Disclaimer: Okay everybody, say it with me-"I don't own "Slayers" or "Ranma 1/2"!"
Hey everybody, first off I have to apologize. I'm really sorry this didn't get posted sooner, but between dealing with moving, school starting back up, and now migraines, it got really hard to work on this. Luckily, with this post comes two more(Cue cheering crowd)! Just go to my account to check them out.
As always, thanks go out to my beta Naga Shark for helping me out again!
And now, for part three of the Trilogy of Fillers! Please enjoy this latest installment of "Anything Goes Dragon Slave"!
"..." normal speech
'...' thoughts
Attacks/Spell names
Having fled Gongoro, the group spent the rest of the day traveling between trees. The next morning, the group wisely(though not entirely happily to some) decided to again don their disguises should they be discovered or come across another town. In the meantime, they found a forest trail and were attempting to find their bearings.
"Ugh..."
"Oh Lina-san, please get up," Amelia pleaded. Said sorceress only moaned again, laying sprawled out in the dirt.
"Ugh..."
"You too Gourry," Ranma-chan added. "You guys looks ridiculous."
"You're one to talk, considering some of the things you've done," Akane retorted.
"Ugh..." Lina and Gourry-chan chorused together. A loud rumble sounded.
"If you're so hungry, find food yourselves," Zelgadis grumbled, not even looking up from his map. "Last I checked, you were quite capable of doing at least that."
"Ugh..." they groaned again.
"You're being silly. What do you think is going to happen, food will fall from the sky?" Akane harassed.
"Ugh-ow!" Lina yelped. She bolted up, cradling the newly-formed bump on her head. "What just hit me?" Nobody said anything, only stared at something on the ground. "Well?"
"Wow. What next, flying pigs?" Ranma-chan remarked, pointing a finger at the cause of Lina's pain. Sitting on the ground in front of the sorceress was a bright, shiny apple.
"Food!" Lina reached out to grab it and her hand collided with Gourry-chan's. The two glared at each other, each willing the other to back away from the food. When that didn't work, the duo was reduced to wrestling around on the ground for it.
Meanwhile, Zelgadis was much more wary of it, with good reason to be.
'There are no apple trees anywhere in the area,' he observed. 'So where did it come from?' He swept his gaze across the surroundings again, this time finding something that hadn't been there previously. Cautiously, he approached the oddity, 10 meters away and closing. Akane looked up from her friends' antics and noticed the part-time chimera.
"What is it Zelgadis-san?" she asked. Everyone looked in his direction, including Gourry-chan, giving Lina the oppertunity she needed to swipe her food.
"Hey!" Gourry-chan yelled indignantly. Unfortunately for her, Lina had now directed her sights to Zelgadis and his quarry.
"More food!" she declared, running on all fours at the innocent-looking piece of fruit in the middle of the path.
"Leave some for me!" Gourry-chan shouted, sprinting after her. Zelgadis clenched his fists, restraining himself from knocking the both of them into the ground.
"Relax Gourry, there's even more up ahead," Ranma-chan pointed out. Lina and Gourry-chan froze, almost in midair, over the second piece of food. Sure enough, there was a trail of various foods leading further into the forest. Just before the two could make a race out of getting them all, Zelgadis angrily asked the obvious.
"Don't you realize this is obviously a trap?" Lina put a hand to her chin, as if she were really pondering the matter.
"Who cares? It's lunchtime!" That said, she and Gourry-chan, now joined by a shrugging Ranma-chan, ran down the forest path, grabbing as many food items as they could.
"That's Lina-san for you!" Amelia said cheerfully. Akane rolled her eyes, but relented and began running after them. Amelia started after her, but paused, waiting for Zelgadis to come along. He cursed under his breath, knowing this was a bad idea. He followed anyway, if only to say "I told you so" once things turned sour.
The trail of food continued even after the trees surrounding them split apart, encircling a large, pristine lake. The path went from soil to sand, finally ending in a pile of food at the end of a dock in the lake.
Lina and Gourry-chan munched happily on their findings. Ranma-chan, using Kachu Tenshin Amagurikan, stole some from the pile. Seeing as Lina and her partner did not intend to share, Ranma-chan tossed a couple pieces to Amelia and Akane each. She offered one to Zelgadis, but he remained stoic and quietly declined.
Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed to change. Everyone stopped where they were. Zelgadis placed a hand on his hilt, eyes narrowed. A gasp from Amelia stole his attention for just a moment.
"Look!" She pointed into the water. The formerly bright water had turned dark and seemed to be moving, even though there was no wind. It appeared as though something, or many somethings, were moving beneath the surface that they could not see.
A loud cracking shattered the silence, followed by the sound of splintering wood. Before they knew it, the dock beneath their feet was beginning to sink into the lake, whose waters were moving faster and faster now.
"We need to get away!" Zelgadis commanded, beginning to run back to the shore. Amelia followed immediately after. Gourry-chan was also quick to move, though she made sure to grab some food. Ranma-chan hesitated, wishing to make sure everyone got to safety before moving.
Another crack sounded, followed by the screams of Lina, who had been gathering what she could of the food, and Akane, who had been standing next to her. The section of the dock they had stood on had split apart from the rest and was sinking even faster. The two girls fell into the water, now resembling a whirlpool, and neither could get out. Akane still had not learned to swim and Lina-now with cat ears and tail-could still only perform low-level magic, none of which would help.
At their cries, the rest of the group immediately halted and spun around as the two fell out of view.
"Akane!" "Lina!" Ranma-chan and Gourry-chan yelled respectively. They made for the new end of the dock but before they could dive into the water to help, the entire platform this time went under, taking all four young adults with it.
Ranma-chan and Gourry-chan swam against the currents to their partners. Akane held onto Ranma-chan for dear life, whereas Neko-Lina sank her claw-like nails into Gourry-chan's head to try to lift herself out of the water. Gourry-chan began flailing around wildly, getting pulled along in the fast current.
Zelgadis rolled his eyes. 'To create a Raywing big enough for us all, I'll need Amelia's help.'
"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia cried out. Zelgadis turned around to see Gourry-chan grab ahold of the princess in trying to stay afloat, instead pulling her under too.
'Of course,' Zelgadis thought wryly. He moved with the flow of the water, maneuvering over to the trio of sputtering girls.
By now, all six were nearing the eye of the whirlpool. The force was at its greatest, pulling them closer to the center.
"Ah!" Akane cried. "Something's got my leg!"
"Something grabbed me too!" Amelia yelled. Zelgadis grasped her hand, struggling to keep her above the surface of the water.
It tugged as Akane fought to keep her grip on Ranma-chan. More things grabbed her legs and ripped her from Ranma-chan, forcing Akane underwater. Panicked, she fought the instinct to inhale. The hat floated away and the wrappings around her chest came undone, unraveling her disguise. The lack of oxygen was finally getting to her. The last thing Akane saw before blacking out was a shadow wrapping itself around her.
When Akane finally came to, the first thing she noticed was an unusual weight on her body and the smell of fish in the air.
'How did I get in a bed?' she wondered as she sat up. She pushed the covers away and took a look around the room she was in.
The room itself was rather plain in terms of decor. There was the bed Akane was in, a small table and some chairs. There was one door and small windows several feet from the floor. The walls of the room itself was made of a sort of rock, pale and rough to the touch. In the room with her was Amelia, looking worried and squeezing her hands, Gourry-chan, wringing the water out of her wet hair, and Ranma-chan doing handstand push-ups in one corner.
Akane moaned and put a hand to her head, trying to recall what happened. The others looked up, just now noticing she was awake.
"Akane! Are you alright?" Ranma-chan asked, flipping back onto her feet.
"What happened? Where are we?"
"We got sucked down a whirlpool thanks to Lina and Gourry," Ranma-chan recounted. "I'm guessing we're under the lake right now." It was coming back to her now, only something seemed to be missing.
"Hold on, where is Lina-san and Zelgadis-san?" Akane asked. The other three looked around uneasily, willing someone else to explain.
"They were taken away, along with Gourry and Zelgadis's swords," Ranma-chan said, "By the, uh, "people" who put us in this room."
"What?" Akane exclaimed. "Who did all this and why?" The door creaked open and everyone turned to look at the intruder. Akane immediately adopted a horrified look on her face.
"I believe I can explain," said the entrant.
"What are you?" Akane burst out. The entrant looked like a giant green fish with human arms and legs.
"I, madam, am a fishman. My name is Narrid," he stated, "You are in an underwater city of my kind."
"Hold it right there," Ranma-chan interrupted. "If this is an underwater city, how are we still able to breath?"
"I said under water, not in water," he said, exasperated. "This entire civilization is in a cavern underneath the lake through which you came. Now, as to why-"
"Where are our friends?" Akane demanded as she stood up defiantly. The fishman narrowed his eyes.
"They are currently being held in another area, as they are not needed."
"What do you mean by that?" Gourry-chan asked.
"The man we were not intending to capture. In fact, none of you were. The redhead was our original target. However," he continued ominously, "now that we know what she really is, she must be restrained while she is here."
"What do you mean "what she really is"?" Amelia inquired.
"My people have many enemies and that girl bears the features of the dreaded felines." Narrid exhaled sharply, as if trying to extinguish a horrible thought. The fishman then brightened as he gestured to the four girls. "Luckily, you four are more than able to serve as a replacement." Akane bristled in response.
"Replacement? First you say we weren't even supposed to get caught and now you're treating us like some filler?" she exclaimed. "Give us back our friends and let us out of here!" Narrid grinned-as well as a fish could grin-and leered at Akane.
"Quite the temper you have-feisty and very willful," he observed. "You shall make an excellent sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?" the four cried. Ranma-chan stood in front of Akane protectively.
"What do you mean by sacrifice fish-face?" Ranma-chan challenged in an icy tone.
"Exactly that. She shall be offered to our god Suyama, as has been our tradition for thirty years. It is because of our sacrifices that our city remains separate from the body of water above us."
"You treacherous villian! Using such underhanded methods to capture innocent people for so long is pure evil!" Amelia announced, pointing a finger at him with fire in her eyes. "We shall teach you the error of your ways with peace, love, and justice!" Everybody just stood there, staring at the young princess.
"What if we decided to break out of here?" Ranma-chan questioned, causing Amelia to hang her head in disappointment.
"I'm afraid that is not possible," Narrid said. "You are unfamiliar with the terrain and we are, you do not know the only way back to the surface, and you cannot fight forever." The four girls tensed as the odds were stacked against them, the atmosphere thickening by the second.
"There is one way you may all go free," he added, "though none before have been able to win."
"Oh yeah? Then we'll be the first to win it," Ranma-chan boasted.
"Confident, aren't you," Narrid commented snidely. "Very well then. It shall be one-on-one: one of you against our champion in a timed match. No magic, no weapons, just pure ability."
"That's it?" Gourry-chan asked dubiously. "That doesn't sound so hard." Narrid gave the group a fishy smile.
"Oh no? What if the battle took place in water? Not to mention you may not resurface for air until the match is over. If you were to resurface before time were up or knocked unconscious, it will be considered forfeit."
"That's completely unreasonable!" Akane objected.
"I'll do it," Ranma-chan said, ignoring the incredulous looks from the other three.
"Excellent," the fishman said.
"But only if you release Zelgadis and Lina, let us all go free, and you put a stop to the sacrifices." Narrid scowled a moment, then sneered.
"Fine, but if you lose, you all get to stay here...as future brides." Akane slapped her forehead while Amelia blushed and Gourry went pale as their jaws fell open.
'Of course. Even in another country this happens!' Akane mentally groaned.
"...Deal," Ranma-chan agreed. She and the fishman shook hands and Narrid gave them a pleasant smile.
"Alright then. I shall ensure preparations are made for your match, which will take place tomorrow morning. If there is anything you require before then, speak with the guard outside the door." That said, he exited the room. As soon as he was out of sight, Ranma-chan quickly wiped her hand on her pants.
"Yuck, talk about slimy."
"You idiot! Do you have any idea what you just did!" Akane yelled. Ranma-chan winced and turned to face her.
"I know perfectly well what I did-I just saved your butt again!" Akane smashed her fist into Ranma-chan's head.
"If you win! What if you lose? Then you and Amelia-san and Gourry-san will get married off to fish! Guy fish!"
"But I'm not a girl!" Gourry-chan protested.
"You're one right now," Ranma-chan deadpanned. "I won't lose, you'll see." Akane groaned in frustration.
"I blame you for this, nya."
"Me? You were the one who followed the trail of food that was obviously a trap."
"Nya~, if you knew it was a trap you should have said something." Zelgadis felt his eye twitch.
"I did."
"...really? I don't remember." Neko-Lina's ear suddenly twitched. "Sounds like we've got some company." As predicted, the single door to the room opened up, revealing Narrid. Neither bothered moving, as they were currently behind bars and handcuffed.
"What are you here for?" Zelgadis asked, rather bored.
"More importantly, nya~, think you can take these cuffs off? My ears itch and they're killing me," Neko-Lina said as she tried to reach for her ears.
"I'm afraid not, especially after you tried escaping by distracting us with magic." Neko-Lina shrugged casually while her tail flicked back and forth.
"Nya, it was worth a shot." It wasn't her fault they couldn't tell the difference between a Light spell and a Fireball.
"What do you want?" Zelgadis tried again.
"I have good news for you," Narrid replied. "Your pigtailed friend has agreed to a battle for your freedom. If she wins, you may all go free."
"What's the catch?"
"If she loses, the blue-haired girl becomes a sacrifice for our god and the other three girls will be made potential brides."
"What?" the duo exclaimed. Zelgadis pushed himself up against the iron bars, looking ready to take someone's head off.
"Why in the world would that idiot agree to a deal like that? And the others let him!" Zelgadis ranted angrily. "What the hell made them think this would be a good idea?"
"Nya~, hold up," Neko-Lina shushed. Addressing their captor, she asked "You mean that there's the possibility that Gourry, our idiot blond friend that is, will get married to a fish? A guy fish?" Narrid nodded, sending Neko-Lina rolling around on the floor in a fit of laughter. Zelgadis stared at her blankly then turned back to the fishman.
"Why even tell us this?" he demanded.
"No reason, really" Narrid replied lightly. "I simply thought you might wish to know your companion's decision is all." Zelgadis ground his teeth together.
"You can't keep us here forever."
"Well, seeing as you are the ones behind bars and not me, it seems I can," he retorted with a fishy smile. The fish didn't bother to spare another glance at the enraged man before exiting the room. Zelgadis immediately began pacing back and forth in their cell, trying to figure an escape plan while Neko-Lina gradually calmed down. After a while, bored with thinking up plans, Neko-Lina took to scratching pictures in the wall with her claws.
"My, my, who'd have imagined finding you two in here?" a voice questioned cheerfully all of a sudden. Zelgadis and Neko-Lina started at the sound, as the voice was very familiar.
"What are you doing here Xellos?" Zelgadis growled. Said Mazoku was standing just outside of the iron bars, a cheerful grin on his face. "How did you know we were here?"
"Why, Zelgadis-san, you should know the answer to that by now," he replied playfully. "That is a secret!" If he could, Zelgadis would have chosen that moment to try and strangle him. He couldn't, so instead had to settle with glaring daggers at him.
"Never mind that, nya~. You can bust us out of here!" Neko-Lina interjected.
Xellos seemed to ponder the motion, tapping his finger to his cheek. Still smiling, he said "I suppose I could...but I won't." Neko-Lina's ears flattened and she bared her fangs.
"Nya? Why the hell not?"
"Because this way is much more fun!" Ignoring the glares directed at him, Xellos fished around in his cloak. "Perhaps some assistance is required. How about this?" He retracted his hand, producing a ball of yarn. For once, Zelgadis was absolutely flabbergasted.
"How is that supposed to help?" he asked, completely lost. Rather than responding, Xellos tossed the ball between the bars of their prison. Neko-Lina's ears pricked forward and she lunged at the yarn. Even handcuffed, she still managed to bat the ball, bouncing around it with her tail twitching happily.
"How the hell is that helping?" Zelgadis asked incredulously.
"We wouldn't want Lina-san bored, would we?" Xellos responded cheerfully. "Of course, if you would rather deal with her complaining all night long, I suppose I could just take that back..." Zelgadis glared sharply at the Mazoku.
"When we get out of here, you better hope you aren't anywhere near me," Zelgadis threatened. Xellos chuckled lightly.
"Ara, I'm so scared," he teased as he teleported away. Zelgadis cursed under his breath, glanced at his purring cellmate, and settled back down against the wall.
'Getting myself worked up won't do any good right now. As much as I hate this situation, all I can do now is conserve my strength and hope Ranma doesn't lose tomorrow.'
"I can't believe you lost!"
Akane Tendo had her fellow martial artist by the collar, shaking furiously and yelling at the top of her lungs. "All those fights against Happosai and Mousse and everyone else and you go and lose to a fish!" she continued shouting.
"I'm surprised Ranma hasn't woken up yet," Gourry-chan commented to Amelia on the side. The princess nodded solemnly, watching Ranma-chan's head flop back and forth as Akane shook her.
"Oh, now what are we going to do?" Amelia bemoaned, dreading the thoughts of a sacrificial Akane and being forced to marry a fishman. Akane released her grip, her fiancee landing in an ungraceful heap on the floor.
"We're gonna bust out of her!" she declared. "With or without Ranma's help!"
"I don't think we're going to get any help from him," Gourry-chan said. Akane rolled her eyes at her and paused. She looked between the two Jusenkyo victims and an evil grin sprouted.
"Hey Amelia," Akane beckoned. She cupped a hand over Amelia's ear and whispered her plan. Amelia looked uncomfortable at first, but resolve soon shone in her eyes. All the while Gourry-chan observed, mildly confused.
"Alright, for justice," Amelia said. The evil grin returned to Akane's face as Gourry-chan found herself cornered by the other two girls.
"Heheh, you know, you look a lot like Lina does when she's about to attack bandits," Gourry-chan laughed nervously.
"I'm sorry Gourry-san," Amelia said tearfully as she grabbed her friend's wrist, spun around and locked Gourry-chan into place.
"What are you going to do to me?"
"Calm down Gourry-san, just hear us out," Akane said placidly. She set her hands on the taller girl's shoulders, trying to look her in the eye. "We won't do anything to you."
Gourry-chan stopped struggling. "You won't?" Akane shook her head.
"Nope. There's just one thing I want you to do."
"What?" Gourry-chan questioned warily.
"We're getting out of here, and if Zelgadis-san or Lina-san ask how we did it, all I want you to say is it was Ranma's idea. That's all."
"But he's-well, she's-unconscious. And isn't this your idea?"
"I know, just trust me on this, okay?" Akane thought to herself 'Besides, I doubt you'll want to tell the others about this.'
"I guess," Gourry-chan replied. She shifted uncomfortably. "Amelia? Could you let me go now?"
"Oh!" Amelia quickly pulled away. "I'm so sorry Gourry-san!"
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine," Gourry-chan assured, stretching her arms out. She laughed, "Ya know, for a second there I thought you guys were going to make me do something humiliating."
"No, of course not," Akane said, shaking her head. "Although, there is one teensy, little thing I forgot to mention."
"What is it?" Akane gestured with her finger downwards and Gourry-chan bent down so they were eye to eye. Akane turned and again whispered her plan. Almost immediately Gourry-chan tried to get away, pale as a ghost, were it not for Akane's grip on the back of her dress.
"There's no way I'm doing something like that!"
"Just hear me out Gourry-san!"
"No, no, no! Let me go! I won't do it!"
"Would you calm down Gourry!" Akane yelled, whacking Gourry-chan upside her head. Gourry-chan grabbed her head and turned around, whimpering.
"Ranma's done this sort of thing all the time, okay? You should be able to do this with no problem then."
"Well why do I have to do it? Why can't you or Amelia do it?"
"Because I'm going to deal with Ranma," Akane reasoned as she pulled Amelia over, "And what do you think would happen if Zelgadis found out we made Amelia do it?" Gourry-chan paled and hung her head in defeat.
"I'm sorry, Gourry-san," Amelia apologized again, patting her friend on the back. "I'm sure it won't be too bad."
"Excuse me! Guard-san!" a cutesy voice called out, accompanied by a knocking at the door. The man, er, fish on duty turned and opened the door to reveal the tall blonde, her eyes wide and hands clasped together.
"Do you require something?" the guard asked.
"Could you do one teensy widdle favor for us Guard-san?" Gourry-chan asked. "Would you take us to our friends?"
"Why should I?" Gourry-chan pouted and her eyes watered.
"We want to all be together one last time before Akane here gets sacrificed. Pwease Guard-san?" The guard's resolve crumbled and he smiled bashfully.
"O-Of course, ladies. Right this way." Gourry-chan gave him a wide smile and jumped up and down.
"Oh, thank you so much Guard-san!" she cheered. Amelia and Akane, who was carrying Ranma-chan on her back, behind nodded appreciatively as well. The guard rubbed his dorsal fin and blushed as he led the way to their companions. They arrived quickly and the guard glanced down the hallway.
"Okay, you can only have five minutes, then I'll have to take you back." The girls nodded and entered. With the door closed behind them, Gourry-chan shivered and adopted a disgusted look on her face.
"I can't believe I just did that," she moaned. Amelia comforted her while Akane got in front of the cell.
"How did you guys get in here?" Zelgadis asked as he stood, "And why in Ranma asleep?"
"You don't want to know how," Akane answered, "And she's asleep because she lost the fight." She set Ranma-chan down on the floor and looked at Neko-Lina, who was cuddling her ball of yarn. "That's perfect. Zelgadis, give me her yarn." He raised an eyebrow at her. Shrugging, he reached for the ball. Neko-Lina hissed and swiped at his hand. Unperturbed, he whacked her head and grabbed the yarn, tossing it between the bars to Akane. She tucked it away and knelt down by Ranma-chan's head.
"Wake up Ranma!" she shouted, getting no response. Akane tried punching her, only for Ranma-chan to roll away. She scowled and paused to think. "There's another girl here to marry you!" Still no reaction. She frowned and shouted "If you don't get up right now I'm never going to cook for you again Ranma Saotome!" Ranma-chan jolted awake, sending some snickers across the room.
"Do you mean it?" Ranma-chan asked. Rather than answer, Akane grabbed the back of her shirt and one of her arms. Amelia rushed over and clasped Ranma-chan's other arm.
"Oi, what're ya doing?" Ranma-chan demanded.
"Lina, we need you're help!" Akane called out. Ranma-chan's eyes grew wide with fear as she stared at Neko-Lina. She started struggling, trying to push away from the cell.
"What do you need me to do?" Neko-Lina asked.
"Get over here and start rubbing Ranma's face with you're tail!" Everyone froze and stared at Akane like she was crazy. "Do you want to get out of here or not?" Akane and Amelia pushed Ranma-chan up against the bars. Neko-Lina and Zelgadis looked at the protesting martial artist and it clicked. The feline sorceress turned about-face and swept her tail over Ranma-chan's face, making her freeze with a horrified expression. After a couple more times, nothing seemed to be happening.
"Nya~, now what are we supposed to do?" Neko-Lina asked. A meow came as her answer. Akane and Amelia released Ranma-chan.
"Kitty, here kitty!" Akane called, pulling out the ball of yarn. Ranma-chan turned to face her, revealing her now-feline pupils and catlike stance. She perked up as she spotted the ball.
"Catch!" Akane tossed the ball back into the cell, sending both Neko-Lina and Ranma-chan after it. Unfortunately, Ranma-chan was stopped by the bars. She hissed and swiped her hands at the iron bars. The bars fell away, creating a hole for Ranma-chan to jump through and fight Neko-Lina over the yarn. Before he could get pulled into the cat fight, Zelgadis quickly stepped out of the cell.
"Finally," he said, stretching his arms as much as he could within the restraints of the cuffs. "Now how are we getting our stuff back and getting out of this place?" As if on cue, the guard outside stormed inside.
"What is going on in here?" he demanded. Ranma-chan and Neko-Lina paused and stared at him. They found a new toy. The guard's face turned ashen and he ran away screaming with the feline duo on his tail.
"We follow them," Akane replied. Stopping only to retrieve the ball of yarn, the four ran after the three. They soon found the guard fish backed into a corner, flanked by Ranma-chan and Neko-Lina.
"Come here kitties!" Akane beckoned. The duo perked up at her voice and bounded over, Zelgadis replacing them in keeping the guard in place.
"Lina, why are you still acting like that?" Gourry-chan asked. Neko-Lina stopped, blushed, and stood up straight.
"S-Shut up! I was just getting a bit carried away, that's all!" Meanwhile, Zelgadis was interrogating the guard.
"Where are our belongings?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because if you don't, we won't stop Ranma next time he wants to play," Zel threatened. The guard glanced over his shoulder at the purring Ranma-chan and began sweating bullets.
"Okay! I'll talk! Everything is down that way, two doors down the left!" he confessed, pointing the way. Zelgadis glanced at Amelia and Gourry-chan and nodded. They nodded back and left in that direction. He looked back at the guard and motioned Neko-Lina over.
"Good. Now, how do we get back to the surface?" Neko-Lina grinned at the guard, baring her fangs. That was enough to break him.
"There's a tunnel on the west side of the city," he whimpered, shrinking back from Neko-Lina. "But there's no way you'll make it without getting spotted."
"We'll see about that," Zelgadis said. At that moment Gourry-chan and Amelia returned, their arms full of the group's belongings. Gourry-chan unsheathed her sword and sliced through the cuffs holding Zelgadis and Neko-Lina.
"Ah, finally," Neko-Lina purred, scratching her ear. They each grabbed their things, except for Ranma-chan who was still in the Nekoken state, so Gourry-chan was elected to carry it.
"Alright, let's get going," Zelgadis instructed. However, Ranma-chan's interest in the guard had been renewed.
"Call her off! Call her off!" shrieked the guard as Ranma-chan lept around him playfully.
"We don't have time for this," Zelgadis groaned. "How do we change Ranma back to normal?"
"Well, there are a couple of ways," Akane said as she fought back a blush. "Does anybody have some hot water?" The Jusenkyo victims each had a thermos amongst their belongings, but all water had long turned cold. Akane groaned and sank to the ground.
"What are you doing Akane-san?" Amelia asked.
"Just wait. And no laughing!" Akane said. She tucked her feet under and patted her legs. "Ranma! Come here kitty!" Ranma-chan released the guard and looked at Akane. She meowed as she hopped over, curling up on Akane's lap. Within minutes Ranma-chan was asleep, despite snickers and giggles from the peanut gallery, which Akane's glares did nothing to silence. As soon as Ranma was soundly asleep, Akane discourteously shoved her off her lap.
"Huh? What happened?" Ranma-chan wondered, picking herself up off the floor.
"You went to the match, passed out and lost, we broke out, and here we are," Akane narrated. "Now let's get going!" The group nodded once and broke out of the passageway in a run.
"The guard said there's a tunnel to the surface at the west side of the city," Zelgadis explained to the group, "Once we exit the building, we should get to the edge of the city and follow it until we find the exit."
"Nya~, sounds simple enough," Neko-Lina said. Ranma-chan stumbled and quickly moved away from the sorceress.
"P-Please change back," she pleaded.
"No can do, nya," Neko-Lina responded. "Guess you'll just have to deal with it for now." Ranma-chan moaned.
The group exited the building and were surprised. Not only was the place well-lit for an underground cavern, but they were completely surrounded by fish people. As soon as they spotted Neko-Lina, the entire group of fishpeople took a nervous step back. Narrid waded through the crowd and stood at the front.
"Exactly where do you think you're going?"
"Anywhere but here!" Akane declared. "There's no way you're using me as a sacrifice!"
"Oh really? We'll see about that," the chief said. "Guards! Restrain them!" The front line of fish people stepped forward, spears in hand.
"Nya~, now that I'm free you think you can cage me up again?" Neko-Lina asked, her slitted eyes staring the guards down.
"We can try, can't we?" Narrid rebutted. "Guards-charge!" The guards looked at one another-how were they supposed to capture the feline monster?
"Hold it!" Everyone looked up to the sky and saw Amelia surrounded by a halo of light and pointing down at the fishpeople.
"What is she doing?" Ranma-chan asked to nobody in particular.
"Not again," Zelgadis sighed, slapping his forehead.
"To kidnap the innocent and sacrifice them or force them into marriage is absolutely despicable!" Amelia continued. "Evil has run amok here and it is my-no, our duty to lead these people to a life of peace and justice!" She jumped, flipped in the air and promptly landed on her face.
"Hm...I don't think so," Narrid said. "Guards, get them!" Akane pulled Amelia to her feet as the guards finally charged at the group.
"Everyone, get together!" Zelgadis commanded. "Amelia, cast Defense! Gourry, Ranma and Akane, fend off the attacks!"
"Hai!" was the collective reply, except for Neko-Lina.
"NYA! I'm the leader here!" Zelgadis ignored her rant and began casting his spell.
"Defense!" Amelia shouted. The group of six huddled close as the air shimmered around them. The guards pounded at the unseen force to no avail.
"Arc Brass!" Zelgadis threw his arm up to the edge of the shield as lightning shot from his hand. The spell rained down on the fish people, paralyzing them and forcing them to the ground. Amelia dropped the shield, panting slightly.
"Come on, we need to move. They won't stay down for long," Zelgadis said. Neko-Lina growled under her breath and her ears flattened back, but followed him nevertheless.
"Dammit...stealing my thunder...," she grumbled. One glare from the sorcerer shut her up. Ranma-chan sent a last mocking glace at the fish chief and the group was off.
They found the tunnel with ease, getting there before the Arc Brass's effects wore off. Neko-Lina, Amelia, and Zelgadis led the way, Ranma-chan following safely behind Akane and Gourry-chan. The group tread in silence, until...
"Ne, Ranma, how come you didn't win that fight?" Gourry-chan wondered out loud. Said martial artist froze under the sudden stares.
"Good question," Akane added with a glare. "So how did you lose, Mr."Ranma Saotome never loses"?"
"It's not my fault they were playing dirty! If we fought again I'd definitely win!" she defended. Ranma-chan shuddered, adding under her breath "So many tentacles..." The group chose to drop the issue and fell into uncomfortable silence. Thankfully, they soon saw the light at the end of the tunnel, the smell of trees and fresh air wafting down at them.
"Yes! Freedom!" Neko-Lina cheered, releasing her Light and sprinting for the exit, everyone else chasing after her. Sunlight washed over them. Neko-Lina and Gourry-chan kept cheering before realizing they were still hungry. Amelia laughed at their antics while Zelgadis rolled his eyes, yet couldn't help but smirk at them. Akane laughed and stretched, absorbing the warmth of the sun. Ranma-chan looked at her and finally remembered something.
"Akane!" Ranma-chan called her over. She turned around, eyes curious. Ranma-chan pulled something out of her pocket and placed it on Akane's head, shading her view.
"What the?" she started, pulling the object off. It was her hat. "I thought it got washed away in that whirlpool?"
"Nah, I caught it before it could," Ranma-chan explained. "Be more careful with it, would ya?" Akane placed it back on her head and smiled.
"Thanks Ranma."
(AN) And there you have it folks. Whew, finally done. Hope you enjoyed it and if anyone is wondering what happened to Ranma at the match, I'm not saying. I'll leave that up to your imaginations, heheh.
As always, reviews are welcomed. Ja ne!