Pale Hues

written by Shaun Garin

Disclaimer : This disclaimer brought to you by Kaiba Corp. Beware the Cute
And Cuddly Blue Eyes White Dragon (tm)

Chapter 3 : Servitude

===================

Ryoga Hibiki was lost. Which wasn't new.

Scratching his head and going "Where the heck am I?", the young man searched
vainly for the Tendo Dojo. Why? Because he had met a charming young lady
known as Akane Tendo... and he had to get away from Mousse and Shampoo, the
former trying to kill him, and the later, had defeated and now wishes to
marry him.

Yes fans, Ryoga Hibiki, due to the absence of Ranma during his training
trip, has taken over generating the insanity, inadvertantly or conciously.

At the moment, the young man stood in front of the Kuno Mansion, looking
around for some sign of where he was. Of course, that was Kuno's cue to
attack the Unworthy Cur who dares to woo the hand of Akane Tendo.

Ranma raised an eyebrow as he looked over at the dueling pair who were
fighting with sword to umbrella and asked, "Does this happen a lot?"

Yuka nodded, rolling her eyes. "Yes. Kuno-sempai always fights Ryoga
whenever he sees him, because Ryoga is trying to date Akane the proper way.
And Akane likes him too."

Ranma nodded. "Ah. Well, here we are, the Kuno's place." He knocked at the
door, and waited for a short moment as a little man wandered out and nodded
politely.

"Hello," he said. "What brings you to Tatewaki-sama's home?"

"Sasuke, I presume?" Ranma asked, earning a nod from the Ninja Servant. "I
have come to offer you a deal."

"I am sorry, but we do not invite door to door salesman." Sasuke tried to
close the door but was caught momentarily by Ranma.

"I am not a door to door salesman. Rather, I wish to speak to you
personally."

Sasuke blinked at that, knowing fully that people came to visit the Kunos,
not him. "Oh, well, I do not know if I can entertain guests without the
permission of my master and mistress. But I will take the blame. Please,
come in."

================

"This is very good tea," Yuka said, sipping at her cup.

"Thank you. It's an old family blend." Sasuke set down a plate of crumpets
as he folded his hands before him. "Now, what is it that you wish to ask
me?"

Ranma reached into his pocket and withdrew a ring, different from the
appearance of Yuka or his own, and set it before the table. "I wish to offer
you this, and the power within."

"It's just a ring. Very well made," Sasuke remarked critically. "What sort
of power?"

"It is a power that trancends time, this is the Ring of Samwise Gamgee."
Ranma sipped at his tea. "You, are the one we were searching for. The third
of the nine."

"Nine?" Sasuke had a puzzled expression on his face. "Can you explain that?"

"The Nine, opposing the Eight. We are the Fellowship of the Ring, sworn to
defeat the evil power of the One, and the Hand of Sauron. This Ring, is
yours, if you wish to claim it." Ranma stared at Sasuke who closed his eyes
and exhaled.

Ranma sighed. "I am sorry for taking up your time. We will partake of our
leave." Ranma and Yuka got up, bowed and left on their own accord.

Sasuke watched them go. He knew he should have helped them out the door, but
something about the whole situation rang a note of familiarity in his mind.
Something he read as a young boy, or was it something he heard from his
Ninja Masters long ago? Then, he noticed they had left the ring, the leaf
with the garnet within the middle of it, sitting on the coffee table. He
scooped it up, unwilling for his master to find it, lest he pawn it off or
give it to his "love."

Outside, Yuka looked at her friend who stood, watching Ryoga fight Kuno.
"What is it, Ranma?"

"Nothing Yuka, it's just an old memory." Shaking the cobwebs from his mind,
Ranma headed back towards the store. "We should get some rest, since there's
classes tommorow. And most certianly, the rumor of the Second of the Nine
will be in full swing."

Yuka blushed. "Oh."

====================

Akane picked at her lunch, listning to Sayuri's glowing recount of the
Second of the Nine. "... and then she ran that cloaked guy through! But she
was so brave and galant, like a king or queen!"

"Come on here," Daisuke said, shaking his head. "A girl with a sword and a
bow that shoots flaming arrows? Get real! That's like saying Sailor Senshi
are real."

"Well, I saw the Sailor Senshi as well," Sayuri said, picking at her own
lunch. "They didn't do anything though, since they arrived after that wierdo
in the black robes was killed."

"Was it the Witch-king?" Akane asked, stuffing an octopus into her mouth.

Sayuri thought hard. "It looked like him, right down to the cloak and
sword."

"Then he must have gone bad or something," Ryoga added.

"No way!" Yuka protested. "He saved me! He can't be evil!" Inwardly, she
wished Ranma was there to defend himself.

"It was a black robed seven foot thing in black robes and a freaky sword,"
Sayuri said, looking at her best friend. "Face it Yuka, he's a villian and
we let him go."

"Wait, you let the Witch-king go?" Hiroshi asked, appalled. "That's like
letting a smart bomb launch! He could have killed Sayuri!"

"What if it wasn't the Witch-king? What if it was some other black robed
guy?" Yuka began to feel frustrated, having to defend Ranma without his
help.

"I say we go out and find this guy," Ryoga said, smacking his hand into his
fist. "Lets see who this guy really is."

Yuka tried not to growl in frustration. "All right. We all go, tonight."

=================

"So you're going Witch-king Hunting?" Ranma asked with a smirk.

"I tried talking them out of it," Yuka said, pacing back and forth inside
the room. "But nothing seems to work with those people!"

"It's all right, Yuka," Ranma soothed. "Go with them tonight. I promise,
something will happen."

"Another one of your feelings, Ranma?" Yuka asked skeptically.

"Call it a hunch."

Yuka sighed. "Fine. I'll head out and meet them now. It's eight pm."

Ranma nodded. "Go right ahead."

=================

"Sasuke!" Sasuke appeared before Kuno, looking at his master expectantly.
"What have you news of Akane Tendo?"

"Master, Akane Tendo is leaving her home, and meeting with a friends to find
the legendary Witch-king. With her are several classmates and Ryoga Hibiki."

Kuno grabbed his bokken. "Truely, fair Akane Tendo has fallen into the
clutches of Ryoga Hibiki's grasp! The foul Sorcerer will not lead her into
danger, not so long as I, Kuno Tatewaki, Age seventeen, the Blue Thunder of
Furinkian High will live and breathe!" Thunder crashed. "Sasuke, my sword!"

"Right away Tatewaki-sama." As Sasuke fetched Kuno's sword, Kuno went
charging out the door, in persuit of the unseen assailant. Sasuke watched
him go, and then paused. Digging into his pants, he found the Ring. Pausing
in thought, he slipped it onto his finger and charged after Kuno, sword in
hand.

=================

"Aragorn can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Aragorn replied. "What do you want to know?"

"When I called out 'Force of Aragorn, Imbune Me', was that so nessesary?"

A pause. "Naw, that was just for show." Yuka crashed to the ground in a
facefault.

"Why did you tell me to do that then?" Yuka exclaimed angrily at her Ring of
Power. "Wouldn't it be easier to make a few hand motions or just thrust up
my hand and transform?"

"Well yes, but you said it, not me. You said what came to your mind
naturally. I didn't create my ring with a transformation phrase. You imbuned
it, after watching so many anime and reading manga with shojo
transformations."

Yuka sweatdropped. "You mean I have to say that silly phrase all the time
now?"

"If you want. I'm not stopping you." There was a hint of mirth within the
rings voice. "It's okay, really."

Yuka sighed in aggrivation as she covered the ring on her hand, walking up
to where the others stood. "Is everyone here?" she asked.

Akane nodded. "Everyone's here. Now we go hunting." She brandished a mallet
as Ryoga punched his hand into his fist. Daisuke and Hiroshi carried cameras
and Sayuri held a bokken.

An hour passed. Then two. The search continued. After a while, Yuka started
to yawn when suddenly, she felt a tingling at the base of her neck. The
tingle raised the hairs on her neck as she turned around, the night sky
already darkening. "Did you feel that?" she asked.

"Feel what?" Sayuri asked nervously. "Yuka you're creeping me out."

A phosphoric lamp lit up, illuminating the group. Ryoga looked around,
searching for what Yuka felt. Suddenly, he whipped around and threw two
bandannas into the darkness. A shriek was heard, one inhuman shriek as two
black robed creatures rushed out of the darkness.

"Look out!" Ryoga blocked the sword strike of the first and dodged the
second as Akane went to the second, mallet arcing down in a massive blow.

The Nazgul caught her mallet and threw her to the ground, raising it's
sword.

"Akane!" Ryoga shouted, knocking a Nazgul back with his umbrella and rushed
the Nazgul.

Yuka backed away, fully knowing that she couldn't change without exposing
herself to the group, when a third Nazgul came out of nowhere, blade
swinging. Daisuke and Hiroshi yelped and Sayuri screamed.

"Foul demon!" Suddenly, Kuno plowed into it, katana waving. The kendoist
quickly drew the attention of the third Nazgul as Yuka backed up into the
shadows. Bumping into something, a muffled "Ouch" came from it.

"Sasuke?" she asked, turning to see the Ninja standing there. Sasuke nodded.

"Miss Yuka, help me get everyone to safety," Sasuke said, jumping out of the
shadows and siezing Sayuri's arm.

Yuka grabbed Hiroshi and Daisuke, shouting, "Run! We'll follow behind!"

Akane strained against the massive strength of the Nazgul known as Attea. A
bead of sweat trickled down her forehead as she shoved Attea away with a
mighty push. Attea stumbled but brought up it's sword quickly in recovery.

Having gotten the non-combatants out of the way, Yuka ran after them, but
turned a corner. Sasuke followed her, making sure she wasn't hurt, when Yuka
raised her hand and muttered a few words. "Force of Aragorn, Imbune Me!"

She flashed a forest green for a moment and resolved into a sword wearing
warrior. Sasuke blinked. "Miss Yuka?"

"Sasuke?" Yuka looked at him, but her head snapped up at a scream. "Akane!"

Another scream bit the air, one more masculine in nature. "Master Kuno!
Loyalty of Samwise, Bind Me!" His garnet flared a ruby red as he resolved
into a still short but a bit more handsome man with bare feet and a sword at
his side. "Lets go."

==================

Ryoga strained against the Nazgul. "Go back to where you came from," he
hissed, driving a punch into it's face. The Nazgul staggered but swung his
sword at Ryoga's head. Ryoga blocked, but didn't see the Morgul Blade
coming.

Suddenly, a blade crashed down between them as Yuka's Anduril shone with a
light, breaking the dagger in two. The Morgul Blade evaporated as she swung
her sword, bisecting Enquea. "So long, sucker." Enquea's spirit flared out
and dissapated.

Sasuke drove his barrow blade into Attea's stomach, taking the heat off of
Akane as Yuka rounded on Toldea. "You're next," she said, picking up the
shaft of Akane's mallet. The head burst into flames as she drove it into
Toldea's face. The Nazgul shrieked in pain as it danced around in flames.

Sasuke ripped the Nazgul in two, bringing his sword upwards in a slash that
scoured his false sinew and bones, the mist escaping in a rush of air.
Spinning around, he whipped out an object from the depths of his pack that
he now wore, and threw it at Toldea. A resounding clang echoed across the
street as Sasuke's Frying Pan impacted on Toldea's head, a fine mist
emitting from Toldea's hood.

"A frying pan?" Yuka asked incrediously, picking up Sasuke's weapon.

"I can only say that I think I'm getting the hang of this," Sasuke replied
with a smirk. He then turned to help Akane up. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Akane said, looking at the short man curiously. "Who are
you?"

"I am Samwise, Third of the Nine," Sasuke said, surprising himself with his
responce. "And this is my acomplice, Aragorn, Second of the Nine."

"Oh, Ryoga!" Akane helped Ryoga up who blinked dazidly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ryoga said, adjusting his backpack. "Where are the others? Are
Daisuke, Hiroshi, Yuka and Sayuri all right?"

"They are fine," Yuka replied, sheathing Anduril. "Come, Samwise, let us
depart."

Samwise cast a glance at the scion of Kuno who was stirring and figured
Tatewaki could last for a while longer without him. "Agreed."

"Wait!" Akane called out, but the pair leapt away into the darkness.

"The Second and Third of the Nine," Ryoga remarked, testing the names on his
lips. "Aragorn and Samwise. Interesting pair."

=================

"Oh, back so soon? And with Samwise, excellent!"

Sasuke de-transformed and shook his head. "Quite a battle we had," he said,
looking at the young Tolkien. "But tell me something; why did you give the
ring to me and not Master Kuno?"

"Kuno was not of Gamgee's blood," Ranma replied smoothly. "He, admist others
were powerful, and strong, but did not bear the mark of Gamgee. But no
matter, an old friend had come early on, and asked me to locate the Fourth."

"The Fourth? So soon?" Yuka asked, eyes wide. "Who are we going to find this
time?"

"Not just the Fourth," replied an old man, dressed in flowing white said,
stepping out into the light. "But the Fifth as well."

"May I introduce, Gandalf the White, the Ring-bearer of Narya, and my
closest friend."

The pair stared at the ancient Wizard in shock, a person of legend come to
life. Gandalf smiled to himself.

==================

Authors notes : again with the cliff hanger. Gotta hate it when I do this.

I'm getting the hang of blending Ranma and LOTR together. Expect this story
to go full tilt with high fantasy and swashbuckling adventure.