Disclaimer: One more time: this is a work of fan fiction. I own the rights to neither Ranma nor Exalted, and no infringement on those rights is intended by this minor act of fanboyish imitation. In the interests of telling a good story, rules will be broken, canon material will be ignored, and the bounds of sanity, safety, and propriety disregarded. Signed C&C or reviews accepted. Flames will be snuffed.

Cestus Sol

A Ranma/Exalted Crossover

By the MadPanda

Chapter Four: First Impressions of a New Dawn

Ranma recovered his consciousness and his wits gradually to the sound of an unfamiliar woman's voice. There was something soothing about the sound, shot through with the merry humor of one who knows that she alone gets an inside joke.

"He took that well," the woman was saying. "Certainly better than I expected he would."

"Yes, he did," Urvasi grumbled, "for a value of 'well' with which I am not familiar. I am of a mind to find the Nightfang and warn her..."

"No need, daughter. Siobhan will welcome her mate regardless. She has missed him."

"Ah, and he, of course, having so many other women..."

"Engagements, not wives."

Urvasi sighed heavily. "This is true, and I freely admit that none of them are his doing and desire. How much did you know of these matters ere you sent me forth to fetch him?"

"Please, Daughter! I am not omniscient! I do confess to having known more than I told, yet less than you suspect." The woman laughed softly. "Had I told you all I knew, you might have seen him with less innocent and open eyes. I am pleased to find that he has not changed so much since I first knew him. And here he is, back among the waking world. How fare you, Lord?"

"Uhm...I gotta headache..."

"Only to be expected, Lord Ranma."

"Just Ranma. I ain't...uh, I don't like titles. They remind me of the Blue Blunder."

"As you wish. Besides the headache, how fare you?"

"Uhm. I had this crazy dream where a little girl told me my wife was coming to see me, and there was all this light..."

"You see, Urvasi? He's doing just fine."

"As you say, Mother." The girl did not sound convinced.

"Uhm...who are you, again?"

"Call me Glatisant."

Ranma sat up carefully. The woman who addressed him was a tall and stunningly beautiful woman with long platinum blonde hair, a honey-colored tan, and the most intense green eyes he'd ever seen in his life. She was dressed quite unconvincingly as a Shinto shrine maiden.

"See, Urvasi? All is mended. And he's even quick enough to be back for breakfast with his mortal attendants if he hurries."

"They don't think of themselves as his servants, Mother."

"What? Not even that meek little housekeeper?" Glatisant frowned. "How odd."

"Ya mean Kasumi?"

"She does," Urvasi nodded glumly. "You must forgive Mother, Sword of Heaven. She forgets herself from time to time."

"What a terrible thing to say! Wicked child..." Glatisant laughed and embraced the small girl, then smiled at Ranma. "But she's right. I'm only teasing you. Here, let us help you back to the Tendo house. It's the least we can do, having already made your life far more complicated that it already was."

Somewhere in the back of Ranma's head, the word 'Tendo' connected with the word 'wife' and the idea of two more women accompanying him home. Ranma made desperate warding gestures.

"Uh, that's okay, Glatisant! I'll be fine, really!"

"I insist. They will not harm you. Not this time."

The sudden lack of humor and warmth in her voice caught his attention. Ranma understood, somehow, that Glatisant was making a promise that she fully intended to keep...and somehow he knew that she had ways of making that happen.

"Ya remind me of Nabiki," he blurted out.

"The scheming one," Urvasi muttered to her mother.

"You hold her in high regard indeed, to compare her to me. Ah, but let us proceed to your current domicile, Son of the Dawn. Or, rather, let Urvasi escort you. She wishes to make amends for having caused you trouble. While I would also prefer to come along, there is another matter to which I must attend."

Shaking his head, secure in the knowledge that somehow he had missed something important, Ranma got to his feet. So did Urvasi, who looked about as happy as he felt. Bowing as politely as he could manage, Ranma left for home, the girl right on his heels.

They had not gone ten paces out the front gate of the shrine before he turned to regard the girl. She stopped in turn and returned his attention with a sullen, put-upon look of her own.

"Ya don't hafta follow me if ya don't wanna."

"That's all right," she grumbled. "The trip will get me out of Mother's way for a time, and I would rather argue with you than with her."

"She's really your Mom?"

"Alas, yes."

"Wow. Well, it could be worse. Mine keeps wanting me to be a man- among-men or else. And some of Momma's ideas are kinda weird."

"So I gather. We should be on our way, Lightbri...uhm, Ranma."

"Ya remembered."

"It seems the least I can do after scaring you like that."

"Hey, who says I was scared?"

"Unlike Mother, I am quite aware that the idea of a 'lifetime companion' seems to bother you. As if a wife was something frightening." She gave him a mocking little smile, but looked thoughtful after another moment. "Of course, as I remember, the Nightfang is a rather impressive woman. Perhaps I should caution her against surprising you?"

Ranma frowned. "Would it do any good?"

"Probably not. She is Lunar. They are...exuberant creatures."

"Look, whaddya care for, anyway? I heard what ya said earlier, about my having all these women, and ya still ask why I'm not thrilled? At least you understand that all of the engagements are my father's doing, not mine...but ya still brought it up! And now ya tell me I got a wife all this time! How do I handle that? How can I? Nobody ever asked me if I know the first thing about relationships, or people, or...or...other stuff. I got guys at school who think I'm the luckiest man on Earth, having all these pretty girls chasin' after me. What're they gonna think if my wife shows up?"

Urvasi blushed and looked down at her feet as he paused for breath.

"But you'd rather just assume I'm a playboy, hunh? Just like everybody else around here. Never mind what I think or want."

The girl cleared her throat. "I have wronged you, Solar...and proven myself unworthy of the reward I was promised for helping you regain what is yours. I cry your mercy, Sword of Heaven."

"Hunh?" It took Ranma a few seconds to shift mental gears and another moment for him to realize that someone, some girl, had just apologized to him for leaping to the wrong conclusion.

"Uhm, sure. I'm kinda used to it..."

"You ought not be!" Urvasi stopped and stood her ground, clenching her little fists. "It is bad enough that I, a stranger, should do so...but these people around you, those whom you protect and watch over..."

Ranma sighed.

"It's okay, 'Vasi-chan. Really."

"It is not! I should have asked for your side of things before I decided, but I was having doubts about whether or not you were really the one I sought and..."

"It's an important job you do for your mom?"

"An old promise being fulfilled, yes."

"A matter of honor?"

"No, just...a promise to a friend. Something that Mother would consider far, far more important than mere honor."

"Whoa. Is that possible?"

"Mother lives by her own rules, Ranma. She always has. It is part of why she is so frustrating to know."

"Yeah, I sorta figured that part out already. And I kinda know the feeling. So...it's okay. I'm not mad at ya or nothin'. You're kinda new to all this madness. It kinda overwhelms ya at first. I just...I'm used to it."

The strange little girl set her jaw and shook her head angrily and said no more until they reached the Tendo's gate.

"I gotta go in, now," Ranma grinned. "Be careful goin' home. Who knows what sorta trouble ya might run into. Either of the Kunos, for starters."

"And you, Lightbringer. Be well," Urvasi bowed. "If I see the Nightfang, I shall warn her that you are not to be surprised."

"I thought ya said it wouldn't help?"

"Alas, no. But I shall do so anyway. For a friend who forgave my leap to judgment." With that, she turned and dashed away, leaving Ranma at the gate. As before, he watched her departure and tried to resolve the nagging feeling in his gut that yes, Urvasi was going to join his so-called 'harem' in the near future.

"Not gonna happen," he whispered. "Her mom ain't that dumb!"

With that positive thought bolstering his confidence, Ranma stepped back into the madhouse of his life. He needed breakfast, his schoolbags, and a quick spar with his panda...er, father. He didn't get any of the three before his life caught up with him—as soon as the gate closed behind him, both fathers and his so-called 'true fiancée' were in his face.

"Ranma-kun, explain this!" Tendo Soun, always on the lookout for some reason to accuse him of failing to live up to a fool's bargain.

"Where have you been, you ungrateful..." His fath...Genma, always using those very traits he did not possess to gain leverage over someone greater than he would ever be.

"PERVERT!" And there she was, his supposed fiancée, leaping to the attack without so much as a pause to justify her insult and the conclusion behind it. Akane and her accusations. Akane and her immature paranoia. Akane and her damn mallet. Why would she never just ask a question, listen to the answer, and think before acting? Why was it always somehow his fault? Why did he put up with it?

Enough!

Ranma felt something rise in him, a power he hadn't had the night before...almost like chi, but far older, stronger, more intense...

Akane's charge faltered. Her Righteous Mallet Strike fell far short of its intended target. Soun screamed like a little girl and passed out. Genma backpedaled, tripped on the stones around the koi pond and fell in. The entire backyard seemed full of glorious golden sunlight, far too bright for this time of the morning. Ranma was distantly aware that his battle aura had manifested...now white light and gold instead of his usual confident red.

"Explain myself? To you? No." Whoa, was that his voice? He knew what he sounded like in girl mode. This was a voice that belonged to a 'girl mode plus'! Even the Old Ghoul would be impressed!

He glanced at the ring on his hand. The ring glowed along with his aura...yes, it did that, didn't it? As did the ring he gave to her, his wife...a Lunar named Siobhan, whatever that meant.

Absently he stepped around Akane's stunned form and entered the house. Kasumi was just leaving the kitchen with a kettle of hot water for his convenience. When she saw him, she cried out and nearly dropped the kettle...

"Is something wrong, Kasumi?"

"R...ranma? When did you get that tattoo?"

Funny, Ranma thought. I'm glowing like the sun itself, her dad passed out, mine's all wet, and her precious baby sister is in shock, and Kasumi asks about a tattoo?

"What tattoo?"

"On...your forehead..."

Ranma accepted the tea-kettle from the young woman and stepped back outside to pour the contents over his head. The oft-welcomed change back to male, while still a relief, was much less intense than it always had been.

"Perhaps she was right, and the power does not care what form the vessel takes."

"What was that, Ranma-kun?"

Trust Nabiki to overhear him when he thought out loud! He gave her a sidelong glance. She was trying to look as calm and collected as ever, but he could almost feel her nervousness: his aura was slowly fading, but it was still quite noticeable.

"Just thinking over something a friend told me. It's nothing important."

"Really. Well, I'm sure Akane would love to know what you were up to...and who that little girl was you were chasing earlier."

Ah, of course. Someone had seen them, mentioned it to Akane, and the rest was just the normal way of life around here. Ranma almost laughed at the predictable stupidity of the whole chain of events.

"That, Tendo, is none of your business. Before you threaten me with your usual methods, I suggest you consider asking someone what really happened at Phoenix Mountain, and then contemplate whether you want me really and truly angry with you." He patted her shoulder in a brotherly way. "It's over, Nabiki-chan. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get my things for school."

"Ranma..."

"Yes?"

"When did you get a tattoo?" Nabiki pointed to her forehead. "Right here. Bright gold sunburst. Big as a 500 Yen coin. Can't miss it. And you didn't have it last night."

"Guess where I was this morning, who I was with, and why Akane is wrong again. Get all three right, specifically and precisely, and you'll have the answer you seek." He grinned, noting that his guy side also had the extra 'oomph' to his voice, and patted Nabiki's shoulder again. "Good day, Tendo-san."

Ranma headed inside, leaving the wreckage of a normal morning at the Tendo's behind him in the yard. He was starting to like this Solar thing, whatever it was. Already he was figuring out solutions to problems that had bothered him for months—the engagements could be dismantled, rivals outmatched, irritations resolved. And when his beloved wife rejoined him, he could leave this madhouse behind him.

Halfway down the stairs, with his book-bag slung over one shoulder, Ranma paused. He had a wife (that he had never met) who was coming here to be reunited with him. He didn't even know how he knew this. He glanced at the ring and grinned mournfully. Urvasi had said there was trouble in all things, hadn't she? And the little mystery girl was right. At least she had warned him that this might be complicated.

For now, there was Kasumi's breakfast, school, and perhaps another round of useless struggle against small minded fools. And amidst it all, Ranma merely smiled. She was coming back to him. Against that one bright thought, all else faded...

End Chapter Four To Be Continued.

Tune in next time when the Shampoo picks a fight with the wrong outsider, Ranma gets a surprise, and Urvasi's mom gets a regular job.

Author's Notes:

Did you miss something between last chapter and this? Not really—Ranma just passed out from shock and Urvasi hauled him 'home' so that he could talk to her mom. Granted, this is not the most 'manly' of reactions, but Ranma was a girl at the time.

Ranma spent almost the entire chapter in girl mode, but I decided to use the masculine pronoun throughout because as we all know he's a he, even when he's a she. Besides, it got way too confusing otherwise!

Glatisant is the name of the Questing Beast from Arthurian legend. What connection there might be between an Arthurian beastie and a Hindu character with a Chinese epithet, I will not speculate. I just thought it was a cool name.

This was originally two shorter pieces, but I decided that having more or less promised to show the Tendo's initial reactions to Ranma's Exaltation, nobody would complain too much if I went overtime. Gryn

Is Ranma a bit more mature than usual? You bet. While he hasn't noticed that he's doing it just yet, he's now thinking about his life strategically rather than just tactically.

His power-up in the face of an impending mallet strike is something Dawn Caste can do as a matter of course. It basically forces most non-Exalted opponents to pass a morale check before attacking. If they pass, they get a penalty on the attack. If they fail they run in screeching panic. Anyone see Soun and Genma passing that check? Didn't think so.

And as near as I can tell, Siobhan is supposed to be pronounced 'chevonne'. My Gaelic is about as good as my Urdu...which is to say, it isn't.