Author's Note:
Okay. Obviously most of you are going to skip this, and that's going to annoy me, but that's okay. This is going to clear some unclear things up about the last chapter.
Ranma changing gender in-between Earth and Jade Realm: what I wanted to convey were several of Ranma's fears manifesting themselves in a chaotic sense. Obviously, I either did not do well enough of a job explaining, or it was just beyond some people. I believe it was the former (Some may have also just not noticed). Either way what happened was this; Ranma's fears (Cats, becoming female or losing control of his curse, and losing control in general, respectively) caused Ranma to not assume a definitive shape. This means that the scroll's magic forced him to be cat, then male or female, and gave him a total lack of control in the situation and himself. Therefore, when Ranma appears on Jade, it was only chance that he was male. He could have been female; it doesn't matter. That's the explanation.
I have received several replies, some in the form of a review, that the intro was similar to Ice-Tea-1983's The Black Paw (Thank you to all of you who were reminding me where I may have heard of the idea). It was not my intention for them to be similar to each other, and I had not even considered how The Black Paw had begun. I merely wrote what I thought would be the most plausible reason Ranma would enter Jade realm and assume a feline form. I apologize to the author for this oversight because I truly had no intention of ever copying someone else's work. His is truly a great story, and I apologize if I had insulted him in any way.
I'm sorry if I ever sounded harsh in my explanation. It was not my intention, and I hope that I have not lost any readers to my own lack of satisfaction at the situation.
That is all…for now. Enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own the following series: Ranma ½ and Gold Digger. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Fred Perry, respectively. I am not making any money off of this, so please do not sue me. I'm a poor college student with no money.
To say that Grave Diggers was scared would be an understatement. What would be more accurate is saying that, if she had pants, they would be scared right off. As it were she only wore a hospital gown, which fluttered quite enticingly as she ran at breakneck speeds. No one was there to appreciate that fact, but Grave wouldn't have cared either way.
The only thing she did care about was getting away from the beast she thought was following her, as well as her continued survival. It was a sentiment to almost everything in the area, but they could not follow up on that desire because the trees themselves could not move. If they could, many would be witness to a large section of the forest uprooting itself and running away, but since plant life neither had the sentience or reason to perform such a feat it was a moot point.
However Grave did, and, for that reason, she ran for her life, and also did not notice the person floating along beside her.
"He-ey, Graaave." Brianna's voice was extremely playful, and loud enough for Grave to hear her.
It was understandable that Grave was surprised, as she had forgotten about her other half and mostly thought of the desperate need to survive. It was also understandable that she let out a long shriek of surprise, as she was not paying much attention, and was also, quite obviously, surprised. Therefore, it was perfectly understandable that, in her surprise, she was not aware of her surroundings, and therefore turned and ran headfirst into a tree. In conclusion, Grave Diggers was no longer conscious.
Brianna let out a sigh of disappointment seeing that her quarry would no longer provide chase. Getting out of her Laz-e Boy of Doom, she took a seat beside the now comatose Grave, poking and prodding her with her foot. "Well, looks like she's completely out of it."
"Brianna Diggers?"
"Hm?" That was all Brianna managed to get out as a sharp point of a blade kissed the skin of her neck.
"You are under arrest for the destruction of property and the endangering of citizens of Seer's Hamlet." The voice was not harsh, but neither was it gentle. Another guard approached Brianna, and another Grave, and bound their hands together with some rope.
"Eep." Brianna was in quite a quandary, and only one thought permeated her mind, "Oh no. What am I gonna tell mom?"
"Sheila!" Gar cried out to the woods. Gar, a jag-were, was Sheila's elder brother who also belonged to the Edge Guard of Seer's Hamlet. The entirety of events had left him disoriented and far apart from his comrades, whom he suspected were also out dealing with the problem. Gar, however, was mostly concerned for his sister, who, although battle capable, did not have the strength and speed that were mostly inherent in a lycan's hybrid form. Sheila rarely used her human form, which had inherited through a birth defect her hybrid form's attributes, but, instead of looking like a teenager, turned into a giantess with an extremely filled out, and curvy (Mustn't forget curvy.) body.
Gar had picked up Sheila's scent not too long ago. Backtracking from the clinic, which in itself was a chaotic mix of scents, he followed her through the town, then the woods, and finally to a small clearing.
What Gar had feared, however, was the other scent in the area. It was not familiar to him, and it reeked of power. It held a primal taint to it, and Gar feared for his sister's safety, but he really need not have worried. For when he reached the clearing the scent had disappeared completely, which was most curious because a scent just didn't disappear.
After hearing a short cry from what was assumedly Brianna Diggers, Sheila had turned to face him, but she remained in her full animalistic transformation. Gar could not help but feel relieved, just as he could not help but notice the massive form of a beast behind Sheila. Seeing that Sheila was okay (Her wounds had healed by then.), and that the downed beast was only moving to allow breathing, he had felt a glimmer of pride.
Now was not the time for that, however. He had dire news, and all of the Edge Guard would need to be present at Nali's clinic.
"Sheila, it's Gaja… He's been hurt."
Not needing any more prompting, Sheila bolted, still having not transformed, through the woods and in the general direction of the town. All thoughts of the large beast behind her were forgotten, and only the well-being of their friend, and leader, mattered.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not a miracle man," the doctor explained to the assembled Edge Guard. "If it were anything else I might have been able to save him, but…" He paused, knowing that the next bit of news would rend many hearts, almost all of those in the room, asunder. "The dwarven steel that caused these wounds had silver in it."
He continued a moment later to let the news sink in, and, while looking only upon the dying man, finished the dire news. "I'm afraid his wounds are fatal."
There was only sorrow from the remaining Edge Guard, and they hung their heads in finality, knowing that there was no way that they could help their friend.
Sheila, who by now had reverted to her hybrid form, slumped against the side of Gaja's deathbed with tears streaking down her face. "But G-Gaja… You can't die." Her voice was thick with sorrow and the need to release it all. "You just can't!" She cried, then, knowing that despite her desires she would lose a dear friend this day. Little did she know that Fate weaved the threads, and, despite being mistaken for cruel, everything would once again achieve order, but that was besides the point.
"Do not…grieve, friends." Gaja's voice was weak, and there was nothing to hide the fact that he too felt sorrow, but there was always that small glimmer of hope and brightness that he always held. It was not that he was happy for his passing. Certainly, it was for what he was about to do. "O-Onoli. It is you, old friend." Onoli, a giant were-lion, took Gaja's proffered hand in his own. "I pass the Edge Guard Jasper of Leadership onto you…as it was passed on to me."
"Gaja…" From his voice alone it was simple to find that Onoli was overwhelmed. "I am but a mere soldier. I'm not worthy of-"
"Nor was I," Gaja interrupted. "But, it is said that a were-cat amongst our ranks shall rise, and use the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients…Held within the Jasper." Gaja reached within himself, bringing his hands above his heart, where a swirl of light erupted, leaving a small magical concave within his chest. "To light our darkest hour…"
That was when a large shining green crystal emerged from within him. It was roughly the size of a person's palm, but the significance of this artifact could not be measured by its size. Gaja, with his strength fading, reached out, with crystal in hand, toward Onoli.
"Until…" Gaja was faltering, and the crystal, as with his strength, slipped away from him. "All are…one." His body, in a final fit to deliver the crystal, shuddered. His hand fell, as did the crystal, and Gaja was no more.
The crystal, in counterpoint to the seriousness of the situation, bounced off of Sheila's head, and then approached the floor. Onoli, however, would never let that come to pass, and managed to catch the elusive artifact before it reached the ground.
"Until all are one," Onoli recited, and passed the Jasper to within himself, thus becoming the leader of the Edge Guard.
The somber attitude would not be broken for a while.
Pain. That was the first coherent thought Ranma had upon awakening. His body burned to its very core, and his neck felt fairly sore, which was a similar feeling to being strangled, but not as if his windpipe was crushed. He could breathe, although it was labored and somewhat hoarse. His thoughts, however, were not that of man. His mind had not reverted back to its desired form, and instead he remained a primal beast, but calmed. He was still a being of instinct, and when he felt something foreign, he reacted immediately despite the pain.
Ranma managed to stand upon weak legs, and took a moment to re-orient his senses. Everything was in working order, but something alien permeated his mind.
Sorrow. Maybe fear. Whatever it was, it was clearly not his own. As an animal, he was content. He would fight, he would feed, and he would, above all else, survive. So this feeling was completely out of his spectrum.
There. A twinge, in the direction the smells went. Where she went. The one who had bested him.
Slowly, but surely, he headed off.
Brianna was not happy, which was perfectly understandable. Not many people would be happy being detained with their evil twin. There were not many evil twins however, as opposed to what some would claim, so maybe it was not quite an understandable situation, but that's beside the point. The point is that neither of the two cellmates was happy with their predicament.
"What am I gonna do…" Brianna was fretting, and pacing, constantly. She wasn't exactly worried about what Grave would do to her lest she let her guard down. Oh no. She was worried about what her mother would do to her when she found out that she had been imprisoned.
It was needless to say that the constant pacing annoyed her twin.
"You could sit down and shut up for awhile." Grave, while not exactly worried, was frustrated beyond belief. First of all, she had to share her cell with the one person who she wanted to get rid of, but could not because she would likely never be let out of this hellhole. Second, the cell was made with magic users in mind, and was lined extensively with iron ore, therefore rendering her abilities useless. And thirdly…well there was no thirdly.
A lone guard walked up to the pair, his gaze as hard as stone. "There will be a hearing tomorrow morning. That is all." He looked each in the eye, ensuring their comprehension on the matter, turned, and walked away.
Brianna's pacing increased significantly.
He had almost reached her. The scent was still as strong as it was in the forest, but it was mixed in with all these other strange smells, so it had taken a while to reach this point in his search.
There were many strange creatures in this jungle, he thought. It was a mix of human and animal, but neither one nor the other. Once he had entered this jungle he had found a group of cubs playing on the flat ground. They looked upon him, and, as if it were a collective effort, screamed in abject horror. Ranma, confused and surprised, bolted toward a nearby alley, careful to not alert the cub's sires. There he had hidden in the shadows, and it was within them he had continued his search.
He was close, though. He could practically taste her; she was so close. Just a little bit further.
Sheila knew from the moment she left the clinic, leaving the body of Gaja in the hands of the doctors, that she could not mourn forever despite how much she truly wanted to. She may not have been as important, or as strong, or as fast, as the other Edge Guard members, but people would still need her. Gaja, as cliché as it was, would not want them to grieve for his passing. It was just the way fate had planned everything.
Now, however, she needed to help Brianna. Her friend was innocent, as the whole situation was merely an innocent mistake. Sure, she had destroyed a whole lot of property and disturbed the peace, but who didn't? Besides nobody was hurt in the chaos, so it should really be no big deal.
"Damn that Sheriff." Sheila was not really happy with the sheriff of Seer's Hamlet. She had been undermining the Edge Guard's power ever since she entered into office, and she also took personal pleasure in flaunting their inability to do anything. Understandably, it frustrated Sheila to no end.
She flopped down onto her bed with a heavy, tired sigh, and stared up at the ceiling in thought. It seemed like there was nothing she could do but show up at the hearing tomorrow morning. She felt so damned helpless, and knew that no matter what she did, they could not win.
So caught up in her thoughts was she, that she did not recognize the form moving silently over to her side.
There she was, completely unaware of his presence. It was strange to him, how one who could best him in combat could have her guard down so easily. Oh well. If anything it just made his purpose for visiting easier. He may get a little fun in, as well, and find out why she wasn't the same as when he had fought her.
So, with a mighty roar he pounced upon the unaware woman.
Whump "Oof."
Most people, no matter the circumstances, could usually detect something half their size while it was heading towards them. Some, however, just didn't quite cut it. Sheila belonged to the latter of the two.
So it was no surprise that a near four hundred pound jaguar/smilodon hybrid bowled her off the side of her bed and down to the floor, where it had her pinned.
Sheila, while usually more eloquent, could not utter a single word, but could let out a strangled 'eep'. She does deserve some credit though. It's not everyday someone gets run over by a damned huge animal.
Sheila didn't know what to do (Read above note on why she deserves credit.). Sure she was strong, but it paled in comparison to the beast before her, which she was barely able to hold off in her full jaguar form. She did consider herself lucky that it didn't immediately rip her throat out. That might have put a downer on things.
"Well…this isn't good," Sheila thought, staring into the beast's stormy blue eyes. She also thought that it wasn't a good idea to speak out loud, lest her companion get 'frisky'.
On the subject of thoughts, Sheila's mind, as with most others, could only focus on a limited amount of subjects while discarding others to 'make up space'. That isn't to say that Sheila was stupid. Far from it, actually. It just goes to show that, while under stress, the mind conveniently forgets the most important facts for the ones that are staring it in the face. In this case, Sheila had conveniently forgotten that she could transform into her human form and simply toss the beast through the wall. As it was, however, she remained helpless.
Sheila was thinking of a number of ways in which she could escape with the smallest of injuries, however. First she thought of her enchanted blade, a scimitar by the name Ice Fang, but it would have taken too long to summon. She thought of just slipping away, but she wasn't that fast in hybrid form. She didn't even think that she could simply push it off. Calling for help was also out. One does not scream in the face of their feral captor. All in all, things seemed pretty dire for Sheila.
That is, it would have had Ranma not bent down and rubbed his head along Sheila's cheek, purring up a storm at the same time.
"What…the fuck?" Sheila muttered, foregoing eloquence and propriety in favor of shock. The thought of the beast being friendly had not even entered into whatever equation she had thought up. She wracked her brain for an answer, theory, whatever, but could not find one that explained the situation. She had beaten the thing (A fluke.), left it for dead (Sheila would have never thought of leaving it for dead. She just wasn't capable of that sort of malice in regard to an innocent creature, even if she had to fight said innocent creature in a battle that was, surely, to the death. Besides, she had something more important to tend to), and now it was being friendly? Sheila's mind decided a vacation was in order, and left the premises. In other words she fainted, which wasn't really a good idea if she thought about it, but she couldn't because she fainted: quite a conundrum, that.
The giant beast cat lie down next to the woman, seeing that she wasn't going to move for a while, and slept.
It was too bad she didn't even register the spots that were forming along Ranma's coat. Boy was she in for a surprise.
Ranma woke later that evening, and he was very confused. From what he could tell he was laying on the floor in a place he didn't recognize. The next thing he discovered was that he was feeling way off balance, and the world seemed very different all of a sudden. The first was his sight. He knew it was night, everything was quiet (The second difference was his hearing. He could hear the faintest sounds with minor difficulty) and the light was limited to the moon shining in through the window, but he could see. Everything was visible to him, even those that were usually hidden in the darkest shadows. The third difference was his smell; everything was rich with a vast array of scents, and he could smell things that he normally wouldn't have before. And finally, his perspective had changed drastically.
He was now standing, but he was only about four feet above the ground (He judged height by the size of the bed, which was generally about three feet high). His center of balance had lowered, and he felt more than just two feet on the ground. He looked down at himself and almost panicked, but remembered what happened to him before. He almost lost it when he saw the extra set (Compared to a human) of legs and the tail, as well as the paws and claws and fur.
It hit him for the second time since his change that he was no longer human, but he wasn't as shaken as he had been. That didn't mean that he wasn't still pissed off about it, though. Understandable, considering that he was forced into this form, locked in it, and was teleported to some strange place against his will with no hope of getting home (Ranma, despite his great dislike for Nerima and the things that happened there, still considered the place home).
Then he remembered that he was a cat, and that he wasn't going crazy, or even panicking. The thought hit him like a ton of bricks (Figuratively. If a ton of bricks hit Ranma he would probably break through them). Happosai's scroll said it would force him to become his fears. Isn't the greatest method of ridding oneself of a fear to become it? Did that mean that he was cured of his phobia? Would he not run in fright from the sight of a helpless kitten? The name didn't even frighten him anymore! Maybe he was cured!
He would have jumped for joy, but the action was slightly more complicated than when he was human, and he managed to land himself in a heap of tangled limbs on the bed, where he didn't even notice the person sleeping in it.
The person woke up.
Sheila was not happy. She was having a nice dream of delivering satisfying Kapowies to Tirga, and she had just set the record for distance when she was rudely jostled from her dream.
Sheila knew the culprit. She only had one roomie, after all. She didn't know why it had jumped on her, just like she didn't know why it was with her in the first place, but she was damned well going to put a stop to the madness.
She stood up on her bed and managed to give the beast a glare that would have burned holes through his head, but it wasn't staring at her face. The gaze rested slightly lower, and she was perplexed with the stupefied expression on the giant cat's face. She was even more confused when it had passed out (Never fainted. Manly men like Ranma Saotome never faint), finally realizing what it was he stared at.
Sheila glanced down at herself and allowed a moment of recognition. She was standing in the nude (A rare occurrence. She still had nightmares about Tirga walking in on her). She had forgone nightclothes because she was just too tired to deal with changing.
Seeing that she couldn't lecture her companion, or move him off her bed for that matter, she plopped down and dragged the covers over her. She would deal with it in the morning.
The headquarters of the Edge Guard was a modest building that stood at the northern edge of Seer's Hamlet. Away from the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life, it maintained an air of calm. Today, however, was an exception. The Edge Guard, usually laid back individuals, was rather stressed from the past day's events. It didn't help that Brianna was being detained and sentenced today, and they could do nothing about it. With their power as stripped as it was, there really wasn't anything they could do outside of normal patrol routes.
It didn't help that Gar reminded everyone that Julia Diggers would eventually have to be told. To them, dabbling in forbidden technology would be more preferable to explaining the situation to the Arms Master of Jade. Gar had the dire task of explaining things to Julia because he was her student in the Art, but he certainly did not relish in the thought. He lucked out on the fact that Julia had no reason to be in Jade until later this week (The Arms Master Tournament was occurring then, and Julia, the reigning Arms Master, had to attend).
It was also too bad that he couldn't attend the hearing, as he had patrol duty at the time. Thropan and Sheila were going in his stead, but they were going to meet up, and, hopefully, find something that could be used against the sheriff in order to curtail the charges.
Sheila arrived just on time, but her appearance immediately set off everyone in the room, which included Onoli, Tirga, Thropan, and Gar. She was panting as if she had just run a marathon, and her ragged appearance and mussed up hair only proved as a testament to the theory. Tirga, a were-tiger, was about to ask what had happened, (If anyone knew Tirga as well as the people of Seer's Hamlet, they would have immediately known that the figurative shit was about to hit the fan. Tirga never asked any female with two legs if they were all right without some innuendo thrown in) but was interrupted by the front door opening yet again to admit something no one expected.
Yes, it was Ranma, the loveable jaguar-smilodon hybrid, and powerhouse on four legs.
"Damn it." Sheila swore, which, as most know, was a rarity. It was also a rarity that she brought a pet along with her, and especially one they knew nothing of. It ranked on the rarity meter somewhere between Sheila not delivering a Kapowie to Tirga, and not complaining about their current restrictions as upholders of the peace.
Sheila had tried to lose him. She really did, but after last night she knew it was a hopeless attempt. The hulking cat had, after she dragged him outside of her home for the umpteenth time, crawled back through the high window, which was a good twenty feet high on the second floor. After that she had just given up, and let it stay.
"Um…Sheila?" Onoli cautiously started. "I don't think we mind that you've found a pet (Who considers a four hundred pound beast a pet?), but…" He didn't know how to put this. "It's just that, well, I don't think you should bring him to work."
Sheila was grinding her teeth, an obvious sign to back off. "I. Did not. Bring. Him. To. Work! He followed me home last night after I beat it and can't get rid of it!"
"Whoa." Tirga took a couple steps back. "You beat it? I would have never pegged you for an animal abuser."
Sheila wanted to pound him. She really did, but even she had to admit that what she said had come out wrong. "Not beat it as in beat it." Seeing that her explanation wasn't any better than the last she tried again, slightly more agitated. "It was attacking Grave, and I had to stop it somehow."
Gar made an appeasing gesture with his hands knowing that Sheila was about to lose her temper. "Alright, but you know he won't be able to go to the hearing, right?" No one noticed the were-thing perk up.
Sheila slumped in exasperation. Of course she knew, but did they really think she could stop it if it really wanted to?
"Hey, don't worry babe." Tirga confidently sidled over to Sheila and placed his arm around her hip. "I'll watch over it for you!" It would have been considered a generous offer to most, but Sheila knew differently. She was prepared to teach Tirga the errors of his ways, but was interrupted by an infuriated growl from her companion.
With a grace rarely seen in large creatures, Ranma lunged toward Tirga. It was amazing how he was able to extricate Tirga from Sheila's side without jarring the girl, and it was even more amazing how terrifying he looked.
Ranma loomed over the pinned were-tiger, his paws holding Tirga's arms in place and his claws digging into the wooden floor. He opened his monstrous jaw and bared his teeth, and very intimidating, as well as large, canines, his face looming only a scant few inches from Tirga's. The effect was completed by Ranma's low warning growl and glowing blue eyes, and Tirga's fearful whimpering.
Everyone else maintained their silence making sure that they didn't set Ranma off, even though they knew he wouldn't go any further than that. Of course the silence was broken by a now ecstatic Sheila who was grinning at the scene like Christmas had come early and Santa told her she had been a very good girl.
"I say we keep him."
The walk to the courthouse was interesting, to say the least. Jade, to a completely normal person who resided outside of the realm would have considered it a circus, what with all forms of lycanthropes running around as commonly as humans, but even that wouldn't have been far outside of the norm. It was strange, however, to see a very large black cat walk alongside two members of the Edge Guard. Sheila and Thropan tried to pay the questioning glances any notice, and instead focused on their task.
"So…" Thropan made an attempt at conversation in vain attempt to distract themselves from the stares. "What's his name?"
Sheila looked back, a little confused. "I don't know." She looked over at Ranma, who looked back at her. It was somewhat scary to see comprehension in those blue eyes. It was like he could understand what they were talking about, and almost like he wanted to answer for her, but that was just silly. Everyone knows animals don't have the complicated thought processes of the human mind.
"What do you think we should name him?"
"We?" Thropan asked. "He's your pet."
"Yeah, but It's hard to name a six hundred pound beast cat." Sheila really wanted Thropan's help with this. Besides, he was the one who brought up the topic anyway.
Thropan took a moment to think, holding his head at the chin with his hand. "He snapped his fingers. "How about Fluffy?"
That brought both Ranma and Sheila up short, and they could do nothing but stare at the were-panther. They didn't even blink when Thropan continued. "Not good, huh? Then how about Jet?"
That was a huge difference from Fluffy, but Ranma still didn't like it. He already had a name, and he'd be damned if anybody took that away from him.
Hearing Ranma's warning growl, Thropan decided to continue. "Hmm, maybe Felix? Or Mufasa, Sinbad, Kain…" Ranma didn't stop growling, but instead forced it to grow louder as Thropan rattled on.
Sheila wasn't standing idly by while Thropan was sounding off several names. Instead she was struggling to hold Ranma back, who was slowly making his way toward the were-panther while bearing his teeth. Thropan, seeing that the great cat was not amused, stopped coming up with names. Realizing that Ranma wasn't moving to rip Thropan into pieces, Sheila let go.
Everyone but Ranma moved forward in order to get to the courthouse. They only realized he wasn't following them when Sheila recognized the growling a slight ways back. What she saw was only slightly disturbing.
Ranma was standing in the middle of the street and was, indeed, growling, but it wasn't at anything in particular. It was either that or the ground had done him some grievous misgiving and he was showing it his dissatisfaction. That wasn't what was disturbing however. What was disturbing was the sound of the growl. It maintained all of its low tones, but there was something forming from it, almost like speech.
"Raaa…" Sheila was able to understand him only after she moved closer, but even then most of what was being 'said' was indiscernible. "Raaann-" He cut himself off, trying to think of how he could do what he was doing.
Sheila, in order to hear better, moved her head closer. Thropan, however, stood a few feet away while concentrating on the giant cat. There was only one reason why the animal would be able to speak, but from Sheila's explanation it didn't really seem possible (Sheila had recounted her scuffle with Ranma after they extricated him from Tirga).
"Raaaannn-maaah…" He lit up in triumph after managing to complete his name. He kept on repeating it very slowly, but no less ecstatic.
"Ranma?" Sheila was confused, which was turning out to be a rather unfortunate trend. The giant cat nodded its head up and down, hoping she understood. "Your name's Ranma?" She couldn't believe it. She was talking to a cat about its name.
There was only more nodding at the question.
"Sheila?" Thropan had been very quiet for the last moment, and now he was looking at Sheila worriedly. "When you fought it," he waved at Ranma who looked on without recognition of the event, "Did you happen to bite him." Seeing her deadpan look, he decided that he would have to specify. "You know, did you draw blood?"
Sheila nodded this time. "Yes, but what does that have to do with…" She trailed off as comprehension dawned, and she turned towards Ranma. A hand landed on her shoulder, and it took her only a moment to discover that it was Thropan's.
"Well Sheila," he was smiling while he was talking. "Welcome to sire-hood."
Sheila didn't move.
Thropan became slightly worried. Maybe she didn't take the news well… Thropan moved into Sheila's line of sight, but she still didn't react. He even waved his hand in front of her face, poked her on the nose, but still nothing. He sighed when he realized she was in shock.
Looking over to Ranma he said, "We'll discuss the impossibility of you becoming a lycan later. Now, you're going to carry her to the hearing."
Ranma whined, but didn't stop Thropan from loading the catatonic were-jaguar onto his back.
Sheila recovered by the time they reached the courthouse, which was a rather drab and pretentious building (It is a rule that all courthouses must be drab and pretentious because they must look all important, even though nobody really cares, and they must maintain the modesty of a less than stellar appearance, which people also did not care about). The contradiction was rather ironic, but still accurate in its portrayal of the justice scene.
The entrance was, of course, filled with very finely polished wood, but there was no maze of corridors that are usually common in courthouses. Instead, they walked into a single room beyond the entrance hall, which opened directly to the courtroom. The courtroom was also like the entrance: big, shiny, and not an inch of wood unpolished. In the front of the room stood a podium, where the judge, an old looking woman with pink hair, sat with gavel in hand. To the left stood the sheriff of Seer's Hamlet who, coincidently or not, also had pink hair, but had it cut short to her jaw line. Finally, on the right, sat a cuffed Brianna and Grave in matched black and white striped body suits. Sheila, Thropan, and Ranma moved to sit behind the accused. Outside of the Edge Guard (And Ranma) the courtroom was empty.
Grave, who turned to find out who entered the room, paled at the sight of Ranma. Ranma, of course, didn't remember the 'prey', and therefore didn't understand her fear. He was also wondering who the twins were, and why they were here in the first place. Maybe the Thropan could fill him in later.
Sheila was the only one who understood Grave's fear. She was the one who had saved her after all. She opened her mouth to reassure her, as well as greet Brianna, but the sound of the gavel knocking on wood interrupted her.
"Your actions and your carelessness nearly brought about the destruction of Seer's Hamlet, Brianna and Grave Diggers. There is no question of that. Today we are here to discuss…your punishment." The judge crossed her arms and moved her steely gaze over to the sheriff. "Sheriff Nadali? Present the facts, please."
"Gladly, your Honor." She moved herself so she could see the accused and the judge. "Brianna Diggers was battling Grave Diggers, and vice versa, for what we have determined no apparent reason. Brianna used several uncontrollable weapons of mass destruction that wrought chaos and destruction upon Seer's Hamlet. These weapons could only be described as technology (Technology on Jade is not very common and is almost outright forbidden). Grave Diggers, on the other hand, instigated Brianna's actions, as well as responding with equally destructive magic."
She waited for any objections to come forth, but, since there was no one there to object, the moment passed in silence.
"As a result chaos and catastrophe erupted, which caused tremendous amounts of damage. It is a wonder that no one was hurt. Nevertheless I believe that both Grave and Brianna Diggers be made into an example. To show that what happened yesterday will not be tolerated by the people of Seer's Hamlet."
"I'm inclined to agree, Sheriff."
Meanwhile, behind the accused's box, Sheila was having a dispute with Thropan.
"I can't stand it, Thropan!" She whispered furiously. "Why are we letting them do this? We're supposed to be Brianna's friends. We are the Northern Edge Guard. Were supposed to be the protectors of Jade, and we're supposed to help! Why are we letting them get away with this?"
"The Sheriff's not stupid Sheila, no matter how much we wish it were so. She uses the law as her weapon just a surely as you use Ice Fang, and we can't stop her…legally. Onoli sent both of us here to record the whole thing. Our only hope is that the Edge Guard Elders find something that can help both Brianna…and Grave." He added the last part on reluctantly, and only because he didn't know Grave or her intentions.
That didn't appease Sheila, however. "But that's gonna take forever! We can't help them if we're sitting on our thumbs, and we can't leave them in the hands of that bitch!"
The Sheriff turned to look at Sheila just as she finished her rant and winked.
"Oh no," began Sheila, "She did not wink at me!" She continued louder, rising from her seat. "Excuse me, Miss? You seem to have a slight twitch in your eye! Why don't you let me help with that?"
She didn't make it far as Ranma grabbed her by the seat of her pants with his teeth, and Thropan held her back by putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You are of no use to Brianna or Grave in jail, Sheila."
Bang Bang "Order! There will be order in my court!" The judge waited until there was silence. "Now then…does the guilty party have anything to say?
Grave didn't. She knew that anything she said would only make things worse. Besides, what could she tell them? Your honor, I was only trying to kill my sister to justify my own existence? Right…
Brianna had something to say though. "I don't expect you to understand. Actually, I know you can't. Existing in one moment with no past, and only the memories of others to go by. To know what it's like to just appear out of thin air, and knowing that we were never really alive before then…that's what it's like for me and Grave."
She paused for a moment to gather her wits. "I-I came here…to bring back someone who went through the same thing. He was a golem, and he was given life, but then it was taken from him. He never got the chance to live. That's why I…never mind. You couldn't possibly understand"
The sheriff and judge looked at each other with uneasy expressions, as if they really did know what it was like. Grave, however, looked upon her sister with a grudging respect. They both knew what it was like, but only one of them acknowledged their fears. Maybe she could…
The gavel sounded once again, and the judge announced her ruling. "Sentence is three hundred years hard labor in the Dungeon of the Seer. Case closed."
Brianna looked at the ground, the finality of the judge's tone having shaken her. "Mom's gonna kill me…"
A guard escorted the guilty party out of the courthouse, and the Edge Guard began walking out the entrance.
"Damn it," Sheila thought. "It's all my fault!" Sheila was the one who brought out Brianna's darker personality by accident when she smacked her in the head a little bit too hard. It was entirely unintentional, but the guilt built up on Sheila's shoulders as if a mountain had just dropped on her.
Ranma lingered for a moment to gaze back at the sheriff and judge knowing that something was amiss, but he could do nothing about it now. He caught up to Thropan and Sheila while they were in mid conversation.
"The Bizarre is not too far away, so I was thinking of picking something up for Ranma. Can you deliver this report to Onoli?"
Wiping away the last vestiges of tears from her eyes, Sheila took the report and walked toward headquarters. Ranma was about to follow, but Thropan had grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
"Oh no you don't. You're coming with me."
They walked in silence for a short while before they reached a crowded street filled with various vendors and innumerable people. It was surprisingly untouched from yesterday's chaos, and it seemed as if everyone had forgotten about the events and continued with their everyday lives.
Thropan led Ranma through the crowd and stopped at a shop a good distance into the crowd. It was a clothing store, and it was filled with many exotic silks and other materials Ranma couldn't identify. Thropan walked past all of them and moved to a spot in the back of the shop, which was rather bare compared to the rest of the store. He picked up a small black suit that looked very durable, despite being so thin.
He turned his attention to Ranma, who was looking at the suit with curiosity. "This is a mage suit. It will stretch to any form its wearer uses, and it's virtually indestructible. It repairs itself when ripped, and it's very light, but I want you to answer a couple of questions first." He paused until he knew Ranma understood. "Good. All right, number one; were you at any time a human. Nod if it is correct." Ranma nodded. "You aren't some sort of evil entity hell bent on ruling the world, are you?" Ranma sweat-dropped, but nodded vigorously. "All right. Now I want you to try this on, and after that I'll tell you how to transform."
If anything, the knowledge that he could turn back into a human made Ranma all the more eager to get the damn suit on. He ripped it from Thropan's hands and made a rather humorous attempt to get the suit on himself, but the lack of success wouldn't stop him. Nothing beats Ranma Saotome! Especially a damn magical suit!
Thropan would have helped Ranma, but every time he tried Ranma would growl at him. So he let him do his thing, which lasted a whole ten minutes, before engaging Ranma in conversation.
"All right. You see shifting is really simple when you know the trick. What you've got to do is this…"
Sheila, Gar, and Onoli were sitting in one of the taverns littering the town. This one, The Dragon's Jaw Inn, was going through its usual rush hour. People were eating and drinking, waitresses were delivering food and drink, and the Edge Guard sat sullenly at a round side table moping at the hopelessness of it all.
"Gar, Sheila…" Onoli himself was tired, but he needed to pull his team together. "This mission has been particularly stressful for the both of you, and it shows! Do you want to talk about it?"
"Onoli…we're getting our butts kicked! The law loopholes the sheriff found stripped us of any power and authority we have in the hamlet. And we couldn't even save Brianna! We're losing, Onoli…" Sheila felt like crying. She really did. The three pints she drank didn't help her mood either.
"We can't give up now, Sheila. Everyone's counting on us!"
"Onoli…you're not the one who had to break the news of Brianna's imprisonment to parents! Julia's my sensei…but what can I say to her?"
"Hi Gar!" Like watching a train wreck, Onoli turned and caught sight of Julia Diggers walk up to their table.
Gar spit out his drink in surprise, or fright. Speak of the devil…
Sheila stuttered, her eyes widening at the sight of the woman. "M-Mrs. Diggers!"
Onoli, ever the smart man, backed away to admit Julia to the table. He wrung his hands and gazed worriedly at his companions.
"Surprise! I overheard you mentioning Brianna and my names, and I've got to tell you, I'm relieved!" It's important to note how she seemingly missed all the worried and sad glances. "Gina mentioned that her sister might be visiting Jade. I feel a lot better knowing that my star pupil is watching over her." Each word sent a figurative arrow into Gar. "Where is she, by the way? I want to surprise her too!" Her voice became playful, then. "And by he way Gar…she's looking for a boyfriend!"
"Sensei…" Gar really wished he didn't have to say what he did. He hated Julia's disappointed look, especially when it landed on him. She was like a mother to him. "There's something I have to tell you about Brianna."
"Ooookay. What has my daughter gotten herself into now?" Now Julia was worried. Nothing was ever good after a start like that.
Gar never got the chance to answer. A giant hulking hand, about the size of a person's torso, erupted from the floor. The figure(s) that followed was only bigger; her body roughly the size of ten people and it was covered in ripped prison garb. The protrusion along her back, which could now be seen because it had fully emerged from the hole it dug, was none other than Brianna and Grave Diggers, who looked fairly sick and disoriented.
"O knew I shoulda' taken that right turn at Albuquerque! Haw haw! Hold on tight Georgias!" The giant's voice sounded like gravel being rubbed together; it was as annoying as it was loud.
"A rock giant?" A random patron exclaimed. "We're under attack!"
"It's a jail break!" Julia announced. "That stone giant is a criminal, and those girls with her are-"
The behemoth of a woman smashed tables along the floor, forcing the patrons to take cover while it made its getaway.
"Brianna! BRIANNA!" Julia called after them, but they were already too far-gone. "Onoli, I'll need you help tracking them down! Sheila, tend to the wounded!" Julia barked her orders like a trained general.
"Y-yes Mrs. Diggers." Sheila got right to work.
Julia passed a glance back towards Gar who stuttered a response, but she turned away before he could finish and ran out the door.
"Sensei…I'm sorry"
"Hey! Did you hear that?"
"Yes, but it sounds very far away."
"I'm going to check it out."
"All right. I'll meet you back at headquarters. Be careful" He turned to make sure the other understood, but he was already gone.
"Hogan's Heroes wish they had me on their squad." The rock giant made its final jump into the plains outside of Seer's Hamlet's forest, and set the two wobbly women on their feet where they…well, wobbled. "Congrats sisters! You made it!"
"Though ya might get airsickness, couldn't let us get caught after all. Here's some pills to settle yer stomachs."
"I'm only a little dizzy…" was Brianna's weak reply.
"Hey! What happened to the 'mean little inmate shtick? Why are you being so nice to us all of a sudden?" Grave was suspicious. She had no reason to risk themselves for their sake, so she probably wanted something from them. "And why are you calling us sisters?"
"Oh, but we are Grave, Brianna."
Both Diggers turned, and were surprised to see three women with pink hair, two of which they had seen before; there stood the judge, the sheriff, and another they had never seen before.
"We are most definitely your sisters!" The judge was no longer looking at them with a deep frown, but instead with a warm smile.
The woman they had never met took the torch. "Though we aren't related in blood, we're related in spirit!"
Grave and Brianna shared the same thought: what the hell were these four on?
"Um, I don't get it. Exactly what do you mean?"
"When you were in court, you spoke of how you were born, and how no one could understand what you two had gone through. Well we do understand, because that is how we came to be! The confusion…the fear. You wondered if you had the right to live, didn't you?"
"H-how…"
"Because that's what I wondered. My real name is Project Alpha Four. I was created in a lab in the secret section of a corporation. I was designed to regenerate on command. What do you think they would have done to me? They were going to use me as an endless experiment. They were going to torture me in the name of science! But I was save by a super criminal called Tirant, and we fell in love. He broke me out of there and helped me control my regeneration, but it scared me at first. I could create another 'self' and I could erase it from the physical world, but what happened afterwards was shocking. The other 'self' I created became a personality, and it separated itself from me. It became its own person while staying in my head. We were scared, but we are our own side…together!"
Her spiel winded down, and Grave looked no less suspicious. "That, Brianna, is why in all of existence we know how it feels. That's why we're related, sister…more than anyone else we understand both of you…"
Brianna cut her off, hoping that she wouldn't go on forever. "But why all of this?
The sheriff picked up where Array had left off. "After you were sentenced we went through all of your confiscated belongings."
A new personality continued for her. "Your diary was the most interesting piece however. The adventure, such excitement! And the love! Oooh! I'm jealous!"
"My Diary!" Both Brianna and Grave exclaimed.
"But finding the entry about Raphiel (Raphiel is a were-cheetah golem made by a vengeful priestess in order to destroy Stryppe and Brittany's wedding back on Earth Realm.), the one you're here to rescue interested us the most!" Array passed the mantle over to another new personality, this one with older and more dignified looks.
"You're here to find a way to create a body from that poor boy's soul key. Well…creating bodies just so happens to be our specialty!"
In a blink of an eye only Grave, Brianna, Raphiel, and Array stood in the field. Raphiel was actually lying down on the grass, but that was of minor importance.
Brianna was looking around the field for the others who were just standing there. "Hey! Where did everybody go?"
"Weren't you listening at all?" Arrays voice was more playful than reprimanding. "I can create and remove bodies at will. Actually, creating Raphiel, our brother was rather exciting." Brianna turned slowly towards Raphiel. "Our minds are completely separate, and I doubt I can remove him like my other selves."
"Raphiel!" Brianna lunged on top of Raphiel, who had just now woken up.
"Oh…hi Brianna. Wasn't there supposed to be a wedding chapel right here?" Raphiel was understandably confused, not existing since the wedding and all.
Grave was getting indignant about the lack of attention on her behalf, and was about to say something when a hand came out of nowhere and covered her mouth. Her eyes bugged out in fright, but she was quickly silenced by the face of the one who was holding her. It was spotted, it was black, and it was furry. Blue eyes carefully studied hers as he brought a single finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. She nodded, still unsure of his reason for being here, and he let go. She didn't want to push her luck by screaming or attacking, seeing that he could sneak up on her without her noticing and whatnot. She turned slightly to see him fully, but was surprised to find that he was so much shorter than she was. He stood just at her torso beneath her breasts, and he was lean, but not scrawny. He didn't have any bulging muscles, but the ones he did have still made him look strong. They were shown off through the skintight mages suit he was wearing, which was just as black as his fur and made him very difficult to see in the dying light. She barely even noticed the tail that he had wrapped around his waist.
"Wait…wait I'm still confused. Why arrest us, then break me out of prison, and then bring Raphiel here back? What do you get out of this?" Brianna asked the question Grave was thinking of the entire time.
"Well, this is really about my boyfriend. If he found out we were conspiring with a 'good guy'…anyway. We threw you in prison then freed you to throw him off our trail. We hoped that by doing you a favor, you would do us one in turn."
"Er…what favor?"
"Yeah, what favor? Brianna, what are we talking about?" Raphiel never left his confused little haze.
Oh, it's really quite simple. All you have to do is be a hero! No running away, no sneaky stuff, just all out gutsy heroic action!"
"Oh, is that all…hey. Where'd she go…"
"Oh wow! Hey Brianna, look at that great big walking statue!"
Sure enough, when Brianna turned around she saw a huge foot falling down on them.
Flee If fleeing made a noise, Brianna would have made it right then with Raphiel in tow.
Grave turned to the man who had held her and saw him gazing at the giant walking statue with appreciation. "Damn. That's one good Elvis impersonation." The statue was indeed a giant Elvis, or rather Spellvis (A low caliber mage that uses his microphone as a medium). I'll take care of it. You can run away if you want." He waved her off as if she were of no importance.
"Is he patronizing me?" Grave Diggers thought indignantly. "Well then, lets see you 'handle' it!" Maybe he was going to run away once she turned her back, and now he'd show his true colors.
He shrugged. "Suit yourself." And then he ran towards the demi-golem.
Grave watched, stupefied, as the crazy man ran. Did he really think a puny thing like him could take on a several hundred foot moving statue?
"Hey you! Yeah you, you stupid giant rock! Ya think you can catch me!"
The giant golem took this as a personal challenged and chased Ranma as he backtracked toward Grave, who by now realized that the man was leading the golem towards her and decided that she should run now.
The man dodged between the giant's feet. He had seen this particular spot that looked out of place in the clearing, almost as if it were set aside for a trap. He was almost there too. Just a few more yards and…there!
He stopped directly in the middle of a circular pattern of dirt and taunted the golem with a hand wave and confident smirk. The golem stomped, this time faster than before, but the man was still faster, and ran away at top speed.
C-Creak The ground creaked as the foot sank ever so slowly between the cracks. All of a sudden, the ground gave, and the demi-golem disappeared into the darkness.
"Well, that wasn't so bad!" The man looked particularly pleased with his success, and turned towards the waiting crowd of people. Grave took a moment to shake her head and asked, "Who are you?"
He sheepishly tugged at the hair on the base of his neck and smiled. "I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this."
Brianna was about to ask what he was sorry about, but he had already took off at full tilt towards the hamlet.
The Northern Edge Guard's headquarters was now the host of a couple of parties. One, of course, being the Northern Edge Guard, and the second a ragtag group of explorers, magically split twins, a were-cheetah golem, and a very pissed off Arms Master.
But even said very pissed off Arms Master was curious of the new face amongst the group, which was a shared sentiment of most in the room. The only other collective thought came from the Edge Guard, with the exception of Tirga, who wondered where Sheila's new pet had gone. Tirga was happy for the giant cat's disappearance mainly because it had jumped him before. Of course putting two and two together was never really a popular practice in Jade, so they let their minds run wild, and therefore did not place the new appearance with the latest disappearance.
The new face amongst the group was the very same smallish man that had felled the giant Elvis golem that was pursuing Grave, Brianna, and the newly reformed Raphiel. They were the only ones who recognized him, but they were still otherwise left in the dark about who he was. He had just run in, defeated a golem, gave his name, and then disappeared only to reappear a few minutes after they had reached the headquarters.
Thropan, surprisingly, questioned the man on his late appearance given that he had a decent head start on the group. He replied with a sullen, "I got lost." Thropan found this amusing, if his smile was any indication.
The others were only more confused at this revelation. To them, it seemed Thropan had a little bit of history with the boy, which was true, but that history only lasted a good three hours before Ranma had run off and met the Diggers (Ranma, as his nature dictates, only meets people under dire or conflicting circumstances).
Onoli decided that the silence in the room was becoming too awkward and uncomfortable. It was to everyone's relief that someone took the imposing challenge of beginning small talk (Small talk, as everyone should know, is a dangerous form of communication between two or more people that only serves as an opener, rather than a useful means of gathering information).
"Thropan, I believe you know this young man?" Thropan nodded in confirmation, his smile never wavering. "Why don't you introduce us all?"
Thropan would have groaned, but he knew better. Ranma didn't, and groaned anyway. He hated introductions like this. Thropan chuckled at him and waved a hand towards the group on the right, "These are my friends and companions, as you should already know." Ranma nodded. After all he had seen all of them this morning, though they most certainly didn't remember him. The Edge Guard, with the exception of Thropan, wore a collective expression of confusion, which only amused Thropan. "From the right is Tirga. You already know Sheila, so lets skip her." Sheila would have been indignant if she wasn't as confused as she was. "Next to Sheila is her older brother, Garfield, but you can call him Gar." Thropan delighted himself in Ranma's nervous twitch that suddenly appeared in his left eye. He didn't know what that was about, but nervous twitches are almost always funny. "And last, but not least, is our esteemed leader, Onoli."
Each person greeted Ranma with a wave and nervous smile. Thropan's introduction had set them all on edge.
"And this here is Ranma." Ranma, as well, waved a slightly nervous greeting, but for different reasons than the others. First and foremost were the events of last night, which if Gar ever discovered then Ranma might have to find a desolate mountain and hide away for all eternity. The other reason was because a room filled with people he really didn't know always set him on edge.
Sheila was, of course, the only one that picked up on the name and the implications behind it, but before she was able to say anything Thropan cut her off.
"The group on your right is of the Diggers family. I believe you already know the twins, Brianna and Grave." He didn't even wait until Ranma confirmed for him, and trudged on through the introductions. He waved in Julia's direction, "This is the Arms Master of Jade and mother of Brianna and Grave, Julia Brigand Diggers."
Julia was a tall woman of excellent build for a woman in her early forties. She looked as youthful as a person in their lower thirties and held herself, in Ranma's opinion, like a true master of their art would. She was the embodiment of strength, and her long red hair only made her look that much more imposing. Her smile, of course, was kindly as she greeted Ranma, but her eyes clearly told of her disappointment, which could only be attributed to the situation Brianna had gotten herself in. Ranma bowed as respectively as he would to anyone of such station or skill level.
Sheila knew it was impolite, and possibly dangerous, to interrupt an Arms Master, so she waited until Julia had finished her greeting to question Thropan. "All right mister, you are telling me what's going on right now." Sheila was in a dangerous mood right now, and it only made Ranma twitch more nervously.
Thropan smiled as he responded. "Why Sheila, don't tell me you forgot our little friend?" Ranma grumbled at the 'little' comment. It wasn't his fault that his hybrid form (Thropan had filled Ranma in on the whole lycanthropy scene) was so short. "Here's a hint…the spots."
"Spots? What do spots have to do with…" It was all coming back to her in a rush of fleeting moments. It began at the brawl in the clearing and branched out to that following night, and then the streets, and then the courthouse. Despite all of this, Sheila only had one thought in mind when she looked at the clearly nervous lycan. "You saw me naked!"
No one was expecting that, except for Ranma, who was sweating buckets at the moment. He tried to look anywhere but at the enraged female, but it was no use. All light was sucked out of the room as Sheila radiated an aura of pure anger. The gleam in her eyes only reaffirmed Ranma's belief that he was going to die, and that it was a good idea to start pleading for his life.
"I'm sorry! I wasn't in the right state of mind!" Ranma was scraping the bottom of the barrel for excuses mainly because he didn't have any. "I didn't mean to stare!" Sheila made an attempt to reign in her temper, which was visible only because she restrained her right arm from lashing out with her left. "Besides, there wasn't really anything to look at." He mumbled it, but he should have known that lycans had exceptional hearing.
Dead. Silence. Ranma only took a brief second to review what he had said, and had come to the conclusion that he was screwed.
Ultra-Mega-Kapowie! Delivered from Sheila's fist of Doom, Ranma went through the wall, across the street and through that wall, and finally tumbled into a ball of pain as he skidded to a halt at the following wall. The Fist of Womanly Righteousness was never so magnificent before today.
That blow would have taken Tirga the better part of the day to heal from, lycan powers and all (This was a tried and true experiment that is documented in the Edge Guard libraries). So it was to everyone's surprise that Ranma climbed through the rubble and back into headquarters with only minor strain.
"Egad woman! What the hell are they feeding you?" Ranma himself was surprised that he wasn't put into lower Earth orbit (or is that lower Jade orbit?), but decided that it was the angle from which she launched him. If she had aimed upwards it might have been possible to launch him into the lower stratosphere.
Needless to say there were many disbelieving looks directed at Ranma. He was used to this type of attention, so he didn't really pay it much mind. He should have though, because Tirga took that moment to rush him.
Everyone was put on his or her guard in hopes of extricating Tirga from Ranma without bringing harm to either of them, but Tirga wasn't moving in for the kill. Instead he lifted Ranma up by the front of his mage's suit. "Tell me your secrets! I'll do anything!"
Very few people in the room were familiar with the concept of a face-fault, but no one could deny the strong pull of gravity that forced their faces into the ground.
"What secrets?" Ranma was, as always, perplexed. "What are you talking about?"
"How did you survive the shrimp's kapowies, and how did you get to see her naked?" Tirga was practically screaming the questions, as he was only a few moments short of begging. No amount of pride would keep him from these answers.
"Oh, well all you have to do is manage to get engaged to four or more girls." Tirga had set Ranma down the moment he started talking. "Then you round up a bunch of friends who want to kill you. After that you piss off every dragon, obscure civilization, magic user, and demi-god that crosses your path. The regular beatings will usually keep you conditioned to resist blows like that."
Sweatdrops were also a foreign concept to the group, but they managed to pick up on it fairly quickly. They only increased in size and frequency when they saw Tirga dutifully taking notes. Where he pulled the pen and pad from no one knew, but they didn't dare ask.
"What about seeing her naked? How did you manage that?"
"Bad luck. I went temporarily insane while I was a cat, or at least I think I was. Somehow I ended up in her house and I accidentally woke her up." Ranma obviously wasn't in any control of his mouth.
"Why Sheila! I didn't know you slept in the nude!" Tirga wore a full blown lecherous grin at the revelation, and his eyes were slightly glazed over, as if he were imagining the scene. It was for that reason he missed the fist coming his way.
Kapowie! The blow she gave Ranma paled in comparison to the one she just gave to Tirga. It seemed that she took Ranma's unspoken advice and launched Tirga into lower Jade orbit.
"Good distance." The appreciation came solely from Ranma, who was not, for once, on the receiving end of the Fist of Womanly Righteousness.
Sheila beamed in appreciation, but it quickly vanished when she realized who had spoken.
Thropan was the only one who tried to diffuse the situation, seeing that everybody was either too amused or confused to do so. "Ranma, why don't you show everyone what you really look like? I know you were having trouble shifting to your human form earlier, so why not give it a try?"
Ranma nodded; glad to have the negative attention off of him for a moment. He closed his eyes and concentrated, but the only physical change was that of his mage suit, which changed from a tight fitting black suit to a blue and black Chinese silk outfit. Ranma growled in frustration, and fired a question back to Thropan. "Do I have to know what my normal form looks like to do this?"
"Of course you do. Why, don't you know what you look like?" The question was asked with obvious amusement.
"Maybe my normal form changed when she bit me…can that happen?" Ranma didn't actually remember the event that turned him into a lycan, but Thropan had described what Sheila had told him, as well as the only known ways a person can become one.
Gar immediately picked up on the 'bit' comment and stared directly at his sister. Sheila only looked away with a slight blush on her face, a definite answer if any.
Thropan considered Ranma's question, but shook his head either as a negative or just because he didn't have an answer. "It's very rare for something like that to happen. The only way it could happen was for their to be a…" Recognition lit up in Thropan's eyes as he shifted glances to and from Ranma and Sheila. "You know, that could be a likely possibility. Sheila? Could you shift forms? Just to give Ranma a demonstration."
Sheila questioningly glanced at Thropan, but he only maintained his mysterious, but confident smile. She shrugged and did so. In an instant a seven-foot tall amazon (Not an actual Amazon that is associated with the insane matriarchal society that resides in the Byankala mountain range in the Qinghai province of China in Earth realm) stood where a child sized jag-were was only a moment before. Ranma's eyes crossed, not expecting such a drastic change, but he quickly gathered himself and concentrated.
He didn't feel any different. Sure he lost the senses his hybrid form allowed him, so his perspective would feel only slightly different. That was before he opened his eyes, and that was before he understood what the surprised gasps had meant. When he did open his eyes, he was staring straight ahead at a wall of surprised faces.
"Well, I'll be damned." Thropan was the only one who had the capability of speaking for the moment.
Sheila stared.
Actually everyone stared, but Sheila's was special. Her eyes were glittering with a specific happy feeling that no one could identify, but there was undeniable disbelief hidden beneath the sparkly gaze.
Brianna and Grave's stares were also noteworthy. Both sported healthy blushes and their eyes were glazed over, obviously in dreamland. The drool that was dribbling down their chin was a pretty good indicator of what they thought of Ranma's human form.
Not everyone could remain in a surprised stupor, however, and Thropan once again took the reigns of conversation. "I believe that proves that birth defects do pass on from the sire. Very interesting indeed."
Sheila's birth defect had indeed passed on to Ranma who stood at an imposing seven feet. His previous body wasn't lacking in any way, but this new form simply amplified his already handsome appearance. Ranma's muscles, while not obscenely large, filled out his form in a manner befitting of a seven-foot tall man. His face no longer held the boyish looks it once had, and was now filled with the sharp lines of an undeniably handsome man. The long braid that reached mid back was also a nice touch.
Sheila still stared.
Ranma was becoming slightly worried and self conscious of all the attention he was getting. He had picked up that this was usually not a normal occurrence, but he had given up the possibility of anything normal happening to him.
"You know what?" Onoli cut into the silence. "It has been a long day, and I believe everyone needs a little rest. Why don't we pick up on this tomorrow?" Onoli didn't intend to be this abrupt, especially when everything was just getting interesting, but he knew Sheila would be out of it for a while and there was no reason to keep their guests waiting for something that might not happen this night.
Julia nodded at Onoli's suggestion, having gathered the same thing. Besides, her wayward daughters needed a stern talking to, and she had barely begun that.
Grave and Brianna were disappointed to leave behind such an undeniably perfect piece of a male specimen, but neither wanted to upset Julia further. The only reason Grave followed along was because she was downright terrified of what Julia would do to her if she considered her a threat.
"How about we meet at the eastern tavern around noon?" Onoli agreed, especially because such a place was neutral ground for both parties, and would make them feel more welcome than at the headquarters.
Sheila still stared at Ranma as their guests filed out of the room.
Author's Note:
Yes, it's finally done. Took me longer than I thought it would, especially with all of the scenes taken out of the Gold Digger comic. There is no doubt that some of these scenes will look familiar to The Black Paw, and before anybody says anything, no. They were not copied from that story.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope I didn't screw anything up. I haven't been able to get a hold of my betas, so you'll have to settle with a less than perfect chapter that I spent an extra hour pre-reading for.
Also, was anybody else reminded of Transformers: The Movie during Gaja's death? I believe it was Fred Perry's intent to have it come out that way, but throughout the whole thing the song "You've Got the Touch" by Van Halen was going through my head.
Until next time!