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 or Visit my Mirror site at: http://www.ranko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.htm Chapter Eighteen Ranma sits in the clearing uncertainty on her face. She has never been any good at comforting anyone. A fault she blames on Genma. The child still refuses to let go of her neck and the truth is, Ranma doesn't want her too. Something feels right about the little girl being in her arms, but she can't explain as to why. She holds the child distant memories flashing through her mind of her mother holding her like this. She was very young and had a nightmare. She remembers how her mom would hold her tightly and gently rock her. She uses that memory and begins to rock the little girl. A tune playing through her mind, one her mother use to sing. Ranma begins to hum the soft melody amazement at the soft and gentle notes her own voice can make. The child soon settles into Ranma's arms and releases her death grip on the martial artist. Ranma cradles the little girl in her arms, she smiles down at the tiny face as she pushes a strand of hair from her face. The little girl snuggles deeper into Ranma's safe arms, while the Mystic Warrior gently rocks her and hums the lullaby from her past. "She looks like she belongs with you." The voice behind Ranma whispers quietly. Ranma turns slowly as to not disturb the exhausted child. She smiles when she sees He-Man and She-Ra standing behind her. They return the smile and walk forward. Battlecat bounces up to her like a kitten at play and sniffs the bundle in her arms. The little girl instinctive reaches out and grabs the big green tiger by the neck. She pulls herself from Ranma's embrace and cuddles deep into Battlecat. The warrior cat lays down and stares down at the little bundle he just inherited. Then looks back up confusion on his face. The others around him just laugh as he continues to look to them for help then back down at the sleep guest between his front paws. "You get to watch her for a while, now try not to scare her ok?" Ranma whispers as the others take seats around her. /*\*/*\ The introductions through the rebels sit and tell the Eternians what has been going on. Ranma sits near the little girl her hand absently playing with the little girls long blonde hair. The group learns that the new threat is even worse then the Horde which is evident by today's events. They tell them this is not the first village to fall to the maniac. He is destroying villages until Queen Angela and the rebels surrender to him. They were willing to do so at first but then found out that Maldar will continue the mass destruction even after he controls Etheria. "How do you know this?" Ranma asks looking at the small child cuddling at the throat of Battlecat. "It seems those that went over to the Kalcar after the fall of Horde Prime have some descent qualities after all." Glimmer says with some amount of sarcasm. "Glimmer!" The blue woman in red chides the young girl. Ranma looks at the blue woman wondering if she is Trollan like Orko. She stares at the woman and her funny behaving broom and wonders at the fact that it doesn't seem to bother her like it should. "Sorry Madam Razz." The young girl tells her a guilty smile on her face. "It seems the old Horde members that crossed over are not happy with their treatment. Maldar doesn't trust them and doesn't treat them as loyal citizens." A young woman with auburn hair in a yellow body suit and boots tells her. "That is understandable Castaspella, I mean would you trust your enemy if they suddenly want to join your side when you won the battle." Frosta asks her with a sideways glance a He-Man. Ranma watches the group before. She sees the glance He-Man gets from not only Frosta but Castaspella and Glimmer. She smiles sadly at the memories it brings to her mind but for some reason she is happy she is now stuck as a woman. "Yes Frosta, but to use them as cannon fodder." Castaspella shakes her head and sighs heavily. "So one of the old Horde regime has given you information on this Maldar?" Ranma asks wanting to get this going again. "Yes warrior we don't know which one for sure though but they gave us proof that even after the surrender of the world's leaders this Maldar still continues with his sadistic handling of the people." Frosta tells the fire hair girl. Ranma notices the jealous look she is receiving. She guesses it is do to her proximity to He-Man. "Was it a one time incident or is it a status quo, no matter what happens." Ranma continues ignoring all the girls as they glare at her. "Well according to the proof it happens every time he conquers a new world he eliminates more then half the native population and his people take over the planet and the remaining people are used as slaves and well other not so nice things." Madame tells them not liking the looks from the Etherians to the new girl. "When mother saw the evidence she refuses to allow any of us to turn ourselves over nor will she either. Our main goal now is to protect as many people we can. Many of the villages have been abandoned and the refugees have taken residence inside Whispering Wood." Bo tells the group as he stares at the strange girl before him. The group watches the reaction of the three Eternians, figuring they would demand they turn themselves over in order to give the people some protection. They see on the faces of He-Man and She-Ra that they will probably ask it be done even if there was a slight chance of saving lives. The new girl was a surprise though they watch her as she stares down at the sleeping child. Her face hard and calculating. They scoot back when she is surrounded by a pillar of flame. They are glad they are in a large clearing her flame does not touch a single tree. Ranma looks up and sees the looks on her friends faces. Her frown deepens and her eyes narrows. She stands her flames growing larger. She looks down at the twins uncertain how to handle this. "Do not even think about it!" He-Man and She-Ra turn to see Ranma glaring down at them her face full of rage. "If it will save lives it has to be an option. How do we know that information is not a lie." He-Man asks, Ranma rolls his eyes. "Because if it was a lie it would tell of how well Maldar treats the people he _concurs_!" Ranma tells them knowing they want to save the lives of the innocents but in a war that is not always possible. "I have fought tyrants before believe me he is not going to stop killing." Ranma tells them looking over her shoulder at the child behind her. "You can not be certain, Ranma if there is even a slightest chance..!" She-Ra is cut off when Ranma snaps her head around her aura darkening. "I believe the information even without seeing it. I know he will continue to kill the people of this planet then move to Eternia and finally earth." Ranma glares down at the twins her anger growing. "How do you know Ranma how can you be sure!" She-Ra asks her. "Because he told me he would." The whole group gasps and Ranma turns her aura slowly fading. Ranma goes over to Battlecat and lifts the child in her arms. She turns to face the group before her the child snuggling into her for protection. "Now let us go see the Queen of this world." Ranma tells them her golden wings appearing as she begins to hover slightly. The group rises and Ranma follows them to Bright Moon Castle. Ranma is in awe when she flies up to the castle it is the most beautiful place she has ever seen. A small gasp draws Ranma's attention to the precious bundle she is carrying. She looks down a smile on her lips as she sees the child staring wide eye at the palace. "It is beautiful is it not, little one." The little girl nods her head slowly as her wide eyes take in every detail. "Do you have a name little one?" Ranma asks her as they fly closer to the palace. "Meriana." The little girl whispers her voice trembling with excitement and fear. Ranma lands next to the rest of the group the little girl burying her head into the warriors neck as the others look her way. Ranma shushes the little girl talking soothingly to her. "Shh, Meriana it is alright their friends they won't hurt you." Ranma tells her in a quiet voice. The little girl keeping her head buried looks at the people around her and tightening her grip on Ranma's neck. Ranma chuckles slightly when she buries her face again after Glimmer smiles at her and waves. "Now Meriana say ‘hi’ to Princess Glimmer." Ranma smiles at her she looks up her eyes wide. "She's a princess?" Meriana asks her voice soft and in awe. "Yes and her mother is an angel and is very beautiful just like Glimmer." Ranma tells the little girl, never noticing Glimmer's blush. "Come let us go inside Queen Angela awaits us." She-Ra tells the group. Meriana and Ranma look around the castle with awe. Ranma thought King Randor's castle was beautiful. Bright Moon is breath taking. They walk into the throne room which is as large as the Eternian throne room. At the far end are two thrones. Both are high back chairs of gold inlay. Behind the thrones, hangs a silver representation of the planets three moons. The person sitting on the throne proves Ranma correct. Meriana gasps as she stares at the blonde woman sitting on the chair her eyes go wide when the woman’s white feather wings move slightly behind her. Her intense blue eyes lock with Meriana’s. The little girl gasps again and buries her head in Ranma's neck. The warrior looks down a small smile on her lips. Next to the winged woman sits a man with short bobbed brown hair and deep brown eyes. He is wearing red while the woman wears a body suit similar to Glimmer's only in blue and lavender. Ranma follows the other warriors to the throne, while trying to get Meriana to let her put her on the floor. The little girl refuses to let go so Ranma gives up trying. When it is Ranma's turn to be introduced she steps forward. She smiles apologetically then bows deeply to the Queen of Bright moon. Ranma stands to see the Queen smiling at her and her eyebrow arching. Ranma smiles back and shrugs her shoulders in resignation as she caresses the back of the tiny child in her arms. "Greetings Mystic Warrior, your coming has been told across two planets but I had always hope your presence would not be needed in my life time." The woman on the throne tells the fire hair girl her face worn by worry. "I to feel the pain of my presence majesty and wish it was under better conditions." Ranma tells her, her face showing just as much worry and sadness. "I understand your little friend is the last of her village?" Angela asks, Ranma nods her head. "I thank you for saving even one of my people." Angela tells her then summons a nurse. The nurse comes up to Ranma and tries pry Meriana from Ranma's neck. Ranma keeps her arms tight around the squirming girl, as Meriana tightens her death grip on Ranma. The nurse finally gets Meriana free and nearly drops her as Meriana struggles violently to return to Ranma. "MMMMMMOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAA! YOU PROMISE!" The room gasps and the nurse freezes when she turns around to leave. In front of the nurse is Ranma glowing pitch black the aura's shape is unmistakable, that of a cat. The flames in her eyes flaring and shooting tendrils out from the sides. Ranma snarls as she holds out her hands to except the screaming child back into her arms. Meriana stretches toward Ranma but the nurse holds her close to her and looks at the Queen. Angela waves the nurse away and two guards block Ranma's path. He- Man and She-Ra watch dumb struck as Ranma's aura darkens even more. "Do not even think you will stop me!" The words come out a low growl and the guards gulp in fear. "Ranma! She is one of my people and needs to be taken care of. We will find her a good home if her family is all gone she will be fine." Angela tries to tell the enraged girl before her. Ranma spins her eyes flaring with even more fire. Angela gasps at the rage from the young warrior. Ranma steps toward the throne the man motioning for the guards to stop her. They don't even move as Ranma lashes out with her hand and slices their weapons into four pieces some thirty five feet from them. "You will return Meriana to me! She is my daughter now and I will protect her!" Ranma growls low when she reaches the throne. The group around the girl stares in shock. Ranma only saw the child today how can she be so attached to her already. Battlecat knows and steps forward as Queen Angela tries to appease the strange warrior before her. "I am sorry Ranma but she may have family and since she is an Etherian I must do what I can to reunite her with her family." Ranma does not buy this and her black aura gets even darker. "She has no family, they were all killed in that village. She wants me as her mother and I want her. I will adopt her and raise in the safety of our new home." Ranma tells them anger still raging but they can also hear the pleading in her voice also. "I am sorry Ranma but I can not allow that. If her family is gone then we will adopt her to another _Etherian_ family." Angela's voice is cold and leaves no doubt the conversation is over. "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!" The people standing in the throne room are knocked to the floor by the shock wave of Ranma bursting into flames. Ranma's sixty foot fire wings appear behind her. She flaps them lifting off the floor and causing hot winds to surge through the room. She glares down at the Queen her eyes narrow and her lips in a snarl. "Meriana wants me, until you agree you will not see me in this travesty of a court again. I will fight with your warriors to save the innocents on this planet but as far as I am concerned Maldar can have you!" The room is stunned into silence as Ranma turns and flies out the large window in the throne room. She-Ra and He-Man stare after their friend their faces frozen in shock. They look back to Angela her face is pale and her eyes wide. Her king standing next to her trying to comfort her. "She only had the little girl for a few hours how can she be so ferociously protective of her in that short of time. So much so as to abandon us to the Kalcar." The king asks the twin Eternian warriors, but is it Battlecat who answers for he above all others knows why. /*\*/*\ Ranma flies from the throne room her rage building to epic proportions. She doesn't understand why she did that only that Meriana is hers. She heads off in a random direction and disappears over the trees of Whispering Wood. Ranma hopes a quick flight around the area will give her time to cool off before she needs to head back to meet her friends to go home. Ranma pauses in mid air over a dark area on the other side of the woods. She begins to wonder when Eternia has become home. Ranma suddenly dodges as a laser blast shoots past her. She looks down to see a large dark complex with laser turrets pointing at her. She smiles as a way to release her anger is presenting itself to her. She recognizes the place as the old Horde base now being used by the Kalcar. Ranma raises her hands above her head a large ball of fire growing between them. Another laser fires at her. She flaps her wings slightly and gently moves to one side. The fire is as large as a two ton boulder Ranma flings her hands forward letting it fly toward the complex. "PHOENIX RAGING BULLET SUPREME!" Since the fireball is at its maximum size Ranma attaches the supreme to the name. The _fireball_ streaks toward the laser rifles the robots manning them trying to blow the ball of fire apart. All that happens, is the blast goes through the fireball. As the boulder size projectile gets closer the robots turn at another shout. "PHOENIX FIRE STREAM!" They watch in horror if they had human emotions. Ranma ignoring her first attack starts a second one. Her fire plumb shoots from her hands as a platoon of robots exit the complex to do battle with her. As the plumb mows down the foot soldiers leaving behind slag, an explosion booms behind the Mystic Warrior. The human generals directing the failing assault turn and look up to see almost all of the roof of the complex gone and a mushroom cloud of fire rising to the skies. They smile as the attacker seems to have been caught in her own attack. Their smiles fade when a shape emerges from the fire looking like the devil himself stepping from hell. The generals shout one last order to the robots then flee for their lives. The robots turn and aim their blasters at the raging warrior. They never get the chance to shoot as a plumb of fire melts them into molten metal. Ranma continues to barrage the complex with smaller fireballs never noticing the two sets of eyes watching her. One a funny looking owl with butterfly like ears. The strange birds looks to be a cross between a Koala and an owl. The little creature turns and heads toward Bright Moon muttering all the way. "This is not good, well maybe it is but this is not good." The little creature continues to mumble while weaving in and around the trees. The other pair of eyes are reptilian in nature and watches from a near by mountain. The creature stands and it is a multi colored dragon that appears to be even older the Granameyr. The dragon watches the warrior with deep concentration. He does not hear the approach of a smaller red dragon. The red watches as the lone warrior causes havoc to the would be conqueror of Etheria. They watch as the girl tires of through fireballs and lands to take on an aura of black. The multi hue dragon watches with keen interest as the aura's shape becomes cat like. He is intrigued when with his sensitive hearing hears her howl like a cat. The two dragons watch as she starts slashing out at the charging robots. She cuts them to shreds before they even get within thirty feet of her. The red leans forward and stares down at the fire hair weapon of destruction. The red jerks back surprise and anger on his reptilian face. He opens his mouth ready to burn the girl to ashes but the claw of the other holding his snout shut makes that impossible. "DO NOT INTERFERE FIRESTAR, SHE IS MY DESTINY AND I AM GLAD SHE HAS FINALLY COME." The multi hue's voice booms out. "BUT NOVA SHE MEANS YOUR DEATH! WE CAN NOT SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU!" Firestar tells his companion while glaring down at Ranma. "NO SHE IS OUR SALVATION, ALTHOUGH I AM SURPRISED THERE IS ONLY ONE. I AM READY TO GO ON TO MY REST FIRESTAR. DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT, AS MY HEIR YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO LEAD OUR PEOPLE. PROMISE ME YOU WILL AID HER, AND TRAIN HER IN HER NEW POWERS OF THE DRAGON!" Nova asks his heir while staring down at the red. "HOW CAN YOU ASK ME TO HELP YOUR MURDERER!" The red snarls back staring into the green eyes of the multi colored dragon. "FIRESTAR YOU KNOW THE PROPHECIES AS WELL AS I. I WAS CHOSEN AT BIRTH AND HAVE LIVED A LONG HARD LIFE TO BE PREPARED FOR THIS MOMENT. I AM READY TO GO ON. _NOW PROMISE ME_ YOU WILL HELP HER!" The ancient dragon snarls down at the smaller red. "I PROMISE NOVA AND I WILL MAKE YOU PROUD OF ME!" The red tells his mentor his heart breaking as the end nears for his friend. "I AM ALREADY PROUD OF YOU FIRESTAR! REMEMBER THAT! COME WE MUST PREPARE FOR THE FUSION." Nova turns and takes flight leaving Firestar on the mountain. He stares down at the warrior and magically reads her intent. He snaps back as he feels so many conflicting emotions coming from the small girl. The strongest being betrayal and loneliness. He watches her fight in hand to hand with robots and a smile begins to grow in his face. It seems this girl is a good choice for Mystic Warrior. She has potential for the magic she now carries from the Phoenix and when the dragon magic is added she will be even more powerful. Firestar seems to like her though because she seems to like it best when she gets to actually fight instead of using her powers as a crutch. He nods his smile widening. [A LOT LIKE ME! SHE WILL BE FUN TO TRAIN!] He turns and takes flight leaving the battle behind him. /*\*/*\ "I can explain what is going on!" Battlecat steps forward his eyes narrow as he looks at the still in shock queen. "What is it Battlecat?" He-Man asks his friend the others looking at the animal with uncertainty. "She has the soul of a cat!" He tells them as if that is enough. They look at the cat all faces filling with various degrees of confusion. All faces but one. Queen Angela snaps her head to the partner of He-Man her eyes widening in fear. "I forgot that!" The winged woman lowers her head to hands and sobs quietly. "I don't understand what does that have to do with anything?" Bo steps forward his eyes on the crying woman. "I saw, when we heard the little girl, that Ranma's first instinct was not to bring up the Phoenix power but her cat. I knew then that we were going to be in trouble." The huge tiger tells them shaking his head. "Why?" Glimmer asks as she steps toward her mother and kneels before her. "It tells me the spirit of the cat within her before I gave of myself to help her control it is _female_!" He looks at the people around him as if this should say it all, his frustration grows as no one does. "What Battlecat means, *SIGH* is since the spirit of the cat is female it has the maternal instincts of a cat. Very strong maternal instincts. The cat spirit must have bonded with the child and when I tried to send the child away.." Angela leans into her husband as he holds her. "Oh, Micca what have I done!" The king looks back to the tiger, Battlecat and just stares. "To Ranma, Meriana is hers now, the cat spirit truly believes the child belongs to her. Ranma would have destroyed this palace to get her back if she could not control the cat inside her. It is that control that allowed the girl to leave without bringing this building down around our heads." Battlecat finishes just as a commotion comes from behind. "BO, BO COME QUICK!" The little Koala/Owl creature flies into the room crashing into Bo.