Bastard!! Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ The Hero of Prophecy. ❯ Hot Springs and Old Laws ( Chapter 10 )

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Chapter 10

Hot Springs and Old Laws

 

“Joan, why don't you escort our visitors to their rooms so they can rest.” Allura asked a servant who was nearby.

 

“Yes Princess.” Joan nodded and bowed. “If you ladies and gentleman follow me.”

Allura watched as the group walked away to their rooms and she herself walked to another room. Two women were waiting for her. One was Sonya and the other was dusky dark-haired woman.

 

“So Ranma passed the trial, Princess.” Sonya stated.

 

“Yes he did Sonya.” Allura sat down in a chair.

 

“He's not what I expected in a hero though.” The dark-haired woman said.

 

“True Maria but he did pass the trial.” Allura stated back. She herself was thinking what Ranma had gone through the trial. Facing a past like the one he had was pure torture.

 

Allura could see that Ranma was rough around the edges and yet she could see that despite all the betrayals and torture done to him by his family and friends he had a good and kind heart. How he had kept that when most other people would have broken down and/or been evil she did not know but she did knew that Ranma had kept his good heart despite everything done to him.

 

“Princess. Princess? Are you all right?” Maria asked.

 

“Yes I am fine. I was just lost in my thoughts.”

 

“So did you tell him about the law?” Sonya asked.

 

“No I did not.” Allura said. Both of the women listening gasped.

 

“But why?” Sonya asked.

 

“Why not?” Maria added in.

 

“Part of Ranma's life being so bad was because of a law like that.” Allura explained. “You see ladies he ran afoul of the Amazons that have a law like that. The law states if a male warrior outside the Amazon nation defeats a female warrior then that female warrior must give the male warrior that defeated her the Kiss of Marriage and marry him. The male has no choice in the matter.”

 

“Please tell me you're joking Princess.”

 

Allura just shook her head.

 

“What about an outside female warrior?” Maria asked.

 

“The Kiss of Death.” Allura could see the understanding in Sonya and Maria's faces.

 

The three women remained silent for a while until Allura stood up.

 

“Well I better tell Ranma about the law.” Allura quietly said and walked out of the room.

 

 

As Ranma's group walked on their way to their rooms Ranma looked down. He could see that he needed a good soak in a tub. As the Deedlit and the others walked to their rooms Ranma asked if there was a place he could enjoy a good, long soak. Ranma nearly panicked when the women with them smiled and nodded saying they would enjoy a nice soak as well.

 

The maid said she would guide them in half an hour to the springs.

 

 

Once Ryoko was settled in her room she pulled out a necklace and chanted some words at a mirror. She hardly had to wait as a beautiful woman with dark amethyst eyes with long black hair showed up in the mirror. Ryoko knelt down to the image of the woman.

 

“Your highness.”

 

Misato, Crowned Princess of Japan, sighed and told her to get up.

 

“Ryoko, for the last time do not kneel to me. We are friends.”

 

“Yes Misato-sama.” Ryoko stood up. “I have located Ranma Saotome.”

 

Misato was about to say something when what Ryoko had said registered.

 

“So when will you be bringing him back so we can claim the reward on his head.” Misato asked.

 

“I won't be your highness.” Ryoko answered. “There is much going on that doesn't make any sense, Misato-sama.”

 

“What are you talking about, Ryoko?” Misato was now curious.

 

Ryoko then explained what was going on especially the government coming and threatening Ranma by locking him in his cursed form. As Ryoko kept talking she noticed her princess' eyes narrowing and narrowing becoming mere slits.

 

“So that's what happened.” Misato finally said.

 

“Your highness. I think someone is actually planning to use Ranma to gain the lands of Strawberry Fields for our country. Someone in the government.” Ryoko said. “I wouldn't be surprised if a contract between Genma Saotome and/or Nabiki Tendo popped up somewhere stating that if Ranma freed Strawberry Fields then it would become part of Japan. As you know the laws of Strawberry Fields if one pasts the tests then he would marry the princesses and the Queen Integra thereby becoming the ruler of this land. I wouldn't be surprised if something like that shows up and Ranma had no idea that contract existed.”

 

“But would Genma or Nabiki sell Ranma out like that?” Misato asked.

 

“It's most likely, Misato-sama. Plus there is a chance that the marriages between Ranma and the royalty of Strawberry Fields would most likely be declared null and void. Queen Integra and her cousins would be married off to nobles of Japan and Ranma would most likely be married to that that……….poor excuse for a girl, Akane Tendo.”

 

“Why do you think that, Ryoko?”

 

“If you remember Genma cares for nothing but himself and his stomach and vices. If he has to sell his son into slavery to feed himself for a meal he would do it. The only reason that Genma wants Ranma to marry Akane is so that Ranma can run the dojo while Genma retires living off Ranma's sweat. Nabiki wants Ranma under her control. She sees him nothing but a piece of property. Imagine the power she could wield if the savior of Strawberry Fields was under her control.” Ryoko answered.

 

“So you think Ranma is just a tool of these two plus whoever knows of this.” Misato surmised.

 

“Yes, your highness. I think someone planned Ranma having a huge bounty on his head ever since he put The Blue Dragon Knight in the hospital for three months and that's how Kuno found Ranma whenever he tried to start a new life.” Ryoko breathed deeply. “The hell Ranma's been in is someone else's doing.”

 

“I will see what father knows but keep close to Ranma and let me know of his progress.” Misato ordered.

 

“Yes. Please be careful your highness. It's quite possible your father knows of this but not of Ranma just being a mere tool in this endeavor.” Ryoko cautioned her mistress.

 

“Yes and you too.” With that the mirror cleared and Ryoko breathed deeply wondering how Misato will deal with this.

 

 

In the Imperial Castle in Tokyo Misato was thinking quietly. If what Ryoko had said was true then someone in the government had set this whole thing up. She nodded to herself then left the room to speak to her father.

 

 

In the hidden castle a young man was taking a relaxing soak in the hot spring in the castle. Ranma just sighed in enjoyment as he closed his eyes. After being chased by bounty hunters and the Blue Dragon Knight, then coming to Strawberry Fields and fighting a few battles, and finally meeting the Princess Allura and passing her trial this was heaven.

 

Except when Akane came in during his soak because Nabiki misplaced the sign just to get a few laughs when Akane would mallet him because he was in there and being a pervert.

 

Well he had no reason to worry about that right now since the mallet terror was hundreds of leagues away from him.

 

Ranma opened his eyes just in time to see Deedlit poke her head out from behind the barrier and smile. Ranma began to freak out seeing that this would turn into to him being smashed into the ground. Deedlit's eyes were wide seeing the firm rock muscles and Ranma's fine form. The elf licked her suddenly dry lips a couple of times.

 

“Hey Ranma you mind if we joined you?” Deedlit asked with her voice suddenly becoming husky.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Since there is only this hot spring since the other is being repaired we need to use this one and since we can share…” Deedlit left her sentence unfinished.

 

“Ah sure let me get dry and dressed so you can use it.” Ranma said.

 

“It's alright Ranma. You don't have to leave.” Deedlit said.

 

As soon as the blonde elf said that all the women in Ranma's group walked in wearing nothing but small towels covering their bodies. The towels were on tight so Ranma saw was transfixed staring at his friends. His gaze took in their long smooth legs showing. His gaze moved up and he gulped hard at the obvious healthiness of the women.

 

Ranma was frozen stiff as all the women walked into the hot spring with smiles on their faces. They had noticed Ranma just staring at them with admiration. Deedlit and Arshes Nei each took a place to one side of Ranma and sat down with Ryoko, Sean, and Kai sitting around them.

 

Deedlit and Arshes Nei just leaned their bodies over and snuggled into Ranma. Ranma stiffened a bit when this happened. The two elves noticed this and sighed.

 

“Relax Ranma we're not going to pound you.” Arshes Nei worked on calming the young man.

 

“You're not?” Ranma asked.

 

“No because we asked to join you here and you've done nothing wrong.” Sean said.

 

“But isn't the guy a pervert if a girl comes in wanting to use the bathing area and he sees her naked or near it?” Ranma asked. Ranma still had nightmares where Akane would hit him for even looking at a woman.

 

All the women there even Ryoko were just staring at the young man. They had seen Ranma's past and had witnessed Akane pounding Ranma for being a pervert on the most stupid of reasons or for no reason at all.

 

“Actually Ranma if you are in the bathing area and you have the occupied sign up and someone walks in then it's that person's fault.” Ryoko said.

 

“But Akane would always blame me and say it's my fault.” Ranma shot back. “Something about it being different if a boy looks at a girl then a girl looking at a boy.”

 

Now the women were just angry because thanks to Akane Tendo Ranma had developed serious problems with dealing with women.

 

“That's the worst excuse I have ever heard about anything.” Kai fumed. “Ranma, the problem comes from not only dealing with Akane, a girl who could never admit her mistakes or shortcomings but from Genma Saotome as well.”

 

Everyone including Ranma looked over at the woman as she leaned back causing her chest to move up.

 

“As you must have noticed Ranma the thing about Akane is that because she is so spoiled and gets what she wants she has never admitted that she was wrong. When you showed up and it became clear that you were better than her in everything she began to blame you for everything and because everyone there wanted that spoiled brat happy they agreed with Akane.” Kai took a deep breath, which did interesting things to her chest. “You see Ranma that Akane you could blame you for everything and she did. Even if she was wrong. Especially coming into the bathing area when you were using it. She never admitted she was wrong because in her mind she could never be wrong.”

 

“Why did you include Genma, Kai?” Ryoko asked.

 

“What did you notice when Genma was training Ranma?” Kai asked everyone in the hot spring.

 

The silence was deep as everyone there thought on Kai's question. Finally a voice near the entrance answered Kai's question.

 

“The thing I didn't notice about during Ranma's growing up was girls.” Everyone turned to the entrance and was completely shocked to see the princess there with her golden hair hanging loose and her in the same small towel as the rest. Her green eyes had finally seen Ranma and there was redness in her cheeks as she stared at Ranma. `Why can't I look away? It's not proper to stare at a near nude man but those muscles.'

 

Allura was not in the world as her legs walked her to where Ranma was sitting and she sat opposite of him. As Allura was admiring him and wondering where her properness was Ranma was admiring her thinking about her shapely legs and large chest.

 

“Princess Allura.” Sean said then finally shaking the Princess managed to break the Princess out of her trance. “What did you mean about not noticing any girls when Ranma was growing up?”

 

“Well think about it. Did you notice any girls in the visions of Ranma's past when he was growing up? I didn't.” Allura answered.

 

“What about Ukyo? She was a girl…” Ryoko started to say.

 

“…that Ranma thought was a boy.” Deedlit finished. “I get what you are saying though. Ranma's only source of information about girls was Genma and he's not very knowledgeable about them even if he pretends to be. Of course Genma kept Ranma isolated from girls.'

 

“Right. Ranma at that time would have considered girls another race or something. Plus when Ranma met Akane he must have been so lonely for friendship that when Akane asked to be his friend and than betrayed him he didn't care and that he suffered through her abuse.” Arshes said.

 

“Right.” Kai said. “Why are you here Princess? Princess?”

 

Kai sighed as Allura went back to her trance at staring at Ranma's hard rock muscles then shook her head to shake herself out of her trance.

 

“I just wanted to scrub Ranma's back.” Allura's face turned cherry red as she glanced at Ranma again. “But the main thing was to tell him of the law of passing a trial.”

 

“What law?”

 

“That he and I are engaged to be married.” Allura quietly said. “I didn't want to say anything but I figured that being honest was the best way to approach this. I saw how much trouble he had with the Amazons and I didn't want to cause any trouble.”

 

“Why is there such a law?”

 

“It makes sure that a good person who would treat the lands and people well would rule.” Allura answered. “I truly didn't want to bring this up or force this law on Ranma.”

 

“It's a good thing that a man can have multiple wives in Strawberry Fields or otherwise we would have trouble.” Deedlit said.

 

“WHAT!?”

 

“Didn't you know?” Arshes asked. Ranma shook his head. “Because women outnumber men in our country by so much a man can have as many women that agrees to share him.”

 

“But isn't that a bit perverted?” Ryoko asked.

 

“In your eyes maybe but we believe every woman has a right to be happy with a man and if that means sharing a man than so be it.” Sean said. “That doesn't mean we treat men as objects or prizes though.

 

“That make sense if you explain it that way.” Ryoko thoughtfully said. The redheaded samurai was thinking of this. She had only met Ranma a little while ago and was thinking about winning his heart to be hers and the others would loose.

 

A big splash alerted the women to an unwelcome presence in the hot springs. Ranma quickly stood up and took a stance. Standing up shaking her head was a beautiful woman with dark hair dress in a kimono plastered to her well-formed body. Ryoko gasped at seeing her here.

 

“Princess Misato.” The woman looked at the redhead with her amethyst eyes.

 

“I made it.” The woman whispered. She looked at Ranma and blushed hard. `No I know why Ryoko is staying with Ranma. If I had a man with that kind of muscle on his body I would too.'

 

“Princess why are you here?” Ryoko asked.

 

“Had to come. Father was about to marry me to the man who planned this entire thing out.” Misato said. “You were right Ryoko. Someone planned this out but I had no idea I was also a prize in this as well.”

 

“Planned what out?” Ranma asked.

 

“Of using you as a tool to add the lands of Strawberry Fields to Japan.” Misato answered.

 

Everyone there wore thunderstruck looks on their faces and Misato realized that she had a lot of explaining to do. Especially on what she had learned before she had to flee the castle.

 

End chapter

Next chapter

An Imperial Princess of Japan joins them and reveals the plot to conquer Strawberry Fields to them.