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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters here that belong to Ranma 1/2. The Ranma 1/2 cast belongs to Rumiko Takashi. Nor do I own Suikoden 3 so I'm just using them in this fan fiction and I have no money.
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Chapter 9: So Long For Now or Burn Some Muscles
"Are you sure about this?"
It's just before dawn and two teens are in front of the main house. Last night Ranma had decided that he would look for the 'Fire Bringer' to get some answers as to why this war is happening and hopefully end it. He told only Thomas that he would be leaving before dawn so that no one would know he's gone. The other residents of the castle were still sleeping in their beds thinking that Ranma would be leaving sometime later.
Ranma nodded. "I need to find out why this is all happening. I have a feeling someone is controlling all these events and I have to find out who and stop them." It's been about four months since he came to this world and he's never been happier. Before this he would deal with nothing but martial arts training, fighting for his life and keeping himself a virgin (which is hard to do with perverted Amazons and their spells and potions and nutcases like Kodachi and her chemicals). Now he has friends, a home (a real one this time, not the nuthouse that was the Tendo Dojo) and people who depend on him and trust him. No way is he going to give all this up. He'll find out what is going on in the world and put a stop to any threat to his...family. Besides, this is what the Chaos Rune has chosen him for. It's gotten him out of a lot of tough spots and it's about time he did his end of the bargain.
"Shouldn't you at least say goodbye to everyone. I'm sure the girls won't be very happy if you leave without letting them know," Thomas suggested.
"No, it will just be harder to leave then. Everyone will try to come with me and there's no way I can avoid being noticed walking around with a small army. Don't worry, I'm taking Ayame and Watari here along for the ride," Ranma said pointing to the two ninjas that were hiding on top of the main house.
"I'm coming along as well." Piccolo walked up to the two teens from the direction of his tent.
"So are we." Edge appeared from the side of the castle and stopped to stand next to the staircase leading to the main house.
The Zodiac Sword spoke up from his sheath that's attached to Edge's back. ""I've been waiting for the day that the Chaos Rune would pick a bearer. I'm not going to be left behind and miss all the excitement."
Ranma looked a little dumbfounded at the three of them. "How did you know, I was going to leave early?"
Edge waved off confusion. "We figured that you would try something like this. I may not have known you for long, but I can tell you're one of those types that don't like getting people in trouble. Bringing along people would. You don't have to worry about us. Me and the sword have a lot of experience in fighting and won't get in the way."
Edge and the sword looked like they won't take no for an answer and he reluctantly nodded. Ranma then turned to Piccolo.
"Okay Piccolo, why are you coming?"
"I'm much older than, I appear to be. I have met and fought with Kain the 'Fire Bringer' before. If he's still around, I would like to see him once more."
(Author's note: Kain is the name I picked for the 'Fire Bringer')
Ranma remembered a little detail from the story he has heard about the 'Fire Bringer' from Martha and put some pieces of the puzzle together. "That was over 50 years ago wasn't it? From his name he would have a True Fire right? If he does have a True Rune and he's still alive he would look as young as me wouldn't he."
Thomas spoke up at this point. "You mean he would still be alive? Why would he look like Ranma?"
Piccolo answered the question. "Yes, unlike me he would still look the same as I last saw him. If he is alive he would be as young as Ranma because anyone with a True Rune would have everlasting youth and the only way they would age is if you take their rune away."
Ranma looked at the assembled group and motioned for Ayame and Watari to join them. "Alright, you three can come. Let's get out of here before anyone wakes up." They all turned to leave the castle (or in Thomas' case see them off) when they heard a throat clearing behind them.
"I would like to meet this Kain as well." Fight Hat/Tina is standing behind their group with her little sister Magic Hat tagging along.
Ranma laughed nervously and backed up a little. "W-w-why Tina, what are you doing up this early in the morning?" He scratched the back of his neck as he continued to edge out of the castle. He stopped, however, when he saw her eyes harder. They seem to contain the message 'don't move a single step or else'. He abruptly stopped before he found out what 'or else' means. Tina walked up to him until they were face to face. "And just where do you think you were going without me, hmm?" Her face started to turn into a scowl and Magic started laughing at the face that Ranma was making.
He managed to swallow pass the lump in his throat before he answered. "Um, to find the Fire Bringer?" he answered tentatively.
Her featured turned more into a scowl. "And just WHY were you going without me?"
'Geeze! She can be scary when she wants to be. Akane would be jealous at her anger right now. "Um...I didn't want you to get hurt if you come with me?"
She leaned forward a little so that Ranma was force to bend back to keep their faces from meeting. "And just who was it that almost beat you in that fight not so long ago, hmm?"
He started to sweat a little at the questioning. "Err...you?"
She leaned into him so much that he is already at an angle that would have made other people topple over, but this is Ranma we're talking about so he stayed on his feet. "So that would mean that, I can take care of myself right?" He didn't trust his foot in mouth disease so he just merely nodded. "So that means I'm coming with you, RIGHT?" He nodded fervently.
Instantly she's all smiles again. She pulled him back so that he is standing straight again. On an impulse she grabs the sides of his face and gives him a kiss on the lips. "Good, I'm all set too."
On the sides lines Edge tilted towards Thomas and Piccolo and whispered so that only they could hear him. "That was...weird." The others nodded.
While Ranma is recovering from the kiss Fight turned to her sister.
"Sis, it's about time to leave and for you to go back home now. Tell everyone that Ranma passed your test alright."
"Ok! I had my fun! Don't worry I'll tell everyone that he passed! I can come back and visit right?" Tina nodded. "Yay!" She gave a quick hug to her sister then ran up to the still shocked Ranma (Who for some reason was trying to fight off a grin. He's been kissed before by Shampoo, but for the life of him he can't figure out why getting one from Tina felt...different) and gave him a hug around the legs. This brings him out of his trance and he hugged back the cutest thing he has ever seen. "Bye brother-in-law! I know you'll pass everybody else's test so take care of my sister okay! I'll visit you two later 'k!" Disengaging from the hug she made the cloud that she fought on during her test with Ranma reappear and jumped on.
Ranma put up a hand to stop her from running off. "Before you go would you teleport us to Brass Castle. I want to check up on something."
"Sure!" She pointed her staff at the group and they vanished in thin air. She turned to the only one left "Bye Thomas! Thanks for letting me stay here! I'll see you later! And good luck with Cecile!" Magic waved at Thomas flying away. He blushed at the last comment.
As Thomas is walking back to the castle he wished the departing group luck. 'Well guys, I hope you find what you're looking for.' He stopped when a voice to his right.
"Can anyone tell me where Lake Castle is?"
He turned towards the voice and saw the totally exhausted sight of Hortez VII leaning against the wall of the main house. He looks like he hasn't eaten or slept for days. 'So that's why his shop's been closed for the past three days.'
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Brass Castle-
"Ranma, why are we here and where's Ayame and Watari?" Fight asked him.
She, Piccolo, Edge, and Ranma are near the bridge on the East Side of the castle and hiding out of the sight of the castle guards. The two ninjas left after Ranma said something to them half an hour ago and they haven't returned.
"I need to check up on something."
Piccolo looked towards the castle. "Checking up on Chris, right?"
Before Ranma could say something or Tina could ask just WHY he needs to check up on the FEMALE knight the two ninjas came back.
"Chris left with the man you saw at Iksay Village. The other six knights are still here," Ayame reported.
"Any idea where they went?"
"I would say they have headed for Duck Village," Watari said.
"Good, I've been there before. Their probably going through the woods I saw nearby."
Piccolo figured out what Ranma's plan is. "So we are going to follow them to Kain are we."
Ranma nodded, "Unless somebody has a better idea. Besides, that guy Nash reminds me of someone back in my old life. If he's anything like Nabiki he's following a lead he heard about."
Nobody bothered to ask who Nabiki is. A few weeks ago he told everyone some more of his story on how he ended up here (he excluded that he came from another world and didn't go into much detail).
"We should get there by sunrise if we hurry. We would get there sooner if we go back and get some of Kathy's horses," Fight said.
Ranma shook his head. "I got a faster way." He formed the magic cloud that Magic showed him and motioned for Piccolo to do the same.
"I haven't used this spell yet, but here goes nothing." Piccolo cast the same spell and was fortunate that it worked right. "Hop on." The others blinked once before climbing onto one of the clouds and took off to the skies.
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Duck Village-
"So we're here to follow a lead you heard about?" Chris asked Nash. Gone was her armor as she's dressed in a more traveler type style of clothes. She wore a mid thigh skirt with black stockings and a green shirt that showed her ample chest that her armor hid. Her hair is unbraided showing that she had long white hair that ended at her waist. Her sword is hanging on a belt around her hips and black gloves adorned her hands.
Nash nodded. "And also to get a guide so we can get through the Kaput Forest." The young looking man that's much older than he looks. He has blonde hair and looks like someone who has a sharp mind. He's dressed in a black and blue outfit with a long pale blue scarf around his neck. He's armed with an arm crossbow that's hidden in his long loose fitting sleeves. He also had a knife hidden in his shirt.
"Master Fred! We can't go without paying the inn tab!"
They turned towards the shout and saw a young man dressed in onyx colored armor being followed by a younger woman. He had dark short hair and had a handsome face. He carried a sword and a triangle shield and his body is finely toned and built. He seemed to be someone who could take care of himself in a fight. In all he looks like a knight from another land.
A younger woman dressed in a purple shirt and tan pants is running behind him. She has brown locks that are hidden by a purple cap. Her already rosy dimples flushed red as she carried a backpack that's almost as big as she is. Her body is short, but she is still cute looking. She had to be very strong to be able to lift that backpack around with her.
"Rico, we can't stay here. We need to find the evil that has befallen the Grasslands!"
"Yeah, but you still need to pay the bill," the inn's owner said walking up to them.
"We need to head east now before the evil runs away!"
"Wait. You two are going to Kaput Forest?" Nash asks walking up to them. "We're on our way there as well. Can you two guide us through the forest?"
Fred nodded fervently. "Sure! But can you help us with the bill?"
Nash turned towards Chris. "Chris, can you handle the bill?"
"Why me?" Chris asks.
"You're the only one with a lot of money here," Nash said.
Chris looked peeved at being made to give up her money but sighed anyway. "Fine, I'll pay your bill." She walked up to the inn owner and asked how much the two owed. Her eye twitched at the price, but she paid it anyway and returned to the group.
"Well, with that done with all we need is a duck guide to guide us through the forest," Fred said with his head held high.
"What?! You mean I paid your bill and you don't even know your way through the forest?!" Chris put her hand on her sword, just itching to kill the freeloading knight in front of her.
Rico went up to her and tried to calm her down. "Yeah, but we can help out with any monsters that we find on the way!"
Chris moved pass her and grabbed Fred by his armor and shook him angrily. "You better!" She moved her scowling face to a few inches from his. "Any money or items we get from the monsters are mine! You got it!" He nodded fervently.
After awhile they found two ducks that could guide them through the forest (Yet MORE money Chris had to give out). One is a tall skinny duck that wore glasses whose name is Wilder. The other one is a short fat duck that wore a wool cap and a red scarf named Rhett. Both used long handle axes whose blades look like fishes.
The two ducks said they would guide them only if the chief gives the ok. It took awhile to find him since all the ducks looked alike to them. The chief gave them the okay and they left for the forest.
On the way there Chris couldn't help but think about the last encounter she had with the pigtailed martial artist/swordsman. 'Ranma, I wonder if we will meet again. I hope that you'll forgive me someday. PLEASE!' The voice in her mind continued on in a small voice. 'I need you.'
High above them riding on two magic clouds were Ranma and his group. Edge and Ayame were riding with Piccolo while Watari and Fight were riding with Ranma.
"So we just follow them then?"
"Yeah, we'll just have them lead us to Kain."
Tina looked towards the group on the ground as they disappeared into the forest. "So we fly over it then?"
"No, let's go on foot and follow them. I got the feeling that we'll find something important in the forest."
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Awhile later-
Kaput Forest is a heavy wooded forest filled with strong monsters. If you didn't know your way around you could easily lose your way. Tales of the monsters and other creatures filled the story teller's tales. There is another tale saying that the woods are the home to the Alma Kinan, the sixth clan of the grasslands. Few knew which is real and which is made up.
Walking through the forest Ranma's group encountered some monsters on the way. Currently they are facing off with two giant crablike monsters. Piccolo said they were called Red Mantixs because of their red colored shells.
"I'll handle this one! The rest of you get the other one!" Ranma shouted as he danced around the crab's claws. Grabbing his sword Ranma sliced off its claws leaving it armless. He re-sheathed his sword and planned on just beating it down till its dead, but the crab had other ideas as it started to spit out bubbles at him.
He smelled a scent he knew well from his encounters with Kodachi. "Watch out for the bubbles! They're filled with poisons!"
The others had surrounded the other crab and are attacking it on all sides. The two ninjas were attacking it with their ninja stars on each side while Edge attacked the crab head on using the Zodiac Sword to block the incoming attacks from the crab. Piccolo stayed in the back preparing to cast a spell.
"Furious Blow!" Piccolo shouted sending huge balls of lighting at the crab. When the lighting subsided, leaving a charred crab, Watari and Ayame ran across the crab's sides and cut away as Edge stuck the Zodiac Sword through the crab's face. The crab staggered about before falling down to the ground dead.
"Nice work you guys! How about this!" He was about to kill the crab with a 'Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire' when Tina landed on the crab's back and put her arms across her chest in an X. She then jumped up again and angled the front of her body to face the crab.
"Twin Air Blades Strike!" She uncrossed her arms fast and two vacuum blades raced from her arms and sliced the crab into four pieces.
"Hey! That was my kill!"
She landed and started 'walking' to him. "You're too slow honey."
(Prereader's note: If you don't know what she's doing you will when you grow up.)
Ranma watched as she moved her hips left and right while moving towards him. "Err... honey?"
"Why, that's my nickname for my fiancée of course!"
"Oh...hehehe...I thought you forgot about that." He started backing up as she got closer. He only stopped when his back met a tree.
"Honey, we're going to have to 'train' a little harder when we get back to the castle, hmm." She emphasized 'train' so that it would leave it to the one who heard her imaginations just 'what' they train in. Being away from the other girls let her open up a little more as there is no threat that she would be fighting for her life. Her 'discussion' with him this morning proved that her fiancée can be easily intimidated if you do the right things. Apparently acting either angry or sultry will get a reaction out of him, the latter being much more adorable.
Living away from his old fiancés and more importantly Genma has allowed Ranma to develop, especially when it comes to the opposite gender. Repressed hormones have started to come out with all the pretty girls in the castle. When Tina mentioned 'training' his mind started coming up with various scenarios, especially with her licking her lips at the end. He felt a trickle of blood escape his left nostril. He looked to the others and started to panic when the others smiled at their antics. He started throwing out denials that only added made them smile wider. When Tina suddenly laughed and said that she was only joking he fumed while everyone laughed, well, everyone except the ninjas. They were, however, trembling trying to hold it in.
However, Ranma's eyes widened when he spotted the crab that the others killed lift up one of its claws and made a lunge towards Ayame. She's too busy trying not to laugh to notice.
"SHIT! WATCH OUT!" He raced forward and grabbed the surprised ninja and jumped up to avoid the deathblow while everyone jumped out of the way. While in the air he let out a vacuum blade that cut the crab in half.
The two landed and both gave sighs of relief. Then both noticed where one of his hands ended up. He was so busy saving her life that he didn't notice he was grabbing her left breast.
"EEEEKKKK!!!!! PERVERT!!!!!" A loud smacking sound echoed in the forest.
"HEY! WHATCHA DO THAT FOR!"
"YOU GRABBED ME YOU PERVERT!"
"WHO WOULD WANT TO TOUCH YOUR TINY CHEST YOU UNCUTE NINJA!"
"UNCUTE! TINY! WHY YOU!!!"
Their argument went on for a few more minutes with everyone laughing or putting in suggestions. It finally ended when both ran out of breath and stood panting in front of each other. 'Geeze, it's like fighting with Akane all over again!'
Suddenly clapping could be heard from above them, "Nice, real nice! You people will keep me entertained for months to come!"
Ranma looked up towards the top of the trees where the voice is coming from. "I was wondering when you were going to say something."
"You knew that I was here? Well then, I will show myself." A winged figure flew down from one of the tall trees. He wore a ragged purple shirt and black pants. He has dirty brown hair and is missing an eye his left one. His face is wicked looking, but not in an evil way but in, just twisted. He also has clawed feet that went with his bat-like wings. He also carried a huge long bladed scythe with him.
Piccolo looked up as the winged man flew down to them. "A winger? I didn't know your people lived around here."
"No, I'm just a wanderer winger who has come to the Grasslands looking for some fun. By the way, my name is Landis," the winger said.
"So why are you here?"
"I've been looking for people to hang around with and you guys are 'just' the type I like."
Fight frowned as she looked at the winged figure. He looked like he's having an extreme amount of fun just by looking at her, Ranma and Ayame. "You want to join with us?"
"Yes. My friend Sid joined the Zero Army and met with lots of people to have fun with. Something tells me if I join you guys I'll find lots of fun, especially when she..." he pointed at Fight. "...figures out that her fiancée just groped another woman." His beaming smile only made him more sinister."
"EERRK! I DIDN'T MEAN TO TINA! HONEST!"
Said fiancée stalked towards him until she had him backed up to a tree. "DEAR!" He filched when she screamed at him. "I know, you didn't mean to."
"............wha...?" He looked up at his smiling fiancée.
"Don't worry. I know you didn't mean to. You were saving her life so you didn't have time to notice where your hands were. Also..." she gave him a peck on the lips. "I'm proud of you for saving her life."
Ranma looked at her like he's never seen anything like her. Of course, he never HAD seen anything like her. In situations like this he would be imbedded on the floor by one of his fiancés, not being congratulated, or more importantly KISSED, by a fiancée for seemingly groping a girl while saving her life. It never mattered that he didn't mean to, he was just blamed and then attacked.
"Thank you, Tina." His heartfelt thank you could be felt by all the people with them.
Landis looked crestfallen. "Aww, I was expecting her to at least knock him on the head. Oh well." He's back to looking sinister. "I'm still coming with you anyway. There's bound to be more...entertaining events that will happen to you."
Ayame nodded at him. Ranma's smile and sincere gratitude made her forgive and forget about the whole grabbing of her breast. He did save her life, not that she would admit it to the pervert. "Well, someone who can fly would be a big help."
Watari now remembers who Sid is. "Wait, you're friends with that sicko winger!?" His face does not change, but his voice conveys his surprise anyway.
Landis beamed at him. "Yup! But even if I may act a little bit like Sid I still have my uses." He flaps his wings to get his point across.
Ranma nodded. "Fine, but don't try anything funny." Seeing him nod they continue on through the forest. After they had collected the item's and coins from the two fallen monsters. No one notices that Ranma and Tina are holding hands as they walk along the path. 'I wonder how things are going in the castle?' Ranma thought to himself.
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Back at Lake Castle-
"WHAT!"
A loud shout roared out from the Lake Castle that shook the very walls of the castle was heard as almost all the young women of the castle shouted at the young master of the castle. Who was dead meat!
"You just LET that hussy go with Ranma!" Sharon shouted.
"How could you!" Kathy growled towering over Thomas.
"Yeah!" Anne joined her looking down at Thomas.
In the background the other girls are growling and glaring at the cowering sixteen year old master of the castle. Most prominent are Shizu and Mio. Shizu's eyes have turned hard and a small, almost imperceptible earthquake is felt around her. A thin pitch black battle aura seems to cover her entire body. Seems like she DID pick up some offensive skills from Ranma's training. Mio is brandishing a very LONG, SHARP needle filled with no one knows what.
Emily's knuckles are white from strain. "Who knows what she's doing with poor Ranma!" Images, very...eechi images of Ranma and Fight flashed through her mind. She could see Fight cornering Ranma somewhere secluded and doing...things with him. "NNNOOO! STAY AWAY FROM MY RANMA!"
"You are SOOO going to get it!" Mio said glaring at Thomas who was now backed into a corner by the mob of young women.
"Girls! Leave Thomas alone now!" Martha shouted out. The girls backed up a little but didn't let up with the growling, or the glaring, or the brandishing of weapons, or in Kathy's case putting down the large table (no one knows where she got it or how she's holding it up) over her head. "Ranma told me before he left that he wanted to find out why Fight and her family are after him. Before Fight went to go with him she told me it had something to do with the Fire Bringer. He left with Edge, Piccolo, the ninjas and Fight to find out why, even though I don't think she told him yet."
She looked in the general direction of where the gates are. "He's...worried. Too many things are happening at the same time for him to ignore. With the Chaos Rune giving him so much power and then Fight Hat's family showing up and are just as powerful as he is Ranma thinks something is not right." She turned towards the girls after Ranma's heart. "He's out to find out what is in store for him. The Chaos Rune picking him is just too much of a coincidence for him to ignore."
"Yeah, but still! If those two are alone with each other then..." Belle shuddered as images of Fight and Ranma filled her head. "NNNNNOOOOO!!! She's going to steal him away! WAAAHHHHH!!!" She started wailing like a certain Tendo Patriarch.
"Belle, don't take it so hard," Meg said hugging her child. "Ranma just needs to get himself all straightened out. I mean with everything that's been happening to him and how he was treated in his old life, well, I think one of the reason he left is to let things cool down around here. You girls HAVE been acting like the girls back in his old life he has told us about remember."
Sanae Y's the one with the most control of her emotions and was the one that calmed down first. She lowered her weapon and the others followed suit. "Belle's mom is right. Thing are getting out of hand around here. We'll just have to wait for them to get back and tone down our advances. HOWEVER!" Sanae Y took out her naginata and pointed it straight at Thomas' throat. The other girls took out their own weapons (Shizu's earthquake got so bad the people outside the castle are feeling it and her battle aura is one of the more prominent ones while Sharon somehow called out for Trash and Bright and got them to be on her side). "If Fight and Ranma are together after this you SOOO going to get it!"
All the girls nodded as Thomas whimpered.
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Back in the forest-
Ranma and his group followed the path that Chris and her group took. The new member Landis is walking on his hands while his feet held his giant scythe. When Watari asked why he was doing it the only answer he got was "Because." After walking some distance they spotted two young women in the clearing before them. The older one is wearing a VERY short green dress and carried around a crossbow. She has a nice figure and face and her long brown hair reached pass her shoulder blades. Edge especially noticed the long legs as the blood leaking out of his nostrils are any indication. The younger one is dressed the same but isn't armed. Her dress is only a bit darker than the older one's and her black hair is braided on top of her head. She looked adorable while the other looked sultry.
Ranma dropped Tina's hand (much to both their disappointment) and snuck up on the pair. "Hi there."
"EEEKKK!!!" The older one leveled her crossbow at him while the younger one tried to get her heart to start beating again.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you two," Ranma said trying to calm the two down.
"How did you sneak up on us?" the younger girl asks. 'I can't see anything about him in the future. There are no visions of him anywhere!'
Ranma smirked at the two girls. "I have my ways." The two calmed down after a moment. Then he saw that the older girl is staring at him like a hungry cat while scarlet bloomed on her cheeks. 'Okay. NOW I'm worried.'
The older one 'walked to Ranma (much to the chagrin of Tina). "Hi." She seemed to purr the word, making him nervous. "I'm Yumi, and this is Yun." She gestured to the younger girl who waved cheerfully at the group. Yumi then put a finger on Ranma's bicep and traced it down his arm. "But you can call me cutie." She winked at him. Piccolo, Edge, the ninjas and the Zodiac Sword sweatdropped while Tina fumed, Ranma got more nervous, and Yun slapped a hand on her forehead.
Ranma seemed to teleport away from the much too forward girl in a way too short dress and reappear next to Yun. "Um...er...I'm Ranma and these are my friends." He introduced everyone while pointing to the appropriate person. Edge tried to keep his eyes away from her legs when he was introduced and Fight GLARED at the HUSSY making moves towards her man! Yumi just sweatdropped and wondered what she did to set her off.
"Two young girl's of the Alma Kinan clan. Walking far from home aren't you two," Piccolo said walking to the two.
Yun looked at Piccolo for a moment. "You're Piccolo, the magic user that trained with the great mage Crowley and also fought with the Fire Bringer 50 years ago."
Piccolo looked surprised at the young girl, then nodded. "You're special ability is to see into the future is it not. I see the signs of it all over you."
"She can see into the future?" Edge asks.
"Yes I can. But you," Yun said looking at Ranma. "I can't see anything about you at all. This has never happened before."
He scratched his head for a moment, than snapped his fingers when the answer came to him. "Oh, I guess it's because of my True Rune. It tends to do a lot of things." He looked a little sheepish. "Heheh, sorry about that. It sometimes messes up people's senses.
Yumi tilted her head a little to the side and looked over Ranma's body with a LOT of feasting. "You have a True Rune?"
He nodded. "I have the True Rune of Chaos. If you're wondering which one that is it's the twenty-eighth rune."
"Very interesting! I knew hanging out with you people will be entertaining!" Landis said.
"WHAT?! The Chaos Rune?! Twenty-eight?!" Yun shouted.
"Yeah, I got it on my forehead," Ranma said removing the bandana he wore showing the girls his rune.
Yumi whistled. "Wow! I didn't know that there was a twenty-eighth True Rune."
Yun got a look of comprehension on her face. "The sheer amount of chaos that surrounds you! THAT'S why I can't see anything about you!"
He laughed a little nervously. "Yeah, very few people know about it. It also tends to mess up a couple of people's senses. Whenever mages back at the castle came by they keep complaining about getting a headache. So, where are the two of you headed?"
"We're headed to Chisha Village," Yun said.
Tina looked at her fiancée when she remembered something. "Isn't that where Chris is going to?"
"Lady Chris? You're looking for her too? Yes, she is there right now."
Ranma raised an eyebrow at the two. "What are you looking for her for?"
Yumi shook her head. "Sorry cutie, we're not aloud to tell anyone but her." Fight gritted her teeth at the nickname.
Ranma's eyebrow also twitched. "Oh, well me, my FIANCE, and the rest of us are headed there now. You want to come along?"
Yumi looked a little crestfallen when he mentioned he had a fiancée, but then got a wicked idea. 'Wait, they're not married yet! That means I still have a chance! No WAY am I going to stay in the village all my life! I want to see the world dammit and this guy is my ticket out of there! It also helps that he's cute.'
(Prereader's note: Girls who go after Ranma tend to ignore little things like that when they are pursuing him. Just look at the Tendos. Genma's promises should have invalidated the 'honor' pact between the two families and kicked out long ago. Heck, Akane could have pointed that out when Ukyo or Kaori showed up and no more engagement. Same thing with Ukyo, Kaori and any other fiancés. Their honor is intact while the Saotomes have none.)
"Sure! We would love to come along! The monsters have been giving us a hard time so more people gives us better chance at getting out of here."
The others nodded (although on Tina's side very, VERY reluctantly). With traveling arrangements made they finally noticed something peculiar. As Ranma stood next to Yun they noticed the similarities between the two. Both had their hairs braided, both are adorable looking, and both seem to emit the same cheerful personality.
Landis spoke for the group as the all looked between the two. "Hey, you two kind of look alike. Like you two are brother and sister or something."
Edge's head still hasn't stopped looking between the two as he compared them and noted more similarities. Same cheerful smiles, both are standing almost the same, and both are currently scratching the backs of their heads in embarrassment. "Hey, you two DO look like you're related." He pointed the nervous gesture out to the others. "Geeze, they even ACT the same when they're embarrassed!"
Yun looked up at Ranma with shining eyes. "Cool! I never had a big brother before! Mind if I call you that?"
Ranma responded with a cheerful smile. "Sure little sister!" She squealed as she jumped up and down and glomped him. Everyone else chuckled as they watched the antics of the now siblings.
Yumi shook her head. "How about we get going now. We can guide you through the forest as well." She grabbed onto Ranma's arm, but Yun pulled her off.
"Come on Yumi! He's MY big brother!" Yum said taking Yumi's spot. She held on to him as the rest walked through the forest. Tina also took her spot by Ranma's unoccupied side and held his hand, fingers interlaced. Her eyes, however, did not leave Yumi as she glared at her that clearly screamed 'MINE!' Ranma didn't mind the hand holding thing or his new sister glomping his arm. He's just wondering when his good luck is going to run out. Yumi looked on sadly as the three walked ahead of them.
"But...he's my ticket out of the village. I can't leave unless I marry an outsider and there's so few good looking outsiders and are as warm and cheerful as Yun," Yumi said in a low voice.
Landis chuckled as he followed the trio. "I've only known you people just for a few minutes and already I'm more entertained than I've ever been my entire life." He chuckled some more and the other followed suit as they went deeper into the forest.
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Far from the forest-
Chisha Village is home to the Saifir Clan, the most peaceful of all the six clans. The houses are built like pillars because the real village is underground. A network of tunnels was dug connecting all the buildings together. In fact most of the village is really underground as it gave the village more protection then most villages on the open plains. Currently the village is under attack by the Harmonian Army.
"This isn't going well! We need reinforcements," Chirs said looking over the size the Harmonia army. They had only about 800 villagers that could fight and they're facing off with an army of 2,000. They're the advance troops of an army of 10,000 strong.
"Don't worry. Help will come," a middle aged woman named Apple said. She had the villagers be put into units with the help of Fred, Rico and the two ducks with them. They also were being helped by a man named Wan Fu. He's a pole armed fighter with a tattoo on his back. The tattoo is of a fire bird with its wings spread out. He was a rugged guy who kept his black hair in a ponytail. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of purple shorts.
Nash looked over at her after disposing another Harmonian soldier that got too close. "So what is that guy Caesar doing in the back of the village anyway?"
"Getting ready for a back up plan, I'm sure that the Harmonian army is planning." Apple said to him.
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Meanwhile at the Harmonia Army's Side -
"They seemed to be getting ready to stop us long enough for some help to get here," the commander named Dios said to his leader.
"Yes, it seems they are. Yuber, is that man you said would be able to take this village down by himself here yet," the Bishop named Sasarai asks. Even with their large force attack the village from the bottom of a hillside would still be costly.
"He should be coming soon," Yuber said looking at the horizon as if watching for something.
"One man by himself, I find that hard to believed," Dios huffed. Then they all felt a tremor in the ground as if something was walking with a lot of weight to it. The sound of huge footstep could be heard coming closer. Looking at where it was coming from Sasarai and Dios could not believe their eyes.
A giant was walking towards them. He's over twenty feet tall and just as wide as he's tall. He had more muscles on him than any of them ever saw before. He wore a blue visor that covered his eyes. This made it almost impossible to blind him with arrows or a magic attack. He wore plate armor with orange trim covering his upper body and wore a pair of thick tan colored pants. He also had on a pair iron boots that shank into the ground with each step. He also wore a giant sized light brown top hat. He swung around a huge metal club around as if it was nothing. The club is a giant steel ball held onto a huge log. Its size is bigger than a full-grown man and its weight alone would be enough to kill almost anyone. His face had a lazy look to it.
Yuber smirked seeing their shock faces, "I give you Brute Hat, the unstoppable juggernaut."
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At the village-
"There's no way we be able to stop something like that," Nash said looking at the giant that's with the Harmonia army. He could tell that the armor that giant is wearing would be able to stop anything thrown at it. And that club of his with one hit would be all that would take to kill any of them. 'Gee, why does it feel wet all of a sudden?" He looked down. 'Oh.'
"I don't have a pole big enough," Wan Fu said.
Chris' eyes stayed on the giant as she trembled with fear. 'Ranma, where are you?' She prayed for a miracle that he would show up and save her.
Fred isn't faring very well either. "Miss Apple, is there something we can do?"
"I never planned on someone like him showing up. Any plan we had would be useless to someone of his kind strength," Apple said heavy with fear. 'This is just like when Luca Blight broke through our lines when we surrounded him.'
"Master Fred, we can't face someone like that. There's no way we can," Rico said to her master.
"Rico, if we flee then the villagers will all be killed by him," Fred said getting his sword and shield ready. 'Grandfather, it looks like the Maximillian Knights will not be rise again, but I will make you proud of me yet.'
"We're doomed!" the two ducks said holding onto each other.
The earth shook as the giant walked towards them. As he got closer they had to raise their head higher and higher to see his face. His very shadow almost covered the whole village as he had his back to the sun.
"I am Brute Hat! Give up now for there's no way anyone of you can hope to beat me," Brute said in a booming voice.
A voice came from the sky just as Brute Hat is about to reach the village. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't pick on people that are smaller than you!" Looking up they saw some people riding on two clouds and a winger flying towards the village.
Chris' heart started beating twice as fast as it usually did. Her wish actually came true! He's here to save them. She started jumping up and down like a little kid before she could stop herself, not that anyone is paying attention to her. "Ranma!" She hoped, oh she really hoped that they could talk things out, he forgives her, then they go off on that date she's been meaning to go with him since a long time ago.
"Hi bro!" Fight shouted as she and the others landed in the village.
"Hiya sis, so that pigtailed guy is Ranma?"
"He's your brother?" Yumi asks. She couldn't believe that Fight and that giant were siblings. Neither is she alone in that thought.
"Yup. He's my little brother." Everyone look at Brute, then to Fight, then to the giant again and all of them had one single though in their minds. 'THAT big guy is her LITTLE brother!?'
Ranma looked between the twenty foot giant and his fiancée. "You weren't kidding when you said your family has the best fighters did you?" Tina nodded with a smile on her face. He put his head in his hands and groaned. "Hon, you and I are going to have a BIG talk about your family when we get back to the castle." Thankfully for Ranma's health only Tina noticed his nickname for her since everyone else is STILL looking between the two siblings, noting that there are absolutely no similarities between the two of them. Not even Ranma noticed. He's too busy thinking just what the heck he's gotten himself into now to really think about what he's saying. Not that he's ready to marry her or anything, just that she's a little above the rest of the competition because of the whole forgiveness and understanding thing. Fight just beamed.
She looked up again at her brother and the Harmonian Army behind him. "So you're doing the Harmonia army's dirty work now?"
"Yeah well, I had nothing to do while I wait around until I meet up with your new fiancée. Since he's here now I can do my test." Brute pointed his club at Ranma. "Fight me or I destroy the village!"
"He goes straight to the point doesn't he," Ranma said to his still beaming fiancée. He looked up at his opponent. "Fine! But let's take the fight away from the village!" Ranma hopped onto his cloud and took off with Brute following him.
(Prereader's note: You should have been expecting something like this. Remember when Ranma was wondering when his good luck will run out. You should never wonder that or else it WILL run out right then and there.
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Harmonia Side-
"What is he doing he's suppose to destroy the village!?" Dios shouted as he watched as Brute following Ranma about half a mile away from the village.
"That man on the cloud. He has a True Rune," Sasarai said feeling its power through his True Earth rune.
"That BOY has a True Rune!?"
Yuber nodded. "Yes. Let's watch and see what kind of power it has shall we."
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At the battle ground-
"I never fought someone your size before," Ranma said looking at Brute at face level. He's still on the flying cloud. 'I can't let him hit me not even once. The only thing that's almost as big as this guy is the dragon thingy whatever its name is at that forest where all the animals are huge.'
"Doesn't matter! Fight me!" Brute said swinging his club at Ranma.
Ranma took off to the skies knowing that even he couldn't take a hit that strong. "Moko Takabisha!" Ranma shouted throwing a huge energy ball at Brute Hat.
Brute swung his club at the energy ball making it explode away from his body. Then he came after Ranma swinging his club wildly. Ranma had to do some fast thinking to avoid the swings each one strong enough to knock down an either building down. It turned out that Brute is a lot faster than his body's size made him look. Finally Ranma pulled up away from Brute's reach.
Taking the offensive Ranma dove back at Brute Hat. Jumping off his ride Ranma yelled out his attack. "Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma punched Brute's face with hundreds of punches making the giant step back.
But all Brute Hat did is smile and regain his balance. "Sorry, but it takes more than that to hurt me!" He swung his club again making Ranma fly back from the force of the blow.
"Moko Takabisha!" Ranma shouted throwing another energy ball. But Brute blocked it with his club again.
Then as the smoke cleared Ranma rammed into Brute Hat swinging his sword at him. The Twilight Blade glowed menacingly ready to cut through his armor. When his sword hit Brute's chest plate it made a huge dent on it, but the armor held. Ranma jumped into the air and onto his cloud as Brute brought his arm to slap him on his chest.
He smirked. "Sorry, but my armor is magic resistant. It takes a huge amount of magic damage just too even dent my armor like you have. I know I made it myself. But, there's no way you'll be able to get through my armor without me hitting you at least once and one hit is all I need."
'Got to take that armor away from him or I'll never be able to take him down. Let's see what I've got to work with. Can't take it from him by force and it would take too long to weaken it with my sword. Any blinding attacks I know won't affect him because of that visor of his.' As usual Ranma's brain goes at light speed when he's in a battle. He soon came up with a plan as he pondered what to do. He remembered an episode of Dragonball Z during the Android/Cell Saga.
"Hey Brute! Let's see if you can take this!" Ranma yelled throwing as many energy balls at Brute as he could. But all of them passed Brute Hat as he jumped away from the stream of energy balls. "Second wave!" Ranma shouted throwing that same attack over and over again.
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At the side lines-
"What is Ranma doing! He can't win like that!" Apple said as she watches as Brute dodge Ranma's attack over and over again.
Edge gripped the Zodiac sword as he watched the battle between David and Goliath. "Ranma needs a better plan then that to beat him, not just throwing the same attack over and over again."
"No, don't any of you see it," Piccolo said watching the battle, "All those energy attacks he has been throwing are still floating around in the air." All of them saw that indeed that all the energy attacks haven't disappeared and are still floating around Brute Hat.
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The battleground-
"Ranma if this is all you got then I don't see how you beat my sister with a fighting style like this," Brute said to Ranma after he threw his last energy ball.
Ranma smiled and crossed his arms while standing on his cloud. "Well I'm not the one surrounded by energy bombs!"
Looking around Brute saw that everywhere he looked there's an energy bomb floating around and that he's dead center of it.
"Bye, Bye!" Ranma said as he lit all the bombs at once. The sky lit up as all the energy bombs blew up at the same time around Brute Hat. The blast threw Ranma back almost making him fall off his cloud. A thick layer of smoke covered the area where Brute Hat once stood.
Then the smoke cleared showing Brute Hat is still standing. He looked like he didn't even felt that blast.
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Side lines-
Nash gasped when the giant reappeared out of the smoke. "No way! How could he be able to withstand a blast like that!"
"My brother wears thick coats of armor all over his body. In other words he's a walking fortress," Fight said. 'Please Ranma, win.'
Chris put a hand on her sword. "Then how can Ranma beat something like that?" She hoped that Ranma would be ok at the end of the fight. If that thing hurts the man she 'thinks' she likes she'll send out the entire Zexen army to kill it. 'There's no way I'm letting that thing hurt Ranma before I get the chance to find out if I'm in love with him or not!
Wan Fu also looked up at the battle. "He will have to think of a better strategy than that to win."
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Battleground-
"Energy Beam!" Brute screamed opening his mouth. Energy began to form inside of his mouth. Once it became as big as the inside of his mouth a huge beam of energy shot straight at Ranma. The pigtailed warrior flew faster than he ever had to as the beam followed him. The beam left a deep long trench in the ground as Brute aimed his head to Ranma who is flying ahead of the beam. Thankfully the beam disappeared when Brute had to catch his breath.
'No good. I'm just not doing enough damage to him.' The only thing that he could think of is to use the Chaos Rune. "Try this on for size! Hand of Chaos!" A huge purple beam of power flew towards the giant as Ranma put everything he's got into the blast.
The spell hit Brute head on. The attack was pushing him back as his overwhelming brute strength met with unrelenting power. Then something gave. Ranma's beam died as Brute slugged the beam away from him.
"You got to do better than that!" Brute shouted to him. Then he slammed both his hands together, making an air shock wave knocking Ranma to the ground. Looking back up Ranma saw Brute charging at him.
'Damn it! Looks like I'm going to have to use my last resort. It's not even freaking tested yet! Arrgh!' Ranma put his hands out as if holding a basketball in front of him and started chanting. The Chaos Rune glowed brightly as it drew in power for the spell that Piccolo and Magic Hat had taught him.
"Darkness beyond twilight..."
"What is this?" Fred asked as he and the others watched from the sidelines.
"Crimson beyond blood that flows..."
"Sounds like some kind of spell. But, I've never heard of those incantations before," Apple said.
"Buried in the stream of time is where you're power grows..."
"What kind of spell is that?" Chris wondered.
"I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes that stand. Against the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand..."
"It's a spell that comes from the land Ranma hails from. It originally is only in a 'manga' that he brought with him when he came here, but me and Magic Hat we're able to reproduce it." Piccolo said hoping that he and Magic got that spell down right.
"LET THE FOOLS WHO STANDS BEFORE ME BE DESTROYED BY THE POWER YOU AND I POSSESS!'
A huge ball of blood red, sky blue and pitch-black energy formed between his outstretched arms. "Let's see how well your armor holds up against THIS!"
Piccolo suddenly yelled out to everyone. "Everybody get down! The spell is still experimental!"
"WHAT!?" Everyone dove for the ground.
"DRAGON SLAVE!!!" Ranma shouted throwing the spell right out of 'Slayers' at the charging giant. The huge energy ball hit Brute Hat full force pushing him back. For a moment it looked like the armor would hold, then it started to crack.
Ranma's energy bombs weakened Brute Hat's armor and the Hand of Chaos only made things worse. By hitting everywhere at once all the weak spots had taken a hit and weaken the overall structure. The chaos spell put the armor at its last leg and therefore the Dragon Slave destroyed its magical resistance. The armor broke apart and Brute Hat took the full force of Ranma's attack. A huge explosion lit up the sky as the Dragon Slave exploded in Brute Hat's face. Brute screamed as he was thrown up into the air and came crashing down onto the ground in a heap. His top hat is strangely still on his head even after a blast like that. The explosion of the spell left a huge crater in the ground.
"What a genius plan! By attacking his armor everywhere at once he weakened the armor enough to break it apart with one powerful blast of magic," Caesar said in awe at Ranma's plan of attack.
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Harmonia Side-
Sasarai took one look at the fallen giant and decided that enough is enough. "Tell the men to do a full retreat!"
Dios looked at his commander. "Sir, if we attack now..."
"If we start to attack then that Ranma fellow will turn that blast in OUR direction! If he is able to take down someone like Brute Hat with one attack then none of us stands a chance in this battle. Retreat!" The men didn't need to be told another time seeing how Ranma took down that giant. They knew they wouldn't stand a chance and took off running.
"So that's what kind of power we're facing," Yuber said to himself. "This will be interesting." Yuber then teleported away.
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At the battle field-
After Brute Hat woke up he said that Ranma has passed his test. He said that he would make a great husband for his sister, which Ranma just blushed crimson and tried to wave him off. Brute's booming laughter shook the entire valley. He then took out a full set of armor from a bag on his belt and handed it to Ranma.
"What's this?" The armor is red at the top and black for the bottom, just like his current outfit is. Even though it weights over a hundred pounds he held it up easily.
"That is magic resistant armor like mine. Keep it, I can't wear it anyway."
"Um...thanks." Everyone could hear the reluctance in his voice.
Brute Hat understood his reluctance in wearing the heavy armor. "You think it will get in the way don't you." Ranma hesitantly nodded. "Don't worry, I understand. Here." He waved a hand towards the armor and it transformed into a copy of Ranma's regular outfit. The only difference is that the shirt and pants have silver trimmings on it. "There you go. Now it should weight just like the clothes you are wearing and still have the magic resistance and gives up just a bit of protection from physical attacks.
It did weight just like his regular clothes. He looked up at the now gentle giant before him and gave him a smile. "Hey, thanks man! This will really help out!"
"No problem. I'm sure you're going to need it when you face my and Tina's other siblings, especially Dark Hat."
"Dark Hat? You mean that guy, I met when I found out about the engagement?"
"Yup. He's the only one besides you to ever knock me out so you better be careful." That gave Ranma a chill down his spine. If Dark Hat can fight with Brute Hat and be able to knock him out then that means Dark Hat is much stronger than he first thought when he first saw him. And he already looks strong to begin with. Brute said his goodbyes to his sister's fiancée and waved in Fight's direction before leaving to go back home. Ranma hid behind some bushes and used the chestnut fist to quickly change into the magic resistant outfit.
"Wow Ranma! I didn't think you would be able to take down Brute," Fight said to Ranma as he came back down to the village. His usual outfit looked so alike to Brute's gift that she didn't notice the difference.
He looked exasperate at his fiancée. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." No one could have missed the sarcasm in his voice.
Fight had the decency to blush. "I mean...It's not that I think you aren't strong...not that you didn't stand a chance...err..."
Ranma looked at her with a smile on his face and winked at her, which made her more flustered, "Don't worry, I know what you mean.
Caesar interrupted the antics of the two, "That was a brilliant plan you had."
Wan Fu agreed with him, "I would have never thought of that."
Apple also nodded, "Yes, how did you know that it would work?"
Ranma looked at all of them bewildered. "Huh? What plan?" All who heard his question facefaulted.
Nash raised his head and his face is full of disbelief. "You mean you didn't have a plan to weaken Brute's armor with one powerful attack after another then blast him away with that Dragon Slave spell!?"
Ranma laughed nervously and pulled on his pigtail. "Um...no? I just kept on hitting him hoping for the best." Everyone facefaulted yet again making the previous craters formed by their faces even deeper.
After everyone picked himself or herself up an old woman, who is the chief of the village, approached them. "Piccolo, it's been awhile."
Piccolo turned to her and smile. "Hello Sana. It's been so long since, I last saw you. About 50 year's right?"
Sana nodded, "You still look the same as I last saw you."
"Wait, how can he still look the same?" Nash asks. Sure he's older than he looks, but still if 50 years had passed by then he would at least looked older by then or had died by then.
"Well, if you study under Crowley as I have you would live a lot longer then normal," Piccolo said. "Besides, I was just as old as Ranma when I met with Crowley and he still looks the same as when I first saw him."
"YOU have studied under Crowley and he STILL looks the same as you first met him!?" Apple had already met the great wizard and another student of his Mazus during the Zero War. 'Maybe I should study under him? To look like I'm still young while I'm over eighty or more sounds very, very good!'
(Prereader's Note: Just because this is another world doesn't mean women don't want to look young.)
"Yes, now if you don't mind Sana and me would like to talk alone," Piccolo said following Sana inside one of the houses.
When the two old people left Chris timidly approached her love interest. "Ranma, can we talk?"
The true rune bearer paused for a moment in thought. He really didn't have anything to loose so he nodded. "Fine. Follow me." He was about to lead her to a secluded spot when he sees some familiar faces.
Walking down the hill to the village is Hugo, Lulu, Fubar and Sgt. Joe. There were three new people in their party. There's an eight-foot tall man dressed in a white fur bearskin with a very muscular body, which is proportional to his height. His skin is darkly tanned and he wielded two huge axes. There's also a dwarf with them. He's dressed just like a miner including a shovel. He also has a shield on his left arm. He had a short stocky body, but Ranma could tell that he's strong for his size. Last is a knight that had on a orange and green shirt over his armor. He has light brown hair and a mustache. He's armed with a large sword and shield.
"Ranma! That was amazing! The way you beat that giant was absolutely fantastic!" Lulu said as he ran up to him.
The bear man walked up to him as well, "You did well, warrior."
Ranma patted Lulu on the head and nodded to the bear man. "Thanks. Hey everybody. So, who are your new friends and what happened to Lilly and her servants?"
Sgt. Joe spoke for their group. "These are Hallec, Twaikin, and Mua. As for Lilly and her servants they left us right after we escaped from your castle saying something about finding a Tinto trader or something. Isn't that right Hugo?...Hugo?"
Hugo is currently staring at the white-haired knight in traveler's clothing. "You...you're Chris! You're the one that burn down my home and killed so many of my people," Hugo shouted drawing everyone's attention to them. "You destroyed one grassland village and saved another! You make me sick!" Hugo took out his knife and made a lunge for her.
Before he could get close to her Ranma blocked his path with his arm.
Hugo looked up with rage in his eyes up at the pigtailed warrior. "Why?"
"Chris is under my care." Ranma said making Chris' heart beat faster. Her mind raced with the thoughts that there was still something between them. But that train of thought ended with what Ranma said next. "I alone will choose the time and place that, I will kill her."
Mua raised an eyebrow. "What? You mean you would kill a woman?"
"Sure, why not. She was about to kill Lulu without a second thought so I just treat her the same way as she treated the grasslanders."
"Ranma." The sadness in her voice almost, ALMOST made Ranma rethink his decision, but he had to remain firm. She has slighted him and if she wants to get back in his good graces she has a lot to do. Chris could feel her hope to renew their friendship shatter like glass at his statement.
"As I said before, I may forgive you one day, but you still haven't earned it." He started to walk where Sana and Piccolo are, but then remembered that Chris wanted to talk to him. "Oh yeah, you wanted to talk to me right. Come on."
Chris had to hold herself so she wouldn't break down again when he started to walk away. 'Am I such a bad person that Ranma won't even look at me anymore?' Then she heard him say that he will still allow her to talk to him and enthusiastically followed. Hope renewed in her heart, but she knew she had a lot to do.
Hugo looked like he still wanted to finish her off. Sgt. Joe stepped in his line of sight and stopped him. "Hugo, leave it."
"But Sgt!"
Mua and Hallec put a hand on each of his shoulders to hold him back. "Lad, it's between this Ranma fellow and her now. Just leave it be."
"Yes, this is a matter between two warriors. It is dishonorable to get in between."
"Ranma, what kind of life did you have to turn out like that," Apple said couldn't believing that Ranma would just kill Chris off just like that.
Fight Hat and Edge looked at her. "You don't want to know." When everyone focused in on what they said Ranma's two companions shook their heads to answer the unasked question. "It's not our place to tell you, just know that his life would have made ANY other life look appealing." The others looked in the direction where Ranma and Chris headed and had mixed feelings on the last statement.
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Behind one of the houses-
"Ok Chris, what did you want to tell me." Ranma crossed his arms as he lay back on the wall of the house. In front of him Chris is fidgeting under his intense stare.
"Um...just that...err..." She took a deep breath and did the one thing she really, REALLY hates doings. "...I'm sorry."
He raised an eyebrow at the small voice. "What did you say?"
She looked down at her feet and clasped her hands in front of her face in the classic position of a child who just got caught doing something bad. "I said I'm sorry. I don't have an excuse for what I did, and even if I did I know you won't like it very much. So the only thing I can say is...I'm sorry." She remained silent as he contemplated his answer.
For a whole minute he just looked at her. To her it felt like ages. Finally, he walked up to her and said very softly. "No."
That sentence made her heart feel like it just got stomped on by Brute Hat. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "No?"
He nodded. "That's right, I said no. I can't forgive you. Not yet. You haven't done anything yet to redeem yourself."
She put her head back down to look at her feet. She started to turn away when she heard him speak again.
"...But."
She lifted her head back to look at him. "But?"
"But...I'll give you a chance. If you do something to redeem yourself I will forgive you. You and the grasslanders both have killed innocent people in your war, but only you have asked, REALLY asked for forgiveness. I don't know what you can do, but when I forgive you I'll let you know."
Chris felt hope come back to her in a shuddering blast. She had a chance. She didn't know what she will do, but to her this is a stepping stone. "THANK YOU!" She glomped onto him with a force rivaling Shampoo if she had taken the Super Soba noodles. For a good ten seconds all she did is say thank you over and over again and promising that one day she will redeem herself and sobbing. When she disengaged from him he was a little blue on the face. She had the decency to blush hard and apologize.
Ranma endured her glomp as best as he can, but the lack of air is getting to him. He felt a little lightheaded, but endured so that she could control herself again. If it weren't for the lack of air he would have said it felt...nice being glomped by her. Not like Shampoo where it felt like a combination of arousal and a threat to his health (by way of a mallet happy tomboy). A small part of his brain that wasn't trying to get air back into his lungs or interpreting her almost incoherent words noted that she had a pretty ample chest and it felt pretty good to be held by her. When she let go he took in some deep breaths to get air back to his abused lungs. When he was back to normal he looked at her and said his goodbyes and headed for where Sana and Piccolo are, leaving behind a very hopeful girl who is trying with all her might to figure out just how to prove herself to him.
Also, a small part of her brain noted the rock hard muscles and promptly started to daydream about the pigtailed martial artist. That part was beaten to submission by the rest of the brain. 'Not now, that can be for later when I figure out if he is right for me or not.'
(Prereader's note: Check out chapter three where Chris is thinking whether Ranma is right for her to understand.)
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In the underground part of the village-
"So Kain is..."
"Yes, he has past on. He gave up the eternal youth that the True Fire Rune granted to him so that he would be able to live out his life with me," Sana said to her old friend as the two of them sat around a table.
"So the 'Fire Bringer' is dead huh," Ranma said stepping into the room.
Piccolo and Sana jumped at his voice. He turned to the young fighter with a little irritation in his eyes. "You know that you really shouldn't eavesdrop on people."
Ranma looked a little sheepish. "Sorry, but I have been kept in the dark most of my life, so I just want to know what happen."
Sana nodded, "Yes, Piccolo did tell me a little about yourself."
"So where is the True Rune of Fire anyway?" Ranma asks.
Sana motioned for him to sit next to her and he did so. "It is sealed by magic in a deep cavern near here. That's why those two girls from the Alma Kinan clan are here."
Piccolo continued her story. "They're here to find Chris and take her to their village. There they will get her ready to see if she will be the one to bear the name of the 'Fire Bringer'."
Ranma just raised an eyebrow. "So she's someone who can be the next 'Fire Bringer' huh?" He chuckled a little. "This is like something out of one of my manga's where someone starts to see the error of their ways and becomes a true hero."
Sana smiled at him. "So YOU'RE the one who has been selling those manga's that had taken this village by storm," Sana said.
"Well, not me exactly, it's more like Arthur found them and decided to reprint and sell them so the castle could make money." He shook his head and got back to the main subject. "So anyway how can the seal be taken down?"
The two elders looked dimmer at his words. "The way to unseal it is by someone giving up their life in exchange."
Ranma just stared at the two with an unreadable gaze. "....oooookay. That's...morbid. Then who's the sacra..." Ranma froze as he remembered something Yun said to him on the way here.
--------------------------------------Flashback----------------------------- ---------
Yun looked around in awe at her surroundings as she rode on Ranma's back. She gave a sigh in contentment. "This will be the last time, I'll be able to see the outside world."
Ranma looked over his shoulder at his newly gained sister. "You don't have to since I'm your big brother. I'll take you new places to see. I promise."
Yun smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheeks. "Thank you big brother. That would be nice, but my fate has already been foreseen."
Ranma shook his head in amusement. "Whatever Yun, just remember who you're taking to. Nothing ever goes to plan whenever I'm around. Besides, I promised and I always keep my promises."
Yun just giggled.
--------------------------------------End Flashback------------------------- -------------
Ranma slammed both his hands on the table as he angrily stood up. "Yun!? You're going to kill MY little sister to break the seal!?!"
Sana nodded sadly. "Yes, I'm afraid that's the only way."
Ranma's battle aura flared as he scowled at the two elderly people. The ground shook as the Chaos Rune flared angrily even through the bandana Ranma keeps it hidden behind. "NO! I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN! I PROMISED THAT I WOULD TAKE CARE OF HER AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO DO. I SAID I WOULD BE HER BROTHER AND I WON'T LET YUN THROW HER LIFE AWAY! MY PARENTS THREW MINE AWAY WITHOUT EVEN CARING! NO WAY IN HELL AM, I LETTING DOWN MY SISTER JUST WHEN I GET HER!" The two elders could see in Ranma's eyes that nothing would stop him. With how angry he is nothing would even dare step in his way.
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Meanwhile-
In a dark cave where little light can get to a laboratory very similar to a mad scientist's lab hung from the ceiling of the vast cavern. Platforms rose from the stone pillars of the cave's bottom, which is lost in darkness. While other platforms hung from cable wirers connecting them to the cave ceiling. The walkways are rails hanging from steel cables from the ceiling of the cave. A murky green light that illuminated the chamber came from the dozens of giant glass containers that are lined up on platforms on the sides of the walkways. The containers held monsters half done and completed all held in suspended animation by the clear green fluid. The atmosphere is deep with the smell of chemicals, both sharp and acidic, that only covered a darker smell. A smell like insanity.
"So this is where you been hiding all this time," Yuber said. After giving his group the report on what happened with the battle between Brute Hat and Ranma they came here to their new member's lair.
"Yes, it does help pass the time," the man dressed like a count said.
Then they heard someone laughing. They turned to see a zombie with dark skin standing on one of the many platforms. He had nothing on expect a pair of purple shorts with a white open coat that's seen better days and wore a black top hat with a red gem in the middle of it and holding a cane made out of blacken wood. His body looked like something that's been put through a meat grinder. Even with its twisted body its undead flesh hadn't lost any of its elasticity, the reddish matter that were expose flexed and contracted like real muscle. And he also moved around like a lived person unlike the undead they were use to seeing.
"Master, he's almost ready to live again!" the zombie said running to the man dressed like a count.
The count notices the stares of the group. "This is Zomba, a master wizard that used to work for Harmonia around 400 years ago."
The man in a coat looked thoughtfully at the zombie. "You mean the one that worked on a way to bring the dead back to life?"
Zomba looked back at the one doing the questioning. "Yes, the very same one. You see one of my experiments backfired on me, turning me into what you see before you now. But it did allow me to cheat death and continue my work for all these years."
"That's when I found him and took him under my wing. And by combining our minds together we have created some monsters that can and will be able to kill Ranma," the count said.
Looking at the several tubes holding figures inside the masked man asks, "Which of these would it be?"
"Oh, I'm not going to send one at the time. I'm just going to turn them all loose on Ranma all at once to make sure he's dead. And just to be sure I'll be leading the attack," the count said.
"So you want his True Rune for yourself Neclord," Yuber said.
"If you fail then what?" the woman asks.
"If I do then he will do it for me," Neclord said pointing to a giant cylinder. They all turn to see what lurks in it.
A giant cylinder sat in the middle of a large platform. The tube is fifteen feet high and at least ten in diameter. It's filled with a clear red liquid hooked up to strange looking gadgets and the thing inside almost filled it top to bottom. It is monstrous, a nightmare. The eleven-foot-tall creature is some sort of pale color, its flesh a glowing pink because of the red liquid that surrounded it. Its hairless skin is the texture of badly healed scar tissue. It was missing some body parts, but they were replaced with metal. His left leg and right arm are replaced with metal ones. Its face looked as though whoever had rebuilt some parts of it, but then decided not to bother with the rest of it. Instead whoever did it had fixed a metal face plate over the left side of its skull. The face along with its wild black hair made the masked man remember who it was.
"You dug him out of his tomb?" the mask man asks remembering how hard it was to kill him when he was still with the Zero Army.
"Yes, it wasn't hard to do, but we had to wait till the Zero Army was attacking the Highland castle before we could," Neclord said.
"I did what I could to save what was left of his body. I rebuilt some and made him bigger and stronger than he was in life," Zomba said.
"So then why don't you wake him then," Yuber asks.
"He's still not ready to be woken up let. If we did wake him up now he will just kill anything he sees, and Yuber if I do remember right even you wouldn't have stood a chance fighting him one on one when he was alive. And now he's even stronger then he was before," Neclord said.
"So you will be attacking the seal then," the mask man asks seeing him nod. "Then we leave it in your hands."
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Next Time - Ranma and his group follows Chris, Yumi and Yun back to the Alma Kinan village. Ranma does the unthinkable to save his sister. And Neclord and his monsters crash the party.
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