Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Nimble Wish ❯ The Black Ruby ( Chapter 1 )

Nimble WishChapter 1: The Black Ruby

The Black Ruby

Sounds more like the name of a pirate's ship then that of the Ezru Capital's most notorious tavern. Notorious for its large crowd of criminals, outlaws, thieves, the usual drunks, runaways, and prostitutes. Even the house specialty drink is as infamous as the tavern's name, guarantee to knock a person out within minutes no matter how good a drinker he is.

You would expect, when you walk in, to find the dark and gloomy offish atmosphere of most of the other pubs in the city where drunks gathered to get their quiet drinks. This place, however, is nowhere near quite. The Black Ruby's regulars, most of them practically lived there, always filled the place with drunken laughter of the men and flirtatious giggles of their less-then-decent female companions. Crude humor and the daily skirmish of men and sometimes women were always the tavern's best source of entertainment, keeping the neighbors up late into the night.

The place is situated at the far end of the city, nearest to the Ezru Capital's West entrance. It looks like any other building in the city; two stories with a courtyard, a stable for the horses, and a large back house. The tavern's inn is the twelve rooms on the second floor of the main house, above the bar. Fifteen more rooms of the back house are for the employers and `special' guest. A fountain isn't a very common courtyard ornament in this part of the city but considering the owner of this place, a solid gold grand fountain can be placed here if he wants it to be. Though it might have been stolen from a rich Lord's estate somewhere. The only thing that's really unusual is a stepladder, carefully concealed, above the stables going up into one of the rooms of back house.

Apart from the regulars, people of the lower classes came often to get their daily dose of rum, beer, or sake. Bounty hunters are also regulars but their intentions of coming were usually to find their next bounty and maybe have a drink here or there. The police and Lord Hiroshi's men no longer visits not wanting to bother with the men there. You'll find the oddest group of people around here. Only on the rarest of occasions would someone of the upper class would step through those double black doors.

*/*

A young man enters the black painted double doors of the Black Ruby. His shirt and pants, though plain, were very well made and of rich materials. Amber eyes, a part his slightly feminine features, and long bluish black hair, tied together in a ponytail, gave him an aura of attractiveness and, much to his discomfort, a lot of attention from the pub's ladies. A sword hung loosely on his side to top off his appearance. If you look closely, a glitter of something resembling a small jewel hung around a silver chain on his neck.

Few care to glance at the new arrival. They were either too drunk or found the fight between two men over at the sidewall more interesting. He was just about to step forward but stopped himself. A drunken old man fell down in front of him, unconscious. Unfazed, he steps over the man and weave through the bawling men, avoiding the lady waitresses and flower girl as much as he can.

"Aye! The Young Lord's back!" cried a man at the bar as he passed by. He turned around to see who it is. "Care to buy a drink for ye old pal?"

So maybe `on the rarest of occasions' is a bit of an exaggeration. Despite his status, he was a regular at the Ruby and made a lot of friends that his father would most definitely shake his head at. He earn his respect from these rudely men and charm them with his quick -tempered personality.

The man that called him is called Knos, the best blacksmith in the city. He's a fairly kind man with soft looking eyes and has the most tart humor ever. He lost his family to bandits years ago and had blamed himself for their deaths so he came here to drown himself every night in alcohol. Knos's among many of the ruffians here that called him `Young Lord' whenever he visits. They don't know his real name nor do they care much. They only know that he's the son of some rich Lord in Court and that he's very able with that sword. Picking on this young man, thinking he's scrawny and weak, would only result in fueling his quick temper and end up facing more than half the men in the tavern.

He gave an apologetic smile at the drunken man and replied. "Sorry Knos, I didn't carry money with me tonight. I was in a bit of a hurry. Next time Ok?" Knos merely hiccup looking dully at his drink.

"Aye lad, it's ok." The man replied as he turns back to his almost drained tankard. "By da way, your sword is done. An' ye no need to pay, lad, ye be buyin' me drinks more then often enough to pay for that sword. Pick it up tomorrow mornin' at dah shop."

"Thanks Knos. I'll make sure to buy you a large tankard next time." The young man patted the elder man's shoulder before turning to push himself through a crowd of particularly large men. The biggest of the lot, Coren, turned around when he felt someone bumping into him.

"Oi! It's the Young Lord!" The giant called to the others around him then look back down at the younger man. "Care for a drink with us poor folks this time?"

"Not today Coren. I'm looking for Shinosuke." His amber eyes continue to scan the large room, he only frown when the curtain of the private area where Shinosuke usually drinks is open and unoccupied.

"Aw! *hiccup* ye never hea for a drink lad." Cried another, Fingers from the table. Why is he called Fingers? Well, Finger's fingers used to have a particular liking to moneybags and gold coins. Now Finger's a "retired" pickpocket. "Retired" is just what Fingers mean that instead of stealing a lot, he'll just settle for enough to enjoy a good time at the Ruby.

"Leave the lad alone `Fingers." Said a passing flower girl named Lil. She giggled as Fingers gather her on his lap. She playfully whack him on the shoulder then turn her dull green eyes back to the young man. "Shinosuke out in the back. With the horses."

He gave his thanks and left the room through the back door. Shinosuke*, the owner of the Ruby, is a renowned thief, criminal, dealer, martial artist, swordsman, and the best drinker around. His young age and handsome features has never gone unnoticed by the ladies. Though only 25 years old, he was respected and known by many. To people and the police, Shinosuke is a criminal. To him and the other `respected' ruffians, Shinosuke is more noble then most of the men in the Courts.

(*a/n: Shinosuke's character based on a book I once read. I read the book awhile ago so it may not be so much like that character. I don't remember the name of the book anymore otherwise I'll mention it hea. *Thanks to Nikka and konton, the character is named George Cooper from the Alanna the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. Good book, go read it )

He found Shinosuke inside a stable grooming his own horse. Without looking up, Shinosuke greeted him. That was no surprise. Shinosuke read ki like it's an open book.

"Hello Shinosuke." He leaned on the stable doors and wait patiently as Shinosuke finished the last strokes of the brush. Shinosuke continues to stroke in silence. He knew the older man was making sure no one was listening on them.

"So lass, I heard you're getting married and to the Prince too." Shinosuke said in a matter-of-fact voice. He looks up and flashes one of his dazzling similes. "Am I invited to the ceremonies?"

"There won't be any ceremonies." He, or rather she, retorted. "And I would hate my Lord Hiroshi to get his hands on you if you did come." Out of all the men here, Shinosuke is the only one that knows her secret. Coming into the city dressed as a lady would cause too much unwanted trouble so for mere convenience and safety, she dresses up as a boy whenever she visits.

"Why is it that you always know what I'm going to tell you before I tell you?"

He gave her a hearty chuckle before setting the brush aside. "I have my ways little Lady." She glared at him but it was promptly ignored. "Come. We'll talk in a more private place."

Sometimes, she thinks Shinosuke can be so paranoid. But after some personal experience, when he says that the place is unsafe, then that place was most definitely unsafe and unsuitable for a conversation. He has as much men after him as the amount of dresses she possesses. And as the daughter of the Court's most respected Lord, she has many many dresses.

She followed Shinosuke out of the stables, cross the courtyard, and into the back building. She followed him down the corridor and into the very last room, Shinosuke's private chambers. They could have taken a short cut, the stepladder* above the stables but Shinosuke had said that it's best not to use it so often. She sat down on one of the chairs as Shinosuke proceed to the wine cabinet for a drink.

(*a/n: Again, it was from the book. The character in the book, George (I think) is the King of Thieves (I think) and he has a ladder going into his window.)

"So how are you planning to get away from this marriage?" he asked in a joking tone. He knew her well. She's not about ready to marry yet, not until she says so. She's too willful to be tied down especially when she's only seventeen years old. She'll be eighteen in a week.

"I don't know yet." He offered her a glass of wine as he pours himself something stronger and settle down on a chair across from her. "What am I going to do Shinosuke? I don't want to get married, not yet anyways. And the marriage is in a week's time, how the hell am I supposed to get out of a wedding to Prince Shinji?"

He watched her thoughtfully. `The day after her birthday too.'

She took a sip of her wine and her eyes turned thoughtful once more. He smiled at her cute look. He's been keeping an eye on this little one ever since they met 4 years ago. No way would he allow anything to harm her and he would do everything within his power to make her happy. Though he grown to lover her deeply, he knew that she could never be happy with him and he had accepted that a long time ago. She is nobility and he is one of the most wanted men in all of the Four Realms. The prince is a good man, as his spies in Court had told him, and he would be good to her. "What do you want to do then?"

She smiles brightly at him. She thought for a second and answer in an excited tone. "I want to travel."

"Travel? To where?"

Her golden eyes dance and sparkle as if rivaling the brightest star in the sky in response to his inquiry. "To everywhere! I want to travel, see people, and places." She swung her hands above and around her head to add to the effect and smile bright at him.

Her expression saddens once more as she says "and if I do get married, then all those hopes of traveling would diminish. I would be forced to be the good little wife, worst, the wife of prince."

Her sadden expression lasted only for another heartbeat before being forcefully lighten up again, thinking thoughtfully of the brighter side. "Hey, at least he's handsome."

"He's not the one you should be worrying about." Mumbled Shinosuke as he took a sip of his drink.

"What?"

"Akane, two weeks ago, I found out that King Hisashi had recently acquire a new advisor." He pause to make sure that she's listening before continuing. "His name is Naraku Tagata-"

She was startled with the name. Naraku Tagata…. How come her father didn't mention him to her? "The Naraku Tagata? The Duke Naraku Tagata? The general warlord that took over the Saotome Realm twelve years ago? What is he doing here?"

He wasn't surprised at her knowledge. Not many people knew of the illicit exploits of the Saotome Realm twelve years ago involving Naraku. Obviously she got it all from her father. Soun Tendo speak highly of his daughters and had taught them a lot.

"Yes, the same Naraku Tagata. My sources told me that he was the one that suggested to Prince Shinji to ask for your hand in marriage last week." He stood up and walked over to a table buried underneath books, scrolls, and an assortment of papers. "I got a sneaky suspicion that the prince was merely enchanted by your beauty and took the suggestion."-He shot her another grin-"You are, after all, the youngest and most beautiful daughter of a respectable Lord in the inner circle in Court."

"Gee Shinosuke, I feel much better now about marring the Prince." Came her sarcastic reply. He shook his head at her reply about a smile crept on his lips at her sarcasm. Only she could pull that of and she alone is the only Lady in Court that didn't want to marry royalty. "How come my father didn't say anything as important as a warlord entering the Courts?"

"That's because Hisashi haven't announced his arrival. Thus far, only the royal family and a few selected servants that have knowledge of his presence in Court." He stated started to rummage through the papers and books on the table. She shook his head. Only Shinosuke who have no care for the law would call the king by his name straight out and casually like he did.

"Why is he here then? Aren't they worried that he might try take over as he did with the Saotome Realm?" Her questions hang in the air for a while. After finding what he was looking for, an ancient book. The language of the book is ancient, the grandfather for the all the realm's languages and scripts. Luckily, Shinosuke taught her how to read and say these ancient scripts and she had mastered it within half a year.

"No, they don't seem to worry much about that possibility. As for the reason he's here-" He stroll over to her side and hand her the ancient book. Her attention immediate drawn to the images and words in the book as Shinosuke point at the picture in the book. "I have reasons to think he's after that."

He pointed at a nicely drawn image of a glowing jewel.

"The Shikon no Tama…"

(A/N) In case you're still confused, Akane dressed up as a boy and often comes into the city, going to the worst parts of town. A bit adventurous isn't she. That's why I started the story out saying "he" this and "he" that just to throw you off.

Do you know how hard it is to think of some creative names? I don't want to pick some regular American names like….George or David or James or Michelle or…well you get the idea because its all the names that I would first think of. Is Hiroshi a guy name? Is Tagata a last name? I dunno, I just got it the names off the end credits of an anime. Tell me if you know tho.

Ciao for now! - Miaishme

oOps……… almost forgot:

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters of the Ranma universe