Ranma 1/2: Ranma of Grayskull Crossover: Masters of the Universe By: Dani Yanega yanega@mindspring.com (please respond to this e-mail address) Chapter Five It is very solemn, at the Tendo house Soun's eyes matches that of his youngest daughters, red and puffy. The only two people, not unhappy are Nabiki who is planning her revenge for when Ranma comes back. He cost her a fortune and he is gonna pay. The other is P-Chan who found his way to the Tendo home last night, and he doesn't know if he should be happy because Ranma has disappeared or angry because he has made Akane cry. Kasumi has her usual smile for her family but if any of them bother to look closer her eyes tell a different story. There is much pain in her brown eyes. Pain for her sister's loss and pain for the pigtailed boy whose life has been nothing but turmoil. /*\*/*\ Ukyo rose from bed, her eyes puffy and red. She goes to shower while she washes she thinks back on yesterday. Ranch..Ranma's ending all the engagements. How can he do that after he stills her dowry? She gives up ten years of her life for him, gives up her womanhood for him. _This_ is how he repays her loyalty, but refusing her and leaving Nerima. Ukyo returns to her room and dresses for school. When she heads out she is shocked to see an escort, waiting for her. She scowls at the youngest Tendo daughter standing in front of her shop while clutching her pet pig close to her chest. Akane looks up at the okonomiyaki chief with a small smile. "May I walk to school with you Ukyo?" She asks tentatively, Ukyo stares at her with undisguised anger and distrust. Ukyo blames Akane and her treatment of Ranma for his breaking the engagements and leaving. She stares straight into the girls eyes and doesn't want to admit to herself what she sees there. If she admits that Akane loves Ranma then she will have to admit that he loves her as well, and she refuses to do that. "Yeah, I guess so." She reluctantly tells her sometime rival sometime friend. They head out to school together. They don't talk the don't even look at one another. They walk with their heads bowed in deep contemplation. They are both having the similar thoughts though. [How could he let this happen, the stupid jerk! He did this on purpose so he can chase more girls, ooo he is such a pervert! Well if he wants to leave then I hope I never see him again!] Akane rages to herself. [How can Happosai do this to Ranma, I thought he was Happosai's heir. Well what do you expect from the old pervert! There has to be a way to get him back?] Ukyo wonders with a sad expression /*\*/*\ "Grandmother find out what happen to Shampoo husband?" Shampoo asks her great grandmother when she enters her grandmother's room. Cologne is sitting at her desk pouring over a tome Shampoo has never seen before. The tea turning cold on as it sits on the corner of the desk forgotten. Cologne looks up at her granddaughter, with a slight scowl. "Granddaughter I told you not to interrupt me. I will let you know when I find something now please go run the restaurant." Cologne turns back to her studying her eyes dry from staring for so long. Shampoo stands and stares at her grandmother. Then she turns to leave the room. She stops, standing straighter she turns to face her grandmother. Determination crossing her young pretty face she takes as ready stance her hands clenched in tight fists. She takes a deep breath and gives her response. "Shampoo _no_ go, Shampoo Amazon and heir, Shampoo no learn if Shampoo no help." Shampoo gulps at the stare of anger coming from her grandmother, but she stands her ground. She knows if she is to ever be taken seriously she will need to prove herself. She knows she can't do that if she is running the restaurant. She stares defiantly at her grandmother, pushing her fear deep down inside. She looks at her grandmother with a look of confusion when the old woman begins to smile at her. "Very good granddaughter, you have taken the first step in becoming my true heir." Cologne tells her pointing to the chair on the other side of her desk. Shampoo sits down and takes another tome, she begins to read and struggles through the text, but she refuses to show weakness and ask for help. She is going to bring her husband home and she is going to prove she will make a good elder. She picks through the words looking for ones she recognizes, a small smile on her lips. She scans through several pages when she stops, she remembers Happosai threw Ranma a bag a gems and this spell speaks of the gems stones being needed to work properly. She scans further, although she didn't hear any of the words of the spell, she remembers the vortex and it is listed in this spell. Shampoo gasps when she makes out the rainbow colors of the description and the sucking of the victim him, but there is nothing about the changing of their shape. "What is it granddaughter, did you find something?" Cologne looks up at her granddaughter with a raised eyebrow. "Shampoo think so, this spell needs gem stones and create vor..vort..rainbow door that take husband." She tells her while showing her the spell. "It not mention about husband changing shape to girl-type Ranma though." Shampoo gives the book to her great grandmother to study the spell. "That is ok child the spell may not be intended against a Jusenkyo victim. I think something else may have caused that. That chi attack he was using, it absorbed the magic of the spell into him. I think it may not only triggered his curse I fear it may have locked him in the curse." She tells the curious young Amazon, as she takes the tome and begins to read. "How great grandmother know that?" Shampoo asks her grandmother. "I am guessing child, but it makes sense, that chi attack absorbs chi, possibly for another attack. Son-in-law was using it to absorb the magic to use it against Happi, but when he absorbed it the magic reacted with his curse, you saw that he changed to a female before being pulled into the vortex?" Cologne continues to teach her granddaughter, pride welling up inside at her eagerness, and ability to learn. "Yes Shampoo saw, can magic be reversed?" Shampoo asks hopefully, staring at her grandmother for an affirmative nod. "*SIGH!* I don't think so child, but I won't know until I we get son-in-law back." Shampoo's shoulder slump, her eyes brim with tears she refuses to let fall. She then sits up straighter and takes another tome and begins to look for a cure for her husband. While Cologne goes over the spell Shampoo found that sounds like what happen to Ranma. They work side by side for hours, the restaurant forgotten. Cologne questioning her granddaughter on what she read, and being quiet surprised at her understanding of the ancient text. /*\*/*\ Ukyo and Akane round the last corner and head for the school gate, when Akane hears something she hasn't heard in more then two years. Her battle aura flares and she grinds her teeth and grits her fists. Ukyo stares at her in surprise, then turns to the roar coming from the school. "AKANE, I LOVE YOU DATE ME!" "DATE ME AKANE!" "I LOVE YOU AKANE, COME TO ME!" Ukyo looks disgusted at the onslaught of boys, but her heart goes out to Akane. She doesn't need this aggravation anymore, then Ukyo needs to get caught in the middles of it. Ukyo steps in front of Akane her battle spatula drawn and several throwing spatulas. Ukyo then takes out the lead attackers with the throwing spatulas. Their cries of pain cause the others to stop dead, they look and see not only a glowing Akane but a battle ready Ukyo. Ukyo turns to Akane and tells her something, Akane nods reluctantly then steps back two steps. Ukyo steps forward and addresses the boys. "_What_ are you _jackasses_ doing?" She looks at them with a deadly stare more throwing spatulas in her hand. "Nabiki stops by on her way to college this morning and sold us the information of Ranma no longer being engaged to anyone of you girls and how he is gone from Japan." One of the boys in the mob tells her, another takes up where he left off. "Kuno shows up a few moments later and says the battle for Akane was back on." The crowd starts to mumble its excitement. "Well the battle _IS NOT_ back on, Akane does not want to date any of you and if you try to fight her or force her I will band together with her and we will put the lot of you into the hospital, or better yet the morgue!" Ukyo says the last part with a low growl, several of the boys back away, eyes wide with fear. "What do you care, you two were rivals for Ranma! What does it matter to you what happens to Akane!" A voice from the center of the mob calls out. "Your right we were rivals, _but_ we were also friends, all of Ranma's fiancées on some level were friends and until he comes back we will band together to protect each other from you perverts." She tells them her anger rising. "Spatula girl right, fiancées of Ranma protect each other!" The group turns to see Shampoo jump from a roof to stand next to Ukyo, Akane moves up to join her rivals/friends. "The boys slowly back away, they know with Shampoo backing up Ukyo and Akane that their life expectancy just went down to zero. Where Ukyo was only bluffing about the morgue, they knew Shampoo wasn't. Her laws are strict and deadly. The boys turn and run for the school leaving the three girls staring at one another. "Why Shampoo?" Ukyo asks, Akane looking on with curiosity, nods her agreement with the question. "Shampoo, heard spatula girl tell boys that Airen's fiancées friends. Shampoo no have friends here, Shampoo very lonely. Shampoo want friends, even if Airen no not come back or not chose Shampoo, Shampoo still need friends, yes?" She looks pleadingly at the two girls, who look a little guilty. They never thought about how Shampoo may feel lonely being away from her home. They then look at each other and smile slightly. They then turn to Shampoo and give her a glomp that would make any Amazon proud. "Shampoo almost forget grandmother want see you two after school, she need go talk with Ranma's mother and need you to introduce her properly, yes?" Ukyo and Akane look a little unsure but nod ok. Shampoo waves then turns and disappears back onto the roof. She takes off heading for the Nekohanten. The two girls stare after her with confusion and slight worry. They then hear the warning bell and head for class. /*\*/*\ Nodoka answers the door, to a pair of men in technician uniforms. She escorts them in and watches while they begin their work. Her eyes widen with shock. Then they begin to narrow with anger as the men pull out listening device after listening device. They find them everywhere even her and Ranma's bedroom. What really made her angry was when a video camera was found in Ranma's room and the in with the furo. Nodoka watches closely while they head to the family dojo. She starts to follow them but the phone starts to ring. She directs them toward the dojo. She then goes to pick up the phone. "Moshi, Moshi." She answers, she listens her eyebrow raises slightly. "Yes that will be fine, but I suggest you come to my house, Akane and Ukyo can lead you." She pauses to listen to the response. "I feel our conversation will be more private here. Let's just say I have removed a lot of _bugs_ from my home today." She listens, for a few more moments then she notices the technicians coming back on with more electronic devices. "Yes that will be fine, I will see you then." She hangs up and takes all the devices and puts them in the box that brought Ranma's gifts. "Do you have a basement or attic ma'am?" One of the technicians asks her, she looks at them with curiosity. "I don't have a basement, but I have an attic. You don't thinks there are devices there too, do you?" She asks them with surprise. "It may be where the power supply is stored and maybe some back up listening devices." Nodoka nods and leads them to the door to the attic. She turns on the light and watches as they disappear into the confines of the attic. She can hear them root around in the boxes and trunks she uses for storage, then a half an hour later the two men rejoin her in the upstairs hallway. They are carrying two more video cameras and several more listening devices. They leave the electronics on the dining room table with the others then return to the attic only to return a few moments later carrying a large box that looks like a piece of stereo equipment. It must have been heavy since both men were carrying it. They set it on the floor next to the dining table then start to examine the equipment. They pull out their palm computers and begin to enter the serial numbers of the power supply and the electronics. Soon one of the men disappears and then returns a few moments later carrying a stack of papers and talking on a cell phone. "Here is the information on what we found Mrs. Saotome, we are required by law to notify the authorities of what we found. They will be contacting you in the next day or so. It is your choice if you wish to press charges, but with this amount of listening devices not to mention the video equipment I am sure the government will prosecute even if you don't want to." The men leave the papers then box up everything they found and take it out to their truck. Nodoka watches them, when they finish and return for their payment, Nodoka asks them. "Why are you taking that stuff away? Don't I get to keep it?" The two men shake their heads. "No we have to deliver it to the authorities along with a copy of all the documentation we have given you." One of the men takes the check from Nodoka. Then they turn to leave. Nodoka closes the door a sad frown on her face. She returns into the house and begins to straighten up. She is surprised that they didn't make a bigger mess. When she was complete she went to her son's room. She enters and stares at the memories of her son. She sits on the bed and picks up a stuffed blue dragon that was Ranma's when he was small. The tears begin to flow, and she lays down on the bed holding the dragon tightly to her chest. Soon Nodoka has again cried herself into a fitful sleep. Her dreams are the nightmarish replay of that day at Furinkan High. /*\*/*\ School for Ukyo and Akane pass slowly, their minds on what Cologne wants of them. During lunch Akane is deluge with questions about Ranma and since he is available now if he is dating others. Akane begins to glow, but her friends are oblivious to her anger as they continue. "OH, he is so cute, Akane you are so dumb to let him get away!" "I'd make him a wonderful girlfriend, he won't have to worry about me beating on him!" "Is he still at your house Akane, so I can come over and ask him out?" The questions are cut off with the slamming of Akane's fist onto her desk. "I DON'T CARE WHAT THAT PERVERT DOES! I NEVER WANTED THAT SEX CHANGING FREAK TO BEGIN WITH!" Akane then pushes through the crowd of girls and disappears into the hallways of the school building. "You know even _if_ Ranma broke all the engagements, you will find it hard to date a man who was magically teleported somewhere else." With that statement Ukyo rises and follows Akane into the hallways. Ukyo finds her in the janitor's closet her tears flowing unchecked. Ukyo always knew Akane was in love with Ranma but she never could to admit it. She loves him also, and wants to be his wife just as much as the others. Ukyo takes her in a friendly embrace and together they cry for their missing fiancé. After having the cry they both needed they clean up and head back to class. They ignore the stares and sit in their seats facing front. When class starts they sit staring at the instructor with far away looks. The last half of school passes quicker then the first. /*\*/*\ Ukyo and Akane leave the school grounds ignoring the calls of the other girls. The two fiancées of Ranma Saotome close ranks, when they pass through the school gate they are met by Shampoo and Cologne. Their eyes widen in surprise, that the Amazons are there to meet them. "We are to go to Nodoka Saotome's home, she says you two can lead me there?" They both nod and the four of them head off to Nodoka's home. They pass Nabiki not seeing her. She begins to follow them when Cologne turns to stare directly at the middle Tendo. "You are an uninvited guest Miss Tendo. Do not make me take precautions against you!" Nabiki hides the fear that tries to show in her face. She breathes a silent sigh of relief when Cologne turns back and begins to walk away with the three acknowledged fiancées of Ranma. She turns when someone puts a hand on her shoulder. One of her associates tells her where they're heading. She smiles wryly then turns and runs home. She has a lot to get ready for the upcoming meeting. /*\*/*\ Ranma-chan sleeps fitfully in a bed in a small room, next to sits a woman wearing the headdress of a falcon and a bodysuit of feathers with a cape of wings attached to her arms. She cautiously dabs a damp cloth on Ranma-chan's forehead. She moves slowly as the rainbow lightening still courses around Ranma-chan's body. She wonders what the young girls story is she can glean some of it from her memories but the images make no sense. If she is the one foretold in Grayskull's myth then they have hope. ***Flashback*** The five people watch the young redhead while she tries to clear her head. She speaks a strange language that means nothing to them. The girl looks to be having trouble standing, the fact that rainbow lightening still courses over her body could be part of the cause. A large green tiger with gold stripes and armor slowly advances on the still kneeling girl. "BATTLECAT, come back here!" Battlecat ignores the commands of the 6' 2" tall blond man with a short pageboy hair cut. Battlecat creeps silently up to the girl. He sniffs at her hair which is still full of the glittery liquid from the tunnel. He wrinkles his nose although not offensive it is pungent. A gasp is heard from the girl as she stiffens, Battlecat jumps back taking a low stance his tail swishing, a low growl can be heard from him, as Ranma reacts to his presence. <"N..NEKO! N..N..NEKO!"> Ranma jumps back fifty feet to the other side of the throne room, her eyes wide with fright. "Neko? What is that?" A redhead of about twenty asks looking from Ranma to the others in the room. "I don't know Teela, but what ever it is, it is scaring her to death." An older man of about forty five tells Teela. They turn to stare at Ranma while Battlecat slowly advances on the frighten martial artist. Ranma watches her the large cat, her fear escalating as the tiger advances. She can feel the Neko within her trying to take hold of her, trying to force his control. Ranma closes her eyes trying to calm herself, but she can sense the large cat coming closer. "BATTLECAT! COME BACK NOW!" Ranma feels the giant cat pause then back away from her. She fights harder to keep the Neko under control but she feels herself weakening. When she slowly feels herself relax and the Neko inside her falls into a deep sleep. She then follows the angry cat into a battle torn sleep. /*\*/*\ "Look it's Battlecat she's afraid of.., but by the ancients what is that surrounding her?" The elder man points to Ranma surrounded by a black glow in the shape of a cat. "I don't know Duncan, but what ever it is, it's not good!" The blonde man tells his friend. "He-Man you better get Battlecat away from her, he is the one causing that manifestation, and if my magic is correct we don't want her to succumb to that power!" The bird woman tells the blonde man. He-Man calls Battlecat away from the girl, and watches as she calms slowly. The black cat is still growing stronger. When a golden Phoenix appears around her followed by a blue dragon, they start to battle the black cat, but it seems stronger then the others. "Sorceress is there anything you can do to help her? I think she is losing!" The blonde woman asks the bird woman. "Yes She-Ra I think I might be able to help." The sorceress tells the six-foot tall blonde woman. The Sorceress casts a spell that covers the frightened girl. The group watches as the first to succumb is the black cat, followed by the dragon. Then the Phoenix finally joins them. Finally the girl opens her tightly closed eyes. The two sapphire blue orbs stare gratefully at the assembled group as she finally succumbs to the sleep spell. With the lightening still flowing around her the Sorceress casts a levitation spell and floats her to a room near her own. The Sorceress puts Ranma-chan to bed. She stands near the sleeping electrode watching her longingly, she turns at the sound of She- Ra's voice. "Sorceress do you think it is wise to let her stay here? We know nothing of her, she may be a spy for the Horde!" She-Ra tells her as she walks up behind her. "No She-Ra, she could not have entered Grayskull that way if she was, we have been waiting for her arrival although I expected three people not one." The Sorceress tells the warrior while she stares sadly at the young girl before them. "What do you mean Sorceress? You were expecting her?" She-Ra asks in shock, looking from the sleeping girl to the crying Sorceress. "We will talk more tomorrow, please tell everyone to come back tomorrow, and bring Battlecat, I sense she will want him here." She-Ra's eyes go wide, she is about to ask how the Sorceress knows this. She-Ra sees that the Sorceress' attention is transfixed on the young redhead, so she turns and leaves. She decides the Sorceress needs some time alone. She returns to her companions and tells them they must come back tomorrow as the Sorceress is taking care of their guest. They reluctantly leave Grayskull, Battlecat refusing to leave the Sorceress alone with the strange girl. He-Man reluctantly agrees, and follows the others out. ***End Flashback*** The Sorceress smiles as she leaves Ranma-chan's room to retrieve a fresh bowl of cool water. Battlecat is a sleep just outside the door, snoring loudly. She walks away shaking her head, a low chuckle escaping from her.