Chapter 4
The next morning, Ranma woke up to a healed wound, and a lightly snoring Gray who was still in a red sleeping bag. He hesitantly got up, and began to study his surroundings.
It was a clearing in the middle of a very dense forest, located at the end of one river and the beginning of another, the only thing seperating them was a large pool in the middle. They had camped in an area close to the spring, with the remains of a fire close to their sleeping bags, and some now cold soup still over a spit.
Gray then began to open his eyes, and attempted a sleepy smile. "G'morning Ranma." he yawned. To Ranma's great amusement, Gray's hair had some serious problems, and was sticking out at odd angles. Gray pulled out a thermos and began to sleepily chug away at some substance that looked to be black. Gray finished chugging, wiped his mouth with one hand, and let out a belch, at which Ranma snorted.
"Are you always this presentable this early in the morning?" he grinned.
"Usually." Gray said, with a grin of his own. "But after a few minutes, I can usually become somewhat presentable."
Gray took off his clothes and lept into the pool. "Would you like to bathe with me this morning? The water's nice at this time of day" he asked.
"Is the water cold?" Ranma asked nervously.
Gray laughed. "No. It's plenty warm, not cold at all."
"Alright then, sure. Only because I want to see you find a way to get rid of that bed head."
"Like you've never had this before, I take it?" Gray said mock indignantly.
Ranma smiled wanly. "Okay. I have. You happy?"
Gray returned the smile. "Of course." he lept out of the pool just as Ranma lept in, and threw a projectile that only Ranma could have caught. "Here's your towel!"
Luckily, Gray had been right and the pool was lukewarm. Otherwise, there would have been one white-haired enigma with a nosebleed and a quite busty redhead in the same pool. "I thought you were gonna make yourself 'presentable' Gray! What's the holdup?" Ranma shouted over the pool.
"Just have to get my bath stuff!" Gray said as he looked through his own pack. "There! Okay Ranma, look out!"
Gray cannonballed into the pool with a forest green towel around his waist, splashing the rest of the surrounding area, and Ranma as well. Rather than being upset, Ranma was only faintly amused at the other boy's antics.
To his great surprise, Gray began to wash himself with his soap at a pace that no ordinary human could match, moving in a similar way to the Chesnut fist technique. 'He might be a martial artist!' Ranma thought happily. 'Another opponent to test my skills against!'
When Gray had finished washing his hair, Ranma asked, "Hey Gray, what style do you practice?"
"Style?" Gray repeated faintly.
"I mean, what style of the martial arts do you practice?" Ranma asked again.
"I don't practice the martial arts Ranma. I'd like to learn someday though." Gray replied.
To say Ranma was shocked was an understatement. "Well then how are you so fast?" Ranma pressed on.
"I run a lot." Gray answered dismissively. " and when I run I use my arms."
Ranma blinked. "Ooookaaay." He then got a hold of his senses, remembering what he had come to do. "Gray, I wanna ask you if you can do something for me."
"Like what?" Gray asked while taking a bar of soap and rubbing it against his arm.
"Well, you seem to know Zakaroth pretty well, judging from what you told me last night. Do you think you could set up a challenge fight between he and I?" Ranma requested.
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to fight with Zakaroth? He did save your life."
"I know, but you see, one of the main reasons I'm on this training trip is to get stronger by testing my skill. It seems like Zakaroth could be what I'm looking for."
"And what would that be?" Gray asked.
"A worthy opponent. Either that, or a sparring partner. You wouldn't beleive how hard it is to train without one." Ranma sniffed disdainfully. " The last being that was able to truly test me is no longer here. I need a challenge." Ranma replied. "I also want to see if anyone would be willing to teach me any new techniques."
"Hmmm. Well, what are the other reasons for this trip of yours? I've been traveling for ten years, and the only reason I've got is that I was banished from my home." Gray said.
Ranma looked at Gray with pity, and replied, "Well, at first it was because I was looking for students and a desire to pass on my style of martial arts. Also because I needed some time to think. But now that I think about it..." he sighed, "something like that really needs to be confined to one solitary area, were people can come and go as they wish. Either that, or I just need to focus on one student."
"After hearing about Zakaroth, I thought that it should be my duty as a martial artist to bring him to justice. After getting the real story on him though, I'm not so sure I should try to turn him in. I'm just... confused now." Ranma sighed.
Gray seemed to contemplate this for a few moments, putting his hand up to his chin. Finally, he said, "Well, why not just do what you martial artists are supposed to do?"
"And what would that be?" Ranma asked dully.
"Protect those who cannot protect themselves. Be a warrior of justice!" Gray shouted excitedly.
Something seemed to click inside Ranma. "That's it! That's why I've never felt satisfied back in Nerima! I had forgotten what that truly means. But after last night," he glanced meaningfully at Gray, "I think I've remembered."
"You lived in Nerima?" Gray asked.
"Yeah. It's a long story Gray, but when I would fight there, it was only for self-defense, or for a challenge. Lately though, that hasn't been satisfying, and I couldn't figure out why, but now I have." Ranma paused. "I think you've hit the nail on the head!"
Gray smiled. "Well, I think I might be able to help you after all. I can arrange a fight between you and Zakaroth. However," he said at Ranma's excited look. "In return, I wish to be you're first student." Gray grinned widely.
"That would be great!" Ranma said excitedly. "You've got potential, and that was only when I saw you bathe!"
"I do?" Gray asked.
"Sure! C'mon, let's start!" Ranma lept out of the pool, and hurriedly began to put a pair of silk pants on.
"You mean now?!" Gray asked, surprised.
"YES! I've been waiting too long for this! I've got to guage your potential first though." Ranma said while putting on a red chinese shirt. "How long until I get to fight Zakaroth?" he changed the subject through a mouthful of shirt.
"About two weeks!" Gray replied.
"Perfect! Just enough time to teach you all of the basic forms!" Ranma smiled manically. "Hurry up! We don't have all day you know!" he shouted impatiently.
Gray grumbled quite a bit, but was soon distracted when Ranma began to guage his potential.
First, was the speed test. Gray lead Ranma to a large clearing in which they could run. In order for Gray to do well on the speed test, he had to keep up with Ranma ten out of twenty laps on the track. To Ranma's surprise, Gray kept up for fourteen whole laps, then began to swag. Gray seemed to have though he had done something wrong, but Ranma praised him wholeheartedly.
The strength test was conducted on two gigantic boulders. Ranma went first and almost destroyed the thing whole, having to use another light tap to destroy it all. Then Gray went and before hitting it, he looked all over it's surface. Finally, he punched with all of his might and destroyed the boulder instantly. Obviously, Gray had done well on that test.
Next was Endurance. Ranma tested Gray in this area by hitting him with a minimum of thirty blows, and depending on how Gray looked and sounded, would guage his performance. After about twenty five blows, Gray began to tire and as the final blows struck, he collapsed. After waking up, Ranma commented that while Gray still needed work in endurance, he did well to have withstood Thirty of Ranma's best strikes. Or at least that's what he told Gray. To be honest though, the strikes were only at about half of Ranma's best strength. He wasn't sure Gray could take any more.
Finally, they began Agility. Ranma had Gray leap from various trees in the forest, from one to another using only his feet. Gray did well until he lept onto a branch that was clearly very old, landing on top of Ranma in the process.
"My aching muscles!" Gray whined. "So, how did I do Ranma?" he said abruptly.
Ranma smiled. "Believe me when I say this: you are probably the best student I could have gotten way out here."
Gray beamed with pride. "Really? You mean it?"
"I do. You seem to excel in the basic fundamentals of the martial arts. If you knew the forms and we had just a regular fight, then I would have quite a bit of a challenge." Ranma said.
"Well, gee, thanks! So we start the real training tomorrow?" Gray asked.
"Yes." Ranma turned away for a second, to work up a bit of courage. "Listen, Gray, I don't mean to pry, but how did you get so good?....Gray?"
But Gray had fallen fast asleep. "Poor guy must be exhausted." Ranma thought.
He lifted Gray up and into his sleeping bag, taking his form and covering it up. Ranma then went off to catch some fish, not having had any dinner or lunch, and wanting to preserve his rations.
He could ask Gray tomorrow, when they trained. 'Then again,' he thought 'Maybe he just doesn't wanna talk about it. I mean, I'm keeping a secret from him too.'
Ranma decided that Gray could tell him if he wanted to. He sure wasn't willing to let go of his first male friend, and it seemed that Gray didn't want to either, so he was willing to let sleeping Dragons lie. Er, purely figuratively of course, heh heh...
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In the two weeks that followed, Ranma and Gray began to feel more at ease with each other than they had ever felt living with family members. Gray told Ranma that his own family, in fact, carried out his banishment from home. When Ranma asked why he was banished, Gray ignored him, so Ranma let another one of Gray's secrets be.
Ranma would teach Gray at an exceptional pace, starting with 20 mile jogs and ending with one thousand perfect push ups. Gray often had to slow down during these intense sessions, but he soon got the hang of it. Unfortunately, whatever Gray could do was made impossible again when Ranma upped the value even more. Gray often went off into the woulds to curse a bloody streak when he heard the newest amount of torture he was meant to endure, Ranma laughing all the while.
As far as the basic forms went though, Gray did quite well. Even though he wasn't quite as skilled in areas of the body as Ranma, he definentley had him beat in the mind. Gray had a huge memory, and would often tell Ranma some random little fact, about anything really. When Ranma asked why he did this so often, Gray replied, "For shits and giggles." he would chuckle. As a result, the basics came naturally, and Gray was at the brown belt level of Karate within five days.
When he chose to show it, Gray had a very wierd, yet funny sense of humor. He would talk in silly voices from cartoons, appear to recite monologues while making wild motions and put on acts about just anything, including pretending that the world was flat.
"You see Ranma," he said in an englishman voice, "The reason Columbus was able to sail over the edge of the world was because the bottom is like a magnet. He was upside down when he thought he was right side. He would have discovered the truth if he had merely thrown one of his men overboard." then he dissolved into giggles.
Most importantly though, for Ranma, was that Gray was a guy he could talk to about... well, guy stuff, regaling Gray with an edited version of the past two years, minus the Jusenkyo curses. Gray thought his stories were hilarious, which irked Ranma to no end, but Gray was still a good audience, and seemed to be very impressed with his fighting record. It was Gray's turn to hunt and cook, and Ranma was telling Gray about his first night at the Tendo Dojo.
"So Akane comes and hits me even though it was an honest mistake." he said to Gray over a mouthful of dinner. "And she never even gives me a chance to explain myself. Sure we have our moments, but it's just... hard, you know?"
Gray, who had listened to this, frowned and furrowed his chin. "I think that in some ways you're right Ranma. Akane does need to find a way to get rid of her anger, and she needs to be able to think things through more logically. However," he said to a now triumphant looking Ranma. "That doesn't give you an excuse to insult her. Have you ever tried being nice to her for a long period of time?"
Ranma thought this through. "Well... no." he answered with a sigh. "It's just... I get so defensive sometimes, and it's awfully hard with so many people watching you. Especially when you haven't really had much of a home life like me, and haven't really thought about girls that often, and you hear about things at school like sex, expecting the unexpected."
"Ranma, in order to make a relationship work, you have to trust each other. If you ever get into a real relationship, and you aren't sure were it's going, then the best thing to do is just talk. You and Akane seem to mostly just have problems because of that and because of mixed signals." Gray held up a hand "I'll admit, the rivals and fiancees do seem like a problem, and you should take care of it, but I think that being away for a while really is the best idea." Gray told him.
"Why do you say that?" said an utterly shocked Ranma.
"Because it will give you time to think things through. If you do love her, and she loves you, then your time apart won't matter in the long run. You'll also be able to think of ways to make the relationship work, and to solve your problems." Gray finished.
Ranma narrowed his eyes. "How do you know all this stuff? I mean, it makes sense, but I thought that only people with experience would know that kinda stuff."
Gray grinned. "A fanfiction author is speaking through me." he replied.
Ranma groaned. "Seriously though."
"Just a lot of deep thinking, sensitivity, (which, no offense, you need more of.) and a healthy respect for women. You don't have to listen to my advice, but I'd recommend that you do." Gray responded, standing up to douse the campfire. "How was dinner? Was the Rabbit good?"
"It was great!" Ranma said enthusiastically. "You're pretty good at cooking Gray."
"Not as good as you. Well, good night Ranma."
"Good night Gray." Ranma stared at his companion, who was snuggling into a sleeping bag, and leaving his friend with much to think about.
Especially the fact that he and Gray were becoming inseperable. True, he hadn't many friends in Nerima, but he could safely say that Gray was a person that he truly liked to be and to do things with, like a best friend. He could safely talk to him, they had interesting conversations, they liked to do a lot of the same things, and Gray could make him laugh, something that he almost never did.
Was that what he was becoming? Ranma's best friend?
And that was even before the love advice began to sink in...
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The two weeks passed in a blur, with training, talking, eating, bathing, and occasionally playing with Gray's Game boy and Walkman. Ranma later discovered that Gray's morning beverage was not coffee, as he had guessed, but a soft drink called Dr. Pepper.
Ranma had decided then and there that he was going to ask Gray to be a permanent traveling companion. It just wouldn't be the same without him, and Ranma began to see the kind of friendship that his pop and Mr. Tendo had formed, though he and Gray weren't united because of a three hundred year old pervert.
The training had been completed, and Gray now knew almost every move in the anything-goes style. However, he had refused to learn the Chestnut fist, Umi-Sen-ken, Moko Takabisha or Hiyruu Shoten Haa. Gray had told him that since they were due to part soon, (Ranma didn't notice he said this very sadly.) Ranma's special techniques were special to him, and had no place in a novice's arsenal. Ranma tried to convince Gray that he was no novice, especially after the harrowing sparring matches they had undergone, but Gray seemed convinced that it was for the best.
Zakaroth was due to arrive that morning, and Gray was supposed to meet him at around ten. Gray would then leave, and the two would have their fight. Gray's watch beeped, startling Ranma out of his thoughts.
"Well, I guess it's time. Zakaroth will be here in about twenty minutes. I know our time was short lived, but I just want you to know that I loved every minute of it." Gray suddenly grew misty eyed. "I wish you well Ranma, wherever your life takes you. Good bye, my friend." he walked off, then began to run into the forest.
"Gray wait!" Ranma protested, running after him. Alas, Gray had vanished and there was no trace of him. Ranma walked sadly back to the campsite. His first real friend, and he had botched it! 'Way to go Saotome.' he thought mournfully.
A few minutes later, a cloaked figure appeared at the camp. "I take it you are the one who wishes to fight me." the figure said. It was a statement, not a question.
"Indeed." Ranma got up, determined to let off some stress. "Before we begin though, I'd like to thank you for saving my life that night in the bar."
"What are you talking about? I've never seen you before in my life!" the figure proclaimed. He then took off the cloak, and revealed what lay beneath.
"I am Zakaroth, king of the Dragon thieves. You have extended a formal challenge to me, and I intend to carry it out. Let us begin human!" he shouted.
As Zakaroth made his proclamation, Ranma began to see the being behind the cloak for the first time. Zakaroth had waist length black hair, styled in a long wave. He wore a black gi and white pants, with a Katana blade firmly enrenched in a sheath near Zakaroth's waist. He was also fairly tall.
However, what surprised Ranma the most, and what backed up Zakaroth's claim to be a Dragon came from the eyes. They were pure blood red, evil and malicious. Put simply, they were terrifying, and chilled Ranma's soul in a way that the soul of ice never could. Zakaroth also had out ten claws extending from his fingertips, not overly long but definently sharp, and two glistening fangs. There was something about his body though, that was so familiar...
Ranma had no time to think though, as Zakaroth immediately sprang into action. He tried swinging one of his enormous claws at Ranma, so fast that Ranma barely dodged it. Zakaroth continued to use his claws, swiping and thrusting at the pigtailed martial artist. Eventually, Zakaroth attempted to send a claw thrust to one of Ranma's legs, but it missed and Zakaroth was slowed by his hand being stuck firmly in the ground. This allowed Ranma to leap up and perform a devastating side kick to Zakaroth's head. Quickly, Zakaroth grabbed Ranma's leg and began to swing him like a baton, throwing him into a nearby rock as Ranma let loose a Moko Takabisha that hit Zakaroth in the stomach, sending him into a boulder as well.
The two got up, staring daggers at each other, but at the same time both grinned in a satisfied sort of way. Zakaroth then charged Ranma once again, looking much like a savage animal out for the kill. Ranma dodged at the last second, got behind Zakaroth and shouted, "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Thousands of blows rained upon Zakaroth, leaving him bruised and battered. However, once the attack had finished, Zakaroth lept up and used both feet to firmly kick Ranma in the stomach. Ranma staggered backwards coughing up blood, and Zakaroth finished his erstaz backflip. Taking advantage of Ranma's moment of weakness, Zakaroth channeled his ki and shouted, "NEGA DRAGON FIREBALL!". This caused a ki ball in Zakaroth's palm to grow into a small black ball of flames, which Zakaroth threw at Ranma with all of his might.
Ranma jumped up just as the fireball hit his postition, which made a pillar of black flame that spiraled in all directions. It devastated all nearby life, doing things such as making trees wither away and die, or crumbling rocks into dust. Ranma once again kicked at Zakaroth, but Zakaroth chose to block the attack this time around. Ranma landed and aimed a at punch at Zakaroth's head, this one landing and causing a bruise to appear on his right eye. Zakaroth returned the favor by viciously slashing Ranma's arm, leaving an open wound which bled freely, and made Ranma yell out in pain. Ranma sprang back into action, eagerly awaiting the next attack.
Both of them threw a punch, and both collided. Then they tried attack with the other fist, but those collided as well. The fists opened into palms, and both pushed with all of their strength, neither backing down. Then, Zakaroth tried a kick, but Ranma countered with a foot that collided with the other. Finally, Ranma gained some leverage and lept both of them into mid air, where he tried a mid-air kick. Zakaroth countered with his last foot, and the two bounced off of each other, each landing a kick to the head, sending the recievers flying into two different trees simultaneously. They got back up again, taking stances. Ranma, with an arrogant smirk, motioned for Zakaroth to continue.
The fight continued for some time, although no special attacks were used. Neither fighter seemed to be able to generate enough power to use ki, and it looked at though the two were evenly matched, breathing heavily as they realized that they had finally been given a true challenge.
"I must say... Saotome. I'm... impressed." Zakaroth coughed out. "Never have..I...met a figher... of your..caliber."
"Thanks. You're quite good yourself." Ranma moaned. "But I'm gonna win this fight!" Ranma said, suddenly thinking of Gray, and how disappointed he would be if his sensei lost. This seemed to give Ranma the strength to begin a final desperation attack.
"SHIN..." he began waving with his arms, wincing at the pain the slashed arm took, but going on nonetheless. "MOKO..." Zakaroth looked on in shock, and began to run towards him with claws stretched out. Alas, it was too late, as Ranma finished the attack. "TAKABISHA!"
An enormous white ball of ki energy sailed out of Ranma's arms, enveloping Zakaroth, and the force was so powerful that it knocked Ranma back and made Zakaroth literally fly off for a second until he slammed into a tree, slumping to the ground unconscious. The force in turn, had accidentally knocked the tree straight to the ground.
Ranma was determined to make sure his opponent was alive, but the effort of dragging himself to Zakaroth's landing spot was almost too much to bear. Finally, he reached the very tree that had fallen, but it was not Zakaroth that met his eyes, slumped on the ground.
"Gray?" he stared in shock
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Ranma dragged what he thought was Gray back up to the campsite. 'Gray. How could it have been Gray?' he thought.
Thinking back, it did sort of make sense. Gray hadn't really explained where he had gotten all of his strength, never talked about his past, and defended Zakaroth. The only thing that kept Ranma from throwing his body into the lake was the friendship he had thought they had developed. 'He had better have a damn good explanation for this.' Ranma thought hopefully.
He took out the first aid kit he had kept in his pack for ten years, (His pop had never healed him, or allowed him to be healed with. Thus, Ranma's body adjusted accordingly.) hoping that it would still work. Luckily, it was full, and Ranma began to bandage up Gray's battered body, as well as the cut Ranma himself had sustained on his arm.
A few hours later, Gray/Zakaroth was still conked out, and Ranma had begun to heat up some canned food from his pack. Soon, the smell of cooking food wafted over the horizon, and Gray slowly began to stir. He opened an eye, laughed weakly and coughed. "We've got to stop meeting like this." he rasped out.
"I assume you have an explanation for this." Ranma looked at Gray's still form balefully. Gray turned his head away in shame. "Yeah, I suppose I do owe you one of those."
"To be honest," Gray sat up. "Zakaroth didn't think you would win."
Ranma raised his eyebrow. "I thought you were Zakaroth." he said.
Gray grew somber. "No. He and I merely share the same body, in a mutual curse."
Ranma's eyes widened in surprise. "A curse? Gray, have you ever been to the Cursed springs of Jusenkyo?" he questioned.
"The what? No, it's a long story. One that begins ten years ago." Gray replied.
Ranma shrugged. "I've got time."
Gray sighed. "All right. Ranma, I haven't been very forthcoming towards my past with you, and I apologize." he took a sip of his trusty thermos to clear the raspiness. "Ah, much better. Well, anyway, as you may have guessed, I'm not Japanese. I do speak the language well, but English is the language I speak primarily."
"So?" Ranma said impatiently.
"I come from Canada, in an ancient village that is not on any map, called... well, I never learned what it was called because they never told me. When I was around seven years old, I accepted a foolish dare from some older boys. They wanted me to 'prove I was a man' by going up to a cave that was deemed sacred, taking a picture of the inside. The villagers believed that a terrible monster lived in the cave, and would destroy the village if one of the villagers would defile it's 'sacred ground.' They were half right." Gray said, pausing to let this sink in.
Gray continued. "Zakaroth IS actually a real dragon. Or at least he used to be. You see, Zakaroth was once the leader of five dragons which pilfered more than their fare share of Dragon gold, jewels, diamonds and other treasures. Dragons usually live on an alternate plane of reality than humans, but that doesn't mean that they can't come here. They disguise themselves by shapeshifting, or becoming invisible. You hear about the people that disappear, never to return? Usually, they discover a dragon's existence, and pay the price."
Gray sighed. "Soon, however, Zakaroth's men began to become dissatisfied with his leadership. They tried to defeat him, but he was simply too powerful. So, they called upon his greatest enemy to aid them, and with his power they had seemingly killed him. Or so the people thought."
"Zakaroth hadn't died. It takes an enormous power to kill a very old and powerful dragon such as he. Instead, the five merely stripped him of him immortality, (a few dragons do have that.) and was imprisoned in the very cave that I came to. By that time, age was catching up with him and he was about to die."
Gray's face grew pensive. "Somehow, when I came to his lair, I alone was able to break the seal that the five dragons had made on his cave, purely by accident. Neither Zakaroth nor myself has any idea of how it happened. One thing I can be certain though, is that it was no coincidence."
Ranma interrupted. "I'm guessing that you have a special power, sleeping within you. Akane has the same potential, just in a different way."
"You really think so, don't you? Well, when I came to Zakaroth's cave, I was astonished. Not frightened in the least was I, for I could see that what was to me a beautiful creature was dying. I hugged him, determined to show him one last aspect of compassion. That was a mistake."
Gray laughed mirthlessly. "It turns out that all dragons have the ability to implant their souls into other living creatures human or animal. The catch to this, is that the dragon in question has to be touching, or be touched by the creature it wishes to posses. Zakaroth was dying, and the only chance he had to get back at his enemies was with me. Usually, when a dragon possesed an animal, it remained in control of the body. However, a human/dragon fusion had never been attempted before. Zakaroth took a gamble, and he put his soul in my body."
"So, I guess you mean there are two souls in your body. The one speaking to me right now is Gray, my friend and confidant. The other was Zakaroth, king of dragon thieves and powerful fighter. Am I right?" Ranma asked.
"So you believe me?" Gray sighed with relief.
"Yeah. So, you got a Dragon stuck in your head, right?" Ranma said.
" Not only that, but this new fusion had changes that not even Zakaroth could have forseen. I grew claws and fangs, as you have seen, as well as horns. They are all retractable, and have served me well. My strength and speed increased exponentially, and I gained increased senses, but this all came at the cost of my home. I was banished from the village, believed to have been cursed, and the villagers feared that I would curse them in return. My own parents carried out the ceremony, and I could never come home again." Gray let a tear slide down from his cheek.
"Is there any way to reverse this affliction?" Ranma said concerned.
"Only one. Once we have found and killed Zakaroth's former men, and their leader, he shall be greatful to me, and will go on to the afterlife. That is what the sword is for. It will trap the souls of five dead dragons, adding their power to the wielder. Zakaroth will take it to hell, to show that he is still the best there is." Gray paused.
"So, then, why do you steal so much?" Ranma wondered
" Mostly to satisfy his cravings. Have you forgotten our earlier talk Ranma? What is stealing from those whom do not deserve excess wealth? Zakaroth and I made a deal. I keep control of this body, and in return have to do what he wishes of me, like stealing or having bar fights-"
"So it was YOU who saved me!" Ranma exclaimed.
"Yes. I have comitted what society deems to be sins, but I have never truly hurt anyone." Gray hesitated. "I've gone and said my bit now. I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me." Gray started sobbing.
"But Gray, I want everything to do with you!" Ranma said comfortingly.
"What?" Gray said confused. "But all of the other friends I've tried to make think of me as a freak!"
"Gray, considering where I come from, your condition would fit right in. Besides, your not the only one with a curse." Ranma said sympathetically.
"What do you mean?" Gray said hesitantly.
"Well, I've been cursed as well..." Ranma began, telling Gray the story of the pools of sorrow, Jusenkyo.
Gray interrupted. "So, which of these pools did you fall into?"
Ranma flinched, then said, "Why don't you see for yourself?"
Ranma walked toward the lake, taking a bowl and filling it full of water. He used the soul of ice techinque for a second, then splashed the water over himself.
"I fell into the 'Nyannichuan'." a very wet red head answered. "The spring of Drowned Girl."
A long silence passed, in which Gray only gaped. Then, after a little while, he snorted, and eventually went into full blown laughter. Ranma grew sour at this, but after a little while, began to laugh as well.
"I..I..I'm sorry Ranma." Gray choked out. "But I can just imagine the trouble you would get into with this."
Ranma smiled. "Gray, before we do anything else, I want to ask you something. Would you give me the honor of being my traveling companion on this training trip?" she asked desperately.
Gray's eyes widened in surprise. "You do know that I have to steal things, right?"
"That doesn't matter to me. It's the other soul within you that desires treasure, not you, and I'm going to help you find a way to get him out." Ranma said warmly.
"Well...gee! Thank you so much!" Gray smiled. "I'd love to come with you Ranma! It'll give me a chance to see the world."
Ranma clasped Gray's hand firmly in his. "So, I guess we're stuck together?"
Gray smiled. "It certainly looks that way."
So, Ranma Saotome and Gray Dragon found each other, proving that not only does every person have a soul mate, but they also have one true friend.
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A/N: Well, I hope you liked this chapter. If you want to know, I added Gray because frankly, I think Ranma really needed a friend. Ukyo seemed like it at first, but I think that little scene at the failed wedding proved that she wasn't as much a friend as he had thought. Not to mention the fact that she isn't here now. Also, Ranma needs a sparring partner, and even though I love him, I don't write a very good Ryoga. Ranma needs someone who sympathizes with him, and makes a good contrast. Gray is both, because he is cursed as well, and is a martial artist. You'll see that they make a good team, Ranma being the more powerful of the two, Gray making plans and using his brains.
Does anyone know what the real basics of anything goes style consists of? In the Manga, Ranma says it's Karate, but in the Anime he says it's Kenpo. So, which is it? Really?
Haven't decided on the next chapter's content. I have a lot of ideas, from a gang of demons to the two coming to Hinata house (the setting of Love Hina.) to starting a battle with one of Zakaroth's former men.
Please review as much as possible. A big thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially the one person who suggested I rewrtie chapter two. I'll get to it soon.
Oh, almost forgot! Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Viz has the publishing rights. I do not own it, nor do I own Dr. Pepper, a drink of the Coca-Cola company. (Right?) However, I am proud to say that Gray Dragon and Zakaroth are owned by myself, and death to anyone who copies them! 'Kay, Bye!
The next morning, Ranma woke up to a healed wound, and a lightly snoring Gray who was still in a red sleeping bag. He hesitantly got up, and began to study his surroundings.
It was a clearing in the middle of a very dense forest, located at the end of one river and the beginning of another, the only thing seperating them was a large pool in the middle. They had camped in an area close to the spring, with the remains of a fire close to their sleeping bags, and some now cold soup still over a spit.
Gray then began to open his eyes, and attempted a sleepy smile. "G'morning Ranma." he yawned. To Ranma's great amusement, Gray's hair had some serious problems, and was sticking out at odd angles. Gray pulled out a thermos and began to sleepily chug away at some substance that looked to be black. Gray finished chugging, wiped his mouth with one hand, and let out a belch, at which Ranma snorted.
"Are you always this presentable this early in the morning?" he grinned.
"Usually." Gray said, with a grin of his own. "But after a few minutes, I can usually become somewhat presentable."
Gray took off his clothes and lept into the pool. "Would you like to bathe with me this morning? The water's nice at this time of day" he asked.
"Is the water cold?" Ranma asked nervously.
Gray laughed. "No. It's plenty warm, not cold at all."
"Alright then, sure. Only because I want to see you find a way to get rid of that bed head."
"Like you've never had this before, I take it?" Gray said mock indignantly.
Ranma smiled wanly. "Okay. I have. You happy?"
Gray returned the smile. "Of course." he lept out of the pool just as Ranma lept in, and threw a projectile that only Ranma could have caught. "Here's your towel!"
Luckily, Gray had been right and the pool was lukewarm. Otherwise, there would have been one white-haired enigma with a nosebleed and a quite busty redhead in the same pool. "I thought you were gonna make yourself 'presentable' Gray! What's the holdup?" Ranma shouted over the pool.
"Just have to get my bath stuff!" Gray said as he looked through his own pack. "There! Okay Ranma, look out!"
Gray cannonballed into the pool with a forest green towel around his waist, splashing the rest of the surrounding area, and Ranma as well. Rather than being upset, Ranma was only faintly amused at the other boy's antics.
To his great surprise, Gray began to wash himself with his soap at a pace that no ordinary human could match, moving in a similar way to the Chesnut fist technique. 'He might be a martial artist!' Ranma thought happily. 'Another opponent to test my skills against!'
When Gray had finished washing his hair, Ranma asked, "Hey Gray, what style do you practice?"
"Style?" Gray repeated faintly.
"I mean, what style of the martial arts do you practice?" Ranma asked again.
"I don't practice the martial arts Ranma. I'd like to learn someday though." Gray replied.
To say Ranma was shocked was an understatement. "Well then how are you so fast?" Ranma pressed on.
"I run a lot." Gray answered dismissively. " and when I run I use my arms."
Ranma blinked. "Ooookaaay." He then got a hold of his senses, remembering what he had come to do. "Gray, I wanna ask you if you can do something for me."
"Like what?" Gray asked while taking a bar of soap and rubbing it against his arm.
"Well, you seem to know Zakaroth pretty well, judging from what you told me last night. Do you think you could set up a challenge fight between he and I?" Ranma requested.
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to fight with Zakaroth? He did save your life."
"I know, but you see, one of the main reasons I'm on this training trip is to get stronger by testing my skill. It seems like Zakaroth could be what I'm looking for."
"And what would that be?" Gray asked.
"A worthy opponent. Either that, or a sparring partner. You wouldn't beleive how hard it is to train without one." Ranma sniffed disdainfully. " The last being that was able to truly test me is no longer here. I need a challenge." Ranma replied. "I also want to see if anyone would be willing to teach me any new techniques."
"Hmmm. Well, what are the other reasons for this trip of yours? I've been traveling for ten years, and the only reason I've got is that I was banished from my home." Gray said.
Ranma looked at Gray with pity, and replied, "Well, at first it was because I was looking for students and a desire to pass on my style of martial arts. Also because I needed some time to think. But now that I think about it..." he sighed, "something like that really needs to be confined to one solitary area, were people can come and go as they wish. Either that, or I just need to focus on one student."
"After hearing about Zakaroth, I thought that it should be my duty as a martial artist to bring him to justice. After getting the real story on him though, I'm not so sure I should try to turn him in. I'm just... confused now." Ranma sighed.
Gray seemed to contemplate this for a few moments, putting his hand up to his chin. Finally, he said, "Well, why not just do what you martial artists are supposed to do?"
"And what would that be?" Ranma asked dully.
"Protect those who cannot protect themselves. Be a warrior of justice!" Gray shouted excitedly.
Something seemed to click inside Ranma. "That's it! That's why I've never felt satisfied back in Nerima! I had forgotten what that truly means. But after last night," he glanced meaningfully at Gray, "I think I've remembered."
"You lived in Nerima?" Gray asked.
"Yeah. It's a long story Gray, but when I would fight there, it was only for self-defense, or for a challenge. Lately though, that hasn't been satisfying, and I couldn't figure out why, but now I have." Ranma paused. "I think you've hit the nail on the head!"
Gray smiled. "Well, I think I might be able to help you after all. I can arrange a fight between you and Zakaroth. However," he said at Ranma's excited look. "In return, I wish to be you're first student." Gray grinned widely.
"That would be great!" Ranma said excitedly. "You've got potential, and that was only when I saw you bathe!"
"I do?" Gray asked.
"Sure! C'mon, let's start!" Ranma lept out of the pool, and hurriedly began to put a pair of silk pants on.
"You mean now?!" Gray asked, surprised.
"YES! I've been waiting too long for this! I've got to guage your potential first though." Ranma said while putting on a red chinese shirt. "How long until I get to fight Zakaroth?" he changed the subject through a mouthful of shirt.
"About two weeks!" Gray replied.
"Perfect! Just enough time to teach you all of the basic forms!" Ranma smiled manically. "Hurry up! We don't have all day you know!" he shouted impatiently.
Gray grumbled quite a bit, but was soon distracted when Ranma began to guage his potential.
First, was the speed test. Gray lead Ranma to a large clearing in which they could run. In order for Gray to do well on the speed test, he had to keep up with Ranma ten out of twenty laps on the track. To Ranma's surprise, Gray kept up for fourteen whole laps, then began to swag. Gray seemed to have though he had done something wrong, but Ranma praised him wholeheartedly.
The strength test was conducted on two gigantic boulders. Ranma went first and almost destroyed the thing whole, having to use another light tap to destroy it all. Then Gray went and before hitting it, he looked all over it's surface. Finally, he punched with all of his might and destroyed the boulder instantly. Obviously, Gray had done well on that test.
Next was Endurance. Ranma tested Gray in this area by hitting him with a minimum of thirty blows, and depending on how Gray looked and sounded, would guage his performance. After about twenty five blows, Gray began to tire and as the final blows struck, he collapsed. After waking up, Ranma commented that while Gray still needed work in endurance, he did well to have withstood Thirty of Ranma's best strikes. Or at least that's what he told Gray. To be honest though, the strikes were only at about half of Ranma's best strength. He wasn't sure Gray could take any more.
Finally, they began Agility. Ranma had Gray leap from various trees in the forest, from one to another using only his feet. Gray did well until he lept onto a branch that was clearly very old, landing on top of Ranma in the process.
"My aching muscles!" Gray whined. "So, how did I do Ranma?" he said abruptly.
Ranma smiled. "Believe me when I say this: you are probably the best student I could have gotten way out here."
Gray beamed with pride. "Really? You mean it?"
"I do. You seem to excel in the basic fundamentals of the martial arts. If you knew the forms and we had just a regular fight, then I would have quite a bit of a challenge." Ranma said.
"Well, gee, thanks! So we start the real training tomorrow?" Gray asked.
"Yes." Ranma turned away for a second, to work up a bit of courage. "Listen, Gray, I don't mean to pry, but how did you get so good?....Gray?"
But Gray had fallen fast asleep. "Poor guy must be exhausted." Ranma thought.
He lifted Gray up and into his sleeping bag, taking his form and covering it up. Ranma then went off to catch some fish, not having had any dinner or lunch, and wanting to preserve his rations.
He could ask Gray tomorrow, when they trained. 'Then again,' he thought 'Maybe he just doesn't wanna talk about it. I mean, I'm keeping a secret from him too.'
Ranma decided that Gray could tell him if he wanted to. He sure wasn't willing to let go of his first male friend, and it seemed that Gray didn't want to either, so he was willing to let sleeping Dragons lie. Er, purely figuratively of course, heh heh...
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In the two weeks that followed, Ranma and Gray began to feel more at ease with each other than they had ever felt living with family members. Gray told Ranma that his own family, in fact, carried out his banishment from home. When Ranma asked why he was banished, Gray ignored him, so Ranma let another one of Gray's secrets be.
Ranma would teach Gray at an exceptional pace, starting with 20 mile jogs and ending with one thousand perfect push ups. Gray often had to slow down during these intense sessions, but he soon got the hang of it. Unfortunately, whatever Gray could do was made impossible again when Ranma upped the value even more. Gray often went off into the woulds to curse a bloody streak when he heard the newest amount of torture he was meant to endure, Ranma laughing all the while.
As far as the basic forms went though, Gray did quite well. Even though he wasn't quite as skilled in areas of the body as Ranma, he definentley had him beat in the mind. Gray had a huge memory, and would often tell Ranma some random little fact, about anything really. When Ranma asked why he did this so often, Gray replied, "For shits and giggles." he would chuckle. As a result, the basics came naturally, and Gray was at the brown belt level of Karate within five days.
When he chose to show it, Gray had a very wierd, yet funny sense of humor. He would talk in silly voices from cartoons, appear to recite monologues while making wild motions and put on acts about just anything, including pretending that the world was flat.
"You see Ranma," he said in an englishman voice, "The reason Columbus was able to sail over the edge of the world was because the bottom is like a magnet. He was upside down when he thought he was right side. He would have discovered the truth if he had merely thrown one of his men overboard." then he dissolved into giggles.
Most importantly though, for Ranma, was that Gray was a guy he could talk to about... well, guy stuff, regaling Gray with an edited version of the past two years, minus the Jusenkyo curses. Gray thought his stories were hilarious, which irked Ranma to no end, but Gray was still a good audience, and seemed to be very impressed with his fighting record. It was Gray's turn to hunt and cook, and Ranma was telling Gray about his first night at the Tendo Dojo.
"So Akane comes and hits me even though it was an honest mistake." he said to Gray over a mouthful of dinner. "And she never even gives me a chance to explain myself. Sure we have our moments, but it's just... hard, you know?"
Gray, who had listened to this, frowned and furrowed his chin. "I think that in some ways you're right Ranma. Akane does need to find a way to get rid of her anger, and she needs to be able to think things through more logically. However," he said to a now triumphant looking Ranma. "That doesn't give you an excuse to insult her. Have you ever tried being nice to her for a long period of time?"
Ranma thought this through. "Well... no." he answered with a sigh. "It's just... I get so defensive sometimes, and it's awfully hard with so many people watching you. Especially when you haven't really had much of a home life like me, and haven't really thought about girls that often, and you hear about things at school like sex, expecting the unexpected."
"Ranma, in order to make a relationship work, you have to trust each other. If you ever get into a real relationship, and you aren't sure were it's going, then the best thing to do is just talk. You and Akane seem to mostly just have problems because of that and because of mixed signals." Gray held up a hand "I'll admit, the rivals and fiancees do seem like a problem, and you should take care of it, but I think that being away for a while really is the best idea." Gray told him.
"Why do you say that?" said an utterly shocked Ranma.
"Because it will give you time to think things through. If you do love her, and she loves you, then your time apart won't matter in the long run. You'll also be able to think of ways to make the relationship work, and to solve your problems." Gray finished.
Ranma narrowed his eyes. "How do you know all this stuff? I mean, it makes sense, but I thought that only people with experience would know that kinda stuff."
Gray grinned. "A fanfiction author is speaking through me." he replied.
Ranma groaned. "Seriously though."
"Just a lot of deep thinking, sensitivity, (which, no offense, you need more of.) and a healthy respect for women. You don't have to listen to my advice, but I'd recommend that you do." Gray responded, standing up to douse the campfire. "How was dinner? Was the Rabbit good?"
"It was great!" Ranma said enthusiastically. "You're pretty good at cooking Gray."
"Not as good as you. Well, good night Ranma."
"Good night Gray." Ranma stared at his companion, who was snuggling into a sleeping bag, and leaving his friend with much to think about.
Especially the fact that he and Gray were becoming inseperable. True, he hadn't many friends in Nerima, but he could safely say that Gray was a person that he truly liked to be and to do things with, like a best friend. He could safely talk to him, they had interesting conversations, they liked to do a lot of the same things, and Gray could make him laugh, something that he almost never did.
Was that what he was becoming? Ranma's best friend?
And that was even before the love advice began to sink in...
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The two weeks passed in a blur, with training, talking, eating, bathing, and occasionally playing with Gray's Game boy and Walkman. Ranma later discovered that Gray's morning beverage was not coffee, as he had guessed, but a soft drink called Dr. Pepper.
Ranma had decided then and there that he was going to ask Gray to be a permanent traveling companion. It just wouldn't be the same without him, and Ranma began to see the kind of friendship that his pop and Mr. Tendo had formed, though he and Gray weren't united because of a three hundred year old pervert.
The training had been completed, and Gray now knew almost every move in the anything-goes style. However, he had refused to learn the Chestnut fist, Umi-Sen-ken, Moko Takabisha or Hiyruu Shoten Haa. Gray had told him that since they were due to part soon, (Ranma didn't notice he said this very sadly.) Ranma's special techniques were special to him, and had no place in a novice's arsenal. Ranma tried to convince Gray that he was no novice, especially after the harrowing sparring matches they had undergone, but Gray seemed convinced that it was for the best.
Zakaroth was due to arrive that morning, and Gray was supposed to meet him at around ten. Gray would then leave, and the two would have their fight. Gray's watch beeped, startling Ranma out of his thoughts.
"Well, I guess it's time. Zakaroth will be here in about twenty minutes. I know our time was short lived, but I just want you to know that I loved every minute of it." Gray suddenly grew misty eyed. "I wish you well Ranma, wherever your life takes you. Good bye, my friend." he walked off, then began to run into the forest.
"Gray wait!" Ranma protested, running after him. Alas, Gray had vanished and there was no trace of him. Ranma walked sadly back to the campsite. His first real friend, and he had botched it! 'Way to go Saotome.' he thought mournfully.
A few minutes later, a cloaked figure appeared at the camp. "I take it you are the one who wishes to fight me." the figure said. It was a statement, not a question.
"Indeed." Ranma got up, determined to let off some stress. "Before we begin though, I'd like to thank you for saving my life that night in the bar."
"What are you talking about? I've never seen you before in my life!" the figure proclaimed. He then took off the cloak, and revealed what lay beneath.
"I am Zakaroth, king of the Dragon thieves. You have extended a formal challenge to me, and I intend to carry it out. Let us begin human!" he shouted.
As Zakaroth made his proclamation, Ranma began to see the being behind the cloak for the first time. Zakaroth had waist length black hair, styled in a long wave. He wore a black gi and white pants, with a Katana blade firmly enrenched in a sheath near Zakaroth's waist. He was also fairly tall.
However, what surprised Ranma the most, and what backed up Zakaroth's claim to be a Dragon came from the eyes. They were pure blood red, evil and malicious. Put simply, they were terrifying, and chilled Ranma's soul in a way that the soul of ice never could. Zakaroth also had out ten claws extending from his fingertips, not overly long but definently sharp, and two glistening fangs. There was something about his body though, that was so familiar...
Ranma had no time to think though, as Zakaroth immediately sprang into action. He tried swinging one of his enormous claws at Ranma, so fast that Ranma barely dodged it. Zakaroth continued to use his claws, swiping and thrusting at the pigtailed martial artist. Eventually, Zakaroth attempted to send a claw thrust to one of Ranma's legs, but it missed and Zakaroth was slowed by his hand being stuck firmly in the ground. This allowed Ranma to leap up and perform a devastating side kick to Zakaroth's head. Quickly, Zakaroth grabbed Ranma's leg and began to swing him like a baton, throwing him into a nearby rock as Ranma let loose a Moko Takabisha that hit Zakaroth in the stomach, sending him into a boulder as well.
The two got up, staring daggers at each other, but at the same time both grinned in a satisfied sort of way. Zakaroth then charged Ranma once again, looking much like a savage animal out for the kill. Ranma dodged at the last second, got behind Zakaroth and shouted, "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Thousands of blows rained upon Zakaroth, leaving him bruised and battered. However, once the attack had finished, Zakaroth lept up and used both feet to firmly kick Ranma in the stomach. Ranma staggered backwards coughing up blood, and Zakaroth finished his erstaz backflip. Taking advantage of Ranma's moment of weakness, Zakaroth channeled his ki and shouted, "NEGA DRAGON FIREBALL!". This caused a ki ball in Zakaroth's palm to grow into a small black ball of flames, which Zakaroth threw at Ranma with all of his might.
Ranma jumped up just as the fireball hit his postition, which made a pillar of black flame that spiraled in all directions. It devastated all nearby life, doing things such as making trees wither away and die, or crumbling rocks into dust. Ranma once again kicked at Zakaroth, but Zakaroth chose to block the attack this time around. Ranma landed and aimed a at punch at Zakaroth's head, this one landing and causing a bruise to appear on his right eye. Zakaroth returned the favor by viciously slashing Ranma's arm, leaving an open wound which bled freely, and made Ranma yell out in pain. Ranma sprang back into action, eagerly awaiting the next attack.
Both of them threw a punch, and both collided. Then they tried attack with the other fist, but those collided as well. The fists opened into palms, and both pushed with all of their strength, neither backing down. Then, Zakaroth tried a kick, but Ranma countered with a foot that collided with the other. Finally, Ranma gained some leverage and lept both of them into mid air, where he tried a mid-air kick. Zakaroth countered with his last foot, and the two bounced off of each other, each landing a kick to the head, sending the recievers flying into two different trees simultaneously. They got back up again, taking stances. Ranma, with an arrogant smirk, motioned for Zakaroth to continue.
The fight continued for some time, although no special attacks were used. Neither fighter seemed to be able to generate enough power to use ki, and it looked at though the two were evenly matched, breathing heavily as they realized that they had finally been given a true challenge.
"I must say... Saotome. I'm... impressed." Zakaroth coughed out. "Never have..I...met a figher... of your..caliber."
"Thanks. You're quite good yourself." Ranma moaned. "But I'm gonna win this fight!" Ranma said, suddenly thinking of Gray, and how disappointed he would be if his sensei lost. This seemed to give Ranma the strength to begin a final desperation attack.
"SHIN..." he began waving with his arms, wincing at the pain the slashed arm took, but going on nonetheless. "MOKO..." Zakaroth looked on in shock, and began to run towards him with claws stretched out. Alas, it was too late, as Ranma finished the attack. "TAKABISHA!"
An enormous white ball of ki energy sailed out of Ranma's arms, enveloping Zakaroth, and the force was so powerful that it knocked Ranma back and made Zakaroth literally fly off for a second until he slammed into a tree, slumping to the ground unconscious. The force in turn, had accidentally knocked the tree straight to the ground.
Ranma was determined to make sure his opponent was alive, but the effort of dragging himself to Zakaroth's landing spot was almost too much to bear. Finally, he reached the very tree that had fallen, but it was not Zakaroth that met his eyes, slumped on the ground.
"Gray?" he stared in shock
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Ranma dragged what he thought was Gray back up to the campsite. 'Gray. How could it have been Gray?' he thought.
Thinking back, it did sort of make sense. Gray hadn't really explained where he had gotten all of his strength, never talked about his past, and defended Zakaroth. The only thing that kept Ranma from throwing his body into the lake was the friendship he had thought they had developed. 'He had better have a damn good explanation for this.' Ranma thought hopefully.
He took out the first aid kit he had kept in his pack for ten years, (His pop had never healed him, or allowed him to be healed with. Thus, Ranma's body adjusted accordingly.) hoping that it would still work. Luckily, it was full, and Ranma began to bandage up Gray's battered body, as well as the cut Ranma himself had sustained on his arm.
A few hours later, Gray/Zakaroth was still conked out, and Ranma had begun to heat up some canned food from his pack. Soon, the smell of cooking food wafted over the horizon, and Gray slowly began to stir. He opened an eye, laughed weakly and coughed. "We've got to stop meeting like this." he rasped out.
"I assume you have an explanation for this." Ranma looked at Gray's still form balefully. Gray turned his head away in shame. "Yeah, I suppose I do owe you one of those."
"To be honest," Gray sat up. "Zakaroth didn't think you would win."
Ranma raised his eyebrow. "I thought you were Zakaroth." he said.
Gray grew somber. "No. He and I merely share the same body, in a mutual curse."
Ranma's eyes widened in surprise. "A curse? Gray, have you ever been to the Cursed springs of Jusenkyo?" he questioned.
"The what? No, it's a long story. One that begins ten years ago." Gray replied.
Ranma shrugged. "I've got time."
Gray sighed. "All right. Ranma, I haven't been very forthcoming towards my past with you, and I apologize." he took a sip of his trusty thermos to clear the raspiness. "Ah, much better. Well, anyway, as you may have guessed, I'm not Japanese. I do speak the language well, but English is the language I speak primarily."
"So?" Ranma said impatiently.
"I come from Canada, in an ancient village that is not on any map, called... well, I never learned what it was called because they never told me. When I was around seven years old, I accepted a foolish dare from some older boys. They wanted me to 'prove I was a man' by going up to a cave that was deemed sacred, taking a picture of the inside. The villagers believed that a terrible monster lived in the cave, and would destroy the village if one of the villagers would defile it's 'sacred ground.' They were half right." Gray said, pausing to let this sink in.
Gray continued. "Zakaroth IS actually a real dragon. Or at least he used to be. You see, Zakaroth was once the leader of five dragons which pilfered more than their fare share of Dragon gold, jewels, diamonds and other treasures. Dragons usually live on an alternate plane of reality than humans, but that doesn't mean that they can't come here. They disguise themselves by shapeshifting, or becoming invisible. You hear about the people that disappear, never to return? Usually, they discover a dragon's existence, and pay the price."
Gray sighed. "Soon, however, Zakaroth's men began to become dissatisfied with his leadership. They tried to defeat him, but he was simply too powerful. So, they called upon his greatest enemy to aid them, and with his power they had seemingly killed him. Or so the people thought."
"Zakaroth hadn't died. It takes an enormous power to kill a very old and powerful dragon such as he. Instead, the five merely stripped him of him immortality, (a few dragons do have that.) and was imprisoned in the very cave that I came to. By that time, age was catching up with him and he was about to die."
Gray's face grew pensive. "Somehow, when I came to his lair, I alone was able to break the seal that the five dragons had made on his cave, purely by accident. Neither Zakaroth nor myself has any idea of how it happened. One thing I can be certain though, is that it was no coincidence."
Ranma interrupted. "I'm guessing that you have a special power, sleeping within you. Akane has the same potential, just in a different way."
"You really think so, don't you? Well, when I came to Zakaroth's cave, I was astonished. Not frightened in the least was I, for I could see that what was to me a beautiful creature was dying. I hugged him, determined to show him one last aspect of compassion. That was a mistake."
Gray laughed mirthlessly. "It turns out that all dragons have the ability to implant their souls into other living creatures human or animal. The catch to this, is that the dragon in question has to be touching, or be touched by the creature it wishes to posses. Zakaroth was dying, and the only chance he had to get back at his enemies was with me. Usually, when a dragon possesed an animal, it remained in control of the body. However, a human/dragon fusion had never been attempted before. Zakaroth took a gamble, and he put his soul in my body."
"So, I guess you mean there are two souls in your body. The one speaking to me right now is Gray, my friend and confidant. The other was Zakaroth, king of dragon thieves and powerful fighter. Am I right?" Ranma asked.
"So you believe me?" Gray sighed with relief.
"Yeah. So, you got a Dragon stuck in your head, right?" Ranma said.
" Not only that, but this new fusion had changes that not even Zakaroth could have forseen. I grew claws and fangs, as you have seen, as well as horns. They are all retractable, and have served me well. My strength and speed increased exponentially, and I gained increased senses, but this all came at the cost of my home. I was banished from the village, believed to have been cursed, and the villagers feared that I would curse them in return. My own parents carried out the ceremony, and I could never come home again." Gray let a tear slide down from his cheek.
"Is there any way to reverse this affliction?" Ranma said concerned.
"Only one. Once we have found and killed Zakaroth's former men, and their leader, he shall be greatful to me, and will go on to the afterlife. That is what the sword is for. It will trap the souls of five dead dragons, adding their power to the wielder. Zakaroth will take it to hell, to show that he is still the best there is." Gray paused.
"So, then, why do you steal so much?" Ranma wondered
" Mostly to satisfy his cravings. Have you forgotten our earlier talk Ranma? What is stealing from those whom do not deserve excess wealth? Zakaroth and I made a deal. I keep control of this body, and in return have to do what he wishes of me, like stealing or having bar fights-"
"So it was YOU who saved me!" Ranma exclaimed.
"Yes. I have comitted what society deems to be sins, but I have never truly hurt anyone." Gray hesitated. "I've gone and said my bit now. I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me." Gray started sobbing.
"But Gray, I want everything to do with you!" Ranma said comfortingly.
"What?" Gray said confused. "But all of the other friends I've tried to make think of me as a freak!"
"Gray, considering where I come from, your condition would fit right in. Besides, your not the only one with a curse." Ranma said sympathetically.
"What do you mean?" Gray said hesitantly.
"Well, I've been cursed as well..." Ranma began, telling Gray the story of the pools of sorrow, Jusenkyo.
Gray interrupted. "So, which of these pools did you fall into?"
Ranma flinched, then said, "Why don't you see for yourself?"
Ranma walked toward the lake, taking a bowl and filling it full of water. He used the soul of ice techinque for a second, then splashed the water over himself.
"I fell into the 'Nyannichuan'." a very wet red head answered. "The spring of Drowned Girl."
A long silence passed, in which Gray only gaped. Then, after a little while, he snorted, and eventually went into full blown laughter. Ranma grew sour at this, but after a little while, began to laugh as well.
"I..I..I'm sorry Ranma." Gray choked out. "But I can just imagine the trouble you would get into with this."
Ranma smiled. "Gray, before we do anything else, I want to ask you something. Would you give me the honor of being my traveling companion on this training trip?" she asked desperately.
Gray's eyes widened in surprise. "You do know that I have to steal things, right?"
"That doesn't matter to me. It's the other soul within you that desires treasure, not you, and I'm going to help you find a way to get him out." Ranma said warmly.
"Well...gee! Thank you so much!" Gray smiled. "I'd love to come with you Ranma! It'll give me a chance to see the world."
Ranma clasped Gray's hand firmly in his. "So, I guess we're stuck together?"
Gray smiled. "It certainly looks that way."
So, Ranma Saotome and Gray Dragon found each other, proving that not only does every person have a soul mate, but they also have one true friend.
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A/N: Well, I hope you liked this chapter. If you want to know, I added Gray because frankly, I think Ranma really needed a friend. Ukyo seemed like it at first, but I think that little scene at the failed wedding proved that she wasn't as much a friend as he had thought. Not to mention the fact that she isn't here now. Also, Ranma needs a sparring partner, and even though I love him, I don't write a very good Ryoga. Ranma needs someone who sympathizes with him, and makes a good contrast. Gray is both, because he is cursed as well, and is a martial artist. You'll see that they make a good team, Ranma being the more powerful of the two, Gray making plans and using his brains.
Does anyone know what the real basics of anything goes style consists of? In the Manga, Ranma says it's Karate, but in the Anime he says it's Kenpo. So, which is it? Really?
Haven't decided on the next chapter's content. I have a lot of ideas, from a gang of demons to the two coming to Hinata house (the setting of Love Hina.) to starting a battle with one of Zakaroth's former men.
Please review as much as possible. A big thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially the one person who suggested I rewrtie chapter two. I'll get to it soon.
Oh, almost forgot! Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Viz has the publishing rights. I do not own it, nor do I own Dr. Pepper, a drink of the Coca-Cola company. (Right?) However, I am proud to say that Gray Dragon and Zakaroth are owned by myself, and death to anyone who copies them! 'Kay, Bye!