The Unwritten Tales
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form.
Author's Notes: Consider this to stem from roughly the same 'timeline' as Tides of Chaos.
Ride To The Storm
"So, this is new." Ranma noted dispassionately. He was convinced to the very marrow of his bones that this was a dream, as he clearly recalled going to bed what felt like a few hours ago (particularly as he'd had to do so hungry, Akane having taken over the cooking that night). But it wasn't as if this was unpleasant- Ranma had suffered more than a few nightmares since coming to Nerima, and this wouldn't be so bad even if he wasn't aware this was a dream.
He was basically standing amidst the gnarled, spreading, tangled roots of a giant tree perched on a large, otherwise barren and rocky island. Said island seemed to be drifting through a kind of sea of colors, swirling in all directions so that Ranma could have been "underwater" as far as he knew. After growing tired of the view, Ranma turned 'inland' and headed towards the tree, wondering why his subconscious had cooked up this particular vista. As he walked over to the surface of the huge tree, he noted that there were things tangled amidst the roots- and had he looked upwards, he would have seen the branches were the same, as if mirroring what lay below them. Bones, fragments of armor (some of it quite futuristic looking), swords, axes, guns of shapes Ranma couldn't begin to describe, coins, gemstones, statuettes- it looked as if someone had heaped both the detritus of some fierce battle and sacred offerings alike at the floor of the tree with equal abandon.
"Greetings, mortal." Came a voice- strangely familiar, but Ranma couldn't quite place it. Looking at the trunk, at roughly the same level as his face, revealed something like a half-formed laughing noh mask growing from the wood. Half-formed in that it was humanoid, but had no features save a clearly designated laughing mouth. A mouth that promptly flexed as the voice spoke again. "It has been long since one of the Materium has stood before me."
"Great. A talking tree. Why can't I ever have normal dreams?" Ranma complained.
"Dream? Yes, this is a dream… and no, it is not. You stand within the Realm of Chaos, Ranma Saotome. And I am one of its children; I am Zuvassin. And I am not a tree- I have been bound within this cursed place by jealous rivals of mine, children of the Dark Brothers Four. The tree is merely a manifestation of the seal that imprisons me."
"Uh huh… I'm gonna look for the way out now." Ranma said, and began to turn to leave.
"Stay!" Thundered Zuvassin, the very earth underfoot shaking with the force of his proclamation, strongly enough to knock Ranma to the ground.
The human pushed himself upright and made a show of brushing himself off. "Look pal, I feel for ya, really, but what business is it of mine?"
"Know that I am Zuvassin, the Undoer. I am the Tangler of Destiny's Skein, the Unweaver of Fate, the Breaker of Plans, the Sundering of Schemes. Where I go, all falls into dissolution and anarchy. I am a Son of Chaos, and I need your aid."" The mask stated. "Bound here like this, I cannot reach the children of my will; my cult fails in the Materium, and with it my power begins to wane. It may take eons, but I will wither and fade to nothing if I am not released. I beseech you, mortal, free me!"
"Even if I could, why would I want to?" Ranma asked. Ah, but it was so therapeutic to be able to tell someone to go take a flying leap at the moon- in the real world, he was always forced to help, no matter what his opinions on the matter were.
"I am the Great Spoiler, He Who Unmakes. I can undo anything… and that includes the curse set upon you by Jusenkyo." The mark replied.
"I'll do it." Ranma replied instantly. Hell, it wasn't as if this was anything more than something cooked up in a starved mind, right? …Right?
Ignoring Ranma's sudden mental query, the mask smiled wider. "I knew you would. Though I can bestow little of my actual power to the cause, I do have some things to offer you to your quest." The tree began to shake and shudder, the branches rustling fiercely before two things fell to the ground before Ranma, who stooped to retrieve them. "That scroll lists the things I need you to retrieve to perform the ritual that will free me. The sack will allow you to transport them without… complications. But there are more practical gifts I have for you…"
The sound of thunder cracked and rolled repeatedly, confusing Ranma at first- until he realized that was not thunder, but the pounding of hooves. From out of the sea of every color and none came a creature that he at first mistook for a horse, but which he promptly realized was as much kin to that earthly steed as a dragon was kin to a gecko. The earth split and flames spat where its claw/hooves touched it, the creature's many eyes glowing like embers like hell itself, rolling wildly in its deformed skull. It voiced a cry, half scream, half roar, loud enough to make Ranma feel like his kidneys were rattling around inside his belly, as it screeched to a halt just in front of him, pawing restlessly at the bare stone.
"What is that?" Ranma demanded.
"Its name is Lucifuge. Before my ascension, I rode this daemonic steed to battle- now; it shall bear you wherever you must go to claim the items I require of you. Across the Sea of Stars, through the infinite worlds, under the infinite heavens, there is no destination beyond your reach whilst you straddle its back." Zuvassin commented placidly.
"And I'm supposed to keep it from eating me, how, exactly?" Ranma snarked.
"Lucifuge obeys my will. Show it no weakness, and it will be your loyal steed. Now, there is one more gift I shall bestow upon you. Strong you are, but greater strength still may be required, and thus…" A low, ominous, pained groaning filled the air, and Ranma watched, not really that surprised, as the tree forced itself upwards, roots tearing from the stone and rearranging themselves to reveal a small ditch, in which a rather demonic-looking sword lay. "At the height of my power, I removed a sliver of my essence and crafted it into this Daemon Blade. Take it up, Ranma Saotome, and go forth. Our freedom awaits… if you have the courage to seize it. Speak now its True Name, and go!"
Ranma was about to protest that he had no idea what its True Name was, nor what a True Name in general was, and how exactly was he supposed to know either fact, when he stopped. From somewhere deep inside of him, strange words flowed up and out of his chest, words that he had never spoken before and which yet seemed as familiar as his own name. The blade seemed to pulsate, to shiver, and then, almost without his conscious thought, his hand reached down and picked it up. He brandished it in a few experimental strokes, then mounted Lucifuge as though he had been riding him for years.
"No tricks!" He warned the mask in the tree, and then spurred the daemon-steed on into the void.
"No tricks." Zuvassin stated simply. "For to betray you…" The mask began to shift and blur, features altering, becoming more distinct, until it was an older, crueler, mirror image of Ranma's own face that protruded from the trunk. "…Would be to betray myself." Finished Zuvassin, formerly Ranma Saotome, Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided.
Ranma suddenly shot up in his futon. "Man, that was a weird dream." He spoke aloud, uncaring that nobody was listening and, if they were, wouldn't care. Still, at least it hadn't been yet another damn nightmare- after that week suffering from Harumaki, well… Ranma's train of thought was disrupted when he became aware of something cold and hard under his sheets. Groping under the covers, his eyes widened as he pulled it out into the light. "…No way. That can't have been real!"
A masculine scream came from the garden. "Ranma! There's a monster in the garden!"
Ranma's face went through several conflicting expressions, before finally settling into something between curiosity and resignation. "Well…" He began. "If that was real, then I guess I may as well chase these things up…" Some more exploration unearthed the scroll, which he unfurled and began to read.
…Yeah, this is a frickin' weird idea. Still, if folks want us to develop this into a fully fledged story covering Ranma's attempts to release Zuvassin, then feel free to suggest items for Ranma's list, be it unique (the member of a seven-balled dragon, the crown of a conqueror queen, the panties of an alien princess, etc) or the key to a crossover (the crown of Sailor Moon, the glasses of Gendo Ikari, the sword of Rurouni Kenshin, etc). I'll admit that I kind of prefer unique item suggestions: I've got a decent-sized anime collection, but I'm not so certain that the series all work for this idea.
