Review

Find the Miracle Cure, Ranma's Life hangs in the Balance

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"So there really is no way to return?" asked Lum sadly.

"I'm afraid not" said Nobu.

"That can't be it" said Inuyasha angrily "We have to return. There's too much we left behind to just stay here"

"I understand what your going through. Your entire life has changed. You have been sent to a strange place with no friends but yourselves and your other companion"

"But Mokushiroku is still alive. I can't leave people behind when there's a monster running around" said Inuyasha.

"Who's Mokushiroku?" asked Nobu.

"A Demon that tried to kill us" said Lum "He's incredibly strong"

"And he's back in our dimension with all of our friends at his disposal, just ready to be killed" said Inuyasha as he clenched his fist.

"...I might know a well to help you return"

"What?" asked Lum as her eyes suddenly brightened.

"There is one way to return you back home. But it will take a week or two to perfect it and all three of you must really want to go home for the right reasons"

"Right reasons?" asked Inuyasha.

"Right. For example, if you wanted to go back home with your main desire being revenge against Mokushiroku, then you would be stuck here. But if all of you wanted to go back for a pure reason, whether it's because of friendship or romance or responsibility, then I can make a portal at the Aida Pond"

"Really?!" asked Lum as he clapped her hands together.

"Yes, but are your reasons pure?"

"Yes, I wanna go back home and see Darling"

"Hmm. And what about you, Inuyasha?"

"...There's some people I left behind I would worry about, so I guess that counts" said Inuyasha as he didn't face Nobu. Inuyasha was never the type to bluntly say 'I have to see Kagome'.

"Good, so then I might make a portal for you all to use. I'll have to search through some scrolls, but it just might be possible"

"Oh no" said Lum.

"What?" asked Inuyasha.

"Ranma"

"Ranma, what about it?" asked Inuyasha, drawing Nobu's attention at the 'it' part.

"Well Ranma might not have a pure reason" said Lum.

"What makes you say that?" asked Inuyasha.

"Remember, Ranma's dad was pierced by Mokushiroku and nearly killed. Ranma was furious. So he might just wanna return to defeat Mokushiroku"

"That would be troubling" said Nobu.

"Then we just gotta hope that it has something else to return for" said Inuyasha.

"We can't just hope Inuyasha" said Lum.

Before more could be said, they heard a scuffle outside Nobu's house.

"Hey, you can't go inside Sensei Nobu's house in that condition!" shouted the voice belonging to the man that brought Lum and Inuyasha to Dain Town.

"AH Shut up!" shouted a voice, unknown to Inuyasha and Lum.

Before Lum and Inuyasha could see what was going on, the door was kicked down. A small blue creature was carrying a unconscious Ranma as the man clung to the thing's leg, only succeeding in getting dragged around.

"Who the hell are you!" shouted Inuyasha as he placed his hand on top of Tessaiga's hilt.

"Ranma?" said Lum as she noticed Ranma in it's arms.

"Hey old man" said the thing as it placed Ranma on the ground "Don't give me one of your damn lectures about being rude and start healing Ranma"

"Healing? What's wrong with, AH!" Lum looked at the front of Ranma's unbuttoned shirt and saw her entire right breast was covered in black blood, a small hole right above Ranma's heart.

"What the hell happened to it?" asked Inuyasha.

"No time Inuyasha" said Nobu as he gently lifted Ranma up. "Lum, go collect some of the woman outside and tell them we need healing herbs and medical tools. Inuyasha, go behind my Dojo and grab some sheets. Tom, make sure no one but the women Lum gets come up stairs" He then went up stairs with Ranma. Lum and Inuyasha did what they were told as Tom stayed behind. Inuyasha soon returned with the sheets and gave them to the women Lum found as they went upstairs.

Now Lum and Inuyasha were outside the room as Nobu stood over the women cleaning up Ranma.

"Lum, Inuyasha. Please wait downstairs. I'll come down shortly" said Nobu. Lum nodded her head as she and Inuyasha closed the door before walking downstairs. They noticed that Tom was sitting at the last step.

"Well?" he asked"

"We don't know what's wrong" said Lum.

"How'd did it end up like that?" asked Inuyasha.

"She Inuyasha" said Lum as she narrowed her eyes.

"He" said Tom.

"Oh yeah" said Lum as she rubbed the back of her head "Wait, how do you know that?"

Before he could answer, they heard the door open upstairs and saw Nobu walk towards the stairs. "Your friend should be okay. For now. Let's talk downstairs. I think you have a thing or two to tell us Tom"

Soon they, along with Tom, were back in the living room as Nobu looked at the blue beast. "Tom, what happened. And from the beginning"

"Aren't we pushy today old man" said Tom.

"Wait, old man" said Inuyasha "Who is this guy?"

"How rude of me" said Nobu "This is Tom, the Shiki Dragon"

"HE'S the the Shiki Dragon?!" said Inuyasha.

"I did describe the symptoms" said Nobu.

"Yeah, but I thought he would be as tall as a human at least" said Inuyasha.

"Hey, I can still kick your ass, asshole" said Tom.

"You wanna go?!" said Inuyasha as he cracked his fingers.

"Bring it, freak!" said Tom as electricity surged around his fingers.

"Inuyasha, Tom, enough" said Nobu as he tapped his staff to the ground. Tom and Inuyasha stared at each other for several fierce seconds before looking away "Please Tom, what happened to their friend?"

"Well I was doing what I did everyday. Defending the Town from the Triad-"

"You mean killing soldiers" said Inuyasha.

"Like I said, defending this village" said Tom as he stared at Inuyasha "After that, Ranma came along and fought me, with no real winner being decided, so don't go looking at me if you think I did that to him"

"I know it wasn't you" said Nobu.

"I don't know" said Inuyasha, fierce Red eyes looking at the side of his head.

"Anyways, as we decided to talk, Sargent Kilhoy came along"

"That hit man from the Triad?" said Nobu, Tom nodding his head.

"Yep, gave me a real thrashing" said Tom as he pointed his finger at the now closed hole on his stomach where Kilhoy stabbed him with the lightning rod.

"Did he do this?" asked Lum.

"Nope, didn't even hit him. In fact, she knocked him out with one punch" said Tom.

"What?!" shouted Nobu.

"What?" asked Tom.

"One punch. That girl defeated Kilhoy with one punch?"

"Hey, I was surprised too. But she knocked his ass flat" said Tom.

Nobu looked at the ceiling towards where Ranma's room was. 'A young girl knocking out a Sargent with one punch? She must be truly strong' "But if it wasn't Kilhoy who did this, how'd did she end up like that?"

"Beats me" said Tom.

"Wait" said Lum.

"What?" asked Inuyasha.

"I think I remember where she got that wound"

"Where?"

"Well-"

.

"I will never stop fighting until one of us dies. DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

"...Loud and clear"

Mokushiroku then kicked Ranma away, sending Ranma flying into the Pond of Dreams, the water starting to be tainted with Ranma's blood.

.

"So your saying it happened when Ranma was kicked?" said Inuyasha.

"That was where he kicked him" said Lum.

"How does a kick leave a hole? asked Tom.

"I think because Mokushiroku's clothes are made out of some type of material. His mask nearly broke Ryuunosuke's fist" said Lum.

"So when he kicked Ranma, the angle of the kick combined with the material of his shoes might be the cause" said Nobu.

"So in simpleton terms, he slashed Ranma with the edge of his boot as he kicked him" said Tom.

"That's easier to understand" said Inuyasha.

"Glad to see you two are getting along now" said Lum.

"LIKE WE WOULD!" shouted Tom and Inuyasha.

'I shouldn't of mentioned it' thought Lum.

"But why is she bleeding black blood?" asked Tom.

"Ranma's father did have black blood pouring out of his stomach after Mokushiroku stabbed him" said Lum.

"So it might be that some miasma combined with Ki entered Ranma's body" said Nobu.

"Okay, so we know how she got hurt" said Tom as he shook his head "But my question is can you heal her?"

"...No, the wound is too close to the heart" said Nobu as he closed his eyes.

"Wait, you don't mean?" said Lum.

"That's right, she'll die within the day" said Nobu.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"You've got to be kidding me" said Tom.

"I'm afraid not" said Nobu.

"So she'll really die" said Inuyasha, Lum and Tom noticing how Inuyasha at least stopped calling Ranma 'it'.

"Yes" said Nobu.

"So there's really no miracle cure" said Lum.

"No there-...Wait, that's it" said Nobu as he suddenly perked up "The miracle cure!"

"The miracle c- Ah old man, you don't mean that?" said Tom.

"Yes Tom, The Miracle Cure"

"What are you two talking about?" asked Inuyasha.

"Deep in a hidden part of the Aida Forest, there's a colony of women called the Hira"

"Hira?" said Lum.

"The Hira women are the top healers in the world. While normal medicine has it's ups and downs, the medicine of the Hira Women always heal any injury and cure any illness"

"Really?" said Inuyasha.

"That's incredible" said Lum.

"But there's a risk" said Tom "A human can only consume Hira Medicine once. And what's worse, the person who consumes it isn't the same after drinking it"

"Isn't the same?" said Lum.

"What do you mean by that?" said Inuyasha.

"It's kind of hard to explain" said the Dragon.

"But think Inuyasha, this is the only thing that I can think of" said Nobu "Either Ranma could be a different person or she'll die. What is your answer?"

"Well of course we'll find this Miracle Cure" said Inuyasha.

"Me too" said Lum "I haven't known Ranma long, but he's nice enough to me. I consider him a friend"

"I'm happy your answers" said Nobu.

"So where are these Hira Women?" asked Inuyasha.

"I'll show you" said Tom.

"Hmm?" Nobu stared at Tom.

"What is it old man?" asked Tom.

"I thought you would of just dropped Ranma off and left" said Nobu "I didn't expect you to help Lum and Inuyasha"

"Hey, I'm just repaying a debt" said Tom as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hmm, I guess it would be good if you went instead of me. Someone has to watch her while your both gone" said Nobu.

"Good, let's go" said Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, Lum. Wait outside, I've got to ask Tom something"

"Okay" said Lum as she and Inuyasha got up and left.

"Oh boy" said Tom "Am I getting a lecture about killing Triad bastards again, because it'll just end with you yelling at me and me telling you to screw off before I fly away"

"While I still disagree with your intense, yet understandable hatred for the Triad, I have a different question" said Nobu.

"What?"

"Lum and Inuyasha keep saying he and her and him and she and it, and you don't seem to be confused at all"

"Oh, didn't they tell you Ranma's a guy"

"A guy?"

"Yeah, he told me he got a water trigger curse that turns him into a woman with cold water with hot water being a temporary cure"

"So if I pour hot water on him, she'll become a he?"

"It would normally, but according to Ranma, she's somehow stuck in her curse form"

"Stuck?"

"Yeah, what are you deaf?"

"Hmm, I'll look into this, but only after we save her life. I didn't want to say this in front of the others, but Ranma could die any second"

"...I thought you said within the day?"

"Any second is within the day. It all depends on how strong of a will he has"

"...I'll keep it quiet" said the dragon as he got up.

"Oh and Tom, why the sudden urge to help a stranger? You would of just listened and hear how the story goes out, not be part of the story. Why now?"

"...Let's just say, Ranma just might be the one to continue Nate's legacy... And, I kinda like the kid"

Nobu said nothing as Tom walked out the door. He stayed silent for several seconds for turning to the ceiling "Nate's legacy huh?"

.

"So where are they?" asked Inuyasha as he walked through Aida Forest with Lum and Tom.

"It's south of the forest, in a hidden part. Their entire village is hidden through a thicket of vines" said Tom.

"So are they really all woman?" asked Lum.

"Yep, grown from seeds. And by that I mean tree seeds and not-"

"We get it" said the two.

'Hmm...I'm glad Darling isn't here' thought Lum as an image of Ataru running up to the Hira women going "What's your phone number, address, bust size".

'Bet Miroku would get a kick out of this village' thought Inuyasha as he thought of Miroku kneeling in front of Hira women going "Will you honor me by bearing my child" as Sango stood over him with Hiraikotsu in her hands.

"Why they hell are you two spacing out?"

Lum and Inuyasha shook off their daydreams "Nothing"

"Then pay attention" said Tom.

"What makes you so high and mighty?" said Inuyasha as he folded his arms.

"Because A, I'm the only one that knows where their village is. And B, I can kick your doggie ass"

"You wanna go pint size?!" said Inuyasha as he tightened his fist.

"Oh a size remark, like I haven't heard that before" said Tom.

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP!" shouted Lum as she grabbed both of their arms and electrocuted them. Inuyasha flailed around in pain, but Tom just stared at Lum.

"Hmm?" mumbled Lum as she let go of both of them, Inuyasha dropping to the ground "Your immune?"

"Yeah. Normally it's only fire that dragons are immune to, but I can from a breed of dragons that discharge electricity" said Tom "This three pointed star birth mark is proof of it" he pointed to his golden three pointed star design on his chest.

"Wow, I guess you and I have similar powers then" said Lum.

"Ah" mumbled Inuyasha as he got up "Well if your such a 'special creature', why are you hanging around a town like this?"

"Didn't the old man tell you, I was Nate's old friend"

"Nobu's grandson?" said Lum.

"Yep, that one" said Tom "Iron fist Nate"

"Iron fist?" said Inuyasha dryly.

"It's a special martial arts style. The training is so severe that your hands become as hard as iron. Nate strengthened his left hand to the point it could break through actual iron"

"Wait, his left hand?" said Lum "Why just his left, why not his right too?"

"That's mine, Nate's and the old man's business" said Tom.

"Your such an ass" said Inuyasha.

"Tough words for a guy who has ears girls must love to play with" said Tom.

"Why you!" snarled Inuyasha through gritted teeth.

"Inuyasha" said Lum "Would you and Tom please stop fighting"

"He's the one that started it" said Inuyasha.

"That was you dog" said Tom.

"Dwarf dragon"

"Sissy ears"

"Punk reptile"

"Dumbass canine"

"Blue shrimp"

"Red rat"

"Devil tail"

"Was that even an insult?"

WHAM

WHAM

"Can't cha both behave" said Lum as she held a bat above the crouching Tom and Inuyasha.

"Fine" mumbled Inuyasha.

"Yes mam" gritted Tom.

"Jeez, and I thought Darling was dense" said Lum.

"Where'd you get a bat anyways?" asked Tom.

"Let's just find these women" said Inuyasha.

So the three non humans continued their walking for several minutes before Tom asked a question.

"So what were you two and the old man talking about before I arrived?"

"Oh, um... oh yeah. Nobu told us that he could return us home" said Lum "But I don't think it could work"

"Why?"

"Because he said that we could only go back if we had a pure reason" said Lum.

"Oh" Tom turned towards Inuyasha "You just keep ruining things, don't you"

"ME?!"

"Yeah you, you non pure reasoning bitch"

"Tom it's not Inuyasha" said Lum.

"Is it you then?"

"No it's Ranma"

"Ranma? What selfish reason would Ranma want to go back for?"

"Ranma's father was nearly killed" said Lum "I think he'll only want to go back for revenge"

"...I don't think so"

"But what other reason would Ranma have to go back?" asked Lum.

"Well when I was talking with him"-

.

"...I wonder how Akane is doing?" whispered Ranma to herself.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing" said Ranma as she turned away from Tom, wiping away a stray tear.

.

"Akane?" said Lum.

"That's what he said" said Tom.

"Hmm...I think she was that blue haired girl that was with Ranma" said Lum.

"Well I think in my opinion" said Tom "Ranma wants to go back mostly to see this Akane"

"What makes you think it's not revenge?" asked Inuyasha.

"Because when I was talking with Ranma, her face never lied. If she wanted revenge over anything else, then she would of had a look of hatred and anger in her face. But when she started crying, her face was like she missed someone"

"So do you think Ranma loves this Akane?" asked Lum.

"Well she is a girl and he's a boy" said Tom

"Yeah right" said Inuyasha dryly.

"Oh like your normal" said Tom.

"At least I don't turn into a woman" he faced Tom "Or look like a deformed devil"

"I AM A DRAGON!"

Before Lum could interfere, an arrow pierced the ground next to Inuyasha.

"What the-" said Inuyasha.

"Arrows?" questioned Lum.

"..." Tom stayed silent as his red eyes stared where the arrows came from before he cupped his hand to his mouth "It's okay, there friends"

Inuyasha heard rustling behind the trees where the arrows came from before three women walked out. They were small women, only coming up to girl Ranma's nose and Ranma wasn't exactly tall. They wore brownish white gowns that covered there entire body except for their bare feet. They had beautiful faces, not a scar or blemish in sight. And there eyes were so exotic looking that it would make a normal man (Inuyasha and Tom aren't normal) feel like he was melting. They seemed to have a never ending sparkle in their eyes.

"moT, yhw evah ouy thguorb eseht sregnarts ot su?" asked a long silver haired one. Her voice was like a child's except it had mature ring to it.

"These are some people from another land" said Tom "There here for medicine for a friend"

"moT, uoy wonk taht ruo elcarim eruc dluohs ylno eb desu rof tnatropmi sdeen"

"It's not for a head cold or a nosebleed" said Tom "araS, a dneirf fo srieht thgim eid nihtiw eht yad fi ew t'nod yrruh"

"Okay Tom, we trust you" said the Hira woman in English.

"There your friends?" asked Inuyasha.

"Yes, there under my protection" said Tom as the silver haired Hira talked to the other two in there own language.

"Your Protection?" asked Lum.

"In war" said Tom "There are many villages and Towns that don't have warriors or fighters. So they relied on the protection of strong people. In the past, Dain Village and Aida Forest were under Nate's protection when he joined the United Forces, which meant that they were also under the United Force's protection. But when Nate died, I took over the protection of the village while the old man continued protecting his place"

"So you protect them from the Triad?" asked Lum.

"Yeah, and since there an all woman clan, their easy targets for rapists" said Tom. "There very exclusive about men in their homes. Nate and Nobu were the exception"

"Do they fear men that much?" asked Lum.

"They don't fear men" said Tom "There just cautious of men. There healers, not fighters"

"So would me and Inuyasha be allowed in?" asked Lum.

"You don't have to worry, your a girl" said Tom.

"And Inuyasha?"

"..."

"Oh your such a great guy!" shouted Inuyasha as he threatened Tom with a fist.

"Well putting our personal feud aside" said Tom with lazy eyes "I really don't think the Hira would be comfortable with such an angry guy like you around. There encounters with the Triad makes them be wary of men that shout and wave weapons around"

"Oh and there just fine with you?" said Inuyasha irritably.

"Yes, I protect them from men like that" said Tom.

"Well I'm not staying here while you get the medicine" retorted Inuyasha.

"...Then do what I say"

"...What?"

"I'll tell the Hira women that your okay to have if you do what I say"

"Like I would!"

"Then stay here and wait like a dog tied to a pole while his owners get Ice Cream"

"Grrr...Fine. What do I have to do?"

"First, keep that sword in it's sheathe unless somethings bad happens"

"Easy"

"Secondly, don't raise your voice. If I see you speaking above an indoor's voice, I will pour water on you and shock the dog ears off you"

"...Fine"

"And thirdly...smile"

"What!"

"Drop the glare in your eyes and brightened that mouth"

"Why I outta-"

"Or stay here"

"Grrr"

"That's not smiling" mocked Tom.

"Inuyasha took in deep breathes before he closed his eyes. He kept breathing through his nose until he opened his eyes. In place of his usual angry eyes were a gentle gaze.

'He'll pay' thought Inuyasha, for Tom made Inuyasha do a thing Inuyasha couldn't forgive: Me made Inuyasha used the gentle gaze that he only ever used for Kagome.

"Your still not smiling" said Tom before he turned around "But I'll take it, give me a minute" he walked over to the Hira and spoke with them in their own words while Lum came up to Inuyasha.

"Is it really that hard to smile for you?"

"...I don't have many reasons to smile" said Inuyasha calmly, for he feared his eyes might shifted if he showed emotions.

"That's a shame" said Lum "You look better without the angry eyes, or the grumpy voice"

Inuyasha looked at Lum and hoped she would catch the hint without Inuyasha changing his facial expression.

"I'm making this worse for you aren't I? Sorry"

"Tom" said the silver haired Hira "We'll take you and your friends to our village now"

"Thank you Sara" said Tom as he turned to the others "Come on now"

So the two followed the Shiki Dragon and the small group of Hira women.

.

Unknown to them, a demon was watching them from the trees.

"Could it be? A Hira woman in daylight?" said the demon with glee. He was as tall as an elephant and had a human's body except with horns poking out of his body everywhere. He carried an iron mace on the belt around his speedo, which was his only article of clothing.

"Good day"

The demon turned around and saw a green haired man with three eyes staring at him.

"You, To'Maru?"

"Yep"

"Not the deadly assassin with the blade hand technique?"

"The very same" said To'Maru as he lazily waved around his silver fingernails.

"Ah, don't kill me!'

"Relax, your not worth my time" said To'Maru as he placed his hands behind his head.

"Ah" the demon wanted to retaliate for the insult, but even he knew what sort of reputation the Hellfire warrior had "Are you here for the Hira women? I'll split them with you"

"No thanks"

"What?! Hira Women are the most expensive beings you could ever find on the black market. You could be as rich as a king with one"

"I don't care about money" said To'Maru "If I want something, I take it"

"Scary" said the Demon "Well stay away from the Hira Women then, and those three for that matter"

"Why? Think you'll get a good deal on the black market for them too"

"No, from the Triad. A squirrel demon was running around the forest an hour ago, screaming abut a beautiful woman knocking out Sargent Kilhoy with one punch while a long haired man killed him and the Triad members around here. I think those two are the ones who did it. And the Dragon, he's been killing Triad soldiers and protecting the Hira Village. I'll get a reward for bringing in a criminal while ridding the world of the only one protecting those virgin bitches. Two birds with one stone"

"And you think you can handle them?"

"Of course I can. I'm almost as strong as Kilhoy himself. I think if I surprise them, I can kill them before they know it" he then jumped tree to tree away from To'Maru.

"...Hmp, those two are Ranma Saotome's companions. Let's see how they match up against warriors here"

.

"So beautiful" said Lum.

"It shouldn't be a surprise" said Tom.

After passing through a thicket of vines, the trio arrived at the Hira Village. The entire place were a bunch of tree houses connected to each other through roped walkways.

"Why's the village in the trees?" asked Inuyasha.

"Because the animals here are dangerous. And the Hira-" Tom motioned to the Hira women with them, who placed their bare feet on the trees and started walking up the trees, as if gravity didn't apply to them "-they can walk up the trees as easily as insects" Tom unfolded his wings and flew up behind them.

"So cool" said Lum as she flew after him.

"Feh, it's okay" said Inuyasha as he climbed up the tree.

When they made it up trees, they walked along the walkway as they followed the Hira women. They stopped at the biggest house, which was part of the tree that it hung over. Lum and Inuyasha occasionally looked over to other parts of the hanging village, watching as fearful women tried to avoid eye-contact with them as naive children stared at them.

"edisnI" said Sara.

"knahT uoy" said Tom as he walked into the house, Inuyasha and Lum following.

When they entered, they saw a woman with pure white hair who wore blue robes. Her house was just one room with a bed, a table and a bookcase being the only furniture. The woman looked up and smiled "dooG yad, gnuoy rotcetorp"

"Mama Gira" said Tom "These two have come to obtain the Miracle Cure for a friend of theirs"

Gira looked over Lum and Inuyasha for several seconds before she turned to Tom "How is person hurt?"

"He got it from fighting a demon. A hole close to the heart infected with Dark Ki and Miasma"

"Hmm... Miracle Cure for the good only. Is this person good, Dragon Champion?"

"Let me put it to you this way Mama Gira" said Tom "A Triad Sargent came today and nearly succeeded in killing me. The person we're getting the medicine for is the one who saved me from him. If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead and this village would lose it's protector" he bowed his head "Please give us the medicine"

"...Heh, never seen Dragon Champion cry before"

"Hmm?" Lum looked towards Tom's face and saw that a stray tear was leaking out of his left eye.

"Me thinks that Dragon Champion also cares for sick person" said Gira.

"S-shut up" mumbled Tom.

"Hehehe, get the ingredients I will" said Mama Gira as she got up and left the building.

"So why are you crying?" asked Lum.

"...Is it weird if I say I don't want I guy that I just met die?"

"No, that's kind of sweet" said Lum as she smiled.

"But your not really the type for that" said Inuyasha.

"Fuck off" said Tom.

"So why are you so concerned anyways?" asked Inuyasha.

Tom didn't answered. Instead, he reach into his pant's pocket and pulled out a blue hat with a star on it.

"...A hat" said Inuyasha.

"Not just any hat dog ears. This is Nate's old hat. All I have left of him"

"So this is Nate's memento" said Lum as she examined the hat.

"Yep, my treasure"

"So what the hell does it have to do with Ranma?"

"Because when we were fighting Kilhoy, he was gonna smash my hat for the hell of it, but Ranma stopped him. Then a few words were said, so la-de-da, I care about the kid"

"Tom" said Lum sweetly.

Before Tom could say anything, they heard screaming outside.

"That doesn't sound good" said Inuyasha as they got outside. When they left the building, they saw a tall demon with horns everywhere around his body grabbing Hira women and putting them in a wooden cage on his back.

"HEY YOU" shouted Tom as he flew towards the demon and punched his jaw. Despite his small size, Tom was strong enough to make him tumble.

"Ah, do you think a punch will hurt me?!" shouted the demon.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you" said Tom. Before the Demon could understand what he mean by that, he felt a the weight on his back disappear. He turned around to see that Inuyasha cut the bounds that connected to cage to his back with his claws while Lum carried away the cage to a far away place.

"Hey, those are my meal tickets" said the Demon to Inuyasha "I can smell the human in you, you must be a half demon. I'm Joein of the Black Market. I'm not going to be stopped by some half breed dog and a deformed lizard.

Inuyasha and Tom didn't respond. They just stared at Joein for several seconds before turning to each other.

"Hey dog boy, let's put our feud aside for five minutes" said Tom as sparks flew around his body.

"No more than five" said Inuyasha as he cracked his fingers on his right hand.

"Five minutes, what are you two-"

Inuyasha then jumped towards Joein and jammed his claws into Joein's thigh. Joein spat out some blood before staggering backwards. He didn't get far as Tom then jumped towards him and pierced his back with his golden horns. Joein gasped in pain before falling to the ground below the village.

"Gotta say" said Tom "I'm impressed, his skin is as harder than a human's yet you pierced it quite well with your hands alone"

"Hate to admit it" said Inuyasha as he shrugged "But those horns of yours actually did a good job"

"These aren't horns" said Tom as he rubbed the golden spikes on his head "This is a Dragon's scale crown. It's just three scales from my body that point up and are made of gold. All dragons have them"

"Really?"

"Yeah, worth a lot really"

Joein then jumped back up into the village and landed in front of Inuyasha and Tom. "Okay, you wanna play games, lets play" He then shot a bunch of his horns at Inuyasha and Tom. They jumped above the horns and towards Joein. Inuyasha landed behind him and pulled his arms behind him as Tom landed on his chest.

"FIRE FANG!" Tom's teeth were now on fire. He then bit down of Joein's chest, sinking his teeth in as the fire burned his skin. Joein was now screaming from the dragon's bite. He broke out of Inuyasha's hold and attempted to grab the dragon, only for Tom to glide away to a tree. Inuyasha then kicked him back down below.

"Hey Inuyasha" shouted Tom as he landed next to Inuyasha "Take the fight down below. We can't risk hurting the Hira women or destroying their village"

"Right" said Inuyasha as he jumped down. It was good timing too, Joein jumped back up as Inuyasha jumped down. So Inuyasha planted his feet into Joein as they went spiraling down, Tom following.

Inuyasha jumped off Joein as soon as they made contact with the ground.

"Any ideas?" asked Inuyasha.

"Do we actually need any?" asked Tom "He's kinda weak"

"Yeah, but he keeps getting up after everything we send at him"

"To be fair, we're not really trying" said Tom.

Joein got off his feet and stared at the two with a deep hatred "Y-You two think you're so clever. Well I'll show you"

"You know I usually don't pick on weaklings" said Tom "But the Hira women are my responsibility, and you made the mistake of trying to kidnapped them" he then pulled out a pea-shooter "So die"

Tom then blew into the pea-shooter and shot something at Joein, making contact with his burned wound from Tom's fire fang. Inuyasha expected it to be an explosion of some sort. But instead it was some type of fruit that splattered all over the bite/burn mark.

Before Inuyasha could question the shot, Joein suddenly screamed in pain and tried to wipe off the fruit mush as he fell on his back and rolled around.

"...What was that?" asked Inuyasha.

"Those were Moeru berries. Getting hit by one of those is like getting hit by bear mace. I usually use those for people with sensitive eyes, but I think I made a good shot"

"Alright, time to finish it" said Inuyasha as he jumped towards Joein, who was still on his back. Joein could only stare as Inuyasha's claws glowed.

"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"

The blades from his claws then tore Joein into many pieces. Tom then quickly flew over and incinerated the torn flesh.

"...Gotta make sure the Hira don't see a horrify sight" said Tom "Their sensitive women"

"I understand" said Inuyasha.

"..." Tom remained quiet for a few seconds before he held a fist towards Inuyasha "...Truce"

"...Truce" Inuyasha then bumped Tom's fist with his own.

.

"I'm so glad you two are friends now" said Lum as she stood over her two companions, who were sitting on the ground as Hira women swarmed them, each for a different reason.

Tom was getting blood removed from his body, as Dragon's blood is needed for the Miracle Cure. Tom told them to take all of his blood just in case of future visits. At this point he resembled a dried up blue banana.

Inuyasha, however, was surrounded by praising Hira women as they gathered around him. They played with his ears and hugged his arms. Him saving a few dozen of them and fighting with their protector made the Hira adore Inuyasha. Inuyasha himself didn't like the childish praise, but put up with it.

"I told you those ears were adorable to women" said Tom quietly.

"Aren't you in pain?" asked Lum to Tom.

"I-I just need some water" said Tom dryly. Once the last drop of blood was taken from his body, several Hira women pulled in a barrel of two of water. Tom grabbed one of the barrels and poured the water into his mouth. Once he finished the barrel he resembled his old self.

"Wow" said Lum.

"Yep, waters all I need. Unlike humans and other creatures, who turn everything they put in they're mouths into waste, a dragon uses food to increase his fire while water is used for healing blood" said Tom as he pulled out a bottle of beer.

"So that's why you drink so much" said Lum.

"Yep, gotta drink a lot everyday or else the blood is worthless" said Tom.

"So will the medicine be done soon?" asked Inuyasha.

"Mama Gira just gotta fix it up and we'll head back to the Town"

"I've got a question" said Lum.

"What?" asked Inuyasha.

"Why are you two friends now?"

"Let's not go with friends" said Inuyasha.

"Let's stick to battle companions" said Tom. "Besides, I can stand a guy who protects the Hira"

"...Sorry I couldn't help" said Lum.

"S'okay Lum" said Inuyasha "He was so weak we didn't even need help"

"I guess" said Lum.

"Dragon Champion" said Gira's voice from outside the house.

"That's our cue" said Tom as he got up with Lum helping him stand. As Inuyasha got up, he brought several Hira with him as they clung to his ears. They let go and giggled. Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and followed the two outside.

Mama Gira was holding a vial of green liquid in her hands as the three approached her.

"Miracle Cure ready for sick friend" said Mama Gira.

"Thank you ma'am" said Lum as she took the vial.

"We owe you one Mama Gira" said Tom.

"No owe" said Mama Gira as she held up a hand "Dragon Champion always protect Hira. Alien girl and Demon man also helped Hira. Hira praise protectors"

"Alright guys" said Inuyasha as he jumped down "Let's go"

"Right behind you" said Lum as she floated down.

"Thanks again, Mama Gira" said Tom as he unfolded his wings and glided after Lum and Inuyasha.

"...ekaT erac, raed dlihc"

.

In a tree a mile away from the Hira village, To'Maru was following the movements of the three with his third eye.

"Gotta say" said To'Maru "I didn't expect them to be able to take down Joein that easily. Ranma Saotome is not the only one I should keep my eye on. The half breed is also strong. And that's just without his fancy sword" To'Maru then opened his actual eyes "I think I'll head out to the wilderness for a while. But I'll keep my eye on you Ranma Saotome. When I return, I will expect a fight" To'Maru then jumped into the air above the trees. Steel-Wing then flew out of the clouds and allowed To'Maru to land on his back.

"Let's go Steel-Wing. A journey before a fight sound good to you?"

The armored pterodactyl growled in a agreeing manner.

"That's good to hear, partner"

To'Maru and Steel-Wing then flew away.

.

"How long is this going to take?" asked Inuyasha. They were now back at Nobu's dojo and Nobu had just given Ranma the medicine.

"We have to give Ranma an hour before the medicine takes full affect" said Nobu.

"So when's the hour up?" said Lum as she played poker with Tom.

"About seven more minutes" said Tom as he picked a card.

"Well this waiting is getting on my nerves" said Inuyasha as he crossed his arms.

"Well you gotta admit telling Tom about our life's was a good use of time" said Lum.

"Gotta say, an alien engaged to an idiot pervert sounds almost as exciting as a half demon traveling around the feudal era of his land with a time traveling school girl collecting items that their mortal enemy also happens to be collecting"

"No it doesn't" said Lum.

"Yeah your right" said Tom.

"I must say" said Nobu. "I haven't seen you this friendly since Nate was alive"

"Don't go there old man" said Tom.

"Apologies Tom" said Nobu, though it sounded more teasing than sincere.

"So you said Ranma will be different" said Lum as she pondered what that meant.

"What does that mean anyways?" asked Inuyasha.

"You'll see when she wakes up" said Tom.

'Will Ranma end up like a monster? Will she not remember anything? What if she hurts us?' wondered Lum.

"...Is it almost time yet?" asked Inuyasha.

"Four more minutes" said Tom. "So Inuyasha, Lum, what do plan to do once Ranma recovers?"

"Well we've gotta wait for Nobu Sensei to open a portal" said Lum.

"But I mean what are you gonna do while your waiting. Something tells me your not just gonna stay here and just wait"

"Well that was the plan" said Lum.

"Oh please, Inuyasha can barely stay still waiting four...three minutes. I doubt you guys are going to wait a week or two by just sitting and playing poker"

"He's gotta point" said Inuyasha.

"Well you could fight go to Fort Survivor until then" said Nobu Hikari.

"Fort Survivor?" questioned Inuyasha.

"It's where people go to train to be official soldiers for the United Forces" said Tom "It's located on an island that's a few miles from here"

"You two and Ranma were fighting this Mokushiroku demon before you arrived" said Nobu "You were defeated, train at Fort Survivor until the portal is ready. Be prepared"

"He's right" said Tom "You don't just lose a fight you can't win and get back up only to fight again. You've gotta get ready, learn from your mistakes, and improve your strength"

"He's right" said Lum "I wasn't even to hurt him that much"

"...Alright"

They then heard some rustling upstairs.

"Sounds like Ranma is awake" said Nobu.

"Alright" said Tom as he jumped up "Let's go" He was about to run up the stairs when he saw that Lum and Inuyasha weren't following.

"What? Aren't you two coming?"

"Well" said Lum "It's just, what if Ranma is totally different?"

"Well if that happens" said Tom "Then you just have to except it. We went through a lot of trouble to help Ranma. We should at least check to make sure she's okay"

"...Your right" said Lum "Let's go Inuyasha"

"...Feh"

Inuyasha and Lum got up and followed Tom upstairs. When they arrived in Ranma's room, they saw that Ranma was moving her head around the room, taking in the place.

"Ranma" shouted Lum in glee "Are you okay?"

"AHH" yawned Ranma "Lum? Inuyasha? Oh Tom" Ranma then removed the sheet off her body and got up "Was I asleep? Where are we?"

Lum, Inuyasha and Tom didn't answered, for their eyes were all wide. Ranma was standing completely naked with stitch marks over her breast. But that wasn't why they were stunned. Behind Ranma, directly above her butt, a long, red, furry tail was wagging around like a dog's.

"EEEEEEHHH?!" shouted the three together.

"Hmm?" was Ranma's only response.

.

Chapter 4 is finally done.

So giving Ranma a tail. Now all the three main characters have something that doesn't make them fully human (ears, horns).

Inuyasha and Tom actually make one heck of a team. Now let's see what that would be like with Ranma and Lum backing them up.

BTW, I'm removing the censors.

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