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Chapter Two
Mist swirled about the three boys, obscuring them from each other then
reveling parts of them. All three of them had headaches, Ranma likened it to
Akane being in her head pounding her brain to goop with her mallet.
She
looked over at her companions and wondered if they understood what had happened
to them. Ryoga she doubt it since he was fighting her.
Mousse on the other
hand had access to magic and she could believe he
would get caught in his own
spell. Then the mist closed about the redhead and her mind went blank.
Ryoga stared at the redhead in front of him he knew Ranma was to blame for
this he just hadn't figured out how yet. Well that doesn't really matter it was
his fault it was always his fault and now he was stuck in some strange mist with
his arch rival and away from his beautiful Akane.
The mist covered him again
and his thoughts faded as the mist caressed him.
Mousse looked worriedly between Ranma and Ryoga. This wasn't suppose to
happen he needed to get back to the Nekohanten and put the trunk away.
He
knew he should have done that before he left. If Cologne found out about this he
was dead!. He could talk his way out of it maybe Happosai was raiding the trunk
and Mousse gave chase. That might work or maybe it was Ranma looking for a cure,
that would be even better. Mousse grinned evilly at the blankly staring redhead.
The mist then slowly climbed his body and as it covered his head it claimed his
mind as well.
The mist cleared and two young men and one young woman lay on the cool grass
of a clearing in a heavily shadowed forest. The woman was the first to stir she
slowly stood the fell back to her knees her head spinning and a dull thumping
could still be felt in the back of her mind.
She crawled to the first male he
had long black hair and was wearing white robes. When she reached out to touch
him her hand brushed against something laying next to him. She picked it up to
find a pair of thick glasses shaking her head sadly she placed them gently on
his face then lightly shook him awake.
He started to wake up and the young redhead crawled to the next very muscular boy with short black hair held in place with a yellow and black spotted bandana. He is wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt with brown pants, with leather ties from his knees to his ankles. She gently shook him and when he started to come around she scooted back a ways so she could look at them both knowing she was going to be the one they blamed for this new turn of events.
The two boys moved slowly grasping their heads, the young girl realized they too had bad headaches. The one with the bandana looked up at her and snarled revealing a pair of fangs. The redhead just stared at him her eyes narrowed in controlled anger.
"DON'T YOU DARE BLAME THIS ON ME!" She shouted at the lost boy.
"WHY NOT IT IS ALWAYS YOUR FAULT!" He snarled back at her the other boy was about to agree when she stopped him.
"BECAUSE YOU MORON, COLOGNE IS THE ONLY PERSON WITH MAGICAL ARTIFACTS AND HE IS THE ONLY ONE OF US THAT HAS ACCESS TO THEM!" She shouted getting slowly into a ready stance.
Ryoga paused that made sense and besides he was fighting Ranma at the time he would have seen Ranma use a magical device. Ryoga turned to the Mousse his eyes narrowing to small slits. Mousse backed up and readied himself for a fight when he got his chance to say something.
"I WOULDN'T HAD TO HAVE USED IT IF HE WASN'T TRYING TO STEAL MY
SHAMPOO"
Ryoga liked that excuse and turned back toward Ranma.
Both boys stopped when they faced Ranma again the petite redhead was glowing brighter then the sun, but what frightened them was the color of her aura it was the same greenish-yellow of Ryoga's only darker, much darker. The two boys gulped and took several steps back from the glowing girl. She was tired of being the prize she was tired of being the scapegoat and she is definitely tired of being a punching bag for every wacko, fianc? or martial artist who refused to take responsibility for their own mistakes.
"I will not be blamed anymore for your own stupid actions. This is the only warning I am going to give!" Ranma growled low almost to low to be heard but they had heard her and they understood the implied threat that came with it.
Mousse and Ryoga stared at her unsure what to do this was not the normal cocky Ranma this was Ryoga with Ranma's skill and it scared the hell out of them. They slowly nodded they understood. Then breathed a sigh of relief when her aura faded. They gulped slightly as they still saw a thin line of her aura glowing around her. It is almost like she was so depressed and angry that she couldn't keep it all inside and it is leaking out.
"GET AWAY! LEAVE US ALONE! NNNNOOOOO!" The three martial artists looked up at the sounds of the scream and without thinking headed straight for it.
The three Nerimaians ran through the trees toward the screams, Ryoga pulling
out his new titanium reinforced bamboo umbrella from his pack.
Mousse
snapping his stainless steel claws on his hands ready for some action. Ranma's
aura blazed again as they cleared the trees to a dirt rode.
They only paused long enough to register that a woman with a crystal blue
staff was fighting about six to eight lizard men and strewn about them were
bodies of humans, bubbling pools and rubble. One of the lizards was about to
slice the woman in half with a large two edged sword. The Nerimaians took the
monsters in stride and prepared to do battle.
Ranma's aura of depression and
rage grew and she let loose with Ryoga's trademark chi blast.
"SHI SHI HOUKOU DAN!" The blast tore into the lizard about to the dissect the woman, knocking it into another lizard, the first had a gaping hole in its chest.
The wounded lizard then exploded taking out the one it landed on which turned to stone. The trio paused as that was something new. The remaining lizards charged toward the newcomers weapons drawn. Ryoga let fly with several bandanas they embedded into the sword arm of another lizard casing it to drop its weapon. The wounded lizard man charged Ryoga slashing at his throat. Ryoga ducked, and the lizard ripped a gash into his backpack. Ryoga then punched the strange creature in the stomach sending it flying into one of the bubbling pools of liquid.
"WATCH OUT FOR THE POOLS THEIR ACID!" Ryoga shouted a warning to companions as he watched the lizard dissolve.
His eyes widened as the remains of the lizard man increased the amount of acid in the bubbling pool. They others stopped and watched in surprise as the monster turned to a bubbling pool of acid. The remaining five or so monsters turned to face the three warriors. The woman ran to an unconscious man with long dark hair. One of the lizards closest to the woman grabbed her by her hair. He pulled her hair back and prepared to slice her throat open with a dagger from his belt.
Mousse let fly a dozen shurikens into the lizards dagger arm. The creature let out an angry scream of pain and reached down to snap the woman's neck only to find his attempt hampered by the presence of a petite redhead.
"KACHUU TENSHIN AMIGURIKEN!" The stunned woman watched in awe as the redhead's hands disappeared as invisible strikes hit her attacker.
Ranma rained over five hundred punches to the startled lizard man. The final punch sending it into the trunk of a tree. The tree cracked and fell over on the lizard snapping its neck. Ranma stared as the legs of the unmoving monster turned to stone. Ranma froze staring at the now statue lizard before her. A gasp from the woman brought Ranma to her senses in time to grab the wrist of another lizard which was yielding a large broad sword.
Ryoga and Mousse were being attacked by the last three of the
monsters.
The two martial artists cringed slightly at the sharp toothy grins
they large reptiles gave them. As the creatures charged the two
Nerimaians,
Mousse let fly with half a dozen chains totally cocooning one
lizard in them. He then with drew his staff with the duck shaped pot chair and
'thwacked' the charging lizard into a boulder on the other side of the clearing.
Ryoga fought the last monster using his broken umbrella to keep the creatures sward at bay. Ryoga reached out with his leg and kicked the beasts legs out from under it. The beast hit the ground hard getting the wind knocked out of it. Its sword flying from its grasp, it flew toward Ranma and the woman.
Ranma caught a glint of something shiny heading toward her and turned to see the large sword heading for the blonde woman. Ranma grabbed the woman and jumped straight up more then thirty feet. The sword passed under them and over the prone body of the man. Ranma flipped once and landed at her take off spot. The woman's eyes wide with fright and shock. Ranma looked around and saw the sword had embedded itself up to its hilt in the trunk of a tree.
Ranma looked around and saw the lizard that Mousse knocked into the boulder slowly rising. He grabbed the discarded weapon of one of his dead companions and charged the group. Ranma jumped and flipped to land in front of the charging creature. Her cocky grin returning as she prepared her attack.
"KACHUU TENSHIN AMIGURIKEN!" The shout drew the attention of the others as Ryoga and Mousse finished tying up the monster Ryoga and knocked down.
They watched as Ranma's hands blurred to invisibility. Their eyes grew when strange things began to happen to the giant lizard the little redhead was fighting with. They watched as its arms fell limp, it struggled to move its arms while Ranma continued her attack. It soon gave up the struggle as it collapsed to the ground since its legs could no longer support it. Ranma then reached down and with a gentle touch the lizard passed onto the waiting embrace of unconsciousness. They watched as Ranma came to the two monsters Ryoga and Mousse had bound and gagged in front of them. She leaned down and pressed the same spot on them and they soon joined their friend a forced slumber.
The three strangers looked around and found they had no one left to fight and
to the perspective of the woman they looked disappointed. They turned to her and
bowed then started checking her friends. The redhead would poke places on their
bodies then they would start to stir. When they came to her Riverwind the
redhead stopped as she examined his leg.
Which laid at an odd angle. They
started talking in a strange language and the two boys held down Riverwind while
she got ready to pull on his leg.
Goldmoon rose from beside her beloved to stop the girl but it was to late the young girl had pulled the leg and Goldmoon nearly threw up at the sound it made. Riverwind screamed but the two boys held him down. Then she watched in awe as the boy in white actually pulled out two pieces of wood four feet long from inside his robes. She fell to the ground with glazed eyes for she could take no more of the strange powers these three had when she watched the short hair boy pull off a dozen of the clothes from around his head and still had one and only left.
The redhead then used the wood as a splint for Riverwind's leg tying it off with the pieces of cloths from the other boy. She watched through her haze as the redhead pushed spots on Riverwind and watched in fascination as he glowed a little then began to come to. Her other friends she realized where standing behind her watching the trio with her, they were ready to attack but were to surprised to move when the three started tending to Riverwind.
The little child approached the trio a face full of curiosity. His hooplak by is side. He listened his face shined with excitement as the three strangers talked in a funny language. He watched as the redhead gently prodded Riverwind with gentle pokes. The little brown haired child listened quietly, so enraptured in the language he heard and wanting it to stop. The other companions stared in awe as it was the first time Tasselhoff was not talking a mile a minute.
"We are defiantly not on earth any longer!" Ranma stated the obvious the other two did not point that out, because they wanted someone to acknowledge that fact but just not them.
"So Mousse where did you send us?" Ranma asked as she turned her gaze to the young Amazon keeping a tight rein on her emotions.
She continued to divide her attention between her rivals, and her patient. She would check his flow of ki then press more shiatsu points to release another flow to help with his healing. She glowered at the two boys before her as she waited for an answer.
"We do not know where the artifact would send the target we were not even sure it would banish them. We assumed that is what it did because of the incantation. So I am afraid I don't know where we are." He told her with a sad look in his eyes, no wait it is a look more of fear.
"Spill it Mousse there is more isn't there?" For once Ranma was actually being perceptive, but both boys had noticed that after her fight with Saffron.
"I am afraid at being excited to find out Cologne had brought that magic with her I didn't cover my tracks very well, SIGH! and using it without permission is instant death." Ranma and Ryoga's eyes shot open with shock, Ryoga finally came out of his stupor.
"Mousse I wanted to get rid of Ranma just as much as you did but to use magic and one that will get you killed, it wasn't worth it!" Ryoga told him with earnest.
"Thanks a lot pal! Listen until we find a way home I say we call a truce. We are going to need each other and we can't get home if we are fighting every time we turn around. So what do say truce?" Ranma asked sticking her hand out to the other two Nerimaians.
Both Ryoga and Mousse looked at her outstretched hand with
skepticism.
They both realized she was correct but they just didn't want to
believe it came from Ranma. Slowly Ryoga placed his hand on top of Ranma's and
with a lopsided grin that showed one fang he agreed.
"Truce!" Mousse watched them, then slowly he too extended his hand.
"Truce!" When Mousse put his hand on top of the others in solidarity they were brought out of their conversation by an excited cheer.
They turned to see the three foot child standing in front of them leaning on his strange staff. Their eyes opened at the strange pointy eared child that was busy trying to look around Ranma at the man on the ground it was then that Ryoga noticed to other people and pointed to them. The other two looked over at the rest of the companions. They stood quickly and took a defensive stand over the downed man. Not sure if the others were friend or foe. They relaxed somewhat when the woman they came to save stepped forward, carrying a wood staff.
"Will he be alright?" Her voice was soft and lyrical and washed over the three teens like a gentle wave.
They heard the worry in her voice as she looked at the still unconscious man. They then looked up at the group in shock at their being able to understand them, then to each other. They turned and faced the companions suspicion evident on their faces. They took a step closer to the small group. The martial artists each got into a ready stance and their eyes narrowed in angry warnings.
"STOP! We don't know who you are or where we are for that matter, but you ain't gonna hurt him without coming through us first." Ranma told the group her eyes narrowing as the other two stood to cover Riverwind protectively.
The laughing by the strange child made the teens look down with curiosity. He
smiled up at the three of them, then back to his friends.
The little kender
bent over holding his stomach he was laughing so hard.
Then Raistlin stepped
forward pushing a tall muscular man from him. The trio of martial artists took
their fighting stances again but this time Ryoga and Mousse drew weapons. They
didn't know why but they felt this man was the most dangerous.
"We would not hurt Riverwind he is our friend if you would but let Goldmoon use her staff she can heal his leg instantly." Raistlin rasped out his strange eyes staring at the three fighters.
Raistlin stared the longest at Ranma to him it was almost like looking at an
elf. There was no decay around her what so ever, but he couldn't understand why.
The others were showing some decay but not like they should be. He also sensed a
strange power within them a magic based power but not enough to allow them to
cast magic. There was also the power they used against the Draconians that was
not magical in nature but it was a source of great power in the redhead and the
short haired boy.
The other boy also had the power but not as strong.
"Please he is my betrothed let me tend him." The three teens looked to Goldmoon and stood in awe of her beauty.
They marveled at her hair, which to them looked like the moon and sun had taken up residence on the top of her head. Ranma turned to his friends/rivals and the others nodded their ascent and she turned back and gave a nod to Goldmoon. Tasselhoff was still laughing but had begun to slow down to gasping chuckles.
Ranma and the others watched as a short stocky man with a long white bread
came up and grabbed the still giggling child by his top knot. They heard him
grumbling about a 'damn fool kender', they then turned their attention to the
woman as she laid her wood staff onto the prone man.
They watched in surprise
as it turned to the crystal blue staff. Then they saw Riverwind's eyes open and
he looked up at Goldmoon and smiled.
He sat up noticing the splint and
removed it. Then stood up completely helping Goldmoon to her feet.
Mousse quickly picked up the splints and handed Ryoga his bandanas which he put into his pack. The three teens then stood closer together, not sure what to do next. Ranma felt the stare of the golden man and turned returning the stare with narrowed eyes. The red robed man smiled knowingly at her then began to convulse with a hacking cough while leaning on a six foot staff with a dragons foot holding a green glowing ball at top.
Caramon watched with worry as his brother went forward to talk to the three strangers. He still did not believe Goldmoon's story of their power after all they are only kids. When his brother started coughing again, he moved to go to him when he stopped his mouth and those of the others agape. In a blink the redhead was standing next to the mage holding him up and again pressing parts of his body. Caramon marveled as his brother stood straighter and his coughing stopped and he began to breath a little more normally.
"Thank you! What did you do to me?" The mage asked the redhead, who just shrugged and walked back toward her companions.
"It is a martial arts technique called shiatsu points." She answered when she turned to face the group again, the big muscular guy moved next to the gold man.
"Stop it brother I am fine!" Raistlin rasped out at his brother getting a raised eyebrow from the three Nerimaians.
"Who are you? Did you really do what Goldmoon said you did? Is that what
shai..shait..whatsa points what you did to Riverwind? Your pretty!
Tika
almost has hair as red as yours. Are you going to travel with us..ack!" The
kender had escaped the grasp of the short stocky man and began doing what
kenders do best next to steal and that is talk.
He was cut off as the small man got a hold of him again, clamping his hand over the mouth of the pesky little fellow. The three companions smiled down warmly at the little boy. They then looked to the other companions and noticed two others with pointed ears and the one the kender called Tika, by her red hair. They watched as a man with a long mustache which reminded them of Soun stepped forward his armor glinting from the sunlight through the trees. They all noticed the faded rose on the front of the armor.
"Come we can talk later we must move on before more of the Draconians show themselves." The rest of the companions nodded in agreement and began to head down the road.
The three fighters stood and watched them leave when Tasslehoff broke free of Flint and ran back taking the hand of Ranma-chan and begun to drag her along. The other two following. Mousse a little bulkier as he had retrieved his property and those of the dead Draconian soldiers.
Ranma just looked down at the little elfin child now knowing him as a kender
what ever that was and he wasn't a child either though he acted childlike. Ranma
felt eyes burning into her and she looked up and saw the old short man staring
at her his eyes blazing with unveiled threats.
She took it to mean no harm to
the little kender and she smiled at him.
This disarmed the old dwarf and he
blustered and turned away. Ranma was soon flanked by her companions.
"This is so weird we can understand their language and even speak it yet we are not talking Japanese because when we do they act like they don't understand us." Ryoga commented to the nodding of his fellow martial artists.
"Um, Ranma where did you learn so much about Shiatsu points?" Ryoga asked his curiosity written on his face as he stared at her from the corner of his eyes.
"Yes, Saotome, I know you did not learn them from the old ghoul"
Mousse in
a way was happy to be away from Nerima so he no longer had to show false respect
for the elder.
"Well I did learn some of them from her only because she pressed them enough times." All three of them chuckled at that but none of them noticed the stares from the other companions.
They also did not notice the kender was quietly listening to the sounds of their strange speech. The kender's companions stared transfixed at the entranced little kender. Tanis watched him with a large smile as Flint just shook his head in exasperation. While looking at them over their shoulders.
"I think we should have them talk that funny language all the time! It will at least keep the fool kender quiet!" Grumbled Flint as the others chuckled and kept walking.
"I have been training with Dr. Tofu, I had decided I wanted more out of life then being my old man's meal ticket. He and Tendo only wanted me to run the dojo so they could sit back and live off my hard work. So I talked with Dr. Tofu and told him I wanted to do what he did and he has been helping ever since. He loaned me some books which now I guess I can't return." She looked up at the canopy of trees above her then down to her feet her head hung in resignation.
"I was planning on disappearing with Dr. Tofu's help he had gotten me an early enrollment in a college on Hokkaido away from all the chaos. I was finally taking control of my life." She fell silent as they continued to walk her weariness evident on her face.
Tasslehoff watched the three converse he wasn't to sure if the others could
tell but he could, the redhead was sad and very tired, yet not physically. Her
spirit looked tired to him, and he felt sorry for her.
He watched the other
two as she paused in her talking to collect her thoughts it was almost as if she
was debating to tell them any more.
The two boys looked at her with confusion then anger sprang from
nowhere.
They each grabbed an arm of the redhead trying to tear her apart as
the turned her to face them. She jerked free and jumped away from them spinning
to face them her anger growing. Then both boys growled at the same time.
"What about Akane!"
"What about Shampoo!"
"SIGH! You know I am SO tired of you two! You can't have it both ways you either be happy I am leaving them alone or be happy I am marrying them! It is my life not yours, not my father's, not the old ghouls and not my mother's! I can't marry someone I can not trust or that can't trust me!" She snarled back at them staring first at Mousse then Ryoga.
The other companions heard the gasp from behind and turned to see Ranma facing her two companions speaking angrily at them. It was Tasselhoff who had gasped as he stared awe struck at the fact that Ranma was glowing a bright golden blue. Her two friends had taken a step back as they remembered this as a prelude to the power that destroyed Saffron. Her aura deflated when she felt someone tug on her shirttail. She looked down to see wide eyed excitement in the eyes of the kender.
"Can you teach me to do that!" He asked hopping from one foot to another, the gruff Dwarf grumbled near by.
"Kender's top knot is to tight! He ain't got enough sense to be afraid of her!" He said as he buried his face in his hand.