Disclaimer: This fanfic is a crossover featuring Ranma ½ (Property of Rumiko Takahashi) and The Never-ending story (Property of Michael Ende), none of the characters here (unless stated) are of my own creation.

This story takes place in an alternative universe

I have changed around stories and some other things as well, as curses.

I am using both the Never-ending story and the characters from the series Ranma ½ without permission from their respective authors.

This is my first attempt of doing a fanfic, so please forgive me if you don't like it.

C & C are welcome, please don't sue me, I'm just a student with a little too much imagination in my hands.

Words inside * * are thoughts, words inside are signs, words inside # # are animal speech and words inside { } are foreign language. Any writing inside / / are comments, actions and thoughts from the person reading the book.

Please read and review

LadyCrow

Chapter 5: The ebony tower.

In the heart of Fantásia there was a high and white tower, this was the Ebony tower where the child emperor lived. This was the destination of Wushwusul, Pjornrachzarck and Ryouga.

The higher levels of the tower was boiling with activity as emissaries from all Fantásia cam to present the child emperor the problems of their people.

But this time they all came to see if they could heal the emperor of the strange illness that was affecting her.

Fire elementals and crow doctors couldn't seem to find the source of her illness.

To this tower Ryouga and his companions were headed, and for once Ryouga didn't get lost on the way. After all who could loose a friend the size of a small mountain.

The tower was filled to the brim of the most incredible creatures, Ryouga was sure he even saw a unicorn somewhere in the crowd.

The joining of the court medics made it clear that none of them would be able to cure her illness.

A herald, of the honourable T'sais people, proclaimed to everyone present in the tower. {The medics have come to a conclusion. The child emperess will be cured if the prophesy is fulfilled.

Let it be known in all of Fantásia that we are searching for the ones that are named in the prophesy.

The saddling, the lonely, the three blood kin and the lost one.}

Ryouga looked around and saw his two friends staring at what looked like a giant slug, that was making a sound that was very similar to that of someone walking through deep mud.

He looked at Wushwusul and tilted his head, with a curious expression on his face. –What is he saying?-

Wushwusul answered slowly so Ryouga could understand the most important part of what the herald was saying. {He says that we must seek the ones of the prophesy.}

Ryouga nodded seriously. Turned away and then looked back at Wushwusul –What prophesy?-

Wushwusul face faulted.

After a few hour of explanation in a quiet place, far away from the main square of the ebony tower, Wushwusul threw his hands up in the air and cursed loudly to any god that may be listening. {He can't be that clueless.}

The gods answered by releasing a giant thunderstorm.

But even someone as clueless as Ryouga would understand a story if it was shown to him.

Wushwusul too him to the fountain of truth and showed him the entire history of Fantásia, the child emperor and the creatures that lived in the inmense kingdom of Fantásia.

Ryouga couldn't believe what he was seeing, the waters in the fountain seemed to change colour as several images floated on the surface of the water.

Ryouga now saw the immense realm of Fantásia and all of it's inhabitants, he saw the story about the formation of this wonderful world and then he saw…the child empress.

She was like made of snow, golden eyes and long white hair, lovingly she looked at him and smiled. Ryouga couldn't do anything else but smile back.

The child empress lifted a hand and started speaking, and Ryouga understood every word.

-In the heart of Fantásia lies the ebony tower, which is my home and my prison.

Far beneath the earth under the ebony tower lies the fountain of my power, a spring with silver water that flows endlessly. I drink from this spring to stay alive and keep Fantásia together.

Many thousand of years ago a prophesy was made by The south oracle, that one day my fountain would stop flowing and only the chosen ones could make it flow again, should the chosen ones fail all of Fantásia and myself will wither and slowly die.

The oracle only told us to seek for the outsiders, the three blood kin, the saddling, the lost one and the lonely.

We do not know where to find the outside, but a portal was made many centuries ago and lost in the immensities of time.

Ryouga, I see in your eyes that you are no creature of Fantásia, you do not speak our language nor know our customs. Therefore I know you are one of the outsiders, which one of them only you know.

I now beg you, Ryouga from the outside world, please save Fantásia. Find the other chosen ones and make my fountain flow again.-

Ryouga could not stop looking at the features of the child empress as she spoke to him.

Feeling his heart beating furiously he nodded, not trusting his voice. He would do anything for this girl, even if she asked him to run a knife through his heart he would do it.

Ryouga had fell in love with the child empress.

Wushwusul sighed in relief as he understood that Ryouga had accepted the mission the child empress had given him, maybe this strange boy could help them after all.