Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Wild Stallion and the Drow ❯ Training ( Chapter 7 )

Standard Disclaimer:  Not mine; don't own any of the characters except those I create.

"For what you've done to Akane, Ranma, prepare to die!"

Around the front of the house, there were several elven warriors, a few walking wounded but mostly perfectly fine.  At Ryouga's pronouncement, the yard got very, very quiet.  Slender hands were placed on hilts; bows were restrung and tested.  "Uh, Ryouga, I wouldn't have made that particular announcement.  These elves are a little…what's that American phase again…ah, yes-trigger happy."

"I don't see any of Santa's little helpers around, Ranma," Ryouga scoffed.

"Of course not, because those 'elves' are actually Tinker Gnomes."

"Quit trying to sidetrack me, Ranma.  You left Akane to cavort with these other women, you cad."  Several of the female elves, some among the best archers in the Realms, felt the fanged boy had gone too far knocked and drew arrows.

His fatigue forgotten, Ranma grabbed the fanged boy by the front of his shirt.  "Ryouga, you don't know what happened.  Pop signed a contract with Eilistraee's father, which nullified all past and future marriage agreements.

"Besides, why should you care anyway?  Akane's free now."

"You made her cry," Ranma's nemesis said.  "She told me all about some black skinned wizardress that cast a spell on you to make-Urk!"

Eilistraee intervened at this point, shifting to her 9' tall incarnation, grabbed the fanged Lost Boy by his throat and hoisted him up.  Even his training in the Bakusai Tenketsu wasn't protection against an enraged goddess.  "Ms. Tendo challenged my honor and engagement to Ranma, and I defeated her.  She still breathes because her sister chose honor and family over selfishness.

"And without any coercion on my part, Ranma chose his fiancée, which would destroy the honor of the other contenders.  As it was, I was the winner."

"But…he's…an…honor…less…cur," Ryouga managed to choke out.

"Who's honorless, P-chan?  I'd have to say you are, pretending to be Akane's pet pig, listening to her confidences and then attacking me after you found hot water.

"I waited three days, Ryouga, in an empty lot only a hundred meters between our houses.  3 freaking days, Pig Boy.  And don't tell me that I ran away because I wasn't there on the fourth.  You didn't have to follow me to China.  Hell, you didn't have to challenge me to an honor duel over some freaking bread."  Ryouga was turning various lovely shades of blue, purple, even tartan.  "Eil-chan let him go.  He's usually a good guy to spar with.  I don't want his death on my hands."

She nodded and dropped the lost boy.  Ryouga lay on the lawn, gasping for breath.  Eilistraee looked at the Jusenkyo-cursed boy lying at her feet.  "Formally challenge Ranma, to a no-holds barred duel, and be on time if you wish to appease your troubled honor.  Otherwise, if I see you on these grounds again you will not enjoy the consequences."

Ryouga nodded, still trying to get air into his abused lungs, before scrambling away, just hoping-no, praying to get lost.  The elves kept a silent eye on the lost boy, until he was off the shrine grounds.

"Great," Ranma muttered, sinking back down on to the front stoop.  "How many more lunatics from my past will I have to deal with?"

"I don't know, beloved.  But we need to get your skills back up to par.  I wouldn't want my husband killed by a wet behind the ears farm boy."

*           *          *

Nerima

"Great Grandmother, Ranma's no longer at the Tendo's," Xian Pu said, running into the Nekohanten.  "Nice Girl Kasumi said Ranma left Nerima the other night with Nabiki and another woman as well."

The three hundred year old matriarch of the Amazons frowned over her pot of ramen.  "This does not bode well, Granddaughter.  Did Kasumi say where they left to?"

"No Great Grandmother.  And Akane was there, as well.  She didn't offer up any additional information."

"I see.  What about the crossdresser?"

"Ukyo's wasn't open, but I did see her in her apartment upstairs."

"Hm, and what of the Kunos?"

"Great Grandmother, even the greatest of Amazon warriors would rather become a Musk concubine than enter that compound.  I did, however, have the fortune of running into Sasuke.  Although I did not mention why or who, he assured me that Stick Boy was on his way from Chitose alone, and Crazy Ribbon Girl was…entertaining, but not Airen."

"Then this does not bode well for our tribe, Great Granddaughter.  I'll have to contact the Council and have them send us our best tracker."

Shampoo shuddered.  "Surely they won't send Tigar?"

"I hope not, but she is our best tracker."

"Oh my," was Shampoo's answer.

"Soon Shampoo will be mine!  Thank you, Saotome for fleeing Nerima."  Which sounded more like a series of ecstatic quacks from the cursed Amazon male.

-----

Akane walked towards the gates of Furinkan with severe trepidation.  Both Ranma and Nabiki left the night before, so it took awhile before the rumors began to spread-that Nabiki and Ranma were actually a couple, and Ranma's engagement to Akane was a ruse; that Nabiki was pregnant with Ranma's lovechild; that Nabiki sold Ranma into slavery, as well as the reverse.  And without Nabiki's rumor control, each one began getting wilder and wilder.  Of course there was one other aspect that Ranma kept controlled, even if she didn't appreciate it.

And now, it was time.  Standing in front of the school, blocking Akane's path, was the Horde o' Hentai.  And standing smack in the center was Kuno.  "So, the rumors are true.  That the mighty Blue Thunder hath caused the evil sorcerer to flee fair Nerima, releasing the fierce tigress Akane Tendo from his evil spell.

"The challenge remains-On the day that Akane Tendo is beaten, will be the day she is dated."

Akane's battle aura sprung into being.  But it wasn't her normal, angry red aura.  It was a sickly green, as green as Ryouga's was when Akane told him that she hated him.  Bringing her hands forward, she shouted "Perfect Shi Shi Hokodan!"  Like a bowling ball hurled down an alley, the huge ball of depression ki flew down and impacted against the True Blunder and the Horde o' Hentai. 

Yuki and Sakura looked at what she did, as the heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes collapsed on to the pavement.  "Oh…my."

-----

Kasumi sat at Nabiki's desk going over the books for the Dojo.  Already Genma had emptied not only the refrigerator of what ever leftovers were in there, but also the pantry, the storage closet, the root cellar, going as far as eating stale, year-old crackers left for the mice.  Both fathers emptied out the liquor cabinet.  And if they kept up their present habits, there might not be a roof over their heads for very long.  As much as she loved the only home she knew, Kasumi was a realist.  One or the other needed to start working.  Her resolved steeled, she headed downstairs for the shoji table.

"Father," she said, as she knelt, "we are coming to a financial situation.  We won't have enough money to pay taxes, utilities or buy food soon.  The Dojo must reopen."

"Reopen the Dojo?"  Soun said.  "Surely we can find a means to make ends meet."

"That would mean that we'll have to start charging Uncle Saotome and Grandfather Happosai rent, Father."

"But we can't do that.  They're guests."

Kasumi slapped her hand down on the board, scattering the black and white stones.  "Father, we are going to lose our home, if we do not find another source of income.  Mother's insurance settlement ran out years ago, and we were living on what Nabiki was able to bring in from…extracurricular activities."

"You mean she was a prostitute?"  Soun's eyes began to water up.

"No, she found money in other ways."  Kasumi kept it vague.  The vapid homemaker routine that she followed hid an iron will and cunning mind, much like her mother.  "And with out that source of income, we will lose this piece of property, our home."

Genma burbled to life.  "I know, Soun.  We'll go and find my ungrateful boy and force him to wed Akane and have them reopen the Dojo.  It'll be Genma..."

"And Soun's…"

"Operation Get'em Hitched and Get the monkey off our back!"  The two fathers shouted, as they jumped up and into little victory jigs.

Kasumi rolled her eyes as she stood and left the dimwitted duo to their own devices, retreating into her own little realm-the kitchen.  She picked up the phone and made the first of two phone calls.  "Auntie Nodoka, it's Kasumi…I'm fine…I haven't heard from Ranma, Nabiki, or Eilistraee yet.  In fact I was going to call Nabiki next…I need a favor, though, Auntie.  With Nabiki gone, there's no longer any form of income, and the deficits are going to start piling up…I already made that suggestion, but the fathers are still in their own little world, where they think Akane and Ranma love each other…But we both know that Ranma loves Eilistraee…Oh, the favor, that's right.  I know you might find it distasteful, but I'd like 18 months back rent for your husband…He's done nothing but play shoji with Father, and pretend to work at Dr. Tofuu's office…No, Ranma was a minor, and he was almost always out saving Akane from herself…Oh, you're going to take Uncle home?  Thank you, thank you very much, Auntie.  That's going to help greatly…I'll see you soon.  Again, thank you so very much, Auntie."  Kasumi hung up.  It felt like there was a great weight lifted from her shoulders.  At least the Dojo would be safe for a few more months.

Picking up the receiver again, she called her sister's cell phone.  It didn't even ring, just went to her voicemail as though it was dead.  "Nabiki, it's Kasumi.  Father's not facing up to reality anymore.  He and Uncle Saotome continue to think Ranma will come around and marry Akane.

"Anyway, reason why I called is because I'm thinking of coming to visit, and I need to know where to go.  And don't worry.  I won't tell either father.

"Call me at home.  It's not like I go anywhere."  Kasumi hung up the receiver a second time, and busied herself with housework.

*          *          *

With a little bit of priestly magic, the scorched earth where the pyre was had been restored in time for the local utility company to come out and restore power and gas to the shrine.  NT&T also showed up, and after checking the lines, phone service was restored.

Doing a little further exploration of the property, Ranma discovered a decent sized training area, with a series of small posts at various heights at one end.  The pigtailed fighter immediately put it to use, working out his forms.  Bonetti shifted into MacPherson, which shifted into Montoya.  Elements of Shinkage-Ryu kenjutsu made themselves visible as Ranma took a modified two-handed stance on his sword.  The problems inherent with trying to use kenjutsu forms with a European longsword were the hilt was too short for a proper two-handed grip, and the weight and balance were off.  But it gave the best fighter of his generation and unrecognized grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutou an incentive to adapt the traditional Japanese school to his elven blade.

On the other side of the forest-shrouded training ground, Nabiki was being taught the rudiments of the sword.  And losing.  Welts were appearing on her limbs where her instructor got through her defenses with his bokken, and they were becoming numerous.  Eilistraee sat to the side, watching her priestess in training.  She was having problems with even the simplest sword techniques, but it was also her first full day of formal training, and Soun had told the goddess that his middle daughter trained with a bo more than edged weapons while his wife was alive.  The drow goddess got a smile on her face.  She reached over and grabbed a quarterstaff from the weapons rack.  "Nabiki," she called, "try this!"  The goddess tossed the quarterstaff at her priestess.

Nabiki caught the staff with her free hand, as she tossed the bokken back to the goddess.  To get the feel for the two-inch thick staff, Nabiki went into a tenryu no kon kata, a beginner's bojutsu kata.  The drow priestess smiled as her muscles remembered the stances and moves appropriate to her weapon.  "It's a little heavier than a bo, but…let's see, shall we?" She nodded to her instructor, and they began again.  Bokken met quarterstaff and was blocked more effectively.  The silver-haired Japanese drow turned from defense to offense, and began forcing her instructor on to the defensive, and slipping through her defenses.  The kicker was when Nabiki swept her opponent's feet out from under her, causing the redheaded half-elf to land flat on her back, knocking the bokken free.

"Well fought, Nabiki," the redhead said.

"Thank you, Crystina.  You fought well also."  Nabiki helped the warrior up.

The half-elven daughter of a Solamnic Knight, who escaped to Toril, smiled at her foe.  "It was my pleasure.  You still will need to learn the sword though.  For now, though, go and get cleaned up.  We'll continue tomorrow."

"Hai, sensei," Nabiki said as she bowed to her instructor.

Eilistraee walked over to her fiancé, still going through is forms.  "I remember watching a little human boy hold that very sword just like that when he first picked it up."

"I think I remember something like that.  When you asked whether I knew how to use it, I think I told you 'Ya stick the pointy end into yer opponent.'"  They both chuckled at that memory.

"You seem to have come a long way from that brash young child, Ranma."  She sighed, slightly.  "I just wish Father hadn't put those blocks on your memory.

"I doubt it would have helped if he hadn't.  Your father seems to have this disgust against weapons users.  And he'd probably try to pawn off your sword, regardless of how many protective spells I place on it."

Ranma resheathed the elven relic.  "I know what you're saying, and I know Pops is, pretty much a despicable bastard, but he is my father."

Eilistraee bowed her head.  "You're right.  I probably…"

She was interrupted by a certain pigtailed martial artist wrapping his arms around her.  "Nah.  I probably wouldn't be surprised if he really wasn't my father.  Why don't we go get something to eat."

Eilistraee smiled into her fiancé's eyes.  "That sounds like perfectly good idea."  As they began walking down the shrine, the drow goddess looked at her fiancé.  "What was it you doing earlier?"

"You know how Musabetsu Kakutou is a school of improvisation, ne?  Well, I was working on adding Shinkage-ryu to my techniques…" As they walked down the steps from the training area to the house, the couple was deep in discussing various sword forms.

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