Disclaimer: Sadly, I own neither Slayers nor Ranma 1/2. Sigh...
Yo, I'm back everyone! Yes, I know its been two months since my last update, but my summer has been fairly hectic. Rather than hear me rant about it, just trust me on this. Anyway, school is back in session and I'm nearly swamped in work. Rest assured, I will find a way to write this story and hopefully before another two months. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to write a review. Now sit back, relax, and please enjoy this chapter of "Anything Goes Dragon Slave"!
"..." normal text
'...' thoughts
Spells/Attack names
Chinese Dialect
The ebony haired martial artist stared through Coke-bottle lenses at the figure in front of him. Shampoo yanked her double chui out of the ground, tossing back her lavender mane of hair. The sight of his beloved unharmed brought Mousse a surge of great joy, only to be extinguished as she rushed at him, weapons set in a flurry of motion. Instincts kicked in, his body dodging at the last second. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he continued sidestepping Shampoo's barrage. Memories of his many defeats at her hands, prodding the back of his mind, did nothing to help his situation.
Aggravated by the fact that none of her attacks were connecting, Shampoo thrust the weapons once again, this time putting more of her strength and speed into the attack. This proved to be ineffective as Mousse slipped to the side, the chui only brushing up against his shirt, hitting nothing but air and leaving her open. Mousse took advantage of the opportunity, clamping his hands around her wrists, swinging her around and pinning her arms behind her back.
"Shampoo, my love, come to your senses!" Mouse pleaded. Rather than responding, the brainwashed Amazon tightened the muscles in her arms, dug her feet into the ground, and pushed backward onto Mousse. His back slammed into the wall of the cavern. He winced, his grip loosening ever so slightly, allowing Shampoo to slip from his grasp and dash to her dropped weapons. Mousse drew a hand into the folds of his robe, searching for a weapon of his own.
"Mousse is obstacle," Shampoo finally said, facing Mousse. "Obstacles is for killing." The male Amazon could feel the blood drain from his face at her words as she came running at him, one of her chui raised above her head. Mousse grabbed at one of his weapons and whipped it out in front of him just as Shampoo brought the raised chui down on him. He gripped the nangun with both hands, keeping the staff steady and halting Shampoo's attack. Eyes narrowing in frustration, Shampoo thrust her second chui at his torso.
Mousse twisted his body so that the weapon would not catch him completely. The chui clipped his side enough so that he was sent into the dirt. The staff-like weapon left his hands and clattered to the ground. Spitting out a wad of soil, Mousse turned back to his opponent. His gaze flickered to where his nangun lay, briefly considering lunging for it. He decided against the action as Shampoo stepped forward. Each step she took, he inched backwards. He pulled his hand back in for a new weapon as he tried to reach to Shampoo again.
"Xian Pu, do not let yourself be controlled! Remember who you are!" he called out in his native tongue. Her step faltered and her eyes widen slightly in recognition as Mousse found another of his weapons. The mind control snapped back in control as Mousse lept up, chains trailing from his sleeve. He danced around her, gaining speed with every step, spinning the chains around her figure. It wasn't long before Shampoo was firmly bound and her chui fell once again. Mousse's feet ground to a halt and turned back to Shampoo.
"Forgive me," he whispered as Ryoga came jogging up to him. "I see you defeated Saotome," he mused, looking past the Lost Boy's shoulder. Mousse was treated to the sight of Panda-Genma embedded into the cavern wall, lumps the size of grapefruits forming on his head.
"Nothin' to it," Ryoga said. "I'm gonna help the swordsman, you coming?"
"You go ahead, there's someone I need to see," he said, glancing back at the struggling Shampoo.
"You just couldn't leave me alone, could you?" Lina ranted from the air, "I was minding my own business, trying to find a friend so I could beat him to a pulp and you just had to attack us didn't you? So now thanks to you, I turn into a freaking cat-girl!"
"I was simply doing my job. You and the blond landling were trespassing and I had to remove you. Be glad you are not dead right now," Kiima rebutted.
"DO I LOOK HAPPY TO YOU? FLARE LANCE!" A rod of crimson light formed in Lina's hands, wasting no time in hurling it at Kiima. She swiftly dodged, rearing her wings back.
"Thousands Wings of the Seabird!" she cried, swinging her wings forward and sending several energy blades at air was filled with shouts of "Attack of a Thousand Wings" and "Rune Flare", accompanied by feather-like blades and flaming spears.
As the yells died down, both women stood on the grounds, panting and glowing with sweat. Both has scratches on their faces and several cuts in their clothes.
"Not too shabby, for a pain in my ass," Lina complemented, "How bout I end it now? Gray Buster!" A chill overcame Kiima as she watched ice crystals formed out of thin air. A biting coldness made itself known around her clawed feet. She gazed down at her talons and, alarmingly, both limbs were encased in ice that seemed to be traveling up her body. She attempted to fly at the red-haired sorceress, only to find her wings had been frozen. Within seconds, all but her head was enclosed in ice.
"Landling, what have you done to me?" Kiima snapped.
"Seems pretty obvious to me; I froze the moisture in the air which turned you into an ice sculpture," Lina stated, a wicked grin splitting across her face. "Now, do I simply leave you here, or should I continue freezing you?"
"Not before I speak with her," declared a voice from behind. Lina swiveled around and saw Mousse, holding some chains that were wrapped around a growling, purple-haired girl who seemed vaguely familiar.
'Have I seen her before?' Lina pondered, quickly shaking the thought off. "So what do you what with Bird-Brain here?"
"For her to release her hold over Shampoo," he said, tugging lightly at the chain, indicating that the bound girl was Shampoo.
"She looks fine to me, but if you say so." Lina turned back to Kiima, who was glaring at the three of them. "Are you going to do what he wants or do you want me to finish the job?"
"...You are free to do as you wish," she snarled. Shampoo's body went slack for just a second, straightening up slowly as her eyes seemed to clear and she took in her surroundings. Violet eyes locked onto the chains that bound her. Mousse hastily retracted his chains, a nervous sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"N-Now Shampoo, please understand-" he stuttered.
"Understand what, stupid Duck-boy? That you try steal Shampoo away from her Airen?"
'Duck-boy? Does he also have a curse?' Lina thought as Shampoo continued to scream at Mousse. "Oi! If you want to blame someone for whatever happened to you, blame the one in ice," she interrupted, jabbing her thumb at Kiima. "I'm going to find Pigtail and Gourry." With that, she cast a simple Levitation and sped off to where a blaze of fire was stirring.
"Ranma...You caused my premature rebirth, ruining the happiness of my people. Your transgressions shall not go unpunished. I will make you regret your actions!" With that, fire erupted from Saffron's body and flew at Ranma. He pushed against the ground, jumping high into the air and flipping over the fireball. He smirked as he fell, planting his feet square on Saffron's face. He swiftly jumped off and made for the head of the Dragon before Saffron could burn him.
"Thanks for the face lift!" Ranma joked. His grin was wiped off as he glanced over his shoulder. Saffron was flying straight at him, rage coloring his face. A whirl of flame appeared around his arm and burst forward, sending Ranma into the rock wall. The wall gave way against the power of the blast and Ranma fell with the rubble. Saffron followed through the hole as the dust cleared.
"Insolent whelp! How dare he!" He looked toward the bottom of the mountain, searching for Ranma. "Hmph. Pathetic landling. Looks like he fell."
"Think again! Let's see who can really fly!" shouted a voice from above. A quick sweep of his gaze revealed Ranma standing on a falling chunk of stone.
"You only delay the inevitable, fool! Accept your fate and die!" he retorted, blasting the boulder before it reached him. Ranma pushed past the flames as the boulder collapsed, jumping towards Saffron.
"Oh yeah? You're grounded feather boy!" he cried, swinging the spear-like tool and slicing off one of Saffron's wings. 'I don't like crippling, but as long as Akane needs my help I can't hold back!'
Saffron merely held out a hand, releasing a stream of fire and slowing his descent. As he came back up to Ranma, he said "You fool, I am the Phoenix! Even if I should die, I will rise eternally from the flames!" More fire sprung from the remains of his severed wing, growing from it and creating a new wing. "Give up your absurd quest! I am immortal! YOU CAN NEVER WIN!" A wave of fire burst from Saffron, slamming Ranma into the side of the mountain.
"You obviously haven't gotten the memo gaki," Ranma started, standing up and bringing his hands together, "Cause Ranma Saotome never loses! Moko Takabisha!" An aura of confidence flared from his body, concentrating into an orb in his hands. The orb turned into a beam of light, crashing into Saffron and sending him into the distance.
'I've got to hurry before he gets back,' he thought, dashing back into Jusendo. He nearly froze as he looked down at Akane. Her eyes, dull and seemingly lifeless, were now half-lidded.
"Dammit Akane, don't give up on me now!" Her eyes sprung back open at the sound of his voice, only to sink down a second later. He lept over to the Dragon's head as a voice rang out.
"Koutei Kaen Yoti(Blazing Emperor's Wing)!" What looked like one of Saffron's wings was on fire and spinning toward Ranma. He smacked it down using the key and turned to see the Phoenix king standing in the hole in the wall, a wing reforming where the last had been torn off.
"You'll have to try much harder than that, landling. I cannot be killed. The only way to defeat me on this day would be to completely shred my body. But I doubt you can even get close to me!" With that, he let loose more fire.
Ranma brought the key up in both hands, spinning it fast enough to block off the majority of the flames. 'There's gotta be something I can do! Maybe Hiryu Shoten Ha...no, it wouldn't be enough. Maybe-'
"Arc Blast!" Through the flames, Ranma could see a jolt of lightening strike Saffron. The stream of fire ebbed as Ranma halted the tool. Saffron's limbs stiffened as he glared at the cause of his paralysis.
"Hey Ranma, grab on!" Lina yelled. He raised an arm for her to grab as she swooped down and brought him to the base of the Dragon. Gourry and Ryoga were attacking the base while Mousse was presumably explaining to Shampoo what had happened when she was under Kiima's control. Jusenkyo Guide came running up to the two of them.
"Honored customer must use Gekkaja to break Dragon," he panted.
"The what?"
"The key," Lina elaborated. "He says we can use its power to destroy to base of the Dragon, which should release the cold water."
"It's a weapon?" Ranma questioned.
"Yes, it very powerful. Can freeze anything it touch," said Jusenkyo Guide. "Should cut through Dragon easily."
"So that is your plan?" All eyes turned to the source of the voice: Saffron, standing high above them from atop the Dragon. "And what makes you think I will let you do that?" Fire coated his arms as he flew at them, though notably slower than before.
"Gourry, hold him off!" Lina commanded. He gave a simple nod and stood in Saffron's path, sword at the ready. With an arm outstretched, the king grabbed the blade and pushed against Gourry.
"Let me past landling."
"Not gonna happen." Meanwhile, Lina and Ranma were watching the standoff, trying to come up with a strategy.
"Any ideas?" Lina asked. He shook his head in response.
"He said he can't be killed, much less beaten. The only way to do that is to cut him apart." Lina grimaced.
"Ew. Isn't there anything else?"
'If this thing can freeze anything...' he thought, eying the tool in his hands. "Maybe if we hit 'em with our most powerful attacks, that's gotta do something."
"Well whatever we do, better do it fast." She looked back over the boulder, where Gourry was running away from Saffron, who was trying to torch him to a crisp.
"Lina, he's burning my bottom off!" Lina gave a small grin. 'Boy does that bring back memories.'
"Alright, let's do this. Hit him with everything you've got." Ranma nodded, tightening his grip on the Gekkaja. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..."
'Isn't that what she was going to use on me?' Ranma thought. Shrugging, he began stabbing at the ground in a spiral pattern, instantly freezing the ground each time they came into contact.
"...I pledge myself to conquer all the fools who stand,..." The wind was kicking up around Lina, a ball of energy forming in her hands.
Ranma looked up from his work. Gourry was still running and the others were taking refuge from the soon-to-come blast. "Hey brat!" he called out. "You want me? Well come get me!" Saffron's head snapped up to meet Ranma's gaze. He immediately changed targets and sped towards the pigtailed martial artist.
"...Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" Wind and energies swirled around the sorceress, picking up bits of the ground.
Saffron was right on top of Ranma as he pulled back his fist. He threw an uppercut, releasing the built-up power.
"DRAGON SLAVE!"
"HIRYU SHOTEN HA!"
A whirlwind of chi engulfed Saffron along with the power of the Demon Lord. Saffron smirked, shrugging the attack off as inferior. That is, until the energies began to mix. The two powers collided, fusing one moment and dissolving one another the next. Sensing the danger that was occurring, Ranma and Lina ran over to the other, grabbing Gourry along the way. There, Lina cast a Diem Wind to protect them. Inside the torrent of energy, Saffron didn't have such protection. The powers bit at everything within reach, including Saffron and the Dragon. The faucet began to crumble under the chaotic energies, slowly being reduced to rubble. Saffron, on the other hand, attempted to keep the energy away with a shield of fire. Instead, the feuding forces sucked it up and began to do the same to him. With no other alternative, Saffron's spirit abandoned it's body and exited the whirlwind as the body crumbled. An egg formed around it as a new body was created to begin anew. The raging energies soon canceled each other out, resulting in an explosion akin to a certain priestess's own Dragon Slave.
'Note to self: never make her angry,' Ranma thought, suddenly extremely wary of the red-haired girl next to him.
Watching from the top of a neighboring mountain was a tall figure. He pushed back a strand of black hair, gazing at the shrinking explosion.
'So, what HE said was true,' the figure contemplated, smirking slightly. 'How ironic that she, the one who saved Mother, is also the one HE needs. And the pigtailed one, there is something strange about him as well...'
The figure stood for one more moment, closed his emerald and ruby eyes, then vanished without a trace.
A scorched and bound Taro lay on the ground, eyes rolling in their sockets. Zelgadis and Amelia shared a smile, having finally beaten the creature. Their joy was short lived as the ground shook and rumbles echoed through the air. Both looked around for the source, coming to see the top of a mountain being demolished.
"Zelgadis-san, what was that?"
"I'm not sure, it looks too big to be one of Lina's Dragon Slaves," he sighed. "Whatever it is, those two probably got into trouble."
"Should we go help them?"
"We should, but..." he trailed off, gazing in the direction of the springs. She followed his gaze and nodded.
"Lina-san and Gourry-san can handle themselves. They can wait for a little while longer."
He nodded appreciatively, prompting the blood to rush to her cheeks. The pair cast a Levitation and began their return to Jusenkyo Springs.
As Lina ended her spell, water poured out from the remains of the Dragon and Phoenix. Ranma ran forward, removing Akane from his shirt. He placed her in the growing pool of cold water and watched in relief as her body reverted to normal. Ranma blushed and shut his eyes, her makeshift clothes falling off and leaving her nude. He removed his shirt and placed it over her, the rest of the group coming over.
"That was really close, ne?" Ranma began, expecting Akane to berate him for taking long and for seeing her naked again. But nothing came. He waited for her to whack him with her mallet, or send him flying. When still nothing happened, he opened his eyes and he felt his heart stop. Her eyes were still closed.
"Heh heh, good one 'kane. Tryin' to scare me," he joked weakly. "Now come on, get up." He shook her shoulders, her head lolling around. "Akane, it's not funny anymore, get up," he said a little fearfully. He shook her more roughly, trying to get a reaction. "Dammit Akane, get up!" He desperately grabbed her wrist, searching for a pulse. The group came up to him and his shoulders began shaking. "No, no," he whispered, voice trembling.
"Hey man, something wrong?" Ryoga asked, placing a hand on Ranma's shoulder, only to get it shrugged off. He peeked over Ranma, trying to get a look at Akane, and gasped. Her skin was pale, her eyes were closed, and it didn't look like she was breathing. Akane was...dead.
What a place to leave a cliffhanger, ne? Still, the next chapter will(hopefully) be just as good as this one. Especially because of what will happen when they get to Japan(wink, wink). And look, the Mysterious Stranger is back. If you were paying attention, there are a couple hints about him in his scene. Before I give any spoilers away, I ask you to please review. Seeing as it's past midnight, I think...I need...some...slee...zzz...