Chapter 8


"Ranma! Put me down!" Akane gasped as she slammed against his shoulder. Ranma-chan kept running though, even when she braced herself with one hand and punched him with the other. Ranma grunted as Akane hit her again. Hey! Will ya quit it ya uncute tomboy! Ranma yelled, stopping in her tracks and lowering Akane to the floor. Once he had set Akane down, she quickly used the thermos to change back.

Akane remained silent, head bent towards the floor and hunching her shoulders as if to shield herself from the pain. Her cheek started twitching as his words registered in her confused mind. Akane's emotions were taken for a roller coaster ride twice, all in the span of fifteen minutes. First, he kisses me and now he's calling me names! Grrrrrthat jerk! Akane thought to herself as she reached behind her back for her mallet.

Ranma stood in front of Akane, puzzled by the lack of response he was getting from his sometimes-violent fiancée. He was starting to get extremely worried when Akane hunched her shoulders, lowering her face she stared at the floor. Akane was breathing fast, like she had just been in a race. Is she crying? Ah manI hate it when I make her cry. I'd better apologize," he thought to himself as he took a deep breath, opened his mouth and started to say, "Akane I...urk!" only to be met with said mallet as Akane clocked him one right on top of his head.

"Ranma...YOU JERK!" Akane yelled as she glared at her pigtailed fiancé, wiping franticly at her stinging eyes, she quickly turned around and ran down the hallway, she didn't want to let him see how much he had hurt her with that comment.

W-why d-does he a-always do that to m-me? Akane thought suppressing a sob, running faster, she absently made a few quick turns before skidding to a stop. Wiping her eyes to clear her vision, Akane looked around to see where she had ended up during her mad dash away from her insensitive fiancé. Oh no, where the heck am I? Akane murmered turning her head to see which direction she had come from. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, Akane admitted to herself that she was totally lost.

As her gaze ran across a massive doorway with a scene depicting two mythical creatures, a light began glowing from in between the cracks. Akane gasped and scrambled backwards in fright, but before she had taken more than ten steps, she heard strange whisperings on the edge of her consciousness. Strangely, this didn't frighten the youngest Tendo but seemed to call to herto something deep in her blood. Akane slowly stepped forward and entered the brightly-lit room; Akane never noticed the doors slamming shut soundlessly behind her, her eyes were fixed on the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen in her young life, reaching out her hand Akane touched it.

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"Ite..." Ranma moaned in pain as he slowly stood up, rubbing his head while trying to think of what he had done to case Akane to react like that. "Ooh...damn," Ranma thought as he realized that his insert foot and mouth disease had reared its ugly head again. Glancing around the hallway trying to locate Akane, Ranma realized that they were in a part of the estate that wasn't familiar to him at all. "I gotta find Akane before she gets totally lost," he said as he dashed down the hall in the same direction she had gone, pausing occasionally to listen for any sounds of crying.


Nothing. No sounds reached his ears, so Ranma decided to go further. "Maybe she came this way or she might have gone that way," she thought as he reached a section of interconnecting corridors. Pausing he listened some more to see if he could locate the direction that Akane had run off to. "There," she though as sobbing echoed down the corridors, bouncing off of the stone walls and reached his ears. "Man which way did she go...Wait a minute, I can trace which way she went by looking for footprints in the dust," she said and started searching for any tracks. Finally, finding the direction Akane had gone in, Ranma quickly ran down the corridor following Akane's footprints directly to a huge door that was similar to the great hall.

The picture on the door depicted a scene of two dragons in various positions. One appeared to be holding a weapon of some kind and the other looked to be holding some type of globe. The scene called to something deep within Ranma's soul as he stared at it.

"I wonder why our estate has so many dragon pictures all over it. I'll have to ask mom after I find Akane," Ranma thought as he remembered that he should be looking for his fiancée. Ranma stepped forward and opened the door, entering the room only to pause in shock as he took in the paintings that covered every available surface. In the center of the room stood a pedestal with a statue of two dragons intertwined.

Akane stood next to the statue her hand touching it and her eyes transfixed and slightly unfocused as she gazed at something that he couldn't see. The other thing that had surprised him was that Akane was glowing. He didn't sense any danger to her or himself as he stepped further into the room to stand next to her. "Hey Akane," he said while reaching out a hand to get her attention. Ranma gasped as a surge of some type of energy jumped to his hand.

"Whoa...," he exclaimed while trying to sort out what he felt. The sensation was a strange one as it felt like he was touching an electrical wire and putting his arm in a hot soothing bath at the same time. It felt good actually, kind of like what he felt when Akane gave him one of her special glances when she thought that he wasn't looking.

Before Ranma could give any more thought to that subject he felt a strange sensation crawling up over his body. Absently, he noticed a golden light radiating from his arms and slowly moving to cover the rest of him. Whispers at the edge of his consciousness echoed through his mind, bringing with it a vision of another time. A time before he was born, a time where magic reigned strong in the word and where dragons still lived in the world. Before the pigtailed boy knew what had happened to him, the room faded out and was replaced by a scene of two men and a dragon.

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On the edge of a clearing deep within the forest, two friends watched as a dragon thrashed about for a few moments before dropping to the ground. Clearly it was in pain from the multiple wounds it had sustained. A recent battle had occurred here, judging by the debris scattered around the clearing. The beast let loose a deep shuttering moan before lying still, only its breathing indicated that it still lived.

One of the men, a slim boy just turning twenty, turned to his friend and said, We should help it as it seems to be hurt. I've heard that dragons are intelligent beings, like us.

I don't know, Hijo, Another boy, slightly stockier than his friend said while worrying his bottom lip before pointing out, Do you see the weaponry that animal is packing. Sure, it may not carry spears or swords, but its teeth and claws could really kill us.

But Sanma, I've heard that if you help a dragon that it's good luck, Hijo replied as he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

Oh, don't get me wrong HijoI've got nothing against gaining a little more luck, but I have a thing against dying though, Sanma replied with a raised eyebrow as he glanced at his friend before turning to take a final look towards the clearing. Coming to a decision he sighed and said, Well, we are Martial Artist and we must help someone in needeven if it is a dragon.

Hijo smiled at his friend of nineteen years before sending a quick prayer up towards the heavens. I hope we're doing the right thing. Kami protect us, he thought. Come on Saotome, it's time to help the dragon.

I'm coming Tendo, Sanma replied as he stood up and made his way into the clearing, Hijo right by his side. You know Hijo, our fathers would be really mad at us if we don't come home tonight. I mean, after the last fiasco we got ourselves into with those foot soldiers from Hiroshima, and at a bar no less.

Ah, you worry too much, Sanma. How was I supposed to know that they were on a mission? I mean, if they were throwing around their gold like that, they deserved to have it taken away from them, Hijo replied as he rubbed the back of his head in a nervous gesture he had picked up from his friend some years ago.


Sanma glanced at Hijo, a wicked grin on his lips before he broke out laughing. Hahaha, Oh, that was richthe way you took their money pouches and hid them under the table that they were sitting at. Sanma grabbed his ribs while he tried to contain himself, but he wasn't having much success as he continued to gasp out then when they were asked to paythey couldn't find them and had to wash disheshahahahaha!"


It was pretty funny, wasn't it? Hijo said grinning. But we got into a lot of trouble when our fathers found out though, he said seriously before switching to a lighter tone. Ah well, you're only young once, he said jovially before grabbing Senma's arm, causing him to hasten his steps. Hurry up, Sanma, or the dragon might die!

When they reached the great beasts side, they could see that its injuries were severe. A tree limb had impaled the dragon's foot. Its right wing membrane was torn and there were numerous bruises, cuts and gashes all over its body. Walking around towards the dragons other side, they noticed the one injury that was causing the dragon so much pain. Its front limb and right wing were broken, the bones were sticking out of the skin.

Both boys gulped as they realized the enormity of their task. They knew that they had their work cut out for them. Grimly they set to the task of resetting the breaks while the great beast was unconscious. Once that task was completed, they splinted each limb before moving on to the cuts and deep gashes. Those, they gathered medicinal plants and made a healing paste out of the crushed remains, then they spread them over the largest leaves that they could find before gently applying the makeshift bandage to the wounds.

As Hijo was applying the last bandage, the dragon spoke. My thanks, human, for what you have done for me.


Sanma yelled in surprise. Backing away a few steps he put his hand over his heart and said, Please, don't startle me like that.

I didn't mean to, but I was curious as to why you are helping me? the dragon asked as it tilted its head to the side.


Sanma looked at Hijo, silently communicating as they had learned to read each other. This was one of the things that drove their fathers to distraction since they couldn't figure out how their son's always managed to speak without words. Shrugging their shoulders at each other they both turned towards the dragon and said at the same time, You needed help, so we decided to help youit's what martial artists do.


Opening its eyes, the dragon lifted its massive head to get a better look at the two humans who were helping it. Again many thanks. However, I am gravely wounded and I can't hunt with my injuries. So I will die of starvation first.

Honorable dragon, We will hunt for you and nurse you back to health if you would but tell us how you came to be in this condition, both boys said as they bowed respectfully towards the huge beast.

The dragon thought for a while before it agreed to their terms. Yes, I will tell you since it affects the human kingdoms as well, it said and launched into the tale of how it came to be injured. Hijo and Sanma listened intently to the great beast's narrative, nodding their heads and asking a few questions every once in a while. Finally, the dragon finished its tale and sat back on its haunches, exhausted from the brief expenditure of its remaining strength.

Hijo sat, back against a tree trunk, deep in thought before he finally spoke. So, this great evil is trying to devour the world? And you became injured while fighting it?

the dragon replied before taking a deep breath to continue. I had fought it before and managed to expel it from my home. I was injured and I gave chase. I foolishly believed that I could fight it in my weakened condition

As you can see, the dragon said while trying to shift into a more comfortable position, That was the wrong choice. Just before the evil left me here to my fate, it said that neither dragon nor human could defeat it. Then it was gone. That, the dragon sighed wearily and continued, Was three days ago. Ever since that dayI have been thinking of a way that would defeat it, and I'm no closer to the answer than when I started. The dragon lowered his head to rest it on one forearm before saying, Now I'm so hungry that I can't think straight.

Hijo and Sanma both decided that it was time to hunt for their supper, otherwise they had a feeling that they would become the supper. Standing, they bowed while saying, We will hunt for your meal now. I know we spotted fresh deer tracks about half a mile from here. We will return as quickly as we can. Keep safe, honorable one. With that said, the two friends left the clearing.

Once they were out of earshot, the dragon spoke quietly to himself. Keep safe, my friends. For when you return, I will grant you a great gift, one that will last for eternity. This is the answer I have been searching for." The dragon lowered its head to rest on its forearms and murmured thoughtfully, "Hmmm, no human nor dragon will defeat the evil. But, my solution may be a way around our dilemma.

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Ranma blinked rapidly, clearing his vision as the room swam into focus. Man, what the hell was that? he thought to himself as he remembered the images that had paraded across his mind. Turning his head he tried to locate the person he had been searching for just a few minutes ago. There, to his right, stood Akane, she had a slight dazed expression on her face and her hand was still touching the statue. Akane, are you ok? he asked her, but Akane didn't hear him.

Oh, what happened, Akane moaned quietly. But not quiet enough as the sound traveled around the cavernous room, bouncing off the walls to return to the source. They both winced as the sound reached their ears. Ranma took a deep breath and detected a faint yet alluring smell. "Mmm...that smells good. I wonder where its coming from," Ranma thought as he sniffed again to see where it was coming from, he was very surprised when he discovered that the closer to Akane he got, the stronger the smell had become.

Suddenly, Ranma felt like reaching out and grabbing Akane to pull her into his arms. He really wanted to kiss her right now. Oh Kami, not now! he thought as he quickly took a few steps back while trying to suppress his emotions. My sense of smell is stronger and it seems to be effecting me, Ranma thought, then he heard a squeak of a mouse. My hearing is behaving strangely too since I don't see any mice, it must be coming from behind one of the walls. Everything seemed to be heightened. Ranma turned to see Akane, she was franticly turning her head, looking for the source of the noise. Heh, looks like Akane's got it too, he thought to himself before clearing his throat to get her attention.


Akane jumped three feet into the air when she heard Ranma clear his throat. The noise sounded like a sonic boom to her now sensitive ears. she screamed, then grabbed her ears in pain as the noise rebounded back to them. Ranma winced as his hyper sensitive ears rang with her recent scream.

When Akane landed she whirled around and saw that it was Ranma who had scared her she growled quietly to herself in annoyance. Then stepping closer, to get a closer look at him, she noticed that he was shaking, his face was flushed and his breathing was faster than normal. Ranma what's wrong with you? Why are you shaking like that?

Ranma licked his lips a few times, wetting them while trying to regain some semblance of control over his reaction to having Akane so near him. Oh Kami, I gotta control myselfIf I try to kiss her, she'll kill me. I gotta put some distance between us or I'll be in a lot of pain. I gotta insult her even though I really don't want to, he thought while taking a step backwards.

When he didn't answer right away, Akane finally saw the light so to speak. Grinning mentally, she schooled her features into the most seductive and alluring as possible, which she had just recently seen on a TV show a few days ago. Lowering her voice, in what could be called a sexy tone, Akane tried again. she breathed out slowly as she took another step closer towards him. Ranma flushed a brighter shade of red, confirming her suspicions as to what his problem currently was.

When Ranma heard the tone of Akane's voice and the way she spoke, his mind blanked. Gulping, he tried to answer, but ended up opening and closing his mouth like a fish before he managed to say anything. he stammered, his voice cracking on the first note. W-what is it A...Akane? Ranma swallowed before licking his lips again. His mouth felt like the Sahara Desert at high noon. He couldn't keep his eyes away, they were riveted to every move Akane made.

The little devil that Akane kept locked away decided to break free when she noticed where his attention had strayed. Akane decided to up the heat a bit and put a little extra sway into her hips when she stepped closer, watching for any reaction from him. There, the slightest increase of his breathing told her how much she was affecting him. Licking her lips, Akane tried again. Well, I was wondering if you were alright. But I can see that you're very agitated. Do you want me to _help_ calm you down?

Ranma froze as her words reached his ears and filtered through his brain. His control slipped a fraction and he leaned in a bit closer so he could kiss her, but that was enough to make him panic. I gotagomomsbeencallingmebye! he said before he bolted out the door. Akane blinked as she tried to sort out what he had just said. Then, when she sorted it out she grinned and bolted out the door after him, laughing silently to herself.


As Akane followed him back the same way they had come, she thought about his reaction to what she had just done to him. At first, it looked like he really wanted to kiss me. But then, he kind of looked a bit nervous and scared at the same time. He's just so confusing. I'll have to ask Auntie about this. But, I have a feeling that he likes me. He never acts this way with the other girls. But first Hey! Get back here, Ranma! Akane yelled loudly and then watched him put on another burst of speed to disappear into a familiar corridor.

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