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Chapter 2 DISCLAIMER: I Don't own Ranma ½, Sailor Moon or Suikoden or any of their characters. All rights go to their respective owners forthwith Ranma yawned as the sunlight landed on his eyelids, groggily pulling himself out of the warm and comfortable bed to the land of the living. "Man," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes sleepily, "what a wild dream. Pity I can't really get away from all that stuff." After a moment of gazing out of the nearby window, Ranma came back to full alert. "What? I don't sleep in a bed!" Whirling around, he took a sharp inventory of his surroundings at a single glance. Belatedly he remembered the innkeeper's thanks and offer to stay the night. Ranma grinned toothily. Free food! At that precise instant, his stomach growled loudly, announcing to all who cared to listen that it was empty. "Heh, better get some food quick. Hope they have enough! I'm starved!" With that, he headed downstairs, cheerfully stretching his slightly cramped muscles. Once in the main room, he saluted the innkeeper and walked over. "Heya! Got any food? I'm starved!" he said, smiling at the rotund man. However, his smile quickly disappeared when he noticed the man seemed decidedly nervous. "What's the matter? Somethin' wrong?" the man swallowed and glanced about before fixing Ranma with a determined look. "I-I'm afraid you are going to have to leave. T-the General's men have told me that they are coming here to…to burn down my inn if you are still here. Y-you must leave! This place is all I have!" Ranma grimaced and nodded. "Sure, man. No prob. Guess I can't blame ya. I'll leave as soon as I got some food 'kay?" "No! You must go now! Please!" Sighing, the pig-tailed boy looked forlornly at the breakfast table and nodded. "Sure, man. Sure. Later!" With a last wave, the pig-tailed boy opened the door and left, glancing left and right as he did so, looking for both escape routes and potential enemies. After establishing what he needed to know, the young martial artist frowned sourly. "Man, I didn't even get to eat breakfast!" To prove his point, his stomach rumbled again to remind him of the forsaken foodstuffs. Debating whether or not to go inside and snatch a few morsels, he barely managed to duck out of sight when a full guard of soldiers marched around the corner and into the inn. Oh man! How am I gonna get away! That rock face has to be at least 5 stories high! Even I can't make that in a single jump! And those stupid tin-can jerks are blockin' the only road outta this town! Scrunching his face to try and come up with a plan, the pig-tailed boy almost missed the drop of rain that landed on his nose. "Eh?" He muttered intelligently as he looked up. True to form, the dark clouds that had spontaneously appeared overhead opened up in a torrential downpour, soaking him to the skin and activating his curse. Muttering depreciating comments to any rain kami in residence, the pig-tailed girl stood up and trudged past the guards posted at the entrance to the town, casting the ones that oogled her a sodden glare. "Get lost bozos," she snarled and continued walking. The guardsman at the front of the line, obviously with a rank of seniority over the others, frowned and blocked the red head's way. "You shouldn't talk like that to your betters girlie. You might get hurt. But don't worry. I'm not insulted. In fact, I'll let you make it up to me eh? How about you an' me go get a room and have some fun? Women like a man in uniform eh?" As he spoke, he placed a callused hand on the petite red's shoulder, making her cheek twitch angrily. "Hands off. Or you loose the hand ya jerk." Ranma growled, directing a glare that could have rivalled one of Akane's patented 'glares of death' at the man. He merely guffawed and moved to wrap the arm around her shoulder, commenting to his friend how 'having spirit made it that much more fun.' By this point Ranma had had enough and soundly uppercutted him in the jaw, sending him flying in the downpour to slide to a stop face down in the mud. "Get lost!" she snapped and stepped over his fallen body. Before leaving earshot however, she heard one of the soldiers making a dry remark to his superior. "Makes it that much more fun eh, sarge? Makes you wonder what you call fun!" Ranma sniggered and continued on. "Now, where can I get some food around here?" ======================================================================= Strider yawned as he watched the setting sun and scratched his jaw idly. With a lazy stretch he propped his arm up on the remainder of his clothes as he allowed himself to dry off in the warm sunlight. After a moment, he realised a voice had intruded on his drowsing. "Are you always this brazen in front of total strangers?" Setsuna asked archly from where she sat on the river embankment, her feet dangling in the water. Sprawled on the grass, Strider smirked and looked at her through lidded eyes. "Nope. Just felt like it today. Haven't had a swim in ages." He replied, stifling the impulse to yawn again. The green haired beauty merely quirked an eyebrow momentarily before returning her gaze to the water. "I see." She murmured tonelessly. The young man rolled his eyes and struggled to his feet. "Well, better find somewhere to rest. It's gettin dark. You comin'?" Taking a last look over the water and the reflection of the setting sun, Setsuna nodded and stood up. "Yes." Rolling his eyes again, Strider shrugged on his T-shirt and swirled his trenchcoat around his shoulders to allow his arms to slide up the sleeves. Re-pocketing the medicine, the young man drew out the other occupant of his pockets and rummaged inside. After a moment, he threw a quarter of a cookie to the viridian haired woman. "Dinner. Enjoy!" He said cheerfully as he shoved his own quarter in his mouth. Pursing her lips slightly, Setsuna took a small nibble of the confection as she walked toward the younger man. "Do you have any idea where we should go?" she queried between the small bites. Strider took a short swig of water from his own flask and looked about for a moment. After a few minutes of silent contemplation of the scenery, he sighed slightly and gave a weary shake of his head. "Nothing around for miles. We're going to have to build ourselves some shelter." Setsuna blinked slowly. "And what would we make it out of? Grass?" She muttered, indicating the surrounding grasslands. Strider placed a look of mock amazement on his features and regarded her with wide eyes. "Wow! How ever did you guess? Are you a mind reader?" His only reply was a slight narrowing of her eyes. With a swift imploring glance to the darkening heavens, the tall young man looked about. "Not quite. I was in the Boy Scouts for a good few years. Taught me a bit about survival. Not a huge amount, but enough to survive for a while. One of the things I learned was how to weave a bivouac to shelter in." "A what?" Setsuna questioned as she watched him move over to a fairly thick clump of reeds and rushes. "A bivouac, it's like a tent made out of branches, leaves, twigs, anything you can get your hands on really." He glanced at her over his shoulder in irritation. "Well? Are you going to help, or are you going to stand there like a lemon?" feeling more than a little out of her depth, the willowy woman took a deep, soothing breath before speaking. "In case you haven't noticed, I have nothing on my feet." She replied with as much patience as she could muster, considering the circumstances. I really don't want to deal with this right now…she thought grimly. The tall youth glanced down at his feet for a moment before snorting derisively. "So sorry," he muttered sarcastically, completely unrepentant, "I didn't realise your feet were allergic to mud." Setsuna grit her teeth silently. "Fine," she muttered, her voice sounding surprisingly brittle. With a few strides she stood next to the taller boy and viscously yanked the nearest few reeds out, thrusting them to him when her hands were full. When nothing happened, she cleared her throat meaningfully. After another minute of his complete ignorance he turned and eyed the small pile in her hands before glancing back up at her. "What do you want me to do with them?" he asked, sounding as if he really had no clue what she wanted. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm herself she spoke again. "I don't know. Weave them? Make this…bivouac? I certainly have no idea. Why don't you take them and use them?" It was very hard not to snap. Gods…I never had this much trouble controlling my temper! She thought silently. Strider regarded her levelly for a moment before turning back to leisurely plucking the reeds from the mud by the riverside. "In a minute," he answered dismissively. Setsuna's eye twitched slightly in irritation before she carefully placed the reeds by his feet and walked away. First I get brought here, then I loose my connection to the Gates, and then I loose my Senshi powers. And on top of that he treats me like I'm not there! How dare he! Oooh! Reaching the slight rise signalling the beginning of the hill, the viridian haired woman lowered herself gracefully to the ground and sat with her legs crossed, trying to ignore the drying mud on her feet. Over by the river, Strider rolled his eyes. "Women," he muttered softly and quickened his pace. No way is she gonna order me around. I had enough of that at home. She can work with me or not at all. Her choice. He carried on his task mindlessly for a few minutes before another thought entered his mind. Damn she looks good. Why do all the nice looking ones have to be so…so…he immediately encountered a mental stumbling block. M'eh, I'm being an ass. She looks ready to tear her hair out, and I'm just being a total dick. Aren't I so nice. Silently he stacked the reeds he had gathered into a pile, remembering those that Setsuna had placed by his feet, and began to make a second pile. I'm always such an ass with people I don't know. Maybe I should be nicer? For all I know she had a kid or something and she misses him. Should I ask? Or would it seem like I was prying? Ugh. Dealing with people sucks. It's never simple, is it? Talk about stupid. After a moment he realised he had managed to gather sufficient reeds to finish the bivouac and set them in another pile gently. Heaving a sigh, he wracked his mind for memories of his hated time in the Cub Scouts. God I hated that place. I always got picked on. A wonder I can remember anything at all. Taking two of the strongest reeds, he placed them on top of one another and grasped one of the long river plants from the bank. With a sharp tug, he pulled it out and began to wind it around the join, carefully revising the knot each time he made a mistake. After a minute or so, he judged the knot good enough and gathered another two reeds together, securing them in much the same fashion. After tying all four together he had a frame, but he already noted it was almost dark enough to make seeing difficult. "Bloody hell," he muttered as he tried to tie together another pair. "Just my bloody luck it gets dark before I'm finished isn't it? Stupid weather." Muttering angrily under his breath, the young man finally had a second frame cobbled together. Grunting off a sigh, he gathered the remaining reeds from the first pile together and struggled to secure them to the frame. After the fifth try, he growled warningly and began again. "My life sucks," he snarled softly, managing to cut his palm open on one of the reeds. Cheek twitching, he concentrated and firmly tied them to the frame. "One," he muttered in the growing darkness. With a slight huff, he picked up the second frame and gathered the second pile. "I've heard of blind fighting, but never blind bivouac making before," he whispered, feeling his lips curve into a smirk. Another ten minutes later and he had finally managed to secure all if the reeds together. "Setsuna?" he called, peering about in the gloom. "Yes?" answered a voice that issued from the space directly to his right. "Gah! Don't do that! Here, I got them finished. All we gotta do is prop them up together and instant shelter. It'll be good enough to keep light rain and wind out. But not anything like a storm. Better hope we don't get any, no?" he vaguely made out the form of the older woman nodding. Holding up one frame, he set it against the one he had handed her earlier and crawled inside. Noting the small space and the way his feet stuck out the end, he sighed forlornly. "Well, this should be interesting, if nothing else." He muttered. Setsuna poked her head inside and looked about before shooting him a glare. "It's too small," she commented flatly. Regarding her levelly, he smirked. "You want to make another one? Be my guest. Otherwise, you can sleep out there or in here. Your choice." Setsuna studied him silently before crawling into the small space and squeezing herself in beside him. "Touch me and die." The ice age held more warmth than her voice. Strider smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said dryly before closing his eyes and attempting sleep. Three hours later, he still hadn't managed it, and was actively thinking rather grotesque thoughts to keep his mind from wandering to the attractive woman by his side. After failing miserably once again and thinking decidedly impure thoughts, he cursed softly and squirmed his way out of the bivouac. Regarding the stars, he glared at any passing god who cared to take notice and growled a by now familiar saying. "My life sucks." Silently huddling in closer, he hunched over and tried to get to sleep in the cold night air. Inside, Setsuna studied the ceiling of the bivouac. Why did he go outside? It wasn't hard to draw some fairly accurate conclusions, which brought a smirk to her face. Well, it never hurts to know you are attractive. Soon though, her thoughts turned darker. Will I ever get back? If I do how long will have passed? Will the Gates still accept me as their guardian? Squeezing her eyes shut, Setsuna willed the bitter tears away. It's all gone…everything I worked for…oh gods, please let me get back! I don't want to stay here! It's horrible! Curling up, she hugged her knees to her chest and attempted to stifle her sobs, feeling decidedly more alone than she had in over a thousand years. Outside, Strider stared stoically into the night, sleep all but forgotten in the wake of a depressing revelation about his companion. Life sucks for everyone…he thought grimly. He didn't get an ounce of sleep that night. ======================================================================= Munching dejectedly on a fish, Ranma pondered her situation as she watched the waves slosh gently against the pier. Two days ago she had woken up in a small forest of trees with no food, water or money. The same day she had kicked the butts of a bunch of bullies wearing metal armour and acting like they owned everything in sight. The next day she had been forced to leave the same town she had helped. Now? She was hungry, had no money, and nowhere to stay. There wasn't much chance of getting a job just looking about the small town, Tien if she recalled correctly, gave her enough knowledge to tell that it was a small possibility. Sighing, the redhead looked about. No TV, no electricity…and no hot water. Unless I boil some that is. The day before, life had been pretty smooth for Ranma Saotome. Now it looked more than a little sparse. The only reason she had food was because she caught it herself. And with the near constant rain every time she tried to start a fire…well…it made food rather…bland. Eyeing the barely cooked fish in her hands warily for uncooked pieces, Ranma resumed eating and pondered once more. Heard a few people talkin' about monsters around here. Maybe I can get some kinda reward? About the only thing I can think of. No one'll hire me for a sailor, and I can't work for a blacksmith, not unless I can get some hot water. Kami knows 've tried. Can't seem to last five minutes without changin' back at the moment. Damn I hate this curse. Finally finishing her food, Ranma tossed the remains into the water. Beside the rumours of monsters, she'd heard a bit about the area. There was a prison south of here, called Soniere, and to the west was another town and a castle. Scarletica I think. Or was it Scarleticia? Can't remember. Some stupid name like that. Head of that Milich bloke too. He's that general dude I musta pissed off. There were rumours abound about the young man who had dared to strike the General's soldiers, and also mentioned was a sizeable reward. Kinda lucky my curse keeps me hidden, really. Even if I do hate it. I gotta get outta here though. How do I do that? Steal a stupid boat? Nah, I don't know how to sail…Swim? Man, I'll save that as a last resort I think. Last time I swam anywhere was to China. And look what it got me! The pig-tailed girl's thoughts were interrupted when she heard something she had come to dread when she was with her father. "Hey you!" wincing, the redhead turned around to see who had called her, and saw the captain to whom she had taught a painful lesson about respecting women. "Oh great," she muttered, wondering just what else was going to happen. "Yeah! You! You little bitch!" Ranma's irritated look abruptly transformed to an angry scowl. "What did you call me?" She demanded, feeling her blood begin to boil. "I called you a bitch, bitch! You're under arrest for assaulting a Soldier of the Scarlet Moon Empire!" By this time the man had reached her and stood within easy reach should she decide to take serious offence. He leaned closer and smiled sadistically. "Maybe you should have taken my offer, girlie. 'Cause now every man around is gonna have some fun with you in prison, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Ranma's glare transformed into a honey sweet smile that would have given cavities to anything within a hundred metres. "Wrong!!!" She crowed as she brought her knee up into the soldier's sensitive groin, following up with a sharp uppercut and a hard roundhouse, laying him out like a light. "Arrest her!" Another soldier roared angrily. Blinking like a deer caught in the headlights, Ranma took one look at the fifty or so soldiers coming her way and jumped off the pier into the water. I can take 'em easy, but someone'd get really hurt if I tried! She thought as she struck out swiftly for the deeper water. Using her above average strength and speed Ranma quickly pulled away from the pier, feeling thoroughly irritated and not to mention wet. Doesn't look like I get a choice. Looks like I have to swim all the way. Unless I want to go back? She shivered as she swam, feeling a chill run up and down her spine that had nothing to do with the freezing water. Man is it cold. Better hurry up. Then I can get food and shelter. Not much good being out here. She sighed mentally as she swam, mindful of the strong currents that attempted to pull her off course. Man, this is getting old really really fast. Maybe I should start lookin' for a way to get back? There's no tellin' what pops has gone and done while I'm away. Pretty sure I'll get a malleting when I get back tho. What is it with her anyway? I don't get it. How can I be a pervert when I'm tryin' ta get away from Shampoo? Don't perverts grope 'n' stuff like Kuno? Or stare at girl's chests all o' the time? Ah forget it. I'll think about it later when I get to where I'm goin'. Where am I goin' anyway? Oh well. I'll reach land soon enough. Finally having a decided goal, Ranma continued forward, her limbs moving with a grace that nearly rivalled the fluidity of the water all around her.Several hours later, Ranma staggered out of the waves and onto the beach before collapsing gratefully. "Now I remember why I hated swimming to china. Took me two days to recover, dammit." Ranma muttered under her breath, expelling a few breaths to clear away the sand from her mouth, eyes and nose. Grunting, she hauled herself up and began to ponder sluggishly up the beach, searching for driftwood and other assorted things with which to make some temporary shelter. Finding half of a destroyed fishing boat wedged against two rocks, she shifted her concentration to finding firewood, of which there was plenty. Directing a pea-sized globe of chi at the pile of dried wood, Ranma sat back from the crackling flames to enjoy the heat and a well-earned rest. ======================================================================= With a soft sigh, Setsuna blinked open her eyes groggily and sat up, wincing at her stiff muscles and the numerous aches and knots in her body. "Ow," she muttered and crawled outside. The early morning sky was bright and sunny, making her squint as she tried to locate her companion. Moments later she located him, standing in the shallows of the water and holding a spear above his right shoulder, naked from the waist up. "What are you doing?" She asked, moving closer. Receiving no answer she strolled closer and noted that he was peering closely into the water, and doing his best to stay motionless. She jumped slightly when his arm flashed down into the water, stabbing at something she couldn't see. With a smirk he held up the spear, one of the ones used against him earlier by the ants she noted, and brandished the weakly writhing fish on the end. "Fishing. I hope you're hungry." With that he waded out of the water and dropped the fish into the grass next to another fish. Eyeing them dubiously, she glanced up at him. "Only two?" She ventured. With a grimace, Strider shook his head. "It's harder than it looks. I've been up nearly three hours. This is all I got. I had to go back and get a spear though. Reeds weren't strong enough." Grunting softly, he dropped down to a squat and began to gut the fish using the head of the spear. Grimacing in distaste, he extricated the disgusting mass and flung it away into the grass, wiping his hand on some nearby moss. "Yuck," he muttered, scowling at the smell. After a moment he tore the fish open fully, displaying the remaining innards to the open air and handing it over to his green-haired companion. Blinking, she looked at it blankly before looking up at him quizzically. "What am I supposed to do with it?" She inquired. Strider smirked faintly. "Eat it," he replied evenly, pushing it into her hands and picking up the second, and smaller, of the two fish. Setsuna looked at the dead fish in her hands in dull horror. "WHAT!?" She looked back and forth between the fish and the young man's face several times. "You mean…raw? No offence, but-" she was cut off mid-sentence by Strider, regarding her with an irritated expression. "Look. Do you want to starve? Because I can tell you right now that the cookie we have left won't last the day. After that we'll have nothing. So in three days, do you want to be starving hungry and scrubbing at roots for food? I sincerely hope not. I certainly don't. So eat up. It'll taste like crap, and smell like it, too. But it's all we've got." Reluctantly, Setsuna had to agree that he was right, and haltingly began to chew on the uncooked meat of the fish. Her first bite had her spitting out the flesh violently and coughing for several minutes. "That bad, huh?" Strider asked. Setsuna looked up at him with a frosty look. He smiled slightly and nodded. "Right." Sighing, he peeled back some of the fishy scales and took a bite. The green-haired woman watched intently as his face contorted with disgust. Swallowing, he shivered and glanced at her apologetically. "Bon appetite," he muttered sourly before taking another bite. "Watch out for bones as well." He commented, picking a fine example from his teeth and regarding it dryly. Nodding, Setsuna sighed and reluctantly resumed eating. Two hours later she found herself being carried by piggy-back once more and wondering what on earth had made her agree that it was a good idea. Not only was her companion having difficulty staying upright as he carried her, he was beginning to smell. "You need a bath," she muttered, wrinkling her nose daintily. Snorting, Strider plodded onward, parallel to the river in the hopes of encountering a town or city. "Find me a some of hot water and I'll take one gladly," he said flatly. "You need one too." Shocked, Setsuna merely blinked for several seconds. "I most certainly do not!" She declared frostily. Her companion sniggered softly as he shifted his grip to retain a good grip. Suddenly she froze. "WATCH THE HANDS!" She protested loudly in his ear. Wincing, he nodded. "Sorry, sorry. My hand slipped." Not that I mind where it went, he thought to himself, a slightly lecherous grin flickering across his lips. Setsuna huffed indignantly in his ear. "Don't let it happen again," she declared, her tones enough to make the South Pole seem like a summer resort. Feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand on end from her warm breath, he nodded with a small shiver. I hate my life, he thought to himself glumly. A gorgeous woman on my back and I can't do anything about it. My life sucks. Remembering the sounds he had heard earlier that night, he grimaced and pondered how to keep her mind off of her losses, as he guessed that he had lost far more than he. If it weren't for the lack of food and equipment, I'd be in heaven, he thought ruefully to himself. He had always longed for adventure; it looked like he had gotten his unspoken wish. Finally deciding on a little fun, at least to take his mind off of his protesting muscles, Strider grinned and shifted his hands again. *THWACK* "Ugh!" "I told you to watch your hands," Setsuna commented frostily as she clambered down. "I think I will walk from now on." Grimacing, Strider rubbed his head. "Oh? And how many Medicines are you gonna use up for your feet then? For all we know there might not be anywhere within a hundred miles that we could find some more. Don't be stupid." "Then stop feeling me up!" she growled. Putting on an innocent look, completely ruined by his roguish smirk, Strider scratched his eyebrow lazily. "What? It was an accident! Besides, there's nothing wrong with looking is there? I mean, you are pretty beautiful." "Look, but don't touch." Setsuna snapped, regarding him suspiciously as she manoeuvred behind him again. He nodded compliantly as she pressed up behind him, not seeing his mischievous look as she raised one leg to allow him to hook it in his arm. Casting a glance towards the sky, Strider smirked and squeezed lightly. His companion's startled shriek told him he had judged correctly. Time to go! He thought jovially to himself as he took off running. Casting a glance over his shoulder he caught Setsuna's scathing glare as she chased him. ======================================================================= Ranma smirked as he faced off against the dog-like creature; easily evading it's pathetic attempts to skewer him with its sword and retaliating with several debilitating strikes to its head and chest. Howling in agony, the kobold made a suicidal lunge at the pig-tailed boy. Leaping over the strike and kicking his attacker squarely between the eyes, Ranma thought back to how this had gotten started. He had been minding his own business after managing to find a hollow stone in which to heat some water, when several of these creatures had appeared out of the long grass and attempted to kill him. Much to his irritation, they did not even give explanation when questioned as to their reasons for attempting to kill him. Deciding that he had had enough of their attempts, he had severely beaten all of them, including the one that was at present collapsing to the ground. Puffing air out of his cheeks in irritation, Ranma gathered together what he had managed to pilfer from the unconscious animals, noting with no small degree of amusement that each held six vials of something helpfully entitled 'medicine.' "Heh, pity there ain't gonna be none for 'em when they wake up," Ranma chuckled to himself. Thanks to the kobolds, though he had no idea that's what they were called, he now had around 100 gold coins with which to buy supplies. As soon as he found the nearest town that is. Deciding to risk it, he downed one of the medicines and blinked at the rush of energy that it provided, re-energising him better than any sleep he had ever had before and making him feel on top of the world. "All right! I'd better get out of here before these bozos wake up. Don't want anyone else out for my blood already," he muttered, conveniently forgetting that was what these creatures had been doing minutes before. Finally having finished, he stood up and began to jog away from the coast, deciding heading east would provide him with the best possibilities, rather than north or south along the coastline. Besides, he was getting tired of fish, despite being Japanese. Several hours later, he noted that it was beginning to cloud over and thanked his forethought for managing to bundle up that semi-hollow rock. He had a feeling he would be needing to use it soon enough. Sure enough, minutes later the heavens opened up, drenching him within seconds and activating his curse. Brushing her red hair out of her eyes, Ranma sighed and adjusted the waist-line of her belt and the make-shift pack she had constructed in an attempt to stave off the inevitable drenching of her meagre supplies. "Man, this gets better and better," she muttered sourly as she resumed her ground-eating pace. Suddenly she felt the ground beneath her feet shift dizzyingly, almost causing her to loose her balance. Stopping immediately, the pig-tailed girl glanced around at the large circular shaped depression that was currently forming about twenty metres in every direction. Looking down at her feet that had become mired in the rapidly forming mud, Ranma cursed and attempted to pull herself free, with little success. Noting absently that the depression was definitely deepening at an alarming rate, Ranma ran through her options as quickly as she could. Jumping was out, as her feet, despite her tremendous strength, were firmly mired and unable to move. Similarly, running was out of the question, as was pulling herself out by her arms. The redhead had a feeling that her arms would suffer a similar fate to her feet should she try and pursue that option. Ranma froze as her ki-enhanced hearing detected a groaning sound, and taking stock of her situation told her that it pertained to her in a most alarming manner. That is to say, if you could count the large hold opening up three feet from her person alarming. With a loud oath, Ranma made a last desperate attempt to pull herself free before the gaping maw of darkness reached her position and introduced her to the concept of free-fall. Not considerably different from her own experience with hang-time from Akane's mallet. Flailing her arms wildly, Ranma twisted madly to avoid the falling debris coming from above whilst attempting to prepare herself for the inevitable harsh landing. During a particularly hairy encounter with what looked to be a two-ton piece of dirt, Ranma spotted where she was heading. "WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE WATER!!!" She bellowed angrily just before she plunged into the icy depths, momentarily freezing as the shock of the water washed over her system. A moment later she had recovered and began powerfully stroking towards the surface. Taking a grateful gasp of air as she broke the water, the redhead glanced up to see a rapidly enlarging shadow. "Eep!" She exclaimed, immediately diving back under and stroking away at a steep angle as fast as she could go. Feeling an immense impact just behind her, Ranma shot out of the water as if she were propelled by a gunshot, and rode the large wave she landed on in a rush of nervous energy. Finally landing on what appeared to be an underground beach, Ranma sank thankfully to her knees and shot a glare at the barely visible sky high above. "Stop blamin' me huh? Yeah right!" Muttering under her breath about vicious felines, Ranma clambered to her feet and looked about in the dim light. What she saw made her blink in surprise, as before her stood a tall staircase of marble running towards an immense doorway, lighted by two torches to either side. Engraved above the doorway a symbol vaguely resembling a tri-parted yin-yang hung, clearly a sign of some sort. Unable to do anything but mope or enter, Ranma decided the latter sounded a better idea. At least until she could work out a way to get out of here. The earthen cliffs that she had plummeted past were now slick with rain, making it impossible to climb back out until it had hardened. Which of course meant that the rain had to stop before it could dry. It would help if a sunny day could occur too. Sighing in irritation, Ranma began to trek up the steps, wringing out what moisture she could get from her silken garments so that they could dry. Passing under the large doorway, the redhead felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, a sure sign that she had just managed to get herself in trouble once again. "Great," she muttered as she continued forward. There wasn't much point in going back now anyway. Senses spread, she stalked forward, alert to any sign of danger that could possibly arise. Acting on instinct, Ranma jumped straight up, bracing herself with her legs against the walls and narrowly avoiding being skewered by several dozen wickedly barbed arrows. Whistling slightly, Ranma dropped down carefully and inspected the projectiles. "Poison," she muttered sourly as she sniffed the blackened tip of one she pulled free of the stonework. Glancing about, Ranma knelt down and stared hard at the paved floor as she tried to work out what had set off the trap. Soon enough she found it, a small depression in the floor where she had stepped and pressed the silent switch. "Not bad, but not good enough to get me!" She crowed softly as she stood up again and continued onward, more cautiously this time. Whispering down the hallway, Ranma's blue eyes roved incessantly, searching out as many traps as she could spot. Despite being only twenty metres down the corridor, which was lit with torches as far as she could see, she had already avoided nearly fifteen different traps, from spiked pits to swinging axes and one which she found particularly amusing, a giant mallet intent on squashing the victim flat. Still continuing to stifle her sniggers, Ranma moved forward and blinked as the endless hallway abruptly resolved itself into a large room with a single ironbound oak door facing her. Shrugging, the diminutive redhead stalked forward, swinging her head right to left in case of more traps. Hearing a loud bang from behind her, Ranma whirled to face the noise and stared in dismay at the heavy steel door that blocked her way back. Suddenly her danger senses screamed at her and she dove, narrowly avoiding having her head taken off by a huge granite fist. Coming up into a crouch, Ranma eyed the enormous golem warily. How the hell did it move so fast and silently? She thought to herself as she began to circle. Attempting to look at its aura proved ineffective as it didn't seem to have one, and she was left no more time to ponder as the creature leapt forward and attempted to brain her once again in a blindingly fast overhead attack. Yelping in surprise, Ranma dove again before rebounding off of the walls of the room and connecting with a solid roundhouse to the thing's head. Gritting her teeth against the pain, the pig-tailed girl hobbled out of the way of the follow-up strike and back flipped away just in time to avoid becoming a red smear on the paved floor. Gotta figure out a way to beat this thing! She thought frantically. Man I really wish I learned the Bakusai Tenketsu now! Think, dammit! It's gotta have weaknesses! Dodging frantically away from the super-fast strikes Ranma searched constantly for any sign of weakness in her opponent. To any casual observer it would appear as if a demented red ping-pong ball on a caffeine high was being chased by a large hunk of grey play-dough, punctuated by large cracks and stress marks appearing on the walls and floors, only to seal themselves over immediately after they appeared. Eyes crossing at the underside of the fist that passed above her head, Ranma bend herself double, her shoulders brushing the floor slightly to avoid the pulverising strike. Suddenly her eyes lit up with a manic light as she spotted a possible weakness before contorting herself in an almost impossible manoeuvre and kicking upwards with a full-strength mule-kick to the creature's elbow joint. With an audible crack and a bellow of pain, the arm severed and fell heavily to the floor. Now only retaining the use of one of its arms, the golem stood a poor chance at succeeding. Crowing victoriously, Ranma whirled and spun, punching and kicking with impunity at every joint that she could see, and when she finally came to a complete stop the large golem merely gave a soft groan of protest as it collapsed into a useless pile of rubble. Beaming radiantly Ranma spun towards the oaken door and was surprised to find it standing open as if in invitation. Slightly suspicious, the redhead crept through, searching for more traps, and blinked at the roughly hewn passageway that continued into darkness, lit only by two torches spaced irregularly along the passage. Frowning cutely in the dim lighting, Ranma moved forward, moderately certain that no more traps would be forthcoming. After twenty minutes of walking, she began to get irritated and debated turning back when the darkened corridor abruptly opened up into a small chamber, illuminated by the same trisected yin-yang from before, this time engraved into the rough rock and glowing with a soft golden light. Beneath this stood a brighter glow, and Ranma was unable to determine what generated the light, though it seemed not to reach farther than two metres before fading out and allowing the gentler glow to illuminate everything else. Just before she moved forward, another glow began to grow approximately three metres in front of her and began to rapidly expand to nearly two metres tall. As the glow faded away, the redhead found herself facing a beautiful black-haired woman wearing a pale-blue hooded robe, and fought to keep herself from bowing. Instead she merely blushed as the woman smiled benignly at her. Before she could speak, the woman began. "Hello, Ranma. My name is Leknaat. I am a seer, a guide of sorts." "Oh…well…uhm…I'm Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Pleased to meetcha." Scratching the base of her pig-tail nervously, Ranma cast about the room as she attempted to think of something to say. Leknaat laughed softly, her voice sounding like soft bells chiming in the wind, making Ranma blush as red as her hair. "I am very pleased to make your acquaintance Ranma. Do you know why you are here?" blinking, Ranma shook her head dumbly as she fidgeted. Smiling, Leknaat moved closer to the young martial-artist and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You are here for a very special reason Ranma. The way here has been but a test to make sure you are worthy of what you are about to receive. Do not worry," she added as Ranma began to look pensive, "you will not come to harm. I have foreseen your arrival, as well as the arrival of two others whom are just as important as you." The tall woman gestured to the bright light beneath the trisected yin-yang. "You have suffered much, and I am afraid you will suffer much more in your life, but though your suffering will continue, you have the chance to make the suffering of others lessened. Is not your prime tenet to 'protect the weak and defend the innocent'?" Seeing Ranma's pensive nod, Leknaat smiled gently. "If you choose to accept this gift, you can do that to an even greater capacity than before. Would you want to help defend the innocent from tyranny and persecution?" Ranma's nod this time had a more assured air to it, making Leknaat's smile grow slightly. "Before you stands one of the 27 True Runes, the Rune of Chaos. Being who you are, it suits you perfectly." Ranma frowned slightly, it sounded way too easy. And besides, she never liked gaining without having to pay for it. She was the best, and she had sacrificed much to get where she was now. It seemed a bit unfair to simply gain a lot of power just by saying yes. "Ranma, it may be powerful, but you must train to be able to wield it to its full capacity. Your body cannot handle the full power of the rune just yet, but over time and with experience, you will come into its power." Ranma brightened at that. Hearing that she would have to work toward getting such power made it a much more tempting offer. "Uhm…Leknaat? What exactly does this thing do?" the petite redhead asked, eyeing the bright glow dubiously. Suppressing the urge to grin, Leknaat turned to face the pig-tailed girl. "Just as it's name implies it is chaos, the absence of order, much like your style of martial arts I do not doubt. Its powers differ from wielder to wielder, so I cannot say just what its particular powers will be if wielded by your hands, but I can say that it may amplify existing skills you have. I cannot be sure. Being what it is, and myself being a seer and a messenger of order, I cannot really tell. Is that a sufficient explanation?" nodding absently Ranma continued to gaze into the light, suddenly feeling a curious sense of kinship that he could not explain.
"Merely hold up your right hand in the light, nothing more. If you accept and are accepted, then you will gain the Rune of Chaos." Nodding, Ranma stepped forward and up the small dais and raised her right hand towards the light. As her fingers brushed against the light she noted that it was pulsing gently, almost like a heartbeat. Taking a breath to calm her nervousness she pushed her hand down and met a strange resistance, almost like jelly, before her hand was buried up to mid forearm. A few moments passed in silence before a warmth suffused her body, making her feel lighter than air, and a strange prickling sensation crawled over the back of her hand that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. As soon as it had started it was over, and she found her arm free of the glowing orb. Stumbling slightly at the pure adrenaline rush that coursed through her body, she made her way back to Leknaat, who merely smiled in a Kasumi-like manner and nodded to her. "Take care, Saotome Ranma. You will need it young man. Many trials are ahead of you." Ranma blinked in surprise as the woman was enveloped in a globe of light, similar to the one that heralded her arrival, and disappeared. "How did she know I was a guy?" Ranma wondered aloud to herself. Feeling the post-experience rush wear off, the redhead looked down at her hand and blinked at the trisecting yin-yang that seemed tattooed to the back of her hand. Running the fingers of her left hand over it, she found that it was raised slightly and textured like glass, yet was as soft and pliable as her skin. "Man, that's really obvious. Wonder if anyone knows what it means? Darn, I might have to get gloves or somethin'." Huffing in exasperation, yet filled with a strange sense of wonder at her 'gift,' Ranma trotted silently back down the rough-hewn corridor until she came back to the ironbound oak door from before. Throughout her short trip, the pig-tailed girl had been pondering the Seeress' words carefully. "I have foreseen your arrival, as well as the arrival of two others whom are just as important as you." What the heck does that mean? Important? Important to what? I dunno, I don't get it really. This is too weird, even for me. Mind you, I gotta work out what this thing does first. Standing before the oaken door, Ranma glanced down at the pale golden tattoo outlined on the back of her hand from the dim torchlight before shrugging and opening the door and gaping in astonishment. Before her was what looked like a large city, not more than four miles away by her count, and most definitely inhabited, as evidenced by the constant movements of barely visible figures that moved in and out of the front gates. Glancing about herself, Ranma determined that she was standing mid-way up a small mountain. How a small door like the one she had just exited through got halfway up a mountain was completely unknown to her. She was just grateful that she might get to see and talk to people again. Not that that Leknaat chick wasn't nice, but I wanna talk to more than one person. Be nice to get some decent food too! Grinning at the thought of food, Ranma began the process of descending the mountain by the most expedient route. Namely jumping twenty to thirty foot from ledge to ledge. Twenty minutes later, the petite redhead stood at the base of the mountain, breathing heavily from the exhilaration of the rapid descent. "I'd better work out what this thing does before I go anywhere. Don't wanna hurt innocent people 'cause I don't know what to do with it," Ranma reasoned to herself. So saying, she decided to make camp for the next two or three days. It wasn't that hard to live off the land, even if there was only grass almost as far as the eye could see. "Bound to be something I can hunt around here. Like a rabbit or somethin'," Ranma muttered as she scrounged for firewood. Three hours later, after a satisfying meal of two rabbits caught and roasted over a fire, Ranma settled down to sleep for the evening. "Never hurts to get an early night," she mumbled softly as she pillowed a small pile of grass to rest her head upon. "I'll get around to this rune thing tomorrow." So saying, Ranma yawned widely and settled down to sleep. ======================================================================= Yawning in exhaustion, Strider carried on with his stumbling pace, careful not to jostle his burden. After catching him and 'teaching him a lesson,' Setsuna had insisted he carry her again, much to his vague irritation. He was too bruised to particularly care at present, and she refused to allow him to take any medicine, saying only 'it serves you right' and keeping them firmly in her grip. "Tight fisted witch," he muttered. "Wha'd you shay?" Setsuna asked, muffled slightly due to her mouth and nose being covered by the leather of his trench coat. Despite him being the 'beast of burden' she was obviously exhausted. "Nothing," Strider murmured, shifting slightly to make carrying the willowy older woman easier. "W'ch the h'nds." Setsuna muttered. Eye twitching slightly, Strider stoically ignored the comment and continued to walk forwards. It was to be nearly twenty minutes before he realised that a city was within sight near to the river that they had followed, the great spires of a palace reaching towards the heavens above sturdy stone walls. Numerous roofs and turrets also poked above the walls, hinting at the multitudes of life housed within. "Setsuna, look! A city!" He crowed joyfully. Lifting her head blearily, Setsuna peered towards the distant citadel and smiled. "Good. Maybe I can get some better shoes." Strider sniggered faintly, earning him an irritated look. "What is so funny?" "Nothing much, beside the fact that women always seem to think of shoes!" He guffawed. Eyes narrowing, the older woman thumped him none too gently over the head. "Heh, that's good kid, real good. Pity you ain't gonna get to buy no shoes now, ain't it?" Came a gravely voice from behind. Hanging his head, Strider sighed. "Typical," he muttered. Turning about slowly, they came upon a group of six men wearing tattered clothing and cloth bandannas in garish colours stained by various foodstuffs and other grime. The one in front, stick thin and unshaven, brandished a rusty dagger threateningly and smiled a gap-toothed smile. "What are you? Clown rejects from a circus?" Strider asked, quirking an eyebrow. He had not missed the two men in back holding light crossbows. Hopefully they were bad shots. If not, they were pretty much screwed anyway. "What are you doing?" Setsuna hissed frantically in his ear. "Are you trying to get us killed?" Without her senshi abilities and her staff, she was not in a good position. And with the younger man admitting he had no experience in fighting, their position was made all the more desperate. "Be quiet," the tall youth snapped softly, his eyes hard. Blinking, the green-haired woman closed her mouth in surprise. Swinging his gaze back to the muggers, as he guessed they were, Strider smiled at the leader, who's face was nearly purple with rage. "Just for that you little shit, we're going to rape your little bitch!" Gasping, Setsuna gripped the taller boy's shoulder a little tighter and felt the underused muscles bunching tightly. Strider smiled thinly and fingered the spear hidden beneath his coat. "Just try it, dickhead," he stated flatly, his eyes wintry cold. Abruptly Setsuna found herself deprived of support and fell down, landing roughly on her rump as her companion rushed forward towards their would-be attackers. Swinging savagely, Strider slashed the face of the gaunt man with the spear tip before pin wheeling wildly around and burying it into the chest of another mugger. Feeling a white-hot stab of pain in his side, he glanced down and spotted the haft of a crossbow bolt buried into his flesh. With a cry of agony he collapsed, grasping at the nearest body, which happened to be the second crossbowman. Tugging roughly, Strider wrenched the crossbow from his hands and stabbed the man in the eye with the pointed end, causing him to collapse howling. Half blind with tears, the youth pointed the crossbow over his shoulder and pulled the trigger, not even bothering to aim before he collapsed from the pain. Suddenly his world erupted into a kaleidoscope of colours and pain as one man's boot connected harshly against his face. Flailing ineffectively, Strider bounced painfully on the ground and curled up into a ball. Dimly through his pain he heard a furious feminine cry and cursed his failure bitterly. "Well," he muttered, tasting the coppery tang of blood on his lips, "this sucks." Coughing slightly he tried to sit up, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Lie back down, Strider. This will hurt," said a voice that his muddled mind was unable to identify. Before he could speak a wrenching sensation accompanied with the feeling of being eviscerated tore through him, making him arch his back and scream in pain. "I'm sorry, it was necessary. Here, drink this." So saying, the figure placed something to his lips and tilted his head back, forcing him to swallow the liquid that tasted vaguely of mint. A few moments later liquid fire roared through his veins and he whimpered softly as a sucking sensation from his side alerted him to the properties of the liquid. "Medicine?" He croaked to his companion as he attempted to blink the tears out of his eyes. Finally managing to clear the fog from his head he allowed his head to loll to the side to inspect his mysterious saviour. "Setsuna?" He murmured, a vague hint of incredulity colouring his tone. Three feet away the viridian-haired woman glanced up from looting the lifeless corpses and smirked. "What is it? I said I was good with a staff. A spear is close enough for me to be able to use it. Feeling better?" She queried, finally standing up and walking over to him. Grimacing, Strider returned his gaze to the heavens and squinted sourly. "I feel as weak as a day-old kitten," he snarled. Suppressing a smile Setsuna folded her skirt carefully and sat down. "So, what do we do now?" She asked, glancing to the city in the distance. Yawning, Strider felt his eyelids drooping. "'We' go to sleep. I'm knackered," he murmured. Pursing her lips and frowning slightly, Setsuna debated the pros and cons of kicking her companion in the ribs. Probably wouldn't do much good. He's probably a masochist anyway she thought wryly. Glancing about the landscape she paused as she spotted movement rapidly closing on their position. I must be seeing things. It looks like a demented red grasshopper. Shortly however the 'grasshopper' resolved itself into a young redheaded girl leaping over the troughs and crests of the hills. Stopping close by she peered at the bodies of the bandits worriedly before glancing to Setsuna and the semi-conscious Strider. "You do all that?" She asked in accented English, indicating the corpses with a thumb. The green-haired woman shrugged faintly and motioned to her companion, who was inspecting the new arrival with interest. It didn't escape her notice that he was eyeing the young girl's bosom either. Elbowing him in the thigh, she glared at him. "Stop that!" She hissed before turning back to the girl. "Sorry, he tends to be a bit…perverted, at times. As to your question, we both did. My companion was injured in the fight and requires rest to recuperate." Eyeing the tall youth with scepticism the redhead glanced back to the bodies and back again. "Well, I guess…" she murmured doubtfully. Seeing the girl was preoccupied, Setsuna took the time to study her. She was short, around 5'3" or so with brilliant red hair and cobalt blue eyes, and wearing a Chinese style red shirt that matched her hair, though it was incredibly baggy on her petite frame. She also wore a pair of dainty black slippers and black kung-fu pants cinched up with a wide white sash tied at the hip. After a moment Setsuna noted a faint tattoo on her right hand and peered closely in an attempt to see better. It appeared reflective - as if made of some type of metal, but the viridian-haired woman could see that it moved with the skin when the girl flexed her hand slightly, and seemed a stylised type of trisecting yin-yang. It was quite pretty, Setsuna admitted to herself and seemed suited to the girl who wore it. The girl, upon noticing her look glanced down at the tattoo and grimaced. "Gotta work out how to hide this darn thing," she muttered under her breath just loud enough to be heard. Setsuna cleared her throat, deciding she should introduce herself. "My name is Setsuna Meiou. May I ask your name?" She asked, raising a sculptured eyebrow gracefully. Detecting movement behind her she glanced back to see Strider propping himself up on his elbows. He nodded at the redhead and grinned wearily.
"Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that. Name's Ranma. Ranma Saotome. Pleased to meecha." Glancing to the older woman she blinked and cocked her head. "Setsuna Meiou? That's Japanese ain't it?" Raising her eyebrows in surprise, Setsuna nodded. "I assume from your name you are Japanese in origin also?" Ranma nodded with a grin. "Yeah. You ah… you get brought here by any chance?" She queried tentatively. Smiling slightly Setsuna indicated the taller youth who dozed wearily to her side. "Yes, as was he. We found ourselves brought here under quite…stressful circumstances. I would venture that it is the same with you?" Thinking back to the talking cat that had sent her to this world, Ranma shivered. Oh yeah, most definitely stressful. "Yeah. Listen, I heard someone screamin' over here and came on over as fast as I could, but seein' as everything's over with now, you wanna come back to my camp? It's a ways away from here, but you can still see the city. It's at the base of that mountain over there. So, whatcha think? Wanna come over? There's a fire, and some food too, if you want." She offered, indicating over her shoulder at a mountain that had also escaped both of the companion's notice. Glancing between the city and the Mountain, Setsuna estimated that the mountain was slightly closer, and the next day would be an easy trek to the city. "Of course, we would be happy to accept your offer. Right Strider?" She asked, turning around and raising an eyebrow at the downed boy. Lazily opening one eye in her direction, the taller boy glanced past them both to the mountain and then back again before yawning and making a half-hearted attempt to rise. "Sure," he grunted, "sounds peachy. Gotta get me movin' first though." Smirking Setsuna glanced at the pigtailed girl, a spark of mischievousness dancing in her eyes. "Oh, that's no problem," she demurred as she produced the spear tip – broken off of the haft – and jabbed him in one exposed buttock sharply. Yelling loudly, Strider shot to his feet and glared at her as he wavered back and forth. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" He roared, clutching at the injured body part. Sniggering Ranma moved forward to stand next to him and looked up at him with a amused grin. Foregoing a retort Strider stumbled and nearly collapsed back to the ground, only to be saved by the girl's timely catch that revealed a surprising degree of strength for her smaller size. "Thanks," he muttered as he attempted to regain his equilibrium. Nodding mutely, Ranma began to trudge off in the direction of the mountain, pausing only to direct an expectant look in Setsuna's direction. "You comin'?" She inquired before turning again and supporting Strider toward their destination. Glancing to the walled citadel in the distance the green-haired woman took a deep breath before following her companions – now expanded by one more. Things, she decided, are definitely looking up. ======================================================================= End Chapter 2. ======================================================================= |
(Note: I can't remember where the hell I got this image from. Sufficed to say, I didn't make it. I did alter it a bit though :)
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