Disclaimer: I don't own either Slayers or Ranma 1/2. Oh, how I wish I did...
Hello again, and welcome back to Anything Goes Dragon Slave. I've got a few things to say before we move on to the story.
First, I have tests next week and the first week of June, but not a whole lot of homework. So, I don't know when the next chapter can be expected. Hopefully not too long.
Next, for any of you Pokemon fans, try looking at Soul Guardians, by DragonSword35d, which I co-write. It gives an interesting twist to Pokemon one wouldn't normally expect. If you want to take a look, the author can be found in my favorite authors.
Finally, last chapter's cameo appearance by Kakashi from Naruto. I figured it couldn't hurt to give a bit of validity to one of his excuses. That, and the fact that Ryoga can get lost in a closet with one door, I just couldn't resist.
Now that my rant's over, on with the show!
"..." normal text
'...' thoughts/signs
Spells/Attack names
The sky was a mixture of red and orange, as if it were set ablaze. Unfortunately, the surrounding trees blocked the sight. Temperatures began a subtle drop, indicating the day was about to end. Amelia shivered, the heat of her arms clashing with the slight chill in the air.
The duo had been on the run ever since they split from Lina and Gourry. Soon after they left, a large creature entered their path. At first, it looked like a large bull on its hind legs. It was covered in dark brown fur, curved horns on its head. That is, until a scaly tail made itself known. As if that wasn't strange enough, two pure white wings unfolded from behind its back.
They stared as the beast looked around the area. Their eyes locked and it snorted. It moved an arm behind its back, causing the two to go on guard. Instead of attacking, the creature whipped out a sign. Zel and Amelia were swiftly introduced to the ground. They picked themselves up, sweatdrops prominent.
The two moved closer for a better look. 'Do you guys' *flip* 'know where the' *flip* 'old geezer is?' Mouths dropped, clearly surprised. They turned their backs on the creature.
"Zelgadis-san, do you think that sign is a magical item?" she whispered.
"Maybe. If it's an artifact, its not one I've heard of." Another snort redirected their attention. It was pointing to the sign, new writing on it.
'Happosai. Where?' Zel's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward.
"I don't know what you are, but you are in my way. If you do not remove yourself, I will." His sword slid out of its sheath with hardly a sound. His gaze was set, ready to fight. Amelia opened her mouth to give a justice speech, but one look from Zelgadis and it snapped shut.
The beast bristled, its next actions causing the pair to falter. It wings lifted, tentacles growing out of its back. Eyes grew wide, as they backed away. Its hooves left the ground, flying high in the sky. Their eyes followed.
Zelgadis, cursing, sheathed his sword as it made its decent. 'Good, the springs aren't too close. This should work.'
"Amelia, get ready to run."
"Not without you, Zelgadis-san! My heart of justice will not allow it!"
His eyes rolled, a slight smirk on his face. He began the incantation. "Earth below me, submit to my will! Dug Haut!" Spikes of stone shot up from the ground. The creature's eyes widened, crossing it's arms in front at the last second.
A cloud of dust rose, covering the area. The dust soon cleared, revealing the beast unscathed, debris scattered around it. Zel turned, grabbed her hand and yelled, "Now, run!"
They took off, and that was how the rest of the day went. The beast continued to trail them, letting up only because of bombardments of various spells.
The chimera surveyed the area, trying to calm his breathing. Their escape had taken quite a bit out of him.
"Zelgadis-san, maybe we should have stayed with Lina-san and Gourry-san." He turned to look at the princess. Her shoulders sagged, tired from the day's events. Her chest heaved up and down rhythmically, forcing air into her lungs. He averted his gaze, blood lightly coloring his face. Her hair was in disarray, yet her eyes somehow remained radiant.
"Hai. Let's rest for tonight and search in the morning. I'll keep watch first in case that thing finds us."
She nodded, turning away to hide the blush on her cheeks. The thought of him watching her while she slept made her head go light.
Stunned, his face was so red it was glowing. That would have been the best way to describe the transgender martial artist right now. However, it wasn't the heat of the water that had caused his face to go so red.
The reason? Walking through the door was Akane, with nothing but a towel held to her front. Ranma's mind flashed back to the day they met. He had entered the furo to switch back to his guy form and she walked in just as he was getting out. Not expecting to see a naked guy, she ran screaming through the house about a pervert in the bathroom. It all went downhill from there.
Mind racing, it soon stopped to earlier that day. He had pounded Ryoga into the ground for taking off, before heading off to the source of Jusenkyo.
Akane was later found unconscious on the path. He carried her until they came across a cheap hotel, just as the sun sank over the horizon. When she came to, she said all she could remember was that she had been abducted.
He was pulled back to reality at the sound of her voice. "Ranma, I-I want to be with you," she said in a soft tone.
His heart thudded against his chest, deafening in the silence of night. 'Something doesn't feel right here.'
Before he could question Akane, she made her way over to the furo. He could almost feel his eyes pop out of their sockets as the towel began to drop. He quickly tied his own around his waist, jumping up and over his fiancee.
"U-um, er... W-what's wrong?" he stammered, heart in his throat. She cocked her head to the side, confusion in her eyes. "D-doing things...like this...it isn't like you. It isn't like you at all..."
"Ranma!" she cried out. Her bare feet slapped against the floor, bringing her directly behind him. "I...I fell in at Jusenkyo!" Her arms wrapped around his stomach, pulling him into a tight embrace.
The feel of her chest on his back combined with her words completely blew his mind. "After I was kidnapped...when I woke up, I was at Jusenkyo..."
His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, fear smothering him. 'Why? Why Akane? Ugh, this is all my fault!'
"Anything that falls in at Jusenkyo transforms when splashed with cold water, right?" she spoke so softly. "You must hate me now."
Ranma whirled around, releasing himself from her grip. Ignoring their current state of dress, he yelled, "Baka! How could you even think that! No matter what you transform into, I'll-"
He cut off, as tears welled in her eyes. Thinking he had done something wrong, he began to stammer an apology. However, instead of yelling, she flung her arms around him, hugging him close to her body.
It was at that moment when the door flew open. Mousse and Ryoga burst into the room, yelling at the top of their lungs, with nothing more than a towel around each boy's waist.
"Oi, Ranma, what's taking so long!"
"Yeah, I thought we said twenty minutes a piece in the bath!"
A small squeal immediately quieted them. Mousse pulled on his glasses, whereas Ryoga froze. The sight of Akane clinging to Ranma, both of them naked, blew a fuse in the Lost Boy's mind. Sweat collected on Mousse's face, backing away slowly to make room for what would happen next.
Ki oozed from his body, depression swallowed up all sense. "This scene...can't be reality!" he cried, punching down onto the water faucet. Water exploded out of the wall, directed at Ranma and Akane.
"Cold!" the now female Ranma screamed. Her eyes widened as she remembered what Akane had told her. Ranma-chan turned on her heel, only to see an anxious, human, Akane. 'She didn't change...I knew something was off!'
"Akane" sprang to her feet, Kinjakan in hand. "Akane, what are you doing?"
She entered the furo, hot water engulfing her figure. They waited in silence until she rose to the surface. They gasped when she revealed her face.
"Kiima!" they yelled as one. She stood, chuckling. Ranma-chan growled. "The hell is going on! Why did you look like Akane!"
"It's all quite simple. The Jusenkyo springs remembered whatever drowned there last. So, we dug a hole and created a new spring. Can you guess what it's called," she taunted.
"You didn't..." Rage surged through her body, just barely able to restrain herself.
"Yes, we did. It was all laid out in Saffron-sama's plan."
'That gaki!' she thought. Her fists clenched, knuckles turning white. 'Then, that means Akane IS in China!'
Sunlight streamed through the window, thoroughly warming the mass of covers. The figure underneath stirred, waking to the sight of the rising sun. The covers slid off her, only to fly back over as she flinched at the light. That slightest moment of contact with her eyes felt like they were on fire. Neko-Lina groaned, still half-asleep. She eventually consented to morning's arrival and got out of bed, careful to avoid the sunbeams. She scratched her head, vaguely aware of the cat ears. Her slippered feet shuffled over the floor of the ship, taking her to the bathroom.
Neko-Lina and Gourry-chan had spent the rest of the day yesterday searching for their companions. Thankfully, they managed to avoid any more springs. In the end, the only evidence of Zelgadis and Amelia they found was the remnants of a Dug Haut. But by that time, the sun had long since set and the pair was exhausted.
She reached her destination, stopping in the changing room. She turned to the full-length mirror, looking at her reflection. Her hair stood up at different angles, half-lidded eyes revealing her tired state. Neko-Lina yawned, showing off her enlarged canine(canine, feline, call it what you will) teeth.
She reached up to scratch her cheek, only to stop herself. Her nails had grown longer and sharper with her transformation. She lowered her hand and began to undress.
Her tail stretched out, working out the kinks from last night's sleep. 'I don't think I'll ever get used to this,' she thought morbidly. A sigh escaped her lips as she wrapped a towel around her figure. She grabbed the wash basin and walked into the bathroom.
One step in was as far as she got. As soon as she stepped past the door, she froze.
"Hey, Lina! Check it out! I'm a guy again!" Gourry sat in the steaming hot water, waving at Neko-Lina. Her ears stood erect in surprise, her face turning as bright as her hair.
"Gourry...if you were in here, why wasn't the door locked?" she growled, forcing the words past her lips.
He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you usually stay in bed longer than me, so I thought it would have been fine. Either way, I'm back to normal!" At this point, he stood up to show her. A towel was tied around his waist, while the skin that was visible was pink from the heat of the water.
She stepped forward, about to clobber him and call him a jellyfish, when his towel had apparently loosened in the water. The towel fell down into the furo. Gourry quickly dropped down, splashing the water. He grabbed ahold of his towel when a loud thud resounded within the room. There, on the floor, was Neko-Lina, passed out with a full-body blush.
"Wow, I didn't know she could make steam come out her ears," Gourry mused.
So, what do you think? Questions, comments, critisism, etc. Til next time, ja ne!