Ranma 1/2: Ranma of Grayskull Crossover: Masters of the Universe By: Dani Yanega yanega@mindspring.com (please respond to this e-mail address) http://www.mindspring.com/~yanega/index.htm Mirror Site at: http://www.ranko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.htm Chapter Eight Ranma gets off the big cat a giggle escaping her lips. She then turns to the others in the room a small sheepish smile on her face. Battlecat rights himself and glares at the back of the martial artist. Only She-Ra sees as the anger turns to pride and caring. Ranma turns to the sorceress a questioning look on her face. "Sorceress what has happened to me, where am I?" Everyone face- faults since they have forgotten that the young girl has been unconscious for most of her time here. The sorceress leads the group into her throne room. She takes her place on the stone throne of Grayskull and offers chairs to the others. She then looks to Ranma and smiles serenely at her. "Child tell me what you remember of your travel hear, and what your life consisted of before coming here. Do not leave out anything no matter how trivial it is important to verify what I believe is the reason you were sent here." Ranma looks at her with confusion, she closes her eyes to collect her thoughts. /*\*/*\ Then for the next four hours Ranma tells them of her life. She leaves nothing out including the fact she was born a boy. She is mildly surprised when they accept the fact she is cursed even though her curse is locked. The sorceress and her two warriors begin to show so much anger that Ranma begins to sweat and slowly scoots her chair away from them. She finishes with the fight at the school and Happosai's tossing her the bag of gems. "My I see the gems please and the staff you carved?" The sorceress asks holding out her hand, Ranma rises and hands her the medium size pouch of brown leather plus pulls the staff from weapons space to hand to her. The sorceress opens the pouch and peers into it. She then reaches in and pulls out three large gem stones. She hands the pouch back to Ranma who puts them into his weapon space. The sorceress holds up each of the stones to examine them. She holds up an oval shaped stone of purest black, an onyx stone of about an inch across. Ranma stares into the stone and sees no light reflecting from it. The surface of the stone is flawless. The others in the room stare with curious looks while the sorceress examines each of the three stones. Their eyes widen when she magically places the onyx into the chest of the black panther on Ranma's staff. "This stone denotes the power of the cat." She says more to herself then to the others in the room. The sorceress then holds up the next stone it to is an inch oval stone but of blue Lapis. The streaks of white on the dark blue stone reminds Ranma of lightning against a midnight sky. She stares at the stone the light reflecting from it gives it the appearance of a small storm within her hostess' hands. Ranma and others watch while she magically adds the Lapis stone to the chest of the dragon. "This stone denotes the dragon." She again quietly states for those present. She then holds up the final stone. One Ranma does not recognize it is a dark brown oval stone again one inch across, but running through it was slightly lighter streaks of orange-brown. This gives the stone the appearance of lava. Ranma sits transfixed staring at that stone as she feels the imagined heat rising from its surface. The sorceress then adds this stone to the chest of the Phoenix on her staff. "And finally a fire stone to denote the majestic Phoenix." The sorceress then covers the stones with her one hand and casts a spell over them. The three warriors and large cat watches as the glow of her spell surrounds each stone with a bright blue light. Then each of the stones begins to pull the light into them. They each begin to glow but the light matches the colors of the stones. Finally the glow is gone and the sorceress stands and hands Ranma back her staff. When Ranma takes the staff it begins to glow the three colors and they spread out to envelop the petite martial artist obscuring her from the view of the others. He-Man, She-Ra, and Battlecat move towards Ranma to help only to be stopped by the guardian of Castle Grayskull. The light fades leaving a kneeling Ranma. Her hair unbinds and hanging loose down her back and over her shoulders. That is the only differences the others can see save her hair is not only longer but a brighter red. Ranma looks up at the three humans and one cat her eyes flashing with the glow form each of the stones. The sorceress goes to her holding her hand out to the young girl. Ranma takes it and allows the woman to help her up. She leads Ranma to her seat, Ranma still clutching the staff tightly. "Now Ranma you must make a choice. I will tell you what has happened to you and why but only _you_ can accept the offer being made to you do you understand." Ranma thinks for a moment then slowly nods her head. "The legends of Grayskull are many, but one such myth is that of the Mystic Warriors. They will come to the aid of Eternia and Grayskull bringing with them the power of the dragon, Phoenix, and cat. It has always been believed that these powerful warriors would number three, but your presence here proves otherwise." The sorceress holds up her hand to forestall any interruptions. "You are to be all three of the Mystic Warriors, Ranma if you except. You see the stones and spell would only work if all the warriors were together. The fact that you were sent here alone with all three stones tells me you fulfill the legend on your own. That is why I asked you to tell me of your life. "Each battle you fought brought you one step closer to your destiny. Your training in the Cat-fist had given you the cats soul that you needed. With the help of Battlecat you finally won control over it. The fight with the Ghost Cat I believed opened a crack into the Cat-fist for you so you could start to learn to control it. Until then it was buried so deeply that only when you lapsed into insanity did you have access to its power. "Your battle with Herb a descendant of dragons prepared your body for the power of the dragon yet to be instilled in you. You fought long and hard with him. You even took several of his what did you call it, oh yes ki blasts. You, yourself said that the blasts seemed to absorb into your body. That was your destiny preparing you for the receiving of your dragon powers. "Your final battle with the demi-god was pretty much about the same as your fight with the dragon man. His life force was absorbed by your body to prepare you for your final destiny. Do not feel bad for your killing him Ranma he rose to live again and this time we can hope he will be a better leader of his people. "As to why the magic locked your curse I am not sure and can only speculate since I do not know that much about these Springs of Sorrow. I feel that the curse retaliated when you absorbed the magic of the spell, and it triggered your change. You had not filled you destiny and it punished you for what it thought was your attempt to cure it. Now I could be wrong but from what you have told me about the change it is a possibility. I will need to speak with an elder of the tribes around the springs to be sure. "I set the stones in your staff and magically endowed them with a protection spell, light spell and healing spell. They are limited unless you can find a way to make them so, but I will recharge them for you when you need it." The sorceress tells her with a gentle smile. "Now Ranma it is up to you I can look for a way to send you home or you can stay and take your place as the Mystic Warrior." The sorceress tells her a small frown at the sadness playing across the redheads face. Ranma sits very quietly for some moments her gaze locked on the staff that lays across her lap. She watches the stones as the light glints off their surfaces. A small tear, the only sign that she is still alive. The others watch her with sadness as they know from her story she has many people back home she cares fur, but none that care for her the way she wants them to. The three Eternians know that she is better of with them and starting a new life here but it must be her choice. Only each individual can choose to accept their destiny or not. She-Ra and He-Man accepted theirs when they were asked but Ranma must now choose to take her destiny and run with it. Ranma rises her head to look at each of those in the throne room she reads their faces and knows they want her to stay, she also knows they will be her friends even if she decides to leave. She never had a friend that was just a friend, one with no ulterior motives. She sighs then makes her decision. "You guys are the first people to ever allow me my own choice and I thank you for that. Before I was pulled from my world I told my mother and the others that being a sensei was not what I wanted. I wanted to be the best martial artist that ever was and teaching would not give me that. Then there was the only good thing my father taught me and that I hold dear to my heart. That is a martial artists duty is to protect the weak and defenseless. "My honor would be irrevocably damaged if I did not act upon this and use the gifts of my skill and abilities to help those unable to help themselves. I could not do that at home my rivals, enemies, and ex-fiancées would not allow it. Their interference could cost some innocent their life. If your legend is true then I have found my destiny. I will stay!" She stands and bows deeply to the sorceress then to He-Man, She-Ra and finally Battlecat. /*\*/*\ "AAARRRRGGGGGG!" Nabiki screams while she throws her head set against the far wall. She storms around her room throwing papers and books from one end of the room to the other. Finally she plops down on her bed, looking at the ceiling of her room her arms across her chest. Her eyes flashing with rage. She takes several deep breaths to calm herself and think more rationally. [Well I will still know what is happening since I sent Kukiko over to the Saotome home after all I never leave anything to chance.] Nabiki lays on her bed her mind going over the possibilities of what could have happen to her 'implants'. She had to call in a lot of favors to get the equipment into the Saotome home. It was worth it though well it was until the old freak sent away her biggest money making scheme. If Cologne is going to talk with Nodoka then maybe she has a way to bring back Ranma. Her smile fades when her private line begins to ring. "Moshi, Moshi?" Nabiki answers the phone, she stops her next comment and her eyes widen with surprise. "A..are you sure it went there?" Nabiki's surprise quickly turns to nervous apprehension. Nabiki is not use to feeling emotions she is certainly not use to showing them even in private. She puts the telephone down in stunned slowness. She gets up and looks out the window of her room, not paying attention to what she is seeing. She finally collapses onto the floor under the window holding herself tightly. She has to be wrong they were in that neighborhood for another reason. "RANMA THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Nabiki screams at the ceiling of her room, then closes her eyes trying to stop the tears. /*\*/*\ "Now Cologne using Amazon property that was not to leave the village I am sure you found out something interesting, please tell us what it is." Lily tells her counterpart daring her to disobey. Shampoo stares at her great grandmother. She has never seen her great grandmother twitch like that, and since when did that vein on her neck start to pulse. Shampoo feels helpless she understands that outside the village her great grandmother is only a family matriarch and no longer has the Elder status of the ruling counsel. She may have to return to the village to over turn these events but with Mousse's sister now taking Lily's seat on the counsel it won't be easy. She also knows that Lily, and her granddaughter disagree with the outsider laws, which means if they abolish them she will have to go through with the arranged marriage between her and stupid Mousse. Shampoo shivers at the thought of Mousse being her husband. Maybe she can marry him off to one of the other fiancées, or better yet Kodachi! Shampoo starts to grin evilly when she hears her great grandmother mention her name. "It was Shampoo who actually found the information, she is showing herself to be on her way to an excellent Elder and Matriarch of her clan and people." Cologne smiles proudly at her great granddaughter who blushes bright red. "It was found in one of our ancient texts, one in which my clan protects. One I could not leave unattended back in the village." Cologne tells Lily in a way of explanation, her look tells Cologne she doesn't buy it. "It seems the spell Happi used was to send the Mystic Warriors to a world where great danger abounds for the people of that planet. The problem is if the Mystic Warriors do not win the evil will spread and eventually reach here." Cologne tells them as she looks at her notes that she made from the old tome. "Mystic Warriors? Then there is more then one?" Akane asks skeptically not really trusting the old mummy. "Well that's the problem according to the tome there is a Warrior for the Cat, the Phoenix, and the dragon. The only way the spell would work is that the warriors needed to be holding the gems of the three mystic animals, plus all three must be present for the spell only works once." Cologne answers her as she continues to read from her notes. "But it did work and there was only Ranma! That old freak tossed him a bag of gems just before he cast the spell! That must have contained the three stones?" Ukyo comments as her eyes go blank trying to remember that day at the school soccer field. "Yes that is what confused me at first, then I remembered some of son-in..Ranma's history!" Cologne quickly changes direction in using Ranma's name when she spots Lily and Nodoka glaring at her. "I believe Ranma is all three of the Mystic Warriors in one that is why the spell worked and took him. I also believe that when he tried to absorb the spell to return to Happi the Jusenkyo curse reacted and made his curse permanent." Cologne continues amidst stares of disbelief and anger. "How do you know this? What proof do you have?" Nodoka asks her worry on her face, her eyes brimming with tears. "Well first his training in the Neko-ken, which was strengthen when he went up against the Ghost Cat to save Shampoo. That alone would make him the Warrior of the Cat. Then there was his battle with Herb where he not only defeated the Musk prince but absorbed much of the life force of the part dragon ruler which may work to make him the Dragon Warrior. Then finally according to my Shampoo during Ranma's battle with Saffron he again absorbed the life energy of the demi-god, which is probably what helped him defeat the birdman. This gives him the status of the Phoenix Warrior." Cologne counts off her points. "But those last two would have been better for those positions why take Ranma for all of them?" Nodoka asks sitting forward on the sofa, Lily's hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "He had all the stones and they accepted him as their warriors plus the others were not here. The most important would be unlike Ranma, Saffron is a baby now. Then there is the fact that both Herb and Saffron care not for others but only for themselves. Ranma has proven time and time again that he will defend the weak even at the risk of his own life." Cologne tells the broken hearted mother. Akane listens to what Cologne is saying, her anger glowing slightly around her as she realizes the BAKA has escaped her grasp. Now she will have to put up with the morning hentai squad. As long as the pervert was here, the other boys left her alone and she could look for someone better then that sex changing sicko. Now if what she heard is correct he is stuck in his female form, he only did it to peep the girls she is sure of that. Akane huffs and crosses her arms over her chest and with narrow eyes glares at the old woman. /*\*/*\ Ukyo sits her eyes staring past the elderly Amazon her thoughts of her Ranchan gone. The tears begin to flow as she remembers the rage she saw in his eyes. Rage directed not just toward the other fiancées but her as well. She begins to run the past few years through her mind and realizes she is not any better then the others. She was claiming him as a prize just as much as the others. She hangs her head and her tears fall to make dark patches on the pants of her school uniform. "Now I believe I know why you think my _granddaughter_ is now a female, why don't you explain it to the others here." Lily tells her rival with a voice cold enough to freeze hell. "*SIGH!* It has long been believed by those of us surrounding the Cursed Springs that the curses are for a reason and each victim must fulfill a purpose chosen just for them, before they will be cured. We also know that any attempt to cure a Jusenkyo curse could cause the victim to be permanently locked in their cursed forms. That is one of the reasons Shampoo and Mousse never actively sought a cure." Colognes tells a room full of stunned people. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL RYO..RANMA!" Akane shouts her slip caught by the two family members of Ranma as the others' minds are occupied. "It was in our interest to have son-in-law believe us when we offered him a cure. Mousse on the other hand wanted the fake cures to work hoping they would set off Jusenkyo's revenge and lock him in his cursed form." Cologne tells them Nodoka glaring at the young Tendo girl as she keeps opening and closing her fists. "We also know that if the victims are cured while _locked_ in their curse form that form becomes their new true form. They can be cured while in their curse form and as long as it is not locked they will revert to their true form." Nodoka quickly looks at the Amazon elder her eyes wide with dismay then narrow to slits. "So if my _son's_ destiny was to be this Mystic Warrior he is now for ever female and cured of his curse?" Nodoka growls low in her throat. "No, fulfilling his life destiny has nothing to do with Jusenkyo. He must fulfill the destiny Jusenkyo has planned for each victim. If he fulfills it where he is and has not unlocked his curse then he is going to remain female." Cologne tells the missing martial artist's mother. "But how can you be sure the magic to send my son to this other place has locked him in his female form?" Nodoka continues wanting more proof. "I can't but I don't believe the spell was intended to lock Ranma as a woman. I believe what has happened is that when Ranma tried to absorb the magic to send back to Happosai it tried to maybe over power the Jusenkyo magic and use it to fulfill the spell. Jusenkyo magic retaliated and locked Ranma as his girl form." Cologne tells the mother of her ex-son-in-law. "You make it sound as if the curse is alive?" Ukyo states a shudder passing through her body at the look given her by Cologne, Lily and Shampoo. "I am afraid child that it may very well be. We do not know the truth of how Jusenkyo was formed, it is, however believed to be the spirit of an angry mage. He was prevented from fulfilling his destiny. It is thought he decided to make others do it for him and he cursed the springs just before he died in them. We feel his spirit guards Jusenkyo pulling those it has cursed back to protect it like when Ranma fought Saffron. The mage watches over his victims also." Cologne tells the Japanese women before her. "So your saying if Ranma had _not_ tried to absorb the magic to use against the little perv. He wouldn't have been locked into his cursed form?" Ukyo asks as she wants to know everything so she can help her Ranchan. "Yes that is what I am saying." Cologne answers her with a small proud smile. "It _figures_ that pervert would do something like that just so he could peep at girls.' Akane mumbles under her breath, although in the small living room everyone can hear it. "Then isn't it good for you that the engagement has been called off and you no longer have a claim to my child." Nodoka hisses through clenched teeth, Akane has the decency to look guilty. Nodoka sits back in the sofa her anger deflating, as she thinks of her son now daughter. She must warn him, but does she really care. She always wished that _Ranko Tendo_ could be her daughter even if she was a tomboy. She also wants her son but now she doesn't have either one. She looks down at her locket and opens it. Inside she sees the picture of her and her son, and smiles as standing next to him is an image of his girl side. She had cut that image out of another photo and pasted in the locket. Her tears fell one hitting the blue sapphire within the locket. The others in the room stare intently at the Saotome matriarch all with different emotions. Lily watches her new daughter pain for her loss evident in her eyes as she has had to live through the loss of her child twice. Cologne looks at her with sadness and respect as she tries to fight the grief as an Amazon should. Shampoo stares at her, she feels a small amount of anger at losing her Airen but she also wishes she could take away the pain of loss she knows the woman is feeling. Ukyo looks at the mother of her Ranchan and all she feels is guilt. If she is truly Ranma's friend then she would not have treated her life long friend as a piece of property and would have really been the friend he needs and not the fiancée he didn't. Her anger at his father and hers for what they did to her life blinded her to her Ranchan's true feelings, and now she has lost him probably forever. Akane glares first at Nodoka. Her hopes were for the woman to be a second mother to her, to be there to take her side when Ranma messes up. She wants Nodoka to be _her_ replacement mother and be hers alone. She however wants her son and sides with the _baka_ and not with her. Even if it is all his fault to begin with and he doesn't deserve to have her as his mother. Akane then spots the necklace around the woman's neck. Her rage flares as she recognizes it. She was with Ranma when he found _them_. She wants to know where the other one is and why she did not have it! ***Flashback*** "Here Ranma this looks like a good place to look for your mother's birthday present." Akane tells her reluctant fiancé as she drags him into an antique store. "I don't know Akane, I don't think I can afford much with Nabiki always blackmailing me!" Ranma complains to his short hair fiancée. "What do you mean by that you BAKA!" Akane turns in rage at Ranma her mallet ready for another send off. "_STOP IT!_ You moron we are _NOT_ in your house this is someone's livelihood you mallet me here and _YOU_ own everything you break!" Ranma snarls at the violent girl really getting tired of her behavior. Akane's rage flares even more when she stops and looks around sheepishly to see the store manager glaring at her, the woman's arms across her chest and a foot tapping on the floor. Akane blushes and makes her mallet disappear then tries to smile sweetly at the woman who does not bye the innocent act. "This is all your fault, _baka_!" Akane snarls at her fiancé a look of promised pain on her face. "Grow up already, if you can't control your temper don't blame me!" Ranma shoots back then walks away looking at the items. He leaves Akane to stew in her own anger as he rifles through what the middle aged woman is selling. Akane finally gets her anger under control as she decides she will punish Ranma when they leave the store. She turns and follows the voices of the shopkeeper and her fiancé. "What are you looking for young man?" The woman asks Ranma. She looks about fifty to Akane, has long black hair with just a little bit of iron gray that she wears in a braid. Her eyes are gray and sparkle with life, they remind Akane of someone. She stands about six feet tall and has an air of foreboding about her. Ranma looks up at her a look of uncertainty in his eyes. "Its my mom's birthday, and.." He pauses not sure he wants to say more but the woman seems to make him feel so comfortable. "I haven't been with her for over ten years and I want to get her something really special. I don't have much money but I am willing to work off the difference." Ranma tells her his eyes sparkling like a young child's. Akane stands behind him and rolls her eyes with disgust. The shopkeeper catches this and scowls at her. Akane stares back anger rising, Ranma turns from both women when something catches his eyes. Akane backs down when the woman begins to glow a dark black aura and her anger matches Akane rage for rage. "Ma'am how much are these?" Ranma asks from another aisle, the woman goes to her paying customer not giving Akane a second thought. "My that is a lovely choice. They are called the 'Flowers of Love'. You give it to the two most special people in your life and it will keep you close to them in spirit of course." She smiles down at the pigtailed young boy. Akane walks up and takes the twin lockets from Ranma examining them closely. She frowns slightly noticing a small chip missing from one of the ivory lotus blossoms that is the lid to the lockets. It is also missing its chain. She is about to point this out to her baka fiancé when his voice cuts her off. "I'd like to buy both!" Akane looks at him with narrow eyes as he takes the lockets from her. "I better not get the broken one!" She growls low in her throat, she did not notice Ranma stop short and stiffen, nor did she see the scowl on his face when she walks past him. ***End Flashback*** The stupid baka still had to work for that lady for more then a month to finish paying off those stupid lockets but she never even received hers. He just better not have given it to any of the other girls, if he did she will have to beat it out of him when he gets back. She will probably beat him any way. [Well at least I won't have to marry him any longer. I hope he stays female. Then I am free to find my own husband! I am sure I have seen that woman somewhere before I just don't know where.] Akane thinks to herself a shudder passing through her as thoughts of being Ranma's wife flick through her mind. Akane looks up into the face of Nodoka Saotome and gasps as she sees her father's blank pained look. Akane begins to feel guilty for her selfish thoughts and rises to go to sit next to Ranma's mother. She stops dead in her tracks when the Amazon sitting next to Nodoka glares at her a motions for her to remain where she is. Akane's anger rises but is quickly doused when a staff taps the small of her back causing her to fall back into her chair. She looks up and sees Cologne on the floor near her, the old mummy's staff level with her lower back where she felt it tap her. Akane looks at the old matriarch but Cologne turns unfazed by the younger Tendo's rage. She then turns to Lily and Nodoka wanting answers to her questions.