Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi, Dr. Strange was one of the greatest creations of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.

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Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts

By Brendan O'Donnell

Chapter 5

Ranma blinked her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. She frowned as she saw something partially blocking her sight. Raising a hand to her forehead she felt a paper talisman. "Oh yeah." She commented as she pulled it off and sat up. She slowly moved her left arm in a circle, frowning slightly. Her eyes snapped open, and she leaped from her futon.

"YAAH!" Genma screamed as he struck a kick through the space Ranma had just located. Shifting his weight he pivoted to face his transformed son as she landed at the other end of the room. "Sloppy Ranma, you didn't notice me until I was right on top of you.

"Feh, you're a fine one to talk, calling me sloppy while admitting you can't even hit me by surprise."

"We'll see who's sloppy!" Genma stepped forward, thrusting his fist at Ranma.

Ranma stepped right to avoid the fist, then jumped backward just before the follow up kick.

"Now now," Soun called as he walked into the room. "Wouldn't the Dojo be a better place to work these things out?"

Genma looked at his old friend. "Ah, sorry about that Tendo." Dropping into a relaxed stance, he turned to his daughter.

"Outside it is." Ranma commented, lowering hers arms. Suddenly she pivoted, and jumped to the window. Opening it with a jerk, she leaped through a second before Genma, the pair landing in the yard by the pond.

Soun blinked, and looked toward the window. "Such skill. You must be so proud, Saotome."

As he walked to the window, voices echoed from the yard. "Ranma! You break your father's heart!!"

"Hah, tough talk considering that your flabby arms haven't come within a foot of me this morning."

Soun shut the window of the guest room. "I envy you, Saotome."

Ranma yawned as she walked on top of the fence by the canal.

"Are you sure you aren't overdoing things?" Akane commended from where she was walking slightly behind him.

"Don't worry, I heal fast." Ranma responded.

"Yes but. . . Isn't. . . I mean Magic. . ."

"All it did was make me fall a bit faster than usual." And casting those big spells tapped my reserves so low that I'll be a bit weak for a few days.

Nabiki smirked as she looked up at Ranma. "So yesterdays incident doesn't have anything to do with why your dad kicked your butt so easily this morning?"

Ranma scowled, and adjusted her backpack. "Stupid idiot."

Nabiki continued forward with a large smirk on her face.

Akane glanced at Ranma, back at her sister, and shook her head.

"What's he up to now?" Akane commented as she came to a halt and looked at the School.

Ranma jumped next to her, looked at the Schoolyard, and shook her head. "I honestly don't know."

Kuno was standing just inside the gates, holding a red plastic cooler. Seeing the group he sprinted forward. "Akane Tendo! Thunder Goddess! Truly Saotome fears to approach me, now that I know his true. . ." A fast kick from Ranma cut off his declaration, throwing him onto the school roof.

"Jerk." Ranma and Akane commented in near perfect harmony. Blinking they glanced at each other, then looked away.

"Well, he is a jerk," Ranma mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand.

"Yeah, Total jerk," Akane responded while studying a nearby building.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what he was thinking." Nabiki commented as she looked into the cooler Kuno had dropped. Ranma glanced over her shoulder.

The inside was packed with ice, surrounding and partially covering a brand new steam iron.

"Cold Iron. . . Idiot," Ranma shook her head.

Ryouga stood at the top of a stony bluff, looking down on a rustic town. Tears streamed down his face. "DAMN YOU RANMA! I'm not going to let you escape me so easily!" He stepped forward, striking a defiant pose. As his foot struck the ground, the side of the cliff collapsed under him.

" Our Arrangements are complete. "

Shampoo looked at her Great Grandmother, who was standing contemplating a pair of tickets with a self satisfied smirk on her face. " Are you sure we are following their real trail? She seems very good at vanishing. "

" She has skill, but her judgment is poor. She has definitely gone to Japan. What's more I've learned that her Panda sent a letter to Tokyo. We will soon find her again. "

"Ranma Saotome!" The teacher asked.

"Here," Ranma said, raising her hand.

The teacher glanced at her a moment, then looked back at the list. "Akane Tendo!"

Akane looked at Ranma, then at the teacher, who was repeating his query, "Um, here!"

"Nice spell, Saotome." Nabiki commented as she sat with Ranma and her sister.

"What spell, I haven't done anything since that that run in with Mordo."

Akane choked on her drink a moment. "But the teachers. . ." She gasped, pausing to inhale, "And Saiyuri, it's like they didn't realize you were any different until I pointed it out."

"Side effect of magic. Most folks don't want to be aware of it." Ranma suddenly smiled and chuckled to herself.

"And what's so funny?" Nabiki asked, eyes half closed.

"Well, I was just wondering how dad would react if he learned that some of the oldest martial arts styles in the world were created by sorcerers."

Akane blinked a moment. "Oh, now that you're making up."

Ranma shook her head. "I'm serious. It's a way of connecting with the world, to counterbalance the otherworldliness of our work. And it makes it easier to handle Magic's demands on the body."

"Well if you say so." Akane grinned. "At least it explains why no one else noticed you snoring in homeroom."

Shan sat in a corner of the ancient one's audience chamber, looking at the damage from the recent battle. Mordo has acted, he will soon be victorious! A smile began to form on his lips, but faded. With Dormammu's aid we have triumphed! As his hands began to shake, he clenched his fists. Dormammu. . . How could such power exist!

With a shudder Shan rose to his feet and walked to one of the exits. He paused at the door. Mother, Father. . . Thinking back he remembered the day he had met Mordo so long ago. The day his village's lords and protectors had decided they were no more use. Mordo saved me. For his own purposes, but he gave me my life. And he gave me a way to gain the power to control my fate, power that is my own! He remembered being called into Mordo's presence, seeing the gate to Dormammu's realm behind him, feeling the fraction of Dormammu's might that was infusing Mordo.

"HAHAHAHAHAH!!" He laughed as he fled the room, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Ranma yawned as she walked along the fence by the canal.

"Your sure you're all right." Akane commented from the path.

"Yes," Ranma responded angrily.

"Hey I'm just worried about you!"

Ranma sighed. "I'm fine, it's not like we're engaged or anything."

Akane's cheeks turned red. "Of. . . Of course we're not. . ." She came to a stop, the color draining from her face as she looked ahead.

Ranma looked at Akane, then looked toward the target of her attention.

"I'm sure I had the tickets," Dr. Tofu commented as he picked up a vending machine.

"Oh, you're so silly, Doctor Tofu!" Kasumi cheerfully exclaimed as she stood by him, two tickets in her hands.

Akane sighed, and looked to the ground sadly.

Ranma hopped down beside her. Stepping between Akane and her sister, she began moving her hands, weaving the power between them.

Akane blinked and looked up. "What?"

Ranma smiled, "Just watch." She brought her hands together, then opened them into a cupped shape. A small glowing seed floated in her palms. As they watched, it sprouted, and a stalk grew up to form a bud, which blossomed into a rainbow colored rose.

"Wow!" Akane commented.

"Neat, huh?" Ranma commented, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her face.

"It's so. . ." Akane said, reaching for the rose, then watching her hand pass through it. "It's not real?"

"It's an illusion." Ranma responded, dropping her hands and letting the flower fade away. Raising her arm, she wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve.

Akane looked at Ranma's somewhat washed out complexion. "Wait, are you OK?"

Ranma smiled. "Don't worry, illusions aren't that tough. I'm just a little tapped anyway." She turned toward a side street away from the canal. "You in the mood for something to eat, I'm starving!"

"OK!"

Ranma yawned as she walked along the fence.

"Ok, Genma 2, Ranma nothing." Nabiki commented from the road alongside him. Turning to her sister she added in a deliberately loud whisper, "Want to place a bet on tomorrow? One yen on Ranma can get you back two if he wins."

Ranma sat a foot above the ground in her sanctum. A few feet away from her, a wraith hovered halfway through the floor.

Ranma looked at the wraith.

The wrath looked back.

"I don't know anything you don't know already." Ranma commented in annoyance.

The wraith cocked it's head like it was puzzled, then continued looking at Ranma.

With a sigh Ranma levitated a scroll from the wall into her hands. Waste of time to fight it, have to recover and tread cautiously.

"Ranma, Telephone!" Kasumi called.

"Thank you Kasumi," Ranma said with a smile as she took the phone from her. "Hello?"

"Ranma Saotome?" The voice responded.

Dr. Strange! Carefully she kept herself from trying to scan for the wraith which periodically floated in to investigate her. "Is that you Dr. Specter?"

"Specter? Ah the wraiths are watching you are they?"

"Yes Doctor."

"There is a gravely important matter I am investigating now, Ranma. I must know if the Ancient One imparted you with any information on the secret of Eternity."

Ranma thought for a moment. "I'd have to check, but I'm almost sure not."

"I expected as much, but I had to confirm. May the Vishanti smile on you."

"And on you."

He's still alive. That means there's hope.