Phoenix Sunrise A piece of Fan-Fiction inspired by the characters of Ranma ½ Written by Jay Wise

Ranma Saotome smacked his arm, crushing the body of yet another Mosquito as he trudged grimly through the swamp. Behind him walked a very odd party, a white-haired teen wearing loose blue clothes, a dark haired young man wearing skin tight black, a blue haired woman wearing a purple kimono and riding a broomstick, and a woman wearing a loose white kimono with dazzling white hair. Next to him walked a dark cloaked man, more resembling a ninja.

Ranma stopped and leaned against the tree. "Ok, let's take a break; we've been marching for hours now days on end." The rest of the party was more then willing to agree, their feet worn out from the constant travel. Ranma walked over to a tree stump and sat on it, putting his chin in his palms and sighing deeply. Despair still pained him, even though they quested on in hope, he had given up on his. He closed his eyes and reflected on his current situation.

Ragnarok some called it, the end of the world. The truth was much more evil, much harsher to understand. The end of the world was being caused by Ranma's foolishness. Ranma slumped, and thought back almost a month now.

Fire bathed the area, as Ranma stood before the Phoenix God Saffron. An aura of fire danced along his body and a sinister laugh as he drew a fist back and launched himself at Ranma. Ranma leapt aside, lashing his leg out and connecting with the side of Saffron's head, pushing the man back a few steps.

Growling, Ranma launched himself at Saffron in a flurry of fists and feet. Saffron dodged and blocked all the strikes handily and slammed his palm into Ranma's chest, sending him flying back into a pile or rubble. Coughing, Ranma emerged from the dust and rock shards in mere seconds, launching himself at Saffron again. With another laugh, Ranma was again launched back onto his ass.

Picking himself up, Ranma darted his eyes up at the staff that was embedded in stone at the top of a large cliff near them. Saffron followed his gaze and smirked, knowing Ranma would not live long enough to retrieve the staff.

'Damn, I need to get that staff or my ass is grass,' Ranma thought. 'I need to distract him long enough to get to it' Ranma's eyes went wide as he saw a large fireball forming in Saffron's outstretched hand. 'Uh-oh, looks like he doesn't like that idea!' Ranma was ready to leap away, when he paused and an idea struck him. He just waited, and Saffron seemed surprised. "So. Ready to accept your fate and die? Very well boy!"

The fireball flew from Saffron's hand at incredible speed and slammed into the ground right where Ranma would have been standing, if he hadn't done a tremendous black flip onto one of small bluffs that led up to the cliff.

Ranma didn't stop to see Saffron's reaction, he ran for all he was worth right for the staff. He leapt upon the cliff and ran for the embedded weapon, when he stopped cold, as did his blood. Before him from out of thin air it seemed appeared Lord Saffron. Ranma looked behind the figure at the staff, and made a run straight at Saffron but dodged at the last minute and flew right for the staff.

Saffron was smarter then this, as Ranma stretched his arm for the staff, Saffron's fist swung down and grabbed Ranma by his neck and lifted his entire body up into the air. Saffron's eyes were crimson bloodshot, and Ranma struggled as Saffron began to slowly squeeze his neck.

Ranma closed his eyes, tears of exhaustion, pain, and sacrifice leaving his eyes as he apologized to everyone he loved. He had failed to defeat Saffron, and Saffron would now conquer the world. Ranma was about to give in to the darkness that plagued his mind and senses, when startled Saffron released his grip on Ranma and staggered forward.

Akane stood behind Saffron in fighting style, and Ranma took the opportunity to grab the staff and pull it from the ground. Instantly a cold feeling shot through Ranma, and the staff glowed bright light as Ranma hefted it and pointed it at Saffron. Ranma turned and lunged at Saffron, swinging the staff at him and begging the dormant powers in the staff to unlock and destroy Saffron.

Saffron's eyes went wide as the blade pierced his skin, and went right through his side. Ranma landed on the ground still clutching the staff tightly, panting in relief thinking the fight was over. His blood went cold as he heard Saffron's familiar haunting laughter as he turned to see that the wound was almost healed.

"Foolish boy, the Staff alone is not enough to defeat me! It must be powered by the person, apparently you're not powerful enough."

Ranma turned disbelief apparent in his eyes. The staff, how could it have failed?! Everyone said it would kill Saffron, and now the staff refuses to live up. Ranma was a goner, and he re-assumed his fighting position prepared to finish this, knowing that he had no chance of winning.

Saffron turned malice clear in his eyes as he walked toward Ranma. Suddenly a figure sprang past Ranma, and struck Saffron in the chest, making him stagger back. The figure was a teenaged boy, with long wavy white hair. He wore a blue jacket with CC imprinted on the breast, along with a pair of blue combat tights with white boots. On his back was strapped a brown scabbard with a powerful sword inside.

Saffron stepped back, staring at his new figure. "Who are you fool, who would dare to interrupt my fight?!"

The teen grinned, "My name is Trunks, and I'm no fool. Shouldn't you recognize one who's power is much greater then yours? Now go away, before I have to destroy you."

Rage sparked in Saffron, causing him to spring forward, launching fireballs at Trunks. Trunks looked up at Saffron boredly, and vanished. Saffron stopped short and looked around.

"So, running away are you?! Come out and fight coward!" Saffron yelled in anger.

"I'm right here." Said a voice from above.

Saffron looked up, to see Trunks standing on a higher cliff, his hands stretched in front of him. Trunks smirked, and his arms seemed to move like the wind, in an odd pattern. Finally he stopped and thrust his hands forward, his thumbs and forefingers pressed together.

A ball of white hot energy formed there, and left his hands with sound barrier shattering speed and slammed into the ground at Saffron's feet. Saffron leapt away from the blast, the blast actually propelling him upwards. Saffron turned to look at Trunks, only to find him not there.

Above him he heard the sound of a sword being drawn, and looked up to see Trunks hovering above him, the blade coming downwards right toward him. Saffron brought his hands up to block the blow, but the sword went clean through his hands, head, neck, and body. Saffron's brain was severed in two, but it continued for several seconds to register a look of shock. Then life completely left Saffron's body.

Obviously not satisfied with bisecting him, Trunks sword flashed again amazingly fast, and soon Saffron's carcass was in pieces. With a casual flick of his hand, a blast of energy disintegrated his pieces forevermore.

With the disposal of Saffron, Trunks floated down to Ranma, who was in a state of shock after seeing that amazing display of power. He knew if Trunks were hostile against him, he stood no where near a challenge. So he stood resting, leaning against the cliff face and panting deeply.

Trunks landed before him, and the smile he gave Ranma was genuine, free of malice. Ranma smiled back and stepped forward, offering his hand.

"Thank you, for defeating Saffron. I could not have done it alone, but what made you help me?"

"Ranma, my name is Trunks. You may not believe what I am about to tell you, but you must listen to be very carefully. What I have to tell you deals with the very fabric of the space time continuum, and the balance of the galaxies."

Ranma, not being the brightest one in the bunch, looked at him dumbstruck. Trunks, unaware, continued.

"There is a dark force at hand, one who has been consuming entire universes and planets. He calls himself The Reaper, and is the biggest threat to the universe. Ranma, you may not believe me but I come from a different dimension. The Z-Mension. This is the R1/2-Mension. It is all these Mensions that The Reaper hopes the devour and consume. Though we do not know why, there is a small group of fighters from across the Mensions who have banded together to fight The Reaper. We have a powerful psychic among our ranks, and she pointed us to you. Something about you, made her very interested. She sent me to bring you to her, will you come with me?"

Ranma, again not very smart, was still digesting al the information Trunks had told him. It took him several minutes, but in the end he thought he got it all down. Evil guy, killing people, they need my help. When he had this all neatly sorted out, his decision was an easy one. "Sure! If it's this important, of course you need the Great Ranma's help!" His old cockiness had returned as well.

"Great! I was hoping you'd cooperate, I didn't want to have you bring you in physically." Trunks smiles, while a shiver ran down Ranma's spine remembering what Trunks did to Saffron. "I have a device that can transport us to our base, it's right over here."

Trunks floated into the air, and headed off. Ranma stared after him, having no way to follow him. The cliff walls were to steep and Ranma could not fly.

Trunks meanwhile had continued to talk. ".so you see that's how the Mension Ship was built and.Ranma?" Trunks stopped and looked back down, seeing Ranma waving his arms.

Trunks blushed embarrassed, and flew back down to Ranma. "Sorry about that, forgot you're not powerful enough to fly. Here, grab my arm."

Ranma grabbed Trunk's arm, and Trunks again flew off toward the Mension Ship. The Mension ship itself, was a large very Star-Trekkish looking ship, with a splash of Millennium Falcon to spruce it up. Add the color of the Gummi Ship, and the ability to transport between the various anime mensions, and you've got the Mension Ship.

Trunks landed in front of the Ship, dropping Ranma as well. The gangplank automatically lowered, and Trunks ran up it, Ranma followed. The inside was nice, if not cramped. A small sitting unit for guests was in the corner, and a pilot and co-pilot seat were all that made up this ship.

At the moment, the co-pilot seat was occupied. Trunks walked up to the pilot seat, and plopped down in it. He pointed at the co-pilot seat. "Ranma, meet Heero. Heero, meet Ranma."

Ranma walked up so he could see this Heero, and noticed a handsome young man dressed in a skin tight black long sleeve shirt, and black slacks seated at the co-pilot seat punching buttons and preparing for lift-off.

Ranma extended his hand, "Hello Heero."

Heero's voice could chill fire, "Hello Ranma." Heero's face did not turn from the control panel, and Ranma soon realized his handshake would not be returned.

"Ready for take off Heero?" Trunks asked.

"Yes, though the stabilizers have been unstable recently, they need to be replaced. There is a 2.4% change that we might botch the warp, and end up in a different location then intended."

"Aw, what are the odds?" Trunks asked no-one in particular, and pulled a large over-head switch down. The immediate speed threw Ranma back into the guest seating area, and Trunks turned around to look at him.

"Oh yeah, might wanna' buckle yourself in."

A scowl formed on Ranma's face, at the late warning. His hands fumbled for the seatbelt, which coincidentally resembled the seatbelt from an 88 Oldsmobile.

Suddenly the ship began to rock, and not a comforting rock. It began with a titter, then grew into a shake, then quickly evolved into a rumble. Then a loud 'BOOM!' sounded from somewhere behind Ranma, and Heero's icy voice cut out across the turbulence. "We've lost one of the stabilizers, we're going down. Setting an emergency landing for the closest target."

Beeps of acceptance whined from the control panel, and again Trunks shouted back. "Hold onto something! This is gonna' be a trip!"

Ranma yelled as the noise or rumbling, clanging, mashing, and all the other noises associated with a calamity, became ear shattering, then the jolt. Now when you think of jolt, you generally think a car tapping your rear bumper jolt. No, this was a jolt's jolt. One that would knock Thor himself off his feet, should he experience something like this. Wait.I'm mixing mythology and anime.not good.

The jolt threw Ranma from his seatbelt, and into the metal back of the co-pilot's seat. All he heard was a sickening thud, and then all went black.

The last thing he heard was Trunks, muttering "What are the odds, that I hit a 2.7 percentile. Heh, what a ride. You okay back there Ranma? Ranma? Hey Ranma.wake up.Ranma?!" And soon hearing was also lost to Ranma, and he plummeted into the darkness of dreams, or were they nightmares?

=================== To Be Continued ===================