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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters here that belong to Ranma 1/2. The Ranma 1/2 cast belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Nor do I own Suikoden 3 or any other characters that I put into this story except for my own OCs. Neither do I own any of the character in any of the crossovers I do. I'm just using them in this fanfiction and I have no money so don't bother suing me. You'll just lose money instead of gaining any. And remember to leave a review!
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Chapter 7: So long Lake Castle or Ranma meets his match!
Darkness surrounded him. He could feel the darkness engulfing him. He has been here for two days trying to come to terms with himself. The darkness in his heart has grown stronger. It's been inside of him ever since the day he was taken to train, the seed of hate planted inside him. The hate he felt for his parents who took his childhood, the friends who used him for their own game, and the girls that wanted him to marry them without caring what he felt. So much darkness, and so little light. The seed of hate and darkness has grown strong inside of him.
And now he has taken lives with his own hands. Now the seed has finally bloomed. He remembered when he first looked at the Chaos Rune. A thought entered his mind as the significance of the rune was told to him. With this rune he could take his revenge on the people he hated. If he could find a way to go back he could make them go through everything that he went through and more. 'Is that the real reason I took the rune?'
'No! I won't be like them! I will not be like them!' Ranma shouted in his mind.
'Why? For honor? You don't believe in honor anymore, so why don't you?' a voice in his head asks.
'I don't believe in other people's idea of honor. I follow my own now.'
'So you've taken lives. Nothing binds you anymore!'
'If I have to I would kill again, but still I don't want to be just a killer. I'm a martial artist, we don't kill.'
"Then don't be one."
"If I can't be one then what will I be?"
'Become a warrior, to be someone who kills to protect others. Martial artist are people who follow rules that don't work in real life. It only works when the person you fight follows the same.'
The Chaos Rune glowed with color as Ranma came to terms with himself and a new power of the rune is unlocked.
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Ranma just got out from the tunnels under the castle when he heard something going on in the front of the castle. Everyone is there talking about something. He approached the group and waited until they focused on him.
"What happened?"
"It's terrible! The counsel member that was here yesterday wants all the shops and the tenets out of here!" Cecile said in a fast voice that he couldn't really understand.
"I may not have been here for long, but I see no reason to make a big deal out of this," Goro said.
"Yeah, I've grown to like this place," Scott said.
"Yes, but what can we do?" Thomas asks.
"Excuse me, but I think you guys should see this," turning around they saw a dark skinned man. Ranma knew him from the Great Hollow.
"Reed? What are you doing here?"
"Well me and a couple of others came to this castle to find out about a rumor. We stayed a night and when we tried to leave some knights are blocking the path to the castle."
"I'll see about trying to get you out of here," Thomas said leaving them.
They watched Thomas talk to the knights standing in front of the gate, talking quite a while. Lilly and the others that made up Reed's group as Ranma remembered were standing to the side. When they finished talking Thomas approached Lilly's group with a troubled face.
"The knights won't let anyone pass the gate. They say that Hugo here is a wanted grasslander and they're going to attack the castle to flush him out tomorrow," Thomas said.
"What! They're going to attack us?" Sebastian asks.
"Yes, and when I tried to turn myself in they wouldn't. They're just going to attack anyways." Hugo looked to the knights and scowled.
"Yes. What better way to stamp out any kind of rebellion than to show an example of what happens to those who step out of line," a middle age woman said walking up to them. She wore a blue dress with a coat and glasses. Her amber hair was braided in the back. She had a knowing look to her. Walking with her was a young man that looks like a slacker. He had spiky red hair that was all over the place. He was smiling and his clothes were two sizes too big, but Ranma could see he had a sharp mind like Nabiki.
"Who are you guys?" Juan asks.
"Apple, it's been awhile," Jeane greeted her.
"Hi Apple!" Viki waved at her.
"Jeane, Viki you two are here?" Apple said surprise to see that they were there.
"Wait, didn't they took part in both the Toran Liberation War and the Zero Unification War," the young man that's with her asks.
"If that's right then why haven't they aged then?" Sharon asks.
"You don't want to know," Little Viki said coldly
"Huh? Viki, you have a daughter now?" Apple asks looking between the two. Since Little Viki is the prefect mirror image of Viki if she was a young girl.
"As, I said you don't want to know." Little Viki gave everyone a gaze that clearly said to drop the discussion.
"So you're here to help?" Katty asks hopefully. The knights have been pestering her to give them her horses. Some of them even gave her a few glances that sent chills up her spine. She hugged Ranma's arm for comfort. The situation is so serious the other girls do not mind. The knights have been eyeing them too. Ranma for his part fought down the reaction to bolt, barely succeeding.
"Yes, me and Caesar slipped pass the knights here," Apple said to them.
"So you heard about the rumor about that someone here has a True Rune too," Lulu asks. Ranma tensed when he heard this.
"Yes, but that's not important now," Apple said. The True Rune bearer relaxed just a little bit.
"Yeah we got a plan to get you guys out of here," Caesar said pointing at Hugo's group. "And we'll make sure that the knights won't attack this castle too."
"You do?" Belle asks.
"Yes, all we need is somebody to run to Brass Castle and fast for the plan to work," Apple explained to them.
Everyone looked at Ranma, knowing that he was the fastest one to do it. "Hey, don't look at me! I can't show myself at Brass Castle now remember. Chris probably wants my head on a silver platter for beating her at the Great Hollow." Kathy and the other girls breathed sighs of relief. They didn't have to worry about Chris wanting Ranma now. There are a few fighters here including themselves, but there's no way they could beat those knights.
"Oh yeah. You did make Chris look like a beginner," Sgt. Joe said remembering the duel.
"I do have two people I know who can do it." He turned to the main house and yelled. "Watari, Ayame can you two come out now!"
Jumping down from the main house roof are two ninjas, one male the other female. Both appeared in front of Ranma and gave him a small nod. The female is dress in black tights and a purple kimono. Her long black hair is tied in a low ponytail and a red headband kept her hair off of her face. On her right arm is a three bladed claw guard. The male ninja wore black tights and a blue shirt. He has black spiky hair with some white on it and a sword is strapped to his back. Both wore a veil to hide their lower faces.
"Guys meet Watari and Ayame, ninjas that I met awhile ago," Ranma said introducing them to the others.
"Wait a sec, when did you get ninjas?" Billy asks.
"It all started about four days ago."
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Ranma was exploring the forest north of Vinay Del Zexay when he came upon what looks like an old mine. He remembered that Melville and his friends Elliot and Alanis (who arrived at the castle two days after Melville and the others did) told him that they went into a cave with other people to see a ship that ran aground next to a castle. They also told him about how they fought off some bandits that were stealing from people and their leader who was named Guillaume. The equipment that was left in the cave was all covered with dust and rust. Ranma could see that this mine hasn't been used in years. Something caught his eye on the ground. Taking a closer look at the floor he could see that people have been using the cave for something. The tracks were mostly weeks old and he almost discarded it, but his curiosity got the better of him.
Following the path Ranma came upon two open-air mining shafts. The first shaft had an old campfire that looks to weeks old. Jumping on to one level to the next to reach the tunnel on the top level Ranma came to another open air mining shaft. Jumping down to the bottom Ranma followed the last tunnel to the back of the cave. Ranma heard two people talking to other. Pulling out a cape he wrapped it around himself and using the Umi-Sen-Ken he walked inside.
Watari and Ayame were facing off each other, neither moving, waiting for the other to make the first move. The tunnel had opened up to a wide cave. A hole at the end showed a ledge with a view of the lake.
"The Highland Kingdom was destroyed. There's no need to do this," Ayame said.
"No. I made a promise and I will follow it," Watari said to her.
"Does it really matter if the one you work for is name is different?"
"I always keep my word."
"The Black Wind will not let you leave the clan. You will be hunted down."
"Fine then, let me be hunted then."
"Then for the honor of the clan I shall!" Ayame charged him with the intent of cutting off his head. Watari also tensed for a counterattack. Before either ninja could reach each other a voice echoed throughout the cave.
"Honor is nothing more than a way for the weak to control the strong." Watari and Ayame looked around the cave, but because of the high walls it made it impossible to pinpoint where the voice came from.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." The voice sounded sheepish for a second, but then returned to normal. "He's right you know. Clan honor is nothing more than someone else's point of view of honor, but giving your word is something else entirely. It's his own honor, not somebody else's honor at stake."
"Show yourself!" Ayame shouted out.
"Why a ninja like yourself should be able to find someone like me." The next sentence dripped with sarcasm. "But since you did ask me so nicely I will show myself."
Flicking the cape away Ranma reappear standing right in front of Ayame. She jumped back in surprise. 'What! How could somebody be able to do that? Sneaking up on a Black Wind Clan member is impossible?' Ayame thought in her mind, racing to find the answered. She looked over to Watari thinking he might know about this newcomer but he was just as surprised as she was.
"Who are you?"
"Names Ranma. Sorry about butting in on this but, I can't just let people go around killing each other because of a clan's honor." He seemed to take a neutral stance, but was tensed for action and both ninjas saw it.
"What would you know about clan honor!" Ayame shouted at him, but inside she was scared. She could feel his battle aura around him and it was the strongest she has ever felt. 'There's no way that I can beat someone like him. He's just as powerful as someone with a True Rune.'
'His battle aura is even greater than Prince Luca was!' Watari thought to himself feeling Ranma's power.
Ranma's face turned hard as he faced off with the kunoichi. His voice turned colder than the artic. "I know more than enough to know that clan honor depends on who's the head member of the clan and one person's view of honor. Isn't that the same as somebody else's view of honor."
(Author's Note: A kunoichi is a female ninja.)
Ayame felt the compulsion to wet herself, but stopped the feeling if barely. "That's true, but I still need to bring Watari in." She braced herself. She wanted to get Watari, but she'd rather bolt now than face off this unknown.
"Fine, but only if you can beat me," Ranma said taking the very same stance that he used with Akane long ago, which means none at all.
Ayame's body tightened, her mind racing to find a way to take Ranma down. He just stood there, his body totally open to any kind of attack. Ayame threw three stars then dash forward, her claws aiming for his neck. Ranma caught all the stars knowing it was just to distract him. He shot forward his fingers hitting three points on Ayame's chest, which meant that he grabbed her right breast.
Ayame's eyes widened as she felt Ranma grab onto her right breast. 'How dare him!' Ayame screamed in her mind. She never had anyone do that to her. She will make him pay for that! She was about to cut off his hand with her claws when she felt her body lock up.
Ranma laughed a little nervously and scratched behind his head. "Sorry about that, but the easiest pressure points on the female body to lock the body up is there." Behind him Watari is doing his very best not to laugh out loud. Ninjas do not laugh.
"You may have won, but I WILL hunt him again after this wears off! Afterwards I'll get my revenge on you, you bastard!"
"Hey! I said I'm sorry didn't I."
"Pervert!"
"Look I'm really sorry alright! Geez, you're so uncute!" 'I did NOT just say that!' Ranma thought to himself as he has a familiar feeling as this was all too familiar too him.
"UNCUTE? WHY YOU LITTLE..." The kunoichi went on to say a few more choice words that would have made a sailor jealous.
Ranma just shook his head. 'Jeeze, she's more inventive than I am.' He addressed the other ninja when she ran out of words to say. "Watari, you're a wandering ninja right?" Watari nodded. "Then how about working for me then?"
"That will cost you 100,000 potch."
"Deal, I'll give you the money when we get back to my place. As for you," Ranma said looking down at Ayame. "You're working for me until you can beat me or when Watari leaves my service."
"Why should I?"
"If you two work for me I will show you two some of my tricks." He used a vacuum blade to slice a boulder to the left of Ayame to demonstrate his point.
"Deal!" Both of them said.
"But don't even think about feeling me up again, pervert!" Ayame yelled while glaring at her new master.
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"And that's how I got them to work for me. They really didn't want to be known yet so they just hid around this place," Ranma said finishing his tale. The kunoichi blushed when she heard how he caused her to lock up, but the veil hid her embarrassment.
The other girls looked at Ranma with murderous glares and Kathy grabbed his collar and brought them face to face. He had to explain that it's true that the pressure points really are there and gave a demonstration (although very reluctantly, only doing so because the cowgirl threatened to kick him between the legs if he didn't) with Kathy as the victim. The explanation calmed the girls until he grabbed Kathy's breast to get to the pressure points. They all emitted battle auras, all bloody red. Watari finally saved his about to be dead master by saying that it was the only way to stop Ayame, which caused their aura's to tone down a bit. They still gave Ranma glares that promised pain later on.
'Oh MAN! I KNEW using those points were a bad idea,' Ranma thought to himself. Kathy for her part had a silly grin on her face. When he released her (he did it really fast so no one could see him do it since the points are on ANOTHER body part that would have made the girls beat him senseless) she immediately went back to her original spot, namely with Ranma's arm hugged to her body. Billy kept to himself, not knowing whether to be mad at Ranma or to be proud of his daughter for an ingenious plan. Shabon, Melville and the other children of the group just laughed at the whole scene.
"I was wondering who they were," Eike spoke up surprising everyone. Nobody knew he was even there until he spoke up.
"Wait, you knew about them then? Why didn't you say something?" Martha asks him.
"No one ever asks." Mass face fault took place.
(Author's Note: Old joke, but it works.)
Watari and Ayame both looked at Ranma for an explanation. "Don't ask. He has his ways."
"Okay back to the game plan," Caesar said getting everyone back to the point. "You two get this letter over to Brass Castle." The two ninjas accepted the letter and went off to do their job. "Now we need to get as many dummies made up to look like guards and set them up around the front gate. Then..." Caesar and Apple told them all the steps of their plan.
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The next day-
"Okay, while the knights are in disarray Hugo and his group will make a run for it with Caesar and Apple while we keep the knights busy," Thomas laid out the plan to the tenets that were going to fight. They were split into four groups of fours. Belle, Sharon, Sanae Y, and Gadget are in group 1. Thomas, Cecile, Augustine and Emily are in group 2. They are to be in the front lines. Mel, Piccolo, Juan and Kenji in group 3. And Toppo, Nei, Shabon and Jeane in group 4 would give them magic support if needed. The rest would protect the gate.
"Wouldn't it just be easier to have Ranma go and fight off the knights on his own?" Samus asks already knowing Ranma's fighting ability.
"Yes I have heard about Ranma taking on Lady Chris and beating her like she was a child, but we need to make sure that Ranma isn't seen or they would just get reinforcements. He will be the last line of defense." Apple said.
"I know! What about Ranko?" Shabon asks knowing about Ranma's sex change trick.
"Well we just have to wait and see," Ranma said waving off the odd looks he was getting from the people who didn't know he could change into a girl.
"Let's show them what we're made off," Emily said cracking her knuckles.
Outside the castle-
The knights under the commander of the counsel member were preparing to attack.
"Begin the attack on my word."
"Sir," a knight shouted running up to them, "Four fighting groups have appeared outside the castle walls."
"What!" the commander of the knights shouted.
"Sir," another knight said, "More troops have appeared on the castle walls!"
"How can a small castle like that have that many troops?" the counsel member shouted.
"Hold back! Don't engage the enemy," the commander shouted.
While the knights were in disarray at the sudden number of troops that appeared Hugo and his group made a run for it. The main force was too busy with Thomas and his party to see them running across the grass plains.
"It's working! They're getting away," Cecile said to Thomas.
"Yes, now the second part of the plan needs to be sprung," Thomas said hopping that the lessons that Ranma gave him would help him if push comes to shove.
A knight riding on horseback rode up to the commander. "Sir, a letter from Brass Castle."
"What! Read it out loud!" the commander demanded.
"The attack on Lake Castle is part of the grasslands and need the approval of the Zexen counsel before any attack is made on the grasslands."
"Withdraw everyone! Withdraw now!"
"This isn't over!" the counsel member shouted leaving with the knights.
"Yes we won!" Kidd shouted from atop of the wall.
"Looks like you guys didn't even need me for this," Ranma said.
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Two days later-
"What? You guys want me to leave," Thomas asks to Percival and Leo. They were standing in front of the main house. Martha is standing next to Thomas and not looking very happy.
Percival nodded. "Your father has disowned you and therefore you no longer have the title of master of the castle."
"We came under orders to escort you out of here then onto a ship back to the north lands," Leo said.
"So my father just wants to get rid of me then. But the castle won't fall back into the counsel's hands!" Thomas said. His eyes had a fire in them that weren't there before. He pulled out a rolled up paper in his coat and handed it to Martha. "Martha, my last act of master is to give you the deed to the castle. Do what you want with it?"
"Thank you Thomas," Martha said taking the deed.
"Let's go then," Thomas said to the knight and walked behind them towards the exit.
Behind them Martha walked over to the side of the building. There in the shadows were the two castle ninjas. "Watari, Ayame would you two mind doing something for me?"
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In the courtyard Leo and Percival found themselves stopped by the head guard of the castle.
"I won't let you take Master Thomas away!" Cecile shouted, one arm holding her shield, the other holding onto the lever that is used to close the gates.
"Cecile please don't do this," Thomas said, "My father already disowned me. I no longer have any ties to Zexen now."
"Yes, but you're the one that ties us all together," Billy said walking up to them. "Without you I would never be reunited with my kids. I might not have been there for them all the time, but your father was never there for you."
"Billy's right. He may not be much of a father, but he's still better than the one you have. You don't need to follow his orders. He's not a father to begin with," Emily said walking up to them.
"Thomas, your father was never there or ever cared for you. Why are you even listening to him now?" Ranma asks walking up to Thomas from behind.
"Ranma! You're here?" Leo said backing away from him. He remembers how Ranma beat him and heard how he beat Chris afterward. The sight of a boy half his size holding onto his axe with ease is still ingrained into his head.
"So this is where you live. I guess that you're not going to let us take Thomas with us?" Percival asks Ranma remaining calm.
"You two should just leave now."
"Might as well, there's no way we two would be able to stop you," Percival said walking with Leo out of the castle. "Fair warning, the counsel member is going to attack the castle tomorrow and he's prepared this time. We'll be with him, but we'll just watch." The two knights got on their horses and rode off.
"Thank you Ranma. Your right, I shouldn't listen to him. He never cared so I will follow my own path from now on." He gave a smile to the one who has been like a big brother to him.
A large explosion erupted into the air.
"That came from the stables! Kathy!" Billy shouted running for the stables with the others close behind him.
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When they got there the stable is a mess. It looked like a fight broke out. Kathy lay against a part of the now broken fence. Juan is laying flat on his back. Kenji is under rubble that used to be part of the stable wall. Toppo and Nei were the only ones left standing. They were kneeling down, both badly beaten. Standing in front of them is the one they fought against and lost to. It is a young woman about Ranma's age.
Her body is lean and firm with muscle, but not bulky like a female weightlifter's. Her entire figure is graceful and she moves like a cat. A long jade braided ponytail flowed out from underneath a violet top hat. The ponytail is weighted down at the end by a large studded steel ball that reached well past her knee. The spikes on the ball were studded down so that they wouldn't cut into her as she moves around. She wore a skin-tight blue body suit for maximum movement. What she wore over that is a golden-yellow leather vest and shorts that were held up by a pair of green suspenders. She had on fingerless red fighting gloves with metal knuckles and combat boots. Her face is lovely, but her eyes say that she is a cold fighter. Tucked under her left arm is Shabon. She's hanging limply and had been knock out.
"You must be Ranma," the woman said looking at the pigtailed warrior. "My trade name is Fight Hat. I'm here to kill you."
Ranma could feel her battle aura. It's just as strong as his. 'I thought that people around here didn't get to my fighting level.'
"You hurt my little girl!" Billy shouted, running to Fight Hat ready to knock her out with his left hook.
Billy's left hook is stopped by the girl's free hand. She twisted her arm, making Billy kneel down then letting his arm go. She spun around and slammed her right foot into his face, throwing him ten feet through the air. He crashed down with all the grace of a rage doll. His eyes were wide open, but they were completely white as he was knocked out from the blow.
"I always find that when someone is fighting to save someone else their fighting level rises to the very top. If that is all you have your daughter is as good as dead." She looked pointedly at Kathy but Billy was still out.
"Why are you doing this!" Ranma shouted at her. A blue portal opened up behind her.
"I have nothing against you, but I got a job to do. Meet me at Mt. Hei-Tou at dawn tomorrow if you want to see the child again," Fight Hat said before jumping through portal that closed behind her before any of them could follow.
"Ranma you must..." Nei began but stopped when Ranma spoke up.
"I know, I won't let Shabon remained in her hands," Ranma coldly.
He rushed to Kathy's side and checked her over before moving onto the others.
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Awhile later-
Doctor Tuta and Mio are taking care of the injured from the attack on the stables. The rest of the castle residents are standing in the front of the main house. The sun is already setting.
"What! Ranma has to leave the castle tomorrow! But we got a battle tomorrow," Mamie said frantically.
"Couldn't someone else fight this Fight Hat instead?" Scott asks.
"No, I'm the only one who can fight her. I felt her aura and she's just as strong as me." Ever since he has picked up Kathy and the others and delivered them to the good doctor his voice has been extremely cold whenever he talks about the female fighter. Everyone could swear that they could see his breath as if it was winter whenever he's talking about her.
"Then we be on our own then..." Elliot began.
"...against all those knights," Muto finished.
"As you guys have faith in me I have faith in you guys to protect this castle," Ranma said.
"Ranma's right we can't always just depend on him. We need to stand up for ourselves," Anne said.
"Before Apple left she gave me plans to defend the castle if it was ever to be attack," Piccolo said giving, Thomas a letter that Apple gave him for safekeeping.
"I'm going to Mt. Hei-Tou now before the knights can block the road," Ranma said before taking off.
Before Ranma left the castle he stopped in front of Martha's stand and spotted a few familiar faces. "Geddoe, are you and your group are here to help?"
Stepping out a bit Geddoe nodded to Ranma. "Yes, Salome says that the counsel members and the Holy Harmonia Kingdom have planned on splitting the Grassland between them. The Harmonia army is already on the move to invade the grasslands. But if the top members of the counsel can't even stop a rebellion at a small castle..."
"...then the ones who are trying to stop this rebellion will lose all their support."
"We over heard about what happened earlier," Ace said.
"You guys take care of them for me will you," Ranma said before taking off again.
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The next day-
Dawn came to Lake Castle. A large number of knights are marching towards the castle to attack it, but the residents of the castle aren't going to give up without a fight.
The castle had been fortified. Besides the main gate door the stairs to the main house is now heavily barricaded. Barrels, boxes and cut timber made a crude, but strong defense for the defenders. There is another barricade built just in front of Scott's trading store. These were their fallback positions if the main gate doors fall.
"We go out and meet the knights at the front of the castle, and when they start to overwhelm us we fall back here," Thomas said laying out the plan that Apple left.
"All the fighters are ready to fight Lord Thomas," Cecile reported.
"Good is everyone accounted for?"
"No, Martha is missing and so is Ayame."
"What about Watari?"
"He's still here, but he won't say where they went."
"Find the..." Thomas began but was cut short by Gadget.
"The knights are here!" Gadget Z beeped. Everyone that's going to fight rush out to face them.
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At Mt. Hei-Tou -
"So you came," Fight Hat said facing off Ranma. They were on flat grassland that is on the edge of the forest that covered the mountain. Ranma felt a strong energy from the edge of the forest and found Fight Hat waiting for him.
"Why are you doing this?"
"It's my job to see how strong you are."
"Where's Shabon!"
"She's right over there," Fight Hat pointed to her far left. Inside a steel cage is Shabon.
"Let me out of here!" Shabon cried out.
"But if you want her you have to get by me first!" She jerked her head forward, sending her ponytail like a chain ball at Ranma. Her hair seemed to stretch as the mace on her ponytail crashed where Ranma used to be before he jumped out of the way. But she did manage to knock his sword off his back, sending it flying into the air landing near Shabon. She then jerked her head back and her ponytail return back to her in its original length.
"Neat trick."
"Thanks, now let's dance!" Fight Hat shouted leaping at Ranma.
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The battle of Lake Castle wasn't doing too well. When they met the knights in the field they were too outnumbered, but some of the knights did fall into some of the trap holes that they dug last night. Piccolo and Jeane were casting spells to slow down the knights as Thomas and the others ran back to the castle.
Belle used Gadget Z's special ability, transforming him into mega Gadget Z. It shot up into the sky and joined to bigger gadgets to form a giant robot. It shot a huge beam of energy at the knights, blasting them back. But when Gadget Z drop back down he was badly damage due to the arrows they launched at the airborne robot.
They slammed the gates shut and prepared to repel the invaders. The knights were prepared for the gates. They had brought a battling-ram and ladders to scale the walls. Thomas and the others threw rocks, logs and anything else they could grab at the knights as they ran up to the wall.
Billy lifted a large log and braces it against the gate to help brace it up. The heavy gate doors shook as the knights used the ram against it. Knights carrying large axes began to hack away at the gate as it was being rammed. Ladders were being pushed down as fast as they were being push up against the wall. Sharon, Emily, Muto, Toppo, and Nei were along on the wall. Toppo was throwing the balls and rings that he used in his act to knock the attacking knights down. The others were knocking down the ladders and dropping things down below as the others on the bottom lifted things up to them to throw.
Watari appeared to Thomas as he helped to brace the gate with anything they could find. "Thomas, knights have appeared in the field by the stables. I did what I can to halt them," Watari said before taking off for the stables.
"Guys! We need to defend the stables! The knights have gotten through the woods," Thomas shouted out to them. "Those who can come with me, the rest stay here and protect the gate!"
Thomas, Cecile, Billy, Kathy, Sanae Y and Kenji ran to the stables while the rest did what they could to defend the gate.
The stables were a battle ground. Watari is taking down the knights as he faced them with Peggi and Dominic alongside him. Peggi is swinging two large hammers, bringing down any knight who dared to fight him. Dominic is armed with a bo staff swinging it around his head. They joined the fray and began to push the knights back.
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Ranma had his hands full fighting off Fight Hat. Every time he saw an opening another attack was coming. The fact that each one of her blows is strong enough to kill a normal person really didn't help matters. Her moves flowed like water as one attack followed another. Also that ponytail chain ball trick is adding a new twist. He never had to fight someone who had short and long ranged attacks all rolled into one. Every time he tried to back away from her she used that chain ball move to hit him.
Fight Hat leapt back as Ranma slashed down at her with an ax kick then she crouched down to sweep out with a leg. Ranma was knocked off balance as his legs were kicked out from underneath him and went down. Fight Hat then hit home with several punches to her foe's chest, but Ranma bit down the pain and put himself into a reverse somersault, then lashing out with some punches.
Using one hand she blocked one of his punches, then caught another one with her other hand. She lifted his arm up in the air and punched him in the gut, making kneel over. Then she grabbed onto Ranma's left arm and threw him over her shoulder into the side of a large rock.
Ranma got up in time to see Fight Hat leg slice through the air creating a vacuumed blade. He jumps aside as the blade cut into the rock in a slanted cut. The top part of the rock slide downwards crashing into the ground.
"Damn! She can actually use high air pressure to attack me from a distance!" Ranma thought to himself as Fight Hat attack again.
Ranma duck under a head kick then follow it with an upper cut. She back flipped from him before it could connect. Then using her arms like a spring she sprang forward, both her legs were pointing right at Ranma. She hit him right into his guts knocking him flat on his back.
Looking up Ranma just barely manage to roll out of the way of a head punch. Getting back on his feet Ranma tried to get his breath back. 'Man she's good. She could take on the old ghoul and the pervert all at once without breaking out a sweat.'
Seeing Fight Hat leaping through the air for a flying kick Ranma dug his feet into the ground. He caught her leg and using her own momentum used it to slam her into the ground.
"Nice move, but I'm not down let!" Fight Hat shouted jumping back up. "Bee Hive Swarm!" She yelled sending hundreds of punches in seconds. Ranma body was riddled with her punches. Then while he was still staggering from the attack she twisted herself around hitting him with her chain ball sending him flying onto his back.
"Nice, now here is MINE!" Ranma yelled getting back up and jump at her. "Chestnut Fist!" Ranma sent as many punches at her as she did on him. Then to finish things off Ranma went and uppercut her right into her jaw sending her flying back.
"So you have an attack that's just like mine," Fight Hat said whipping the blood from her mouth. "This is what I have been waiting for!"
"What you mean?" Ranma asks wondering what she was talking about as she was getting back up.
"Simple, I haven't met a fighter that's was at my own level besides my own family. What's the use of being strong and skilled when there's no one to fight against you at your own level? Now you're here I can fight someone and not knowing the outcome before the fight," Fight Hat smiled, not a smirk but a true smile. "If you beat me I will tell you my real name, so if you want it fight me with everything you got!"
Smiling at her Ranma could feel she's just like him. A true fighter that's not fighting for anything or anyone else but for themselves and to reach her limits then going beyond them. 'Too bad we couldn't have met in another way. We could have been the best of friends.' "Well you get what you ask for!" Ranma and Fight Hat charge at each other to renew their fight.
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The gate doors were near the breaking point as the knights on the other side continue to ram and hack away at it. The knights trying to scale the wall were getting a foothold as the defenders continue to knock them back.
"Guys get off the wall! They're almost through the gate!" Belle shouted up to them as she knocks one of the knights down with her hammer.
She was beating back the knights trying to get through the holes in the gate. Augustine's fighting off two knights that got through the gate hole. Mamie threw a pot of boiling water through one of the holes into the face of one of the knights.
"They're almost through the gate! Everyone get to the barricade!" Scott shouted out, knocking out a knight with the club he held.
The ones on the wall jumped down just as the gate doors finally broke down. The knights charged right through the ruined doors, their swords gleaming in the midday sun. Mel jumped in front of them. A stream of fire flew out of Branky mouth stopping the first wave and making the ones who weren't hit jump back at the fierce heat of the flame. Giving the others some time before the knights regroup to make a run for it.
"Fall back!" Piccolo shouted at them from the barricade. He and Jeane were casting attack spells to give them cover fire. Several knights' charge at them, but they all fell to the ground frozen. Eike had appeared and he was making good use of the book Ranma gave him on 'Pressure Points'.
Down at the stables Thomas heard the shouting to fall back. Disarming the knight he was fighting with a move that Ranma showed him he followed it with a spinning kick sending the knight to the ground. "Everyone back to the fall back positions! They're through the gates!"
Getting a rope over one knight Billy began to swing him around knocking other knights down. He let go of the ropes so that the knight slammed into a group of them. The others seeing that they had the chance took off running for the lower barricade. The knights seeing this run after them.
A blast of lighting, fire, wind, and earth blasted into the incoming knights. "Who did that?" Kathy said looking back as she ran.
"There's no time to ask how just run!" Kenji shouted to her.
They made it to their last stand and waited for the knights to begin attacking again. Then a wave of knights attacked breaking through the barricade. Thomas and the others were overwhelmed by the knights. All was frenzy, chaos, and pain.
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Blocking a leg kick with his own, then gave Fight a punch to her face and got a knee into his gut in return. Ranma was never so hard press in his life. He was facing someone who was fighting him fairly without using any tricks or cheats, fighting him with nothing but skill.
Ranma dodged a deadly knife-hand thrust to his chest, but was a fraction of a second too slow, as Fight Hat then sent several jabs into his midsection, followed by a right cross to his chin. Ranma was sent reeling back from her punch. Fight Hat then grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him back, and then delivered a roundhouse kick to the left side of his head. Ranma managed to bring up an arm to deflect the kick, but the force of the impact sent him leaning back from the blow.
"Moko Takabisha!" Ranma shot out a huge ball of energy at Fight Hat to counter her last attack. She saw it coming and slapped it away from her. The ball landed far away from them, blowing up and creating a massive hole in the ground.
Fight Hat just barely raised her arms to block Ranma's charging attack. The force of his attack sent them into a pile of rocks. Ranma was sucker punch in his face sending him flying back. Then she jumped into the air then drive bomb kick at Ranma. He step-side her attack and punch her in her face. As she fell over she let out a kick hitting Ranma in his side.
Shabon was watching the fight all this time. She had never seen anybody fight at such levels before. They were giving out such powerful auras that even she could see them. They were moving so fast that she only saw them whenever they connected with each other with an attack.
Fight Hat spin kicked Ranma in his face making him twist in the air. But he let out a kick of his own slamming it into her side. They both stagger from each other, trying to see an opening that they could use, but neither gave each other an inch of ground.
"Twin Air Blades Strike!" Fight Hat shouted throwing twin upper cuts into the air. Creating two blades made of compress air came cutting through the ground heading for Ranma.
"Moko Takabisha!" Ranma shouted releasing a huge energy blast. The two attacks hit and caused a huge explosion between the two throwing them back.
Picking themselves up they charge at each other again. They began to pummel each other with powerful blows after another neither was giving ground or letting up their attack. Then both made a spin kick into each other faces sending them both down.
Ranma knew he had to get back to the castle fast before it was too late, but Fight Hat was just as skilled as he was. Then an idea hit him. He had unlocked a new spell with his rune and it was a good time to see what it does.
His right arm began to glow purple as he power up his new attack. "Hand of Chaos!" a huge purple beam of power shot forward straight towards Fight Hat.
Getting back up Fight Hat saw the attack coming straight at her. All she had time to do was screamed as she was consumed in the beam of energy. Then everything turned black.
Fight Hat landed after being hit by the powerful beam a few feet from Shabon, still in the cage. Her clothes were ripped and burned from the attack. Her top hat that she had on for the whole fight was strangely still on her head. Then to Ranma and Shabon's shock she got back up.
"Ranma, you did something that no one has ever done to a Hat for a long time. You beat one of us. Now I will tell you my name. It's Tina." She said before falling back down. Her hat that stayed on her head for the whole fight fell from her head as she fell.
"Ranma you did it!" Shabon yelled.
Taking a Mega Medicine A and drinking it Ranma felt renewed. Grabbing his sword that was nearby Ranma broke the lock.
"Shabon, we need to get back to the castle," Ranma said to her as he took her into his arms.
"What about her?" Shabon asks looking at Fight Hat whose real name is Tina.
"I guess we take her with us then," Ranma said putting her over his shoulder. Then he took off with both of them to Lake Castle hoping it wasn't too late.
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At Lake Castle-
Thomas couldn't believe it. They won. They had won the battle for the castle. When the knights broke through he thought it was over, but then Martha showed up with Ayame. The reason why she was gone was that she and Ayame had gone to the Great Hollow to find Lucia. Martha had sold the castle to Lucia for 200 potchs to be paid one potch per year, making the castle part of the grasslands for 200 years.
When Leo and Percival appeared they told the knights that were under the counsel member's orders that to attack land owned by grasslanders you needed orders from the top. They needed to get out of there fast before the grass clans counter attack for this.
"That's a fine idea to follow," Ranma said returning to the castle with Shabon and Tina in tow.
"It's the one that took Leo and Captain Chris out!" one of the knights said backing in fear.
"If you heard of me then know this. This castle is my home and these people here are my friends. Now get out of here before I get rid of you the easy way." Ranma said giving the knights an icy glaze and letting out his battle aura.
The knights all quickly gathered their fallen and fled from the castle.
"Oh yes, I got news for you counsel member," Percival said looking at the counsel member. "News got out that counsel members are planning to split the grasslands with Harmonia. The people in an uproar. You better get back before the other members use you as a scrape goat."
"What I wou- I got to get back!" the counsel member said before taking off.
"Nice to see that some of you knights do have honor," Ranma said to them.
"Thanks, I think?" Leo said.
"Shabon you're all right!" Nei yelled out running to Shabon taking her into her arms. Toppo stood by smiling.
"Hey! That's the gal that took her and knocked me out!" Kathy said seeing that Ranma was holding her in his arms.
"What do we do with her?" Thomas asks.
"You could give her to us. We put her into one of our jails for you," Leo said.
"I think not!" A voice that could freeze fire called out. As one everyone turned to the source of the voice and found that they really shouldn't had look. What they all saw would hunt them for a long time.
There standing in the ruined gateway is a man that seemed to draw in the shadows to him. He's dressed in a long army-dark green overcoat that only accented his size and is taller then Billy, who is the tallest person in the castle standing at 6 foot 8. He had the proportionate bulk for his height. A thick utility belt is wrapped around his waist and though they didn't see any weapons on him they could feel the violence radiating off of him in invisible waves. They couldn't see his face, not that they wanted too because of the faceless white mask he wore. They could only see his cold black eyes from the slits of the eyeholes of the mask. That seemed to look into their very souls looking for what made them tick so he could break them easier. He also wore a pitch black top hat that cast a shadow over his mask, just like Fight Hat wore.
"Give her to me!" he said sending a chill up all of their backs. Shabon was holding onto Nei for dear life now. She has never been so overwhelmed with fear before and all he did was look at her.
From their hiding spot Geddoe and his group watched. Even if they were well hidden from the eyes of the people in the courtyard. They could all feel that whoever that guy is he already knew that they were watching him from their hiding spot.
"That guy he's... not even that guy me and Ace saw before the attack on the Karaya village comes anywhere close to that guy," Joker said. He had felt a whole lot of dark auras before but never at that kind of scale before and not all coming from just one person ever before. Not even when he saw what kind of man that Luca Blight was came even close to what he was feeling now.
"He's a demon," Aila said. She could feel the spirits fleeing away from around the castle just to get away from that man in that black top hat.
"Who are you?" Ranma asks him. He never felt such a dark aura and such power before. And he hasn't even done anything yet.
"I am Dark Hat, Fight Hat's brother. Now give her to me," he said in a voice that he already knows he was going to get his sister back even if they fight against him.
"Brother?" Fight Hat asks woken up in Ranma's arms. Then she had a shocked expression on her face as she reached up feeling for her hat.
"I got you're hat right here," Ranma said pulling her hat from his sub- space pocket.
"You knocked my hat off?" Fight Hat's eyes widen. "I also told you my real name. Then that means I have to marry you!" She looked up with shiny eyes at Ranma.
"WHAT?" everyone screamed.
"Yes, we Hats have a rule when it comes to finding a life partner. When a Hat gives their real name to someone that is the opposite sex and losses their hat they will have to marry the person that has beaten them." Dark Hat said.
"What? I have to marry someone that I just beat? I'm not going through this again! I just got away from the Amazons damm it!" He would have waved his arms around in panic, but then it would have dislodged his new fiancée. 'Arrgh! She is NOT MY FIANCEE!'
"Well, there is what we call the 'bonding stage' where the Hat stays with the one who beats them for one whole year starting now. If in one year has past and both haven't fallen in love or get along with each other then the marriage is off. We do believe in family traditions, but we do think that they shouldn't rule a person's life." Fight Hat aka Tina said.
"Then you stay with Ranma sister. And Ranma, just to let you know me and the rest of the family are going to see how strong you are. Besides, if you're going to be part of the family you have to be strong." Dark Hat said. The shadows that were surrounding him consumed him and then he was gone.
Looking down at Tina, better known as Fight Hat, Ranma saw he was carrying her like a husband does for his bride on their wedding night. Seeing that he's looking right at her Tina turned her head, blushing furiously. Looking around him Ranma saw a mixture of expressions on everyone's faces. All the girls had a dark aura around them, just like the girls in his old life. Even Mio and Shizu, the two gentlest people in the castle, had a blood red aura around them. Anyone who has a weapon is currently warping them from the pressure of their grips and the heat of their auras. Everyone else is either looking on confused (the males), wishing the two good luck (Shabon, Martha, and the other children), or writing the whole thing down (Arthur and Kidd).
"Poor kid," Queen said from her groups hiding spot.
"I don't know whether to be sorry or be jealous of him," Ace said shaking his head. The others all nodded agreeing with him for once.
Ranma looked up to the sky and asked the one question that has plagued him since he arrived in Nerima and now here. "Why me?"
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Next Time- Some of the girls parents show up to see how things are going for them. They also see if Ranma is good enough to marry their girls. And who's that cute kid running around? Fight Hat's little sister? And Viki don't go near the pepper! Next Time in 'Meet the Parents or Magic time with Magic Hat!'
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