Suikoden One Half Chapter 30: What Will We Do Now?, a Ranma + Suikoden Crossover fanfic

Suikoden One Half

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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.

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In the Last Chapter -

Ranma could barely keep his eyes open, especially due to the blood that got into his eyes. Still, he forced himself to stare death in the face. He stared as Blight raised one clawed hand to finish him off. He wanted to lash out, to wipe that smirk off of Blight's face. All he could do is see how his life will end.

That's when he felt it. The feeling he gets whenever he is about to black out and wake up much later remembering nothing. It is a feeling that he both loves and hates, as it lets him escape into the dark recesses of his mind while it takes care of whatever is threatening him. He felt the Neko-ken coming out, even though there isn't a single cat in the area. He also felt a tingle where the Chimera Rune is.

However, it's too late as he watched Blight's hand descend on him. He won't go cat in time.

SWIIIIIIIIPE!

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Chapter 23 Part 1 – What Will We Do Now?

Apple, riding on her horse, watched as the two men at the head of the rescue team raced towards where Ranma is about to be killed by Blight. She stared in horror as the pseudo-werewolf brought down a clawed paw towards Ranma's neck and watched in morbid fascination as it is about to rip his throat out.

One of the men racing to save Ranma raised his left hand and yelled out, "Royal Passage!" A giant battleship appeared in the sky. The side panels of the ship opened up and let loose a volley of magical shots out of the cannons.

The other man raised his own left hand and yelled out, "Black Shadow!" A shapeless ball of shadow flew out of a hole that appeared in midair.

Just when Blight's claws are centimeters away from Ranma's neck the two magical attacks hit his side. Blight howled in pain as he is thrown away. The two attacks plowed him into the ground as he skidded away from his prey. He created a path fifty feet long as the magical attacks ate away at his side. When the attacks stopped Blight is growling in pain.

Blight angrily stood back up, shaking off loose dirt and wiping off the blood where the attacks had hit him and created a wound that is already healing up. "Who dares to hit me!" he snarled. He spotted his attackers who are standing protectively in front of Ranma's dying body.

Blight growled as he studied the two men. He is about to charge in and rip them apart when he recognized them at the same time as the Beast Rune let him know who they are.

One of the men is a blonde man wearing his hair in a ponytail. He is wearing a blue shirt and white pants held up by a brown belt. On his wrists are brown bracers and on his feet are leather boots. In his hands is a blue bo staff with two metal dragon heads at both ends. Currently the staff is leveled at him and his eyes reflected experience and determination. The rune on his forehead, a Blue Gate Rune, is what had summoned the giant ship.

The other man is wearing a long red and white shirt and black pants that does not quite reach his feet. Around his head he wore a circlet and a yellow cloth is wrapped around his shoulders and neck. On his feet is a pair of brown boots. In his hands, which are covered with brown gloves, he brandished large tonfars that are ready to beat him to death if needed. The Darkness Rune on his left hand is where the other attack came from.

Blight snarled as he recognized the two. Even though they are older he would recognize them anywhere. One is the traitor that got him killed, the other the hero that HAD killed him. He chuckled darkly. "So the two of you are still alive, eh. GOOD! That means I get to kill you as well!" He howled in feral delight.

Jowy Blight tightened his grip on his staff. He recognized the beast from the armor it is wearing. "Nice changes Luca. Don't worry, I'll make sure you stay dead this time!"

Lexx got into another stance and prepared himself for battle.

Blight howled/laughed. "If you two think you're good enough to beat me you're deluding yourselves! I'm MUCH better than I was before and it took many of you to kill me last time! There are only two of you now!"

Jowy confidently shouted, "We may only be two, but we're good enough to hold you off! We are not going to let you kill him!" He indicated with his bo to Ranma's body, who has Apple looking over him and trying to get him to swallow some medicine.

Blight howled again and is about to charge at them when a bolt of lighting struck him from the sky. It did not hurt very much but it is enough to distract him. A shriek came from behind Lexx and Jowy causing them to turn around. Apple is sprawled on the ground and looking up, prompting the others to look up as well.

Landis is holding onto Ranma's body, his body dripping blood. His left arm and right leg dangled at an odd angle, more than likely due to the bones sticking out of them. On top of the bleeding and dying form of Ranma is his sword and bloody hat.

"I'll take him to Brass Castle!" Landis shouted down to Apple, Lexx and Jowy. "Hold this guy off as long as you can! I'll have somebody sound a full retreat!" With that the winger flew off with Ranma in his arms.

Blight snapped his attention back onto his opponents again. "If you two think you can stop me think again!" He started striding up to the two would-be heroes as Apple got on her horse and took off, leaving the three alone.

"We can't, but we can hold you here long enough for them to get away!" Jowy shouted as he and Lexx did their team attack. They ran circles around Blight then charged forward with their weapons. However, much to their surprise Blight caught their weapons, pulled on them and caused the two to slam into each other.

While the two are dazed he picked them up, slammed the two into each other again and then threw them away. While the two men are still in the air he is about to blast them with a powerful magic attack when a barrel came flying at him. Punching it with his metal arm the contents of the barrel, oil, splashed all over him. He snarled as the sticky liquid stuck to his fur. While he is trying in vain to get it off the two stood back up next to one who had thrown the barrel.

Giving up on the futility of getting the oil off of him he looked to the one that had thrown the barrel. He recognized her as well. It is Lexx's older sister Nanami. She too has aged. She is dressed the same as he had last seen her, in blue pants that puffed out and ended just below her kneecaps, a pink shirt with yellow sleeves and a blue cloth wrapped around her waist acting like a belt. A pink collar and a headband on her hair completed her look. It is easy to underestimate her on the way she dresses. She is an adept user of the Sansetsukon or three sectional staff (a three-piece-rod) and her agility in battle is rarely bested.

"So you're here as well," Blight stated with what passed as a grin on his werewolf face. "What was that supposed to do anyway, make me smelly?" he asked with a mocking tone.

Nanami just grinned in returned. "Getting you ready for what's coming."

"What?" Before he can say anything else a stream of fire engulfed him. Blight screamed as his skin and fur is lit on fire and caused him much pain. Normally it would not hurt much, but since he is drenched in oil the effect is heightened drastically.

Bolgan, a giant of a man, is the cause of the stream of fire. He is dressed only in a green kilt being held up by metal chains that criss-crossed his chest. He has a Fire-Breathing rune that lets him breathe fire that he is currently using to engulf Blight with.

Pushing against his back are his two 'sisters' Rina and Eilie. Both of them have dusty skin and black hair and both have the same style of clothes, gypsy like. Eilie, the younger sister, has short hair and wears a black tank top and shorts with a red cloth wrapped around her waist. She is a knife thrower and quite skilled. During her younger days she was considered good looking, but having grown up she is now a beauty that is surpassed only by her sister.

Rina is the sexy sister with long, silky hair. She wears a black dress with a pink skirt underneath and a green cloth around her waist. She is powerful with fire magic and uses cards as her weapons. She is also very experienced when it comes to men.

"Come on! Let's go!" Nanami shouted as the six of them took off. The fire would buy them time to get away from Blight. They are not stupid enough to take him on by themselves.

Angered by their actions Blight ignored the pain and ran after the fleeing heroes, one who he noticed swept up a woman that had come running towards them. Way ahead of them is Apple on her horse. With his superior speed he is able to catch up to them quickly. He is about to pounce on them when he is engulfed in an even bigger stream of fire. The pain is too much for him and he howled and screamed as he tried to put out the fire by rolling around on the ground. He is able to put out the fire only by totally surrounding himself with dirt. That made him even more pissed off.

Flying high above is Fubar with Hugo on his back. He had seen the group running away from the huge man and went to help.

"You little pest!" Blight shouted as he got back up, glaring with hatred at the boy riding on a griffon. He ignored the pain signals of his skin and fur and sent a magic attack Hugo's way. "Soul of The Beast!" Blight unleashed his second most powerful magic attack. The magical energy took the form of a ghostly glowing silvery wolf. Then he turned back to the fleeing heroes, not even seeing that Hugo and Fubar had managed to dodge his attack. He would have charged after Jowy and Lexx and those with them, but he is still healing from the burns.

Fubar is about to go down and charge at Blight when he felt Hugo pull on his feathers lightly. "Fubar, we have to retreat for now. Come on." Hugo looked down at Blight as Fubar flew away from the scene, knowing that there is no way he will be able to take him on as he is now. 'One day I'll be strong enough to face him,' Hugo thought to himself. He will kill this Blight person and prove to all that he is as great as a warrior as Ranma! No, he is even better!

Blight growled as he watched the small whelp flying away. Knowing that chasing them is futile he turned to head back towards camp. 'THEY WON'T GET AWAY NEXT TIME! I'LL KILL THEM ALL! PAINFULLY AND SLOWLY! I'LL MAKE SURE TO TORTURE THEM FOR THIS INSULT!'

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Far from the battle –

Sasarai and Dios are watching as the Grasslander Army retreated in the wake of Ranma's defeat. Covering their retreat is a scantily clad female ninja who has split herself into many bodies and throwing ninja stars into their soldiers. After killing dozens of them she reverted back into one form and fled along with the rest of them. They could have chased after them and eradicated them, but Sasarai felt that it is enough and recalled the army.

The two of them are uncomfortable with Luca Blight that the Masked Bishop had brought in. Sasarai knew far too well what kind of man Blight was while human and now that he is not even human anymore thanks to whatever has been done to him there's not telling what he will do. He is also far more powerful than ever. Now that he also has the backing of the True Beast Rune he is virtually unstoppable. The Beast Rune is the most bloodthirsty of the True Runes and now has the most bloodthirsty man in history as its bearer. Can it get any worse?

"With Ranma out of the way we should be able to push our advance forward with little trouble," Dios commented.

"Yes, but with Blight on our side we will have to look to our backs as there's no telling what he's up too," Sasarai commented back.

Dios nodded. "He does make our men very uneasy. We will have to keep an eye on him or he could turn on us."

"I just hope we'll survive if that happens," Sasarai said gravely.

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In Ranma's mind –

While Landis is bringing Ranma's body to Brass Castle, which has not moved since the winger had picked him up, in his mind there is much activity. The Chaos Rune had not expected its bearer to be saved in that fashion and is trying to control what it has done. However, once released the Neko-ken would not bow down to anybody or anything's will, especially with the power up it received from the rune and Blight's magic. The best the rune can do for now is to slow its progress while it tried to find a way to keep its bearer from turning fully into a cat.

So while Ranma's body is being transported for healing and protection in his mind a war is being waged to save who he is.

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Some time later at Brass Castle –

Ranma has been laid in Chris' bedchamber as he recovered from his fight with Blight. Mio and Tuta had both come to help with the wounded and the doctor had sown up all of his wounds and reset his broken bones. Mio had thrown up at the sight of his mangled body and had to be given a sedative to calm her down. Two bottles of Mega A Medicine and a major healing by Ranko had gotten rid of all the wounds and fixed his bones where they have been snapped.

All around him the girls whose hearts he has captured are arranged, waiting worriedly for him to wake up. His wounds had been healed, yet he refuses to wake up. They tried everything they could, even throwing a bucket of cold water on him. Nothing worked.

His clothes have been changed and he has been given a sponge bath. Chris' bed sheets have also been changed. His blood had soaked through and many of the girls could not stomach having it there.

When the call to retreat had sounded they could not believe their ears. They were winning and thought that someone must have made a mistake. Everyone continued to fight until Kodachi had given off a heart-stopping scream. They all looked over to her and saw her looking up. They looked up as well and gasped as they saw Landis flying away with Ranma's bloody body. Everyone had seen and the Harmonians got a new wind and pushed them back. Kasumi, using a technique that Watari and Ayame had taught her, held the enemy at bay as everyone retreated back to Brass Castle where they are holed up. All they can do is wait for the Harmonian Army to attack again. Hinako and Viki had left to organize help at Lake Castle and bring them here.

A knock came from the door and a second later Louis' head poked into the room. "Lady Chris, everyone is waiting for you in the meeting room."

From her spot on a chair next to the bed Chris nodded. "I'll be there in a moment Louis. Thank you." She stood up and walked towards the door, Emily taking her spot quickly. Mio, who is standing over the headboard, arranged the pillows so he would be more comfortable before reluctantly leaving the room to help with the other wounded.

She passed by a sad looking and tear-streaked Iris who has Kuriboh floating above her head, trying to cheer her up. The girl is sitting on Kodachi's lap who is rocking her back and forth as she tried to comfort both the girl and herself.

She also passed by a stone-faced Reni who is washing Ranma's hat. She knows her daughter enough that she looks stone faced because she is suppressing her emotions. Her blood soaked hands look all wrong on her. She or one of the other mothers would have to talk to her later to get her to open up and release her pent up emotions before it eats away at her.

Near the door she stopped next to Tina, who is caressing Ranma's blood-soaked and torn clothes, the ones that her brother had made. Her face is blank, but if you looked into her eyes you would see the torrent of emotions going through her.

"Let me know if anything happens, okay," she asked of her. All she received is a nod, which is good enough for her. As she passed by she saw out of the corner of her eye a glimpse of white, but what it was she does not know or care. She exited the room and followed Louis to where the meeting is. She nodded at the two older Jones siblings who are standing guard at the door who gave her a nod in return. Kurumi looks troubled while Natsume has a steely expression on her face.

After a few steps Chris and Louis heard the door she had just left open and close. They stopped and waited as Lachette walked to them.

Out of her group she is taking Ranma's condition the best. Even Maria, the cold one, is beginning to lose control of her emotions. The blonde girl alternates between caressing her gun and shaking Ranma so that he would wake up. A furious expression is slowly forming on her face as well. The girl is slowly loosing it as everyone can tell that she is starting to go into a murderous rage.

While the other girls are taking it more or less worse than Maria Lachette is the picture of control. She is all business as she approached the two. "I'll go with you," is all she said.

Chris merely nodded and the three went to the meeting room. When they arrived they saw the leaders of the armies are already there. In attendance are Dupa, Lucia, Salome, the chief of the Duck Clan, Geddoe, Caesar and Apple. Also in the room are four of the people who they have been told saved Ranma's life.

Salome looked up at hearing the door open. "Good, you're here." He indicated for the two to sit down as Louis backed out of the room.

"How is Ranma doing?" Lucia asked after Chris and Lachette have seated themselves. She gave Lachette a glance but nothing more, figuring that she must be a right-hand woman of Ranma's or something.

"He still hasn't woken up, but all of his wounds have been all been healed," Lachette replied.

Everyone jumped when a pop sounded and Tina is suddenly seated next to the blonde American. She is no longer holding the clothes that her brother had made and a very solemn expression is on her face. "It's up to him now. I don't know what's going on in his mind, but something is keeping him asleep. I suggest we just let him rest for now."

Everyone nodded after they had shaken off the surprise of Tina showing up out of thin air. Ranma and those he associates with all seem to know how to do that. Jowy then commented, "He's something to be able to withstand fighting Blight like that. I don't think I would've done as well."

One of the middle-aged women with them, one that has long raven hair, patted his arm.

Chris gave them a funny look. "I don't think we have been introduced. I am Chris Jones. And you are?" she directed her question to the four people in the room that she did not recognize. Even though the residents of Lake Castle knew the truth to the outside world she is still known as Ranma's wife. Salome and the others nodded, wondering who they are as well. Apple had been the one to invite the four of them here. Lucia knows who he is so she merely watched on.

Before anyone could answer everyone felt a feeling of darkness. They all looked towards the source and saw Tina with a pitch-black aura. Right next to her is Lachette with a much smaller dark-red aura, but one that is still threatening. The two women saw that they are being stared at and said, "Don't mind us. Answer her question." The emotionless way they said it sent chills up their spines, especially Chris'.

Jowy, not understanding why the two women are being like that (not that anyone else did either), gulped before answering. "My name is Jowy Blight. Wait! Wait!" After he had said his name Dupa, the chief of the Duck Clan, Chris and Geddoe became startled and took out their weapons while Caesar studied at him. Tina remained unresponsive while Lachette gave him a calculating look. Salome merely looked on since he already knew about his history with Blight, he just did not know how he looked like. Lucia remained unmoving as she already knew who he is and wanted to see how things have changed with him.

Apple quickly stood up and faced the tense crowd. "There's no need for that! Stand down everyone!" No one is lowering his or her weapons so she yelled, "I SAID stand down!" After a moment everyone lowered their weapons, but are still poised to use them if needed.

Jowy and the three others with him let go of the breaths they did not know they were holding. "Anyway, I'm Jowy Blight, brother-in-law to Luca Blight. This," he took the hand of the raven longhaired middle-aged woman next to him. "…is my wife, Jillia Blight, who is the half-sister of Luca. No, we are not helping him. I swear this on my life."

Apple spoke up. "I vouch for him. I've talked to Nanami and she told me everything. Even though the two of them worked together for a while he is not working for him anymore, right?" She directed her question at Jowy.

Jillia answered for him. "Yes. My husband might have worked for my brother once, but he has changed his ways. Please, do not hold a grudge against him."

Chris stared at them for a long time before putting away her sword, prompting the others to do the same. "Alright. We believe you for now. Who are the other two with you?"

Lexx turned to her and spoke one of the longest sentences he has ever said in his entire life. "My name is Lexx. This is my wife, Eilie." With a huge grin he took the hand of the shorthaired middle-aged woman next to him.

Apple's surprise is evident from the widening of her eyes. She gasped when Eilie patted her stomach and said with a beaming smile, "This is our unborn child. He or she is about one month old."

"Congratulations you two!" Exclaimed Apple while clapping her hands together. "I knew about Eilie's crush on you long ago, but to have actually caught him! I'm so happy for you Eilie!" Eilie blushed prettily.

"Anyway," Caesar interrupted. "Why are you here? I've heard about you from Apple. You're pretty far from where you should be. Where have you been the past fifteen years?"

Jowy cleared his throat before answering. "Should we start from the beginning? From when we left the Zero Nation?" At Apple's nod he continued. The others are about to tell him to say only the relevant parts when Apple gave them a glare that shut them up. "When Nanami, Lexx and I left years ago we traveled around for a long time. We went to see the world and all that. We would visit Jillia and Pilika from time to time in their mansion in Harmonia, but each time we never made ourselves known to them."

"Then twelve years ago that changed," Jillia continued for him. "I was watering the plants when I heard a commotion coming from the gates. When I went to see what was going on I saw my husband being dragged to my home by Nanami. I was overjoyed and welcomed the three of them into my home. Pilika was estatic."

"Where is Pilika anyway?" Apple asked. "I don't see her with you."

"She's not with us. She is all grown up now and said that she wanted to go around the world on her own for a while. Anyway, I invited them to stay for at least a couple of days. Jowy was very reluctant, but Lexx and especially Nanami, that's Lexx's older sister, convinced him to stay. One thing led to another and soon the mansion is sold and Pilika and I joined the three of them on their travels. We had many great nights together under the stars, didn't we love?"

Jowy could not answer because he is too busy staring at his beautiful wife. Lexx and Eilie rolled their eyes at them.

Since the two of them are busy being lovey-dovey Eilie continued for them. "For many years they traveled around. Then me, my sister Rina and Bolgan met up with them after we left Milit village. Even then I was still in love with Lexx." She took a moment to squeeze the hand of her husband. "It took a VERY long time, and a lot of coaxing from my sister, but finally I was able to tell him of my feelings and the two of us started dating. We were married a month ago and our child was conceived on our wedding night. I still cannot believe that I got married before my sister." She chuckled since Rina has always had the better luck in the love department, yet she is the first to marry and to her first love even.

"That still does not explain your presence here." Salome and the others are quickly loosing their patience. Their gathering went from a war meeting to a meeting of old friends and they are getting angry.

Seeing how tense the group is getting Jowy went on to tell how they ended up here. "A few months ago, about 5 or 6, we found out that a rune has been rampaging around the lands and slaughtering anyone that gets in its way. We looked for it and soon we found the Beast Rune. Even though we are good fighters the rune is still formidable and every time we fought with it the rune gets away after beating the hell out of us. We chased it around and fought it four times already when we lost track of it when we entered the Grasslands. We happened to be in the area when Blight and that boy were fighting and came to help when we heard Apple screaming. That's how we ended up here. Oh man, that kid was really stupid to fight Blight one-on-one." He shook his head at the stupidity of the boy, not knowing that he is signing a death wish.

"WHAT. DID. YOU. SAY!" yelled Tina, Lachette and Chris in outrage. Jowy jumped at the outburst and flattened himself against his seat. Maybe berating the kid had not been a good idea. This is especially apparent when the ones who had drawn their weapons at him before are drawing them again, slowly and menacingly.

Jillia covered her cowering husband. "Please! He didn't mean it!" She gave her husband 'the look' that all wives give to their husbands when they do something stupid. "Didn't you, dear?"

"Yes! I was just kidding! Sorry!" he laughed nervously as everyone put away their weapons yet again.

After the tempers have cooled down a bit Apple acquired a grave expression. "What has me puzzled is how Blight is still alive. I know that we finished him off long ago, but how is it possible that he's here now."

"He was raised from the dead by Zomba, a master wizard that used to work for Harmonia around 400 years ago," Tina stated to the amazement of the others. "He experimented in bringing the dead back to life, but one of his experiments backfired on him and turned him into a zombie with unnatural powers and a human mind unlike regular zombies. Neclord took him under his wing after he was transformed and four hundred years of experimentation has brought Blight back to life, stronger than ever. We have already dealt with the humans that were turned into super powered monsters that were Neclords enforcers and Neclord himself in the other world. However, the real brains of the operation is Zomba, not Neclord."

"How did you get this information?" Salome asked. Even his research does not have that level of detail.

Tina took out an envelope. "My sister Top Hat sent one of her servants over and gave me a letter about what she found out. Her information network is second to none." While they were retreating one of her sister's Harpy Ladies swooped down and threw the letter at her. She put away the envelope. She did not tell anyone that the letter also says that Ranma has to beat Blight, or else.

That 'or else' sent shivers up her spine. It means that if he does not beat Blight then the engagement is off. The situation is soooo not good!

Dupa looked perturbed. "That is not good news. However, we WILL defeat our enemies, even without Ranma! The Lizard Clan will not lose to these invaders!"

Lucia nodded. "I agree. For now, we will hold them here until we can recover enough to raise our forces and chase them away from our lands."

"But how do we stop an army of that size?" Chris asked.

"We have the advantage with this fort," Caesar stated, drawing everyone's attention to him. His carefree expression is gone and he is all business. "Thanks to the bridge they won't be able to outflank us. Of course they do have us with our backs to the wall so we won't be able to retreat anymore unless we retreat to Lake Castle. However, that must not come to pass. We have to hold them here where we have an advantage."

"Can I suggest something?" Lachette asked. Caesar nodded. "Hugo has the True Fire Rune, right? Well, how about we spread oil on the ground in front of the castle. When the Harmonians are in range Hugo sets it ablaze. That way we can get the Harmonian Army to march in a single file. I'll take the ninjas with me and set traps for the path that they will be forced to take."

Caesar nodded, very impressed. "Okay. We'll leave it up at you and your team then." Lachette nodded before disappearing from sight.

"How does she do that?" Apple asked with a slight hint of swirls in her eyes.

"It's one of the techniques that Ranma's ex-father made," Chris replied.

"Lady Chris?" When Chris turned to Caesar he continued. "Your daughter Reni still has that lance that acts like a gun, right?" Chris nodded. "Good. I've noticed that she is not the only one that has a weapon like that. We can have her and the blonde woman and the one wearing glasses on the walls. They are much more effective than our arrows so we will be depending on them a lot. They will also be charged with taking care of any Mantor riders that try to attack us. Will that be okay with you?" No need to anger a mother so he should ask first before incurring her wrath for endangering her daughter.

Chris exchanged a glance with Tina before nodding. "Alright. I'll talk to the three of them."

Geddoe then asked a serious question. "Then who will be the one to fight Blight? Ranma has not woken up yet and even then he is not good enough."

Tina bristled at the jab at her fiancé, but composed herself. "I'll do it. I'll take care of Blight.

Geddoe nodded. "I know of you. Agreed then. However, who should be your backup just in case?"

"We'll do it," Jowy stated. "Me, Lexx, Nanami, Bolgan, Rina, and Eilie will help you. We've gotten a lot better since the Zero War. Besides, that kid took him on by himself and look what happened."

Jillia could only shake her head at her husband's stupidity. He seems to be extra stupid today for some reason. Lexx and Eilie also shook their heads. Jowy seems to have foot-in-mouth disease today.

In a blink of an eye Tina is right in front of him with two fingers just millimeters away from a fatal pressure point. "I will be taking Blight on by myself. Any objections?"

Jowy rapidly replied that he has none. Even though he does not know about pressure points the sword (which is Chris' by the way) poised right above his Adam's Apple is very convincing.

Tina smirked. "Good. I'm glad we came to an agreement." She retracted Chris' sword and threw it back to its owner who deftly caught and sheathed it.

Salome asked them a really important question. "By the way, I know of the two of you, Mr. Jowy and Mr. Lexx. Do you still have your True Runes by any chance?" Everyone turned to the two of them, wanting to know what True Runes the two men have.

Jowy shook his head. "No. We sealed the Black Sword Rune and the Bright Shield Rune back where we found them years ago. We wanted to grow old and die together instead of outliving our friends and family." Lexx nodded to that. Geddoe's expression briefly flickered before going back to its normal expression. No one noticed. Everyone looked a bit disappointed but dealt with it.

"We are forgetting one thing," Apple interrupted. "Right now our soldiers are feeling hopeless and overwhelmed, especially after Ranma's and our most recent defeat. We can raise it a bit by letting them know what we have in mind, but they will still be disheartened due to the sheer size of our enemy. What we need is one strong leader, someone to inspire them and make them fight with their all. That is why I suggest that we make Hugo the head of the army."

"My son?" Lucia gasped.

For the first time the chief of Duck Village spoke up. "That is a good idea. Hugo is the new Flame Champion and from what I can tell he has the makings of a great warrior. He has the drive to become a great warrior as well. I have noticed that he is very jealous of Ranma and that will drive him to great heights. He will give us his best and lead us to victory."

"But is Hugo up to it?" Dupa asked while Lucia looked around in worry, her motherly instincts making her want to veto the idea since it could mean the death of her only son.

Tina stood up and walked to the door. "I'll go and have a talk with him."

With that the meeting ended and everyone headed their own way. A worried mother followed Tina.

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In the hallway –

"I can't believe you Jowy! What were you thinking?" Jillia fumed as she stomped away from him.

"I'm sorry dear! Come on, don't be mad at me!" Jowy tried to calm his wife down, but many years of marriage has taught him that she will not easily calm down once she gets mad. She rarely ever does, but when she does and it is serious enough she will be mad for quite some time.

"I mean really! You couldn't stop putting down that boy! It took real courage to face my brother by himself, and here you are bringing him down! Of all the nerve!" She continued to rant as she stomped away from her husband. Jowy stopped following her and just stood there in the middle of the hallway as she disappeared from view.

Jowy sighed. He had not meant to put down the boy so much, but come on! He took on Blight on his own! That is sheer stupidity and she should know it! Admittedly he does not know anything about the kid, but still! His years of travel have taught him that taking on someone more powerful than you one-on-one is really stupid. (A)

"That I never expected to happen," he heard someone comment from behind him. He turned around and found Apple looking at him.

"Oh, how are you Ms. Apple?" Even though the two of them were on opposite sides of the war they are still civil to each other now. Many years have passed and grudges can go away during that time.

"I'm well thank you. Actually, I wanted to talk to you if you don't mind."

"Of course."

The two walked down the hallway as they talked. "I wanted to continue with finding out how have all of you been since I've last seen you. So, any other children besides Pilika?"

Jowy sighed sadly. He should have expected to get that question since meeting up with the people from fifteen years ago. "No. We can't figure it out either. We've tried for years to have another child, but sadly we never conceived." He looked very down.

Apple patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's alright Ms. Apple. It's not your fault. It's just…" He sighed sadly again. "I just want to know WHY we can't have children. It's like Pilika is the only child we'll ever have; yet she is not really ours. Jillia really wants to have a child, one that she actually gives birth to. I really want to give her that, but what can I do?"

Apple felt sympathy for him. She herself has never had a child, unfortunately she had divorced her husband before becoming pregnant, and she too knows the feeling of never having had a child to raise. She thought about their situation for a moment before getting an idea. "Jowy, listen to me. In Lake Castle the resident doctor there is Tuta. I've heard that he recently has acquired a lot of things from Ranma that is truly extraordinary. Maybe he can do something about your problem."

"REALLY!" he asked excitedly. When Apple nodded he practically shouted, "Thank you Ms. Apple! Maybe I CAN give her that child after all!" He looked very excited until something about what she said penetrated. "Huh? Ranma? That's the kid who took on Blight by himself, right? Why did he take him on by himself anyway? It's like this kid is some sort of hero or something."

"I'd like to know about that too," a voice spoke up behind them. Nanami, followed by Rina, Bolgan, Lexx and Eilie, walked up to them. "I've been hearing some things about the kid that's a little too unbelievable for me. What's the deal with him Apple?" Nanami asked.

Rina gave her a smirk. "I hear the kid is actually older than he looks and is a father already. Care to tell us the story?"

Seeing that she has a long story ahead of her she lead the group towards somewhere where they can sit down and talk.

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Jillia, still with a head of steam from her husband's stupidity, kept on ranting and raving as she walked in the tunnel that separated the two sides of the castle. She is muttering to herself so much that she almost tripped over the thing that suddenly appeared in front of her. She squeaked and almost fell on her behind.

"It is good to see you again Your Highness," the thing in front of her said.

Jillia, after getting her breath from the scare, is about to harshly ask what the person wants before she recognized him. The words she is about to spout evaporated and she asked one thing. "Watari?"

"Yes your Highness," the ninja replied from his kneeling position in front of her. (B)

Ayame's eyes, who by the way is clinging to the roof, narrowed as she witnessed the reunion of master and ninja.

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Out in the Westside courtyard –

Hugo is sitting by himself, thinking of what happen during the battle. Blight had treated him like a fly on a wall. He clenched his fist as he thought about how Blight just threw an attack his way and dismissed him as a threat. Just because he's still young doesn't mean that he's a kid!

"Why doesn't anyone take me seriously?" Hugo asked himself with a bitter tone.

"Maybe because you're still acting like a kid," a voice from behind him replied. Hugo jumped a bit from surprise before turning around and saw Ranma's former fiancée if the rumors are true.

"What are you talking about?" Hugo asked Fight Hat.

Tina crossed her arms, staring him down and making him feel nervous. "Well, for starters you can't expect people will just follow because you have a True Rune now. They need a reason, a REAL reason to follow your lead. Just because a person has a True Rune doesn't mean they are leader material. You should be able to make a real difference even without one. It doesn't matter if you are the Flame Champion successor or not. It's who and what you can be that matters to people. THAT is a mark of a true hero."

"Oh yeah!" Hugo spat, feeling that his manhood is being challenged. "After all I've been through people STILL think of me as a kid!" he yelled, knowing that that is the reason why he could not measure up to Ranma, "I mean Ranma is that one that people follow because of how great of a warrior he is. How can I compare to someone like him when everyone still treats me like a five-year-old?" he huffed.

Tina put her left hand on his shoulder. He is about to swipe her hand away when her steely gaze froze him. "Hugo, trying to be something you're not won't make you into the person you want to be. Heroes aren't made like that. Anyone that says otherwise is a fool. Ranma's met a couple of people like that and I have met HUNDREDS of people like that so we should know. Only a person that hasn't done anything worthy of being called a hero would say that. Just do what you need to do, that's all. That's how heroes are made. Don't try to be like Ranma." She then got a thoughtful look on her face. "Say, you want to hear a story?"

Hugo nodded, wondering what she would tell him.

The two of them sat down side by side. "Ranma used to have a rival named Ryoga. He's your typical rival that wants to kill you but always looses to you in the end. He has always thought that he is much better than Ranma and always blamed everything on him. He thought that he is honorable. However, he's not all that honorable. When it came down to doing something that will get him something he wants yet is in an dishonorable way he will always fret about the issue, which is good. However, when it is time to make the decision he goes and does it anyway. He makes excuses to justify his actions. However, no matter what his actions were dishonorable. He always says that his heart belonged to this one girl, yet when another girl showed interest in him he would drop that girl for the new one. Then when the first girl shows up he drops the second girl and it is just a vicious cycle. Another time Ranma was weak from an injury and could not fight back and he was ambushed. He defended Ranma, which is good, and said that he could not stand seeing him so weak. Then a second later he punches Ranma, hard. All this time he says that he is infinitely better than Ranma. Do you get the moral of the story?"

Hugo nodded. "Sure. He says he is one thing, but his action's says that he is…totally…different…" His eyes widened as he connected the story to his own life. He says that he will be a better warrior than Ranma, yet he hasn't really done anything yet to deserve that praise except to whine and moan that he will become better than Ranma. Here he is complaining that everyone is treating him like a kid instead of showing everyone that he is an adult and should be treated as one. He finally figured it out. Actions speak louder than words.

Tina nodded as she watched the gears shift in Hugo's head.

He thought about what he is going to do some more before standing up, a determined expression on his face. "Thank you Ms. Fight Hat. I know what I must do now."

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A while later -

Hugo stood in front of all the soldiers that are gathered in the west courtyard. The soldiers, both the Zexen Knights and the Grassland Clan warriors, are a sorry sight to see. They have seen the strongest warrior in the Grasslands, Ranma, defeated by their enemy. Ranma had given them hope, given them a reason to fight back against impossible odds. Now those odds are even worse than before. Their enemy not only has a warrior that has beaten, quite badly even, their most powerful fighter but that same warrior has the True Beast Rune. Their spirits are at their lowest and many are resigning themselves for death.

Hugo gathered his courage and took a deep breath. Then he spoke in a clear, confident voice. "My fellow warriors." His voice made everyone look towards him, even the villagers that are close by. "I am Hugo of the Karaya Clan. I was born and raised in the Grasslands. I did not know the outside world until recently. Take Zexen for instance. All I knew of it was its name. However, things are different now. I have seen the Grasslands and the Zexens with my own eyes. I was shocked at what I saw. We, the people of the Grasslands, have looked down on the Zexens as people not blessed by the spirits, while those living in Zexen think of us as barbarians. This mindset has gone on for ages. The True Fire Rune I bear in my right hand keeps the memories of the late Flame Champion, Kain. It taught me that our history is filled with wars and conflicts. The Spirits of Fire were seldom at rest, and peace never lasted long. No matter how difficult the task, the Flame Champion never gave up! He fought to protect the Grasslands! He sacrificed everything to protect his loved ones!"

By now everyone is giving all of their attention to him, feeling their spirits and hope rise. "Sometimes a hero has to sacrifice everything! Ranma taught me that when he gave up so much just to come back here to help us in our time of need! He could have lived in peace with his family, never returning here. Yet he has come back and almost paid for it with his life! Not only has he almost sacrificed himself, but by coming here he is bound by his honor to kill his very wife!" Hugo looked to the side in shame. "I am the reason, that reason he made the promise to kill her! It is my fault that Ranma and Chris can never know peace! Well I will NOT let their sacrifice be in vain! I will not let their misery be for nothing! We have all seen misery and I do not want anyone else go through it either!"

All of the soldier's fighting spirits are returning to them. They reached for their weapons, tightened their armor, and prepared themselves and each other for a fight that will determine their fates. "Who do you want to protect? What do you want to protect? Which memories do you want to protect? Do you really want everything we have held dear for years destroyed now? I for one will not let that happen! I won't! Forget the differences between the Grasslanders and the Zexens! This is OUR land! It is time we forget our differences and fight together to protect what we cherish!"He screamed into the heavens his last sentence and raised his arm up in a hurrah. Everyone followed his example and a loud hurrah can be heard for miles.

"Yes! That's right!" a Zexen Soldier shouted.

"Yes! We'll never give up!" a Lizard Fighter shouted.

"Yes!" a wounded Kareya Fighter shouted as he picked up his sword with his one good arm. "The bearer of the True Fire Rune, the successor to the Flame Champion, is here with us! We will win!"

"This is the time to fight together!" a Zexen Soldier shouted. "Under the name of the Flame Champion!" A giant hurrah followed his shout.

"I vow to protect this land with this Rune!" Hugo said, raising his right hand up to let everyone to see the True Fire Rune. "Under the name of the Flame Champion!"

"Yeah! Oh Yeah!" a Lizard Fighter shouted.

"Flame Champion, Hugo! We come together once again under your new leadership!" a Duck Fighter shouted.

"To protect this land!" a Zexen Knight shouted. A lord cheer rose up as a renew hope to win came from Hugo.

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As the cheering went on off to the side four people are talking. "I guess that's it," Tina said, knowing that Hugo just needed someone to snap him into action.

"Well done my son," Lucia said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Well done my oh so manly son!" The smile on her face is ear to ear.

Thump!

Salome and Lucia jumped when Tina and Chris suddenly facefaulted.

"Is something the matter?" Lucia asked, very confused.

"No, it's nothing," Chris replied as she stood up. 'I guess mothers will be mothers no matter where you go. "Salome, gather a few volunteers from the soldiers and have them report to me. We have some traps to lay down. Did you get my letter with what I asked you to stock up on?"

"Yes, but what do you need all that pitch for?" Salome asked.

"Don't worry. You'll find out in a little while," Chris replied. Having seen war movies in her beloved's world had given her some ideas.

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Co-writer's notes

(A) At this point in time he does not know about Ranma's abilities.

(B) Remember that in the game he hinted at serving someone of the Highland royalty before he left.

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