Jusenkyo. A place of magic and wonder that attracts the stupid. Case in point : Genma Saotome. An overweight man of rather LARGE bulk, if fried, he would end up a WHOLE LOAF OF TOAST. His son beside him, Ranma Saotome. Bullheaded, chaulvanistic and something of an idiot in his own way. As they dropped their packs, the thuds of the heavy objects within jarred a long since deactivated power source deep below the Springs. With a computeristic thumm, it started to power up. �Power source at 10 % and rising.� �Follow me Ranma!� Ranma followed his father up onto the poles and landed lightly, balancing on one foot. No, make that the ball of one foot. �I�m not going to go easy on you Ranma,� Genma said in his usual gruff tones. �Power source at 45 %. Locking onto Co-ordanates...� �That�s just how I like it! HA!� The pair clashed together with an exchange of blows. Then, with a kick, he sent Genma down into the spring below. �Whatsa matter Oyaji? We done yet?� �Power source at 90 %. Locking onto closest bioform...� Suddenly, a large furred, black and white form launched out of the Spring and clubbed Ranma into a spring close to the edge of the valley. Ranma hit the water with a tremdous splash. As he gurgled under the water, he could hear a tinny voice say, �Transport iniciated...NOW.� Genma landed, peered into the spring. Suddenly, the spring erupted with a huge watery tower. As the water settled, the top of Ranma�s GI floated up to the water, and nothing more. <Oh fuck. There goes my pay.> The Jusenkyo Guide muttered. <><><> Ranma awoke, feeling a tremendous pain in the back of her head. She grasped for the closest cold object and found a small metallic object. Groaning, she sat up, opened her eyes and looked downward. She blinked a few times before screaming. He was a SHE. Just then, a shriek echoed from the forest and Ranma jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain in her skull. Down there was a girl, dressed in blue and white clothes, a thin sword in her hands. She tried to fend off what appeared to be a huge ape creature. �HANG ON!� Ranma shouted, dashing towards the ape. On an instinct that she found strange but needed, she leapt, pushed the girl to the side and brought up the small object that revealed itself to be a type of energy gun. �BURN!� The energy sprayed off the ape which howled. Ranma, acting on a primal instinct, combined with the furious realization that it probably wouldn�t hesitate to kill her and the girl, fired again and again. With a roar, the creature toppled over backwards and shimmered. Soon, it dissapeared, seemingly melting into the ground. In its place stood a myriad of gold coins and two large pieces of gold ore. The girl, long since gotten up, scrutinized the topless redhead. She was wearing strange clothes, her shirt ripped off by some force. She wore a tattered pair of white pants. Her long red hair was tied in a tight braid, large cute blue eyes looking out on the world, and soon, to her. �You okay?� the redhead asked the girl. �I�m all right.� Then she looked at the object in her hands. It was like a sword of pure light. She held a gasp. The Warrior. �What�s your name?� The girl looked down and stuffed the strange object in her pocket. �Ranma. I�m Ranma Saotome.� �Rena Lanford.� And thus, began a friendship. <><><> Shaun Garin�s Magic Tech Productions Presents A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction STAR OCEAN 1/2 : THE THIRD STORY The author would like to thank Tri-ace for creating such a cool game and Rumiko Takahashi who created Ranma 1/2. <><><> Act I : A History Once Forgotten Ranma gritt his teeth as he could feel the life drain out of his body. The creature made of stone pounded relentlessly. Across the way, Rena desperately kept her footing on the rumbling floor. Celine and Ashton were already unconcious, Dias had dug his sword into the ground and held on with his might. Presea had her huge mecha hand dugging into the ground, Leon holding onto her legs. Opera tended to Ernest who lay just to the opening of the room, Noel helpfully supplying healing spells. Bowman? Where�s Bowman?! And Chisato? The attack stopped and the evil Wise Man grinned. �It is over you pitiful creatures,� he said, his voice resonating with the spirit that hovered over his head. Suddenly, with a shrill battlecry and a howling roar, Bowman and Chisato landed atop of him, driving the man into the ground. He roared and pushed them off. Chisato leapt back and her body glowed for a split second before shouting, �Whirlwind�. Her body spun into the cutting tornado. The man pushed her off and laughed. �What a pitiful attack. Now taste the power of a Explosion!� At his words, Bowman, previously unseen and ignored, launched into his attack. �Chew on this! Sakura ATTACK!� The creature/man reeled in pain as the multiple attacks assuled his body. �This cannot BE!� he cried out. �Oh yes it CAN! Swords Dance!� Ashton ran forward and his body blurred into the attacks that they all knew so well. The man parried many but a slice of his twin swords cut a ribbon of blood on his forehead. Celine staggered to her feet and spat a bit of bloody phlegm. �I�ve been saving this for a rainy day!� She swept the energy into place and then with a scream, unleashed her attack. �METEOR SWARM!� At first it did nothing. But then, without warning, hundreds of tiny meteors which soon grew into a huge downpouring of spacial rocks slammed into the reeling form. In a split second, he was still. Then, bursting from the piles of rubble, he fired out a ring of purple energy. �FOOLS!� He crowed, �I WILL DEFEAT YOU ALL!� �Dark Sabre!� A sabre of dark energy lanced forwards and he dodged it with a simple jump. Leon�s hands glowed as the young child smirked a bit. �Having fun jerk?� �Then lets make this a DOUBLE DATE! Ee-ya!!� She launched forwards and slammed the man in the chest. He reeled and she commanded her robotic arm to punch him in the chin. By now, Ranma had gained some strength back from Rena�s healing spell and was back on his feet. He grinned as he pulled the Levantine sword from hyperspace, and snapped on the Atlas Armlet and the Angel Armband. �Feel like dancing with the reaper now?� he spat, his body preparing for the final assult. The last wise man, Gabriel, staggered back in pain. �This is not POSSIBLE!� �Oh yes it is. Everyone, NOW!� �LIGHT CROSS!� �METEOR SWARM!� �SWORDS DANCE!� �HOLO-HOLOGRAPH!� �HYPER LAUNCHER!� �SAKURA ATTACK!� �SONIC WHIP!� �EXTINCTION!� �ILLUSION!� �EARTHQUAKE!� �PREPERATION!� The Wise Man was assuled again and again. Bleeding, his mind on the verge of shock and shutdown, Ranma came barrelling over, his sword raised high. �DIE YOU BASTARD! MIRROR SLICE!� The sword bit into his flesh again and again, the energy multiplying the attack until finally, the wiseman collapsed in shock. Ranma gasped for air as the wiseman fell backwards. �We won.� �Not...yet...� Gabriel grinned madly through his pain. �What a waste of effort....the universe is going to be destroyed anyway...if I die, the Destruction Monsho will activate.� Rena gasped in alarm. �That's your goal!? How can you conquer something you're going to destroy!� �Conquer?� He scoffed. �I don't need to destroy anything. If I can't conquer, then I can destroy everything.� Ranma looked up into the face of the devil. �Why would you do such a thing though?� Gabriel looked away, his vision blurring. �You'd never understand... that was our mission and our reason for existence. We were made for just that purpose...� �Wh, what the-!?� Ranma then gasped as the ground started to tremble madly like a rabid galactic god had taken the whole of Energy Nede and started to shake it like a rattle. �It would seem the Destruction Monsho has been activated with the deterioration of our life signs. Now no matter what means are taken the destruction cannot be stopped.� A faint smile ran over Gabriel�s mouth. Narl turned to Rena. �Rena, quickly, put the Barrier Monsho above the Destruction Monsho!� Rena hesitated for a second. �What are you doing!?� Mirage urged. �If you don't hurry up you'll be too late!� Rena nodded and from her hands, a glowing crest appeared. Another appeared and it merged together. Soon, within seconds, the rumbling stopped. Everyone exhaled deeply. �I, it can't be...� Gabriel stated in shock. Suddenly, the floor started to rumble once again, this time, more intencely. �What!? But how?� Mirage looked sadly at the floor. �Looks like it's started.� Rena whirled angrily on Mirage and Narl. �What do you mean! Wasn't the Barrier Monsho supposed to stop the destruction of the universe?� Narl nodded. �Yes, we have stopped the destruction of the universe with the power of the Barrier Monsho.� Ranma scratched his head. �Then what's this shaking? Maybe it's just me, but it seems a lot stronger than before.� Mirage heaved a sigh. �We told you that the Barrier Monsho can only redirect the target of the destruction...Nothing can stop the energy it would take to destroy the universe.� Dias stood from his crouch. �Then where is that energy going?� Narl looked out the window at the rest of Energy Nede. �Through the power of the Barrier Monsho, all of that energy will be taken by Energy Nede� But if that happens, then Energy Nede will be...� Chisato trailed off, alarmed and frightened at the thought. �Most likely be annihilated without a trace.� Narl finished. �I can't believe it...� Rena was almost in tears as Ranma slipped an arm around her shoulders. Strangely, Mirage had a compacient look on her face. �Don't worry. We can teleport you with the power generated by the destruction. And at the same time we can call back Expel from the past. If we do that then we can achieve your objective. �That's beside the point!� Ashton howled. �It's better than the universe getting destroyed, isn't it?� Mirage asked pointedly. �The Destruction Monsho is something we Nedians made a mistake by creating. We don't need to take you along with us when our world gets destroyed.� �And Nede has been around for a long, long time. If we wanted to, we could destroy the universe. No technology this advanced exists anywhere else. It's time for Ned's life to come to a close.� Narl smiled sadly at the assembled group. �Why didn't you tell us before,� Rena started and then broke into another sentance �...If I had known that you and Energy Nede would have to be sacrificed, I would have...� A hand stopped her as Mirage placed a hand on her shoulder. �You guys are too kind; we knew if we told you you'd hesitate.� A round of nods were acknowlaged as the rumbling continued. �Therefore, we asked Professor Noel and Chisato to help,� Narl said. Ranma, Bowman and Ashton shot an angry look at the pair who shrugged sadly. �Sorry for not saying anything.� Noel appologized. Rena smacked a hand into her palm in thought. �That's it! If we bring the people of Energy Nede along with us...� �No,� Narl said, �when Nede dies, so will we. We realize that creatures that have stopped evolving have no reason to exist.� He then turned to the three Nedians in the group. �Rena, Noel, Chisato...as the last Nedians, live to your fullest.� The rumbling intensified ten fold. �Everyone...� Rena began but then choked back tears. �We'll do our best...� Chisato said, shaking Narl and Mirage�s hands in turn. As they parted, the rumbling increased a hundred fold. Narl looked around, his face showing not fear, but resignment. �Well then, it's time to say goodbye.� �Narl, I...� Rena stopped, not knowing what to say. �It's all right. We're not afraid. That's probably because our hearts will go out with you.� Narl smiled and hugged the girl tightly for a second. �See ya, take care of our hearts now, you hear?� Mirage gave Ranma a tight squeeze and he blushed a bit. �Yeah...� Ranma�s face took on an expression of determination. �Come on, let's go back to Expel!� �Right!� Rena chorused. <><><> Space exploded, and then reformed once again. Expel reformed into a living, breathing whole. People appeared from thin air, continuing on their journey to where ever they went. And a group of ragtag heros appeared in the Shingo Forest. Ranma opened his eyes, inhaled the familiar scent of the Shingo Forest, and then crowed happily. �WE�RE HOME!� Everyone danced about, celebrating wildly. In the midst of their celebration, a familiar boy came into the forest, his dark hair loose about his shoulders. Celine�s eyes lit up and she leapt forward. �CHRIS! What are you doing here?� �I had a feeling you would be here in Arlia. I suppose your journey is done now?� Celine smiled, strolled up and kissed the Prince on the mouth. She held him there, amidst Opera and Bowman�s howls and whistles. Ashton grinned and Dias blinked a couple of times. After a good long minute and a half, she released him with an audible pop. Chris gasped for air. �W-wow...I guess this means yes?� Ranma leaned over to Rena and muttered, �Mind filling me in?� �Oh you...� Across the way, Leon scratched the back of his head nervously. �Um.. Presea, I�d just like to ask you if, well...you want to come back to the castle and have lunch?� Presea rubbed her chin with her mechanical arm before grinning. �Sure. No problem.� Bowman chuckled. �Well, it�s back to my wife. What about you two lovebirds?� he asked of Opera and Ernest. �You guys going home?� �Naw... Opera and I�ve decided to stay here for a while. You know, for expidition sakes.� Ernest grinned rougishly. Ashton, Dias, Noel and Chisato stood behind the whole deal. Dias sheathed his sword and flipped up a pesky bang. �I�m going. Heard of a Tournament in Elle.� Ashton nodded. �Gyoro, Ururun and I are heading down south back to the hidden dungeon. I want to scour that place for some new stuff.� �Too violent for my tastes,� Noel said with a grin. �I�m going with Celine back to Mars. Hear they have a nice little Heraldy Forest there that needs some zoo keeping. What about you Chisato?� Chisato looked at him, and then at Ranma. �Oh, I dunno. I�d like to stick with the �Wild Horse� for a while and see what comes up. I still have stuff to write about him and the rest of this whole adventure.� Ranma laughed at something Rena said. Just then, his keen hearing picked up a voice. Rena looked at him and asked, �What?� �Shh...I hear something...� True to his word, a blaze of energy ripped asunder the fabric of space and time, creating a portal which teemed with rainbow colors. Again, for the second time in Ranma�s life, he, as with everyone, could hear colors, and taste sound. Ranma took a shaky step forwards and then turned around. �I... Rena, I�m going home.� �Home. A place where you were abused and mistreated? Ranma, you can�t go home.� Rena looked downward and a tear fell. �Not without me you don�t.� �Rena...� Ranma had long suspected through his maturation that Rena had some feelings for him. Taking a step forward, he gathered the Nedian into his arms. She returned the hug as the pair embraced together. Ashton looked through the portal. Beyond it showed a fat man in a white GI and a fat man in a strange set of green clothes and a hat. �That your father?� He asked of Ranma. Ranma looked up, and scowled. �Yes. Genma.� Celine released her hold on Chris and laid a hand on his shoulder. �Ranma darling, if you�re going home, then we�re coming with you.� �But what about your lives here? On Expel? Won�t you miss the people you left behind?� �True enough,� she looked at Chris and then back at Ranma. �But I promiced to travel with you and Rena and I won�t go back on my word.� �Ranma, you took responibility for what happened with me, Gyoro and Ururun. For that, I�m coming too.� The two dragons growfed in agreement. �You helped me find Ernest. We�re coming.� Opera shouldered her huge weapon and Ernest coiled his whip. One by one, the rest gave their reasons for coming until Ranma laughed and relented. He looked at the portal and gave it a looking over. �It seems that it�ll hold for three days. Better say goodbye to those you care about.� <><><> �Ranma?� Ranma looked over towards the window where Rena perched. �Rena, why�re you still awake?� �I couldn�t sleep. Not with the journey we�re going on.� She slipped into his room and closed the window. �Lets talk about your world.� Ranma slid up into a sitting position and stretched. �What do you want to know about my world?� he asked the Nedian girl. �Well...what�s it like? Are there any forests like the Shingo Forest there?� Ranma paused and dug up old memories. �Yes. There�s forests almost everywhere save for the deserts. Um...lots of technology though. Coal burning fuels, and the such. But there�s some places where man has not trode yet and the air, water and even the soil is clean.� �Sounds wonderful,� Rena said. �What about the people? Are they just humans?� �From what I know, yes. There�s no alien life on Earth, and we�re just at pre-warp eras. Haven�t travelled a long distance yet but who knows? Perhaps one day, we can.� Rena smiled and rested her head on the foot of the bed. �I can�t wait to get to earth, Ranma.� �So am I Rena. So am I.� <><><> �This is it,� Ashton said, shouldering a backpack while easing the straps around the two dragons heads. �I guess everyone�s ready.� Ranma looked at the multitude of people sending them off and made a little salute to them. Then, with a gesture, the portal ripped open once more. This time, it showed a village with garishly dressed women in the background. One woman, a shrivelled old woman balanced on a walking staff, stopped and looked at Ranma directly, as if she could see through the portal. He took a breath, and leapt. <><><> The sight of Cologne, the Matriarch of the Amazon Village staring into something unseen attracted many people who were getting ready for the yearly Tournament of Arms. As she stared, a mystical snap in the air alerted her of something coming through the fabric of space and time. True to form, the air seemed to ripple and then, spat out a black haired male, dressed in strange pants and shirt. He wore armor, greaves, and at his side, a sharp sword hung. More came. Two women, both had pointed ears. One was a redhead, the other was a blue haired girl. A blue haired swordsman, and another, strange with two objects on his back that she recognized as living, moving dragons. A man and woman, three eyes on their faces. A stranger, slightly furred man with long ears, two children, a sexy woman with large hooped rings around her body and a taller middle aged man complimented the set. Cologne was NOT dumb. She could see a group of Heros when they fell at her feet. �Welcome to the Amazon Village,� she said in Japanese. �Hello,� the blue haired elf girl said. �I�m Rena, this is Ranma, Celine, Ashton, Dias, Noel, Chisato, Bowman, Opera, Ernest, Presea and Leon.� Cologne nodded as she looked at Ranma. Fine boy, but it seemed that he was taken already. The dragon boy, Ashton looked like a good one for her great great grandaughter. The dragons seemed alive as well as they started to bicker in growling tones. �Well well, please come and watch. The Amazon Tournament of Arms is starting.� Ranma�s ears perked up at the word, Tournament. �Tournament you say?� Cologne grinned a bit. �A Tournament of the best young man. But I would not suggest it...unless you wish for a wife.� With that, she tossed a book of Amazon law. <><><> �WAHAHAHAHA!� Ranma laughed as he read some of the rules of the Amazon laws. �Listen to this Ashton : Whoever upsets a woman gets a Kiss of Maiming Above The Shoulders. What a stupid...huh?� Ashton was currently not listening to Ranma as he stared into a barrel full of wine. It was rather decorated as well. �Barrel.� �Ashton?� Ranma felt a sence of Deja�vu. �Pretty Barrel. Barrel barrel barrel barrel barrel barrel barrel barrel barrel barrel.� �Oh man, Ashton�s freaking on us again,� Bowman said, sliding a few inches away from the dragonized warrior.