Ranma cried under the bridge. It was unusual for him to cry, but he did it anyway. His life was a complete failure and now he was aware of it. It had been already two years since he had been engaged to Akane and there wasn't any improvement. His days were passed in pain where it seemed everyone wanted a piece of his skin. Today for example : First he had been awakened by Akane asking that he tried her new recipe (as if he would ever do that again !). Sure he declined, but now he wasn't sure what would have hurt more : her cooking or the various hammer strikes that followed. Then, as usual, Ryoga barged in saying that Ranma would die for hurting Akane again. And so the fight began... The fight lasted several minutes and Ryoga even landed a few hits. And, as usual, it ended when Ryoga did his Bakusai-Tenketsu near a sewer and he splashed himself with cold water. Instant P-Chan. Sure then Akane arrived and said something (I couldn't hear between the mallet hits). Then Shampoo came. Then Mousse. Kuno. Ukyo. Happosai. Cologne. Kodachi. Miss Hinako. It had ended when he threw the fight against Tarou. He was tired of that. He was tired of everything. He wanted to run away, but he knew it wouldn't help. They would catch him someday. There wasn't anything he could do. "I wish I could be far away from all this !" He cried, shedding tears with every word. "Is that truly what you wish for ?" a gentle voice beside him replied. He turned around. At his side was a young woman with white hair and strange markings on her face. In his crying fit, he hadn't heard her coming. She smiled at him and said "Do you truly wish for that ?" "I truly wish I was in another world" he said, then his tears overtook him again. In response to these words, a beam of light shot from the woman's forehead, reaching the sky. A strange whirlwind kicked in and moved leaves all around him. He looked up at the young lady and only heard "Your wish has been approved" before everything vanished... ******************************************* Sagas of Another World Part 1 : The New Frontier By Thierry Chartrand-Chamblay (Snapdragon@videotron.ca ) ******************************************* Chapter One : By Blood They Are Bound When Ranma regained his sight, he was somewhere else, somewhere he didn't know : a city, and a modern one judging by the houses and the skyscrapers. It was raining. He was in his female form. She looked around. There was no sign of the young lady that she had talked to earlier. She walked around in those unknown streets searching for something that she would recognize. Something, a famous landmark, Ryoga walking by as lost as usual, a police center, at least anything that could help her. Without realizing it, she crossed a large road. Crossing with her was another girl, this one with red hair. She waved at her and asked "Excuse me, could you please tell me something ?" "Yes ?" the stranger answered. "Do you know ..." she stopped in the middle of the sentence. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. A sound, something was coming, and fast. "MOVE!" she cried out, dashing to push her out of the way, while she knew she wouldn't make it. Something stepped over her, then rolled over her. A sharp stone pierced her stomach, while thousands of small ones scraped her face. She could sense she was losing blood. She tried to hold onto consciousness, but failed, and the world vanished again... ******************************************* "Gina." the owner of the shop called out. "Yes." she answered "We're done for today." "Ok. Good night." Her name is Gina. She's been working for a master- tailor for 3 years as a live-in maid. At first she hated the dark atmosphere of Rootville. But eventually she got used to things, including the tyranny of Château Aiguille. There is no entertainment in this village and the shop's attic is her only refuge from this madness. There are many precious dresses up here in the attic. Every year, they design 2 suits of clothes for 2 persons in the castle. We've worked on at least 20 outfits. Her co-workers say that they are for the young princes in the castle. They say these princes have been asleep for years. She imagined seeing these princes and wished they would wake up tomorrow. She wonders what fates awaits them ... ******************************************* "Ahhhhh !!!!" Ranma woke up sweating. "A dream" she said "It wasn't possible that I'd gotten away from it all". She looked at her surroundings. She was in a room that seemed to be made from a living tree. It was lit up by strange but beautiful crystals hanging on the ceiling and on the walls. On a different bed was laying another girl. "I wonder if this room is somewhere in the Kuno mansion..." she said, and then her dream came back to her. She looked down at herself. Her red shirt was torn at the place where she remembered a stone had pierced her flesh. She removed it. There were wheel and hoove marks at the back, and it was full of blood. She inspected her body. There wasn't even a trace of the horrible wounds that her body had endured. "Wonder what happened ?" she asked herself, and moved towards the sleeping girl. "Hey, you awake ?" she asked, even if it was obvious that the young lady was asleep. There was no answer. Ranma looked more closely at the girl. She clearly was the girl she had talked to before she was hit by that carriage, even if her hair was green now instead of the red it had been earlier. She wore an aqua blue shirt with shorts of the same color. Her clothes were torn and ripped and full of blood, so she must have been hit also. "What a pity" Ranma whispered to herself. Suddenly the sleeping beauty rose from her slumber instantly. Ranma jumped back, surprised by such a rapid recovery. "...Huff...puff...a dream. What a nightmare that was!" She looked around, then at herself. "Where am I ? My shirt's torn...A blood stain ? Is this a hospital?" She finally realized the presence of Ranma who didn't know what to say. "Where are we ?" "You're awake. Humans wake up rather quickly" Both Ranma and the girl turned around to see a young man with green colored hair wearing a purple coat appeared out of nowhere and stared at them. "Who are you ? Where is this ? What happened to me !?" the two girls asked in perfect synchronization. "I am not here to answer your questions. My job is to report that you're awake" the young man replied. "Report ? To who, my aunt ?" the girl on the bed said, her voice full of fear. "You two are still not aware of what really happened, huh ?" the man answered "You're in Facinituru. This region is ruled by Orlouge" and with that he vanished the same way he had come. "Wait, who's Orlou..." they both cried out, but he was gone. The other girl babbled and tried to calm herself. Ranma, on the other hand, stared at the spot where the man had been. "He has VANISHED, pouff, disappeared" Ranma yelled in her mind. She had to be dreaming, she had to. But she knew it was not the case. "Could you please pinch me ?" Ranma asked the girl, who looked very confused. "What !?" was the only answer she could say. "I have to be sure this is not a dream" Ranma replied. The girl pinched her. It didn't hurt, but she could feel it. That meant dreaming was out of the question. Ranma was near insanity. "What's your name ?" she asked, and the pig-tailed girl's eyes looked like those of somebody truly crazy. "Eh, Asellus" the girl didn't know if she should have run away or not. "So Asellus, could you please explain to me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON ?" Asellus flinched backwards at the sound of his voice. Ranma's mind said. Ranma remembered something she had heard once : . She did so. "Sorry" he told Asellus "I guess my nerves took a pretty big blow." "So, this must not be a dream" Asellus asked her. "Unfortunately... No" Ranma replied. "Do you know what happened ?" "I think we were really hit by that carriage. Aside from that, I don't know". Another question came to mind : "Did someone dye your hair green ?" "I'm not the one with green hair, you are" she answered, with a little anger in her voice. They exchanged a long glance, then each looked at their own hair. "GREEN !?" They both yelled again in a perfect chorus. They both exchanged long glances, them Ranma spoke "Look, we ain't gonna find any answers if we stay here, so let's search this place until we find why we're here." "Ok, sounds like a plan" Asellus agreed "But what's your name ?" "Call me Ranma." "OK Ranma, lead on." And so our two female heroes left the room for the first time in ... ten years. The next room was similar to the one they were in before, only larger. There were many large coffin-like boxes all around the room and roses were growing from everywhere. "What are those ?" Asellus asked, a curious gleam in her green eyes. "Don't ask me, I don't know" Ranma shot back. Slowly, they went and opened one of those coffins. They then jumped backwards, afraid of what they had both seen. "There are ... people inside !" Asellus said, clearly disgusted. She looked around. "Are ... all of these ?" "I don't wanna find out. Let's get out of here before any one of these decides to wake up" they both hurried out of the room at a fast walking pace. After walking down a few flights of stairs, they arrived at a branch of paths. They chose right, since it led outside. They were then assaulted by a view of beauty: Château Aiguille. It was as if the whole castle had been built in one gigantic dead tree. Stairs of stone led from one place to another, often spinning around to reach the highest towers. There was always a pale purple mist surrounding the castle, giving it an aura of mystery and deception. They both walked around, amazed by the sheer magnificence of what would be their prison. ******************************************* On the bridge leading to the easternmost tower, our duo met a man with blazing red hair wearing some kind of red armor. Sensing them, he turned around and said "So you're the human girls who inherited Orlouge's power." "Who are you ?" Asellus replied "And stop staring at me" "Aggressive for a human. This should be interesting." The man shot back "Someone's coming. I'll see you two around." He disappeared just as two blue-haired girls made an appearance behind our duo. "Did you talk to Zozma ?" the first one demanded. "Infidel ! How dare he sneak into the castle !" the other one growled, not letting Ranma and Asellus speak a word. "He might still be around." the first one replied, and they both vanished. "So the red-haired one is Zozma." Ranma said. "We'd better go." Asellus, seemingly nervous, replied. "Couldn't agree with you more." They both continued their tour. ******************************************* They entered another tower, this one on the western side. Inside was a small room that, unlike everything else in the castle, wasn't filled with roses. There were still some of those glowing crystals and in the middle was what looked like a small bath. Ranma touched the water, hoping it was hot enough to trigger her change. Unfortunately it was not. Suddenly, flower petals at the bottom of this pond rose out of the water and started spiraling in a small whirlwind over the pond. They were both drawn in. "What the ..." was all they could say before they disappeared in the tornado of rose petals... ******************************************* A few seconds later, they reappeared in another room, this one nearly identical to the first. Ranma and Asellus where levitating atop the small pond. "Weird" Ranma said. "Let's go" Asellus replied dragging her out of the room. She wanted to find an exit quick, before she lost what small sanity she had left. They arrived in a large room, this one with a carpet of flowers on the ground. There wasn't one rose among those flowers, only white flowers of various kinds. "They've got flowers everywhere." Asellus noted. "The king of this region's got good taste." "You can say that again." Ranma replied They both moved and crouched to smell the flowers, but then something happened. Ranma felt a power within herself she didn't know trying to tell her... something. She concentrated. She could feel it... someone... behind her... with the same power as her. She was holding something... a sword, a big, sharp blade that was aimed at... Asellus. "NNNOOOOO !" she cried out. She jumped and pushed Asellus out of the way... only to feel a burning pain in her ribcage. She only saw the blade go through her chest before she blacked out... ******************************************* Orlouge, on a balcony above, watched this scene with interest. "Purple blood... This is indeed very amusing" the Lord of the Rose said as Ciato, a white-haired man, thrust his blade through Asellus. She didn't even have time to see the one who attacked her. The results were the same as for Ranma. As the mystic king walked away from the scene, he couldn't help but think that one of these two would make a perfect bride for him.... ******************************************* Ranma slowly regained consciousness. Something was wrong. Heck, everything was wrong. She had just been stabbed in the ribs and left as dead, but she was still alive. And she didn't have a scratch. She rose. Strange, she thought the flowers were white. But that was unimportant. What was important was to leave this place with her sanity intact. The day just couldn't get worse... Asellus rose beside her. She looked as surprised as Ranma. She tentatively asked "Just... what happened ? Are you sure this is not some strange nightmare ? "I don't think I wanna find out what happened." Ranma replied "Let's go, this place gives me the creeps." Both of them returned the way they had come. ******************************************* Going down to the bottom of the castle, they both ended in what looked like a throne room . Eight people, four women and four men, were waiting for our duo there. The first man was the one they had seen when they woke up, green hair and in purple clothes. At his side was another man, this one with blue-green hair, wearing a magnificently made orange armor. In front of these two was, Ranma could feel it in her bones, the man with the sword from before. He had long white hair tied in a ponytail in his back. He was wearing simple black clothes and looked at them with a strange light in his eyes. On a throne in the middle of the room was seated a man. This person was clearly one of high rank. This you could see from his rich clothes, his flowing blue cape and the seemingly royal crown that he was wearing. Around him stood the four ladies, each one with blond hair and dressed in a white robe. The man on the throne spoke "What are your names ?" "Ranma" she growled. Her senses were screaming danger all over in her head. "My name is Asellus" the other replied "But shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking others their names ?" "Insolent !" the white haired boy growled. "Asellus, Ranma...lovely names. And full of spirit too. I like that." The lord said. Ranma shuddered. She would have jumped at the man if not for her instincts. "Shouldn't you tell us your name ?" Asellus demanded, impatient. "Charm Lord" "Merciless King" "Protector of Rose" "Ruler of Darkness" "Pursuer of Beauty" "Supreme Judge" "Ruler of Facinaturu. Lord of the Castle" "Mystic Lord Orlouge" The people in the room sang their lord's name in a perfect chorus, with perfect coordination. Ranma wasn't impressed : it reminded her of Kuno on one of his most poetic days. Asellus wasn't impressed either by the great display in front of her. She was more than shocked by the last words they had spoken. "Mystic ? You're a mystic ?" she replied, clearly unmoved "I am a human. I've got no business with you. Let me go home." "You both saw your blood in the flower garden, didn't you ? It was purple. You are no longer humans." Orlouge's voice had an aura of power detectable with every word. "What did you say !?" Ranma didn't know what a mystic was, but she wanted to stay human. "That's a lie !" Asellus yelled, hurt by his last statement. " Both of you were stabbed with Ciato's sword, but where are the wounds ? even before that you were dead, trampled by my carriage. The only reason you're even alive is because of my blood - Mystic blood. Red human blood and blue mystic blood have made you both bleed purple. Now you have become half-mystics." Ranma didn't like the explication the Charm Lord was giving one bit. "I am..." Asellus looked shocked. "What the ..." Ranma said, unheard by all. "Although you're half-humans, as mystics you still have great obligations to our kingdom." The ruler turned his eyes toward the green-haired man in purple armor "Ildon." "Yes, my Lord." he responded. "Why..." Asellus continued, but no one paid attention to her. "You are in charge of these girls." "Yes, my Lord" "But Lord, perhaps Ildon isn't right for this job. Just in case..." the black-clothed Ciato raised his voice. "Quiet, Ciato. Our Lord knows what he is doing. Ildon will do." The one in orange armor countered "He is both agile and skilled with a sword." "Half mystic..." again, nobody paid attention to Asellus as she was talking. "Ildon will be perfect to teach the short-haired one the power of the mystics. But, for the other one, I feel he will be rather ... inadequate." With these words, the blue- blooded king stared harshly at Ranma. "Rastaban" "Yes Lord" the mystic in orange armor soon answered. "You shall teach the pigtailed one her role in Mystic society. As for her physical training, wake up Princess Lion and entrust her with the job" "Yes, my Lord" "Ildon" "My Lord" "You shall wake Princess White Rose. She shall teach this young half-mystic manners. You and her will do perfectly for her education." the Lord paused "Ildon, Rastaban, get these girls some decent clothes." After these words, everyone except Ildon and Rastaban vanished from the room. Asellus babbled something about half-mystics. "Accept your fates. Be grateful we are taking such good care of you even though you are only half-mystics." Ildon said , taking Asellus out of her trance. Ranma didn't know what to say or think. She didn't know what a mystic was and that didn't help her. To say she was confused was saying very little. She was totally perturbed. "Let's go" Rastaban ordered, and the group followed in silence. ******************************************* Rootville was the name of the small town built for the humans living in Facinaturu. It was dark, morbid and unwelcoming, for lack of better terms. The only light there is the one shed by crystals similar to the ones found in the château. There wasn't anyone in the streets and a silence of death was king over the area. It is there that the group arrived to find new clothes... Upon entering the tailor's shop, a pale-haired lady greeted them. "Hello..." Gina said, unused to public appearances by the mystics. Gina thought "H.. Hello" the master tailor said, obviously scared by Ildon and Rastaban "It is an honor that noble mystics would visit my lowly shop." "Go get the dresses I ordered" Ildon said, not wanting to remain long in the shop. "Put them on these two. And hurry up." "Y, yes sir" the man babbled. "Please follow us." The two heroes followed the woman and the tailor into a dressing room. ******************************************* Moments later the two girls were admiring their new outfits. Asellus was now wearing a long dress of beautiful red silk with golden edges. Ranma, on the other hand, winced at the sight of herself in an black-edged aqua blue robe with a black rose sewed on the breast (Kodachi would have LOVED that dress, that's for sure). Before they started back to the waiting nobles, Ranma couldn't take it any more. "Do you have some hot water here ?" "Eh ... no, there's no heated water in this room. But I don't think you have time for such things" Gina replied, puzzled by the request. Definite disappointment for Ranma. "Do you have men's clothes here ?" Ranma hoped that whenever he would change, he could put on something else than this dress. "Yes, why ?" the tailor asked, curious. "Just give me some, I ain't got time to explain" Ranma looked at the tailor. The former thought for a moment, then took a few things, put them in a bag and said "Here, now leave and don't come back". Clearly he wasn't happy to have mystics in his shop. Ranma grabbed the bag and headed downstairs with Asellus. ******************************************* "It's about time !" Ildon growled as he looked over them "Now you really look like mystics" he noticed the bundle in Ranma's hands "What's in the bag ?" "It's only another dress I thought looked good on me" she lied, hoping they would buy it. "Nothing important" "Do you think we have time to look around for more clothes ?" Ildon wasn't liking this at all. "Don't worry, it might be useful if her dress gets ripped during training". Luckily, Rastaban didn't remark that Ranma wasn't saying the truth. "Now let's go. I don't want to stay here one more minute." The group left the shop hastily. ******************************************* After getting back into the castle, the group separated : Ildon lead Asellus away to train while Rastaban guided Ranma to one of the towers. "What are we going there for?" Ranma asked impatiently. "To wake your trainer ?" Rastaban responded. "What !? A trainer ?" "Didn't you hear what the Lord said, Lady Ranma ?" Ranma shivered at these words "You are to be trained to the arts of mystic fighting, and Princess Lion will be your personal trainer." "Who is Princess Lion ?" "You'll see soon enough". With these words, Ranma and Rastaban entered a room. It was as every other, with shining crystals and roses everywhere. There were many of the previously encountered coffins, maybe a dozen. Rastaban approached one, opened it fully and said "Wake up Princess Lion. Lord Orlouge demands your services." Suddenly she jolted awake and rose to face our female hero saying "You must be Lady Ranma. I'm pleased to meet you". Ranma took a good look of Princess Lion. She was aptly named. She had long blond hair that looked like a wild lion's mane. She wore an exquisite orange full plate armor that had obviously been made especially for her. At her side in the coffin was a shield and a beautiful engraved sword. Ranma wished he wouldn't be getting the point of this sword during his training. "Pleased, to meet you too" Ranma replied. "Let's start now. We haven't got all day you know..." Lion was rather impatient. "Ok, Where do we begin" Ranma answered And so training began... ******************************************* Author's Notes : Phew, finally something finished. This is the first fanfic that I'll be giving on the internet, and I'm anxious to get reviews on how my first try is. Please feel free to send me critics or other stuff at Snapdragon@videotron.ca . Congratulation to those who recognized where Ranma heard the line "Calm down. Danger comes with every adventure. Take a moment to breathe and relax." I would like to thank some people for what help they gave me : First, John Biles, for introducing me to fanfiction, Grayson Towler, for giving me an example of very good fanfiction (I recommend his series "Relentless" to anyone liking Ranma fanfiction), my brother, for leaving me in peace while I wrote this and the English teacher Linda Bernier for supporting me. Next time: Follow Ranma in the world of Saga Frontier in the next chapter, "When Steel Cleaves Darkness" as Ranma and Asellus train and try to break out of Facinaturu. Copyrights: Ranma 1/2 and all the characters from this series belong to Rumiko Takahashi and all places, people and objects from the Saga Frontier realm were created and belong to Squaresoft. Belldandy (the lady who granted Ranma's wish) belongs to whomever created her. It's no use trying to sue me, I don't have anything to take. Written by Thierry Chartrand-Chamblay (A.k.a. Snapdragon) - April 2000 First Correction - May 2000 Second Correction - September 2000 Third Correction - January 2002