(REPOSTED BECAUSE THE OLD ONE GOT KILLED BY THE NEW FORMATTING)
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic Trilogy:
"The True Meaning of Love"
By: s16thunderjet
Story 1
"The Search for Atlantis"
Chapter 6:
The Ruins of Koseidon
Part 1:
Forgiveness and Friendship
Akane closed her door and leaned on it.
*I still can't believe that Ryoga is P - Chan. I mean, it may be a dream, but it seemed so real.* she thought.
"Maybe I just miss all of them so much I'm having bad dreams." she said. She heard someone knock so she moved away from the door. She sat on her chair and faced the mirror.
"Come in." she said.
"Good evening." said Merian. Akane was surprised to see her still awake, for it was almost midnight.
"Hello Merian." said Akane. Merian noticed Akane's expression.
"Are you still thinking about him?" she asked carefully. Akane sighed again.
"I just can't get it off my mind." she answered. Merian approached her and stood behind her. She reached for Akane's brush and started brushing her hair.
"I think you should get some sleep. Staying up late won't help." suggested Merian.
She placed the brush on Akane's table and assisted her to her bed. Merian was about to close the lamp when Akane touched her hand. She looked back at her worried and confused face and smiled.
"It will be alright, Akane." she said and closed the lamp. She went out of the room and closed the door behind her.
*Poor girl.* she thought and walked to her room.
Merian was approaching a corner when she saw a warrior handing Astevaes a scroll. She stopped and listened to what they were talking about.
But all she understood was that someone was defeated and someone has gotten the power. She couldn't understand anything else because they were talking very softly.
Then the voices became grew fainter until Merian couldn't hear anything at all. She wanted to move closer to hear them, suddenly very curious as to what Lord Astevaes and the warrior were so secretive about.
"Merian." said someone. Merian almost screamed in surprise. Lucky for her, it was only Atlas and not Astevaes or the warrior.
"Good evening my Lord." she said and bowed.
"Good evening to you, too. But what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I just came from my La... er... Akane's room, sire." she answered.
"How is she?" asked Atlas, concerned.
"She will be fine, I think she just needs some sleep." she said.
"Thank you Merian." said Atlas and headed for his room. Merian breathe a sigh of relief.
"That was close." she whispered. But when she turned back to listen to Astevaes and the warrior, no one was there.
*I wonder what that was all about.* she thought as she headed for her room.
The sounds of birds chirping and the gentle rustle of leaves in the wind roused Shampoo to wakefulness. She slowly opened her eyes.
It was morning again, meaning she had slept all of yesterday afternoon clear through until the next day.
She found herself inside a tent, with Ranma sleeping beside her. When she tried to turn and look at him, a hand stopped her.
"You need to rest Shampoo." said Mousse. Shampoo turned her head to her left and saw Mousse looking down at her.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I think I'm alright. I had a dream about Ryoga's power." she said.
"Me, too. Ukyo and Ryoga told me they had it, too." he said. Mousse reached out to touch hold her hand. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away.
"It was a scary dream." she added. Mousse smiled at her. He can still remember what had happened during the fight.
( "If you want kill him, you get through me first." she said.
"Sha... Shampoo... what about the unicorn..." Mousse mumbled in disbelief.
Shampoo turned to him and said, "Your life is more important to me than the unicorn and the power." she said and attacked. )
Shampoo looked up at the tall and handsome fellow standing sitting beside her. She could see his beautiful eyes hidden behind his thick ( and I mean thick ) glasses.
"What happened to Ranma." she asked suddenly, then looked at Ranma. For this reason, she didn't see Mousse's smile turn into a frown.
"Saotome got injured when he tried to help us." he said. His memory of that fight scene yesterday faded into nothing. Still, he didn't lose hope.
"Would you like something to eat?" he asked.
"No, but thanks for asking." said Shampoo and then drifted back to sleep. Mousse's smile returned.
*At least she's treating me nice and talking to me.* he thought.
Ukyo came into the tent with a cup of hot chocolate. She gave Mousse the cup and then, sat beside Ranma.
"How is she doing?" she asked.
"She regained consciousness a while ago. I think she'll be fine." he said. He placed the cup on the ground, then turned to Ukyo.
"How's Ryoga?" he asked. Ukyo took a sip, then placed the cup down beside Mousse's.
"He's OK. I mean, he only had minor injuries, unlike Ranchan. Besides, even a dream like that can't hurt him..." she said.
*I hope...* she finished to herself.
Ukyo touched Ranma's shoulder gently. She was about to touch Ranma's face when...
"Akane..." murmured Ranma in his sleep.
Ukyo stopped herself and pulled her hand away from Ranma. Mousse could see tears forming on the edges of her eyes. He knew then how Ukyo felt, the same way he felt earlier, when Shampoo asked for Ranma. He placed his hand over hers and squeezed it.
"It'll be alright Ukyo." he said and smiled.
"Thanks Mousse." she said and squeezed his hand back.
Artemis came into the tent with Ryoga following her. He seemed very happy when he entered the tent ( for some unknown reason, funny, didn't he just have a scary dream ).
But when he saw Mousse and Ukyo holding hands, something inside him snapped. Something called jealousy immediately came up and he wanted to strangle Mousse right then and there.
Mousse saw Ryoga's unmistakably furious face and quickly let go of Ukyo's hand. Ukyo noticed the abruptness of Mousse's actions and turned to see Ryoga staring wildly at them.
"I think I'll stay outside." Ryoga said over his shoulder as he turned to walk outside. Ukyo wanted to go after him, but Artemis stopped her.
"No." she said. She looked at her in confusion.
"He needs to think." she said. Ukyo just slumped back to where she was seated.
"Has Ranma woken up?" asked Artemis.
"He tossed and turned a little, I think he's also having the dream." said Mousse.
"Why don't you tell me about that dream." said Artemis. "OK." said Ukyo and started.
* Dream * ( Same dream Akane will have )
"Hey Ranma, catch!" shouted Ryoga as he threw a log at him. Ranma waited, waited, waited, then...
"Hiya!" he screamed and jumped to intercept the log. Slicing noises could be heard, and in a moment...
"All done." said Ranma. The whole gang were deep in the mountains, camping.
"Good job, Ranchan." commented Ukyo.
"Of course, what else do you expect from me, the great Ran..." he was cut off by a flying plate. Lucky for him, he was able to dodge in time, leaving Mousse to catch the plate.
"What did you do that for?" Ranma asked Akane as he turned to look at her.
"Stop making a fool of yourself and help me with this tent. We have to set up our futons for tonight." she said.
But it wasn't in her usual Ranma you jerk or Die Ranma tone. It was actually said in a calm and tempting tone, maybe a bit more like a seductive tone.
"Yes ma'am." said Ranma in a happy and excited tone.
Ranma walked towards her and helped her set up the tent. While Mousse, Ukyo and Shampoo were fixing lunch, Ryoga watched Ranma and Akane, as if he was expecting something to happen.
Something unusual, something unexpected, something... perverted.
*No, I don't think so. Ranma may be a pervert, but I know that he respects Akane.* he thought.
Ranma and Akane had just finished in fixing the tent. As if to prove his earlier thoughts were right, Ranma suddenly came up behind Akane and encircled her waist with his arms.
Akane jumped a little, no doubt surprised by Ranma's action. But then she leaned her body closer to his and reveled when Ranma kissed her on the lips.
Ryoga's safety valve lifted and he ran towards them screaming, "Ranma! Prepare to die!"
Mousse, Ukyo and Shampoo looked up at the same time.
"Ryoga, don't!" cried Mousse.
"Ranchan, look out!" screamed Ukyo. Shampoo picked up her bonbouri and threw it just before Ryoga.
"Stop." she said. Ryoga glared at all of them but kept running towards Ranma and Akane.
"Die Ranma." he said and threw a punch. To his surprise, Ranma didn't dodge and got hit by the punch, full force. He fell to the ground, unconscious, blood trickling from his nostrils.
"Ranma!" screamed Akane and sat down to examine him.
"What?" Ryoga cried in surprise.
"How could you do that? Why did you do that?" Akane asked Ryoga. Mousse, Ukyo and Shampoo approached Ranma and examined him.
"Don't worry Akane, Ranchan will be alright." said Ukyo.
"She right, Ranma only asleep." added Shampoo.
But Akane wasn't listening. She was staring at Ryoga and was starting to advance on him, only to have Mousse stop her in the end. Still, she threw her fists at him like a madwoman.
"Let me go." she said, but Mousse kept a firm hold on her.
"I oughta kill him for that." she said, still struggling in Mousse's arms.
"No Akane." said Mousse and looked into her eyes.
"Ranma needs you now." he said and turned her to face Ranma. Akane nodded and sat beside Ranma. Mousse turned back to Ryoga and approached him.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked in a whisper. Ryoga turned and started to walk away, but Mousse was right on his tail.
"Didn't you see what he just did to Akane." he said, but it wasn't a question.
"I did. And I think that it's normal for two engaged people kiss." he said, trying to make him understand. Ryoga stopped in front of a big tree, still not looking at him.
"But Akane hates him, I know she does." he said.
"No she doesn't, Ryoga. You just saw the proof." said Mousse.
He walked towards Ryoga, but stopped a few meters. Ryoga finally turned to him, anger and confusion in his eyes.
"Why are you defending him?" he asked. Mousse was now only a few feet from Ryoga.
"I am not defending him. I am simply telling the truth." he said. Ryoga turned his back on him again and hit the huge tree in frustration.
"Leave me alone, you don't understand. No one will ever understand." he said.
A long silence followed.
In that span of time, Ryoga suddenly realized how stupid and rude his actions were.
After a few seconds of thinking, "Look, I'm sorry Mou... What tha..." he said as he turned around.
Mousse wasn't there anymore. Actually, nothing was there anymore, it was like he was in a desert of some sort, not at all the cool and green forest he was in a while ago.
He was lost in the middle of nowhere, and alone. Suddenly, the ground behind him began to shake. He turned around to see ruins that wasn't there before.
"What's going on here?" he asked himself.
He walked through the ruins, searching for something. Or better yet, someone, anyone. And to his surprise, he did see someone. Bodies pinned to the monoliths.
He looked at them carefully, noticing one with short hair, and three others with long hair. Then he saw one with a pigtail as he passed by... wait a sec... a pigtail.
He ran back to that monolith, hoping against hope that it was just his imagination. He closed his eyes as he approached the stone, stood in front of it, and then opened his eyes again. His eyes didn't just open but went wide as well.
"No." he said. Then he turned to the next monolith. He recognized the three people with long hair as well.
"No, this can't be." he said.
Then he turned to the last monolith, hoping, praying to whoever was listening... But as he looked at it, he recognized the short hair and the face.
It was... it was Akane.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed.
Tears were now streaming down his cheeks, and they seemed to flow 'till the end of time. He felt the pain of being alone, alone in an unknown land. And what's harder was he's bound to be alone forever.
Without friends to support him, to accept him for who he is. Then he heard a mocking laugh behind him. He turned around saw nothing, except the sand being blown by the howling wind.
"I know you are in grief great wolf. But you won't find the solution to your problems if you continue to walk down this path." said someone, the same voice he had heard in his other dream.
"What do you mean?" he stammered.
"Be wise, great wolf. Your decision will decide your fate." said the voice again. Ryoga just stood there in confusion. He couldn't understand what she was saying.
"Farewell, may you find what you are searching for." finished the voice.
"Wait, please help me. Don't leave me." he pleaded, but to no avail.
He was alone again, in an unknown land.
* End of Dream *
"Oooohhh..." whispered Ranma as he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and then focused on a figure sitting beside him.
His vision was still a little blurred so he couldn't make out an image. He could hear two other people talking, then felt a hand touch his face.
"Is that you... Akane?" he asked. Ukyo pulled her hand back and sighed in defeat.
"It's me Ranchan." she said, weakly.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"We have just left the jungle." answered Mousse.
"How do you feel?" asked Ukyo. Ranma winced slightly as he sat up, and she saw his hand move to his back.
"I'll be OK. I'm just hungry." he said. Seeing him up and alright made Ukyo feel better.
"We saved you some breakfast outside." she said and smiled at him.
"Thanks Ucchan." he said and stood up. He stretched his arms and went out of the tent. Outside, he did some warm up exercises.
Everyone inside the hidden chamber felt the room rock as the door slammed open. No one dared to look up at their superior.
"Herion." he said in full force and full volume. Herion came to him quickly, kneeling in front of him.
"Yes, my Lord?" he asked, but still didn't look up.
"I am displeased with Bismont's performance." he started.
He sat on his chair and thought for a while. Still, nobody dared to move or make a sound, not wanting to upset their superior anymore than he already is.
"I want you to send some reinforcements to Bismont. Tell him this will be his last chance." he continued. Heroin, looked up, surprised with what he said.
"But my Lord, Bismont has already dishonored us twice, he should be puni..." but Herion wasn't able to finish.
A dagger came rushing past his nose and slammed into the wall. His superior stood up.
"You dare defy me." he said.
Herion felt his heart beat stop. The look his master gave him would have killed an ordinary person by now.
"Forgive thy foolishness, your majesty. This will never happen again." said Herion and again, knelt before his master.
"That's better. If he fails again, I will give you the authority to dispose of him yourself." he said.
"Yes your majesty, I will do what you ask." he said, still kneeling.
His superior stood up and left the room without another word. Herion composed himself and stood up. He pointed to the nearest man.
"You, send eight men to assist Bismont." he said and then sighed.
*One more mistake Bismont and you're mine!* he growled mentally.
"Damn!" said Ryoga as he kicked a stone.
"Why am I acting this way?" he asked, no one in particular. The dream didn't have much of an effect on him, it had, a bit, but it wouldn't be enough to shatter his self control.
"Hi Ryoga." greeted Ranma, who was perched on a tree above Ryoga.
"Hello Ranma." he said, but there wasn't much enthusiasm in his voice, unlike Ranma's.
"Feeling bad about the dream?" Ranma asked. Just as he'd said it, he realized that it wasn't the best thing to say, considering Ryoga's attitude that morning.
"I mean... that is..." he struggled for an excuse, but he just couldn't find the words.
"It's alright. I'm not really that upset about the dream. Just... forget it." he finished, then sat on a rock and leaned on the tree Ranma was perched on. Curious, Ranma hoped down from the tree and sat beside him.
"Then why are you upset?" Ryoga didn't respond at first, he just looked at the tent where Ukyo and the others were in.
"I'm just so confused. I mean... you know how I feel about Akane right?" he asked. Ranma just nodded and looked at him intently, as if searching for an answer.
"Well, I still love her. I think I'll always love her. But when I started spending a lot of time away from her and with... someone else... I'm starting to feel confused." he said, then stood up and looked at the sky.
"You know, like I feel something for... for... for..." he paused, not really wanting to admit it. Ranma walked towards him, then pulls even with him.
"You like Ucchan, don't you?" he asked. Ryoga was surprised by Ranma's question, but kept his composure.
"Wha... what are you?" he stuttered, showing what was obvious.
Ranma smiled to himself, this was the opening he was waiting for. He's not only going to be able to get rid of Ryoga as his rival, but he's also going to help him with his life.
The same thing with Ukyo. If he can help her and Ryoga to get together, he can rid himself of one fiancé without having to leave her lonely and depressed.
"Why not go for it?" asked Ranma. Ryoga was caught off guard with his question.
"Go for what?" he asked, looking innocently. As if he didn't already know what Ranma was talking about.
"You know, for Ucchan." said Ranma. Ryoga turned to look away, trying desperately to hide the blush creeping up to his cheeks.
"I can't Ranma, I... I love Akane." he said and walked back towards the tent, carrying some breakfast.
*You're hopeless, Ryoga. So very hopeless.* thought Ranma, shaking his head sadly at the eternally lost boy.
"Lord Bismont." said one of his two remaining men.
"What is it?" he asked.
"We are receiving a transmission from headquarters." he answered.
"Let's listen to it." he said.
The man opened the communicator and brought them this message :
( Bismont, you have failed twice in your mission
and should be punished. But his majesty was kind
enough to give you another chance. This is going
to be your last. One more mistake and I will
gladly chop off your head. I will be sending you
eight more warriors to assist you and your
remaining men. )
It ended there. His men saw a few trees crash down as Bismont threw a blast.
"Damn that Herion." he said. Both men knelt before him and bowed.
"What are we to do, Lord?" asked one of his men. Bismont, who has finally calmed down a bit, sat on a big boulder and sighed heavily.
"We will wait for the reinforcements to arrive before we attack. Until then, investigate the surroundings and look for Artemis." he ordered.
"Yes Lord. " both of them said and flew off.
Shampoo stretched luxuriously on her mat.
"Ahh... she is awake." someone said. Shampoo blinked a few times and tried to focus. She saw three pairs of eyes looking down at her.
"Feeling any better?" asked Mousse, full of concern.
"Shampoo feel funny." she said and sat up.
"What do you mean?" asked Ukyo.
"Is like tingling thing." she said, wrinkling her nose. Artemis had to laugh at that.
"What so funny?" asked Shampoo.
"Congratulations Shampoo, you have succeeded. That tingling thing you are feeling is the power of nature coursing through your veins." said Artemis.
Shampoo looked a little confused, she couldn't quite understand what Artemis meant by the power. Seeing the confusion, Ukyo explained to her about her healing power.
"... so now, you can heal almost anything." finished Ukyo. Shampoo's eyes lit up.
*If I can heal anything, maybe I can heal my curse.* she thought.
"I don't think so." said Artemis as she read her mind.
"You can't heal your own curse Shampoo." she said.
"But why?" asked Mousse, hopes for a cure to his curse gone down the drain.
"Because by doing so, she will lose all her power. And if worse comes to worst, she may lose her life." she said. Both Shampoo and Mousse bowed their heads and frowned at that.
"But..." started Artemis. Both looked up, anxious to hear what she was going to say.
"If you can harness your healing power, maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to heal your curse." she finished. Mousse smiled but Shampoo still looked a little sad. That worried Mousse.
"What's wrong Shampoo?" he asked.
"Shampoo just hungry." she said. Mousse breathed a sigh of relief. Ukyo leaned over and whispered something in his ear.
"I was kinda worried." he said. He stood up and extended his hand for Shampoo.
"Come on, there's food outside." he said and pulled her up. Ukyo smiled as both went out.
*A little more patience Mousse.* she thought, seeing some sort of development in the way they treat each other.
Mousse and Shampoo passed by Ryoga as they went out.
"Hi Shampoo." greeted Ryoga and went passed them, glaring at Mousse.
Mousse looked away, trying to avoid Ryoga's gaze, but failed miserably. Shampoo noticed this and became a little curious. When they reached the table, she turned to Mousse.
"What was that all about?" she asked. Mousse sighed and offered her a seat. She sat down, still not taking her eyes off him.
"I think he's upset about what happened earlier." said Mousse.
"What do you mean, what happened earlier?" she asked. Mousse swallowed and looked at Shampoo.
"He saw me holding Ukyo's hands." he said. Shampoo stood up and gave him a dark look.
"And just why were you holding hands?" she demanded.
"I was just trying to comfort her." he answered.
"Comfort her, for what?" she asked, looking really pissed.
"Because she..." Mousse suddenly stopped as the realization hit him.
"You're jealous, aren't you?" he said with an amused smile.
Shampoo was surprised with his last statement. She realized that she has been acting, well, jealous. She grabbed a sandwich and turned around. For this reason, Mousse didn't see her blush.
"Hmph!" she said and walked towards the tent. Mousse sat back on the chair and smiled to himself.
*She was actually jealous.* he thought, happy that his actions have already had an effect on her purple - haired Amazon goddess.
Mousse may not have seen Shampoo, but Ranma did. He was perched on a tree and saw the whole scene.
Even though he couldn't understand what the two were talking about, he could see from Shampoo's blush that Mousse had caught her off guard with something. He jumped off the tree and landed beside Shampoo.
"Hi Shampoo." he greeted.
"Hello Ranma." she said, still blushing and offered him a bite.
"Thanks, I just ate. By the way, did you just eat hundreds of tomatoes?" he asked.
"What you mean?" she asked.
"I dunno, your face just looks so red." he said, smirking.
Shampoo's eyes went wide and blushed harder. She felt Ranma's eyes on her and didn't try to conceal her red face. She headed for a big boulder an sat, while Ranma sat beside her.
"So what were you and Mousse talking about." he asked, curious.
"It not your business." she said, the blush slowly fading. Ranma put his hands behind his head and leaned on the boulder.
"I don't suppose it's about that incident with Ryoga." he said. Shampoo turned to look at him.
"How you know about thing with Ryoga?" she asked. Ranma looked up at her.
"Ryoga told me." he answered. She sighed, a sign of defeat.
"Then, no reason to talk about it." she said, obviously trying to avoid the big question.
"You're jealous, aren't you?" he asked.
Shampoo groaned inwardly, and looked up at the sky as if asking the gods why she was stuck in such a predicament. She stood up and walked away, trying to escape.
"It not your business." she said over her shoulder.
Shampoo saw Artemis go out of the tent and walked towards her, avoiding both Ranma and Mousse. Ranma looked at her with amusement.
*So far, so good. At this rate, I'll be out of enemies and fiancés by the time we rescue my true fiancé.* he thought.
He looked at the sky and clenched his right hand into a fist.
"Wherever you are, I'm gonna find you Akane." he whispered to himself.
( Inside the tent, about five minutes ago. )
"Now that we've found Shampoo's power, who's next?" asked Ukyo.
"Ryoga, undoubtedly." answered Artemis.
"But where are we going to start searching?" she asked.
"In the Sahara desert, Ryoga will lead us." she said. Ukyo looked a little disturbed.
Artemis saw her confusion and said, "Ryoga may be bad with directions, but his animal spirit will guide him, and all of us as well." Ukyo's face went back to normal.
"I thought I heard my name..." said Ryoga as he entered the tent. Ukyo jumped back a bit, surprised to see Ryoga.
"Hello Ryoga." said Artemis.
"Um... sorry to barge in but... can I talk to Ukyo... alone?" he asked Artemis. She looked at him, and then at Ukyo. She could see the tension in both their eyes. She stood up and headed for the door.
"I'll be outside if anyone needs me." she said and went out. Ryoga sat nervously across Ukyo, who was still not looking at him.
There was silence for a moment, then...
"I'm sorry." they said simultaneously. Then they looked up at each other yet simultaneously again.
"You go first." said Ukyo then bowed down.
"No, you go first." said Ryoga. Ukyo looked up just as he looked down.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you yesterday." she said. Ryoga moved closer to her, their knees almost touching in their sitting position.
"It's alright. I'm the one who should be sorry." he started. He swallowed and composed himself.
"I mean, I shouldn't have reacted like that." he said.
Ukyo reached over to his shoulder with her left hand. Ryoga looked at her and smiled.
"I understand, Ryoga. I mean, after the dream you had..." she didn't finish. She couldn't finish.
Seeing Ryoga smile at her made her blush a little. Then she thought for a moment about what Ryoga just said.
"Come to think of it, why did you react that way?" she asked. Ryoga suddenly felt heat rise up in his cheeks. Her question caught him flat footed and he didn't have an answer.
"That is... I mean... I..." he started to mumble for words. Ukyo was quite amused. Seeing Ryoga stutter was normal, normal if Akane was the subject. Just then, an interesting idea crossed her mind.
*Maybe he's jealous about me and Mousse. But there's nothing between me and Mousse.* she thought.
After a few moments, the realization dawned upon her.
*He likes me! Ryoga likes me!* she cried mentally. For some reason, such thoughts made her happy.
"Oh, forget it." she said in a funny tone and stood up. Ryoga breathe a sigh of relief and looked up at her.
"Come on, we have to fix the tent." she said and offered her hand. He gladly took it and smiled at her.
*I hope I'm right with this.* she thought happily. In that short span of time, Ranma was the last thing on Ukyo's mind.
Akane studied herself in the mirror as Merian entered her room.
"Good morning Akane." she greeted.
But there was no response from Akane.
Akane was so engulfed in her thoughts that she didn't hear Merian. Her loyal servant walked towards Akane and waved her hand in front of Akane's face. She jumped a bit and then looked at Merian.
"Oh, good morning." she said. Then she looked at herself in the mirror again.
"Are you alright?" asked Merian, noticing Akane's facial expression.
"Not really." she answered.
"Another dream?" asked Merian.
"Uh huh." said Akane as she nodded.
"About what?" asked Merian. Akane now turned towards Merian and spoke.
"Ryoga again, but this time, it had something to do with a power." she said, confused a bit with the 'power' part. Then she told Merian all about the dream.
"Actually, this is the second time I dreamt about this power stuff." finished Akane.
"Oh, and when was the first time?" asked Merian.
"The first was about Shampoo and her power." she said. Akane started telling her about her Shampoo dream. Merian thought as Akane finished her story telling.
"Do you know anything about this so - called power?" she asked Merian.
"I have heard some stories about a legend that the power of the Earth is made up of six different forces." she started. Akane looked dumbfounded.
"I don't know much. But I think his majesty King Atlas knows about this." she said.
"Where is he now?" asked Akane. But before Merian could answer...
"I am here." said Atlas. Merian quickly bowed down.
"Good morning Akane." he greeted.
"Oh, good morning Atlas." said Akane. Atlas knelt down beside her, reached for her hand and kissed it. Akane just smiled at him.
"Can I talk to you about something?" she asked.
"Of course, my dear." he replied. Then he stood up and offered his hand.
"I suggest we talk about it during breakfast..." he said.
Akane nodded. She took his hand and stood up. They walked out of the door and headed for the dining room, with Merian following closely.
"Hey Ucchan! Can I have another?" asked Ranma. Ukyo flipped another okonomiyaki and threw it at Ranma.
"Heads up!" she said.
Ranma caught the okonomiyaki with his chopsticks and placed it on his plate. He sliced it into two and then threw both up in the air, swallowing both, one piece at a time.
"Thanks Ucchan." he said and sat back.
"Anytime Ranchan." said Ukyo and started fixing her cooking stuff.
Ryoga snorted as he joined Mousse, who was fixing his bag for their next trip.
"He's unbelievable! That jerk!" he said. Mousse stopped fixing his bag looked at him, confused.
"I mean, that was his eighth okonomiyaki." said Ryoga.
"He can be a jerk sometimes..." said Mousse.
"...but Ukyo lets him have as much as he wants." he continued. Ryoga sighed a little.
"Aw, I can't understand her." he said and closed the zipper of his bag. Mousse, also having finished preparing his bag, closed its zipper and looked at Ryoga.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Ranma treats her like his best friend, even though she is his fiancé. But the point is, she doesn't care." he said.
Mousse could see where Ryoga was leading, because that is where he is now, with Shampoo.
"Ryoga, I know that you care for Ukyo. But you have to understand her position." he started.
"She has been in love with Ranma all her life. They have been separated before, and that made her feel sad and lonely." he continued.
"And now that she and Ranma have finally been reunited, she will do all that she can to show him how much she loves him." he finished.
Ryoga already knew that when he and Ukyo had their conversation in the bathroom of the Tendo's.
"But she deserves someone who treats her as a real fiancé." insisted Ryoga. Mousse chuckled a bit.
"Oh, you mean you." he suddenly said. Ryoga was caught off guard with his remark, but still managed to blush.
"That's not what I meant." he blurted and then picked up his bag.
"Come on, we're gonna be left out if we don't hurry." Ryoga said over his shoulder as he walked away from Mousse.
They all ate an early lunch and decided to leave for Africa as soon as possible. The Sahara desert can be pretty tricky during the night, let alone very cold.
Ryoga wasn't that excited with the trip because it was his turn to look for his power. But he had already decided that he would do anything to save Akane.
Now that they have found Shampoo's power, they had the luxury to teleport. But only in short distances because they need at least three of powers to teleport completely, with their back packs that is.
Of course, Artemis cannot help in the teleportation because she needs to exert a lot of energy. And because of this huge exertion, their enemies might detect them. At least she can teleport on her own.
From the Amazon Jungle, they all teleported to the Santos seaport where they took another ship going to Africa, particularly Angola, to the port of Benguela, where the ship will be docking.
Their trip was again a very peaceful one. Neither of them wanted to break their own truces. But more so, they have become friends in that encounter with the people of Atlantis and their quest for Shampoo's power.
The eight additional men arrived just as Bismont's remaining men did. The eight bowed before him and awaited further instructions.
"Lord..." said one of his remaining men.
"We did a full scan of the area. Artemis and her gang are no where to be found." he said.
"Damn!" said Bismont, slamming his fist onto a tree.
"But we found traces of energy in the area. We presumed it was used for teleportation." said the other.
"Good." Bismont said. One of the eight new men stood up and looked at Bismont.
"Lord..." he said. "What is it?" asked a pissed Bismont.
"We have some information on where they might be heading." he said.
"Speak up." said Bismont. He nodded and started talking.
"Leaving Atlantis, we teleported from the Aegean sea up to here. On our way, we felt a strong energy going to the other direction, to the Santos seaport." he finished, and then bowed back down.
"It seems that Artemis and her friends have teleported to find the next power, the power of the land." said one of Bismont's original men.
He thought for a while, and then said to all of his men, "We shall teleport to the Santos seaport at once." Then he turned to his two trusted men.
"And I want you two to investigate." he said.
They both bowed and said, "Yes Lord."
After a few moments, they all teleported for the seaport.
Akane chewed a piece of bread and then swallowed.
"So you mean that the legend of the six powers is true." she said.
"It is, my dear." said Atlas.
"It is said that when one obtains this great power, he will become really powerful. But when all the six forces are combined, we can say that they are completely unstoppable." he said.
"You mean like immortal or something?" asked Akane.
Atlas took a sip from his tea cup and then placed his cup back down. He wiped his mouth with the table napkin and then looked at Akane.
"Do not worry Akane. These are only dreams." said Atlas. He got up from his seat and walked up to her.
He kissed her hand and said, "I will go about my business now. But if you need me..." Akane interrupted him, but not in a rude manner.
"...I know where to find you." she finished the statement for him.
With that, Atlas walked out of the room. Akane slumped back on her seat and just sat there for a while. Thoughts and worries flooded her mind.
When will she ever see daylight again, see her family again, her friends, Ranma. Why is she having these dreams. From the very first nightmare she had back at her home, up to now.
Then, Atlas's words came back to her.
( "Do not worry Akane. These are only dreams." )
"Maybe... maybe Atlas is right. These are only dreams." she muttered to herself and stood up to leave the room.
But somewhere on the back of her mind, Akane knows it's not only a dream.
Part 2:
Love and Redemption
Arriving at Angola after a tiring four day trip, Ranma and the others headed straight for the American embassy. They couldn't understand why they went to the American embassy, when they are Japanese.
It turns out that it is a lot faster to get assistance and a tour guide when you speak the so - called international language.
Actually, Artemis and Ryoga are the only ones who know how to speak English, fluently, that is. Both were talking to the officers in the embassy while the others waited outside.
Most of them were surprised to find out of Ryoga's skill. He can speak five different languages. Spanish, French, Mandarin, English and Japanese respectively.
After ten minutes of waiting, the two finally went out of the office, accompanied by a native.
"Who is he?" asked Ranma.
"His name is Yomunda, an African native." said Artemis.
"He will help us get across the border." she added. Then she and Yomunda talked in the native language which the others could not understand.
"Artemis said that we can spend the rest of the afternoon to rest. We will leave early tomorrow." said Ryoga.
"By the way Ryoga, how did you learn those five languages?" asked Ukyo. Ryoga looked a little embarrassed with her question.
"Well, um, since I..." he paused, he hated to admit that he had a lousy sense of direction. Ukyo and the others couldn't help but laugh at him.
"OK, so I get lost." he finally admitted.
"Some friends you are." he snorted. They all stopped laughing with his comment.
"It was a joke Hibiki." said Mousse.
"I know." said Ryoga with a sigh. Ukyo walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry Ryoga. Knowing those languages just means that you learn fast." she said, trying to cheer him up. Ryoga's eyes lit up and suddenly forgot that the others were there.
"You really think so?" he asked, staring at her with sparkling eyes. Ryoga's stare was starting to make Ukyo blush. She opened her mouth to answer but found that her voice was somewhat missing.
"I... ah..." she muttered. Ryoga leaned even closer, waiting for her response.
"I think she does Ryoga." said Ranma.
Both looked at Mousse, Ranma and Shampoo who were smiling at them. Then Ryoga remembered how close he was to Ukyo. Maybe a little too close. He immediately moved away and apologized continuously.
"It's alright, really." said Ukyo.
Artemis returned and said, "We shall camp out here for the night. Tomorrow, we leave for the Sahara."
Everyone nodded. Yomunda led them to the back of the embassy where they could camp out. But Ryoga was still apologizing to Ukyo.
"I'm sorry Ukyo. I didn't mean to..." he went on and on. The others couldn't help but laugh at the pair.
The next morning, around 3:00 A. M., everyone was ready to leave. Hoping to reach the Sahara by sundown, the group left immediately. They took a small van that would take them across the border and into Zaire.
Ukyo handed out freshly cooked okonomiyaki for their breakfast. Mousse, on the other hand, distributed the drinks. Ranma and Ryoga couldn't help but wonder where Shampoo is.
"Um, Mousse, where is Shampoo?" asked Ryoga. Mousse finished giving out the drinks and then turned to answer Ryoga.
"She's sleeping in front. Artemis is with her." he said. Now Ukyo joined in wondering.
"Why aren't you with her?" she asked. Mousse just sat and didn't answer. Ukyo was about to ask him again when he opened his mouth.
"I don't want to be with her." he answered. The three stared at him in shock.
"You probably don't believe me." he said.
"But all this time you wanted to be with her, now..." said Ukyo.
"You mean you don't love her anymore?" asked Ranma.
"It's not like that, Saotome. I love her more than life itself." he said.
"Then why?" asked Ukyo. Mousse sighed and leaned back against the side of the van.
"It's just that... things are starting to get better." he started. Ranma, Ryoga and Ukyo listened carefully to what he was saying.
"I mean, ever since I stopped glomping her, she's finally treating me like a friend." he added. The others looked a bit confused.
"Usually, we don't talk at all. We talk the usual restaurant stuff, but nothing other than that. But now, she's actually talking to me like she does to everyone else." he continued.
"I don't want to destroy what's just starting by staying with her again." he said. Ukyo raised an eyebrow at him.
"But you stayed with her and took care of her after the fight. What's so different about this one?" said Ukyo.
"Last time, I had high hopes. But now, I'm just hoping." he said. Now he got Ranma and Ryoga's eyebrow up.
"Remember the battle. She actually risked her life to save me." he said.
"Yeah, usually, it's the other way around." commented Ryoga.
"That's why I had high hopes back then. But when she woke up, you," he pointed at Ranma, "were the first one she asked for." he said.
"Hey!" Ranma said. He didn't like the way Mousse pointed at him or his tone.
"I'm sorry. It's just so hard to have high hopes and then just... just nothing." he said. Then they saw a single drop of tear. Ukyo sat beside Mousse and squeezed his shoulder.
"Don't worry. It's gonna be fine." she said.
"Yup, she's right." added Ryoga.
"It'll get better." said Ranma. Mousse looked at his three friends.
"Thank you, everyone." he said and smiled.
"Hey, we're all friends now right?" asked Ranma. They all looked at each other and then nodded.
"Yes, we all are." said Mousse.
"Including Shampoo." said Ukyo.
"And Akane." added Ryoga.
"Yeah, all of us." finished Ranma. They were all laughing and eating when they heard someone call.
"Mousse." They all looked in front and saw Shampoo having a hard time getting up.
"What you doing, help Shampoo." she said.
Mousse immediately stood up and assisted Shampoo. She sat down in front of the others and Mousse beside her. The others started coughing in an exaggerating manner.
Shampoo just looked on, clueless of the happenings. The others were coughing uncontrollably, teasing Mousse who barely contained his blush. Mousse shushed them and then turned to Shampoo.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
"Yes." she said. Mousse looked at Ukyo. She immediately understood.
"You've got it." she said and fired up her portable grill. In a few minutes, she had an okonomiyaki ready and gave it to Mousse.
"Here." he said and gave it to Shampoo.
The others continued to tease them. Shampoo took it and started eating, still oblivious to the others. Artemis joined them at the back and started eating as well.
"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you something Artemis." said Ranma. Artemis swallowed a slice of okonomiyaki.
"Go ahead." she said. "Back in Brazil, we just teleported. Why don't we just teleport to the Sahara?" he asked.
"Actually, we can teleport to the Sahara. But that first teleportation took a lot of Shampoo's energy." she started. They all looked at Shampoo, who just smiled back at them.
"That's the reason why she's slept all afternoon of yesterday until this morning." she continued.
"We can't risk taking another teleportation. It might take Shampoo's life." she added. She looked at the five sad faces in front of her.
"But if we get Ryoga's power, we can divide the energy needed for teleportation and we can teleport to even farther places." she finished.
The five sad faces are now filled with smiles. But they still have a long and hard way ahead of them.
Bismont and his men spread out at the seaport, hoping not to catch the attention of the crowds. Bismont's two loyal warriors finally returned. They all gathered in a small alley and away from the crowds.
"Report." said Bismont.
"Lord, for the past four days, only two ships have left the port." said one.
"One cargo ship left for the United States, and another for Angola." said the other.
"We checked the passenger list, and found a group of six people, five of them Japanese, on board the ship for Angola." he finished. Bismont now had a smile on his face.
"Good. We leave for Angola at once." he commanded.
*Artemis is going for the second power, but she won't succeed this time.* he thought, very determined.
"Let's go." he said and everyone vanished into thin air.
After a very exhausting four - hour trip across the border, Ranma and Co. finally made it to Zaire.
Yomunda drove them up to the Congo river where they all took a boat ride, a speed boat that is, which is supposed to take them across yet another border, to Cameroon.
After another two hours of getting splashed with water and tossed around, not to mention the constant changing of directions because of the different branching off of the river into smaller rivers, they arrived at the city of Yaounde and decided to take a few minutes rest there.
Or that is, for the little pig, cat, duck and little girl to change back to their normal forms.
While Artemis helped the others to change back, Ukyo wandered about and found herself in front of a souvenir shop.
*I guess it won't hurt to take a look.* she thought and went inside.
Wind chimes were hanging just before the door along with other stuff. On one of the shelves, she found a wide array of ornaments ranging from beaded necklaces and bracelets, to ethnic rings and other stuff.
Another shelf was filled with t - shirts, shorts and other clothes with the sign 'Cameroon' on them. There were also bags, caps, postcards and other souvenir items.
Ukyo walked to the last shelf before the counter. It was filled with a lot of different, or should I say, unique stuff. She saw an old wine glass, the ones made out of bronze.
She saw an interesting dagger, also made out of bronze. She picked it up from its dagger rest, more known as a knife rest, and examined it. She was about to pull it out from its case when the store keeper approached her.
He said something in his native language which Ukyo didn't understand. But judging from the look on his face, it looked like he was stopping her from buying it.
*Why would they put it up here as a display for sale when it looks as though they don't want it to be bought?* she thought, confused.
He said something again but Ukyo still couldn't understand. She stared at him, utter confusion and irritation on her face.
"He said that you should be careful." supplied Artemis as she went into the store.
"Nice timing, thanks for the translation, too." said Ukyo.
Artemis talked to the store keeper about the dagger. From what Ukyo was seeing, it was like the dagger was cursed or something. Artemis then turned to her.
"He said that the dagger came from his ancestors, possibly originating from somewhere in the Sahara desert." she said. Then she handed her a small book.
"What's this?" asked Ukyo.
"He says that this book can tell you all about that dagger." said Artemis. Ukyo was surprised to see that it was in English.
*English? I can speak a little of the language... but I don't think I can understand a whole book.* she thought.
"How am I supposed to understand this?" she asked her. Artemis turned to her with a little mischief in her eyes.
"Why don't you ask Ryoga to read it for you." she suggested. But Ukyo wasn't looking at her so she didn't notice Artemis's little scheme.
Curious, Ukyo decided to buy the dagger and the book as well. She continued to look at the shelf and found a pair of rings, both were made of silver.
One had a blue sapphire and the other one with the wider band had a green emerald. She also took it with her and brought all of the stuff to the counter.
The man computed her bill and gave her the receipt. Artemis read it and gave the man some payment. The man bowed to them. They both went out of the store and headed to meet with the others.
"How much was my bill?" asked Ukyo.
"In your currency, fifteen thousand yen." she said. Ukyo got some money and paid her.
"Where did you guys go?" asked Ranma, who is now a guy again.
"I just bought some stuff from that store." said Ukyo and pointed at the souvenir shop.
"What did you buy?" asked Ryoga.
"Oh some ancient dagger and a couple of other things." she said and put them inside her bag.
"Now, we take another van ride to the Niger river." said Artemis.
Ranma entered the van first, followed by Ukyo and Ryoga. They settled in beside Mousse, who had Shampoo's head laying on his lap, sleeping.
She was still a little tired from that teleportation, side effects that Artemis told them about. Ranma and the others started teasing him again. But their noise woke Shampoo up.
Shampoo opened her eyes and saw three pairs of eyes looking mischievously at her. She was quite confused with their faces, until she remembered where she was.
She turned her head and saw Mousse looking down at her. She immediately sat up, blushing. The others burst out laughing. At that moment, she wanted to hit Mousse for causing her such embarrassment.
But her irritation quickly died out when she remembered that she was the one who fell asleep on his lap, and that he did not force her to do so. Mousse just looked at her and didn't say a word.
She just sighed to herself. Ranma was finally starting to relax from his unstoppable laughing and he sighed as well. She looked at the Amazon pair and smiled to himself.
*I knew it. After this whole thing, those two are going to get together.* he thought.
He turned to Ukyo and was about to say something when he saw the scene in front of him.
Ukyo had brought out the book she bought from the store. It was in English and she had asked Ryoga to help her understand it. As Ryoga was trying to explain it to her, Ukyo's face looked more and more confused.
Ryoga looked a little frustrated when he couldn't help Ukyo understand. He let out a sigh and slumped into his seat. Ukyo patted him on the head, so soft that it only touched his head.
"It's alright Ryoga, I'll get the hang of it sooner or later." she said. Ryoga turned to look at her.
"It's not that Ukyo. I just feel that I didn't do anything to help." he said.
"But you did help. Now I know the table of contents." she said.
Ryoga sunk even deeper in his seat. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and pouted. Ukyo couldn't stop herself from giggling.
"That wasn't funny." said Ryoga, still pouting.
Ukyo pinched his cheek saying, "It was a joke." Ryoga 'Hmphed' manly, if there was such a thing, and looked away.
"And you look cute when you pout." added Ukyo.
Ryoga would've blushed to death with what she said, if there was such a thing, that is. Ukyo was still laughing when she noticed Ranma looking at them with a slight amusement in his face.
"Oh, hi Ranchan." she said.
"Hi..." said Ranma.
"Did you want something?" she asked.
"Oh, no... nothing. I was just... oh, forget it." he said and went at the far side of the van, as far away from them as possible.
Ryoga, finally snapping out of his state, looked at Ranma and then back at Ukyo.
"What did he say?" he asked.
"Nothing." said Ukyo with a sigh, seeing her chances with Ranma slowing fading away.
Ranma just looked out the window from his seat. He felt out of place inside the van. Mousse and Shampoo were now conversing in Chinese, while Ukyo and Ryoga were talking about the book Ukyo bought and having fun at the same time, leaving him longing for companionship.
Oh how he missed Akane. Even though she beats him up most of the time, and most of that time was his fault, it was really fun having her around. He always had someone to have spend time with.
He suddenly felt lonely. Yes, he had Mousse, Shampoo, Ryoga and his Ucchan with him, but it was really different with Akane. He longed to fill that loneliness inside him.
And that's the reason why he wanted to rescue Akane. He loves her so much that he would always go to any length to save her. And that love was not lost on any of his friends.
Ranma sighed again. He's been sighing constantly ever since Akane was kidnapped. The others noticed this and looked at him. But Ranma didn't see their worried gazes.
"Don't worry Akane, I'm coming." he whispered.
Shampoo and Ukyo sighed at the same time. They looked at each other and saw the others' pain. The pain of being in love with someone who doesn't love you back.
They looked away and settled for the silence that followed. Both Mousse and Ryoga just looked on, not really understanding what was happening, but sensitive enough to notice the melancholy atmosphere.
An hour passed and they arrived at the Niger river. There, they took another boat ride bound for Mali. It was again non - stop, another four hour trip.
Artemis had advised them to sleep while they can, for when they reach Mali, they would have to travel on foot. Ranma was already sleeping like a brick at the back of the boat. Shampoo was there, too.
This time, Mousse was the one sleeping, head resting on her lap. It was the least she could do to thank him for letting her sleep in his lap.
She was thankful that Ranma hadn't seen it and neither did Ukyo and Ryoga who were in front of the boat, still talking about the dagger. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it.
It was only her means of saying thank you.
Speaking of Ryoga and Ukyo, they have finally understood the book and the dagger. It turns out that the dagger was some sort of a key to an ancient temple in the Sahara.
There were still a lot of stuff that was said about the dagger, but Ukyo was too sleepy to continue listening to Ryoga. She felt her eyes becoming heavier and heavier, until suddenly...
Ryoga felt Ukyo's head on his shoulder. Ryoga smiled. He closed the book and placed it back, along with the dagger, into Ukyo's bag. He carefully lifted Ukyo and let her head lie on his lap, just like Mousse with Shampoo.
He brought one hand to gently stroke her hair. Then an image of Akane filled his vision as he looked down at Ukyo.
"Akane..." he whispered, a little guilty.
He couldn't understand his own feelings. He loves Akane, very much. But what of Ukyo... He frowned and then looked up at the sky.
*I will find this power, and I will save you Akane. Then we will see what will happen.* he thought as he looked down at Ukyo once more.
A few minutes later, Bismont and his men arrived at Angola. He immediately dispatched his men to search for Artemis and his group, but to no avail.
There seem to be no trace of them wherever they look. All of his men then gathered back around him, returning to report.
"Lord, I checked with the embassy and they said that there were a group of people who came by four days ago that fits our description." he said.
"Where are they now?" asked Bismont.
"They left for Zaire about ten hours ago. But their main destination is the Sahara desert in northern Africa." he answered.
"Good. Let us go." he said.
*Artemis, cherish this day, for it will be your last.* thought Bismont.
"Can we take a rest?" asked Ranma. They all looked at Artemis and then at each other.
"OK, we shall rest for a while here." she said. Ranma immediately reached for his water and drank continuously.
Leaving Yomunda in Mali, they started their journey. They have been walking around the desert for the past two hours, but they still haven't found anything.
Lucky for them, the sun was starting to move towards the west, which meant lesser heat.
"How are we supposed to find those ruins?" asked Ukyo. Artemis looked at Ryoga.
"Through him." she said. They all gave him hard looks.
"Hey, this is the first time I ever came to this place." he shot back defensively. He walked a few feet away from them then stopped to face them.
"And it's not like I know where those ruins are." he said and stomped his feet on the ground.
To his, and everyone's surprise, the ground below him shook and gave way. He fell into the hole it made along with the sand.
"Ryoga!" screamed Ukyo and ran to him.
Ranma spat his water out and ran to him as well. They looked down the hole, looking for Ryoga. They stood there impatiently, waiting for the dust to clear.
Ryoga was slow to get up. His head ached a bit along with his butt. He looked up to see a large hole about ten feet in diameter and thirty feet in height above him. He heard someone calling his name.
"I'm OK." he announced. He brought out his flashlight and started to look around.
"Hey guys, I think I found it." he said.
"Found what?" someone asked from above.
"The ruins." he shouted back.
"I'm coming down." said Ukyo.
She took the flashlight from her bag and handed it to Mousse. She also took the dagger with her. Ranma got a long and sturdy rope ready for her.
"Please be careful." he said as he tied the rope around her waist.
"Don't worry about me." she said and started walking to the hole.
Ranma tied the other end of the rope to himself. Mousse took the rope and let go behind him. He and Ranma slowly lowered Ukyo down the hole, letting the rope slide past his back.
Ryoga assisted Ukyo as she set foot on the ground. She untied the rope and tugged at it, letting the others know that she's alright. She opened her flashlight and walked towards a huge stone.
It was like, a big door that needed a key to open it. They saw a small hole that looked like a keyhole. They looked at each other and then nodded.
Ukyo took the dagger from its case and gave it to Ryoga. He slowly pushed the dagger into the hole and turned it. The ground began to shake again as the huge stone began to move.
Ukyo and Ryoga moved away and covered their eyes as protection from the dust. The others felt the movement and immediately looked down the hole.
"Hey, are you guys OK?" asked Ranma. They heard some coughing and murmuring.
"We're alright." said Ryoga.
Ukyo stood up from where she fell and looked about the ruins. She gave a hopeful look at Ryoga who returned the look. He then nodded and called the others.
"You guys can come down now." he said. They all looked at each other and nodded.
"Hey Artemis, can you..." Ranma's words drifted into the air. Mousse and Shampoo turned to him and was surprised as well.
"Where Artemis?" asked Shampoo.
"I have no idea." said Ranma.
"Where are we going to place our things?" asked Mousse.
"And how do we get down?" asked Ranma.
"That easy." said Shampoo. They both turned to look at her. She closed her eyes and pointed forward, chanting:
"Oh power of nature, I call on thee.
We need a foundation, come forth a tree."
And a tree, a big one at that, sprouted from where Shampoo pointed. Ranma and Mousse looked on in surprise. Though Ranma didn't understand a word Shampoo said, the tree kinda told him what she did.
"Nice trick Shampoo. But how is that going to help us?" he asked. Mousse just shook his head.
He took the rope from Ranma and tied it to the trunk of the tree. He walked back to Ranma and gave him the rope and grabbed all their bags. He placed them all under the tree and made his way back to them.
"Aiya, never thought Mousse sometimes smarter than Ranma." commented Shampoo.
"Hah, hah. Very funny." was all Ranma could say. They slowly made their way down the hole, Mousse going first, followed by Shampoo and then Ranma.
"Where's Artemis?" asked Ukyo. Shampoo shrugged.
"Vanished, without a trace." supplied Mousse.
"She also did this last time." said Ukyo.
"Wasn't there a peach?" asked Ryoga. The others started mocking and throwing small rocks at him.
"Hey! Watch it! You never know..." he said jokingly.
"Oh, forget it Ryoga. You're such a pig. Let's go." said Ranma and they started walking into the ruins.
"Ranma..." growled Ryoga, but stopped himself from attacking the pigtailed martial artist. It was his own fault to joke around at a time like this.
Ryoga turned the dagger again to its original position, got it and followed then them. They were halfway into the ruins when they heard some howling.
With his flashlight, Ryoga turned around and looked for the source.
"What was that?" he asked.
"It was probably just the wind." said Ranma. They continued walking forward. After another fifty feet or so, they heard some howling again.
"That is definitely not the wind." said Ukyo.
"Stay close together." said Mousse. Shampoo suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" asked Mousse.
"I can feel huge energy." she said.
"Where?" asked Ranma. Shampoo closed her eyes and raised her head towards the ceiling.
"It very close. Come from people like Artemis." she said and then opened her eyes.
"How do you know, Shampoo?" asked Ukyo.
"No time explain. We need hurry and find power." she said.
Bismont and his men were flying over the Sahara desert in pursuit of Artemis. They teleported from Angola to Mali, two hours after Artemis and her group left.
He was informed that they'd just missed them, and immediately departed for the Sahara. They have been flying for about thirty minutes now.
They were about to turn back, thinking that the information they had received was wrong, when one of his men spotted a huge tree in the middle of the desert.
"Lord." he said and pointed at the tree. They all hovered above the tree and spotted the hole. They all went down into the hole with Bismont leading the way.
"This time, I will head the attack." he said and produced a fire ball in his hand as a torch. They went into the door Ryoga opened with the dagger. Then they heard a howling sound.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Mere wind my Lord." answered one. They continued flying forward into the ruins.
After about ten minutes of walking, Ranma and Co. finally reached the end of the ruins. They saw some sort of statue of a wolf almost as big as a man.
Ukyo saw another hole where the dagger seemed to fit. She called Ryoga and told him about it.
"Here goes." he said and pushed the dagger into the hole.
Another door opened where they all entered. There was another statue of a wolf. And below it were some carvings that seemed to have been there since 2d century A. D., the time of the Kingdom of Aksum.
The carvings appear to have been done by using symbols, more known as the cuneiform system of writing invented by the Sumerians.
There were drawings of people, someone who looks as if he was being worshipped like a god, a bonfire and a lot more. But the wolf only appeared once, it was the last drawing.
The carvings seemed to have been interrupted as it ended there, with the wolf.
"What does it mean?" asked Ranma.
"Back then, there was a man who seemed to be their god. His name was Koseidon. He was worshipped and praised by the people. He fell in love with one of the natives and asked for her love in return. But she already had a husband. He got mad and burned this man. The people knew about it and drove him away. He swore to have revenge, and so he commanded the earth to open and swallow the whole village, along with the temple that we are in now. He was punished by the gods and turned into a wolf. And that's where the drawings stopped, unfinished I believe." said Mousse.
"How you know that?" asked Shampoo.
"I just followed the story." he said.
"You mean that this wolf is where the power is hidden?" asked Ranma.
"Possibly." said Mousse.
"What do you think happened after?" asked Ukyo.
"Maybe this is his final resting place." said Ryoga.
"Do not worry. This will be your final resting place as well." said Bismont. They all turned to the dark and saw Bismont and his men.
"Aiya." said Shampoo. The five formed a line protecting the wolf statue. Ranma tapped Ryoga's hand, but did not turn his head.
"When I say go, fire a ki blast." he whispered. Ryoga nodded and whispered it to the others.
"Attack." said Bismont. His ten men attacked them, two men to each of Ranma and his friends.
As the men approached, about ten feet from them, Ranma shouted, "NOW!"
Mousse, Ukyo and Shampoo ducked as they heard him.
"SHI SHI HOKOUDAN!" screamed Ryoga.
"MOKOU TAKABISHYA!" cried Ranma.
The twin ki blasts soared into the air and knocked out his men. Of the ten, two got killed.
One slammed into the wall and broke his spine, the other slammed into the wall then fell to the floor. His impact with the wall caused it to shake a bit and dropped a huge chunk of stone onto the man.
A sound of a skull cracking could be heard.
The eight remaining were just a little wounded. Ranma and the others couldn't believe it. The men attacked again. Lucky for them, Ryoga didn't use all of his energy and was still standing when they attacked.
"Split up." said Ranma.
Ranma ran to intercept his attacker while Ryoga stayed in his position. Ukyo moved to the left while Shampoo moved to the right with Mousse staying in the middle.
Ranma had two men on him, Ukyo and Ryoga had one each. Mousse and Shampoo fought with two men each. Ranma dodged as his opponents started attacking.
He evaded their punches and kicks and noticed that there was a pattern to it. When one kicks, the other punches, and vice versa. He waited for an opening, waited...
"There!" he said.
He caught a punch by one of the men and slammed him into his partner before it could throw a kick. They both fell to the floor, dazed and unconscious.
Ranma charged for his own attack to finish them off but was stopped by a fire ball that flew past him. The fireball barely missed him, burning a part of his hair. It was Bismont.
"Try me." he said, mockingly.
"I'd take you on anytime." said Ranma but was instantly knocked out of breath. He turned to see who hit him and saw that it was Bismont.
"Surprised?" he asked and attacked. This time, Ranma was ready.
Ukyo's enemy was already pinned to the wall, a shuriken on each side of his clothing. She doesn't really approve of killing, especially if there are other ways to end something.
"I don't like killing, so I'd say that our fight is over." she said and started to turn.
"Big mistake." said her opponent and used his strength to get out of such a position.
"What tha..." said Ukyo as she evaded a fire ball.
Ukyo faced him, spatula in hand and started throwing back his attacks. He just continued to fire until Ukyo's spatula gave way to the heat. She let it go and fell to the ground.
She was about to get burned when an umbrella flew into her opponents face. He was knocked out and fell to the ground.
"Thanks Ryoga." she said, realizing that the very heavy umbrella belonged to Ryoga.
"Don't mention it." said Ryoga and continued fighting his own opponent.
Mousse threw knives at his opponent but to no avail, his foe was still advancing. He then decided to launch three chains at him. It worked.
His opponent fell to the ground. But before Mousse could celebrate, his enemy struggled out of the chains and was free again.
"How in tha..." he said and blocked as his opponent launched at him, punches and kicks.
His opponent flew into him and Mousse collapsed. He was the first one to fall. His opponent hovered above him. Shampoo turned in time to see him fall.
She had been using her bonbouri and plants to fight with her opponent, growing vines and thorns. But seeing Mousse fall unconscious was too much to bear.
They had become better friends since the start of the journey and it was all she could take. Her aura flared up from the usual whitish - blue to a fiery red one.
Her two opponents, who were already caught up in her vines, were completely covered by the vines like vegetables squeezed into a spring roll.
They tried to scream for help but the vines stopped their oxygen supply. Her opponents were squeezed and suffocated to death. The one who attacked Mousse saw this and stared in disbelief.
He then saw Shampoo approaching him and started to attack her before she could attack him. But he forgot the power Shampoo now possessed.
He landed on the ground and tried to attack when he felt something grab his feet. The same vines came from the ground and covered him as well.
He too was crushed by the vines, but this time, blood was the only thing that remained. That was what he got for attacking Mousse.
Shampoo's fiery red aura slowly died out as she approached Mousse, who was just regaining consciousness.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
Mousse just nodded, still a little dazed. Shampoo lifted Mousse in her arms and carried him to the side. She then created a small patch of flowers where she laid Mousse to rest and recover.
"Stay here." she said. Using much of her energy, she pulled out her bonbouri to help the others.
"Why won't you stay down?" growled Ryoga as he hit his opponent with another full force punch.
This one has been a very stubborn one. His enemy ran to him again and Ryoga connected with an knee in the gut and an elbow in the back. His enemy fell to the ground again, but was still trying to get up.
Ryoga pulled out a handful of bandannas and threw it at him. Finally able to pin him down unconscious, Ryoga ran to help Ranma. He passed by Shampoo who was heading for Ukyo's direction.
Ryoga couldn't help but wonder where Mousse was. He then saw a flower patch out of the corner of his eye and saw Mousse slowly getting up. He smiled a little to see his friend alright.
He almost didn't see two men charging at him. He was surprised, but still managed to dodge.
"Where did those two come from?" he asked no one in particular.
Those were the two ones Ranma knocked out earlier. They attacked him again with blinding speed, unlike the way they had attacked Ranma earlier.
Ryoga fell on one knee, some blood trickling down his face from a cut below his left eye. His enemies were planning to attack him again when a pair of knives brushed past each of them.
They turned to look at the one who threw but evaded in time as four more knives and a couple of axes flying their way. Mousse stood in front of Ryoga and was sort of protecting him.
"Are you OK?" he asked.
"Yeah, just got a little careless." he admitted. Mousse tensed a little as he saw their two opponents come back.
"I have a plan." said Ryoga. He whispered something to Mousse who nodded in approval. As their opponents attacked, Mousse threw chains at them and was able to keep them down.
"Now Ryoga." he said and moved away. Ryoga charged himself up, needing all his depression for this blow. His aura flared a bright blue and screamed.
"SHI SHI HOKOUDAN FULL BLAST!" he said.
A great ball of ki flew into the space above him and then crashed back down to the ground. It wasn't as strong as the ones he has thrown before, but the blast was strong enough to knock his opponents unconscious.
The two stood up and were joined by Ukyo and Shampoo who also knocked their enemy unconscious. Ranma was slammed into the wall for the third time. He swore he felt his left arm break, but still tried to get up.
"This is the end of the line, boy." said Bismont and fired a fire ball.
The only thing Ranma could do was throw his right arm as a shield. He prepared for the blow. It never came. Ryoga and the others were standing in front of him.
"Are you alright, Ranchan?" asked Ukyo. He nodded and then fell to the ground, unconscious.
The four attacked Bismont at the same time but they couldn't touch him. Mousse was now caught in his own chains while Ukyo was pinned to the wall with her own shurikens.
Shampoo was now cursing herself for using up so much energy in her previous attacks. Catching Ryoga's bandannas, Bismont sliced Shampoo's bonbouris into pieces.
He used the remaining bandannas that he had to pin Shampoo to the ground. Ryoga was the only one left standing.
"I'm surprised to see you alive." mocked Bismont.
"Shut up and fight." growled Ryoga and attacked.
Before he could proceed with attack, he felt a familiar howling sound. All of them turned to see a white wolf come out from the darkness.
"The power, Ryoga." someone whispered into Ryoga's mind.
Instead of attacking Bismont, he tried to go for the wolf. It was his own fault that he got hit behind by a fire ball. He tried to get up and go for the wolf again but found that it was running away from him.
Ranma by then had regained consciousness and helped free Ukyo, Shampoo and Mousse from their positions. Then they felt the ground shake beneath them.
Ranma turned to see one of Bismont's remaining men pull the dagger out of the wolf's mouth. He charged the man and attacked. His enemy was still dizzy which helped Ranma knock him out faster.
Ranma placed the dagger back into the wolf's mouth which stopped the ground shaking beneath them. Ryoga saw his chances at the power slipping away.
He couldn't get away from Bismont, and some of his remaining men were starting to get up again. He had to get his friends out of there.
*It's my fault I couldn't get the power, the least I could do is save my friends.* he thought.
"The dagger, that's it." he said. He jumped back, away from Bismont and landed near Ukyo. He turned her to face him.
"Listen to me. When I give the word, get the others out of here, including yourself." he said. Ukyo realized what he was planning and started to open her mouth to argue.
"Please, just go. I'll try and stop them, OK. I think Shampoo has enough energy to get you guys out of here." he said.
Ukyo hugged him for the moment and whispered, "Promise me you'll survive." she said.
"I promise." he said and let go of her.
*I'm counting on you Ukyo.* he thought, looking on.
Ryoga lured Bismont and his men towards the carvings on the wall. He stood beside the wolf statue.
"Now Ukyo!" he shouted and pulled the dagger from the wolf's mouth.
The ground began to shake again. Ranma and the others ran through the door and out of the ruins. Shampoo was starting to do the teleporting thing when Ranma stopped her.
"Wait! Ryoga's not here yet." he said.
"Ranchan, Ryoga wants us to go." said Ukyo. Ranma's eyes went wide.
"That's suicide!" he cried and tried to go and get him when Ukyo stopped him.
"Let him be. He said that this was the only way he could help because he lost the power." said Ukyo.
Ranma would've ignored her but saw that she was crying. What Ryoga was doing hurt her more than she's showing.
"OK. Let's go." he said.
*Damn you, Ryoga! Please get out alive!* Ranma hoped. Shampoo concentrated and teleported them out.
Back inside the ruins, Ryoga was already bloody from trying to stop Bismont and his men to leave.
"If you don't let us leave, you will die here yourself." said Bismont. Ryoga spit out blood as he clutched his stomach on pain.
"I.. I'd rather die here... than.. than let you... attack my friends." he said.
"I have lost the power completely bu... because of my poor decision. Just like, just like what happened with the wolf. But I... will never let you kh... kill my friends. If I can't stop you, th... then I will at least d.. die trying." he said and threw his bandannas at them again.
But he missed miserably due to the pain that he had suffered. Bismont raised his hand, apparently to throw a fire ball to end Ryoga's life.
Ryoga looked up at him but didn't move a muscle. Then the fire ball was released. He looked in dismay, but could do nothing to stop the incoming onslaught.
"Forgive me, Ukyo." he said.
Just before it hit him, there came a bright light. From above the tree, Ukyo and the others saw the ground crack and a lot of sand get swallowed by the opening.
"Ryoga!" she cried out in anguish.
From their position, they could see Bismont and his men burn in the fiery lava that escaped the crack. But they could not see Ryoga's body.
Suddenly, from the depths came a ball of light.
And in it was Artemis, cradling Ryoga in her lap. They landed just before the others who were surprised to see her. They were about to ask her but she was first to act.
"I'll tell you later." she said.
Ukyo now cradled Ryoga in her arms and was crying her eyes out. The crack suddenly closed up and was gone, like it was never there. The wolf appeared in front of them and took shape as a man again.
"I, Koseidon, pass on to him the power of the earth for he has redeemed himself. Like me, he made a mistake. Our only difference was the love he has for his friends which redeemed him. Farewell great wolf. There will be more problems to face in the future. Just remember that your decision will decide you fate." he finally said and vanished.
Ryoga managed to open his eyes, and a vision of friendship and sweetness and maybe, just maybe... something else greeted him.
"Ukyo." he said, smiling as he fell unconscious once more.
Silence filled the hidden chamber as Herion entered with his majesty.
"Bismont has failed in his mission again. He got what he deserved." he said. Herion and his men bowed in front of him and awaited his orders.
"Herion." he called.
"Yes your majesty?" he asked.
"I want you to take care of Artemis and her group, yourself." he said.
Herion rose and said, "Thank you my Lord." He stood up and began to leave the room.
"Do not be a disappointment like Bismont." he said and turned to leave.
Herion smiled to himself. Bismont was now gone, and he has the chance to prove himself. But he had a wicked grin on his face after that.
"After Bismont, his majesty will die next." he whispered and sat on his chair, still grinning wickedly.
One of the men from the chamber slowly walked out, without anyone noticing. He heard what Herion said and was going to tell his majesty about it.
"Lord Bismont was right about his hunches on Herion." he said and continued walking towards the palace.
End of Chapter 6
From the Author:
The words in UNDERLINE are spoken or thought in Chinese in this chapter.
About the Ryoga knowing about Ukyo's life in the Tendo's bathroom, I wrote it in "The Search for Atlantis", Chapter 3: Ancient Royalty and Heritage.
A conspiracy within a conspiracy. I hope you guys don't get confused.
About the embassy thing, I only invented it, OK. No offense to anyone who might be offended.
About the travel time from one place to another, I haven't really traveled that much, especially in Africa, so they are just estimations. Same goes with most of the traveling in Chapter 5 and all the next Chapters.
For those who are wondering, a spring roll is like a kind of food, made up of vegetables. The vegetables are rolled in spring roll paper. In the Philippines, it is known as lumpia.
From chapter 5 onwards, the chapters will become much longer because from there until the last, there will be two parts which were originally two chapters squeezed into one.
All comments, suggestions, criticisms and the like, please click the link below.
All Ranma 1/2 characters copyright to Rumiko Takahashi. They are used without permission. Please do not sue me, I don't have money.
©1998 Shirley Joy Gadia, all other characters mentioned above and the story, all rights reserved.
Thank you!