Moving this to the Brain Dump to clean up a bit. Up for adoption - just tell me before you use the ideas within.

Martial Arts Mage

by Lord Dragon Claw

Disclaimer: All characters and plot points from Ranma ½ belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Similarly, all characters and plot points from the Chrono Franchise belong to Square-Enix. Jerikko is the only thing in this fanfic that belongs to me. And some knowledge of Chrono Trigger may be required.

Chapter One: He's a Wizard!

Magil was his fourth name. His true name and the other two names he had used were known only by his greatest allies and his greatest enemies. His whole life had revolved around getting back to his sister and destroying Lavos - the gigantic parasitic demigod who had corrupted his mother and destroyed his home - and he had only accomplished the second of his two tasks. He still couldn't find Schala, and doubted she even lived.

Right now, he was spending some time with the genius pyro girl with whom he had once traveled. And it seemed that she found a calling in her life as she had converted her parents' estate from a science lab to an orphanage with a science lab in the back (which she kept locked at all times) in the matter of five short years.

Lucca Ashtear, a genius with a big ego and an affinity to Fire, looked over at Magil from helping a little boy with his bloody nose, and gave him one of her smiles. He wasn't sure, but he thought that maybe the purple-haired woman with blue eyes may have developed a crush on him. She currently wasn't wearing her helmet, and was wearing a modest shirt, skirt, and combat boots combo.

He patiently waited so that he could talk to the scientist, but he couldn't help but notice that several of the children were wondering who he was, with his strange white mask that covered the upper portion of his face, his long, flowing blue hair, and his barely visible red-colored eyes. It was amusing to him that many of the kids correctly guessed that he was a wizard, with his dark-purple cape that seemed to billow with a wind that was not there. But his copper-plated metal breastplate and loose-fitting, dark-blue pants that went into his high-quality boots had them baffled.

Finally, Lucca was done. "Alright children! I need to talk to my guest. Don't bother me for awhile." She led Magil into the kitchen, where Lucca's parents, Taban and Lara, were cooking dinner.

Taban looked up from the stir-fry. "Oh! Hello Magus!"

"It's Magil now."

"Why did you change it?"

"Personal reasons."

"What do..."

"DAD! Shut-up! My friend didn't come all the way out here just to argue with you about what name he goes by!"

"Really, Taban!" said Lara, not looking up from the cutting board. "All you do is pester her friends whenever they come by! How many times are you going to bug Crono and Nadia about money?!"

"I didn't come all the way out here to hear you two argue either."

Lara was only slightly irritated at Magil, whereas Taban hastily turned back to the stir-fry. Seeing that they weren't going to interrupt again, Lucca turned and began speaking.

"If you don't mind me asking, have you found Schala yet?"

"No. She's probably been reincarnated or something."

"So you're assuming the worst?"

"After spending nearly every day of my life trying to get back to her I've finally decided that I should find an heir to my powers. No one should have to go through the darkness I did."

"So... that's it then. I'm so sorry Ma..."

"Don't be. However, I wonder if you could modify the Gate Key you gave me. Through my scryings I've found a world where magic is powerful, but rare and believed to be legend or just parlor tricks. I want to go there to look for an apprentice."

"Hmm... I was working on a way to have the Gates go between worlds, thus opening us up to space exploration. The problem is, I'd need the dimensional, temporal, and hyperspatial coordinates to get to any other given habitable planet, and getting those would be no easy task and..."

Magil pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. An enchantment on it activated, and many small points of light appeared above the parchment. On the cloth of the scroll itself were several numbers arranged on a grid with the categories of X, Y, Z, and T going across the top and Dimensional, Temporal, and Hyperspatial going down the left-hand side. All the points of light, save two, were the same color (white). Of the remaining two, one was blue and the other red.

"Magil, what is this?"

"The chart I made. The red light is the destination and the blue one is our world. The chart shows all twelve needed coordinates to get to that world at an appropriate time."

"How did you make this chart?"

"Well, I used my scrying powers to determine all of the values."

"But, that's impossible! You'd need to know a lot about hyperphysics and advanced..."

Magil interrupted again. "Magical energy patterns, right? I did live in Zeal, and I paid attention to my science tutors. Plus there is a lot of information that can be acquired in the Arris Dome in 2,305 AD."

She stared at him for a few uncomfortable moments. "... I hate it when one of you out-thinks me." Magil chuckled.

"Oh yeah, Robo asked me to tell you how he's doing. He's functioning properly, and Atropis..." He chuckled again.

"What's so funny?"

"She's trying to find a way for Robo to get her pregnant."

Blink. Lucca laughed. Magil was glad it wasn't her cocky, very annoying laugh. "Thanks, Magil. Good to find out that he still exists in the future. Wait... how did you use the Gate Key I gave you? The Gates were closed!"

"I thought that they were closed as well, but it seems that they've been acting up again since a few months ago in my time era. In yours, they've been active for two years. I first checked 2004 AD, but all that was there was its corpse. The scientists of the era are analyzing it, and their experiments yield mixed results."

"So Lavos isn't active?"

"No. And the Black Wind tells me little. It could be an entirely new threat, or simply a phenomena that occurred after we killed that monster."

"Well, I'll see if I can locate the problem."

"Funny. Robo said those words as well."

Lucca giggled. "I'll work on your Gate Key right away though. I'll even build you a spare."

Magil hurtled through the familiar void of colors, taking note that this Gate's coloring was different than the standard gates (which were blue, green, and red). This Gate was orange. Magil correctly guessed that its orange color simply denoted that it traveled distance only, and not time. The end of the Gate began to near, and Magil prepared himself so that he would land on his feet, as there was no telling precisely where one would end up.

He exited the Gate and landed on his feet, although he nearly lost his balance. It was night, and he was in a forest on the side of a mountain. Not nearly one as dense as the Guardia Forest, nor were the trees as big as those in Fiona's Forest. Then he heard a boy screaming in a language that he understood because of a permanent translation enchantment he had placed on himself. The spell quickly worked and let him learn the entire language from just a few sentences.

"No, Pops! I don't wanna! Those c-c-c-cats will kill me dis time fa sure!"

"Stop crying like a girl! A Martial Artist must suffer for the sake of the Art! Now get in there and learn the Neko-Ken!"

Magil quietly snuck up on them. He saw a very young boy with black hair and wearing a training gi, wrapped almost completely in fish products, being thrown into a pit where a lot of mewing and hissing was heard by a large, fat, balding man with glasses and a training gi made to fit his girth. Magil was infuriated. He didn't know what this "Cat Fist" business is, but by the amount of noise coming from the pit, there were more than enough hungry cats to pick all the flesh off of the poor kid's bones.

Saotome Genma didn't know why the kid liked to complain. If he had simply mastered the Neko-Ken the first time, then he wouldn't have to be subjected to the training again and again. He was probably just lazy. After he put the extremely heavy lid over the pit, he turned around to see the Grim Reaper. Well, he thought it was the Reaper, what with the cloak, white facemask, and deadly-looking scythe. How was he to know the difference?

"OHPLEASEMISTERDEATHDONTTAKEMETHEREISSOMUCHISTILLWANTTODOINLIFE!!!"

This was unexpected for Magil, but he felt it would work to his advantage. He spoke in the creepiest voice he could possibly do, which admittedly scared some of the undead soldiers he once had in his army so long ago. "Okay, I will make a deal with you. How about I take your son instead?"

Genma began bowing. "THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANK - herk!" Thud. Magil had stabbed him in the back of his head. And then put his scythe away.

Using his magic, Magil levitated the lid off of the pit and casually tossed it aside (where it went to a small village where the reincarnation of Attila the Hun was growing up, and he would've caused a new World War to begin had the lid not landed on his head, killing him instantly). Magil then levitated the boy out of the pit and set him down on the ground. There were about fifteen cats still attached to his body, and he kicked them back into the pit. Magil noticed three things about the boy: 1) the poor kid was still conscious, 2) he was underfed, and 3) his wounds were critical and life-threatening. Although not his specialty, Magil was pretty good at curative magic, and healed the boy of his wounds. Magil then fished one of his meal rations out from... well, his hammerspace, and gave it to the kid.

"Eat, before you pass out."

The starving child (who is now hungrier than ever, as curative magic uses calories in the body to heal it), ate the entire ration in a matter of seconds. Magil figured that the kid needed to learn some manners, or at least be dignified about his speed-eating habit. After he ate, the boy started talking to Magil as he rummaged through Genma's pack, finding a good deal of canned tuna, sardines, fish paste, etc.

"So, who are ya, mister?"

"My name is Magil Zeal." Magil opened each of the cans and packages and dumped them into the pit, where the mewing and hissing of the cats continued, but it was more subdued each time they were fed.

"Where's Pops?"

Magil knew that it was probably wrong to tell this boy the truth... but it was more wrong to lie. "He was going to kill you. In order to save you, I had to kill him."

The boy looked at him with wide eyes. "But... he was a Martial Artist, and he protected da weak and..."

"Did he protect you, or did he throw you repeatedly into a pit of starving cats?"

"... so he wasn't a true Martial Artist."

"What's your name, kid?" Magil said as he dumped the last of the fish products into the pit, where all the cats' hunger had finally been sated. The cats were sleeping like... well, kittens.

"Saotome Ranma."

Nice enough name, thought Magil. "How old are you?"

"Six and a half, I think."

Not too old to begin studying magic. "Do you have a mother?"

"I think she died."

Well, it seems he no longer has any family relations. I wonder... "Ranma, was it?" The boy nodded. "Let me touch your head, I need to see something."

Magil put his left palm on Ranma's forehead, and his other hand seemed to dance in the air, plucking invisible strings. Ranma felt a small amount of energy go through him as the mage chanted in some archaic tongue. Magil was scanning the boy, to see if he had any magical potential and to find out if he had an element. The process only took about a minute.

Seems that he have a lot of hidden potential for magic, especially Fire. I didn't think I'd find my apprentice right of the bat!

"Ranma, I've decided train you how to be a Warrior."

"A... Warrior?"

"Yes, like a Martial Artist, a Warrior protects the weak, but a Warrior also kills evil beings who will never change their ways."

"You'd do dat?"

"Yes. But I'll not have you use the name of your idiot father. I think you should use the name Zeal as your family name. Yes, Ranma Zeal."

"I thought da family name came first."

"In the society where you live, maybe. What country are you from?" Magil started rummaging through Genma's clothing and found some money.

"Japan." Magil then went through Genma's pack and took out everything that was unnecessary. He did find two scrolls though, one entitled the "Umisenken" and the other entitled "Yamasenken". He decided to keep those.

"Well, I'm new around here, so I need to know where we are."

"I think we're in southern Kyuushuu." Magil found a few other things of note, most of them on paper, including a seppuku contract. He kept those as well.

"Is that another country?"

"No, it's one of da main islands in Japan. Da most southern and western island."

"Are there telephone wires on every hillside in Japan?" asked the mage, looking at some that were fairly close.

"Pretty much from what I saw."

Magil nodded. He was beginning to get an idea of the layout of the country.

"Well, we'll come back here later, we need to get to my world so that you can learn magic."

"What?! Magic exists?! YOU'RE AN ALIEN!?!"

"Kind of, but I'm a human like you. And of course magic exists. Now come on, Ranma."

It was daybreak when they landed on Magil's world. Ranma did not like traveling through a Gate. This was evident when he threw up just after they landed outside the Ashtear Orphanage.

"You'll get used to it." Then, Magil cast an intricate looking spell, and Ranma felt his jaws, tongue, larynx, and ears tingle for a bit. When Ranma looked at him, puzzled, Magil simply said: "Translation spell."

Magil began walking towards the building. Ranma quickly stood up and followed. He was curious as to why Magil didn't yell at him for being weak and throwing up when they landed, but he was also grateful. Magil rang the doorbell and then crossed his arms. Lara answered the door.

"Oh my! Twice in the same week!" Then she noticed Ranma. "Oh my goodness! His clothes are in rags and he's so skinny!"

"He was worse off when I found him."

"Are you going to leave him with us?"

"No, he's my new apprentice. Could you help him get several changes of clothing and feed him? We're going to be here for three hours, tops."

"Sure thing, Magu-er, Magil. So, what's your name?"

"Ranma."

"Well, Ranma, come on in! Breakfast is almost ready!"

"Oh, Lara?" Magil said.

"Yes?"

"I hope you cooked extra food. This kid eats like a horse."

"Duly noted." She then called into the house again. "Taban! Lucca! Children! We have two guests!"

Suddenly a stampede of children barged into the foyer. All the kids recognized Magil, and they were very interested in Ranma as well. Too bad for the poor kid that he had to try to hold up under their relentless barrage of questions. Magil waded through the sea of children until he was able to get to the couch, which he sat on. Slowly, the mass of young boys and girls left the room, and then Taban and Lucca came down the stairs.

"Hello again, Magil!" Lucca said. "So the Gate Key didn't work properly, huh?"

"No, it worked fine."

"Then why are you back so soon?" asked Taban. "You only left last night!"

"I've already found an apprentice."

Magil then told them the story of how he met Ranma.

"You killed that idiot, right?" asked Taban, obviously angry. "You didn't let him live, right?"

"Of course I killed him. He deserved to die."

"So, why are you here?" asked Lucca.

"To get Ranma fed and to get him some clothing. Then we're off to see Spekkio to unlock his potential."

"Um, I don't think Spekkio will just unlock his magic unless he's someone special."

"True, and if Spekkio refuses to help him, then I'll resort to force."

"I don't think you can force the Master of War, Magil."

"Worth a try."

Ranma and Magil walked towards Leene Square, in order to get to the Gate at the back of it.

"Magil-sensei?"

"Yes, Ranma. What is it?"

"Do you practice Martial Arts?"

"Not really. Why?"

"I think you should, just in case an enemy gets close enough to you to interrupt your spells."

Ranma is a combat genius, even at his age! "Okay, we'll both learn Martial Arts right along side you learning to cast magic."

Ranma still felt sick after traveling through that Gate, but he managed not to throw up. Then he noticed his surroundings. He was on a platform paved with cobblestones. The edges of the platform were lined with a golden fence. In the center of the platform were nine pillars of light, and he and Magil were standing inside one. On one side of the platform, there was a golden, garden gate that led to a bridge which, in turn, led to another platform. The second platform was decorated similarly to the first, only it also had a light post in the center of it. It also had a bucket, a small fountain, and a sleeping old man. Opposite of the first bridge, a second bridge led to nothing, and on the left-hand side of the second platform was an ornate door. Ranma couldn't see what was on the other side. Everywhere else, there was only a swirl of ever-changing colors.

"Ranma, welcome to the End of Time! Don't take its name too literally though."

Magil opened the garden gate and went through. Ranma followed him to the old man.

"Gaspar?"

Instantly, the old man's nose bubble popped, and he was suddenly awake.

"What the-!? Oh, it's you."

"Gaspar, could you unlock Spekkio's door for me?"

"Certainly. It's unlocked now."

"Thank you. Come along, Ranma."

After they entered the door, Ranma couldn't stop laughing. This "Spekkio" was PINK! He also looked like a head with arms attached to the top of his head and his legs where his neck should be. Also, he was fat and round like a ball! Never mind the small tuft of hair on the top of his head.

"What'cha laughin' at! I'M THE MASTER OF WAR! Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover'?"

"Ranma, stop laughing."

Slowly, he did stop. "Sorry, Spekkio-sensei, I just didn't know you would look so..."

"Yeah, yeah. Magil, step back. I want this boy to see how strong he actually is." When Magil did so, Spekkio's special magic reformed him into the shape of... A FROG! And it was a puny one too.

"What da-!?"

"See, kid. If you're strong, I look strong. If you're weak, I look weak. However, you are strong of will!!"

"Ah, so you will train him," said Magil.

"Yup. Kid, your element is Fire."

"What about Magil-sensei's?"

"Shadow," responded Magil. "But I also know some Water, Lightning, and Fire magic, so it is possible to learn all four."

"Indeed it is," agreed Spekkio. "Now, to begin! Starting at the door, walk three times around my room while touching the fence. And I'm watching you, so no cheating!"

In 605 AD, Magil was leading Ranma to a small fort...

"Ranma, you should learn how to fight with a weapon."

"Weapons are for the weak."

"Hey, I want you to use a weapon! If your opponent happens to disarm you, they won't expect that you can still kill them with your bare hands! But you should use a weapon so that your opponent thinks that you depend on one."

Ranma considered it. "Okay. Magil-sensei? Why are we here?"

"I'm going to introduce you to two of my friends. Their names are Slash and Flea. I would introduce you to Ozzie, but he's dead."

"What happened?"

"I had to kill him, as he was trying to re-start a war."

"Oh."

"Flea is an expert in magic, and he will teach you a few tricks that I'm not able to do. Slash is a master swordsman, and his style of sword fighting is only one of several that you'll learn."

The finally arrived at the fort.

"This was Ozzie's Fort. It'll get torn down within the next 100 years. But for now, Slash and Flea still live here."

When they entered, they were greeted by two very surprised beings. One was bald, didn't have a nose, and had blue skin. The other looked very much like a woman, and had brown hair done in a ponytail.

"Hello you two," said Magil.

"Lord Magus!?" both of them responded.

"I suppose you two have been out of the loop. My name's Magil now."

The woman (at least, to Ranma's perception) stood in a seductive manner. "So, 'Magil,' have you come to finish us off just like you did Ozzie?"

"No, Flea. I have not." Now Ranma was confused. He thought Flea was a guy!

"What are you doing here then?" asked the blue man.

"Well, Slash, I have a new apprentice. He's going to learn some magic from Flea, and he's going to learn your sword style. His name is Ranma."

"Magil-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought Flea was a guy..."

"I am a guy." Now Ranma was really confused.

"Flea is a shapeshifter," explained Magil. "He can take any form he wants, but he's found that the form of a woman greatly enhances his favorite spells, so he uses it all the time."

"It's always funny when people find that part out," commented Slash.

After learning a few of Flea's Fire-based spells, and mastering Slash's style (both of which took about six months total for the boy), they left to visit the Kingdom of Guardia...

"Halt! Who are you?" asked a soldier, who was holding a lance. On the other side of the door was another soldier, holding a crossbow.

"I am Magil. I am a... friend of Sir Glenn. May we see him?"

"I shall send for him," said the soldier with the crossbow. He entered the heavy metal door. When he returned, he had a frogman in tow.

"Hello, Glenn."

The frog blinked. Twice. "Ah, um... 'tis nice to see you! Come hither; walk with me."

They went back into Guardia Forest.

"Yer name, 'tis Magil now, eh? Not Magus?"

"Not anymore. And would you drop the stupid accent? It gets annoying."

"... sorry. Why are you here?"

"Glenn, I'd like you to meet my apprentice, Ranma." Ranma smiled.

"Hello Ranma. He can use magic, right?"

"Yes. His element is Fire, but I want you to teach him some Water magic, especially your healing abilities. I also want you to teach him your style of swordplay. He's already learned Slash's style."

"Ah, so he has mastery over that style? My style is somewhat more advanced and more strenuous. Especially since heavy broadswords are employed rather than the katana Slash uses."

Ranma concentrated as Glenn told him the basics of his style. Glenn was astonished at the speed that he learned the sword. He was also astonished that Ranma had gained a basic mastery over Water magic in less than four months. After those four months were up, Magil decided it was time to leave again.

"So where will you be headed?" Glenn thought about the question he just asked... "And when will you be headed?"

"Going to go visit Ayla for lessons in unarmed combat," replied Magil.

"Ah. Well, Ranma, we may or may not meet again!"

Ranma bowed. "Thank you, Glenn-sensei. Goodbye!"

Ranma fell down into the river at the bottom of the mountain and quickly swam to the shore, while Magil gently floated down.

"You could've warned me about the fact that there was no ground there!"

"Sorry. I forgot that I haven't taught you how to fly yet."

"So where are we?"

"We are in the time before magic... well, sorta. It'll be a few more generations before the blue-haired Laruba tribe gains mastery over magic. But we'll be visiting the chief of the Ioka tribe. Her name is Ayla, and she's the strongest warrior in the world at this time."

"So, no more magic lessons right now?"

"I'll still teach you some stuff, but both of us are here to learn the original Martial Arts style for my world. It also happens to be the most powerful style as well."

Suddenly, Ranma saw something. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!!"

Magil turned around. "Ah, a Gigasaur."

A large, fat, territorial lizard stood a little ways off, and it had noticed them. It roared at them, then it began to charge. Magil's hands began plucking the invisible lines of magic, and a bolt of lightning came from the clear sky and struck the dinosaur. It seemed to be paralyzed. Not one to question the logic as to why, Ranma simply cast a Fire-based spell:

"Burn Dart!"

FWOOSH! The lizard was engulfed in flames and quickly fell over, dead.

Then, something jumped out of the bushes on the ridge above and tackled Magil, pinning him to the ground. Ranma saw that it was a beautiful, blonde woman with brown eyes and wearing a bikini made out of cat fur and a pair of tan-hide boots. Ranma started blushing.

"Magus! Why you come back?"

"Hello, Ayla. First of all, get off me. Second, my name is Magil now." She got off of him and helped him to his feet. "And third, my apprentice and I came to learn your fighting techniques."

"What matter? Magic no work?" teased the cavewoman.

"No, it works fine. I just... think it's needed now."

"This your apprentice?"

"Yes, he is."

"Boy, what name?" She leaned forward, giving Ranma a better view of her assets.

"R-Ranma..."

"Is face always red like tomato?" she teased. He blushed even deeper. She turned back to Magil. "What his problem?"

"He's shy. That's the second reason why we've come to you for training. He needs to get used to being around women."

Ayla looked at Magil for a moment, then smiled a mischievous smile. "Really funny when we get to Ioka."

"Yeah it will be."

"Well, begin training right away! No magic, just feet! Try keep up!" And with that, she began to run down the ravine. Magil and Ranma were hard-pressed to keep up.

Ranma's face was as red as a beet when they made it to Ioka. Every single woman wore a bikini, or less. Magil and Ayla were quite amused at Ranma's behavior.

Also, Ranma quickly learned how strong women can be, and finally gave up the chauvinistic teachings of Genma.

"Ayla, show Ranma your Cat Fist!"

Ayla got down on all fours, and attacked her sparring partner, her husband Kino, with her nails and teeth.

"That's what the true Neko-Ken is like," explained Magil. "And it doesn't involve a pit full of cats."

"That's good," replied Ranma.

"... ouch," remarked Kino.

Within eight months, both Ranma and Magil were physically stronger and knew some of Ayla's techniques, like the Drill Kick, Cat Fist, Tail Spin, Rollo Kick, Beast Toss, and the powerful Triple Kick. Also, Ranma had learned how to break boulders with his fists, and learned spells like Dark Bomb and Dark Mist from Magil. And Ranma had turned eight years old as well.

While training in the Hunting Grounds, Ranma stumbled across a nest with a single blue egg in it.

"What is it, Ayla-sensei?"

"Look's like Nu's nest. Wonder where mother went..."

Magil floated over. "Ranma, do you hear the Black Wind?"

"Faint whisperings, yes."

"Something is about to happen to you, Ranma. But I don't know what."

"Egg hatching!" exclaimed Ayla. Ranma turned and got close to see the egg cracking. Suddenly, the shell exploded. In its place was a round, blue creature that resembled the form which Ranma first saw Spekkio in. When the creature opened its eyes, they centered squarely on Ranma.

"Nuuuu..." It then leapt at Ranma, knocking him down.

"Well, that was different," commented Magil.

"Baby Nu think Ranma is mother," said Ayla, mirth in her eyes.

"What about the real mother?" asked Ranma.

"Nus are strange creatures. If the egg hatches while the mother is away, then the first human or Nu it sees will be labeled as its mother. The real mother usually isn't resentful in the least, but let's leave before she gets back."

"I'm stuck with it, aren't I?"

"You are," said Ayla. Then she burst into laughter.

They spent another month getting the Nu fit for travel. Ranma decided to name him Jerikko.

Finally, it was time to leave.

"Come back someday! Ranma fun to train!" said Ayla.

"Me think is fun as well! Bring Jerikko too!" said Kino.

"Goodbye, Ayla-sensei, Kino-sensei!"

Over the next year, Ranma managed to learn Ice magic from Princess Nadia, Lightning magic from Prince Crono, and a few more Fire spells from Lucca in the year 1007 AD. Also, he learned additional techniques from Robo, Atropis, and some of the residents of the Proto Dome in the year 2308 AD. Mostly fighting styles though. And they spent another year learning science and robotics. Jerikko seemed to have a knack for machinery, and although he didn't have any magic (nor could he learn it), he did show a lot of talent for martial arts. His preferred weaponry was the gun and the broadsword.

Finally, they decided to return to Ranma's world...

"Okay, Ranma. We're going to spend the next few years here, and learn more Martial Arts styles. Also, I'll try to help you perfect your magic."

"Sounds alright. Let's get started!"

"Well, first of all, I want to teach you how to fight with a scythe."

"About time! Swords and guns are pretty cool, but a scythe is much better!"

"Nuuuu... I like guns and swords better!"

"Well," Ranma began. "Jerikko, that is your preference and your style."

"Also, I'll teach you how to store things in a dimensional pocket, using only a small amount of magical power."

About a month later, Magil decided to take a small break in the city for a bit. Ranma quickly became friends with the Kuonji family, who were close-by to where Magil had decided to stay. Ranma and Ukkyou had a lot of fun sparring, though Ranma was well above her level of skill. And what amused Magil and Mr. Kuonji to no end was that Ranma didn't even realize that Ukkyou was a girl. Also, the two of them enjoyed sparring with Jerikko.

A few months later, when it was time for them to leave...

"You know what, Zeal-san?"

Magil paused in the middle of his okonomiyaki. "What?"

"My daughter wants to marry Ranma."

"And?"

"Well, I was hoping to engage them!"

"I think Ranma's too young to think about marriage right now."

"I'll throw in my yattai as part of the dowry!"

Magil turned towards him. "Look, it's a nice yattai, I'm sure, but tell me what use a couple of warriors would have for such a thing?" Mr. Kuonji had no answer. "Neither Ranma nor I know how to cook, nor do we care to learn. And Jerikko can only cook simple dishes. Sorry, Kuonji-san, but maybe when they're older, I'll see if Ranma wants to marry her or not."

A few months later, Ranma ended up going to school for a semester, because Magil said it was necessary to learn how to socialize, at least a bit.

While getting bread from the lunch line, he happened to step on someone's head...

"OW! Hey! That was my bread!" said the boy wearing a leopard-spot bandana.

"Not anymore," replied Ranma. He then pretty much inhaled the whole loaf.

"What's your name?"

"Ranma Zeal."

"I'm Hibiki Ryouga! And I will never forgive you for this insult!"

Ryouga had a habit of attacking Ranma whenever possible, but Ranma put him down every single time. Or at least, until after Ranma either led him home or to school. Ranma was astonished at Ryouga's extremely bad sense of direction.

By the end of the semester, Ranma received a challenge letter from Ryouga, asking him to meet in the empty lot behind his house a week later on the last day of school. Ranma and Magil were there, waiting.

"Ranma, he's not coming. He's three days late."

"One more day, Magil-sensei. Just one more."

"Nuu... He's just got a horrible sense of direction."

"Fine. Have it your way."

And when the next day arrived, so did Ryouga (at about noon-ish).

"FINALLY!" exclaimed Ranma.

"I (huff) am (huff) here (huff) to (huff) defeat (huff) you!" retorted Ryouga.

"Look, why don't we wait until tomorrow, when you've got your strength back?"

"Oh, I see! (huff) You're chickening out! (huff)"

"Maybe he was dropped on his head as a kid?" Magil offered.

"Most likely," agreed Jerikko.

"SHUT UP! Ranma Zeal, PREPARE TO DIE!"

Ryouga charged, and Ranma sidestepped at the last minute, tripping the Lost Boy. Ranma allowed him to get up, and then he swung at Ranma. Ranma rolled backwards to dodge, and then reversed his momentum to attack.

"Rollo Kick!"

As he rolled, he bounced into the air and then stopped spinning, with his foot extended towards Ryouga; and then he came down on him, hard! Ryouga was then seeing double.

"Hey! No fair, one at a time!"

What an idiot, thought Ranma. He then simply used a left hook straight into Ryouga's jaw, knocking him out. Ranma then picked up the Lost Boy, and threw him bodily into his bedroom window, which luckily happened to be open.

"Alright, Magil-sensei. Let's go."

"Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"You turn ten years old next month, right?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I think we should have a party at Lucca's or something."

"That'll be fun!"

"Nuu! What about me?"

"Oh yeah! You turn two years old soon, huh?"

"I suppose we'll have to have a party for him as well..."

"Why not just celebrate his birthday with mine?"

"Nuu... I like that idea!"

The next six years were mostly spent training on Ranma's world (in a variety of places, such as Japan and the US), though they did go back to Magil's world on occasion, if only to show what they've learned to all the teachers Ranma learned under.

For Ranma's sixteenth birthday, Crono, Nadia, and Lucca presented him with some new clothing. Strong but light boots (black), a shirt (red) and loose-fitting pants (dark blue) that had magically-resistant threads in them (invented by Lucca), and a black cape with a hood were what they gave him. Lucca gave him some of the Sun Stone, Nadia gave him the last piece of the Rainbow Shell, and Ayla gave him some Dreamstone, which they had Melchior of the Medina Village forge into a new scythe for him. Robo and Atropis gave him a cache of explosive weaponry, and Glenn gave Ranma a very strong buckler. Slash presented Ranma with a new katana, enchanted by Flea so that it would be a great conduit for magical energies. Crono taught Ranma the final move of his sword style: Confuse.

Ranma was very happy for his sixteenth birthday, as he had a few new toys and techniques to play with...

Jerikko had turned eight, and was finally the full-size that most Nus normally grow to. Robo, Atropis, and Lucca had built him some presents: a new gun, a broadsword with a retractable blade, and a jetpack powered by the last piece of the Sun Stone. Plus he got a slew of new tools and other such things that interested him.

One day while on Ranma's world, they came across a bunch of pools of water with bamboo poles coming out of them, and a house nearby.

"Magil-sensei?"

"Yeah, I also feel the aura of magic hanging over those pools. They might be cursed or enchanted. Let's find out from the person who lives in that house."

"Nuu. That house looks like a dump!"

"Jerikko, be on your best manners!"

"Okay, Ranma."

End Chapter One.

(Possible) Next Chapter: Amazons, fiancés, and Kunos! Oh my!

Author's Notes

Random idea I had a long time ago. Now that I've grown as a writer, I see it as rather juvenile. Still, I have some emotional attachment to it, so I'll have it in the Brain Dump... and I want someone to eventually take up the mantle and rewrite the whole story from the ground on up.