Disclaimer: I own neither Ranma 1/2 nor Slayers. Got it?
Hey everybody! It's been a while but I'm back. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you would like to know how the next few chapters will go, read my author's note at the bottom of the chapter. Just thought I'd forewarn you.
Anyway, thanks to my beta Naga Shark and please enjoy this latest installment of "Anything Goes Dragon Slave"!
"..." normal text
'...' thoughts
Spells/Attack Names
"My name is Pokota and Gioconda, a marquess of Ruvinagald, stole my prototype for the mage tanks for a war with Saillune."
For a few moments, nobody could speak. Akane, having been informed of Saillune's peaceful policy, dropped her mallet. She was shocked that anyone would wish harm on the pacifists and she wasn't the only one.
"A war on Saillune?" Amelia repeated with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"
Pokota rubbed the back of his head, touched back down to the ground, and replied, "Sure enough. There's been an increase in security around the border by Ruvinagald and why else would somebody steal a large magical weapon that hadn't been tested yet?"
"There's plenty of reasons-profit for one," Lina supplied. "So that means there is still a small chance you're wrong. With that said..." She suddenly leapt at Pokota, grabbing him by the ears. "...You can come with me and clear my name." At his confused glance towards her, Lina continued.
"You're the reason that mage tank was blown to bits and I'm the one that got blamed for it! So if I take you to that wackjob Wizer I'll be off the hook."
"Lina-san you can't!" Amelia explained. "If there really is going to be a war then Pokota-san can help us by telling us how to destroy the mage tanks!"
"And what makes you people think I'll help any of you?" Pokota interjected. "This is none of my business and I have better things to do."
"This was your business as soon as you said you were the creator of the mage tanks," Zelgadis countered, everybody else nodding in agreement. Pokota growled in response and struggled harder in Lina's grip.
"I don't care! All I care about is stopping Gioconda and helping my people!" he yelled. As soon as he realized what had been said, a stricken expression crossed over his face and he looked to the ground. The group blinked in surprise and looked at each other. None of them had been expecting a response like that.
"Well if that's the case, why don't we help you?" offered Amelia, bending down to the little animal's eye level. Slowly, he turned to meet her gaze. The sincere look she was giving him prompted a light blush to his cheeks and a quick turn of his head away.
"I don't want or need any help!"
"If that's the way you want it to be," Lina started, jerking Pokota up to face her, "Then I guess you get to clear my name whether you like it or not."
"Like hell I will, Queen No-Chest of the Boobless Kingdom!" he shouted. She slammed the green animal against the nearest tree, holding a Fireball dangerously close to his face.
"You wanna try saying that again? I don't think I heard you the first time," Lina said menacingly. All Pokota did was growl in response and double his efforts at freeing himself.
"Hold it Lina," Zelgadis interjected. "We have a common enemy at the moment. The best thing we can do is join forces for the time being."
"We don't need the help of some rabbit-thing," Ranma scoffed. "Two martial artists, a swordsman, a sorcerer and sorceress, and a priestess. We can take on anyone that gets in our way." 'Sounds like one of those video games Daisuke and Hiroshi talk about,' he added as a silent afterthought.
"Don't get cocky. There are plenty of things in this world that would kill you without a sparing glance," Zel warned.
By now, Pokota had had enough. He tugged once more against Lina's grip, finally wrenching one ear free. Quickly, before Lina could recapture him, he pulled at the zipper on his chest. To everyone's surprise a pocket opened up for him to reach in and grab a sword hilt.
"Light come forth!" he called, causing the eyes of Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia to widen and stare at the little animal. What caught Ranma and Akane's attention was the burst of white light that sprung out from the hilt, creating what looked like the blade of a sword. Pokota slashed through the Fireball with it, effectively dissipating the spell.
Lina dropped Pokota in shock but was quick to recover. Before he was able to get moving Lina had a foot pinning down the red cape tied around the small animal's neck.
"So you were holding back information," accused Lina. "How the hell did you find the Sword of Light?" Considering the last time she had seen said weapon was as it was hurtling through a portal to another universe, she was curious to say the least.
"I didn't find it-I made it," Pokota stated just as the light from the hilt was sucked back to where it had come from. Pokota scowled, "This thing is always shorting out. It's nowhere near as powerful as the original."
"Aha! You thought you could escape so easily, did you?" proclaimed a certain handcuff-wielding inspector, stepping into the clearing. "A criminal hiding in plain sight won't work on Special Inspector Wizer Flayion!" He, yet again, pulled out a pair of handcuffs, this time latching one end onto his own wrist.
"Lina Inverse," he continued, "you are under arrest for destruction of property and resisting arrest."
"I already told you," Lina grated, "I am not a criminal! Being Lina Inverse isn't a liable crime and I have the true culprit behind the destroyed mage tanks." She looked to where Pokota had been pinned down, only to see flattened grass.
"NANI? He was right here! Where the hell did he go?"
As Lina frantically searched for the little animal, pulling up grass and dragging Wizer along in her search, Ranma leaned over towards Zelgadis.
"Is she always like this?" he questioned the part-time chimera, eyes wary of Lina's actions.
"You get used to it," Zelgadis murmured back. "This isn't even her worst."
Ranma smiled weakly. 'Yep, definitely no boredom here.'
"THERE HE IS!" Lina shouted, pointing up in the sky. Sure enough, there he was, flying off into the distance. He apparently heard her yell, as he turned to face her. Even with the distance between them, Lina could see Pokota pull an eyelid down and stick his tongue out at her, managing only to infuriate her more.
"Levitation!" she commanded, fully intent on chasing after the small animal. Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten about the cuff on her wrist. The cord connecting Lina and Wizer was pulled to its limit. Wizer stood his ground, causing Lina to nearly pull her shoulder out of its socket.
"Don't think you can escape, Lina Inverse," Wizer warned as he began pulling the angry sorceress back to earth. Lina resisted, tugging back and going so far as gnawing on the cord like a starved animal. Seeing no success from her attempt at freedom, Lina turned to her swordsman partner.
"Oi, Gourry! Get over here and help me!" Lina commanded.
"Right!" he answered, unsheathing his sword.
"Get ready to run," Zelgadis cautioned with Amelia nodding in agreement. Even as he said that, Gourry sliced the cord with ease, setting Lina free and flying full speed at Pokota. He, Amelia, Akane, and Ranma took off after her, leaving Zelgadis to face the inspector.
"This isn't the end. I will bring Lina Inverse to justice," said Wizer.
Zelgadis didn't offer a response. Instead, he held a palm out, gathering the magic he needed. 'This should at least buy us some more time.'
"Dark Mist." Zelgadis released the magic in the form of a dense fog, rapidly engulfing the area and quenching all light in its path. He retreated his hand and, with a quick Levitation, silently navigated his way out of the fog. After that, it wasn't long before he caught up with his comrades.
Though it had taken quite a while, the five eventually managed to get Lina to come back down. This was, of course, after two hours of keeping up with her, losing track of Pokota, and the bribery of food.
Now the group of six was settled around a campfire as the sun began to touch the horizon. They were lucky enough to find a fairly open area by a river, perfect for camping out and catching fish for their meal, provided handily by Lina's own Fishing spell.
"We can't go around like this," Zelgadis said suddenly as the captured fish cooked.
"What do you mean?" Akane asked.
"That inspector-he knows where Lina is, he's seen our faces, and we have a princess of Saillune with us," he elaborated. "Unless we disguise ourselves somehow, it'll only be a matter of time before we're caught." The group fell into silence, all but Gourry, who was busy staring at the food, pondering what to do about the current situation.
"Mou, I've had enough for one day," Lina complained. "I say we relax for now and figure something out in the morning."
"And if we get found before we have the chance for that? What then?" he countered.
"We wing it," she said airily, "And if you don't like that plan, I'm sure I can dig up some make-up and a dress for you."
Zelgadis went pale, memories flashing back to the "all female" village they had passed through previously. Amelia on the other hand seemed to grow a couple of pink spots on her cheeks.
"Wow Zelgadis, never figured you to be a crossdresser," Ranma commented, a sly grin on his face. Akane tried desperately not to burst into laughter, hiding her quivering lips behind her hand.
"You're in no position to talk Ranma," Akane rebutted. "You turn into a girl with a splash of cold water and you've tricked Ryoga into thinking you were his younger sister." Lina folded over laughing and Amelia and Zelgadis looked at each with questioning looks.
"And his fiancee," Ranma added.
"That's even worse."
"It's not my fault-he's the one who fell for it both times."
"Exactly how did you make him think you were his sister and fiancee?" Zelgadis inquired.
"It was surprisingly easy," Ranma snickered, remembering both instances. "When I was his 'fiancee' all I had to do was let my hair down, and wear a dress. As his 'sister', I put my hair in two pigtails, wore a fake fang, and wore a headband like his bandannas."
"That's really all it took?" Lina asked, finally calming down.
"Well, Ryoga's sense of direction, his whole family's in fact, is so bad that it took him years to find his way back to his own house," Ranma explained. "To him, it probably made sense that he could have a little sister without seeing her before."
"And what about the fiancee bit?" Zel questioned. Ranma seemed to ponder it for a few moments.
"That's because he's just an idiot." Akane whacked his arm, trying to keep a straight face.
"If he's an idiot, you're no smarter than he is, Mr. C-minus." Before Ranma could reply, Zelgadis cleared his throat.
"In any case, it would be in everyone's best interests if we come up with a plan before we get caught."
"You brainstorm all you want," Lina said, "I'm going to have my dinner now." With that out of the way, Lina turned back to her roasting fish, only to find all of the food gone.
"What the hell?" Lina shouted. Her gaze immediately focused on Gourry, seeing as he had been quiet the entire time. Sure enough, charred sticks covered in fishy remains lay at his feet, the last fish in his hand.
"What?" he asked, noticing everyone's eyes on him.
"You jellyfish! That wasn't just your dinner!"
"Well, you guys were busy talking. Any longer and the fish would be toast, so I didn't let them go to waste," he said, about to eat the last one. Lina quickly swiped it out of his hand.
"Oh no you don't! This one's mine!" she yelled, taking an indignant bite out of the fish.
"What about the rest of us?" Ranma demanded. Amelia sighed and shook her head at her friends's antics. Zelgadis scowled and, seeing there would be no getting through to Lina now, retreated into the tent for the guys to think before he could get caught in any arguments. Akane however had something she had wanted to know for a while now.
"Lina-san, how did all of you end up traveling together?" she inquired. Though no one could see him, Zelgadis stiffed at the memories of the circumstances of their meeting. Lina merely finished her fish and tossed the stick somewhere in the dark behind her.
"We weren't always traveling together," Lina started. "At first it was just me and Gourry. We met about three years ago, right after I had raided a group of bandits called the Dragon Fangs. They tried to steal their treasure back when Gourry came along and shredded all their clothes, thinking I was some damsel in distress. Then he thought I was a lost kid looking for my parents and decided to stay with me until I found them."
"Really Lina-san?" Amelia asked. Much to her surprise, the princess couldn't remember ever being told how they met. To her, it felt like they had always been together.
"Yeah Lina, really?" Gourry added. Lina locked his head in her arm and ground a knuckle into it.
"Yes you idiot! You were there!" Lina released him, letting him nurse his injured head. "It was also because of that raid that we came across Zel." She paused, thinking. Their first meeting with Zelgadis hadn't been a pleasant one. Neither was the second. Of course, telling them how they met would lead into why they met, the origins of Zel's chimera body and the touchy subject of Rezo. All Akane and Ranma had been told was that his chimera status had been the fault of an extremely powerful priest. Lina didn't know if Amelia knew or not, but she certainly hadn't told her.
"Well?" Akane prompted. She and Ranma looked at her somewhat eagerly while Amelia gazed at the tent Zelgadis had disappeared into with eyes full of curiosity.
'Looks like she doesn't know,' Lina mentally confirmed, feeling almost guilty for not telling her beforehand. "I...if you want to know, ask Zelgadis. Telling you now would be going too far into his past and it isn't my information to hand out. Its a difficult subject for him-he'll tell you when he's ready," she stated, mostly to Amelia. She got up and stretched, heading to the girls's tent for the night, trying to think of more upbeat thoughts than Rezo-like getting back at Gourry for eating all her fish.
Ranma shrugged off the change in attitude and turned to Amelia, who decided to question her part-time chimera friend later and began to recount how she first met Gourry and Lina. Said swordsman was the next to retire, the only one to go to sleep on a full stomach. Once Amelia finished her tale, she too left the campfire, leaving Akane and Ranma to think about the whirlwind events of the day and how they would manage to survive living there for the next year.
Gourry snored lightly, a grin on his face as he dreamt. Fish swam around him from all directions, even though he seemed to be in the middle of a field. Suddenly his world was doused in water. He gasped for breath as he found himself waking up. He was cold, dripping wet, and found Lina standing over him-now her-with an empty canteen.
"What was that for?" Gourry-chan asked.
"One-vengeance for my poor stomach. Two-everyone else is already up," Lina counted off, a devilish grin coming over her face. "And three-you still need a disguise." Gourry-chan gaped at her like the fish from her dream.
"A disguise? What for? And why do I have to be a girl for it?" Lina shook her head, holding it in one hand.
"If you were listening last night, then you would know we all need disguises to lower the chances of being discovered and captured. You being female would lower those chances even more...and its part two of my vengeance," she explained, added the last part under her breath.
Gourry-chan began tugging at her clothes which were clinging to her skin, thanks to Lina. She gripped the hem of her shirt but got a bundle of cloth thrown at her face.
"Looks like we'll have to teach you the concept of feminine modesty," Lina commented. "Dry yourself off; you look like a drowned rat. Then change into that and come out so we can do your hair." She left the tent before Gourry-chan could add any form of protest. Sighing, she shook out the bundle and started removing clothes.
A few minutes later, Gourry-chan poked her head past the tent flap.
"Lina, do I really have to wear this?" she asked nervously.
"Yes, yes you do. Now get out here," Lina ordered, unable to stop smiling. Cheeks red, Gourry-chan stepped out from behind the flap, tugging at the bottom of a simple yellow sundress. As soon as she stepped out, Lina burst out laughing while everyone else just stared, wide-eyed. What Gourry-chan first noticed was that everybody looked different.
Zelgadis wasn't much different-he now wore dark blue slacks and a white hooded sweatshirt, though his skin looked darker than it had before. Looking at Ranma, Gourry-chan was glad that she wasn't the only one having to pose as a girl. Ranma-chan had her hair down in waves but hadn't been forced into a dress. Instead she wore black slacks and a purple Chinese shirt with a black belt at her waist.
Amelia had a thin ribbon in her hair and was in a calf-length blue dress with straps tied around her neck that was ruffled from the waist down. Lina, who was still holding her sides, had on a frilly, pale pink dress without sleeves, had her hair in dual braids, and had on a large hat with a bow.
Akane had perhaps the greatest change. She was wearing what looked like something of Ranma's-matching green pants and long-sleeved shirt along with a green hat decorated with a single red star. She looked as if her chest was completely flat, giving her the appearance of a teenage boy.
"Lina, I don't want to wear this. It's way too tight," Gourry-chan complained, pulling the cloth around her chest. Ranma-chan and Zelgadis swiftly turned away, fighting the blood from their cheeks.
Lina calmed herself down, clearing her throat of a few chuckles. "Tough for you. You'll be fine, so get over here." Gourry-chan pouted, but complied to Lina's command. Said sorceress made quick work of her hair, making it into one long braid and tied off at the end with a bright blue bow.
"Do you really think this will be enough to fool them?" Amelia asked.
"If that inspector is anything like Ryoga, we'll be fine," Ranma-chan assured her.
"Ne, Zelgadis, how'd you get your skin darker?" Gourry-chan wondered. Zel wiped a finger across his cheek, showing pale skin beneath. Amelia frowned and began reapplying his cover.
"I used some make-up to make it look like Zelgadis-san has a tan," Amelia explained. Gourry-chan nodded her head absently and turned to Akane.
"Wow Akane, your disguise is great! You actually look like you're a guy!" she said innocently. Unfortunately, Akane didn't take it as a complement. Gourry-chan found herself airborne, courtesy of both Akane's hammer and Lina's fist. Ranma-chan shook her head, glad for once it wasn't her on the receiving end of the hammer.
"Jellyfish," Lina growled, cracking the knuckles of the hand she used to hit him. Zelgadis sighed and started to walk in the direction Gourry-chan had been launched.
"Come on you guys, we better go find him." Amelia smiled weakly and followed after him. Lina snorted in disdain, but followed nonetheless.
"Maybe I shouldn't have chosen to bind my chest," Akane muttered as she put her mallet away. "Thanks for the clothes anyway Ranma."
"No problem." He scratched his cheek and looked away, mumbling "Don't let what Gourry said get to you...You look fine." The duo blushed simultaneously and quietly followed the rest of the group, carefully avoiding the other's gaze. This next year would be interesting indeed.
Okay, so to any of you who actually read the messages I put down here, thanks for one. Second, lately I've been feeling like this story is going a bit too fast for the Slayers, Ranma, and Akane. So, in true Slayers fashion, I decided that the next three chapters will be...(drum roll please)...FILLER!(dun dun dun!) And not just any filler at that! Because it's almost my birthday and the one-year anniversary for this story of mine, next chapter will be extra special. Regarding what it will actually be about, in the words of a certain priest, that is a secret! You'll see in a couple weeks so keep an eye open for it.
Till next time, ja ne!