Side of Wild Magic

by Usagi-Hasano

A side story to Wild Magic. Have you ever wondered what went on during the time skips of the story for Ranma from ages 0 to 2 and again from 2 to 11? This would bring those little miniadventures to the front.

1. Chapter 1

A Side of Wild Magic

Ranma 1/2, Slayers, and any other series used in this fanfic are owned by their respective creators/publishers/whatever

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Chapter 1

"--must be going, but I will come for her when she hits two-years-old. Be sure to tell her that when she wakes up. She may be a baby in body, but she's not a baby in mind." An odd voice -- at least odd to Ranma -- finished with a chuckle before vanishing. This left the currently-less-than-a-few-days-old-baby-girl-who-should-actually-be-an-almost-18-year-old-boy to wonder just what the hell she had gotten herself into. From bits and pieces she was able to hear, there was something about destiny regarding a boy who will soon be known as 'the-boy-who-lived' later on, or something. There was also another voice that mentioned something about being worried about her, and that was what caused her to open her eyes.

The first thing that she noticed when she opened her eyes was the crib that she was lying in, and the sleeping form of her 'twin brother' next to her. Trying to look around some more, she found that her body just wouldn't respond to her. Sure, she could move her arms and legs, but it was as if the nerves wouldn't allow her to do it without thinking about it. There was also the odd fact that she felt sleepy-- very sleepy, and she was certain it was due to the damn baby's form she was currently stuck in. "That's an interesting eye-color you have there, Lina." A voice from somewhere in the room said.

Looking around as best she could, the newborn finally spotted -- to her shock -- a large painting of a woman with reddish hair. That wasn't the thing that was odd. What was odd was that the woman in the painting moved around and talked. Ranma attempted to speak, but all that came out were gurgles and other such few-day-old baby noises. The young baby managed to bring a hand to her mouth in shock, and this action caused the woman in the painting to feel a little curious. "Can you understand what I'm saying?" There was a look in the eyes that said yes -- since it seemed that the baby's head was too heavy for her to lift at the moment. This shocked the painting of Lina Inverse a little. "You can't talk though, can you?" There was another look of confirmation upon the infant's face.

'Damn it, I feel so weak.' The very young redhead thought to herself. She couldn't feel any strength in her body, and she couldn't feel her ki all that well. It was there, but she just couldn't feel it. She even tried to force a little into her hand, and all she managed was a small glow that lasted less than a second before she felt exhausted. 'This just isn't fair! What, do I have to train for another almost 18 years to get back to where I was?' The next time she met a certain raven-haired goddess, that goddess was going to get an ear full. 'She could have at least warned me about the problems with my Jusenkyou curse and bein' reborn as a baby with no abilities. I may have gotten used to my girl form, but to now growing up and spend the rest of my life as one?' She briefly wondered about jumping into the Spring of Drowned Boy later on, but that caused a frown to appear. 'Do I really want to go back to having to worry about water temperature?' Sure, there was the locking ladle, but it was in the hands of the Musk. She doubted that she would be able to just waltz right in and take it. Knowing her luck, she'd have to get in a fight to even be able to use it, and her skill at the moment kind of sucked. It would take years to get back to her skill, and in that time, Herb would probably gain even more skill.

The infant redhead was brought out of her musings when the door to the room opened slowly to reveal a blonde woman. Ranma remembered that this woman was her mother in this life. The bicolor-eyed girl still found that it felt odd to be so small and looking at someone from this angle. "Did my daughter provide you with some good company?" The woman asked towards the painting with a smile after noticing that her daughter was awake.

The painting of Lina Inverse gave a small shrug. "A quiet baby is better than nobody in the room at all. You do realize how lonely this room gets, don't you?" The reddish-haired woman asked with crossed arms and a slight glare. "If I wasn't just a painting, I'd show you just how much fun a fireball could be." There was actually a small smile hidden in with the threat. The kind of smile that revealed it was just a joke. "But on to other matters." The painting stated. "I think little Lina might go on to do great things. I actually wouldn't be surprised if she did manage to achieve ability for sorcery." Crimson eyes sent a wink towards the tiny newborn that went un-noticed by Narcissa. Lina Inverse had a small feeling that she was right.

The blonde Malfoy woman's eyes began to sparkle. "The thought of her able to do the lost art of effective wandless magic fills me with such hope!" There was a sudden rumble in the room, and both Malfoy and Painting turned to look at a certain few-days-old baby whose stomach was crying out that it was hungry.

A sweat-drop appeared on the reddish-haired woman's face. "It seems like she gained more than just my great looks and name." The actual thought that she had been reborn brought a large smile to her face. A new chance at life, and hopefully there won't be any real problems this time. The idea of Xellos taking an interest was enough to kill that idea, and the sorceress of the past hoped that things wouldn't be too bad.

"I've heard about your legendary stomach, ancestor of mine." Narcissa stated with a smirk at the indignant look on said ancestor's face. Ignoring it, she snapped her fingers and called for one of the house elves. In a matter of seconds, a small elfish creature wearing just a pillowcase appeared. From what Ranma could see, he appeared miserable.

"You called, mistress?" He asked in a slightly pitiful-sounding voice.

"Yes, Dobby." The Malfoy woman stated with an air of superiority. "I want you to fetch me some bottles of baby formula." Her eyes noticed that her son was stirring in his sleep, and she guessed he would be waking up soon. The small creature gave a nod before vanishing from the room, and it was just a few moments later in which he re-appeared and placed the bottles on the table. Receiving a nod that he wasn't needed anymore, he left. The blonde woman then proceeded to pick up the currently awake Ranma and hold the infant redhead in her arms as she sat in a chair. As she picked up a bottle, she noticed the looks she was receiving from her daughter. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you knew what was going on by the look in your eyes." She then proceeded to giggle. "But of course you wouldn't know what was going on. You're currently just a baby. You're my little girl, but a baby none-the-less." She gave the newborn a small kiss on the forehead before inserting the nipple of the bottle into the former Saotome's mouth.

Ranma would have tried to say something, but there were a few issues that prevented that. One: She currently had no ability to speak. Two: It would have shocked the hell out of the woman and she would have possibly been dropped or something. Three: This was kind of relaxing for some reason. Finally: The nipple of the bottle was in her mouth, and she had the liquid going into her mouth. 'Well, at least she's not the type of mother who breast-feeds. I don't think I'd be able to go through that with a straight face.' This formula might not have been the best stuff, but it seemed to be the only thing she would be able to eat at the moment.

Narcissa started to hum to the infant that she had in her arms. Draco still seemed to be asleep, so she had a little more time before he woke up hungry. "You're going to grow up to be a powerful young witch, aren't you, Lina?" She didn't notice the series of blinked that the young redhead sent to her. "Maybe you'll be able to go a step further and become a sorceress. If you were able to do that, then I'd be so proud of you. If not, I'd still be proud of you."

The words 'witch' and 'sorceress' sent the newborn martial artist into a series of blinks. So she really was reborn into magic. She just hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite her in the butt or something. "Not even a mother for a few days and you're already rendered sappy." An obviously female voice joked from the entrance of the bedroom. Turning her head, Ranma was able to see a woman with black hair and pale skin. "The next thing you know, you'll be gushing over outfits and other cute things."

The blonde woman gave a small smile. "Now Bella, you're just jealous that you don't have any children of your own. You and Rodolphus should really think about it." She was finally finished with feeding Ranma, and the sounds of Draco waking up could be heard. "Bella, could you please hold Lina while I feed Draco?" Her sister, Bellatrix, gave a small nod as she took the redhead and held her in her arms.

"Huh, she has red hair and… blue and red eyes?" That certainly was an odd eye color. She didn't think that she heard of anybody having two colors in their eyes. "Our family hasn't had red hair since…" The raven-haired woman trailed off and glanced at the painting of Lina Inverse. Said painting decided to give a simple wave and stick out her tongue. "Well, I hope that doesn't mean she'll be getting your famous short temper, ancestor." She stated with a smirk.

Lina gave off a snort. "Well I hope she doesn't follow in your footsteps by becoming a follower of that Voldemort guy." The painting was the only one who noticed the look in the baby's eyes at the mention of the man. She decided to see if she could figure out anything when the child learned to speak.

Bellatrix gave a frown to her ancestor. "Lord Voldemort is a great man, and his ideas are even greater than himself. He will be the one to pave the way for--"

"Whatever, I've heard this all before. It still pisses me off that my own descendants got mixed up with some half-assed magician with a thirst for world domination and killing off non-magical people. If I was still alive, I'd shove a dragon slave so far up his ass that nobody would ever be able to find a TRACE of him. Damn pathetic snake bastard." The reddish-haired woman grumbled out with a glare towards the raven-haired witch.

The sister of Narcissa gave a small growl. "You're just jealous that he is probably stronger than you ever were. Your true power is just a legend now, and so is your legendary flat-chestedness." The woman of the Black family despised it when ANYBODY insulted her master.

"Weak? Flat-chested? That's it, I'm going to somehow come back from the dead and slap that ignorance out of you, bitch!" Lina shouted as she waved her fist. "You'll get yours someday, and when you do, I'll laugh! Nobody makes fun of Lina Inverse and gets away without punishment." Still fuming, the woman in the painting turned around and -- to Ranma's shock -- vanished from the painting.

"If only she understood." The pale-skinned woman holding the redhead stated with a roll of her eyes. She then turned a smile towards the infant in her arms. "You may look a little like her, but I imagine you'll understand things ten times better than that woman does. Maybe you'll even become Lord Voldemort's favorite someday." She noticed the odd look on the baby's face, but decided it must have been just a random baby thing.

"Bella, I don't know if I like the idea of my daughter -- or my son -- becoming a follower of Voldemort. I just want her to have as much of a normal life as she could have away from that stuff. I don't want my children to needlessly risk their lives." As much as the blonde could understand certain things the man thought, there were other things she just didn't agree upon.

Her sister gave a small pout. "Come on, Cissy. I mean, if I had a child, I'd willingly give that child up to the great Lord Voldemort if it meant that he would become even more powerful. No sacrifice is too great for the greater good of it all. You'd think that you would be used to things like that. What with your husband with them and all."

'You have got to be kidding me.' Ranma thought to herself with a frown. 'Did I really have to be reborn into the family of some of that bastard's followers?' Her mind suddenly found itself thinking. 'Maybe I'll be able to gain inside information this way. Like… a wolf in sheep's clothing or something similar.' The very thought of getting back at the guy from the inside as an 'innocent' child brought a smile to her face, and this also brought forth a small laugh that sounded more like a baby giggle.

Narcissa became positively elated. "Bella, that's her first laugh! I wonder what a newborn of her age could find so funny though." She didn't really care though. The giggle sounded so cute. "Maybe she likes you."

'That's right, keep on thinking things like that.' The former teenager thought as she began formulating plans in her mind. Of course, there were other things that would have to come before it. One of those things just happened to be sleep. She didn't know why, but she felt completely tired at the moment. Giving a small yawn, she decided to close her eyes and drift off to sleep. 'Maybe a second childhood might not be so bad.'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma had managed to discover the single most boring thing that could ever grace the world itself. She was also sure that she was probably the only one to ever experience it. Being a baby and being mentally aware of it would be enough to drive a normal person crazy. Thankfully, the redhead was far from being a normal person, and she considered this a minor annoyance that she'd have to rectify as soon as possible. There was a certain raven-haired goddess that she'd have to kick in the ass as soon as possible, and she'd do it as soon as it was within her ability to do. Skuld would find herself with a footprint on her posterior, and the inability to sit for a few moments.

In the meantime, having some parents to take care of you due to being just a baby was kind of enjoyable. She figured that she should just enjoy what she could for the time being, because later on she couldn't be sleeping all the time and be as helpless. The only thing about this she could do without would be the diapers. It was beyond uncomfortable, and it was one of the grossest things that the newborn could ever think of. It also seemed as if her parents, and those house elf things, found it disgusting as well. Hopefully it would all be over soon.

Speaking of parents, it seemed as if Narcissa -- while slightly snobby and having a holier-than-thou attitude -- proved to be an excellent mother, but she seemed to have an odd affinity for dressing Ranma up like a little doll -- much to said newborn's annoyance. The woman always seemed to have some kind of sixth sense when it came to her children, and she would instantly take care of what it was that seemed to turn up. A slight twitch appeared in Ranma's eye, however, when the blonde woman mentioned that she'd probably make some boy very happy someday. The odd thing about that conversation though was that her new mother apparently saw the look and decided to joke by saying 'although maybe you'll find the right girl instead'. The woman then proceeded to laugh at that and comment that 'whoever it is in the distant future, they better treat my baby right'.

Lucius seemed to have the age-old problem of 'a stick shoved up his ass'. The man had ideals up the wazoo about how someone should act. He also tended to act like a stuck-up and cold bastard whenever he was around people other than his family. When he was just with his family, he still acted like he expected too much of people. He was, however, warmer in his attitude. The mask he usually wore would crack whenever he was dealing with Ranma or Draco. To the newborn redhead, seeing the Malfoy Patriarch make faces was one of the most amusing, and yet slightly disturbing, things that she had ever seen. The things that went against him -- in Ranma's eyes -- were his attitude towards non-magical people and the fact that he was a follower of that Voldemort bastard. In fact, said bastard had even visited the place once during the night to see 'the young of one of his loyal followers'.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Narcissa hummed happily as she sat in the living room of the Malfoy estate and held Ranma in her arms as the woman rocked while giving the girl a bottle. She had finally gotten Draco to sleep, and was hoping her daughter would follow quickly. Ever since they had brought their children home seven days ago, it seemed almost as if the newborn girl had a slight awareness to what was going on, and she didn't cry as much as Draco did. To a casual observer, it seemed as if both babies cried the same amount, but it was obvious to Narcissa that her daughter cried less. She would cry if she was hungry, needed a diaper change, and wanted a little attention at the moment, but that was it. It worried her, but a doctor had told her that nothing was wrong. Not all babies acted exactly the same, and some could be quieter than others.

"You're just well behaved, aren't you, Lin-Lin?" The blonde woman asked while using the little nickname that she had thought of. The newborn always seemed to act as if she knew what the woman was talking about, but Narcissa usually chalked it up to her imagination or something similar. Lina Inverse, and a few other paintings, often commented that the child was probably gifted or something. "If I could have my way, you'd remain a baby forever." The Malfoy matriarch then proceeded to kiss the baby on the forehead.

It was at that moment when one of the house elves appeared at the entrance of the room. "Master Lucius, you have a visitor here to see you." The creature actually seemed to shiver a little bit at saying that. Lucius gave a small nod and got up to follow the elf to the entrance. It was a few minutes later when he came back followed by a man in a cloak who seemed to ooze power.

"It is an unexpected visit, my Lord. I never expected that we'd see you." The blonde man stated with a deep bow. "To what do we owe this pleasure of your visit to, Lord Voldemort?" When he said that name, Ranma almost gave a jump.

"I have heard," the cloaked figure started in a voice that sent shivers up the newborn's spine, "that the wife of one of my loyal followers has finally given birth. I decided to come and congratulate the happy family on their recent addition." He turned his head to look at Narcissa and the baby in her arms. He also looked towards the sleeping form of Draco. Slowly, the evil man walked up to the blonde woman and glanced down at the young redhead. Reaching out with a pale hand, he touched the cheek of said redhead. "She has an interesting eye color. I don't believe that I have ever seen someone with two colors mixed." He leaned his head down to just a few inches from Ranma, and the newborn could see a pair of glowing crimson-colored eyes. "I can sense a dormant power resting within her, and it's strong. When it awakens, she could possibly become a great ally to me." He reached out with his long fingers again and ruffled the little bit of hair that she had on her head. "What is her name?"

Narcissa was slightly nervous in the presence of one of the most powerful -- and evil -- wizards in the world, but managed to hide it. "Her name is Lina, Lina Inversia Malfoy." She then pointed to her sleeping son. "And this is my son, Draco--"

"That's quite an interesting name for her." Voldemort interrupted. "I take it that you named her after your ancestor that I've heard about because of the resemblance." At the woman's nod, he gave a deep chuckle. "Yes, I think she just might live up to her name. I expect great and powerful things from her." Straightening himself, the evil wizard turned around and seemed to almost glide away from the room. To Ranma, the air of evil that the man brought into the room seemed to linger for a little while longer.

Lucius broke out into a strange smile as an odd gleam came to his eye. "Did you hear that? Lord Voldemort has actually taken an interest in our daughter and expects great things from her." The slightly crazed and evil wizard didn't give praise like that too often, much less to a baby.

'Well that just sucks.' Ranma thought to herself with a frown. The same wizard who had killed her had taken an interest in her. 'He's going to crap himself when he learns the truth.' A small smile appeared on her face at that thought. 'Damn guy gives me the chills.'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That little meeting with Voldemort may have left a bad taste in her mouth, but she had gotten over it with help from the portrait of Lina Inverse. The painted woman somehow knew that Ranma was aware of everything that was going on, and so the reddish-haired woman decided to converse with the newborn -- even though said newborn couldn't talk back. It was more of a 'having company' thing. The former sorceress would tell some stories from her own time. It was also amusing when the crimson-eyed woman got angry at other inhabitants of the paintings. Lina still seemed to have access to her magic, and would often use it on the other inhabitants when they angered her. It was a good thing that those people could die as well.

At about 25-days-old, Ranma finally had enough strength to push herself around a little. She couldn't do it for long, but it was good to know that she wasn't completely helpless like she was several days ago. The redhead decided that the sooner she could get her body back to normal, the happier she'd be. Although in her mind, she figured it would take several years before she was fully at where she used to be before dying. The sooner she could at least walk, the better.

Narcissa started to worry again when it seemed like the young redhead was making incredible progress while Draco was going at it slower. By the time her son could at least lift his head and roll by himself, her daughter could already crawl two feet and sit up. As time went on, the young girl made progress after progress while the blonde boy still seemed far behind. The woman's worry increased with all this, and she hoped that there was nothing wrong with her son.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"For the last time, Narcissa, will you please cut out that damn worrying?" Lina asked in annoyance as her descendant paced back and forth in front of her painting and started babbling about things. "You realize how much you are driving me and some of the others up the wall with it?" There were a few agreements from other paintings. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with Draco. Your daughter, Lina, is just developing quickly."

"But Lina, what if there IS something wrong with my little Dracky? How could both babies be similar in health, but one grow faster than the other?" Of course, part of her was telling her that she was over-reacting, but that was a very small part of her. "Should I get a doctor or something? I mean, it never hurts to see."

"NARCISSA!" Lina shouted in annoyance. "Just shut up and listen to me." That got the desired effect the reddish-haired woman was looking for. "I believe that young Lina and Draco are perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with Draco, and he is progressing like a normal baby should. I know this because I've had two children. The body in this painting may be my 17-year-old body, but the memories imbedded into this painted skull are the memories of up until a couple years before I bit the big one at the age of 38. Both of my children grew at roughly the same rate as your son. Lina is most likely growing faster because she is gifted in some way." Hopefully that would calm the woman down.

The blonde woman began poking her fingers together. "But what if--"

"Damn it Narcissa, how the hell can you be a descendant of mine?!" The crimson-eyed sorceress asked in annoyance. "Use your brain, woman. I understand that in this day in age, some of you wizards and witches decided to ignore 'muggle' science and thought patterns and all, but damn!" All the people in the paintings that could be reached by Lina within just a few feet began scrambling away from the enraged woman bathed in a red aura. "Now repeat after me, girl. 'There is absolutely nothing wrong with my daughter. She is just a gifted young girl who is developing quickly'."

The mother of Ranma and Draco twiddled her fingers. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with my daughter. She is just a gifted young girl who is developing quickly." She finished as a sigh came to her. "I do hope you're right about my little Lin-Lin."

"Trust me, Cissy. I'm the beautiful, talented, and intelligent sorceress Lina Inverse after-all." A slight maniacal giggle made its way out of her. "Hey, maybe she'll gain all of that as well. Could you imagine her with all my beauty, talent, mind, charisma, and everything else that I used to have?"

A lone and brave painting on the other side of the room chose that moment to speak up. "God help us all then, God help us all if she gains that Inverse temper towards height issues and bust problems." All residents in paintings around him ran for cover as Lina shot around the room to get at him, and before he knew it, he was on his stomach with the Inverse pulling his arms and sitting on top of him.

"You want to repeat what you just said, you bastard?!" The reddish-haired woman asked as she proceeded to call forth some lightning and shock the poor man into unconsciousness. "Anyone else want to say something about me?" She asked as she threatened everyone with unleashing a Dragon Slave. Nobody wanted to experience one of those again. The last time it was used, the shockwave could be felt all the way to the painting residents of the Ministry of Magic. Even though she was just a painting and long dead, the names that Lina Inverse were known by were still spoken of throughout the painted world. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Narcissa sweat-dropped but nodded. "Alright, I'll stop worrying about it. I'm sorry I've been troubling you for the last few days, Lina."

"95 days actually." The crimson-eyed woman responded as she pulled out a mini-calendar from somewhere. "I know, I've been counting them off until the day you finally stop that nonsense. Ever sinse little Lina managed to roll onto her side and stomach." She was glad it would finally end. She was about ready to torture some of the other paintings… again.

The blonde woman had the decency to fully blush. "Ah, sorry about that. I won't worry about anything like that again." She didn't want to be the cause of any of the other paintings injuries again. The sound of crying reached her ears. "It looks like it might be time to feed them. Thanks for yelling some sense into me." She stated with a small wave as she turned around.

'Well, I don't think you've had enough yelling.' Lina thought in annoyance as she walked back to her painting in the twins' bedroom.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At a little over half a year old, Ranma was finally able to almost do two things. The first thing was that she was finally able to at least stand on her feet for a second before falling onto her butt. This action caused Narcissa to squeal with joy and take a picture. Said picture was a nice little image of the redhead learning to walk. The former 18-year-old hated it when they took pictures of her. She felt as if the moving images of her were slightly miserable.

The second thing was that she finally got her vocal cords to a point where she could say something, although it was mostly insignificant to her. The only single thing she could utter -- which caused Narcissa to dance around in glee -- was the obvious phrase 'mama'. The young baby would rather say other things, but for it would have to do for that moment. Besides, she liked seeing her mother in this life happy. It was also amusing to see Lucius happy as well. The man didn't do it often, but he apparently loved to dance around with his wife.

At that moment, Draco could crawl quite well, but couldn't go for long periods before crying to be held. The Malfoy matriarch would often spend some extra time with her blonde son. It was hard, but she was as patient as can be with him. She didn't care how long it took, although part of her did wish Ranma would slow down a little in her growing. The most annoying part of it all was how she seemed so mixed on wanting her children to grow.

Slowly, the young redheaded toddler managed to stand on her legs longer and longer. By a little over the age of one-year-old, she could walk a few feet before losing balance. She still had trouble speaking, and could only get small words -- some words hardly understandable -- to flow out of her mouth. In secret, she found that she finally had some access to her ki. With hard focus, she could create a ball of about the size of a golf ball in her hand that she could keep up for about 30 seconds. It was also at this time in which she discovered another type of energy within her body. She didn't know what it was, but all she could do with it at the time was make a couple small sparks shoot out of the tip of her fingers.

Ranma took it upon her self at that time to try and help her brother in this life to walk a little. While standing, she would grab hold of the blonde toddler's arms and pull him up to his feet. Then she would hold him steady until he seemed to find a balance of some sort. Slowly, she would help him with each step until he could make a few on his own without falling. Narcissa and Lucius were completely surprised with this, but felt proud that their daughter -- only a year old at that -- thought about helping her sibling with something so big. To celebrate this little achievement, the Malfoy parents decided to go on a small picnic in the woods to enjoy the scenery. Well, Narcissa wanted to go, and she had to beg her husband a little until he collapsed into agreement.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Dang teeth coming in.' Ranma thought as she held the side of her mouth. She never thought that getting her first teeth would hurt so much. Then again, the first few years of her life as Ranma were a complete blur, so she couldn't remember any prior experience with gaining them. All she really knew was that her gums ached, and sometimes she'd get a bad migraine. In some way, it was a blessing that she didn't eat solid foods yet, and that the baby food she ate was better than that damn formula that she used to have. It was almost like she could still taste that slop.

"Is anything wrong, Lin-Lin?" Narcissa asked worriedly as she watched her daughter wince and rub her cheek. She actually had an idea of what the problem was, but thought it would be nice to just ask.

The young redhead gave a small look towards the blonde woman. She didn't really mind 'Lin-Lin' since it wasn't embarrassing. If it was something like Linny-poo, then they would have a real problem. "Toof hurt." She couldn't wait until she could speak properly again. Not being able to communicate well with words was driving her up the wall, and crying for things was too annoying. There was also the fact that even though her mind was that of an 18-year-old, she had lapses into the personality of a very young child/toddler. As such, her attention span kind of sucked, and anything cute, interesting, scary, etc would catch her attention. Hell, she even caught herself sometimes enjoying it greatly when her mother fawned over her. The bicolor-eyed girl figured that it must have had something to do with developmental stages or some such crap that she heard about.

Narcissa picked up the toddler in her arms. "Don't worry about it, honey. It'll be over soon, and then you won't have to worry too much about the pain of it." Giving her a kiss on the forehead, she sat the child in front of her on the blanket being used and started to brush the child's hair. She often found resistance from Ranma about this, but wouldn't give up the fight of making the young girl's hair neat and tidy. The redhead would tire out after about a couple minutes of struggling, and that's when the blue-eyed woman was able to strike. It was so much fun to dress her daughter up as a little doll -- even though said daughter seemed to fume about it at times. "You're not going to grow up to be a tomboy, are you Lin-Lin?" There was a small nod from her brush victim. Narcissa was curious to where her daughter's knowledge came from, but figured that it might have been due to the talking that Lina did with her. She knew her ancestor loved to talk stories to the girl. "You know, that's really too bad. I imagine you'd grow to be quite the cutie." She finished brushing and neatly tied the hair into a pony-tail with a bow. "Now, don't you dare go messing up your hair after I got it all neat and tidy." The woman said while waving the brush.

Sticking her tongue out, Ranma moved over a little and started eating out of a jar of baby food. 'Hurry up and grow, teeth. I want to eat some REAL food. This stuff isn't bad, but mushy stuff can only get one so far.' Turning her head, she watched as Narcissa helped Draco eat his own food. 'I wonder if they are suspicious of me or something because I'm 'growing' so fast.' Thinking about it, she had to shake her head. They thought she was just 'gifted', and they were only partly correct.

Even though she couldn't use her ki and magic -- something that Lina had mentioned to her when she saw the sparks from the younger's fingers -- in any way at the moment, she could still sense people who oozed strength in either of those two forms. This was something that she felt at the moment, and it was in the form of strong magic ability. Turning her head in the direction she could vaguely feel the power from, she watched as an elderly man with a long beard -- on the verge of graying -- was walking towards the area. He wore long robes, and there was a pair of half-moon glasses in front of his eyes. The young redhead glanced at him for a moment before she remembered seeing his picture once in that wizarding newspaper. His name was Albor Dumbodo… or something like that.

The newcomer gave a large smile as his eyes gave off a twinkle. "Ah, I didn't expect to see the Malfoys on a picnic today on this lovely day." It was no secret to both the aged wizard and a certain baby that the Malfoy Parents had a slight dislike for the man. Ranma heard her father let loose annoyance over the guy being a 'muggle-lover' and all that stuff. In the toddler's eyes, that wasn't a bad thing at all. "You wouldn't mind if an old man takes a little time to rest his weary feet, would you?" He asked happily.

Lucius appeared to have an inner struggle about the idea. He despised the man with a passion, but figured that he could get it over with sooner if he just agreed. "I don't see why not, Dumbledore. I and my family were just having an enjoyable picnic." It never hurt to be… nice to the man in case he needed a cover story for certain things that could possibly happen.

"I thank you for your hospitality, Lucius." The aged wizard stated as he sat down on the sheet. His aged eyes rested upon the twins. "I've heard from a few people about your children -- a pair of fine and healthy-looking children too, Narcissa -- but I never had the pleasure of being able to meet them." He finished with a bit of curiosity in his eyes, especially when it centered on a certain redheaded one-year-old. "If you don't mind me asking, what are their names?"

The blonde woman put up a smile at what the man just said. "My son's name is Draco Malfoy, and my daughter's is Lina Malfoy." Her eyes softened when she looked at the aforementioned redhead. "We decided on Lina because of her similarities to an ancestor of mine."

"You mean Lina Inverse, don't you?" Dumbledore asked without hesitation. Three pairs of eyes looked right at him, and the pair that intrigued him the most was that of the young daughter. "Yes, I believe most of the older wizards are aware of the Black family being descended from Lina Inverse." He gave another look towards the young redhead and noticed an odd glimmer of intelligence and knowledge held within those blue and red eyes that no one-year-old should be able to possess. "Your daughter seems like a talented young girl herself. You're going to grow up to be strong, aren't you, Lina?" He asked as he gave a quick wink that nobody but the redhead noticed.

Ranma held her emotions in check as she wondered just how this old man could see through her charade. It was positively un-nerving. When he asked that question, she decided to play the part any one-year-old -- albeit a LITTLE smarter than most -- would do. Putting on a look of utter excitement, she gave a nod with eyes sparkling. "I goin' ta be strong!" It sucked that she couldn't talk very well at the moment, but it did help play the part of her current age. "Jus' 'ike 'ina Inverse!"

Narcissa had to giggle at her daughter's eagerness. "In her room, we have Lina Inverse's portrait. Apparently my ancestor likes to talk a lot about some of her adventures, and how powerful she was. It seems like my daughter has a small hero complex and wishes to be just like her." If only she knew the complete truth of it all.

"A child having a hero to look up to always provides them with a goal in mind." The aged wizard stated as he stroked his beard. Standing up, he gave a small bow. "I believe it is my time to leave you all to your picnic." Dumbledore stated as he stood up and walked off.

'I have to be careful around that old fart.' Ranma thought to herself as the Malfoy parents conversed a little about how the guy shouldn't be such a 'muggle-lover' and all that stuff. 'Why do old people have to be so crafty like that anyway?'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was about two months later, and Ranma was attempting to work on her stealth skills and ability to walk. Of course, stealth was slightly hard to do when you could be spotted instantly from the paintings that were hung in the house. Well, at least it beat trying to re-learn to 'fall properly'. That was something she'd possibly have to wait to do for a few more years. She already attempted to do it by jumping off steps, but her parents caught her and completely forbid her from doing it. She understood that they didn't want her to 'seriously hurt herself', but she needed to get her body in tip-top shape again.

"I can't believe this!" The voice of Lucius announced from the living room. Curious to know what the problem was, the young redhead snuck over and began to listen. The blonde man was holding a wizarding paper and looked as white as a sheet. "How in the world could a baby survive AND defeat Lord Voldemort?" That announcement came to a slight shock to the toddler. "Some stupid little boy by the name of Harry Potter was spared while his parents were killed by the Avada Kedavra, and baby survived with just a lightning bolt-shaped scar. There wasn't a trace of Voldemort left except for a cloak." The man seemed to be angered about the whole ordeal. "That stupid little boy."

"It is troubling to know that a child no older than our children was able to somehow kill him." Narcissa stated in shock. Just how could something like that happen? One of the most powerful wizards felled by just a one-year-old boy?

'If that's true, then why was I reborn?' Ranma asked herself as she tried to think. 'There is no way that a man who oozed power and evil could be fully defeated by a baby. Maybe his spell backfired or something and weakened him. He better not be dead, because I owe him a well-placed kick in the ass BEFORE he dies.' With a nod to herself, the former Saotome went back to doing what she was doing before the interruption: a little exploring.

Sneaking her way back up the staircase, she proceeded to turn right and move down the hallway. She had managed to improve her walking to where she could keep her balance. As she walked, she decided to open the first door that she came to. Pushing the door open, she found herself in a room that had a few artifacts held in glass cases. Oddly enough, one of the cases had caught her attention somehow. From what she could see from her viewpoint, it looked to be some kind of sword.

"The Blast Sword." A small voice piped up. The voice startled the young redhead and forced her to turn around. When she located the owner of the voice, she noticed that it was Lina in one of the paintings. The look on her face seemed to be one of longing. "The sword used to belong to Gourry." Of course, Ranma knew who Gourry was due to stories from the woman in the painting. "He used to own a sword known as the Sword of Light. However, during one of our missions, he had to give it up. Later, we discovered that sword right there. The Legendary Blast Sword that could cut through just about anything, such as spells, stone, its own sheath, and anything else that tried to bind it. It was actually considered TOO powerful to be used because of it. One day we found someone who was able to put a spell on it that would allow it to be carried around easier, and to activate it with a single word."

The young redhead with blue and red eyes noticed the look in the painted woman's eyes. "You seem ta be sad 'bout somet'ing, 'ina." She had to grimace about her inability to still speak properly. "Somet'ing 'bout the sword."

The Inverse gave a large sigh. "I'm not just a painting, but a magical painting. As such, I can have emotions and everything just like a regular person does." There was a nod from the toddler. "If I was a regular painting, I wouldn't have to come into this room many times and stare at that thing and wish I could see Gourry again. I know there was a painting of him created as well, but I don't know where it went. I'm sorry to bore you with the life-story of someone who is just a painting and figment of time itself."

"I'll try ta find him 'omeday." Ranma stated with a look of determination that made the child of just a little over one-years-old look cute. "don't know if I'll succeed, but on my hono' as mart'al artist, I'll try ta do it." She raised a small fist and pointed it towards the woman in the painting. Lina had to smile at that.

"Thanks, but I don't want you to have to search until you can't." With a finally nod, she turned around and vanished from the painting

"I will try ta find him fo' you." The bicolor-eyed girl stated with seriousness in her eyes. She had no clue where she would look, or if she would ever find him, but she would try as all hell. 'It's a promise.'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At a few days over one-and-a-half-years-old, Ranma found out a little bit about the other energy that she had within her body. It was purely by accident that it happened, and she couldn't figure it out again after she did it. It happened after she accidentally let a house-elf free with a small sock. She didn't think the creature was behind her in her room when she tossed the thing behind her. Of course, she didn't care that it went free, but apparently her father did. The guy was angry, and from the sound of things, ordered someone to kill the elf because of the possibility of it letting loose secrets.

What happened next was that the blonde man had actually taken the redhead over his knee and started spanking her to teach her a lesson of making sure that there are no house elves around when she drops a bit of clothing. That kind of thing was not becoming for a Malfoy. As the bicolor-eyed girl was having her bottom spanked, she unconsciously brought out some of that odd energy she knew was inside of her. The result of this energy was a relatively small electric shock that caused Lucius's hair to stand on end for the rest of the day.

Needless-to-say, she couldn't access the energy again. The outcome of that use of magic, however, was Narcissa and her husband -- though still slightly angry with hair standing frazzled -- proud of the fact that their daughter seemed to have a large magical ability hidden within her. The best part about it, though, was how the two decided that spanking her wouldn't be a good thing if they wanted to keep their health -- and hair neat and tidy.

Even though she couldn't figure out how to bring out that odd magical energy, she found that she could still bring out her ki. In fact, she found that she had enough control and ability to shoot off one -- soccer ball -- sized bit of ki before she felt exhausted. She also found that she had enough control in her body to start -- with a little difficulty -- practicing martial arts again. When asked why she was punching and kicking thing air by her parents, she simply stated that 'if bad people ever tried to hurt me, I want to be able to protect myself if I can't use magic at the time'. They thought it was slightly odd, but they bought it.

Of course, playing with a crackling fire was a big no-no, as well as jumping from high places. Those things she would have to just try and do later on down the line. It sucked greatly, but that's just how it would have to be. At the rate things seemed, she'd be where she was in… a very, very long time.

When she found out from Lina that some guy would come when she hit two in just three months to take her and train, she was completely elated. She hoped the guy would be a good teacher, because she wanted to get back to where she was. That Xellos guy better be worth going with, or she'd be angry.

xxA.Nxx

Yeah, I've decided to do a side-story telling about what happened between the time-skips in Wild Magic. It just seems that it would be a good thing to do without majorly messing up the flow of the story as it is right now.