Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Hero's Prologue  ❯ Long Lost Memories ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Author's Note: I have no new or made up characters of my own creation
at all. All the characters (with the exception of small time characters
like innkeepers and such) are either from an anime, a video game, or
some type of mythology. Check down at the bottom if you don't recognize
a name or for any other confusions. I list all the characters and where
they come from. There are plenty of flashbacks so I put the year to
signify past and present.

Present Year: 116 A.D.


Key:

[= =]..............New Scene
[*????*]..............Foreign Language
["????"]..............Verbal Talking
['????']..............Mental Talking


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**** _________________ ****
***** Hero's Prologue *****
***** Chapter 1 *****
**** ****
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Long Lost Memories
*********************************

= = = = = = = = =

106 A.D

"Bye, Poppa! Bye, Big Brother!" A little girl called
out, waving.
"Bye!" The young boy called back.
"Be back soon Genma! And remember send us letters every
now and then," An older woman said, standing next to the girl.
Genma grinned. "We will!"
She grinned likewise. "You better or I'll come and hunt
you down!"
He cringed.

= = = = = = = = =

106 A.D.

A small child fell on his bottom. "Ouch..." He
said as he rubbed his sore spot.
"That's enough for today, Boy." The older man beside
the young boy dropped his stance and patted his stomach.
"Let's eat," he told the child before searching through the
pack at his feet.
The child nodded and followed his older companion's
actions. It took a moment for the boy to realize that he
had already eaten the last of his food. "Ahh! I have no
food left!"
The older man with the full mouth shook head. After a
big gulp, he handed the fretful child a portion of his bread.
"Ranma, it's time that you learned The Three Most Important
Rules A Martial Artist Must Follow To Survive. Rule number 1:"
The man gave the boy, Ranma, a stern look as he held up one
finger. The young Ranma looked up to his teacher attentively.
"ALWAYS make sure that you have plenty of food to eat. NEVER
forget about the food. A starved martial artist can do
nothing against an opponent. Rule number 2: ALWAYS win. At
anything. If an opponent challenges you to something, even if
it's not martial arts, you still must accept and WIN. And
rule number 3: Do the right thing in the right situations and
the wrong thing in the worst situations."
The six-and-a-half year old had trouble enough
understanding what his teacher was saying, but this one
completely boggled him. "Huh?"
"Don't get it? It's like this, my boy. Let's say some
rich family's daughter gets kidnapped. What do you do?"
"Umm, save the girl?"
"Right answer! Saving the rich girl means big reward!"
Ranma scratched his head. "Does that mean you don't
save a poor family's daughter, Pop?"
"Uh, well, um...quiet, Boy! Don't ask too many
questions! Anyways, the second part is when you're desperate.
A dead martial is a dead martial artist, so some things you
have to do to survive. Like if your starving and have no
food or money, you have to steal some."
"But isn't stealing bad?"
"Would you rather be starved to death?"
Little Ranma shook his furiously.
"Those, Ranma, are The Three Most Important Rules a
Martial Artist Must Follow to Survive."

= = = = = = = = =

112 A.D.

"I want my boy in Ceiphied's Academy of Heroes,"
the older man told the male receptionist.
"Name, please," he asked mechanically.
"Genma Saoto--"
"Not yours, the boy's."
His son was at his side, ignoring the conversation
while glancing all around curiously. "Ranma Saotome."
The receptionist nodded, writing down the name.
"Your boy will first have to past a test of his physical
abilities and his potential in his majors. What do wish
to major him in?"
"What do you mean?"
"At his age, he will go through the basics in
martial arts, weaponry, and magic. But if you want any
extra training outside of the half-day sessions it will
have to be in a specific major or majors."
Genma scratched his head. "Does it cost extra?"
"No. He only must pass a certain test of level
within that major."
"Then I'll put him in martial arts."
"Any others?"
"Hmm..." He thought on the matter. 'Nodoka would be
pleased if I did train him a little in swordmanship.' Genma
spoke his thoughts. "Yes, weaponry too. Specifically with
swords."
The other man nodded. "All has been registered. He
will be tested right away. After that he will begin his
lessons with the other students." He gestured to his
co-worker beside him.
Genma lead his son to the man where he was taken past
the gates and toward a large building. The father turned
back to the receptionist. "How long does this training
take?"
"Most students graduate from the Academy between
fifteen to twenty years."
Genma's eyes widened. 'Fifteen to twenty years?!'
He exclaimed mentally. 'That's way too long. Two or three
years should be enough, then I'll snatch him back.'

= = = = = = = = =

113 A.D.

A small boy with a ponytail, clothed in a uniform,
dragged another boy behind him.
The other boy wore a similar uniform to ponytailed
boy, but he had a yellow and black bandanna wrapped around
his forehead. "Ranma, you don't have to walk me home you
know! I can figure out where to go myself!"
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Sure you can, Ryoga. Okay,
go ahead. Go home." He let go of Ryoga's sleeve.
"Fine! I will!" But before the boy could start west,
Ranma caught his collar. Ryoga turned to face his grabber.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"Uh, which way was your house again?"
Ryoga pointed down the street he was walking. "Or
was it this way?" His finger went to the road behind
Ranma --"Or maybe this way?"-- then to the east of him.
The small confused boy looked in random directions around
the city in a panicky motion. "Ahh! I'm lost!"
"No kiddin'." Ranma shook his head. "Geez, Ryoga, I
don't see how you can get lost. All ya gotta is keep going
north from the Academy to get to your house. Maybe I should
get you a leash or somethin'."
"You did!" Ryoga yelled at Ranma. "Except I said
I'd kill you if you tried to put it on me!"
"Heheh, oh yeah!"

= = = = = = = = =

115 A.D.

Ranma had just finished knocking his father into one of
the various pools that dotted the valley they had just entered.
"C'mom pop, are you done already?" he taunted.
A soaking panda leapt out from the pool in which his
father had just fallen in response. It landed across from
opposite Ranma on an opposite pole.
"What?" were Ranma's last words and thoughts as the
still wet panda launched itself towards him, within moments
Ranma found himself falling towards one of the many pools
below.
Ranma popped out of the spring and immediately noticed
something was wrong. The two were finally beginning to hear
the voice the guide that they had ignored.
"...fall in the Spring of Drowned Girl!"
Ranma looked down at his chest...and screamed.
Genma tried to speak but only growls came out. The
panda's eyes bulged in realisation.

= = = = = = = = =

115 A.D.

A young man with purple knelt down to a pool of water
with one hand laying his staff on the ground and the other
motioning forward to the water.
"Ah, sirs!"
He turned his head to the source of the voice without
opening his eyes. "Hmm?" He asked, a curious expression on his
face.
"I not touch spring if I you! These are Cursed
Springs of Junsenkyo!" The Guide warned him.
*I know,* he replied in the Guide's native
language. *I was just wondering what you are cursed into when
you fall into one of these springs.*
The Guide gave him a confused look. *You are a very
strange traveler. Very few know the consequences of falling
into the springs and even fewer come here knowing that. Each
one of the springs holds a different curse of whatever
drowned there. That can be from a Spring of Drowned Coward
to a Spring of Drowned Wolverine.*
*Really? How interesting. It would be so satisfying
if I could see how exactly this works.*
"Argh! Where in the world am I now?!" A voice
shouted.
The Guide and the strange priest turned to the new
traveler. The traveller with a tiger-striped headband walked
up to them.
"Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get to
Zefielia?"
The other man and the Guide looked at each other
then back at the young man.
"Zefielia is way over there." The priest pointed over
the springs to the east.
"Oh, thanks." The lost man walked in that direction,
completely unknown to the fact that the springs of water
in front of him were cursed. His feet went forward, but
his eyes failed to noticed the staff below him. The staff
tripped him into the air and fell in a local spring. The
wooden stick rolled harmlessly to its owner.
The Guide looked suspiciously at the staff holder,
but the other man shrugged his shoulders in a helpless
gesture.
*I truly did not mean to do that.* The priest stuck
his arm in the pool to pull out a small black pig.
"Sirs fall Spring of Drowned Black Pig," the Guide
began in a sad tone. "Very tragic story of..." The chubby
man then noticed that the priest had begun to fully immerse
the squirming pig into another cursed spring, causing his
eyes to bulge out. "Ahhh, what you doing sirs?!"
When he pulled out the dripping pig again, he
noticed there was no visible change. Out of his natural
curiosity, he checked under the pig and found...or rather
did not find something. The priest chuckled. "How amusing!
I cannot believe that I have not been here before!
Imagine, Xellos the Trickster Priest having not
discovered this miraculous trick of water!" He laughed
again, letting go of the pig who dashed off at its
opportunity of escape. *Do any of the locals know of
this?*
The Guide nodded, though still bewildered at the
his antics. *There is the Musk village to the north.
They use the springs to curse animals into women and make
them into brides. The other villagers that know avoid this
place. Only the Musk don't.*
*Do they now?* Xellos put on a broad smile through
his closed eyes. *This will be such a pleasant surprise
for my friend.*
*Uh, sir? If you don't mind me asking, why did you
do that to the lost man?*
The Trickster Priest's smile stretched wider. He
stuck up one finger and said, *That is a secret.*

= = = = = = = = =

115 A.D.

A few miles north of Juuban, the Juuba River drops in
close to a hillside bank that's flush with green. The water
was naturally warm, twinkling over the yellow sands in the
sunlight before reaching a narrow pool. On the valley side
the water there are green trees with leaves fluttering
in a cool wind. The other side of the river twists around
a rocky hill. A dark and ominous cave mars the hill, with
large rocks and a sickly maples blocking light from the
unnatural mouth of the cave. Villagers of Juuban are wary of
the cave, avoiding it, for the barricade is covered with
spirit runes and wards. Elders of Juuban say that an ancient
evil dwells within the dank cavern.
Strangely out of place, a black crow cut through the
wind. It flies itself through the trees and made its way
towards the cave. The crow did not fly naturally, in fact, its
movements were virtually mechanical, as if on some unseen
leash. It knew where its destination was. Seeing its mark, the
black bird slowed its flight until was hovering before the
blocked mouth of the cave. Its eyes darted around the boulders
in front of it. It stopped and picked a random spot to finish
its mission. It moved towards a ward, then began to pick and
prod carefully at the enchanted piece fearing as if it would burn
itself just by making contact. The ward slowly crumbled off the
rock and floated to the ground. In the wards place was a
carefully inscribed rune. This time, without hesitation, the
crow clawed fiercely at the rune. Not long passed before the
rune was completely unrecognizable and void of any power it
held in the past.
With its mission complete, the crow flew off and vanished.
Moments later, the remaining wards flared to life and burst
into flames. The hot ashes fell to the ground and revealed the
sacred runes behind it. Those too flared a dark blue aura to the
point where they sizzled and smoked, then vanished. Whatever
purpose those holy protections held before were now gone.
Behind the barricade of rock, amidst the darkness, two
crimson eyes flashed open. First in confusion, a dazed
sleepy state. Then in anger, remembering how this came to be.
Its aura exploded to match the color of its eyes, lighting
up its former prison.

= = = = = = = = =

116 A.D.

"Well, Ranma, were back," the elder one told him.
"Alright! Finally! After ten years were back!" Ranma
yelled out.
"Ranma! Genma!"
"Brother! Poppa!"
The family embraced each other at the joyful reunion.

= = = = = = = = =

"Genma Dear?"
"Hm?"
"There was a letter that had arrived for you a
month ago. I know, it is strange. Here it is."
After reading it, Genma let the letter fall from his
trembling hands.

= = = = = = = = =

"It's the man's job to take care of the family,
Ranma," an older man told a younger one.
Ranma gave the old speaker a confused look. "Huh?
Uh, yeah sure, Pop."
"I want you to have these." The father of
Ranma took out several scrolls, each sealed with the
symbols of the Anything Goes Martial Arts, and handed
them to his son. "These scrolls contain some of my
knowledge that will help in cases when your in trouble.
The other two are forbidden techniques--"
"Really? Great!" Ranma began to open one of them,
but his father stopped him.
"Ranma! These are the Saotome Forbidden Techniques.
These techniques are not to be taken lightly! These are
the most dangerous techniques known to the Saotome Clan!
These techniques have destroyed entire villages by the
slip a finger! Swear to me that you will try to learn or
use these unless you _absolutely_ need them!"
Ranma was taken back by the seriousness of his
father's tone. "Um, okay. I swear it."
His father nodded. "Good." He looked straight into
his son's eyes, as if trying to see something. His brows
furrowed slightly. "...Remember how I sometimes talk about
reuniting the two schools of Anything Goes Martial Arts?"
Ranma nodded.
"Would you do anything for the art?"
"Of course!"
The elder man sighed. "A long time ago, an old friend
and I made...a vow...to..."
"What is it, Pop?"
His father did not answer for he was deep in thought.
"Uhh, hey Pop?? What were ya gonna say?"
"...Never mind."
"Huh? Somethin' wrong?"
"No, nothings wrong. It's late, Bo...Son. Go to
sleep. And one more thing. My one wish for you....is to be
the best martial artist in the world. Goodnight." Genma
left a bewildered Ranma.
*What? What the heck's wrong with Pop today?*

= = = = = = = = =

Miles out from Nerima, upon the top of a hill, a young
man sadly stared down at a town. His black pigtail, braided
with a dragon's whisker, hung against the back of his
silk shirt where his shoulder's carried a large pack. A red
long sleeved jacket was draped over his shoulder that resembled
the red vest he wore. It hugged his athletic chest perfectly,
shaping to show his fitness. Golden colored braces were around
his wrists, matching the sash wrapped around his waist that
gripped tightly against his black saggy pants. A katana within
a scabbard was attached to his side, given to him by his mother
before he left. Packed away for safe keeping was the mate of his
mothers gift, his father's tanto.
Ranma Saotome had never really had a strong connection
to the small town having left it at the age of six. Having been
only recently reunited with the town and his childhood, it was
hard to leave once again. Ucchan was still the same as ever and
still made the best okinomiyaki he has ever known. His sister,
Ranko, seemed to adore him. His mother was just as he expected,
if not more. She was kind and caring, yet strict and strong in
both the mind and body. All three were mournful that he had to
leave so soon. He cursed for the third time that day at the
fated events that caused his departure.
"...Pop...Father..." Ranma shook his head to snap him
out of his reverie. The distraught martial artist clenched his
fists. He glanced behind him one last time at his hometown,
Nerima. It was nice while it lasted. 'I'll come back someday...
once I avenge Pop,' he thought. Ranma reluctantly tore his
vision away from Nerima and started toward the village of Burm.
Will he ever be able to settle down? Settle down and have
a peaceful life perhaps? Maybe that just wasn't the life for
him. His father had promised that they would have finally stop
wandering like ronins and make a life back home. More
specifically, he said that the sibling schools of the Anything-
Goes Martial Arts would at long last be reunited and he could
just sit back to enjoy the good times. He had no idea what that
meant. He only knew of one family that practiced the Anything
Goes and that was the Saotome's. Unfortunately, Ranma would
never get a chance to know what that --the dream that always
brought a smile to his father's face-- had meant.
He could fulfill another dream of his father. To be the
best martial artist in the world. Though that had always been
his goal, he had more motivation now.
Back to the his first query, it looked like he would
never do that. Heck, was he even capable of that? Ten years
on road with the soul purpose of to be the best of the best
might have handicapped him a little in domestics.
Ranma shuddered when he remembered a few incidents that
would have made him less of home person. It was best not to
dwell on the less likeable things that his father had done.
What's done was done and, if it was of any consequence, his
father had now suffered eternally for his sins. That didn't
help Ranma feel better at all.

= = = = = = = = =

Between Nerima and Burm lay a large patch of forest
that covered the surroundings. The sun pierced through
the leafy arms of the trees on shown down the surface.
The cold mist was slowly fading away as the sun rose
higher.
Ranma slept fretfully inside his tent, fidgeting
and rolling from side to side inside it. Finally, he just
gave up on trying to get more rest and sat upright off his
sleeping bag. He opened his mouth and yawned before
lifting up the flap of the tent. He looked up, squinting,
and saw the sun half-way rising above a distant mountain.
"...Woke up early. Oh well." He turned around
and prepared to dismantle the tent when a low rumbling
sound emerged from his mid-section. He winced and rubbed
his stomach. "I shoulda at least ate before I left," he
muttered as he packed up his stuff and headed east.
Ranma figured to give in to his hunger and had his
hands search his pack for food. They managed to grab
something soft. He pulled the covered package from his pack
and unwrapped it to reveal a small ration of dried meat. He
stopped in his tracks to scratch his head in confusion.
"What the...? Where the heck did the rest go?" To solve
this, the skilled outdoorsman took off his pack and
rummaged through his belongings. After a minute of frantic
search, something finally came to him. "Oh, that's right!
Pop usually carried most of the food! That means..."
The supposedly skilled outdoorsman stared blankly at his
food. "...that after I finish it I got nothing else to eat!
Aww! There's hardly anything around here except trolls!"
Ranma sounded a disgusted groan from his mouth. "I hate
trolls."
He repacked and continued on with a sigh. Things just
weren't going his way the past week. Nothing ever seemed to
go right. 'This never woulda happened if Pop was around.
Heh, let's see, what did he say the most important rules
was? Something like always have food because you can't win
if your starving...'

= = = = = = = = =

It took Ranma just under three, uneventful weeks to reach
Burm. This was considerably fast, since a normal villager would
take five weeks. Those past three weeks went by uneventful.
Ranma stayed far clear of any possible troll lair, who were
known to only come out at night anyways, and managed to survive
on assorted fruits he found from place to place.
The farming village of Burm was small and closely
packed together compared to other spread out towns. The wooden
houses were not large nor of the best quality. The trolls, who
lived just north of Burm, seemed to be content with their
surroundings amidst the forest and rarely ever bother the town.
Bandits used to be scarce since they, like most of everybody
else in the world, did not care for the poor village or simply
did not even know it was there. It would probably be seen as
boring to outsiders who lived in the big cities like the Capital
or Zefielia. The fact that the yearly horseshoe contests and
strangers in the inn are the peaks of their excitement added to
that. The villagers were happy living in Burm. It was your
average backwater village.
Recently, things have been a little different. There
was now a group bandits that have been regularly raiding the
outskirts of their lodgings. The men could do little since
there were rumors that the bandits had a dragon under their
control, which would explain the bandits choice in name,
"The Black Dragon Gang".
Ranma passed through the summer sunlit streets of Burm
toward the local inn, occasionally attracting a few glances
from the villagers. He stopped when he reached a two-story
building marked 'TAVERN'. He stepped through the doorway and
into the a large dining place warmed by a plain fireplace.
Heading toward a nearby counter, he caught sight of a poster
behind the burly innkeeper.
The large man smiled at Ranma. "Hello there, lad! What
can I do fer ya?"
"Hi," Ranma greeted back, "I was wondering, do ya
have any big jobs?" Ten years had give the young martial artist
experience in things like odd jobs and such. Somewhere along
the line his father had made it his duty to get the food and
money by himself. The old man had called it training. Ranma
thought that he was just being lazy. At least it had helped
him survive on his own better.
"Yup, sure does, but what kind of job are ya lookin'
for?"
"I don't know...anything. The job with the biggest
reward.
The innkeeper turned around grabbed the poster behind
him. He held it up to Ranma. "There's been a group of bandits
hanging out here lately called the 'Black Dragon Gang'. They
been mugging people on the outside the town fer weeks now.
We'd do something, but their been rumors that they got a
dragon. A couple of my buddies said they even had a couple of
their animals all eaten up which had ta be the work of the
dragon. Not sure if ya can handle a job like that, but that's
about the only big one around these parts."
Ranma listened to him while examining the sheet of
paper. It had a rough sketch of a couple of the gang members,
their name above it, and the words 'WANTED...Dead or Alive'
above that. Below the picture was printed '1,000c'.
"1,000 coins?"
The innkeeper nodded his head. "There be a bonus,
double that, if you gets ridda the dragon too. Don't wants
no crazy dragon runnin' around here ya know."
"Okay, thanks," Ranma said and walked toward the door.
"Oh yeahs, I almost forgets to tell ya!"
The young traveler turned to face the innkeeper. "What?"
"There's another lad, like you, who tooks the same job.
A little while ago he stopped a huge wild boar with jus' an
umbrella! It was amazing I tells ya! If ya sees a guy
wearing a yella and black headband wits a red umbrella,
don't get in 'is way. He's pretty tough."
Ranma shrugged and nodded before walking out of the
inn. 'Yellow and black headband? That reminds me of someone
I used to know. Can't seem to remember his name, though. I
just hope this guy doesn't get in MY way. Hmph, I can stop
wild boar too.'

= = = = = = = = =

Ranma exited Burm to look for the bandits. He tensed
up as he heard a shuffling noise by a bush. The bush opened
up to show a rough skinny man in ragged clothes quickly
crawling out and onto the dirt road.
"Hey! Who are you?"
When he looked up Ranma noticed that the man's face
was deathly pale and his body was shivering all over. When
the man noticed Ranma, he hugged Ranma's legs and cried,
"S-save me! You gotta help me!"
Ranma jumped back in surprise at the skinny man's
appearance. "Wha? What're ya talking about?"
He clasped his hands together and continued to
babble nonsense. "P-please! It's a d-demon! A monster!!
It attacked us from out of know where! It's like half
beast and half man!"
"Okay, okay! I'll help. Where is it?"
The man pointed over to the direction past the bush.
"Our camp is over there."
"Eh?" Ranma raised an eyebrow at his last sentence.
"You mind telling me whatcha gotta camp right outside of
the town for?"
Suddenly frightened even more, he took a step back.
Five steps to be exact. "Uhh..." He managed a nervous laugh
as he backed up and began to turn, but a forceful hand
caught his collar.
"Oh, no you don't! You're one of the bandits, ain't
ya?" Not surprisingly, the thief gave no answer. Ranma
grinned and cracked his knuckles.

= = = = = = = = =

Ranma ran through the forest following the trail
that led to the hideout. As he got closer, he began
hearing loud screaming coming from his destination. They
only got louder as he neared the camp. Silently he
wondered to himself if the bandit wasn't exaggerating,
but actually telling the truth. Underneath his black hair,
trickles of sweat began to form.
The young fighter peered through some distant tree
branches and made out what looked to be a clearing.
When he made it to the clearing, Ranma saw a man about
his size towering over a bandit, covering in a faint red
glow. He had yellow and black headband wrapped around his
head, wore a dark yellow shirt with its sleeves cut off,
light black pants, and a red umbrella in his left hand.
Around him were dozens of still bodies on ground below
the man. It was hard to tell whether they were dead or
unconscious, but judging from the lack of gore that
probably would be there if he really wanted to kill
someone, they were probably alive somewhat. His backside
was to Ranma as he stalked toward his victim.
"That must be that guy the innkeeper was talking
about," Ranma said to himself. He hid behind a tree as
he observed the events in front of him.
The gang member on the ground pleaded for his
life as he back away from his attacker. "P-please don't
hurt me Beastman Sir! We didn't mean to do to it!"
The other man shook his fist with rage. "Why you!
First you try to eat me and now you insult me!? How dare
you! You'll pay for that!!" He drew back his right fist
and slammed it against the others jaw. The bandit was sent
sprawling the air and crashed into Ranma's tree headfirst.
Ranma winced as he got a clear look at the thief's
black and blue face. "Ouch," he said and remembered the
innkeeper's words. He quickly scanned the area for
something. "I heard there was supposed to be a dragon
around here." Another body flies past him. "I think I'll
go look for that dragon..." He said, suppressing another
wince. That's when a certain glint caught Ranma's. He
tracked the source of the small shine to a small cave
right behind the main tent of the bandit's hideout.
Ranma Saotome was not a greedy man, in fact, he was
an honorable man with many good morals. Gold and jewels
have their uses, however. The sight of dozens of
bags of gold and jewels was a temptation he could not
resist. With only a slight feeling of guilt, he took
three bags, unaware that the jingles of the coins awoke
a hidden security measure set to protect the treasure.
On his way out of the cave, his fellow employee of
the current job who was finishing off the last of the
bandits caught sight of Ranma.
The man turned to him. "You there! Are you one of
the bandits too?"
"No, of course not!" Ranma held up his hands in a
defensive gesture. "I took the same job as you!"
"Well..." The man started, still a little unassure,
"I guess you don't really look like one of the bandits."
He peered closer at Ranma. "Hey, haven't I seen you
before?"
"Yeah," Ranma agreed, "I could have swore I've seen
you too around somewhere..."
His voice trailed off to a stop when something
alerted his trained senses. A faint, almost nonexistent
sound but it was definitely there. "Ya hear that?"
The other man nodded. "Look." He pointed to a
spilled keg of beer. A miniature ripple shimmered over
the surface of the liquid. "Something's not right..."
A vibration cracked the air with a deafening roar,
strong enough to break glass. The tent in front of the cave
was carried away with the monstrous cry. The creature who's
voice shook the earth emerged like the black dragon it
was. It's sleek light black scaled absorbed the sunlight
like an eclipse with its two-story tall structure. The
nostrils of it flared with an orange fire and similar to
that was the heated breath of its gigantic jaws, teeth as
large as a child of five years.
The man and Ranma hid themselves behind the trees
with haste, their breath rapidly pacing itself.
"A dragon?! Where the heck did it come from?" He
exclaimed to Ranma.
Ranma quickly pointed to the cave. "I think it came
from there." He pointed to a wrecked tent that had covered
the dragons lair. "That must be their dragon."
As it crawled out of the its nest, its tail flapping
wildly, its eyes slowly creeped over to Ranma and his
competitor where they stopped. The dragon's nostrils flexed
and it seemed to confirm its unknown thoughts for the
dragon's body shifted to where they had hidden themselves.
The two glanced at each other with similar thoughts.
Ranma spoke first. "The guy did say that there was
a bonus, not that I need it now, but it would help the
town out." He grinned and added, "It'll be a challenge too."
The other nodded his head in agreement.
Before the two of them began their battle, Ranma asked,
"By the way, I'm Ranma. Ranma Saotome, heir of the Saotome
School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts." He couldn't help but
get into the mood and smirk arrogantly. "You?"
"Hey, I do know you! And your the same overconfident
jerk as always too. I'm Ryoga Hibiki. From the Academy,
remember?"
"Oh yea--"
The dragon chose that point to swoop down on the
martial artists with its jaws open. They leaped backwards,
avoiding the dragon's teeth which clamped down on a tree,
splitting it in half. Somehow, two of the unconscious bandits
managed regain their senses when the sound of their former
--since their sorcery seal had broken their control over it--
pet dragon reached their ears and ran their legs as fast they
could in any direction away from it. The dragon, being
distracted by the sight of so many possible human prey, was
caught off guard when an umbrella nicked into the side of its
neck. Its eyes snapped to the spinning razor, watching it
return to Ryoga.
Ryoga motioned to Ranma who was hidden behind the
dragon. Ranma shot up the back of the dragon when he heard
the sound of whistling wind at his back. The young fighter
ducked just in time to avoid a swooping black tail. A
trickle of pain was forced out of his side when the dragon's
tail whipped back and caught him in the chest. Soon after
Ranma recovered from his landing he dodged right at the
third strike, though a slice of his shirt was torn off. He
drew his katana from his side and slashes when another
attack came. It sliced of the tip of its tail, not causing
much damage. The two fenced off.
While the dragon had its eyes still on Ranma, Ryoga
took the time to unwrap three of his bandannas from his
head and threw them at the dragon's head. Two of the three
spinning cloth shurinkens hit the black dragon on the beak;
the third painfully cut the dragons' eye. The black dragon
roared in rage to the skies as Ryoga's bandannas continued
twist around its head. Hot gases eased out of its nostrils
and the cracks between its mouth. The dragon's eyes
sparkled menacing through Ryoga's headbands, targeting
Ryoga himself, then it unleashed a beam of yellow flames.
"Ryoga!" Ranma yelled out to him, seeing this. "Look
ou-- Ugh!" The tail caught him in the chin, forcing him
to resume a long delayed flight to the surface and sent
his sword jabbing into a near tree. He glared angrily at
the scaly whip. 'Damn tail has mind of its own!' A rise
in temperature amidst the air remind him of his latest
problem. When he sighted Ryoga, he was surprised to say
the least to see his friend shield himself against the
shower of flames with his umbrella.
When the dragon finally relented its onslaught
of fire, Ranma called out to Ryoga. "Ryoga! You cut off
the tail! I'll take care of the head with your umbrella!"
Ryoga nodded and tossed his umbrella over to Ranma.
The dragon launched another bomb of fire that made its way
to Ryoga. The bomb hit the ground, then exploded in cloud
of heat when Ryoga ducked and rolled out of its way. He
took some cover behind a tree to ready his next weapon.
His selected choice for the upcoming melee was the black
belt wrapped around his waist. It flopped in it his hand
at first, but when he snapped it in the air it went as
straight as a knife. He wielded the belt like a sword,
ready to strike at any moment. He quickly glanced over
to his comrade to see how he was fairing.
Ranma spiraled in the air, onto the dragon's neck,
and slashed it with the open red umbrella. The
umbrella and the hard skin of the dragon sprouted sparks
when the two connected. Ranma had a look of confusion on
his face until another bomb of fire came upon him, which
he dodged.
'Idiot,' the true owner of the Ranma's current
weapon muttered to himself. When the tail made a random
swing into the area around Ryoga, he was caught off guard
at how fast it was. Already it smacked him twice in the
face, knocking him off his feet. 'How did Ranma manage to
dodge this?!' A third bat against his side and again he
was flying to the ground. On the grass, Ryoga gripped his
belt tighter before standing up. His eyes barely managed
to catch the sight of the tail come back for the fourth
round. With his right hand he grabbed tail with all his
might to stop its movement. The wriggled and squirmed, but
found that it had no success. Grinning, he pulled his left
hand which carried his weapon, located the thinnest
source of the tail, and threw the it. The belt landed on
the opposite side of the tail, a green-reddish liquid
half covering it. The tail in which he gripped fell limp
in his hand when contact with its mother limb was cut off.
In Ranma corner of the battle, the dragon's head
flailed wildly in the air, screeching in agony at the top
of its lungs. In his mind, Ranma quickly gathered a way
to dispose of the dragon in one easy motion. While the
dragon was still distracted, he found a nearby tree to
gain leverage off and jump higher into the air. The tunnel
of the dragons neck was clearly visible to him at that
point, giving him an open shot to enact his plan. With
accurate precision, he let the umbrella go flying right
into the dragon's narrow neck where it opened up. "Yeah!
Bullseye!" He shouted in triumph.
The umbrella cut off all oxygen passing through
the neck, supplying its brain with air. The dragon's face
turned a deep purple before the loss of air caused it to
faint, dropping to the ground with dead weight. Within ten
minutes, the backup supply of energy would be spent and
the dragon would be dead. Too bad its hunters didn't want
to wait that long.
"Ranma! How am I supposed to get my umbrella now?!"
Ranma sheepishly held up his hands in defense. "It was
the only way I could think of! Dragons are tough ya know!"
"Yeah, whatever..." Ryoga muttered back. He picked up
hit knife-belt and walked over to the middle of the
dragon's neck where it was twice as round.
"What're you doing?"
"Getting my umbrella back. What do you think?"
Ranma face turned green with sickness.
"Hey, don't look at me that way! It's your
fault my umbrella is where it is!"
"Well if your stupid umbrella would work the
way it's supposed to, it wouldn't be there!" Ranma
retorted.
Ryoga stopped his surgery to chuckle. "It took me
month's to master the razor umbrella technique. It's a lot
harder than it looks."
Ranma shrugged. He mentally reviewed the battle
and made a note of all things Ryoga used: His bandannas,
umbrella, and belt. His bandannas were light, as cloth
would be, and could sustain long periods in the air. The
belt could be used like a small dagger if he wanted to.
The umbrella. It was not only extremely heavy for an
umbrella, but was also fire resistant and used the air
currents to glide like the headbands. All seemed to grow
sharp enough to pierce a dragon's scales with the tip of
Ryoga's touch. Maybe Ranma would ask him about them after
they collected their pay.

= = = = = = = = =

They didn't look too good when entering the tavern.
Their hair was messy, clothes torn, and injuries were
scattered over their bodies. Ryoga paid for a room as soon
as they received their pay. Both of them headed towards
their room, exhausted and looking for rest. Actually Ranma
headed toward their room, while Ryoga took a turn at the
stairs. Ranma seemed too tired to care that Ryoga had not
followed him.
Ryoga looked around the inn for fifth time. He turned
back to the tavern owner. "Um, excuse me? Can you tell
me..."
"Fer da last time, the stairs are over there! To yer
right!...NO! YER OTHER RIGHT!!" He hollered at Ryoga in
his slurring accent.
"Oh, okay," the lost boy said, apparently
oblivious to the man's attitude or perhaps used to it.
He eventually found his way up the stairs and into a
short hallway with doors on either side. There were only
seven doors from which to open, however, to Ryoga this
looked as complicated as a maze of hedge rows.
He knocked on the door that he thought most possible
to be the right. "Um, hello? Ranma? Are you in there?" He
received no answer. There was no way to tell if Ranma was
in there and sleeping or not in the room at all. Taking a
chance, he opened the door. The room inside was dark,
dimly lit by the night's moon. He looked at the sleeping
figure within the bed and noticed a pigtail laying beside
the figure's head. At least it looked like it with the
current light. Coming to a common conclusion, Ryoga
moved closer to what looked like Ranma and prepared to
wake him up. He figured that Ranma would want to talk a
little before tomorrow and that maybe he dosed before
Ryoga could get up there.
Ranma rolled over to face the ceiling, revealing his
shaded body. About to shake Ranma awake, Ryoga stopped his
hand in midair, sensing something wasn't right. For one
thing, this Ranma had a completely different aura. And
there was something else too. After observing the body in
slumber with further scrutiny, he made out something
sticking out of Ranma's chest through the bed sheets. From
the curve, it...or rather, they, looked to be round and soft.
Also, it could just be from the darkness, but from his
perspective Ranma's hair appeared to be a tint of red.
Curiously, he poked at the round shape with caution. His
finger rubbed up against the form, making a tiny indent in
the sheet. A moan escaped Ranma's lips. A soft, feminine
moan. Ryoga's brain came up with a common conclusion, causing
his nose to gush a stream of blood. Falling to the floor, he
fainted.

= = = = = = = = =

The surrounding birds chirped a cheerful song at break
of the new morning light. The familiar sun emitted a soft
yellow glow that glazed over the town of Burm. Warm sheets
covered Ranma Saotome with a feeling that he had long
forgotten. They rewarded him with a happy dream of his
childhood before he left his mother and sister. Cracking
open his eyes and stretching restful limbs, Ranma noticed an
unconscious body below him. This made him curious because
there was another bed right next the fallen form. 'Maybe he
fell out?' He thought.
Shrugging, he nudged the body with his foot. "Hey,
Ryoga? Wake up." This time he kicked him, hoping to get
more of a reaction. As his head began to wake out of its
daze, Ranma remembered last night. 'Why did it take him so
long to get up anyways?' Gathering up some past memories of
the lost boy, his mind caught a hold of a scene. Of Ryoga
taking four days to get to an abandoned lot right behind
his house. 'Oh yeah! I forgot about that!' He noticed Ryoga
began to fidget. "You up now?"
"Yeah...prepare to die!!" Ryoga launched a fist at
Ranma's face with the intention of knocking him out.
Ever swifter, Ranma slipped to the side, dodging the
blow while yelling in Ryoga's ear, "Hey, what's wrong with
you!?"
Ryoga shifted his weight and attempted a slug to
Ranma's chin, only to be blocked by Ranma' forearm. "Calm
down will ya!"
Ryoga stopped, and took a deep breath. "...Fine."
"Good." Ranma leaned against a nearby wall. "What
happened to ya last night? No, wait, let me guess, you
got lost?"
Ryoga nodded.
"Heh, figured you were still 'Lost Boy'."
"Shut up!"
Ranma ignored him. "Anyways, what happened after
that? I mean, why were ya on the floor?"
"Well, I um..." Ryoga's previous anger was replaced
by nervousness. "I'm not sure, but...before I tell you
this you better promise not laugh!!"
"Uh, okay," Ranma answered, though confused.
"Okay, it was like this. When I got upstairs I went
to room #7. That's this room right?" He received a nod.
Shifted uneasily, he avoided Ranma's gaze as he continued.
"I went into the room and, um, was about to wake you up,
but you didn't look the same." Ryoga's eyes seemed to
shade over in a dreamy state while his visage turned a
light hue of red. "You...you had red hair, beautiful soft
hair. Your body...s-so gorgeous...and chest too...s-so
soft w-when I touched them--"
Ranma's fist cut off Ryoga's babblings when it
connected with his already bloody nose; it had begun to
spout when he had started his description of Ranma's
feminine body. "Stop talking about my sister's body like
that!! And don't touch me like that either, pervert!!"
Ryoga wiped his nose. "S-sister?! That means..."
Ranma had enough patience to wait for him to finish.
"...that you were sleeping with your sister!! You
pervert! I'll kill you for doing that to your poor
unsuspecting sister!!" Ryoga caught Ranma in a bear hug,
throwing both of them out the glass window and into the
streets.
Using the ground as leverage, Ranma shoved Ryoga
off with his foot. "What're you talking about?!?! I'd never
do something like that!! Your the one touchin' and talking
about her body you idiot!" His fist made it to Ryoga's
stomach.
"Shut up you liar! I saw her in your bed!" Ryoga
absorbed the second attack with little effort and knocked
Ranma's cheekbone.
After wiping a strip of blood off his face, he yelled
back, "That wasn't her!! That was..."
Neither of them had noticed the crowd that had
formed, but they did now, as well as the rumors.
"Did you hear that? That guy slept with his sister!"
"Who's sister? That guy's sister or his own?"
"That's disgusting!"
"Sister? I thought it was his mistress?"
"Who's the other guy?"
"I don't know. Maybe they're into threesomes. Or
maybe they're, like, gay."
"Gay? What a waste. They looked so cute too..."
Both glazed over beat red at hearing all of the rumors
and decided it was time for a temporary truce. They packed
their bags wordlessly and scatted out of town. When they
were a safe distance away, which was several miles fueled
by adrenaline, Ranma questioned to Ryoga, "What the hell
were you talking about back there?!" He almost whispered
that, as if people were still listening. "I was NOT
sleeping with my sister! She's not even in this town!"
"But you said that was your sister's body in the
bed!" Ryoga pointed out.
"Yeah, her BODY. Not mind!"
"...Huh? That doesn't make any sense!"
Ranma scratched his head. "I mean, um...argh! I'm not
good at explaining this kind of stuff! It's a long story,"
he stated with a sigh, shoulders slumped.
"We got time."
Ranma began his story. "It started when me and my
...father...got lost. We found this place called Jusenkyo..."
"Jusenkyo?! I've been there too!"
Ranma blinked. "Really? Say, you aren't cursed are?"
"Um, I'll tell you after your done with your story."
"Okay. Anyways, the guide there said it was a training
ground so we decided to train there since we were already
there. We fought and ended up knocking each other into the
springs. I fell in the Spring of Drowned Girl. So whenever
I got splashed with cold water I turned into a girl. When
Pop first looked at me he actually thought I was my sister
but with red hair. Ya see, I look exactly like my twin
sister in Nerima but with red hair. The guide said the
spring changes me into my genetic opposite, and since
Ranko's my twin sister, I change into an exactly copy of
her body except with red hair. I think that's because of
the original girl that fell in there or something. When
we were going back home we passed the Capital and we found
somebody to cure our curse."
Ryoga shot up out of his seat. "Really?! Yes! I can
cure my curse!"
Ranma grinned and continued his story again. "It was
only the first half though since we didn't have enough many
to pay for all of it. Man, and it was a fortune too! We used
up all our money on that. But now, because of what the priest
did, I only change when there's a full moon at night. It's a
lot more convenient."
He silently wanted add that it was all the old
man's fault that he was cursed, but...he couldn't. The old
man was dead after all. It wouldn't do any good to blame
it all on him now.
"Wow," Ryoga said in subdued voice. "Actually, I
never knew you had a sister before."
"Even if you did attack me...anyways, my story
isn't finished yet. That wasn't even the worst of it."
"Eh?! How can that be?! Because of my curse I've
been through hell!" Ryoga shook his fist angrily.
Ranma lifted his eyebrow, wondering what his curse
could be, but continued. "Almost a month ago my pop
decided is was time to come home. After ten years. We
made it back home. Everything was great for a while. I
got to meet my sister and my mom! But it didn't last.
My mom gives Pop this letter."
"But I thought that both of you hadn't been home
for ten years?"
Ranma shook his head. "We hadn't. When we asked
him, he said it was from an old acquaintance or somethin'.
The letter was from Juuban and it arrived a month before
we came back. His face looked like he'd almost been
killed. I'd never seen him so scared before. When I asked
him about it he told me not to worry about it. Even though
he said that, he acted really weird that day. For one
thing, he spent a lot of time talkin' to Ranko and my mom
than eating. He came to me alone at night and we sparred
for a bit. It was the most intense fight I've ever had with
him, I gotta admit, and he actually beat me. After that,
Pop started saying some really strange stuff. Some of it
I didn't even understand.
"When I went to sleep, I never saw him again.
In a matter of speaking, anyways. When I woke up, he was
gone and he took his pack with him too. A week later...
Pop's body was found between Capital Saillune and Burm.
The body was sent to Nerima where we held his funeral."
Ranma's voice was flat when saying the last sentences.
When he had first got word of his father's death,
he was surprised at how hurt he was. Never had he thought
that he had cared so much for the old man. He was usually
just trouble for Ranma. Always making him learn these
crazy techniques, stealing food, insulting the Gods; the
list went on forever. He guessed that the say was true
about how you never know how much you care for someone
until that someone dies. The old fool had been the only
family he had for the last ten years.
That hurt had eventually flared to rage when he
realized that wanted to kill that Happosai guy for taking
away that companionship. Sure his father had said that he
wouldn't always be around to baby the young warrior,
though Ranma disagreed about himself being babied at that
time. The patriarch Saotome had said that it is a great honor
to die battle, even if he did later contradict that with
it's better not to lose at all and die in battle. Though
he remembered those words clearly, he still wanted
vengeance.
"...Ranma, I...I'm sorr--"
"No need ta be sorry. Hell, I'm sure not a lot a
people are gonna be missin' him. He wasn't exactly a
saint, y'know. It's already done. I just want to make
that Happosai guy pay!" Ranma declared, full of mixed
emotions. "That's why I'm out here, looking for him."
"I'll help you fight him!"
"No," he stated a matter-of-factly. "It's gotta be
between me and him."
Ryoga seemed stunned by the hidden fury in Ranma's
voice, but consented in understanding.
Turning to Ryoga, Ranma changed the subject with
little reluctance. "Oh yeah, what about your story?"
"My story? Well, it started when I got REALLY lost.
So lost that I wondered out of the country and into the
Free Cities. That's when I wondered to the same Junsenkyo you
went to and that's where I met Xellos! He's the one who pushed
me into TWO cursed springs. One spring turns you into a
little black pig and the other turns you into a female..."
"...and now you turn into a female pig whenever you're
splashed with cold water and back with warm?"
"Yeah! The worst part is that my pig body always seems
to get the most trouble! The boar trampling, the weeks
having to eat off greens and berries, and EVERYBODY ALWAYS
THINKS THAT I'M THEIR DINNER!! _SO_ many times! Whether it
was an animal or a person! I can't begin to count how many
times my head has been _this_ close to being chopped off!
Being female doesn't help things either! Especially in mating
season!!" Ryoga punched the ground, nearly shattering it, in
frustration.
"Wow, that is pretty bad." Ranma thought back to the time
before. "Is that why you were so mad at the bandits?"
"YES! Why do they always seem to think that a tiny
pig would make the best meal?! And my sense of direction
makes it worse!"
Ranma patted the cursed boy on the back in sympathy.
The sun caught the corner of his eye. He turned to the road
and saw the sun was setting beneath the edge of the horizon.
"Geez, it's dusk already," he commented, surprised. He
looked back toward the sulking Ryoga. "What're ya gonna do
now?"
Ryoga shot back to life. "I'M GOING TO FIND THAT
DAMN TRICKSTER PRIEST AND KILL HIM!! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!!
I'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL BECAUSE OF HIM!!"
"Hey! Calm down, will ya?"
"Eh? Oh, heheh, sorry. But that's what makes me hate
him so much. He did it ON PURPOSE! He's just lucky that it's
not permanent!"
Ranma shrugged. "I can understand how you feel about
that Xellos guy. Same way I feel about Happosai. You might
wanna come with me to the Capital. It is the center of
White Magic and if Xellos is a priest you might be able to
find where he is by asking some people there. You could
probably get cure for your curse while your there just
like I did."
Ryoga visibly brightened at the possibility. "I
think I will go with you then. Thanks, Ranma."
"No problem...Pig Boy...or actually, Pig Girl," he
said with a smirk.
"Don't call me that!" Ryoga took a swing at his
insulter.
With ease, Ranma ducked. "I'm just kiddin'!" He
began again when the anger drained from Ryoga's face.
"Let's get off road and camp out for the night."
"Okay."
They did so and unpacked their sleeping materials
like a usual routine. Once settled down outside around a
small fire, covered in blankets --they didn't want to go
through the trouble of setting up their tents or taking
them down-- Ranma stared dreamily at the half moon. It was
so beautiful the moon was. For some reason he had gained
a respect for the beauty of the glowing planet, even if it
did occasionally trigger his curse. He discovered this
after many times of checking on the moon's status the
nights shortly after his half-curing. The sphere so
high up in the sky that anyone in Saillune could see the
same exact thing. He wondered the girl who's body he was
cursed into was staring up at that same moon.

= = = = = = = = =

A young woman's feet patted quietly across the
Saotome residence. Her long blackish-brown hair was tied
in a long tail, held together by a dragon's whisker, lay
rest on her back which carried a large pack full of
unknowns. The silk clothing she wore was a gift of her
brother presented to herself. The clothes matched her
siblings quite identically: blue vest with sleeves edging
over her shoulders, sun colored sash similar to her twin
braces, the whisker around her hair, and light black
pants. She had a blue long sleeve jacket that went with
her other attire wrapped around her sash just in case it
became any colder than it was. A long sword sheath about
three feet in length was strapped against her side.
It was odd to see the resident sneak around her own
house. Ranko Saotome obviously sought for no one to know
that she was leaving. Presently, after nearly a month of
indecision, she has set her mind on a single choice and
planned to put it to action. Though it did feel bad
leaving her mother alone so soon after she became a widow,
Ranko just couldn't let her sibling, Ranma, complete the
task all by himself. She wanted payback too for the hurt
that man had caused her family. It was also fueled by her
admiration and yet envy of her brother's skill and
knowledge of the world outside Nerima. Everyone in her
family was stronger than her. It's not that she minded so
much, it was only the fact that she hadn't had a chance to
prove herself to the other's. She didn't want to be some
pampered child never to leave the vicinity of her mother's
arm. She wanted to be a strong warrior, like Ranma and her
mother. Neither of them had stayed cooped in one small town.
Both had, and still is with her brother's case, gone on
long training trips to improve their skills and knowledge;
her father as well to her knowledge which her mother had
informed her of. When she was little, she always used to
stare at the postcards her brother and father sent, looking
at the backgrounds and wondering what it was like out there
in the world. The time had come for the heir to the Saotome
School of Anything-Goes Swordplay to follow in her family's
footsteps of adventure.
This was it. She was past the front door. No turning
back now. Ranko took another step forward, but stopped in
mid-stride. Something wasn't right. She was getting the
feeling that someone was watching her. She tried to shrug
it off paranoia, but her mother had taught her better than
to ignore her six sense. Her hand came to rest tensely on
the hilt of her sword as she continued out of her home
estate. A dark figure emerged from behind the house and
onto the roof when she reached the gates. Ranko drew her
sword in fast motion and executed a flip, twisting to face
the figure in the air, placing her out of the territory
of her house. Should the confrontation lead to battle,
her mother would hopefully be out of hearing range to
wake her.
Ranko planted her feet firmly into the ground and
positioned herself in the Anything-Goes Swordplay stance.
"What do you want?"
The shadow remained silent. From the outline of the
figure, it too was in similar stance to Ranko's.
"Answer me!" She demanded. Tension stiffened her
body in grim anticipation.
Nothing. Maybe in the place of an answer, the figure
raised its sword into the air, the moon reflecting of it.
It attacked, revealing more of its body though skillfully
using the shadows to retain the secrecy of her profile. The
only attributes that became visible was that it was a
female. A female samurai and...of the Anything-Goes style?!
'That's can't be! Only the Saotome's know that style!'
Very skilled by the look her of movements. Ranko
could make out a glimpse of short dark brown her and an
outer layer of a purple kimono, fitted for grace and
athletics much to her surprise. It resembled a kimono she
had received from her mother's own collection.
The young Saotome's mind was racing with thoughts
all at once. She did not have time to piece together the
puzzle her mind lay for her: Who was she? Where did she
learn how fight? Why was she attacking? How good was she?
One piece was solved when the female attacker
slashed down her blade with lightning speed, barely giving
Ranko time to parry the blow. The strike, however, came
down with enough force to knock the young girl of her feet,
onto the dirt surface. Ranko scrambled off the ground to
avoid the attacker's follow up of a stab which impacted
her previous landing. Ranko rolled to her feet, sword
still in hand, with a new sense of awareness.
Ranko let out a battle cry of "Hyaaaa!" with her
first advance. She double-slashed her sword at the invader,
both movements intended to cut through her. The skilled
woman dodged the first cross and deflected the second
smoothly. Retreating from the defensive and onto the
opposite, she jabbed through a crack in Ranko's defenses,
cutting her left arm.
She jumped back, gripping her wound. She feigned a
sharp wince, even if it did hurt, to lure her opponent
within her range. It succeeded for more than Ranko had
suspected for such a skilled warrior. The other woman
lowered weapon and almost reached out to, perhaps, comfort
her when she realized her mistake. She took too much time
to cover up the gapes in her protective stance, letting
Ranko get clip of her side. She grinned, seeing that the
woman was not as invincible as much as it seemed.
For a long while in the night Ranko's metal blade
clashed with her opponents longer one, tiring as time wore
on. With still at least half of her former energy, the
young sword fighter could see who was gaining the edge.
The dark figure, deciding it was time to put this
battle to an end, thrust the tip of her katana into the
ground with two commanding words of, "Bakusai Tenketsu!!"
After a very short lag, the ground exploded into waves of
rock and dust.
Ranko was thrown back a short distance from the
impact alone and was having blocking the aftermath of
explosion. Still, she wondered what the attack was
supposed to have done. The small rocks caused little
damage and surely having been in the middle of the blast
would have hurt more. Realization struck instants later,
and she cursed herself. A smoke screen of course, for she
couldn't see anything. It was too late because the woman
appeared suddenly at her side and had already unarmed her
with a swift, strategic blow.
That's when the figure at last let moon light her
shaded outline.
"M-Mom?!" Ranko gasped out.
Nodoka, mother of Ranma and Ranko, smiled warmly.
She sheathed her sword into its casing. "Hello, Ranko."

= = = = = = = = =
End of Chapter 1
= = = = = = = = =

Author's notes: That last scene will be
explained in the later chapters. Like how Nodoka knew
that amazon move and why she attacked. The Forbidden
Techniques have also been slightly modified to be more
powerful to fit this world because normally the
techniques wouldn't be that forbidden when you got
stuff like the Dragon Slave.

A.D. means After Dawning which will be explained later
own.

For character profiles, maps, history, music themes, and
custom made pictures of Hero's Prologue visit:
www.angelfire.com/realm/xenofex1/heropro.html

Ranma ----------- = Ranma 1/2 (Anime)
Ryoga ----------- = Ranma 1/2 (Anime)
Xellos ---------- = Slayers (Anime)
Ranko ----------- = Ranma 1/2 (Anime)
Nodoka ---------- = Ranma 1/2 (Anime)
Genma ----------- = Ranma 1/2 (Anime)
Happosai -------- = Ranma 1/2 (Anime)
Black Dragon Gang = Slayers (Anime)