Chapter 8

Coming to Grips

After the spectacle that pit Ranma against twelve of the Dark Elves top fighters, Ranma was brought before the council in their private chambers. The Council of Twelve were now inside the their main building and up behind their gnarled benches looking down at the Human, Gnome, and at the Troll who's head was level with the bench. Eleven of the twelve council members had been impressed by Ranma's performance but one was being stubborn mainly because of his actions before the trial began. "I will not swear allegiance to this fowl creature, I refuse regardless of how much potential and power he has," the Elf stated his face mired in a scowl.

"You hold him in such contempt for his actions toward a member of your village," one stated coolly.

The hostile Elf growled, "Not just a mere member of my village, Seth was my brother. He and the Chancellor's daughter killed him to help save some Humans who rejected there presence."

Ranma snorted looking at the Elf, "He had his dog men chasing down kids. He was terrorizing people and that isn't right," he huffed crossing his arms.

The Chancellor raised his hand, "You may not agree with the council's decision Drak, but as it stands twelve to one, that this young man be given our respect and all except of you have sworn their allegiance to him something totally unprecedented, something that hasn't happen in nearly five thousand years..." The Chancellor stated, which allowed this to sink into the room, not even Emperor Beld had obtained such a thing, they were willing to give him only a few of their numbers. Yet if Ranma had asked them, they would give him an army and feel honored.

It looked as though Ranma had obtained allegiance from both nations of Trolls and Gnomes when looking at Granite and Slader. 'At this point the boy could ask for us to march into Valis itself, and we gladly do so without batting an eyelash. Could they say the same for the Trolls and Gnomes as well?' The Chancellor pondered while watching Drak out the corner of his eye. The Elf was far too ambitious and losing his brother seemed to unhinge the councilmen even more. "You may do what you will Drak, but as far as the rest of the Council is concerned, Ranma and his companions are our brothers and will be treated as such."

Drak seethed sitting back in his chair glaring down at Ranma, but said nothing. Ranma simply ignored the Elf, giving the Chancellor a smile, and a nod. He turned around and began to walk out... When Drak growled and leapt from his seat, dagger drawn and aiming for the back of Ranma's neck. Ranma spun around so fast that he seemed to blur, and when he did, his foot intercepted Drak before the Elf finished his strike. The whole council, Troll, and Gnome heard a dull crunch as Ranma's foot and Drak's momentum crushed the Elf's throat. Drak dropped to the ground bonelessly... Body twitching slightly, Ranma lowered his foot... shaking slightly as he finally realized for the second time in his life, he killed someone.

He didn't count the demon or the Cobalts, because he considered them too animalistic to be considered a person. But unlike Saffron, the Elf would not be coming back. Ranma quickly submersed himself in the Soul of Ice to keep from retching right there in front of the Council, and looked up at the High Chancellor who had quickly came around, from behind the bench hoping to stop the ambitious fool.

With a slight nod the Chancellor allowed Ranma to leave, motioning for guards to take the body away. Ranma quickly ran out of the council chambers, down the dimly lit hall to the outside. Leaning a hand against the wall he bent over and threw up what little he had to eat in over a day. Pirotess had seen him run out, the fact he wasn't flanked by guards meant the council voted in favor of him. As she neared she saw him throwing up, all over the ground as Granite and Slader appeared from out of the hall. "W-w-What has happened?" she asked gently rubbing Ranma's back as he took in deep breaths.

Slader frowned slightly, "One of the council members was being an egotistical moron and refused to acknowledge Ranma as an ally. Then when we were about to leave the fool 'tried' to kill the boy," with a shrug crossing his arms. "Jumped out of his seat into the air were the fool's neck met the boy's foot and gravity. The fool's neck lost, it snapped like twig and the moron dropped to the ground dead. Tell me this isn't the first time you've actually killed boy?"

Pirotess shook her head, "He killed Cobalts in the village we liberated."

"I hardly consider killing Cobalts something to lose ones breakfast over," Slader stated as Ranma regained his wits.

Ranma nods, "He's right Piro," he whispered fondly. "They aren't something I sweat about, but I killed a thinking being, I've only done that once before and felt horrible about it for a long time afterward. The fact that he came back, only put off some of the guilt."

"Hey kid killing people is never easy, if it does... Then we can officially label ourselves as evil monsters," Slader stated patting the pig tailed martial artist on the shoulder. "But in this case it was your life or his and self preservation is always a good thing. Course so is procreating, if ya know what I mean," the gnome smirked.

"Huh?" Ranma blinked looking utterly confused about the last part.

Slader looked over at the Elf giving her a dry look, "Where did ya dig up the boy, Elf in the woods?"

Pirotess smiled slightly, "Actually he rescued me from a dragon's den."

The Gnome snorted, "Even worse, well I'm going to go see about getting our weapons back. No tellin' what will happen between here and the mouth the cave," Slader starts to wander off toward the dungeons, "Hey Troll, if you want your weapon back better come with me I'm not exactly strong enough, nor the size to lift your club."

Granite snorted following the gnome easily over shooting the distance the Gnome had traveled. Ranma watched them go with a confused smile on his face. "What did he mean Piro about procreating?"

Pirotess blushed heavily, "He is talking about making children, Ranma," she said softly.

Ranma returned the blush having heard all the previous things like sex, rape, and what the difference is between the two. "Perverted little ghoul," he muttered softly.

"Are you feeling any better?" Pirotess asked softly. Ranma noticed how close she stood next to him and blushed slightly. She was no longer wearing a heavy tunic, nor the revealing outfit from when he first met her. He didn't notice earlier in the day before the trial at the arena, but she was wearing a long gown of dark blue, that had straps that fell off the shoulders leaving said shoulders bare. The bust was in a v-curve that showed a generous amount of cleavage, the dress hugged her upper body closely while the skirt fanned out in a flourish. She wore a plain gold circlet around her forehead and silver necklace with the design of a horse around her neck. Everything about the outfit flattered her figure, Pirotess noticed he was looking at her and blushed slightly.

"You look..." Ranma quickly tried to search for a word that could best describe her few came to mind. Nice, beautiful, cute, all things he thought of quickly an instantly rejected to him it would insult her. Few words to him could describe what he was seeing but one word floated to his mind and it was the same one he would've used when he thought of Akane in her wedding gown. "Breathtaking."

Pirotess face became a dark shade of red, clasping her hands together in front of her. "Thank you, Ranma," she whispered. Looking down for a moment, "Um, Ranma you've notice this link that we have formed?"

Ranma nodded rubbing the back of his head, "Yeah I'm sorry about that, if I could reverse it I would."

"No please do not do that," the female Dark Elf said softly. "If anything I want it to become a full bond."

Ranma blinked a few times absorbing the information, "You mean like not just sharing emotions and dreams, like talking in our heads, that type of thing... um why?" he asked softly.

Pirotess blushed slightly looking down at the ground slightly afraid of his reaction, "It is something that has come to me gradually Ranma. The bond helped me ease back into who I was before coming to the surface world."

"Ya mean all that bad stuff ya did before ya met me," Ranma stated softly.

She nodded, "Yes, before I met you there was only one human I didn't hate and he was filled with cruelty and malice who even hated all things living."

"That Ashram guy," Ranma whispered softly remembering all the images he had seen in Pirotess's mind.

"He showed me kindness in his own way, it was one of the reasons I fell for him," Pirotess admitted as she gently reached out and held Ranma's hand. "At first after you saved me from the dragon's den I simply wanted to return the favor so I could be rid of you and come home," she said softly. "It would've been one of the greatest mistakes of my eternal life, if I had done so."

Ranma could feel how timid and fearful Pirotess was getting, but kept his silence. He was more than sure what she had to say would come out. "As we traveled you showed me many things that have left me in awe," she shuddered softly. "Including that horrid life you left, I knew humans could be cruel in some places but never had I seen human parents show such disregard toward there own children."

Chuckling weakly Ranma shook his head, "Got no argument from me in that department, pops was a stupid old fool and outside the martial arts knew nothing about being a man."

Pirotess looked up at him tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes, "Yet what would drive most people insane only seemed to make you stronger, you've defeated some of our best warriors without much effort. You've endured so much and asked for so little."

Ranma gently wiped her tears away surprising even himself at how natural it seemed. He was sure if he tried something like this with Akane, he'd get malleted, with Ukyou or Shampoo probably get glomped or worse molested now that he knew what 'it' meant. "A martial artist life is fraught with peril," he frowned softly at the quote his father often stated to him when times were tough. "I never wanted much because I spent too much time fighting to keep people from gettin' me."

Pirotess looked back at the ground, "I simply wish to be with you to fight along side you."

"But you've been doing that Piro, yet you are scared and worried bout something what is it?" he asked gently. The fact that he's dropped the last four letters of her name ever since they shared that embrace before the fight in the arena had been making him think long and hard. He could feel something had changed between them, and the link between them was almost seamless now except for one point, something that was blocking their ability to speak directly into their minds. He had half tried to push past the block more out of curiosity then anything. He felt Pirotess' emotions seemed to grip around fear, a deep painful fear. He had something like this before when he arrived at the Tendo dojo, fearing he'd be rejected because of his curse. When he finally was rejected he felt mortification and anger after being pushed away by the two older girls onto Akane. That anger stayed with him for weeks afterward. 'Is she afraid that I'll reject her for some reason?' He thought to himself.

Pirotess was visibly shaking now, she had never been shaking this much with Ashram, of course Ashram hadn't had the life of hell that Ranma had. The thought of another woman in love with him wouldn't be too far of a stretch, but one that meant it like this Akane had. "I know your life and your troubles with women. You must find it hard to believe that a woman could love you with no strings attached."

Ranma nodded, "So far only four shown they ever cared bout me like that, one's dead, two aren't here, and one," he paused gently caressing her cheek. "Is having troubles speaking her mind," he stated gently.

Pirotess blushed looking back up at Ranma, "You know?" she asked.

"Hey I been feeling your emotions ever since we started this conversation," he sighed softly. "I got feelings for ya. I can't stop thinking about ya at night, even though your right next to me, when we was traveling, it really started getting like that in the last few weeks. When ya hugged me earlier I felt something that I've never felt before in my life."

Pirotess went back to that moment closing her eyes reliving that memory again, what she felt at that moment was an overwhelming since of peace and comfort, as though she could of stay like that forever. "I felt it too, Ranma."

Ranma toyed with his pig tail a bit, "Um, is that what l-l-love is supposed to feel like?" he asked softly.

The Dark Elf felt something in her mind begin to give way, "I believe so, Ranma. I know I felt it then. But I've known I've been feeling it for you, far longer than that," she whispered as she drew closer.

"Oh um, when," Ranma looked a bit nervous but not because she had moved closer to him. his heart was beating faster than normal.

"Shortly after we met Granite, I came to realize that my place and my heart, was with you," she said gently caressing his cheek. "That it was and will 'always' be with you."

Ranma felt a bit guilty, he hadn't started to really notice he loved her, until before the fight in the arena. If anything the fight helped him clarify everything, of course fighting always helped him focus more. He frowned slightly, "I didn't realize I felt like that towards ya, until ya hugged me this mornin', I'm sorry," he said softly.

Pirotess gently put her finger to his lips and feeling a small tingling sensation much like the one she felt that morning when his finger left her lips. "I'm just glad that you do now, that is more than enough for me," she replied and gently lay her head on his shoulder closing her eyes and felt something shatter in her mind, yet feeling her mind was still whole. 'Did it finally occur?'

Ranma blinked frowning slightly, "What ya say?"

Pirotess eyes started watering again, "Our link... It's whole now," she whispered tears of happiness falling down her cheeks. "We are one."

Ranma chuckles slightly, "Yeah feels kind of strange, yet not really strange at all."

The Dark Elf nodded, just in time to hear someone clear his throat, "Would you mind, this romance novel stuff is enough to make anybody gag," Slader stated walking up carrying Ranma's sword, which looked way to big for the gnome. Ranma took it having blushed enough to match his armor. "If you want us to wait while you and your Elf want to go procreate I'm sure the Troll and I can keep ourselves amused."

Pirotess and Ranma faces glew an even darker red at the Gnomes antics, "Perverted little ghoul," Ranma muttered taking Pirotess' hand and giving it a squeeze. Ranma strapped his sword to his back, looking up at Granite who seemed to develop an amused look on his ugly face. Ranma looked carefully at the Gnome who carried several daggers on his belt that were his size, and a cutting axe on his back. He also was wearing a leather cap now, as well as a short brown cloak. Ranma was about to say something when his stomach made itself known. "That's right I skipped breakfast, didn't want to keel over in the middle of the fight do to food poisoning."

Pirotess smiled, "Go eat while I get ready for our departure, I'm sure Slader wishes to get back home before his crown his turned over to someone else."

"Your damn right, I got three brothers who would just love to get my chair. Blood sucking parasites," the Gnome snorted while walking behind the group.

About midway, Pirotess separated from them but not before giving Ranma a long lingering kiss, that left Ranma rooted to the spot he was standing for seconds, before Slader and Granite pushed him toward the banquet hall. Ranma quietly went in, to eat with a goofy looking grin on his face. It wasn't until Ranma caught whiff of the food before he returned to himself. Sitting down in front of a large feast, Granite and Slader were about to be introduced to Ranma's second best activity Impressions, or at least one impression... 'The Human Vacuum.'

Doctor Tofu returned a few days later, Kasumi had come out of her shell enough to greet Tofu pleasantly, and Tofu tried his hardest not to succumb to a mass of human jelly. Nabiki simply shook her head sipping lightly on her tea. The rougher parts for her were now over having let the majority of her grief be spent. "So did you get your friend to fix the mirror?" Nabiki asked.

Tofu shook his head to clear the fog, "Yes... I even found Ranma."

Nodoka peaked in, "How is he? What happen to him?"

Tofu smiled sadly, "Ranma is doing quite well for himself, actually living out a fantasy of mine."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow, "What fantasy could that possibly be?"

"A knight in shining armor of course," Tofu stated, like it was blatantly obvious. "Ranma's in some sort of world that's right out of 'Lord of the Rings' or 'Dungeons and Dragons.' I was watching him fight some Drows."

Nodoka looked utterly confused, "Doctor please explain to those that don't understand."

"He's saying Ranma's fighting Dark Elves, basically bad guys."

Doctor Tofu chuckled, "Hardly as much as the name says not all Dark Elves are evil, in the Forgotten Realms novels and video games, there's a heroic Dark Elf named Drizzt Do'Urden." The three women's eyes were twitching, which caused Tofu to stop, coughing a bit. "Anyway Ranma's in a realm like that."

"Let me see him," Nodoka asked and Doctor Tofu cried a tear making sure his hands didn't touch the mirror. At this point it showed Ranma and a female Dark Elf conversing. The Dark Elf looked wonderful in the dress, "Is this one of the Dark Elves, Doctor?"

"Why yes and it seems that Ranma and she are very close," Tofu stated watching as the Dark Elf slid her arms around Ranma and laid her head on his shoulder. "Apparently really close." He added

"I would think he would be in mourning," Nabiki said looking annoyed.

Tofu shrugged, "Could've been Nabiki, but no telling how long he's been in that world, and judging by his reaction he's willing to move on with his life."

Nodoka watched her son as he and the dark elf held one another talking softly until a huge shadow blocked the light. "Oh my, what is that?"

"A Troll and a Gnome, judging by Ranma's reaction he knows them too." Tofu pursed his lips the Gnome was egging Ranma on who got fairly embarrassed. "Are you sure you want to do this Mrs. Saotome, a world like that can be very dangerous, Ranma can handle it easily."

Nodoka smiled slightly, "Then you'll have to come and be our protector Doctor, but not now we'll wait until Ranma and his friends get out of that strange place."