, with a hint of his customary insolence.
"Why, nothing. I was just curious about who was staying in my cave."
Ranma stood up, somewhat unnerved.
"I'm Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. And, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way; I won't disturb your rest any more."
The dragon smiled. "A disturbance would be quite welcome. It's been a long time since I've talked with anyone, and you... intrigue me. You have a strong spirit, and one that seems quite pure in purpose."
Ranma sat back down reluctantly.
"Now tell me, youngling, what is it that's troubling you? I gather that you lost someone close to you... who was she?" the dragon asked in a strangely gentle tone.
Ranma hesitated.
'Oh, why not. Maybe talking about it could help.'
"My fiance, Akane. She died a little over a month ago, in China."
"I see. Did you love her?"
"I-I think so. I mean, I liked her; she was my first real friend in ten years, and she was my fiance. I guess we never really got the time to sort out how we felt, really. And now we never will."
"Tell me how she died."
Ranma found himself telling the whole tale; the trip to China, Akane's kidnapping, the springs, and Saffron.
"And you blame yourself for her death." It was not a question.
"Yes! If I had been faster, or if I had..."
"I wouldn't say that her death is your fault; from what I see, you tried as hard as you could to save her. The one truly at fault would be Saffron. Any person involved could've, might've, done something different. You can't blame yourself more than any other person in it, except for those who did what they did, intending her death."
"But I-"
The dragon cut him off. "Would she have blamed you?"
"Yes! It-"
"I doubt it. You fought hard, far harder than anyone had any right to expect from you. Let your soul be at peace. Remember her in your heart, and let yourself heal. You lost your friend; don't lose yourself as well."
"I'll... try." Ranma paused. "So, who are you?"
The dragon paused for a moment, then looked rather sheepish.
"You know, I've been here so long, I do believe I've forgotten my name. How embarrassing!"
Ranma sweatdropped.
"Ahh... so; you're a dragon?"
"Well, not really. I've been... kinda.. dead for the past few centuries."
Ranma blinked.
"So you're the ghost of a dragon?"
"Well... yes."
"Huh."
The dragon looked him over.
"So, what are you going to do now? It does help to find something to do to get over your grief, you know."
"Well, I suppose I'll go back to the dojo soon, and find some way of getting rid of the other fiances."
The dragon sweatdropped.
"... How many do you have?"
"Currently two... that I know of... plus a psychotic gymnist."
The dragon winced.
"... All oyaji's fault. And then I guess I'll go live with my mother."
The dragon sighed.
"Once you're done with settling your affairs, come back and I'll give you some training. With the life you've led, and doubtless will lead, you probably could use it."
"Uh... thanks."
"Good night, youngling."
The illumination dimmed and vanished, leaving Ranma alone by the fire.
*****
A Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
Disclaimer: I don't own any sort of copyright to either Ranma 1/2 or Sailor Moon, no do I have any right to receive any sort of material benefit from my borrowing of ideas from the two series. I worship their creators, and beg them not to strike me with lightning bolts from heaven for my presumption... unless I do a horrible job, in which case I should probably commit seppuku to restore my honor. I'm merely attempting to show my supreme worship of, and, let's be perfectly frank, my complete obsession with, anime, and Ranma 1/2 in particular.
PROLOGUE
Ranma looked up at the sky. It was getting towards night; he'd need to find a good place to camp.
He sighed. Training was all he did now; he hadn't been back to the dojo, or school, for over a month. Too many memories; too many well-meaning (or ill-meaning) encounters with people who didn't care or didn't understand.
Kuno was out for his blood; Kodachi, Shampoo, and Ukyo all pursued him harder than ever. Oyaji, Sound, and Cologne all trying to manipulate him more, trying to coerce him.
Oddly enough, Ryouga hadn't been giving him any grief; he was probably feeling the same way. Lucky pig; at least he could get lost at the drop of a hat, without trying to lose everybody who attempted to follow him.
'Poor Ryouga. Poor him. Poor...'
He refused to go any further. Last time he did that, he wrecked a good-sized area of the forest with a Perfect Shi-Shi-Hokodan.
There was a faint rumble in the sky, as clouds drifted in from the north.
'Not enough time to set up a shelter. Maybe I can find a cave or something to weather it out,' he thought, looking around for a likely candidate.
A small cliff-face rose up off to the right, and he headed towards it. The cliff had a few sizable niches and a few caves, mostly near the top, except for one largish one that was only about twenty feet off the ground.
He shrugged. This seemed to be good enough.
He crouched, then jumped up to the opening, and peered inside. It was quite large, and the cave went back farther than he could see.
'Perfect. I'll just get some wood and I'll even have a fire.'
He set his pack down by one of the walls, and jumped down to the ground to get the firewood, while the sky grew darker and the rain began to fall.
The fire crackled and hissed as he laid out his sleeping bag, and then sat and watched it burn.
Akane was dead. It was time he accepted that. His first real friend in ten years, maybe even more than a friend, gone. He'd never find out if they'd fall in love; he never got the chance to really train her.
It was all his fault. Maybe if he fought harder, or maybe if he had stayed home in the first place, she'd still be alive...
"It's my fault. If I had tried harder, she'd still be alive. If I had killed Saffron sooner, she would have had time..."
"And maybe she wouldn't, youngling," a deep, hollow voice echoed in the cave.
"Huh? Who's there!?"
Ranma whirled, looking around. He hadn't sensed anyone approach, and he couldn't see or hear any movement beyond the firelight.
"Who, me? Why, I'm only a memory of ages past..." the voice replied with a hint of humor.
A formless light seemed to gather in the cave, illuminating...
A reptilian face, with a long scaled body coiled up behind it, far longer than anything Ranma had seen before. A dragon.
Ranma's eyes widened. He'd never really seen an actual dragon; Herb wasn't really one, after all. It was... huge!
It was also slightly transparent.
"Wha...?"
The dragon's eyes danced in a lively pattern. "If you don't close your mouth, youngling, you'll be catching flies soon."
Ranma shut his jaw with a *snap*, and flushed.
"Whaddya want?" he said, with a hint of his customary insolence.
"Why, nothing. I was just curious about who was staying in my cave."
Ranma stood up, somewhat unnerved.
"I'm Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. And, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way; I won't disturb your rest any more."
The dragon smiled. "A disturbance would be quite welcome. It's been a long time since I've talked with anyone, and you... intrigue me. You have a strong spirit, and one that seems quite pure in purpose."
Ranma sat back down reluctantly.
"Now tell me, youngling, what is it that's troubling you? I gather that you lost someone close to you... who was she?" the dragon asked in a strangely gentle tone.
Ranma hesitated.
'Oh, why not. Maybe talking about it could help.'
"My fiance, Akane. She died a little over a month ago, in China."
"I see. Did you love her?"
"I-I think so. I mean, I liked her; she was my first real friend in ten years, and she was my fiance. I guess we never really got the time to sort out how we felt, really. And now we never will."
"Tell me how she died."
Ranma found himself telling the whole tale; the trip to China, Akane's kidnapping, the springs, and Saffron.
"And you blame yourself for her death." It was not a question.
"Yes! If I had been faster, or if I had..."
"I wouldn't say that her death is your fault; from what I see, you tried as hard as you could to save her. The one truly at fault would be Saffron. Any person involved could've, might've, done something different. You can't blame yourself more than any other person in it, except for those who did what they did, intending her death."
"But I-"
The dragon cut him off. "Would she have blamed you?"
"Yes! It-"
"I doubt it. You fought hard, far harder than anyone had any right to expect from you. Let your soul be at peace. Remember her in your heart, and let yourself heal. You lost your friend; don't lose yourself as well."
"I'll... try." Ranma paused. "So, who are you?"
The dragon paused for a moment, then looked rather sheepish.
"You know, I've been here so long, I do believe I've forgotten my name. How embarrassing!"
Ranma sweatdropped.
"Ahh... so; you're a dragon?"
"Well, not really. I've been... kinda.. dead for the past few centuries."
Ranma blinked.
"So you're the ghost of a dragon?"
"Well... yes."
"Huh."
The dragon looked him over.
"So, what are you going to do now? It does help to find something to do to get over your grief, you know."
"Well, I suppose I'll go back to the dojo soon, and find some way of getting rid of the other fiances."
The dragon sweatdropped.
"... How many do you have?"
"Currently two... that I know of... plus a psychotic gymnist."
The dragon winced.
"... All oyaji's fault. And then I guess I'll go live with my mother."
The dragon sighed.
"Once you're done with settling your affairs, come back and I'll give you some training. With the life you've led, and doubtless will lead, you probably could use it."
"Uh... thanks."
"Good night, youngling."
The illumination dimmed and vanished, leaving Ranma alone by the fire.
*****
