Ranma 1/2: A New Awakening Alternate Continuation (minor crossovers) By: Dani Yanega yanega@mindspring.com Co-author & Concept by: "Jerry" starfire@brainerd.net Chapter Thirteen Yiri and Mychol watched in fascination at the dance unfolding in front of them, Seran and his soon to be new family had been staying with them for several months now, and they never get tired of watching them _spar_. Mychol smiled as they finished up, for now was his time with his granddaughter. He found Seran was correct, she was a hurricane, but one you can't live without once she came into your life. He was brought out of his thoughts when he was bowled over by a very excited Ranko, when she hit him with one of her signature hugs. "Hi grampa! What we gonna do today!" Ranko asked with childlike glee. "Pretty much the same granddaughter learn a little Gray Elf magic and watch the world of Illondra pass beneath us." He answered as he hugged her back just as tightly. "I warned you father, never let your guard down or my little hurricane will hit you full force." Seran smiled as he and Nodoka came up to the flattened patriarch. "I don't mind son she makes me feel like an elf of two hundred again." Mychol chuckled while ruffling Ranko's hair. "Come dear let your grandfather up." Nodoka told her daughter with a small smile. Ranko flipped up from her prone position and stood next to her poppa Seran and mother. Yiri who was standing behind her son came forward to help her husband get up. They all turned at the sultry laughter coming from behind Yiri and Mychol. "I must say I hope my children are as energetic as Ranko, if she can keep father that young he'll be around for eons with my children." Aerial laughed as did the others, Ranko looked from one adult to the other with a bit of confusion. As they all headed back into the house for lunch Ranko followed, with a little uneasiness. She had felt it for several days now, it was like that feeling she had when Ukyo tried to kill herself, but it isn't Ukyo, and she couldn't explain it though she tried to. While she entered the dining room, she never noticed that she again was glowing the pure white she had that first day, when Yirko tried the hurt her with that rock. Ranko snorted as if that little piece of quartz could do any damage. She continued into the dining room when her mother's voice brought her back to reality. "RANKO!" She looked up her aura flaring brighter as she feared her mother was under attack. "R..Ranko dear, why is your aura that color?" Nodoka asked her trying to stay calm so that her aura would not vanish. Ranko looked down at herself and saw that she was again surrounded by the white aura. She had gotten use to the fact that her aura was now white, though she hadn't figured out how or why yet. She had been meditating on it over the past few months but she couldn't figure it out. What amazed her now was the fact that now her aura was streaked with different colors. There was red, and when she touched the red with her senses she felt anger. There was also a bright blue, when and when she reached out to it she felt confidence. She also noticed a yellowish green, and her senses told her that was depression. These were all emotions she had used to base a chi attack from at one time or another. This was getting weird even for her. She looked up at her mother a glimmer of an idea coming to her. "I am not sure momma, but what I am sensing is the colored streaks are emotions I have used at one time or another in battle. Anger, depression and of course my confidence. Which you can see is the strongest." She told them holding her arm up and pointing to each of the strands of color. She was right the strand for depression was very thin less than an eighth of an inch, while the red strand for her anger was more then twice its size. The blue strand was quite large it was the width of an about an inch or more. Nodoka came forward and looked closely at her daughters new aura with curiosity and pride. "Well child when you figure it out you can teach us." Her mother told her, as Ranko dispersed her aura Nodoka reached out and gave her a hug. Ranko looked thoughtful for a few moments then nodded to her mother. She leaned in and gave her mother a kiss, then turned and took her grampa's hand and dragged him away. "BYE DEAR SEE YOU LATER!" Mychol called over his shoulder as he waved to everyone. They headed for the observation ledge near the manor. When they got there they stretched out looking over the edge, and Mychol began pointing out the different realms they floated over. *** Flashback *** Over the past few months, they had flown over all of Queen Titiana's Realm, the Valley of Despair, which Ranko's grandfather explained was the buffer area between the kingdom of the Light and Queen Titiana's husband King Oberon's realm of Shadows. *** Visit One *** Ranko stared in awe when they past over the King's realm and tried hard to look into the darkness that covered the realm. She was however unable to pierce the darkness. She tried to fly down to see, but Mychol had a hold of her hand and wouldn't let her. They then began to fly over the rest of Illondra, with Mychol as Ranko's guide. *** Visit Two *** They flew over the Mountains where the Dwarves made their home. Ranko liked to watch the Dwarves they made her laugh with the gruff personalities, and pretense of non caring. Like her dwarf sensei, who taught her to use a battle-ax and hammer. She couldn't see them since they lived inside the mountain, but she heard them and the thunderous roar of their forge hammers. The closer they got to the mountain the louder it became. Mychol had to cast a 'Shield of Silence' spell until they past over the mountain. *** Visit Three *** She marveled as they flew over the ocean, when she spotted the mermaids playing in the water. Before Mychol could stop her Ranko had taken off for the ocean. She flew straight for the mermaids. Mychol watched with fascination as she played with them for over an hour. She dove in and out of the water, and played tag with the mermaids and dolphins. Never had he seen anyone be able to become friends so fast with different races. When Ranko finally returned to the floating island although reluctantly she was sopping wet, and sported a grin from ear to ear. "That was fun grampa can I come back again and play with my new friends?" Ranko asked, bubbling over with enthusiasm. "We'll see dear, we will see." Mychol said as they left that day. *** Visit Four *** Though not all the visits were of friendly places, they also flew over a smoldering swamp. The trees in this area were twisted and singed black, from lava pits exploding and the smoke billowing from them. Ranko could not see anything living at first, than her grampa pointed out a slow moving figure. He was dark skinned and lumbered through the valley. Ranko could make out a large club the size of a small tree. "What is that grampa?" Ranko asked pointing to the giant figure. "That's a Troll, granddaughter. Stay away from them they are evil and deadly." He told her as they watched the troll move through the swamp. "I can take them grampa, believe me." She responded with a far distant look, as if she was remembering something. *** Visit Five *** This day Ranko and her grampa stared down into a prospering city, The buildings remind Ranko of a cross between Auntie Titiana's castle with the twisting spires and dark crystal material and building in downtown Tokyo. Ranko felt her grampa's hand clasp tightly to hers. She looked down and saw a multitude of dark skinned elves moving around the city. Ranko looked to her grampa with a questioning look. "Grampa their elves can't we go visit?" Ranko asked looking to Mychol with wide enthusiastic eyes then back down at the city with a longing to make new friends. "No, granddaughter we can not. Those are Drowl Elves. They are a race of evil elves that would kill you rather then talk to you." Mychol told her while keeping a close watch on the inhabitants below. "They can't be all evil can they grampa?" Ranko asked with a child like innocence. "I do not know child, I am sure there are some Drowls that are not as bad as others. The problem is finding them." He told her as they both lean over to watch the elves below. Mychol's heart nearly broke when he saw a tear trickle down Ranko's cheek when she spotted the children playing below. We watched her as she never moved her shimmering eyes from them. He could see the longing in her face as the island slowly floated past the Drowl elf city. He reached out and rubbed her shoulder, while she watched the laughing children fade into the distance. When she could no longer see them she slowly rose and headed quietly back to the house with Mychol following her. He watched her walk back with her shoulders slumped and a light yellowish green glow around her. *** Current Visit *** The two looked over the ledge the but quickly jumped back as a plumb of fire shot past them. Mychol curses under his breath and casts a spell of invisibility over himself and his granddaughter. "What was that grampa?" She asked while she rubbed the little singed spot on the tip of her nose. "We are flying over the chromatic dragon realm. Unlike the metallic dragons, they are evil." Mychol told her as he held her hand so they could look back over the ledge together. "How come the don't attack the island?" She asked as dragons of red, blue, white, green and black fly below her fighting among themselves. "All the floating islands are protected with dragon wards, the only problem is it protects us from the metal dragons too, even though we don't need it." Ranko watched in awe as the behemoth serpents flew beneath her, she gasped as she witnessed their trade mark weapons. She could feel the heat as a big red dragon shot a stream of fire just under them. She watched as it headed toward a smaller black dragon that stopped it with a breath of acid. She looked over toward the left to see a huge green claw an equally sized blue. The blue roared in pain as he turned and shot a bolt of electricity at the green. The bolt landed on the greens flank, causing him to roar out in pain. The green then shot a gaseous cloud at the blue, who started to wheeze and plummet from the sky as the poisonous gas entered his lungs. "NNNOOOO!" Ranko shouted shooting a chi blast at the green dragon. Before her grandfather understood what was happening Ranko had dove over the edge toward the falling blue. When she flew past a young black he sensed her and shot a stream of acid which she deftly avoided. She punched the black in its stomach sending it spiraling out of control. When she reached the blue she, grabbed one of its left forearm and began to flap her wings for all they were worth but the dragon was to heavy for her. The ground was rapidly approaching. Then she remembered a spell she had seen in Raist's spell book, and prayed she remembered it correctly. She grasped the dragon around the neck and began to recite the spell, both she and the dragon began to glow a warm yellow. Ranko put her heart and soul into the spell as the yellow began to turn white. The two plummeting figures never reached the ground as another spell was cast around them. They began to soar backup toward the sky. The feuding dragons stared agape at the unconscious blue as he flew up and disappeared into the clouds. The black dragon which an invisible Ranko punched made a beeline for the disappearing blue when the green the blue was fighting attacked the black. The green thinking the black dragon was the one that interfered with his win over that disgusting blue. When the blue broke the clouds there waiting for them was four very worried Sylphs and one overwrought gray elf. The three women were grasping hands to merge their powers to keep the dragon bound so it could do no damage. Mychol had used his magic to elevate the pair up into the clouds. Seran stood ready to remove Ranko from her position behind the dragons head. When Seran began to move in the dragon awoke with a roar of anger. The dragon paused when it heard a weak whisper coming from around its neck. "Don't be scared no more. Your safe with me." Seran swooped in while the dragon was confused and picked up his daughter and flew back around to face the dragon. The dragon stared into a pair of eyes that were as blue as his sapphire scales. The young Sylph stretched out her hand toward the dragon, but Seran backed away preventing her from touching him. "It is alright poppa Seran, he won't hurt me." Seran was unsure and did not intend to find out for sure. Before them was an ancient blue dragon, and all chromatic dragons could not be trusted where Faeries were concerned. The blue looked deep into the twinkling though weakening blue eyes and he saw what she meant there deep within them. He bowed his head low to her in homage and then leaned his snout closer to her as much as the restraining spell would allow. Ranko pulling free from Seran's lightening grasp she flew quickly do the old blue and laid down on his snout. With a tired smile she went to sleep, while the blue just stared at her, his slitted eyes going crossed as he watched her. /*\*/*\ Mousse slept fitfully on the moss, his dreams full of strange visions. Vision he had no one to ask about. He dreamed of dragons, and trolls, floating islands and elves. Prominent in his dreams was a Faerie with ankle length candy apple red hair, sapphire blue eyes, and sparkling red wings. In his dream Mousse felt the anguish of the redhead as a large blue object fell from the sky, he felt her weakening as she worked to cure him from the poison from the large green dragon nearby. In his dream Mousse tried to help her but he had no magic to speak of, then he remembered his curse. He reached deep inside him searching for the foreign pourer that is the curse. He finds it and pushes the magic of the curse toward the redheaded Faerie and the blue dragon. Mousse's little duck body began to glow first yellow then slowly it changed to white. As the white glow grew brighter, the sleeping duck began to change and reshape himself. When the glow faded Mousse was laying there in human form shivering in the cold. Mousse sat up and looked at his naked body then looked around to see only ducks where on the island and in the park as the sun was deep into its own slumber. Mousse crawled to a nearby puddle and splashed his face. He then passed out when he realized something changed. /*\*/*\ Cologne finished counting the cash register, as Shampoo listlessly cleaned the restaurant. Cologne watched her granddaughter sadly, she knew the girl had some feelings for son-in-law, but not that much. "Granddaughter have you seen Mousse, he has not been around for the past day or two?" Cologne asked the purple hair warrior. "Shampoo no care about stupid Mousse! Shampoo glad he gone!" She growled while heading to the kitchen to get a mop. Cologne watched her storm into the kitchen, with a deep sigh she went back to counting the days receipts. Slowly her mind began to wonder, where the young male Amazon could be. There is something going on with him, he disappeared from the Nekohanten the night Ranm..Ranko left with her mother for the Faerie realm. Cologne thought back to the night she told Shampoo that their quest for Ranma had ended when she crossed over. She remembered the look of depression when Mousse had come back downstairs after _talking_ with Shampoo. She remembered how when she went into his room that night, it was completely empty. He never returned that night. She later learned that Mousse never talked with Shampoo she slept on the roof, alone. Cologne and Shampoo had to run the restaurant without that insolent boy to help. She knew she should have made him go back to the village when he first showed up in Japan. She felt that Mousse's presence would make son-..Ranko jealous. Faeries! Returning to earth and with the any luck the Amazons will become their allies, increasing their strength and knowledge. Ancient lore tells of their knowledge of herbs and healing potions. Then there is their use of magic, which can be taught to humans, not to mention the chance of bringing the long lived elves into the tribe. Cologne smiled thinking of all the possibilities that could come of the alliance. Slowly her smile faded as the thought of Mousse crept back in. She began to worry that he was up to something, up to something that could jeopardize the chance for an alliance. Cologne was broken out of her musings when Shampoo came back into the main room dropping the mop bucket with a loud thud. Since she filled the bucket with hot water her curse was not activated. Cologne turned to watch her granddaughter while she mopped the restaurant floor. "Shampoo, talk to me child, I can't not help you if you refuse to tell me how you feel." Cologne asked her young heir. Shampoo stopped mopping. She stood there for a moment her eyes shut trying to collect her thoughts. When she opened her eyes she leaned the mop against a table, then turned to face her great grandmother. Her eyes filled with anger, confusion and fear. <"How do you think I am feeling great grandmother? The past three years of my life has been _wasted_ and I find out it is because of you I have no husband!"> Shampoo growled in Mandarin to her grandmother. <"Granddaughter, you can not marry _her_ and with her crossing over there is _no_ way to make her male again. The Faeries have locked her male side away forever!"> Cologne tried to explain to her. Shampoo's shoulders slumped, and she finally let her tears fall. She didn't care anymore if it seemed weak to be crying. Cologne narrowed her eyes at the weakness her great granddaughter showed, watching as her body shook with deep pain filled sobs. Cologne could only go to Shampoo and hold her close. Cologne stroked Shampoo's long purple hair, making soothing sounds. Sounds she learned when she was a child in her mother's arms. Shampoo latched onto her great grandmother, and let the façade of a warrior maid fall away, showing the vulnerable child underneath. While comforting Shampoo Cologne looked out the shop's windows, to see the moon shining down upon the streets. She silently prays that all will work out, and her granddaughter can find happiness. Soon she helped Shampoo to her room and tucked her in. She sat and watched her granddaughter sleep fitfully as she planed her next move. /*\*/*\ When Ranko woke she was in the courtyard of her grandparents house, and was surrounded by hundreds of gray elves all glaring at her. She began to shiver at the stares she was receiving. {The stares are for me, my dear.} The voice boomed in her mind, she turned and looked directly into the eyes of the ancient blue dragon. "YOUR OK!" She squealed happily and she threw herself on his snout and hugged him for all she was worth. "Yes granddaughter he is fine but what would possess you to save a chromatic dragon?" Ranko turned to see her grandfather standing near by his arms crossed over his chest. Ranko looked from her grandfather and back to the dragon. She was confused, she didn't understand what was so bad about what she did. She turned around to face her grandfather, sitting on the dragon's snout with crossed legs. She placed her chin in the palm of her hand and began to think. The dragon sighed heavily as he stared at the thinking Ranko. Snickers could be heard coming from a few of the guards, who all suddenly stopped when the blue glared at them. Ranko never even acknowledged the fact that the dragon moved its head. Mychol stared patiently at the young girl, waiting for her to answer his question. Ranko finally decided on an answer and looked up at her grandfather. With a huge smile on her face she gave him her answer. "'Cause I like him!" Mychol, all the gray elves even the blue dragon did a massive face fault. Ranko looked around and noticed that someone was missing. She turned back to her grandfather who was picking himself up off the ground. "Where is momma?" Mychol looked at her, with a sad smile. "She and Seran were called to an audience with the Queen, _he_ wouldn't allow them to wake you!" Mychol said point to the blue dragon. "He does have a name..you do don't you?" Ranko started to tell her grandfather then turned to look into the dragon's eyes. "Not one humans can pronounce, you may call me Cerulean." He told those assembled. "When will she be back?" Ranko said smiling widely at her grandfather. "Soon they left two days ago, that is how long you have been sleeping on _Cerulean's_ nose." He told her shaking his head, Ranko looked at him with surprise.