Rolling Mist, Morning Wind
A Ranma/Rayearth Fanfic by Adyen (senrandayahoo.ca)
Whoot! Finally continuing this... Gotta promise myself to keep writing...
You know what? After losing all my notes, I have to reorder everything that happens between here and the ending of the story. I know I had a very interesting idea, but it just won't be the same as the one I'm going to use...
Oh, and I NEED a pre-reader. One who won't mind months, nearly a year of silence from me and suddenly receiving email, or one who can prod me to write via all the chat programs I have.
Chapter 7: Beginnings
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Whereas the interior of Wind Knight's pillar was mainly made out of green or purple stones with the phoenix motif, the Water Knight's pillar was made out of mainly blue and black stones with a dragon motif. Ferio led Ranma to a large door where two men stood at guard, wearing different armors, but each wore the same bracelet: a round circlet around their arms with what seems to be a dragon's head connected to the tail.
Seeing Ranma's questioning look, Ferio explained, "The Water Knight's Guardian Rune God is a dragon. The bracelet identifies them as part of the Water Knight's Guard, as more often than not, we all come with our own armor and weapons."
"And since you're more familiar with your own weapons and armors, it'd be best if you kept them instead of retraining with others." Ranma completed, nodding understandingly.
Ferio nodded to the two at the door and answered, "Exactly. Why waste time retraining people in equipment when we can use what we already know? At most, we give extra training on how to use it, but that's only a matter of skill, not equipment. Which reminds me, do you know how to use other weapons?"
The two at the door had not been idle as they were speaking. One had knocked at the door and entered, while the other one was outside waiting for the other to return.
"But, what if someone just faked one of those bracelets?" Ranma asked, curious how trusting those people were.
Smiling, Ferio gave the guard a questioning look, and was replied with a grin. "Ranma, try to take the bracelet off of the guard."
Grinning slightly, Ranma proceeded to remove the bracelet, but when his hands reached it, all it did was phase through the bracelet as if it was water. Blinking, he tried it a few more times before glancing at the smiling faces of the two, asking, "Ok... magic?"
Ferio nodded. "Magic." He said as the man came back out and telling them to enter.
Thanking the guard, Ferio led Ranma inside to the room that held the Water Knight, letting the young man behind him take a good look around.
The interior of the room was made of mainly blue and black stones as well. The walls were a light shade of sky-blue, while the floor was of a black that seemed purple when light hit upon it. One side of the room was made from what seems to be clear glass, showing a majestic view of Cephiro. In front of that glass was a desk and a chair, with the back rest facing them.
"Lady Umi?" Ferio asked the figure sitting on the chair as it spun slowly to show the figure sitting in it.
Like Kasumi and Hikaru, she was wearing almost uniform like clothing, only with blue instead of green. Her long blue hair streamed off to the side as she got up and looked at Ranma. From her, he could sense a feeling of responsibly and duty as if it was a mirror of himself; a burden that was willing picked up, yet she then found it entitled more than she originally thought it would be.
"You must be Ranma." Umi, the only person this could be, said. "I've heard some of your stories from Kasumi. Please, sit." She gestured at the two chairs in front of the table.
Ranma and Ferio took a seat at the gestured chairs, Ranma awkwardly as he wasn't sure what to make of this, while Ferio smoothly picked up the conversation. "So Lady Umi, how was your little get-together?"
Umi smiled softly and said, "It was fun. Kasumi still makes the best food around. I just wish we could meet more often."
Ranma kept silent, not wishing to intrude. Ferio smiled at the lady Knight and said, "Maybe you should meet over in your world as well as here. It shouldn't be a problem..."
Umi's smile faded slightly. "I wish. Hikaru spends the majority of her time either here or at her dojo, while Kasumi spends most of her time at home, and I live at the other end of Tokyo, managing the business. I barely have enough time as it is to come here, and if it wasn't for the fact that Hikaru set it so that time runs differently when we're here, we wouldn't have time to meet at all!" She then turned to Ranma. "Which brings us to you."
Ranma fidgeted under Umi's piercing stare. "What are you two here for? And don't tell me it's just to visit."
Ferio looked questioningly at Umi. "Didn't Clef tell you we were coming?"
Shaking her head, Umi sat down and said, "No, he didn't. Knowing the midget, he probably forgot or was too busy and never got a chance." The tone was said with a slightly sarcastic edge, but was laced with fondness as well as if they shared a something going way back.
Ferio decided not to comment and just relayed what Clef had said. "So you see, we need you to... initiate Ranma here so he can go off prancing around the countryside."
Ranma made a feeble protest, but understood it was just a joke and smiled himself.
Umi shook her head ruefully and said in a well used tone of voice, "I told you Ferio, Hikaru doesn't want you going out to the countryside, and I agree with her."
Ferio merely sighed and sat silently and they stared at each other for a moment before Umi broke eye contact. "Ranma, could you stand up please?" He did so.
"I organized this Knighthood when we realized that, while Hikaru's plan stabilized Cephiro to a point unheard of before, it also created an outlet to the darker desires of people's heart. Most of us don't act out those desires, and a Cephiro citizen even more unlikely, but it's there and by connecting each person with the land, it allowed those darker intentions to manifest themselves in different forms. The Knights were made to deal with these monsters, and if we're lucky, give the chance for those who created them to deal the final blow.
"Most of them are a monster of one sort or another, as we tend to identify those baser darkness as something other than human; but sometimes, they may look and even act like normal people. We've encountered some that were disguised pretty cleverly before, like that one that pretended to be a homeless waif and after a family took her in, she slowly killed them and... well, realized we needed some way to identify them quickly and clearly.
"That's when Clef, Kasumi, and I created those bracelets using our combined magic. When there is a monster nearby, they'll tell you approximately which direction it is, and if it's right in front of you, you'll know. Once you put on the bracelet, Selece will judge you if you're able, and if you are, it'll stay on until removed. Otherwise, it'll just fall off."
"Selece?" Ranma asked, having not heard of the name before.
Umi merely gave her a mysterious smile before reaching down somewhere and bring out a bracelet that seems to be metal, and said, "Wear this over naked skin. Then twist it around three times if you're sure of your decision."
Ranma did as he was bided to and suddenly found himself in a dark space with nothing at all. "Hello?" He yelled, as if it would help him figure out what just happened.
"Ye shall be judged..." A loud booming voice said from behind him. Ranma slowly turned to look up. And up. And further up at the figure of Selece, the Water Dragon in its full glory. "Prepare thyself."
Ranma boggled at Selece as water ran down its entire length and cover its figure, then slowly shrink unit it was a man sized blob of water holding what seems to be a rapier. Shaking his head slightly, Ranma grinned and cracked his knuckles as he got into a ready stance. "Bring it."
Whoot! Finally continuing this... Gotta promise myself to keep writing...
You know what? After losing all my notes, I have to reorder everything that happens between here and the ending of the story. I know I had a very interesting idea, but it just won't be the same as the one I'm going to use...
Oh, and I NEED a pre-reader. One who won't mind months, nearly a year of silence from me and suddenly receiving email, or one who can prod me to write via all the chat programs I have.
Chapter 7: Beginnings
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Whereas the interior of Wind Knight's pillar was mainly made out of green or purple stones with the phoenix motif, the Water Knight's pillar was made out of mainly blue and black stones with a dragon motif. Ferio led Ranma to a large door where two men stood at guard, wearing different armors, but each wore the same bracelet: a round circlet around their arms with what seems to be a dragon's head connected to the tail.
Seeing Ranma's questioning look, Ferio explained, "The Water Knight's Guardian Rune God is a dragon. The bracelet identifies them as part of the Water Knight's Guard, as more often than not, we all come with our own armor and weapons."
"And since you're more familiar with your own weapons and armors, it'd be best if you kept them instead of retraining with others." Ranma completed, nodding understandingly.
Ferio nodded to the two at the door and answered, "Exactly. Why waste time retraining people in equipment when we can use what we already know? At most, we give extra training on how to use it, but that's only a matter of skill, not equipment. Which reminds me, do you know how to use other weapons?"
The two at the door had not been idle as they were speaking. One had knocked at the door and entered, while the other one was outside waiting for the other to return.
"But, what if someone just faked one of those bracelets?" Ranma asked, curious how trusting those people were.
Smiling, Ferio gave the guard a questioning look, and was replied with a grin. "Ranma, try to take the bracelet off of the guard."
Grinning slightly, Ranma proceeded to remove the bracelet, but when his hands reached it, all it did was phase through the bracelet as if it was water. Blinking, he tried it a few more times before glancing at the smiling faces of the two, asking, "Ok... magic?"
Ferio nodded. "Magic." He said as the man came back out and telling them to enter.
Thanking the guard, Ferio led Ranma inside to the room that held the Water Knight, letting the young man behind him take a good look around.
The interior of the room was made of mainly blue and black stones as well. The walls were a light shade of sky-blue, while the floor was of a black that seemed purple when light hit upon it. One side of the room was made from what seems to be clear glass, showing a majestic view of Cephiro. In front of that glass was a desk and a chair, with the back rest facing them.
"Lady Umi?" Ferio asked the figure sitting on the chair as it spun slowly to show the figure sitting in it.
Like Kasumi and Hikaru, she was wearing almost uniform like clothing, only with blue instead of green. Her long blue hair streamed off to the side as she got up and looked at Ranma. From her, he could sense a feeling of responsibly and duty as if it was a mirror of himself; a burden that was willing picked up, yet she then found it entitled more than she originally thought it would be.
"You must be Ranma." Umi, the only person this could be, said. "I've heard some of your stories from Kasumi. Please, sit." She gestured at the two chairs in front of the table.
Ranma and Ferio took a seat at the gestured chairs, Ranma awkwardly as he wasn't sure what to make of this, while Ferio smoothly picked up the conversation. "So Lady Umi, how was your little get-together?"
Umi smiled softly and said, "It was fun. Kasumi still makes the best food around. I just wish we could meet more often."
Ranma kept silent, not wishing to intrude. Ferio smiled at the lady Knight and said, "Maybe you should meet over in your world as well as here. It shouldn't be a problem..."
Umi's smile faded slightly. "I wish. Hikaru spends the majority of her time either here or at her dojo, while Kasumi spends most of her time at home, and I live at the other end of Tokyo, managing the business. I barely have enough time as it is to come here, and if it wasn't for the fact that Hikaru set it so that time runs differently when we're here, we wouldn't have time to meet at all!" She then turned to Ranma. "Which brings us to you."
Ranma fidgeted under Umi's piercing stare. "What are you two here for? And don't tell me it's just to visit."
Ferio looked questioningly at Umi. "Didn't Clef tell you we were coming?"
Shaking her head, Umi sat down and said, "No, he didn't. Knowing the midget, he probably forgot or was too busy and never got a chance." The tone was said with a slightly sarcastic edge, but was laced with fondness as well as if they shared a something going way back.
Ferio decided not to comment and just relayed what Clef had said. "So you see, we need you to... initiate Ranma here so he can go off prancing around the countryside."
Ranma made a feeble protest, but understood it was just a joke and smiled himself.
Umi shook her head ruefully and said in a well used tone of voice, "I told you Ferio, Hikaru doesn't want you going out to the countryside, and I agree with her."
Ferio merely sighed and sat silently and they stared at each other for a moment before Umi broke eye contact. "Ranma, could you stand up please?" He did so.
"I organized this Knighthood when we realized that, while Hikaru's plan stabilized Cephiro to a point unheard of before, it also created an outlet to the darker desires of people's heart. Most of us don't act out those desires, and a Cephiro citizen even more unlikely, but it's there and by connecting each person with the land, it allowed those darker intentions to manifest themselves in different forms. The Knights were made to deal with these monsters, and if we're lucky, give the chance for those who created them to deal the final blow.
"Most of them are a monster of one sort or another, as we tend to identify those baser darkness as something other than human; but sometimes, they may look and even act like normal people. We've encountered some that were disguised pretty cleverly before, like that one that pretended to be a homeless waif and after a family took her in, she slowly killed them and... well, realized we needed some way to identify them quickly and clearly.
"That's when Clef, Kasumi, and I created those bracelets using our combined magic. When there is a monster nearby, they'll tell you approximately which direction it is, and if it's right in front of you, you'll know. Once you put on the bracelet, Selece will judge you if you're able, and if you are, it'll stay on until removed. Otherwise, it'll just fall off."
"Selece?" Ranma asked, having not heard of the name before.
Umi merely gave her a mysterious smile before reaching down somewhere and bring out a bracelet that seems to be metal, and said, "Wear this over naked skin. Then twist it around three times if you're sure of your decision."
Ranma did as he was bided to and suddenly found himself in a dark space with nothing at all. "Hello?" He yelled, as if it would help him figure out what just happened.
"Ye shall be judged..." A loud booming voice said from behind him. Ranma slowly turned to look up. And up. And further up at the figure of Selece, the Water Dragon in its full glory. "Prepare thyself."
Ranma boggled at Selece as water ran down its entire length and cover its figure, then slowly shrink unit it was a man sized blob of water holding what seems to be a rapier. Shaking his head slightly, Ranma grinned and cracked his knuckles as he got into a ready stance. "Bring it."