Home Just In Communities Forums Beta Readers Dictionary Search Login Register Extras
Anime/Manga » Ranma » Dragons, Mages and Martial Artists font: B s : A A A . width: full 3/4 1/2
Author: Jerry Unipeg
Fiction Rated: M - English - Adventure/Fantasy - Reviews: 27 - Published: 04-02-08 - Updated: 04-05-08 - id:4172365
Ranma 1/2:
Dragons, Mages, & Martial Artists Crossover: DragonLance By: Dani Yanega (please respond to this e-mail address)
/yanega/index.htm or Visit my Mirror site at:
www.ranko.pwp./index.htm

Chapter Twelve

Tanis and Sturm burst through the trees surrounding the grove. Worry on their faces as they remembered Tika's hurried story of what had happened. They had lost sight to Caramon and his brother when they left Kadesh. The flash of light was their only clue as to where to look.

They stopped just inside the grove and stared in shock. Raistlin held tightly to the young stranger her glowing gray red hand in his and his glowing the same color. They watched in fascination as the light absorbed into the hands of the two people. They worried when Raistlin gasped his eyes wide and unfocused.

He soon began to rise with Ranma clutched tightly in his arms. When he paused his eyes going unfocused again and a small grin grew on his face. Tanis hated that grin it usually meant trouble for those around the mage. He walked up to his friend Sturm close behind him.

"Is he..!" Tanis stopped seeing the form Ranma was in.

"Is she alright?" He amended as he helped steady Raistlin when he stood.

"Yes, what are you doing here?" Raistlin asked his voice showing his displeasure at their appearance.

"Tika sent us she was worried, Is it true is she stuck?" Tanis asked the red mage.

"Yes, but that was something Ranma should have told you!" Raistlin growled at them scowling at his brother with uncontrolled rage.

"The last thing he needs is to have those other too know about this"
Raistlin's eyes flashed at the half elf and Knight of the Rose.

"I agree but I am afraid it is to late, Tika already told everyone." Tanis told the mage as he looked at the redhead in the mage's arms.

"We need to get back the others are worried! What happen to her?" Tanis continued as Raistlin picked up his staff and started walking.

"I don't know but when she regains consciousness I will find out." Raistlin pushed past his brother shrugging off his attempt to help with the small bundle he now carried.

Caramon's shoulders slumped and his eyes filled with sadness as he stared at his retreating brother. He jumped when a strong hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Strum staring at him. The look in the knights eyes made him feel even worse.

"We all make mistakes Caramon, but as a warrior of honor you should have known better then to tell Tika what happened to the boy without his permission"
Sturm admonished, the other nodding in agreement.

"I just hope he can forgive me!" Caramon watched as the mage and martial artist disappeared into the darkness.

"I am sure both will eventually, come let us return. You will be needed to keep Tika out of trouble." Sturm told him his eyes shining with unusual mischief.

The warriors and mage entered the inn, to be confronted by not just Tika but the other two women as well. Tika came forward with every intention of relieving the red mage of his bundle. What stopped her was his glowing golden eyes.

"She is going to be staying with us!" Tika hissed out which had no effect on the mage.

Raistlin looked around the inn and found it almost completely deserted, save for the rest of their party. His eyes fell on Ryoga and Mousse who were taking among themselves. Smiles of triumph on their faces. His scowl deepened. His eyes were not the only ones that noticed the two boys from Nerima. Strum and Tanis also watched them with keen interest.

"We have already had this conversation girl! Ranma is a boy in mind and spirit to force him with you will cause him nothing but problems. Within himself and from them!" The red mage hissed back as he nodded toward the oblivious teens.

Raistlin pushed past the three women and disappeared up the stairs. Tika started after them only to be stopped by Caramon. She turned her eyes flashing anger. She gasped and took a step back at the pain she saw in his deep brown eyes.

"I should not have broken Ranma's confidence and told you, but then I guess we're even since you broke your word to me in telling the others." Caramon told her his shoulders slumped and voice filled with sadness.

Caramon then followed his brother up the stairs. Tika watched as he slowly trudged up the stairs to face the wrath of her little brother. Tika lowered her head a single tear traveling down her face. She stood quietly listening as Caramon shuffled slowly down the hallway to his and the mage's room. Her head snapped up at the laughter coming from the companions of Ranma. Her eyes narrowed as she started for them, only to be stopped by Sturm.

"We will take care of them later, come let us retire things will work out by morning." Strum predicted.

Tika nodded and followed her friends upstairs. They all ignored the two teens from Nerima as they talked animatedly. The two boys laughter followed the group upstairs. The friends cringed at the sound. Tasslehoff stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look down at the two boys. He was surprised he felt anger.

He turned when he felt a rough strong hand land on his shoulder. His dark brown eyes met the steel blue ones of Flint. Tasslehoff let the old dwarf lead him away and to their room. The kinder looking over his shoulder toward the inn's common room and two people he was beginning not to like very much.

Caramon slowly opened the door to his room. He could hear muffled voices deep inside the darkness. He entered and closed the door behind him. He turned to face the room and found Raistlin trying to keep Ranma from jumping from the window.

"Brother?" Caramon looked at them his face confused and angry.

"It is alright brother. Ranma just wants to sleep in the roof but I am trying to convince him it is not safe." Raistlin told his brother without even looking at him.

Ranma looked at the big warrior her eyes flashing in the candle light. She tried to be angry but it was not in her nature. Though she is fast learning that art. Ranma walked up to Caramon and looked up at his six foot tall frame and with a smile filled with sadness and pain she laid a hand on his arm. Since she really could not reach his shoulder.

"Caramon it is alright. You didn't mean to hurt my by telling Tika and I know she didn't mean it either. She and you were just worried about me and SIGH it is kinda nice to have people that actually care about what happens to you.
Thanks." She gave him a quick short hug then pushed past him and left the room.

"Well at least we can take her a blanket and pillow." Raistlin said as he walked up to his stunned brother.

Raistlin picked up a blanket and a pillow and followed Ranma out the door.
Caramon watched him with confusion. He then shrugged his shoulders then followed his brother out to go check on their new friend.

Raistlin and Caramon stood out in front of the inn and looked up toward the ceiling. They just made out the silhouette of Ranma sitting on the peek of the roof. They looked at each other with amazement, when Caramon finally voiced what they were thinking.

"How'd she get up there?" He asked looking around for something that would help them get to the roof.

"It seems brother there is a lot to this martial arts we don't know." Raistlin explained a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

The stared back up to the roof when a movement caught their eyes. In the darkness they could make out two shapes heading from the redhead as she sat on the roof. They watched their eyes adjusting to the dark. They saw her stiffen and a faint blue glow appear around her.

Ranma slipped down the hallway toward a window at its end. She opened the window and jumped through and up toward the roof of the in. She quietly walked to the center of the peek and sat down in a lotus position. With her back straight she began to meditate as Dr. Tofu had taught her. A warm smile touched her face as she thought of the good doctor. Her only true friend in Nerima.
Well he and Kasumi, but Kasumi was more looking out for her family then Ranma.

She still, however thought of Kasumi as a friend and always would. Sadness came to the smile as their faces appeared before her. Only to be replaced by that of his mother.

She pushed that image away as She could not bare to think about her right now.
He would talk to Raistlin in the morning about what happen at the grove but tonight she needed to think on things herself. She opened her eyes briefly and made out the Majere twins trying to figure out how to reach her.

She smiled and shook her head. She then closed her eyes and began to meditate.
She did not need the pillow and blanket she saw in their hands she just needed to think. Her aura would keep her warm. She allowed a small aura to surround her as she remembered Raistlin's warning before coming into Kadesh.

Ranma's meditation was cutoff when she felt two people she did not want to deal with at this time. She stiffened but kept her eyes shut as though she were still deep in meditation. She monitored their approach and their emotions. She knew why they were there and she knew they were not going to like the outcome.

Ryoga and Mousse finally stopped Ranma bashing long enough to notice they were the only ones left in the inns common room. With happy smiles they headed up the stairs to bed. At the top of the stairs they saw Raistlin and Caramon head down the back stairs carrying a pillow and blanket of all things.

They shrugged and entered their room. Mousse lit the light and found Ryoga looking for something. He watched the lost boy for a moment trying to figure out what it was he was doing. When he could stand it no more he asked him.

"Ryoga what are you doing?" Ryoga looked up at his friend in need his eyes full of confusion.

"Ranma's things are gone." He said flatly, Mousse rolled his eyes.

"Of course they are she is staying in the mage's room, remember." Mousse told him with a small bit of exasperation.

Ryoga looked at Mousse first with confusion, then his eyes narrowed as he remembered Caramon removing Ranma's things. He lowered his head and shook it slightly. He then looked up at Mousse with a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, yeah I forgot. I guess that black mage's potion is working on me a little." He tried to explain away his forgetfulness.

"If Ranma was staying with the Majeres why did they leave with a pillow and blanket?" Ryoga asked innocently of his companion.

"I don't know maybe Saotome is on the roof." Mousse told him as he got ready for bed.

They continued to get ready for bed when Mousse's statement brought them up short. They turned and smiled at each other then left their room. The spotted the still opened window at the end of the hall. The head to and out it, landing squarely on the roof.

In the darkness they made out the female form of Ranma meditating. They saw her aura flicker in but it was small and stayed tight around her. They did not see anyone else on the roof. Nor did they pay any attention to the fact they had an audience below them. With smiles of sadistic glee they moved toward Ranma.

The two boys stood a few feet away from the tense glowing girl their smiles growing even wider. Ryoga moved to sit on one side of the redhead while Mousse flanked her other side. They sat quietly for a moment both boys relishing the fact that they have won against their most hated foe.

"Well Saotome now that you are free from your engagements I guess the only thing left for you to do is marry Kuno." Ryoga told the girl her eyes still shut and her face showing no signs of listening.

"I am sure the old ghoul can find you a villager that will take you! I am sure she won't want to give up the chance of getting you into the tribe." Mousse added both looking for any response from their victim.

Ranma's mind clicked at Mousse's comment about the Amazons. When she remembered something from the conversation with her mother. She remembered a scroll and the mummy calling her 'Elder'. She wish she had asked about that but there wasn't time. There was not enough time.

Ranma's hand began to tingle. She reflectively clenched and unclenched it as she felt something pull at her mind. She tried to block out the feeling as it didn't hurt it was just persistent. She opened her eyes and they fell on the two men on the ground.

She saw that Raistlin's hand was glowing a grayish red. She looked down at her hand and saw it was also glowing the same color. She brought her hand up to her face and studied it. Mousse and Ryoga watching her with anger and confusion.

Mousse and Ryoga were getting angry they finally won and Ranma would not rise to their taunts. Their eyes are drawn to a movement of Ranma's hand. They stared as she opened and closed her hand. Their eyes widened as they watched it begin to glow a grayish red. The flare of the same color glow from below draws Ryoga's attention to the ground to see Raistlin's hand glowing the same color.

"Elder what happened to my Daughter?" Taji looked over at her older daughter who sat staring at her right hand.

"Well I am not totally sure but I believe when Nodoka and Ranma tried to touch each other the blood on their hands reacted with the spell." Cologne sat at the table drinking some tea.

Across from her sat the matriarch of the Takashi clan her husband sitting next to her. Their children surrounded their sister all had looks of worry on their faces. The youngest daughter Mirako was examining her sister and her hand.

"What does that mean?" Keitaro asked ignoring the glare he got from the Chinese Amazons.

"Well I am not sure but since what ever happened, also seemed to have effected me. I would say that we might now have a permanent link to son-in-law"
Cologne looked at them a wry smile on her face.

"Are you sure, Elder?" Nodoka snapped to attention at that statement.

"Yes and no. When I took your hand after spells abrupt end the spell absorbed into both our bodies. I am more attuned to strange phenomena then you and I felt a fourth power join us in that after spell." Cologne's eyes took on a far away look of a hungry greed, reminding her granddaughter of Nabiki.

"What do you mean 'after spell'?" Mirako asked as this seemed to fit into her esoteric medical training.

"The spell mutated when Ranma and your sister tried to touch through the spell.
The additional blood on their hands added to power of the spell. I also believe that since son-in-law now carries the magic of three curses that magic added to the spells mutation." She paused and sipped her tea while gathering her thoughts.

"When the spell began to encase my hand as well as Nodoka's I felt a very powerful entity there as well. A man from this new world she is on. He is probably a magic user. I believe the spell added him to the link as it added me." The Takashi clan stared transfixed at the two foot elder their eyes opened wide in stunned awe.

"Are you sure I mean real magic?" Hiroshi asked as he stared at the woman with uncertainty.

"SNORT! Fool you were just party to a magical communication and you now doubt its existence." Cologne shook her head and tsked in disgust at the male's ignorance.

"I felt him as he pushed additional magic into the spell. I believe he was trying to strengthen the link so that Ranma could continue to communicate with us. Why I don't know. It may be he wants access to the magic in our world or he could just want to help Ranma. I however think it might be both." Cologne continued ignoring the glares she received from the men in the room.

"How do you know that? I felt nothing like that?" Nodoka asked as she stared down at her hand a tingle drawing her attention.

"I am more attuned to reading such things child. I have learned much in my three hundred years." Cologne smiled at the worried mother as she watched her opening and closing her hand.

"You feel it too then, child." Nodoka looked up at the question with shock, but nodded.

"Yes it seems we are linked in a four way communication with Elder Saotome"
Cologne finished as she held up her hand which glowed grayish red.

Cologne holds out her hand to Nodoka who reaches over with her glowing hand and it. They then watch as the smoke swirls around their clasped hands. The smoke shot up into a small geyser then ending in a sphere. Cologne pushed her thoughts threw their connection to the other side instructing the other two what they need to do.

Ranma stared at her glowing hand her mind filling with pictures of her mother.
Her face contorts into a grimace as the old ghoul floats around the image of her mother. She then looked down to Raistlin and saw his hand glowing gray red.
She stood, ignoring the two boys on either side of her and jumped up and out from the roof. She flipped several times and landed gently on the ground between the two stunned men.

Ranma smiled at them then held out her hand to Raistlin who smiled back and took her small delicate glowing hand into his larger glowing one. The two of them ignored the fact that Mousse and Ryoga had followed Ranma from the roof.
Caramon on the other hand did not.

Caramon and Raistlin stared down at his glowing hand, Caramon looking worriedly at his brother. Raistlin patted the big man's shoulder as he looked up at Ranma. Raistlin and Caramon watched their eyes wide as Ranma jumped up and out from the roof going even higher. They watched in stunned silences as the redhead flipped several times then straightened out to land softly between them.

Ranma looked between the two brothers a cocky grin lit her face. Caramon stared at her with awed confusion. While Raistlin smiled down at her with something akin to pride. Ranma held out her glowing hand to the mage. He looked down at it, never noticing the arrival of Mousse and Ryoga. Caramon did and his eyes were as big as dinner plates at the ease with which they jumped from the roof.

Raistlin put his glowing hand into Ranma's causing a gasp from the other three.
The grayish red glow swirled around their hands then shot forth into a small pillar ending in a sphere. The group watched as an image began to materialize.

"Greetings son-in-law, it seems you and your mother have over come our need to find a way to communicate. Though I do believe I and that strange man next to you must be present for it to work." Cologne's craggy old face appeared before the huddled group.

Raistlin looked around and found the streets deserted. Ranma noticed this and started pulling Raistlin into the alley beside the inn. Caramon and the others followed them. Caramon following his brother's lead and kept watch for prying eyes. Once in the alley Caramon set himself to guard the entrance but close enough to hear.

"Well aren't you going to introduce us to your friends, son-in-law?" Cologne asked as Nodoka's face became visible to the others.

"This is Raistlin and that is his brother Caramon Majere. The old ghoul there is Cologne Elder of the Amazons. The other is my mother Nodoka Saotome." Ranma finished a sad wistful smile on his face as she stared at both women before her.

"Greetings mage, warrior. I am glad to see Ranma has met up with such fine young men." Cologne told them her eyes narrowing at the figure behind them.

"Do not hide boy! If not for the wishes of Elder Saotome Ranma, Nodoka and Takashi Taji you would have been killed instantly upon your return!" Cologne snarled at the blind boy as he tried to hide behind Ryoga.

"Cologne that why do you keep calling me Elder?" Ranma asked her curiosity finally overriding her desire to talk with her mom.

"It seems Ranma you are the member of two Japanese clans that have a history with my people." Cologne started, she then told her what her mother had found out.

Ranma listened to the Amazon elder her eyes wide with shock. She heard the rustling of paper behind her and knew Mousse was looking up the passages in his Amazon Law Book. Raistlin smiled evilly when the gasp escaped the blind boys lips.

When Cologne finished, Nodoka told her child of the Morboshi clan and her training in the Ninjistu art and how she is now the Amazon matriarch of that portion of their clan.

The women finished by tell Ranma about her standing as the Saotome Matriarch and as long as she appeared in female form they won't mind her being male. Cologne and Nodoka glared at Ryoga as he laughed at the last statement. They then introduced Ranma to his grandparents and uncles and aunt.

Ranma struggled to keep the tears in check as she found she was not really that alone at home. She smiled softly as she thought of going home to be with her family. The wonderful thoughts were cut off when Cologne began asking questions of Raistlin and his grip on Ranma's hand tightened.

"So young mage it seems you and I will be working together to unfreeze son-in-
law. What can you tell me of the potions and herbs used." Cologne leaned in close to scrutinize the man before her eyes widened slightly at what she saw.

"My I have never seen such color for skin. What is wrong with your eyes? Why are your pupils shaped like hour glasses?" Mousse, Ranma, and Ryoga stood transfixed as they had never heard Cologne so excited or ask so many questions before.

"It is an after effect of my taking my final tests to become a mage. That is all I can tell you." Raistlin stared at the woman before him.

His eyes saw nothing but he knew she was there because of the light from her strong life force. He remembered Ranma telling him this woman was over three hundred years old and not an elf. So he understood why all he could see of her was her life force.

"Fascinating, and the potion used on those three?" She asked again of the mage.

"I found Dargus' ale mug and analyzed the content. I am afraid there was not enough left to tell what he used. He had taken the bowl were he mixed what he gave to Ryoga and Mousse. What he put in his ale to use on Ranma was to diluted." Raistlin lowered his head sadly.

"Don't worry young man, just take care of my child until we can bring him home"
Raistlin looked up at the voice to see a woman's decay form before him.

"I will madam." He said finally as the turned to look at Ranma, seeing a bright white glow surrounding her.

"Ranma we have to go now we have a meeting at the Tendos. We'll talk later I promise." The connection was broken by her mother and Cologne.

Ranma stared at the grayish red globe as it slowly dissipated. She sighed and turned to leave forgetting that Raistlin still had her hand. She stopped and looked at her his gaze deep and piercing. Raistlin and Caramon led her back into the inn she finally giving in to the stress.

Mousse and Ryoga watched her go, neither knowing what to say or do. Mousse owed his life to her and her family. Even if he was banished. Ryoga thought about the fact that he was now an Amazon and what that meant to him. He completely overlooked the fact that he was told his status was removed because of his lack of honor.

The two boys slowly walked back into the inn their minds deep in thought. They climbed the stairs to their room. Their eyes glazed and full of confusion.
They entered their room and slowly closed the door behind them. The still of night was broken when the scream echoed through the inn and town.

"RANMA THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"



Return to Top