***
Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening. --Barbara Tober
***
Ranma was the first to walk into the sunlight again after they had decided to rest. The worried lines on his face only complimented his equally angry expressions , "Lemme get this straight; you stopped the carriage and let me and Akane out because you were lost?"
Ryoga stared to the ground, ashamed of what he had done, "Well, it's not really my fault."
Ranma stared back and raised his eyebrows. He folded his arms over his chest and gazed over Ryoga's shoulder, into the woods. Of course, he would have the same view from any other place he could be standing since they were lost in what looked to be a vast forest, "How'd ya even fit the horses and the carriage through this mess a' trees?" Ranma asked. The trees were thick and tall, they stood close, giving each other no personal distance at all.
Ryoga scanned their surroundings and leafed his fingers through his hair, sitting on the stump he had been presiding on for almost an hour, "Ranma, I know this may come as a shock to you but," Ryoga looked up, heart-wrenching grimace obvious on his face, "I have a little problem with direction."
Ranma kept his stare into the woods for a few tense moments longer until he could bear it no more, it started as a chuckle, then a chortle, then a full on giggle until it reached full blown laughter. He wiped his eyes, which had started to tear up relatively early, and spoke through uncontrollable spurts of laughter, "A little problem? Ya call goin' to the blacksmith's to pick up a horse shoe and comin' back," Ranma paused for dramatic effect, "three months late," he stuck up three fingers and added snidely, "returnin' without said hoofin' material, a minor weakness?"
Ryoga rolled his eyes and gradually became aggressive, "It's my gift!"
Ranma stopped laughing, "Your what?"
"My gift," Ryoga explained again, "y'know, the thing the fairy gives to you at birth."
"Ya," Ranma nodded in understanding waiting for Ryoga to continue.
Ryoga shrugged, "Well, this is mine."
"Aren't they supposed to be good?" Ranma asked in confusion.
Ryoga jumped up in fury and shot a finger into Ranma's face, "Just because we aren't all as lucky as you, to have the gift of being undeniably irresistible to the female kind, it does not mean what we have are not still gifts. I wouldn't make something like this up," Ryoga stated pitifully, "it rules my life. I never asked for it. When I received it, I wasn't even house broken."
Ranma walked over to him, put his hand on his shoulder and began, "Look, it's not all fun and games y'know, havin' to deal with all those girls all the time," Ryoga scoffed, but Ranma continued, un-stung, "I can never find someone that wants me for me, not because of a stupid gift given to me when I looked like a prune. Every girl I meet is blanketed by the curse – I mean gift – and every time I get close to courting a girl for real something happens, something that makes it so obvious that she only likes that side of me, and it's hard."
Ryoga kept quiet and nodded, "It's nice to know that even the good ones turn out bad."
Ranma turned away, "I've always believed in makin' my own choices, no one should make 'em for me and no one will, but I need to know it's me makin' 'em. So I made this personality that was akin to my gift, a character that accepted such things and so I would never have to feel . . . anything."
Ryoga walked into the forest and waited after a few meters for Ranma, "Come on, we've got work to do."
Ranma grinned and joined his comrade.
"You know what we need Ranma?" Ryoga asked.
"What?" Ranma questioned back, putting his arm around his buddy's shoulder, both helping each other through the woods.
"Better fairies."
***
"Let me go! If you don't I'll," Akane had begun to run out of empty threats. She had used everyone she could remember existed and a few that didn't. She had threatened certain death, feigned sickness, and then threatened death some more, but all in vain, "I'll eat myself."
The dragon, stooping down by its fire, laughed, "You'll what, little one?"
"I'll eat myself," Akane told it boldly, "If there is none of me left to eat then you will simply go hungry."
The dragon lifted its heavy head and let out a throaty chortle, "I could just go get another human, what good would you do yourself?"
"Well," Akane stuttered, "I suppose I'd cause you some minor discomfort," she racked her brain for more; "perhaps you will be taking a bath and have to get out and find yourself another?" Akane tried.
The dragon sighed and a flicker of sizzling smoke came out of each nostril on its scaly snout. Its snout, like the rest of its body, was auburn. Not deep auburn, or light auburn, just auburn, "Love, if you were me, what would you decide upon doing at a time like this?"
Akane pondered this for a second and then spoke up honestly, "I would not eat me."
The dragon laughed, "You are lying, and you are my food, just as the cow is yours."
Akane tried to stand but the bars on the steel cage she was trapped in clanked as her chains hit them and she hated the sound. Her wrists and feet felt a rush of discomfort and she sat again, "Well I know I'd never eat dragon," she persisted.
The dragon smirked, "You've never tasted dragon, have you?"
Akane was shocked, "And you're telling me you have?"
The dragon nodded.
"How could you? They're your own kind," she reasoned, distraught at the thought of her self, eating babies by the dozen.
"Hello, I'm a dragon! That means big, ugly, hateful," The dragon went on, "get the picture? We don't finger paint and talk about positive thoughts all day, you are such a human!"
Well," Akane rationalized, "who says?"
"Who says what?" The dragon asked, its long tail reaching over Akane's cage curiously.
"Who says dragons have to be mean? I mean, all dragons that is, you could be nice," Akane told the beast, "and I think your scales are rather pretty."
It got to its feet and began circling her cage, "That's absurd! That's like saying there's such thing as a friendly ghost!"
Akane shrugged her shoulders and went on, "All I'm saying is you could change it, not be such a sheep."
The dragon's nose filtered with blazing fire, "I am not a sheep! I live in the mountains, alone, that is not sleeplike; they live in packs."
Akane mulled over this, "So what, you're more like a mountain yak?"
This enraged the dragon and it raveled itself all the more tightly around her cage, 'You are lucky I am not quite hungry right now," it informed her gruffly, "Or else, you would make a light snack."
Akane threw up her hands in frustration, "You always go back to the death threats! You're like a broken record. Jeez, do something original."
"Fine," it said in desperation, "I'll starve you, then eat in front of you and make you suffer." It smirked with the idea.
Akane rolled her eyes, "Your poor table manners would probably make me lose my appetite anyway, you'd be doing me a favor," she patted her stomach, "I could stand to lose a few pounds anyway."
"Manners? I have excellent manners," the dragon defended.
"Oh yes? You haven't even told me your name. A true host would have introduced himself by now," she explained, recalling every etiquette class she had hated dearly paying off now as she sat tall and looked like a real lady.
"Well, I never saw it that way," the beast admitted, "allow me to introduce myself, I am Liquora of Mundan."
Akane's cheeks went red, "You are a female dragon? I'm sorry, you were just so scary," she explained.
Liquora sighed heavily, "Oh it's alright," she fumed, "I get it all the time. It's because of my old age, I mean, when you get invited to your three hundred year reunion you start to think about , y'know, where all the time went."
"I'm sure you've done a lot of wonderful things," Akane consolidated.
Liquora sniffled and two puffs of smoke burst out and right back into her nose, "No, I have no family, or friends, all I have at the moment is my title, my lair and you; which is pitiful by the way."
Akane stared down, "Well if it helps, I'm to marry a prince. That's kind of like stealing a princess I suppose, of course I'm not the perfect model of one," Akane reminisced, "not by a long shot."
"Aww, that's so sweet of you to say! I just hope you're as sweet to eat as you are to talk to," Liquora grinned, fangs showing.
A/N: So? What do you think? Review or I might forget to write the next chapter! Next chapter hopefully up soon!
Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening. --Barbara Tober
***
Ranma was the first to walk into the sunlight again after they had decided to rest. The worried lines on his face only complimented his equally angry expressions , "Lemme get this straight; you stopped the carriage and let me and Akane out because you were lost?"
Ryoga stared to the ground, ashamed of what he had done, "Well, it's not really my fault."
Ranma stared back and raised his eyebrows. He folded his arms over his chest and gazed over Ryoga's shoulder, into the woods. Of course, he would have the same view from any other place he could be standing since they were lost in what looked to be a vast forest, "How'd ya even fit the horses and the carriage through this mess a' trees?" Ranma asked. The trees were thick and tall, they stood close, giving each other no personal distance at all.
Ryoga scanned their surroundings and leafed his fingers through his hair, sitting on the stump he had been presiding on for almost an hour, "Ranma, I know this may come as a shock to you but," Ryoga looked up, heart-wrenching grimace obvious on his face, "I have a little problem with direction."
Ranma kept his stare into the woods for a few tense moments longer until he could bear it no more, it started as a chuckle, then a chortle, then a full on giggle until it reached full blown laughter. He wiped his eyes, which had started to tear up relatively early, and spoke through uncontrollable spurts of laughter, "A little problem? Ya call goin' to the blacksmith's to pick up a horse shoe and comin' back," Ranma paused for dramatic effect, "three months late," he stuck up three fingers and added snidely, "returnin' without said hoofin' material, a minor weakness?"
Ryoga rolled his eyes and gradually became aggressive, "It's my gift!"
Ranma stopped laughing, "Your what?"
"My gift," Ryoga explained again, "y'know, the thing the fairy gives to you at birth."
"Ya," Ranma nodded in understanding waiting for Ryoga to continue.
Ryoga shrugged, "Well, this is mine."
"Aren't they supposed to be good?" Ranma asked in confusion.
Ryoga jumped up in fury and shot a finger into Ranma's face, "Just because we aren't all as lucky as you, to have the gift of being undeniably irresistible to the female kind, it does not mean what we have are not still gifts. I wouldn't make something like this up," Ryoga stated pitifully, "it rules my life. I never asked for it. When I received it, I wasn't even house broken."
Ranma walked over to him, put his hand on his shoulder and began, "Look, it's not all fun and games y'know, havin' to deal with all those girls all the time," Ryoga scoffed, but Ranma continued, un-stung, "I can never find someone that wants me for me, not because of a stupid gift given to me when I looked like a prune. Every girl I meet is blanketed by the curse – I mean gift – and every time I get close to courting a girl for real something happens, something that makes it so obvious that she only likes that side of me, and it's hard."
Ryoga kept quiet and nodded, "It's nice to know that even the good ones turn out bad."
Ranma turned away, "I've always believed in makin' my own choices, no one should make 'em for me and no one will, but I need to know it's me makin' 'em. So I made this personality that was akin to my gift, a character that accepted such things and so I would never have to feel . . . anything."
Ryoga walked into the forest and waited after a few meters for Ranma, "Come on, we've got work to do."
Ranma grinned and joined his comrade.
"You know what we need Ranma?" Ryoga asked.
"What?" Ranma questioned back, putting his arm around his buddy's shoulder, both helping each other through the woods.
"Better fairies."
***
"Let me go! If you don't I'll," Akane had begun to run out of empty threats. She had used everyone she could remember existed and a few that didn't. She had threatened certain death, feigned sickness, and then threatened death some more, but all in vain, "I'll eat myself."
The dragon, stooping down by its fire, laughed, "You'll what, little one?"
"I'll eat myself," Akane told it boldly, "If there is none of me left to eat then you will simply go hungry."
The dragon lifted its heavy head and let out a throaty chortle, "I could just go get another human, what good would you do yourself?"
"Well," Akane stuttered, "I suppose I'd cause you some minor discomfort," she racked her brain for more; "perhaps you will be taking a bath and have to get out and find yourself another?" Akane tried.
The dragon sighed and a flicker of sizzling smoke came out of each nostril on its scaly snout. Its snout, like the rest of its body, was auburn. Not deep auburn, or light auburn, just auburn, "Love, if you were me, what would you decide upon doing at a time like this?"
Akane pondered this for a second and then spoke up honestly, "I would not eat me."
The dragon laughed, "You are lying, and you are my food, just as the cow is yours."
Akane tried to stand but the bars on the steel cage she was trapped in clanked as her chains hit them and she hated the sound. Her wrists and feet felt a rush of discomfort and she sat again, "Well I know I'd never eat dragon," she persisted.
The dragon smirked, "You've never tasted dragon, have you?"
Akane was shocked, "And you're telling me you have?"
The dragon nodded.
"How could you? They're your own kind," she reasoned, distraught at the thought of her self, eating babies by the dozen.
"Hello, I'm a dragon! That means big, ugly, hateful," The dragon went on, "get the picture? We don't finger paint and talk about positive thoughts all day, you are such a human!"
Well," Akane rationalized, "who says?"
"Who says what?" The dragon asked, its long tail reaching over Akane's cage curiously.
"Who says dragons have to be mean? I mean, all dragons that is, you could be nice," Akane told the beast, "and I think your scales are rather pretty."
It got to its feet and began circling her cage, "That's absurd! That's like saying there's such thing as a friendly ghost!"
Akane shrugged her shoulders and went on, "All I'm saying is you could change it, not be such a sheep."
The dragon's nose filtered with blazing fire, "I am not a sheep! I live in the mountains, alone, that is not sleeplike; they live in packs."
Akane mulled over this, "So what, you're more like a mountain yak?"
This enraged the dragon and it raveled itself all the more tightly around her cage, 'You are lucky I am not quite hungry right now," it informed her gruffly, "Or else, you would make a light snack."
Akane threw up her hands in frustration, "You always go back to the death threats! You're like a broken record. Jeez, do something original."
"Fine," it said in desperation, "I'll starve you, then eat in front of you and make you suffer." It smirked with the idea.
Akane rolled her eyes, "Your poor table manners would probably make me lose my appetite anyway, you'd be doing me a favor," she patted her stomach, "I could stand to lose a few pounds anyway."
"Manners? I have excellent manners," the dragon defended.
"Oh yes? You haven't even told me your name. A true host would have introduced himself by now," she explained, recalling every etiquette class she had hated dearly paying off now as she sat tall and looked like a real lady.
"Well, I never saw it that way," the beast admitted, "allow me to introduce myself, I am Liquora of Mundan."
Akane's cheeks went red, "You are a female dragon? I'm sorry, you were just so scary," she explained.
Liquora sighed heavily, "Oh it's alright," she fumed, "I get it all the time. It's because of my old age, I mean, when you get invited to your three hundred year reunion you start to think about , y'know, where all the time went."
"I'm sure you've done a lot of wonderful things," Akane consolidated.
Liquora sniffled and two puffs of smoke burst out and right back into her nose, "No, I have no family, or friends, all I have at the moment is my title, my lair and you; which is pitiful by the way."
Akane stared down, "Well if it helps, I'm to marry a prince. That's kind of like stealing a princess I suppose, of course I'm not the perfect model of one," Akane reminisced, "not by a long shot."
"Aww, that's so sweet of you to say! I just hope you're as sweet to eat as you are to talk to," Liquora grinned, fangs showing.
A/N: So? What do you think? Review or I might forget to write the next chapter! Next chapter hopefully up soon!