Pretty Cure Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Together in Spirit ❯ Magic, Mayham and Martial Arts Training ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

As the bonded pair of individuals travel across the Chinese landscape, they were chased by a mysterious group.

The said group posses magical abilities unknown to both the martial artist and his mental guest and passenger.

It would take all of their combined wits and cunning to elude their would be captors as they try to catch a boat ride back to Japan.

Then again, maybe they'll get captured anyway.

Anime/Manga: Pretty Cure Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shoujo / Martial Arts / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 07.25.2008 | Updated On: 06.30.2009 | Pages: 15 | Words: 14.4K | Visits: 1.6K | Status: Work In Progress

As promised, this is the second chapter of Together in Spirit. Here, we will reveal the identity of the group that was shadowing the Saotome family from Lanzhou to Nanjing.

Also this chapter will serve as a bridge of sorts from the events of the last chapter to the early parts of the first episode of Ranma one-half anime that will be in the opening paragraphs of the next one.

Warning: This chapter has spoilers for a certain magical girl anime, whose characters will be introduced in this chapter but will not be featured anymore in later chapters. Thank you.

I would like to thank the two reviewers of this story namely GrayPhoenix and Mega Shadow. Also I would like to thank Mediaminer for making a Pretty Cure category just for this little tale.

So without further ado, let us start this chapter. Again, just read and enjoy.

Chapter 2- Magic, Mayhem and Martial Arts Training

After spending the night in the outskirts of Lanzhou, the Saotomes stowed their camping gear and continued east early the next morning.

It was only after they passed the town of Pingliang, they felt another presence following them.

“Ranma let us meet in Xian by early evening. Take care of him.” Genma patted his son's shoulder. He also sneakily gave him a map of China before breaking into a run. He then hid in the thick forest nearest to their location.

“Trust the old fart to leave all the dirty work to me, oh well.” Ranma muttered to himself as he picked up a pebble from the side of the road he is standing on. He also kept the map inside his dogi with his free hand.

With a calculated throw, he hit the pursuer's chest dead center and ran full tilt along the road before making a detour in the nearby rice fields.

After getting his breathing back to normal, the enraged man chased Ranma until they reached a small village ten kilometers to the west-south-west of Pingliang.

-oOo-

“E-excuse me, h-have you two children s-seen a b-black-haired teenaged boy with a ponytail wearing a dirty white dogi just a while ago?” The panting man asked two children in Hokkien Chinese.

The said children, a boy and a girl, were playing outside a row of houses where Ranma had given him the slip.

“I think I saw him run over there,” answered the brown haired girl as she pointed to the alleyway a few houses away from where they stood.

“Thank you.” The man then ran towards the said alleyway before disappearing from the children's view.

“Is he gone-lapi?” whispered a muffled voice from the slightly ajar window of the house where the kids were playing in front of. The voice's words seemed to be spoken in Japanese.

“Yes, now can we play? I have to go home by noon or Mother will be angry.” The girl replied slowly in learned Japanese.

She then lifted the window flap made of straw before reaching in for the stuffed bunny cowering behind it.

“Ok, a martial artist's word is his honor-lapi.” The light green bunny replied just before the girl squealed in delight and hugged him tightly.

`I knew that was a mistake, the moment I said it,' thought Ranma as he played tea party with the kids.

“Look at it this way, at least that Chinese goon did not get us-lapi.” Flappy replied as he studied the laughing children through the teen's eyes. “Besides, we can even learn a little more about the people living here by playing along and it even looks like fun-lapi.”

`For you, maybe it is fun. Still a promise is a promise.'

The next two hours passed by quickly. The girl then waved at her friends before leaving. Ranma then returned to the house where he hid himself earlier.

He then asked the raven haired boy who also lived in the same house to heat a kettle half-full of water and pour the heated water on him.

The boy complied and gasped as he witnessed the transformation he saw earlier only in reverse.

After quickly putting on his gi, Ranma thanked the boy before retracing his steps back to the highway and heading to Xian.

-oOo-

In the meantime, Genma was waiting for his son at the western edge of the mountain town.

To while away the time, he did some circus tricks in his panda form. Whatever money they already have still wasn't enough to satisfy his thieving personality.

Rather than do some scams that might only lead to even more inevitable delays, he used his cursed form instead to entertain the passers-by while getting whatever money that can be given for the “performance.”

The teen finally arrived at their meeting place around 4:30PM, panting from his run from the village.

“What took you so long, boy?” Genma had already returned to his natural form long before his son arrived.

“I-I had to lead that goon far away from here so he would easily lose our trail.” Ranma replied in a huff.

“Alright, we have to get to Wienan before sundown tomorrow. So let's eat our dinner early.”

The Saotomes slept early before picking up the pace on their way to the river town of Weinan, further east.

From Weinan, they headed to the next town on their way to Shanghai - Louyang. The trip to Louyang took two days by foot across lush valleys and stretches of green plains.

-oOo-

It was when they arrived at Louyang town proper that they were once again followed by the same man that they have given the slip back in the road going to Xian.

That particular Sunday morning scramble started off with Ranma buying food at the marketplace. Suddenly, he sensed a familiar presence a few feet behind him.

He walked forward slowly, his blue eyes alert for the slightest opening where he can hide himself for a moment. That moment arrived when a fish vendor passed by between him and his shadow.

Ranma took the opportunity and ran for the nearest pathway leading outside. The man swiftly followed only to lose sight of the teen for the second time.

What he did not know was that his prey had inserted himself between three quarrelling female buyers of a market stall selling second hand clothes and was now watching him slinking away in disgust.

The cursed teen then headed for the meeting place where Genma was meditating, a eucalyptus tree just outside of town's southern wall.

Then again, the latter was just probably sleeping in a sitting position with his legs crossed in front of him.

“Yo, Pop. We gotta go. We're bein' tailed again.” Ranma was shaking his father's shoulders roughly. The older man snorted as he awoke from his peaceful slumber underneath the tree's shade.

“Oh, yes, yes. We have to move quickly.” Both Saotomes kept the bought food in their packs and ran to the hills in the south.

Their shadow chased them across rice fields, forests, rivers, and villages. The duo tried to split up one time at Xuchang, only to see that more men have joined the chase.

They finally managed to outsmart their pursuers by hitching a ride on a diesel powered train running the Jinghu line headed for Shanghai.

The uneventful trip by rail only lasted a few days before they were chased out of the boxcar that they had been staying by an alert railroad guard. This happened while the train briefly stopped over at the station in Nanjing.

To further complicate things, their pursuers in Xuchang caught up with them in the town's narrow streets as they were on the run from the local police.

In a show of cowardice, Genma asked his son to stall the pursuing goons while he arranged an escape route for them.

Alas, Ranma was outnumbered by the combined group of the local police force and his mysterious pursuers.

The latter group even used some sort of weak lightning magic that act like tasers of today to further impair the struggling teen in the ensuing melee.

Seeing that Ranma was unable to meet him at the allotted time and place, Genma went into hiding.

In the meantime, the unconscious teen was taken into custody by one of his relentless pursuers and carried into the train bound for Fuyang.

Their separation at the Nanjing train station was the last time Genma saw his son for the next month or so.

-oOo-

The first thing Ranma noticed as he woke up was that he cannot move his arms and legs at all. The second was that he also had a killer headache.

As he slowly sat up to take a quick peek at his enclosed surroundings, he also noticed that everything seem to vibrate in steady manner.

`What the heck? We're in some sort of train cabin. Although this bed sure is comfortable, I gotta get out of here and fast.' The teenager relaxed his hands and feet so he can loosen the ropes binding them. He was about to set himself free but…

“Please do not make this hard on yourself, Mr. Saotome. My elders only wanted to ask you a few things.” a baritone voice spoke from the opening door.

“Well, tell your elders that if they want to know more `bout me then they shoulda just asked. Kidnappin' me is certainly not a sure fire way to get on my good side.” Ranma turned to the speaker who had just closed and locked the door behind him. “Besides, call me Ranma as Mr. Saotome makes me feel old.”

“You have a good side-lapi?” exclaimed the flower spirit from within the teen's mind.

`Not funny, Flappy. So how's about formulatin' an escape plan or somethin' while I stall this ol' goon.'

“Ok, Ranma-lapi. Leave the escape planning to me-lapi.”

While Flappy was thinking of an escape plan, Ranma was asking his captor on why he was chased and kidnapped in the first place.

“I started to feel some weird magical energy from you while you were performing back in Lanzhou.” The man sat down in the opposite bunk. “Since then, I followed you to your camp site outside of town. I must have made a mistake in masking my presence since you looked in my direction as you were nearing your camp.”

“I thought I sensed somethin' weird back then. So what happened next, bub?” The cursed teenager was beginning to dread hearing the rest of the story but until his little friend cooked up a good idea, he doesn't have anything to go on.

“My name is Wei Wang, young man not bub.” Wei answered with gritted teeth.

“Sorry, Wei. I was just on edge at the moment.” Ranma had raised his hands in a surrender fashion as he wanted Wei to be lulled into complacency when he does make a break for it.

“Well, I did chase you into that little village right after you and your overweight father separated. After losing you there, I took the train to Louyang in the hopes of finding you. I even called for help to the other members of the Li clan who live nearby.”

“Alright, so what is all the fuss about? I mean I just got a Jusenkyo curse, not a mysterious artifact of incredible power. Therefore, I have nothin' a clan obsessed with magical items would chase `round the whole countryside for.” Ranma and Flappy were actually awaiting the answer to this one as it would explain the reason for the whole cross-country chase.

“Yes, it should not be much of a concern to us if it was just an ordinary Jusenkyo curse.” Wei nodded his head in agreement. “But the powers I felt were also out of this world, literally. We of the Li clan have studied magic, both eastern and western in order to keep us ahead of the other magical clans. We fear that if this mysterious power falls in the wrong hands, it would be disastrous not only to us but to the whole world in general.”

After his sorrowful speech, the older man hung his head in helplessness. As a form of apology, Ranma then told him about Flappy and their quest to find the legendary warriors who the flower spirit had mentioned but leaving a few things out.

As an afterthought, he also asked the man to keep this a secret between them.

“I understand your situation, but we must tell this to my elders as well as my cousin. They may help you in your quest.” Wei countered.

The man then untied the ropes that prevented the teen's movements before shaking the young man's hand in friendship. After alighting at the Fuyang train station, they boarded the diesel train traveling the Jingju line bound for Hong Kong.

Along the way, Ranma asked about the Li clan which Wei gamely answered. The Li clan all descended from a powerful magician named Clow Reed.

The said magician was a genius in terms of magic. It was said that he created the Clow Cards from what he learned from both occidental and oriental magic.

The Clow were magical cards that look much like tarot cards. The cards themselves were centered on natural forces and elements.

To the Li clan, the Clow cards or the Clow as it was also called, is the Holy Grail, as it not only gave them a huge edge against their rivals magically but also a sense of completion as they also serve as mementos of their ancestor.

“Ok, if the Clow cards were so powerful, then where are they kept now and how are they protected from other people?” Flappy asked through Ranma.

“I do not know where the “Book of Clow” is kept presently. Clow hid it very well so that to this day, no one had been able to find it.” The Chinese man said with a frown.

“What I do know is that the eccentric magician created two magical guardians to protect the cards from other magicians with evil intentions.” Wei paused to take a sip of cold water before continuing his tale.

“One of the guardians was named Cerberus. He was a golden lion with angel wings and can breathe fire.” Wei's excitement was easily detected through his words. “The other is a mysterious being named Yue. He, on the other hand, was a beautiful young man with long silver braided hair and Alice blue cat-like eyes.

“He also possessed angelic wings like his counterpart to fly in addition to his other offensive abilities like forming icicles and throwing them at his opponents.”

“Gee, I never knew that there is so much in this world that I still have to learn.” Ranma was obviously flabbergasted. “Sure, I would like to be the greatest martial artist but even martial arts cannot be compared to these things. Are you sure that these are not folktales, Wei?”

“I can assure you that everything I told you is real, Ranma. Now rest, we have a long day tomorrow once we arrive at the Li mansion in Hong Kong.” Wei then lay down on his own bunk and slept. The teen did the same before he and Flappy drifted to a fitful sleep.

-oOo-

When they disembarked at the Hong Kong train station the next morning, Ranma couldn't believe how many people actually used the train as a means of travel between the major cities of China.

He saw one family of three running to catch the train on the next line towards Beijing while a black haired man in a three piece suit and carrying a large brown suitcase was calmly entering another train bound for Shanghai.

On their way to the station entrance, both Ranma and Wei saw some teenagers buying train tickets while a middle aged foreigner was buying a souvenir on opposite sides of the same hallway. They stopped right in front of the double door entryway where a black Cadillac limousine awaits them.

The cursed teenager and his mental guest never let their eyes stray the window as they witnessed throngs of people of all ages on their way to the shopping mall, their workplaces or schools for their summer classes.

“Wow, Hong Kong sure is full of people. I wonder if Tokyo is the same way?” the teen asked aloud.

“I am sure that it is, Ranma.” Wei answered as he kept his tone even.

-oOo-

Their car stopped in front of a ten foot high steel gate in between two massive walls. The mansion behind the gate is a product of both western and eastern architecture as if the big house itself is a tribute to the great Clow Reed.

“Nice house-lapi. Very big too-lapi. Are all houses in the city this huge-lapi?” said Flappy as he saw the house through the teen's eyes.

`It sure is, Flappy. As for your question, not all houses are this big, just a few of them.' answered Ranma

Wei escorted the teenager through the decorated hallways of the Li mansion.

After passing by doors and even more doors, the duo finally arrived at a room with a long table with four Cedar seats in the room's middle. Ranma's backpack was carried by servants to his room at the mansion's left wing.

Three of the luxurious seats faced the double door while only two faced the other way. Ranma spent the next few minutes studying the room as he and Wei awaited the arrival of the Li clan's elders.

The cursed teen noted the two large glass windows at the far end of the room. Light green curtains were draped only at the windows' top half while in the bottom half, the curtains were parted to let the midmorning sunlight in.

The peach colored walls were decorated with paintings and its straight edges with the white ceiling were smoothened by parquets. Two chandeliers were placed about five feet away from the other so they won't overshadow each other.

Ranma (and even Flappy) was suitably impressed with the interior decoration since neither one hasn't seen this much decoration besides a hotel and that was only in passing.

After what seemed to be hours, the mahogany double door finally opened and three elderly persons came in, a man and two women. An air of arrogance and power was immediately evident to the room's other two visitors.

Ranma had mixed feelings about the arriving elders. He felt jealousy because of their inherent unique power and anxiety when those mystical powers they possess were to be used on him if he resorted to brute force in his escape.

As he was taught by his father, he had examined all the possible escape routes and security details while trying to be as nonchalant as possible about his stay in the mansion. What he learned from his examination shocked him.

Most of the inner security guards were old school types who used ancient weapons like swords, staves and bows. Still, he can sense their chi and some other hidden power that still scares him even now.

Wei also possess such unique powers, which is why he never fought the older man in their earlier encounters except when he and his other pursuers cornered him in the streets of Nanjing, opting to use whatever means of eluding him instead.

After the three elders have seated themselves, the only male of the three elders said. “Let us get straight to the point, how did you posses the mystical otherworldly power and how would you use it?”

Ranma stood up and slammed his hands on the oak table, momentarily forgetting his real position in the coming standoff. “Look, gramps. I got the `whateva you call it' power when I fell into a cursed spring back in Jusenkyo.” Wei nudged him at his side and the embarrassed teen immediately sat down.

With a quieter voice, the teen continued “Sorry, the truth is - I'm not even the true owner of this power. The true owner is a flower spirit named Flappy. It is his form that I turn into when splashed with cold water.”

The woman on the left continued where her fellow elder left off. “How did you know his name? Normally, the spirits of the Jusenkyo victims never communicate with the people who fell into the springs they had drowned in.”

“I'm not really sure, ma'am. I guess I'm just special.” The teen shrugged his shoulders as he said this. “We also have to find the legendary warriors that were supposed to save the Earth from the bad guys.”

“And just who are those `bad guys', Mr. Saotome?” The final elder asked the teen. Ranma had to silently count to ten to keep his temper under control.

Wei himself was preparing himself to use a half-nelson or other submission hold on the cursed teen should things get ugly.

“Flappy called them - the Dark Fall. He also said that unless they are stopped from destroying the World Tree, the whole universe will end.”

The first elder rubbed his chin with his fingers as he asked “How would the Dark Fall accomplish that feat and what is the World tree anyway?”

Ranma was slowly losing his temper but he knew that fighting is not an option in this situation. He managed to flatten his tone when he answered the inquiring elder.

“The World Tree is the source of life in the universe. The tree itself was fed by seven holy springs in the Land of Fountains. At least, that is what Flappy told me.” Ranma had to pause for a minute to catch his breath.

“Six of the seven fountains have already been dried up by the Dark Fall. If all seven fountains have dried up, the World Tree will die. If it dies, all life in the universe including us will also die.” He continued, his round face pleading for them to believe his story.

“Let me get this straight, young man. You and `Flappy', is it?” The female elder on the left asked.

The teen nodded his head vigorously.

“Alright, you and Flappy are looking for two legendary warriors who will fight the Dark Fall and save the universe. Am I following you so far, young man?”

“That's correct, ma'am.”

“Are you sure that this is not a cock and bull story that you dreamt up in your earlier travels?” she continued with a sneer.

“Ma'am, with all due respect, the story I told you about is real. The fact that Flappy is even here on Earth proves this. So unless you could let us go and find the warriors, you may have to fight aliens that can easily overpower you especially since your precious Clow cards are not here to help you.”

“How dare you bring the Clow cards into this discussion, you impertinent brat?!” she roared, her eyes blazing like hot coals. “Guards, sei-”

“Wait, Elder Yue-Yan. I believe Ranma's story. I have already seen his other form and felt its power. If what they said is true, then we cannot even hope to stop the Dark Fall should they attack us.” Wei spoke up in defense of his charge.

“Wang, you believe him?!” The male elder exclaimed as he faced the thirty something man in surprise.

“Elder Dingbang, there may be a grain of truth to his spoken words. If we were to act ignorant of the incoming danger, then we only have ourselves to blame when it does arrive.”

“Very well. Mr. Saotome, consider yourself lucky that Wang had believed you. Feel free to roam around the premises but you are not to leave the mansion until we have permitted you to.” The outspoken elder at the right spoke as she stood up with the other two. “Good day.”

After the three elders left, Ranma turned to his left and asked his older companion “Is it over, Wei?”

“I'm not sure, Ranma. Still it would be best to be on your best behavior while you are still here. The fact that you had brought up a sensitive subject in the interrogation earlier would still be enough grounds for them to lock you away in the local prison. Remember, the Li clan is very powerful, not only in magic, but also in politics.” Wei replied as they stood up and continued their tour of the mansion.

-oOo-

Wei showed the pony-tailed teen the gardens, the guest rooms, the large kitchen, the dining rooms, and even the dojo at the mansion's right wing. It was the last that the martial artist wanted to go to so he can further hone his skill.

The older man complied and later watched as Ranma began practicing his moves. Neither man noticed the opening of the door and the entrance of two children - a boy and a girl.

Both children's mouths fell when they saw an unknown young man practicing various styles of martial arts with such speed and finesse that they had never seen before.

The brown haired boy was the first to recover and quietly asked his Uncle Wei on who was their new visitor.

“Young Master Syaoran, his name is Ranma Saotome. As for his presence here in the Li mansion, I am afraid that I cannot tell you yet.”

“Why, Uncle? He may be a skillful martial artist but he does not possess any magical ability.” Syaoran pouted as he sat on the mat beside his uncle.

“That is were you are wrong, Young Master. He is actually a victim of the infamous cursed springs of Jusenkyo.”

“Really? Cool.” The girl quickly headed for the girl's shower room and returned with a small container of water. She splashed the now panting Ranma and got the second surprise of the day.

“What the heck did you that for-lapi?” The slightly wet stuffed rabbit yelled at the black haired five year old Chinese girl sporting the same Chinese ox-horns as Plum as he stepped over his bundled and soaked clothes.

The kids took a minute to recover before Ranma found himself in another strong hug by the squealing girl. Meanwhile, Syaoran shook his head wildly at the transformation he just witnessed. “D-did he just turn into a stuffed animal?”

“Hey, short stuff-lapi. Help me get out of your girlfriend's hug-lapi. Coz I'm having trouble breathing here-lapi.” The cursed teen yelled at the brown haired Chinese boy of five years.

“How about I leave you with her instead, stuffed animal. Besides, Meiling isn't my girlfriend.” Syaoran replied rather coolly.

“Syaoran, it isn't nice to treat your fiancée like that.” The girl - Li Meiling countered with a pout as she let go of the cursed martial artist.

“Fi-fiancée-lapi?! Aren't you guys a little too young for that kind of stuff -lapi?” Ranma exclaimed as soon as he can breathe properly.

“Tell that to her. I just want to be the master of the Clow Cards and nothing more.”

“Pay no attention to his grumbling. Deep down, he is actually a sweetheart.” Meiling whispered to the stuffed rabbit's left ear as she knelt down beside the cursed teen.

“I find that hard to believe…Wait, forget I even said that-lapi.” Ranma said as Meiling's small arms surrounded the panicking martial artist.

“Young Master, Young Mistress. Please stop teasing our honored guest. He is already in enough trouble with the elders.” Wei finally spoke after returning the container Meiling used earlier to the girl's shower room.

“Alright, Uncle. Just tell us what is so special with Mr. Saotome here.” The brunet spoke as Wei picked up the wet clothes as well. This in turn earned a glare from Ranma who was currently being picked up by the jubilant girl.

“I will tell you as soon as we arrive in Mr. Sao- Ranma's room.” Wei corrected himself as he felt the penetrating glare from the stuffed animal- excuse me, flower spirit still in Meiling's arms.

-oOo-

Once inside the posh bedroom in the middle of the west wing, Wei told them everything the teen had told him earlier in the train.

Ranma (after he transformed back to his true form and was now wearing a Chinese shirt and black loose pants) added some details about his and Flappy's mission to find the legendary warriors.

The children had asked the Ranma some questions since they are very interested in the teen's story.

In return, Meiling answered the teen's own question about her engagement with Syaoran. It turned out that Syoaran had looked for the girl's pet mynah after he saw the said girl crying in the rain.

The girl was both relieved that her cousin had later returned with the missing pet and touched since the boy had done such an act for her even if he and her pet were both soaked to the skin.

Wei explained that Syoaran was (and still is) more of an introvert since he mostly kept to himself and read books in between training sessions except when he either eats or sleep. Syaoran was about to react to the said fact but the girl's fierce look made him rethink that action.

Sometime after the incident, Meiling confessed her feelings to the confused boy and even argued with him that he couldn't like any girl more than Meiling herself.

This led to her declaration that until Syaoran found someone that he liked more then her; she will be his future bride.

Ranma looked at the blushing brunet and Syaoran told him that he only replied “Do as you like,” back then which Meiling took as a yes.

“I guess I'm lucky that I haven't been engaged yet. Not to be insulting, Meiling but I'd rather be engaged to someone I really like.” Ranma began to give his opinion on the matter.

Before the young girl could step closer and give the older boy - a quick leg sweep, Ranma hastily added. “Then again, you guys are perfect for each other anyway.”

-oOo-

An hour later, Ranma was called for lunch by one of the maids. She led him to one of the more luxurious dining halls. It was there that he also met Syaoran's mother and four elder sisters around Plum's age.

At their mother's nod, the eldest - Fanren introduced the rest of her sisters namely: Fuutie, Feimei, and Shifa. Syaoran's mother also introduced herself as Li Yelen.

During the course of lunch, Ranma noticed the girls' intermittent stare at him while he eats. Turning to Meiling who sat at his right, he asked her in a low voice on why he was being stared at.

“Well, those four older cousins of mine love cute things so I'd be careful about that curse of yours if I were you.”

“I hear `ya. Thanks, Meiling.” Ranma smiled at the little girl before continuing to eat his lunch.

“So Mr. Saotome, I have heard that you made quite a ruckus with the elders. May I know the reason why?” The matriarch of the Li family paused eating to look the cursed boy.

“Yelan, do forgive his rudeness since his own father has been a bad influence to the boy. It is just that the entities pursuing Ranma's cursed form may be more than even we can handle.”

“Wang, I'll ask for your opinion when I need to. For now, please explain how powerful these enemies are, Mr. Saotome.” Yelan gave her cousin a slight glare before turning her attention back to Ranma.

“Wei's actually right, Mrs. Li. From the stories about Dark Fall that Flappy told me, they seem to control a specific element. The one chasin' him and his friend was of the wood type.” Ranma paused for a second to take another sip of water. “I doubt any of us can take him on one on one and he may still kick our butts if we tried to gang up on him.”

“Ranma, please clean up your language,” Wei warned the teen from his seat on Ranma's left.

“Sorry, but I truly believe Flappy's story. Therefore, we will need the legendary warriors since they're the only ones strong enough to defeat the Dark Fall.”

“If you believe it that strongly, then we will let you leave in one month. Within that month, you will teach my only son along with my niece whatever you know of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts.” Yelan spoke with finality to prevent the teen from talking back.

“Deal. It would be my pleasure to teach both the Young Master and Mistress the ways of the Saotome half of the Anything Goes style.” Ranma replied with a roguish grin.

-oOo-

Back in the dojo, both Syaoran and Meiling asked why Ranma agreed so easily. After finishing his warm up exercises, he said “I can see in both of you the potential to become great martial artists. It would be such a waste if you only know a few styles of the Art.” He laughed shortly before continuing.

“Besides, I kinda like bein' the teacher for a change since I have been the student for nearly my whole life. So if you like, sit down and watch my movements closely since I will teach you on how to do those moves properly and effectively early tomorrow morning.”

After doing his kata routines, Ranma and the children readied for dinner and later went to bed.

-oOo-

The following morning, Ranma had woken up at 5:30 AM. He went to the bathroom beside his bedroom and slowly did his morning ablutions since he rarely did them in a house, more so in a mansion.

Still he managed to finish everything by 6:15 AM and headed directly for the dojo, already in his newly washed gi.

Once there, he almost fainted in shock since he saw both children waiting for him in the ready made training mat. They were already wearing their own white dogis.

“Hey Sensei, you told us that you'll teach us your moves early this morning.” Syaoran said while trying not to smile at the amusing sight.

“That I did, Syaoran.” Ranma answered as he slowly recovered from his shock.

“Alright smart guy; come at me so I'll see how good you are.” He added as he went to his usual loose stance. The youngster stood up and took his own stance.

Syaoran's hands are raised near his face as he slightly bent his knees. His left foot was pointed at his teacher's direction while his right is nearly at right angles to his left one.

“Let's begin.” The teen said confidently as he let his student attack him first. The young boy attacked him with full force, scoring hits in some places while missing in others.

In return, he was the recipient of many taps made by his teacher.

“That's enough, Syaoran. I see that you place too much effort on attacking rather than defending. Remember, that defense is also important for a martial artist since a stronger or wiser fighter may take advantage of its absence and win easily.”

The teen placed a hand on the boy's small shoulder as the latter realized his mistakes and his cheeks colored due to his shameful performance. “That's alright, Syoaran. You're still young. Just remember that offense and defense are equally important as both will affect your chances of winning the fight.”

Both teacher and student rested for a few minutes before Ranma called Meiling next. As before, the girl mostly focused on the attack but was also defending herself more frequently than her cousin.

“So you understood my teachings earlier, little grasshopper.” Ranma teased his student and ruffled her black hair, which made her blush a bit. Sitting on the mat near them, Syaoran snorted at the lame joke and also at the fact that Meiling had laid one up over him.

“I may not be a user of magic but the same principle can also be applied to magical battles.” Ranma said at first. “Since you have learned a lot of kung fu, I will teach you bits and pieces of what I learned from other styles.”

“Also since the Saotome branch mostly deals with aerial battles, most of these techniques will be done in mid -air.” Ranma said before he jumped a few feet in the air and did some flying kicks and other aerial maneuvers before landing on both feet.

“That is just a brief demonstration of the principles of the Saotome style of the Anything Goes.” He said proudly to his clapping audience, which now included some guards, a few maids, Syaoran's elder sisters and even the boy's mother.

All of whom were quite impressed at the mastery of the aerial martial arts techniques by Ranma himself.

“And with that, I have to make for myself - a banana split.” He said with frightful eyes before he jumped over his audience and ran towards the hallway with the star struck sisters and maids in hot pursuit.

“What does a banana split have to do with this?” Yelan turned to the two laughing children.

“Well, Auntie. To make a banana split, he had to make like a banana and split.” Meiling answered with a big smile.

“I just cannot keep up with this generation's humor,” Yelan surmised with a shake of her head to the amusement of everyone nearby.

-oOo-

From that day forward, Ranma taught his students what he knew of the Anything goes style that didn't use harsh methods and heavy training equipment.

The days went by in a rush as both students learned the newly taught moves just as quickly.

Of course, Ranma is still leagues ahead of them in terms of skill as demonstrated in their three-way sparring sessions held every Saturday morning.

“Darn, he's just too fast.” wailed Meiling as she tried to surprise her teacher with a flying round house kick from behind.

However, Ranma saw the move coming and only bent his upper body forward, making the kick miss him by a foot.

“I know. I know.” Syaoran agreed as he tried to knock the wind out of the teenaged martial artist with a jumping axe kick only to hit empty air.

Ranma had already dropped to the floor and rolled out of harm's way.

“Admit it, kids. I'm just too good for you.” Ranma spoke as he stood up some distance away from the panting children. “Besides, this is just my normal speed. I can still go much faster than this especially in my cursed form.”

“Se-Sensei, can we rest?” huffed Syaoran as he was just too tired to fight after trying to hit his teacher in the last three minutes.

He and Meiling couldn't believe that their teacher can still move faster than he is now. They both concluded that he's much more powerful than the clan may even think he is.

“Of course, we can. Even though I have only been training you for a whole month, you seem to have learned as much as I had when I started out back then, ten years ago.” Their mentor replied with a wide grin.

The teen beamed with pride at his two students. “But I still have to go find my pop as well as the legendary warriors.”

“Sensei, please stay with us. We want to learn more from you since you are not as boring as our other martial arts teachers even though you equaled their fighting skill.” Meiling cried on the teen's left leg.

“She's right, Sensei. There is never a dull moment here with you around.” Syaoran added as he remembered the chases between Ranma and his female “fans”, the teen in his cursed form helping out in chores where everyone else have trouble doing due to extreme heights or lack of space, and the hugs Ranma gets when he was in arm's length of Fuutie and his other sisters especially in his cursed form.

“They do have a point, Ranma-lapi. If we didn't have to search for the legendary warriors, it would be fun to see you three spar with each other-lapi.” Flappy added his own two cents in the conversation.

`Yeah, well. I still have to become a master before I do teach them everything I know but we'll be back. Count on it.'

After getting back to real world, Ranma answered “Well, except for the getting hugged and reachin' some hard to reach places part, I did have fun with you guys. But until I become one of the masters of the Anything goes martial arts, I cannot teach you the rest of the techniques I have already learned.” Ranma's lips curved to a smile as he added. “Besides, you're still both too young for me to teach them properly anyway.”

-oOo-

After a brief rest where Wei had brought some orange juice and dumplings to the hungry children and their teacher, a red headed guard appeared and said that they had captured a fat thief who tried to break in the mansion.

“Does he wear a bandanna in the same color as his worn gi?” The teen asked the confused guard as he again stood up and approached the latter.

“Y-yes, I believe he does. Do you know him?”

“He's my pop. He's probably tryin' to break me out of this place.” The teen snickered a bit. “Too bad, he didn't do his homework.”

Both Syaoran and Meiling were puzzled as to why he spoke to his father in such a way and even asked him as to why.

“The answer to that question, kids is this: if he was the one training you, you woulda been sore in almost every part of your body while he just sits back and relax.”

“Ooh, I didn't know someone could be that bad.” Meiling was already shaking with anger at the thought of such a heartless man.

“He's not all that bad but I wouldn't want you two to train under him. So here's what you'll do.”

-oOo-

Genma couldn't believe that three uniformed guards who were only carrying swords and a spear could easily defeat him.

Then again, he felt some strange power surging from their bodies as they mumbled some strange words in Chinese. He did not remember anything else as the world turned black before he even noticed it.

Now, he was escorted blindfolded to either a field or a large garden. His bare feet felt tresses of Bermuda grasses along with the soft soil beneath them.

The rest of his body felt the slight passing of the ocean wind as if there was little to no resistance other than himself and his escorts.

“Yo, Pop. Nice of you to come by and rescue me.” A familiar voice drawled from his left side.

“You can show your appreciation by helping me escape from this place like the grateful son that you should,” Genma shot back

“Sorry Pop, but no can do. I can give you a present courtesy of my little students though.”

“Oh, a present. Gimme, gimme.” At the mention of the word - present, the Saotome patriarch's greed once again took over his mind.

“Sure, Pop. They'll give you a nice - boot in the head!”

`What the hell?' was the last thought that had gone through the obese martial artist's head before losing consciousness for the second time that day as two high kicks connected solidly with his cheekbones at pretty much the same time.

-oOo-

The next day, Ranma was saying goodbye to the Li clan and their kind staff. He was even hugged by a crying Meiling and a trying to be stoic Syoaran.

In return, he messed up their hair and promised that he will return once he becomes a certified master of the Saotome half of the Anything goes style. He even added that he may also bring the master of the Tendo half as well.

In the meantime, Genma was escorted to the waiting limousine while its driver and Wei waited for Ranma to enter the said car and settle in. As soon as they were far enough away from the mansion, Ranma removed his father's blindfold.

“Why did you teach our fighting style to perfect strangers without getting my permission first?” Genma suddenly whirled on Ranma.

“Mr. Saotome, my cousin wanted your son to teach her own son - your techniques so that the boy can learn more of the fighting art. Also she wanted to see how dedicated your son is to finish his quest.” Wei answered so as to prevent a fist fight from even occurring.

“Quest, what quest?” the bald martial artist asked to the man in front of him. Turning back to his son, he added “Are you keeping something from me, boy?”

With a resigned sigh, Ranma answered. “Yeah, pop. Other than whatever business we have in Japan, I have to find the legendary warriors to fight aliens that may destroy the whole universe.”

“What have you been drinking, boy? You need to get your head out of the clouds and into your techniques.”

“Don't believe me then, Pop. I'll just carry it out on my own if I have to.” Ranma replied as he crossed his arms and looked back at the window.

-oOo-

Once they arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport, Wei led them across the airport only stopping briefly enough for the airport's security officers to briefly inspect them and their luggage.

Genma's lack of footwear as opposed to his son's choice of Chinese black slippers was also ignored by the guards as commanded by their higher ups.

The three men made a brief stop at the airport's immigration office where the Saotome family's newly created passports and visas were checked.

The father and son tandem then headed for the departing passengers waiting area. The teen even thanked his older friend for sticking his neck for him during the Elder's interrogation, a month before.

“No, I believe it is I who should thank you for teaching Syaoran some new techniques and making him see that there is more to life than just magic and martial arts.” Wei replied as he gently pushed the cursed teen towards the double doors of the waiting area.

-oOo-

The three hour trip was uneventful since Genma was actually calmed down by a hidden blow to his left temple by his son.

Ranma, in the meantime, alternately looked at the ocean and little islands below from his window seat, and read some travel brochures kept in the pocket of the seat in front of him.

He even read a Karate magazine that the kind stewardess had given him, and ate various free snacks given to him midway through the flight.

At the Tokyo International Airport, both Saotomes followed the other disembarking passengers as they had their visas and passports checked at the customs booth, their luggage retrieved from the baggage carousel.

They even took a taxi since both Meiling and Syaoran had given Ranma enough money - 12,000 yen to be exact, for a taxi fare going to the Tendou compound in Nerima.

-oOo-

Along the way, Ranma finally asked his father on what is their business in Nerima anyway. Genma calmly answered that he is to be engaged to one of the Tendou sisters to unite the two schools of the Anything Goes style.

“I'm going to be what?!”

The yellow taxi swerved a bit since Ranma's shout almost made both his father and the taxi driver deaf from the intensity of the yell itself.

“Hey man, how's about cuttin' down the volume. Otherwise, I'll kick you both outta my taxi and still keep the whole fare.” The taxi driver spoke as he wiggled his pinkie in his right ear.

“Sorry, man. Just take us there since it's just too rainy outside for a walk anyway.” The teen apologized as he sent a short left hook his father's way.

The wet taxi arrived in front of the Tendou compound. Ranma paid for the fare and both father and son had exited the rented vehicle.

The teenager simply leaned on the driest part of the wall as he mentally talked with the flower spirit, ignoring the elder martial artist's antics to get him to enter the compound.

After a few minutes, Ranma took his slightly damp pack and walked away, again ignoring his father's shouts to come back.

Genma quickly caught up with him about a block away from the compound's gate before shouting “Look, son. It's Jackie Chan!”

“Where, where.” The teen happily turned in the direction where his father was pointing. Genma used the distraction to knock his son out with a soft karate chop to the teen's left temple.

The cursed teen slowly fell to the ground, already unconscious but Genma quickly caught and hefted him on his right shoulder before heading back in the direction of the Tendou compound.

Alright, that pretty much ends Chapter Two of Together in Spirit. The next chapter will be the introduction of the Tendou family and a few other residents of Nerima. All of which will play important roles in later chapters.

Also, neither Syaoran nor Meilin nor any other of their relatives will be featured here anymore since they have their own jobs to do in the magical girl anime - Card Captor Sakura, which will take place five years after the events of this chapter.

By the way, I don't own Card Captor Sakura either.

Then again, Ryoga will be back in the game with Shampoo and the others also making their own appearances from the next chapter onwards, so watch out for that.

Oh course, the boot in the head joke was inspired by The Frantics -Tai Kwon Leap. Stay tuned for the next chapter entitled - Here's… Flappy?!

For now, just read and enjoy.