Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Wild Stallion and the Drow ❯ Endings and New Beginnings ( Chapter 5 )

Standard disclaimer: Ranma ½ is from the mind of Rumiko Takahashi, and distributed in the US by Viz.  The elven gods and other visitors from Toril are from the equally fertile minds of Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb, as well as all the other writers who work for TSR.  That means I don't own any of them, and are just perverting them for my enjoyment as well as yours, I hope.

This story is a continuance based on Elle ½, an omake by Greg Sharp (AKA Metroanime), based on an idea he found at: addventure.bast-enterprises.de

That's done, now on with the story.

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The sounds of the Tendo patriarch calling a family meeting resounded through the house.  "Kasumi!  Nabiki!  Akane!"  This was followed by "Nodoka, Genma, would you please join us.  It has something to do with your son."

At the dining table sat Ranma and Eilistraee, waiting patiently.  After the families settled themselves down, Ranma, ignoring the heated looks from Akane, simply stated: "Mom, earlier today you asked me which one of my fiancées I love.  And to be frank Mom, I love them all; but all but one as family."

Kasumi and Nabiki both smiled faintly.  They knew Ranma would never have chosen either of them.  To them, and to Ranma, they were family; and to Nabiki even more so, since her goddess was engaged to him. 

Akane's fury increased.  How dare he pick another over me?  And it's going to be either that Amazon hussy, the crossdressing cook or that kuronin tramp.  What do they have that I don't?  Wait, he's probably under a spell cast by that black-skinned floozy.  Maybe if I train really, really hard I can defeat her and win back Ranma.  A more rational portion of her mind kicked in and reminded her of something.  We lost the last time we challenged her.  That's why oneechan looks like Eilistraee-because we were to prideful to not back down.  Maybe next time, we won't be so lucky.  This line of rational thought was, unfortunately, squashed rather quickly.

"Mom, Pops, I'd like you to meet the future Mrs. Ranma Saotome," the pig-tailed boy said, gesturing to Eilistraee, who was blushing fiercely under her skin.

Soun immediately unleashed his Demon-Head attack.  "No! You must marry a Tendo!"

Genma leapt up and joined his friend.  "Yes boy!  You must marry a…"

"No more."  The steel in Ranma's voice was enough to still his father's usual argument.  Of course, it was also possible that the fact that the pigtailed martial artist had let his aura out.  "I have spent the past ten years listening to you berate me, insult me, tell me what I was going to do with my life.  And, quite recently, whom I was going to marry.

"Well, Genma, you engaged me to at least seven different women and Kami knows how many men you engaged my cursed form to.  Honor demands that I marry one of them, but to the losers, their own honor will be lost.  There is nothing that I can do about that.  You can deal with the consequences of your irresponsible actions."  His voice softened, slightly, but there was still steel behind it.  "My heart has finally told me who to choose."

Nodoka had her patented "My son is so manly" look after her son's tirade.  Soun cleared his throat.  "If that is the way you feel, Ranma, then neither you nor your fiancée are welcome here."  There was a tone of finality in the Tendo patriarch's voice.

Ranma nodded and stood.  "If that's the way you feel, Tendo-san, then I'll abide by your request.  I'll go and pack my things."  As he walked out of the dining room, the pigtailed martial artist turned and faced his father's friend.  "Perhaps, if not in this generation, but in the next, that the families can be united."

"Well…that was anti-climatic," Nabiki muttered.

"It certainly was, child," Eilistraee said to her priestess.  "If you all will excuse me."  The Drow goddess stood and left as well.  Nabiki followed a few moments behind.

"Nabiki," her father called, "where are you going?"

"To my room.  I have a test to study for."

*          *          *

Ranma was busy packing up his rucksack, and raiding his father's stash of scrolls, when his official fiancée walked into the guest room.  "Stupid old fool, trying to control my life," he muttered, as he shoved one of his trademark outfits into his ruck.

"I'm sorry that this happened, Ranma," Eilistraee said, as she knelt next to her fiancé.

The cocky, self-assured martial artist looked at her.  "It would have happened sooner or later.  If I chose one of the other girls, you, or your father, would have come after me."  He saw that she was about to interrupt and placed a finger on her mouth.  "It wouldn't have been you or Corellon physically chasing me, but a curse or geas, or something along those lines.  Heck, when you found out about my curse, you could have locked it.

"But I chose you.  Sure, you damn near killed me, but that's as much my fault as yours.  You were my first real friend, and taught me how to enjoy life."  He chuckled.  "You also awakened something that I thought was long dormant after Akane found out about my curse-my emotions."  Eilistraee pulled her fiancé into a hug and kissed him passionately. 

When they heard a throat being cleared, the two scooted apart, faster than could be seen by the human eye.  Nabiki was smirking slightly, the mercenary in her wondering how much she could get for pictures of that tender moment.  "My lady.  Ranma.  I have some information for you.  I think I've found a most suitable place."  Ranma started to reach into his pockets.  "It's free of charge, Ranma.

"There's an abandoned shrine outside of Okayama that the being offered by the surviving family of the shrine priest for an outrageous sum.  Forests, a lake, even a house on the property.  So far, no developers have come forward because of the hefty fee.  I think I can talk them down to a reasonable price."

"It sounds like it would be the perfect place.  Nabiki, arrange for transportation and lodging near the shrine.  I would like to inspect it first, before we start negotiations.  I assume you'll be coming with us?"

Nabiki looked at her goddess.  "How did…" She started, but realized that her own bag was on the floor.  She nodded.  "There's not much left for me here.  If I stay, the first day that Kuno gets back, he'll attack me-and I like my head right where it is.

"Besides, I'm tired of living in Akane's shadow, I'd rather go somewhere that's never heard of her."

"Understandable, Nabiki.  Ranma, do you have any problem with Nabiki coming with us?"

"Nah.  She'll be able to get us some better deals on stuff.  She may have been a racketeer at Furinkan, but she knows how to wheel and deal."

"You think so little of me, Ranma, that you still consider me a money-grubber at heart?"  There was a fire in Nabiki's brown eyes that promised pain to the pigtailed martial artist if he gave the wrong answer, consort or no to Eilistraee.  In Ranma's eyes, Nabiki was never one to cross, even before her transformation into a dark elf.

As he started to waffle, Eilistraee answered for him.  "Nabiki, I can understand you threatening Ranma's father.  He is, after all an idiot; there are orcs and ogres that are smarter than the man that fathered my love.

"But Ranma is still learning to not 'speak first and think later'.  And I think he's making admirable progress."  She leaned in towards her priestess and whispered.  "He still needs a lot of housebreaking, but he's still a keeper."  Both girls chuckled at the expense of Ranma.  "Nabiki, go ahead make those plans.  We're leaving tonight."

"Of course, my Lady."  Nabiki nodded to her goddess and headed downstairs to make arrangements.

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Eilistraee nodded her head in approval of the shrine.  It reminded her so much of Arvandor, that she began to feel homesick.  The real estate agent looked again at the trio.  He was suspicious of them when they walked into his office in Okayama, with what appeared to be two women of indeterminate age wearing cloaks with their hoods up, and a younger gentleman, but their eagerness to view the old shrine had placed yen signs in his eyes as he thought of the commission he was going to earn off of this sale.  The yen signs appeared again in his eyes when he saw the wistful expression in the goddess's eyes.  "If everything meets with your approval, the asking price was…"

Nabiki interrupted the agent after an almost imperceptible nod from the goddess.  "It does, however there are some problems I noticed.  The house is in a state of complete disrepair, as is the shrine office.  And what about the utilities?  And the local schools?" Nabiki led the agent off as they began haggling over the prices.

Ranma placed his arm around his fiancée.  "I guess we'll be moving in then?"  She nodded, the movement barely perceptible under her hood.  "Then this'll finally be the home I've been looking for.

Eilistraee leaned her head against her fiancé's shoulder.  "Anywhere you are, is home for me, beloved."

The pig-tailed martial artist smiled, although she couldn't see it.  "Good.  I just wish there wasn't that damn lake there."

"I thought you were feeling comfortable with your curse, Ranma."

"I am, but just the fact that there's this potential for me to change…it's almost as if I can hear my curse longing to be activated.  Is there anything you can do about it?"

Eilistraee spun out of her fiancé's arms and took a look at his aura.  "I'm sorry, Ranma," she said, a sorrowful expression on her face, "but the magic that created this curse is stronger than what even I would be able to handle.  And I doubt either Father or Mystra could break this curse of yours, short of granting you a wish."

Ranma's face clearly showed the disappointment he felt.  "I…see," he said slowly.  "I had to ask."

"I know," his fiancée replied.  "I'm just surprised that you didn't ask earlier."

"There were too many problems back in Nerima.  And if you cured me, then the others would be pestering you for a cure as well.  And besides, as much as I hate it, my girl-side has come in handy at times."

He was about to continue when she interrupted.  "Your concern is grateful, beloved, but hardly necessary.  Where I would try to cure your curse for free, the others I would require a quest to find some obscure thing for me, like the cup of that charming carpenter from Nazareth that caught his blood as he died."

"I know you wouldn't want me to do anything, but I'd feel cheated if I couldn't earn the right to have been cured, Eil-chan.  It's just not in my blood to get a free power-up without earning it.  And I would want a task as difficult if not harder than theirs to win it."

Nabiki came up, preventing further private conversation.  "The original asking price was outrageous, but I managed to talk him down to something reasonable, with an extremely reasonable interest rate on the mortgage and minimal taxes."

"Thank you Nabiki.  Go ahead and finalize the arrangements."

"Hai, Sempai," the Japanese drow girl said, and walked back to the real estate agent.

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Night fell on the shrine, and as Ranma was cleaning up after a light dinner of vegetables found in growing wild in the fields around the shrine, rice and instant ramen.  Candles and a propane lantern lit the shrine, since the local power authority hadn't restored service yet.  With no power, no water from the well dug under the house, so all the water came from the lake.

The pools of light the candles threw in the house allowed the moonlight to filter through the windows.  During this time, Eilistraee taught her newest priestess the role of her church, trying to bring enlightenment to the drow and reconciliation with the surface elves.

With the last of the dishes done, Nabiki in quiet meditation in the living room, and Ranma on the dock working on attuning himself to the Wa of the shrine, Eilistraee sat soaking in the furo, enjoying the hot water.  She sat up when she sensed a familiar casting of magic.

"So, little sister has finally found someone.  Congratulations."  An extremely sensual she-elf sat on the edge of the tub, smiling at her kuronin sister.

"Thank you Hanali.  So how did you find out?"

The elven goddess of love and beauty smirked at her half-sister.  "Father knows all, sees all."  A silvery eyebrow arched up.  "Besides, he showed me the contract he signed with one Dark Horse Saotome."

Eilistraee glowered when she heard his name.  "Genma Saotome is a man that is just under Mother as people that have incurred my wrath."

Hanali grimaced.  "What did he do to incur that?"

"Besides selling Ranma to multiple families, and engaging him to a violent maniac, not much.  Other than pissing me off."  Hanali flinched at the wrath she felt coming from her sister.  "Sister, I have a question to ask."

"What is it?"

"I was sparring with Ranma, when I accidentally injured him…"

Hanali interrupted.  "Almost killed him you mean.  Eilistraee, I've known you ever since Father forgave you.  I know how skilled you are with the sword; else you'd not be the Goddess of the Sword.  If you wanted to injure Ranma, you would have found a way other than piercing his lung."

"How did you know about that?"

"That, my dear sister…is a secret."  The goddess of love smirked and her black-skinned sister splashed her.  The splashed areas highlighted some rather…interesting areas on the goddess.  "You want to know what happened before you tried to heal him, right?  And if I interfered."  Eilistraee nodded, and Hanali smiled.  "I did no such thing.  What you experienced was the power of True Love.

"It is said amongst the goddesses of love that the power of True Love is so strong that Death has a problem defeating it.  So you and Ranma will have a long and fruitful life together, unless either of you should suffer some fate…"

Eilistraee smiled.  "I know someone who'll be happy."

"Oh, who's that?"

"My mother-in-law.  She wants grandchildren to spoil."

Hanali smiled.  "And so does Father."
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