TA'AVEREN 1/2: TALES OF THE RONIN --- by John Walter Biles (rhea@maison-otaku.net) and Jeremy Blackman (loki@maison-otaku.net) --- DISCLAIMER/CAUTION This fanfic is a crossover between Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2, which you all should be familiar with by now , and Robert Jordan's _Wheel of Time_ series (6 books and growing!), which if you aren't familiar with, you should be. For shame. Go buy the whole set. Right now. Well, ok, finish this paragraph first. While it is not necessary to have read _Wheel of Time_ to enjoy this fanfic, if you have, we warn you that while we didn't follow the plot of Wheel of Time exactly (in fact, we plan to deviate pretty majorly by the time we reach the plot of book 3), obviously there will be some spoilers. Having warned you about that... This was originally posted back in late 1995 or early 96. *** PROLOGUE *** Excerpt from the Prophecies of the Ronin, written by Moemi Sedai in AB 200. And the Ronin shall walk the edge between two halves, wielding fire and earth with one half, air and water with the other. He shall be born where he died, and be raised in a land not his own that he shall make his. A mark of shame shall he make a mark of pride once more. Both paths must he master, else she shall die and the world die with him, for her life is the hope of the world. Excerpt from Commentaries on the Prophecies of the Ronin, written by Kirsten Sedai, of the Brown Ajah in 456 NE. This passage is hard to interpret, especially since Moemi Sedai kept switching genders for no apparent reason in the last sentence...This is usually thought to be the result of scribal error,or perhaps Moemi Sedai's famed penchant for various ales, yet the references to wielding both halves of the one power make even less sense. No man can wield subin, no woman dubin. Thus, this prophecy seems unfullfillable. It does however, make clear the Ronin will be reborn on the Roninmount that marks his grave... Prologue: Maison Ikkoku lay in ruins. A man who had forgotten his name wandered through the rubble..."Kyoko! Kyoko, my darling! Where are you?" As he walked, flurries of dust rose into the air. He was unkempt, and unshaven, his brown hair a bedraggled mess. He staggered down the damaged steps, a slightly crazed look in his eyes. From a distance, a nicely groomed man with wavy black hair watched him. The other man was dressed in tattered cloth, while he wore velvet finery. He sighed. What a pathetic wreck his old enemy had been reduced to. "No more than his true self finally revealed, " he thought. "Kyoko was a fool to marry him...If she had married me, things would have been much different." For a moment, the voice of conscience spoke in his mind. "If she had married you, you would be the one wandering through here babbling, and he would be the one standing here gloating." Mitaka pushed the voice down. There was no room for guilt in his new life. Since taking the dark oath, he had done things a thousand times more horrible than what he was about to do...For he was here on a mission of mercy...cruel mercy, a mercy that would only bring new pain...but mercy none the less. His old enemy Yusaku Godai Telemon had gone mad...and Shun Mitaka was here to heal him...so that he might fully comprehend what he had done... Godai continued to wander, but now he saw the visitor. He turned and gazed on Mitaka with bloodshot eyes. "Kyoko!" he called. "Kyoko! We have a visitor! It's...It's...who are you?" Mitaka blinked. Was Godai that far gone? To forget the great Shun Mitaka? Tennis coach, channeler, romantic rival, and most bitter enemy of Godai? Who had sworn to the shadow when Kyoko rejected him for Godai? Mitaka shook and thanked the Dark One that he was protected from the taint on dubin...the taint delivered to the male half of the One Source by the Dark One when so recently, Godai had lead his hundred companions to Streamline Mountain and reimprisoned the Dark One. Now the Dark One's threat was over...but his final stroke had tainted the male half of the One Power, leaving the male wielders of the Power to slowly go mad and destroy the world...as Godai had done here. Mitaka said, "Don't you remember me? It's Sakamoto, Godai! We were about to go out drinking." He crept closer. Concentrating for a moment, he reached out and touched the one power. It filled him, flowing through him like a raging river, trying to rip him apart. But he was the master. He reached out, weaving a tangle of threads of fire, water, earth, air, and spirit, encasing Godai before Godai could pull himself out of his haze long enough to defend himself. The power flowed through Godai, and Godai's mind cleared. Godai stared at Mitaka...the man who had renounced his name to become known as Ishmael...the destroyer of hope...his old rival and enemy...Then he looked around and saw what he had done. His family dead. His friends dead. His home destroyed. And worst of all....Kyoko....He reached out with the power, trying to find her....only to discover he had been shielded...his link cut off. Mitaka laughed. "You shall have all of eternity to contemplate what you have done. I shall laugh as the dark one gives you eternal life...for it will give you an eternity to contemplate your own evil. You may have called me the destroyer of hope...but even I never did what you did...to those who trusted you and counted on you for help and protection." Godai's face turned red. "No...no..." Mitaka grinned. "Oh yes. " Godai stared at him. "How can you be free? I bound you! All of you! Don't tell me I failed at that too." Mitaka grinned again. Light glinted off his teeth. "Yes." he lied. "We are all free. All of us. We merely wanted to let you wreck the world for us. You did a good job. You didn't fail at that, Ronin." Godai glared at Mitaka. "I am not a Ronin! Not anymore!" Mitaka smirked. "That is what they came to call you. You seemed to take it as a badge of pride, of late." Godai growled a bit, and poked at the shield. "Not the way you mean it! I am not a failure! I am not! I got Kyoko, not you!" Mitaka laughed it off. "And you are the one who killed her." The memory came back to Godai...Him destroying the building in a burst of rage...killing all...Kyoko!!!!!!! He howled and punched at the shield with all of his might, calling the Power to him, regardless of the taint he now knew dwelt within it. The shield tore like paper. Mitaka blinked...and in that moment of hesitation it was too late. Godai seized the source and called power...power...more power...The area was awash with fire...burning, cleansing, destroying. The earth cried out and rose as the area was immolated. Mitaka seized the source again and travelled...too late to escape a world of hurt...from which he would never fully recover. When men finally returned to the site, they found only a mountain burned black...with a five carved in the side near the peak...the five, symbol of the Ronin, the great leader of the war against the shadow...and the greatest victim of that war. And the wheel turned onward, weaving a new age into the pattern, the third age. An age to last three thousand years...But in time, all things come to an end... For while there is no end to the turning of the wheel of time, there are ends. And also beginnings. *** CHAPTER 1 The Chase Begins *** The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a young man was getting a beating. It was not his first beating. It would not be his last. The beating was not a beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning. "Ranma! Ranma Al'Thor! I've had enough of you!" The noise reverberated across the village as Akemi Al'Vere, wielding a table, chased Ranma Al'Thor, Ryouga Ayabara, and Shinnosuke Cauthon out of the Winespring Inn. "Hey! It wasn't my idea! Why are you just yelling at me?" Ranma stopped for a moment. He was a dark haired young man, at the edge of adulthood. He had long black hair tied back in a loose pony-tail. He was dressed in red and black woolens, a red shirt with wooden ties over black woolen pants. The clothing showed off his muscular figure. "Because I expect you to know better! We all know what Shinnosuke is like, and Ryouga just follows you two around like he was someone's pet...but you, I expected better of you, Ranma!" Akemi stood with a table still clutched over her head in her hands. Her long red hair was pulled back in a braid like Ranma's. She was wearing a blue and brown woolen dress of a modest cut, with a long flowing skirt. Her face was clenched with anger. Her arms barely strained at lifting the table. Indeed, many whispered in the village over her almost supernatural strength. Nearby, Ranma's friends Ryouga and Shinnosuke stood, uncertain whether to run, abandoning Ranma to his almost certain fate, or to stand by him and accept a share of the beating. Ryouga Ayabara was stocky, dressed in brown leathers, still wearing his apron from the forge. He had short black hair, tied back with a yellow and black bandana to keep it out of his eyes when he worked at the forge. His clothing bulged due to his well defined muscles. Shinnosuke Cauthon was tall and lanky. While he had some definition to his figure, he could not measure up to Ryouga for sheer power. He had black hair down to his shoulders and a clean shaven face. Blue eyes gazed at the angry Akemi, trying to get a feeling for whether to stay or to run. He was dressed in a green woolen shirt and black pants, with brown boots. A long wooden push broom was clutched in his hands. Among other "occupations", Shinnosuke picked up a few extra pennies doing cleaning for people...In fact that was how they had gotten in trouble... It was spring cleaning time at the Winespring Inn. The feast of Beltine was coming up soon, and everyone was frantically getting their good clothing out of storage, cleaning house, and preparing food and treats for the festival to come. The grip of winter was retreating, and spring was in the air. Every year, just before Bel Tine, the Al'Veres held the rite of spring cleaning, as everything was hauled around, cleaned, dusted, and generally prettied up for Beltine. This year, the village was anticipating a visit by a gleeman and fireworks, so the inn had to be twice as clean as usual. Mistress Al'Vere finally broke down under her daughter and husband's cries for help, and hired Shinnosuke to help out. Shinnosuke roped his friends Ryouga and Ranma into helping. Things were going well, until Mistress Al'Vere discovered things were missing... They were missing because Shinnosuke kept moving furniture to clean without looking where he was putting things...or putting them back. Ryouga and Ranma had to waste time running interference trying to get things put back away. The worst of it, though, was when Shinnosuke decided to play one of his practical jokes. Shinnosuke had snuck into the kitchen...and planted some herbs in the tea Mistress Al'Vere was making. He had filched them from the village wisdom...they were supposed to make people burp...Sadly, Shinnosuke didn't know anything about herbs...so he took henwort....which cures the cough, but tastes like dirt and oil mixed together...and he put it in the pot for the customers...who reacted badly. To say the least, Mistress Al'vere, her customers, and her daughter, were not amused....Especially when Shinnosuke broke out laughing. It was time for the beatings to commence....leading to the present tableau. Shinnosuke looked nervously over at Ryouga, who was busily watching Akemi swing the table at Ranma, who leaped and dodged. Shinnosuke said, "Hold her off, Ranma...I'll...ah..go get help." He turned to go and ran right into Hinako, the wisdom of Nerima's Field. Hinako says, "Mr. Cauthon. Being a delinquent again, I see. Tisk tisk. And you know what we do with delinquents." Miss Hinako, wisdom of Nerima's field, did not look very threatening. In fact, she looked like little more than a ten year old with a single black braid running down her back, clad in a yellow dress, several sizes too large. She waggled a finger at Shinnosuke, who paled. Hinako continued. "And put down the table before someone gets hurt." Akemi paled a little and put down the table. Shinnosuke started to back away from her. He instinctively brought his broom up between them. Hinako said, "Threaten me, will you?" Her squeaky voice was full of anger. She pulled out a small silver piece with a hole poked through the middle. "Wisdom Delinquent Punishing Attack!" She traced a circle in the air with it...Energy crackled an d was sucked out of Shinnosuke, through the circle, and into Hinako...who began to grow. As Shinnosuke collapsed, she grew to her full height of nearly six feet, aging and developing to fill out and fit her dress. Soon, she stood before him in all her glory. With a now deeper and fuller voice, Hinako boomed. "And to complete your punishment, you will apologize to everyone." She turned to glare at Ryouga and Ranma. "And you two will make sure he does so!" She stormed into the inn. "Come help me, Akemi. We have work to do helping all those poor people who drank henwort." Akemi nodded and followed her inside. Ryouga lifted Shinnosuke off the ground and dusted him off. "That just...creeps me out when she does that." Shinnosuke shoke with tiredness, saying, "Just like an Aes Sedai out of the legends, she is." Ranma laughed. "She's too short to be an Aes Sedai. Besides, she can't be one. She's never been to the White Tower, or even out of the Two Rivers for that matter. All Aes Sedai learn their tricks at the tower. And there are other wisdoms in Two Rivers who know the delinquent bashing attack. It's like seeing the wind...they're all supposed to do it...but only some of them have the knack. He looked off towards the inn. Ryouga said, "Buck up Ranma. Akemi never stays angry for long. She'll be wanting to dance with you at Beltine. All the ladies will." Ranma blushed. "I hope so. I'd hate to be without...a dancing partner." He stared intently at...that interesting rock formation over there. Shinnosuke moaned a bit and croaked, "C'mon Ranma. You know she never stays mad at you. Oh...let's get out of here before Hinako comes out and zaps me again." He staggered off muttering about women. Ranma nodded and followed after his friend, giving one last look back towards the inn and sighing. Ryouga turned and plodded after them. "Cheer up, Ranma. We're gonna have a gleeman and fireworks this year. It'll be great. It's been years since the last time we had fireworks." Shinnosuke blushed a little as they headed towards Master Luhan's smithy, where Ryouga lived. He was the one responsible for them not having had fireworks for so long. When he was little, he had been the one to nearly blow up the inn trying to cut some fireworks open. And he had left a trail of tampered with fireworks all over the village. And as usual, he couldn't remember where he had left them...After that, the village had decided to not to have fireworks again until Shinnosuke was old enough that they could trust him not to tamper with them. However, after many years, they had decided to take the risk anyway, despite still not feeling he was safe around fireworks...or them around him. It's not that Shinnosuke was irresponsible...it's that he was forgetful and irresponsible, a recipie for disaster. Soon, they reached the smithy. Ryouga paused. "Can you get Shinnosuke home, Ranma? I've got to do some work for Master Luhan. And if I don't set out right now, I won't make it to the forge in time to get any work done today." Not because Ryouga was slow..but because he tended to get lost. A lot. As in, getting lost trying to leave a room with one exit level of lost. Shinnosuke still looked pretty shaken. Shinnosuke said, "I'll get home okay. Don't worry about me." He pulled himself together and walked off...right into a water basin for horses...It tipped over and flung water all over him. He shook from the chill and fell down. "Where did that come from?" Ranma shook his head. "It's been there for two years, Shinnosuke." "Really?" Shinnosuke blearily pulled himself together. "It wasn't there the other day...." Ranma laughed a little. "Well, it is now. C'mon. Let me take you home." Ranma dragged Shinnosuke off down the street. Ranma soon got Shinnosuke home, then headed out of the village to ride home. He mounted his mare, Lugosi. He lived with his father Genma Al'Thor on a small farm about five miles out in the countryside to the west of Nerima's field. They lived a little ways into the Westwood, the forest that ran on to the Mountains of Mist far to the west. He walked through the silent woods along the road. Ranma had lived there for almost all of his life, certainly all of it he could remember. He knew every in ch of the road from home to village. A pine cone out of place could set him on edge, knowing something had happened. Thus it was that Ranma could sense something was amiss today. The silence was oppressive, rather than peaceful. The birds were absent. The animals were hiding. Something was wrong. Far off, he heard slow hoofbeats. Some instinct lead Ranma to dismount and lead Lugosi a little ways into the woods. The hoofbeats grew louder. A cloaked man in black rode down the road on a black horse. He paused periodically, turning to sniff the air. His horse seemed to need no guidance for he rode without reins. Ranma stared. It almost seemed that the two were one, and the one bode ill. Lugosi almost whinneyed, but seemed to fear to do so. For a long time, the man did not move...the world seemed to stand still... nothing happening, nothing at all. Suddenly, the man had moved a quarter mile down the road to where Ranma had left the road. He sniffed the air. Ranma held his breath and ducked out of sight. For a long moment, silence...the strange feeling that nothing was happening, then the a sharp thwacking sound, followed by the thwap of a falling body. For a moment, the world was still, then Ranma heard a flat, emotionless, almost metallic voice. "D'oh." Ranma peeked out. The man had ridden into a branch and fallen off his horse. The man staggered to his feet. The horse whinneyed and took off running. The man took off running after it. The horse turned and bolted into the woods. The man followed. Ranma paused as the sound of repeated thwacks as the man ran through branches without pausing or dodging gradually faded away into the distance. Thwack. "D'oh." Thwack. "D'oh." Thwack. "D'oh." Silence for a time. Then suddenly, Thwack. "D'oh." Thwack. "D'oh." Thwack. "D'oh." The thwacks and d'ohs came in pulses..gradually fading into the distance. Ranma shivered. "What a strange encounter, " Ranma thought. "That guy gave me the creeps." He slowly walked Lugosi back to the road, mounted her, and headed down the road towards home. Soon, the forest was back to normal. Only an occassional distant crashing sound reminded him of what had happened. ********************* The sun rose the next morning on the village of Nerima's field as the peddlar rolled into town. It was the day of Winternight, the last day of winter, the prelude to the grand celebration of Bel Tine, that ushers in the spring. The village was in a flurry of cooking preparing for tonight's feasting and tomorrow's celebration. This year, Happousai had prospered, and he brought several wagons. He chuckled as he and his drovers parked the wagons outside the Winespring Inn. Perhaps this year, he would finally find what he was looking for. He hopped down off the wagon and started shouting out orders to the five drovers he had managed to employ this year. Happousai was a short man...a dwarf, some would call him. They usually came to regret it. Only three feet tall, he had brains enough for three men twice his size, and more skills too. The Two Rivers was one of his favorite stops, though usually he had less goods when he came through here. The ladies were pretty, the people held him in good regard, and he was sure what he had been looking for all these years was to be found here...somewhere. Not to mention, the best tabac in Andor was to be found here, and if there was one legal and moral thing Happousai enjoyed, smoking was definitely it. He lit his pipe and headed over to the inn to arrange for his housing before he was noticed by the populace. Soon the time would come to sell his wares and keep an eye open. But for now, he wanted some food, a seat that wasn't moving, and a skirt or two to look up. A little while later, Ranma rode into town with his father, Genma. Genma was huge in contrast to his son. Most of his bulk was muscle, though he had a well-fed belly. He was wearing green and brown today--a green shirt, a brown jacket, and brown pants. He rode a huge horse named Sentarou. Sentarou was a huge brown horse with a somewhat erratic disposition. Many the time, Ranma had seen Genma go crashing off into the forest on Sentarou's back because an angry squirrel had spooked Sentarou. But Genma loved the horse, and few other horses were willing to carry him without complaining. As usual, Genma had a white bandana tied open over his head to help keep the sun off his shiny bald head. Genma said to Ranma, "Ranma my boy, speed up! We need to get to the inn before all the food is gone! I'm hungry." Ranma laughed a bit. "You're always hungry, pop." As they passed the first few buildings, Shinnosuke ran up to them. "Have you heard the news?" Shinnosuke sounded quite out of breath, as if he had been running a long time. Ranma blinked. "News. What news?" "Happousai is in town. He brought three wagons! And fireworks! We haven't had fireworks in ages!" Shinnosuke didn't mention that he was in fact the reason behind this absence of fireworks. "And there's a lady and her bodyguard in town." Ranma and Genma both blinked this time. "A lady?" Shinnosuke nodded. "She's some kind of scholar, here to collect stories and stuff. She's been talking to old man Jordan and his wife Rumiko for hours. " Ranma nodded. Old man Jordan and his wife were just full of stories of the old days, the kingdom of Tomobiki, Queen Shinobu and her love, Inaba the Usagi, Conan the barbarian, hero of ancient Cimmeria, Benten, who flew to the moon on her skychariot, Anla the wise counsellor, and many other stories besides. Ranma, Ryouga, and Shinnosuke had spent many an hour in The Winespring Inn on a cold winter night listening to the old man and woman rattle on about stories of the first and second age...the times before the Breaking of the World. "And she's got this fellow with her, he's some kind of warrior. Very stern and impressive. Biggest moustache I've ever seen, too." Genma nodded. "All ladies have bodyguards, if they are wise. What is her name?" Shinnosuke blinked and thought hard. "Lady Eleanor of Aquitaine. And the fellow is named...Roland. " The group started moving towards the inn again, the horses moving slowly through the streets. People were rushing everywhere, getting food, delivering food, getting the laundry done in advance, cleaning their houses inside and out. It had been a long hard winter, but it was finally over. The town hummed with happy, busy activity. Ranma nodded. A thought came to him. "Does he wear a black cloak?" Ranma hoped this was not the fellow he had seen last night. Shinnosuke said, "No, he wears a blue cloak, to match the lady's blue garb." He paused. "You saw a black cloaked man, too?" He shivered a bit. Genma said, "There are many people with black cloaks, boy. Focus on the food that is waiting for us! " Shinnosuke said, "I saw him in the woods near my house, Ranma. He was chasing some horse..." Ranma laughed. "Yes. He fell off when I saw him. It was odd. I could have sworn that he moved...in pulses. As if he didn't move at all, then he would move really fast." Shinnosuke shuddered. "Yeah....just like that old story..." Genma said, "Lagmen never come this far south. They're too busy harrassing the borderlands. And what would they want in the Two Rivers? Perhaps he's here to buy some tabac for the Dark One's pipe? " Ranma and Shinnosuke hung their heads. Genma rattled on. "There hasn't been a Lagman this far south since the Fanboy wars. And if the Fanboys have broken through the borderlands, there'd be a lot more of them here than just one Lagman. Don't worry about it. Probably just a traveller, passing through." Ranma shook his head, but remained silent. Arguing with his stubborn father was a game for fools. "A traveller going where? He was sniffing the air...like he was a hound or somthing. But what game is he seeking?", he thought. Soon they reached the center of town. Three wagons were pulled up on the green. A crowd was gathered around old Master Happousai, who was starting to peddle his wares. Several dozen of the village folk were oohing and ahhing over the fine cloth, the pots and pans, and the many other goods he had brought. Genma vaulted off his horse and bolted inside, looking for food, leaving Ranma to take the horses around to the stable. Ranma and Shinnosuke stabled the horses, then headed back to see what was for sale. Shinnosuke said, "Did you really bring fireworks, Master Happousai?" There was an eager light in Shinnosuke's eyes. Master Happousai smiled wickedly and tossed a round globular object to Shinnosuke. He caught it instinctively, then noticed it had a burning fuse on it. Shinnosuke asked, "Hey, what's this?" Master Happousai laughed. "A firework just like the one you nearly blew yourself up with as a child. " Everyone laughed. Shinnosuke saw the burning fuse and tried to toss it away. BOOM! It exploded showering confetti all over Shinnosuke, who staggered back. Everyone stared for a moment, then joined Shinnosuke in laughing. "Beware my wrath, boy, beware my wrath." He laughed some more. Shinnosuke turned red and skulked away. At that very moment, the doors of the inn opened up. Two unfamilar figures and a familar one charged out. Akemi was in the lead, with a worried look on her face. She was followed by an impressive tall fellow, and by a woman as short as Happousai, walking with a staff twice her size. The tall fellow was handsome in a stern way, with steel grey eyes, a long brown moustache, and long dark brown hair that ran down to his shoulders. He wore brown leather with metal studs, and had an impressive looking sword strapped to his belt. A small golden crane clasp held in place two corners of the blue cloak draped over his shoulders. On his right hand was a simple silver ring. His companion was dressed in a loose blue dress of silk and lace. She was old, perhaps the oldest woman Ranma had ever seen. Her hair was long and white and ran down to midback. She looked like one of the little troll dolls that had been popular with the girl children of the Two Rivers a few years back. But she was dressed as a noblewoman, and moved with assurance and grace. She spoke with a lilting voice that belied her age. "Decided to start the fireworks show a little early?" Everyone laughed some more. She looked over at Shinnosuke, covered in ash and confetti. He still looked a bit stunned. She quickly moved over to him, followed by the tall fellow. Akemi said, "Shin-chan? Are you okay? What happened?" She had a look of concern on her face. Ranma scowled just the tiniest of bits. Akemi and Shinnosuke still called each other by their childhood nicknames. He had no reason to be irritated by that, but it was just another reflection of how Shinnosuke was better at dealing with women than him...Heck, even Ryouga was better at it than him. At least it wasn't Shinnosuke's fault this time. Just a harmless, and probably well deserved prank. Shinnosuke said, "Just a little...joke...on me...by Master Happousai...." He smouldered a bit. The tiny noblewoman finished moving over to him. She took a careful look at him and poked a few points on him with her staff. The poked places felt cool for a moment, then warmed. The feeling spread through his body. He blinked and straightened up. His eyes cleared. "I feel much better. Thank you, Lady Eleanor." Eleanor nodded. "I learned a little shiatsu in my youth." She carefully looked up and down at Shinnosuke. "You must be Shinnosuke Cauthon." He blinked. "You..You know me?" A sweatbead formed on his forehead. "What did I do this time?" he wondered. "Jordan-san told me many stories about the people he knew when we had our talk last night. Including you and how you wanted to know all about fireworks when you were a child." Her lilting voice, so at odds with her appearance, soothed Shinnosuke. He actually smiled. "I have come to your village seeking to learn of the legends of your past, the stories of fabled Tomobiki, and ages before that. The old blood runs strong in the Two Rivers, I have found." She looked over at Ranma and blinked. Roland followed her gaze and also blinked. Then the look of surprise vanished from their faces as if it had never been. "And who are you, young man? You have the look of an Aielman to you, yet I would swear there are no Aiel west of the Dragonspine Mountains." Ranma blinked. He had always known that he looked different, but he had always assumed it was because his mother, Nodoka, was from outside the Two Rivers. All he knew of the Aiel was that they all dressed in black veils like a mourning woman, killed without warning, and could hide in the shadow cast by your finger. His father had fought the Aiel in the Aiel war...many years ago. There he had met Ranma's mother, Nodoka, a woman of Caemlyn in the far away capital of Andor. Or so Ranma had always heard. There was no way his gentle mother could have been an Aiel...and his father certainly wasn't. He couldn't sneak up on a paper bag... Although he was an impressive fighter. Well, impressive by local standards, anyway. There hadn't been a real fight with weapons in the Two Rivers for generations, except for some staff fights. "You must be mistaken. My father is Genma of the Two Rivers, and my mother Nodoka hailed from Caemlyn." Eleanor looked at him impassively, then smiled. "I would like to meet your parents. They must have a few interesting stories." Ranma frowned a little. "Pop's stuffing his face inside. But mother died many years ago of disease..." Eleanor nodded. "Then I shall talk to your father. Will you come and introduce me to him?" Ranma nodded. "Sure. I haven't much to do until he finishes eating." The little group turned and headed into the inn. Inside, pleasant smells drifted out of the kitchen, along with the sounds of frenzied activity. Master Al'vere and several members of the Village council were busily planning the Bel Tine celebration and trading stories of Bel Tines past. At another table, Genma was wolfing down food as fast as it could be brought to him. Ranma pointed. "Follow the sound of chewing, and usually you'll find pop." Lady Eleanor nodded. She glided across the room to him. Roland pulled out a chair opposite Genma and she hopped into it. Genma kept eating. "Greetings, Genma Al'Thor, may I speak with you?" Silence. "I understand you have travelled outside the Two Rivers?" She sat awaiting an answer. Chewing noises. "Hello?" More chewing noises. "Master al'Thor, have you heard anything I've said?" She leaned forward a little. Roland frowned. Genma finally looked up. "A mirror demon! After my food! You can't have it!" He pulled his plates closer to himself. Faster than the eye could see, Eleanor whipped her staff around and rapped Genma on the head 32.5 times, then plopped it back into place leaning on the table by her chair. "I am not a mirror demon!" Ranma laughed a bit, as did Akemi and Shinnosuke. "Nothing comes between my father and his food, Lady Eleanor." Shinnosuke nodded his head. "You can say that again." The door flies open. Hinako ran into the room. She looked around for a moment and headed for Shinnosuke. "Been playing with fireworks again, have you? You're trampling ash everywhere! I knew this would happen. " Her hand clamped down on Shinnosuke's shoulder and spun him around to face her. "Hmm. No obvious burns. Just ash, and some clothing damage. And little flecks of paper everywhere. How odd." Shinnosuke sputtered under her glare. "I..I...I didn't do anything! He tossed it to me! I certainly didn't do anything wrong!" Eleanor turned and stared at Hinako. "Is she your sister, Shinnosuke?" Shinnosuke blushed. Hinako turned crimson. "I am the Wisdom of this village! You will treat me with respect! I am not a child!" She turned and glared at Eleanor. Eleanor nodded. "So the stories were true." Hinako blinked. "What stories?" "That the wisdom of Nerima's field appears to be a child, but is not. That you possess many...gifts." Eleanor cocked her head to one side, briefly bearing a resemblance to an owl. "All wisdoms possess gifts. To see the wind, to punish delinquents, skills of healing and the like. If I didn't have these gifts, I would not be the wisdom. And who might you be?" Hinako tugged her braid irritably. Like all the women of the Two Rivers, she regarded her braid as the clear mark of adulthood. Having outsiders constantly mistake her for a child was quite annoying. "I am Lady Eleanor of Aquitaine. I have come to the Two Rivers to collect stories of the past. I dabble in history and herblore. This is Roland, my bodyguard." She pointed to Roland with her staff. Hinako calmed down. "Ahh. You have come to the right woman, if you wish to learn of herbs." "That too I have heard. I hope that you can spare the time to discuss such matters with me." Hinako smiled. "Certainly. There are few here with the patience to study such things. Although, I have taught Akemi some of my lore. She may be a wisdom herself one day." Akemi smiled. "I hope to be worthy of that. Although they won't need me here for many years, creator willing. " Eleanor turned to Akemi. "Do you have the gifts of a wisdom also?" Hinako nodded. "I have seen the signs, although we have yet to see them manifest, I think. And she studies hard, and is eager to learn. " Eleanor nodded. "Perhaps I should speak with both of you then." At this moment, music started up outside. A harpist was playing and beginning to sing. Ranma and Shinnosuke blinked. No one in Nerima's Field owned a harp, which could only mean... "A gleeman! The gleeman must be here!" Shinnosuke sprinted outside, followed by Ranma. The women shook their heads as a unit. "Boys." Outside, Happousai's mercantile spiels had been interrupted by a tall fellow with long black hair that was turning to grey in streaks. A pair of thick glasses perched on his nose. He dressed in long white decorated robes, with the patched cloak of a gleeman on his back. He held a small harp, which he played, as he sang a portion of the song of The Great Hunt of the Horn. Ryouga was here, watching him sing. Ranma and Shinnosuke headed over to him. "A real gleeman, Ranma! We haven't had a real gleeman in ages." He smiled as they listened to the gleeman perform the part of the song that tells of the assemblage of the hunters in Illian, far to the south, three hundred years ago, for the last great hunt of the horn, the horn of Valere, that would one day be sounded at the Last Battle, to call the heroes of old to fight for whoever blows the horn. "Wow. This is going to be the best Bel Tine we've had in my memory." Shinnosuke said. "Fireworks, a gleeman, visiting nobility...wow. All we need now is an Aes Sedai, and we'd have everything..." Ranma laughed. "What would an Aes Sedai want in the Two Rivers? Buying tabac for the Amyrlin seat, I suppose?" Shinnosuke looked at him. "That's what your father said about lagmen, too. Or whatever that black cloaked fellow was." Ryouga started. "Black cloaked fellow? Like Wil was talking about?" Ranma turned his full attention to Ryouga. "Wil saw him too?" Ryouga nodded. "Hai. A creepy fellow with his face hidden in a black cloak. Wil saw him riding out towards the mountains yesterday. No one in town saw him at all." The gleeman finished his singing. He sauntered over to the three boys. Looking up and down Shinnosuke, he said, "You must be the lad who likes to play with fireworks." Shinnosuke's face turned red, and he said, "Burn me! Has someone told the whole world? Make one mistake, and they never let you forget." Five red and blue balls flicked out of the gleeman's sleeves, and he began to juggle as he talked. "Sorry to make fun of you, lad. Forgive an old gleeman for having a little fun. My name is Mousse, Mousse Merrilin. I know you must be Shinnosuke Cauthon. And your friends?" Ryouga blinked. "I am Ryouga Ayabara, and this is my friend Ranma al'Thor. " Mousse looked more carefully at Ranma now. He blinked. The balls faltered in their intricate path. "You look like a..." "I am not an Aiel! I'm born and bred in the Two Rivers." It was Ranma's turn to look angry. Mousse nodded. "Sorry, lad. I suppose the lady Eleanor must have been pestering you earlier about that?" Ranma blinked. "How did you know?" Gentle laughter filled the air. "A nosy one, she is. Full of questions. On the ride down here, she kept me busy asking me about my past, ancient stories, comments on monuments we passed by. And she and Roland, if that's really his name, are the only people here besides myself who might really know what an Aiel looks like. Or do you get more outsiders than I might think?" Ryouga said, "No, Master Happousai and whoever is helping him in a given year is about the only outsider to come to the Two Rivers, along with a few other peddlars and traders. And most of those never pass Kumon's ford." Shinnosuke said, "You don't think that fellow's name is really Roland?" Mousse Merrilin nodded. "Perhaps, perhaps not. All I know is that I've never heard of the likes of her in Aquitaine....not that I've memorized all the ranks of nobility of Cairhien, but..." Shinnosuke's eyes widened. "She's all the way from Cairhien?" Mousse nodded. "She has the mark of Cairhien in her voice, the way she speaks, lad. That is a mark that few are skillful enough to hide. But whatever her true origins, her companion is a borderman if I've ever seen one...and I've never heard of a borderman named Roland." It was Ryouga's turn to get big eyes. "You've met bordermen...and fanboys? Lagmen?? Are they...real?" Mousse shivered. "I've never seen a live fanboy...or even a dead lagman...but they are real. Mark my words. Only the borderlands keep them from ravaging out of the blight, like they did in the Fanboy wars. It is their bravery that lets us dream that the fanboys and lagmen are no more..." Shinnosuke shuddered. "Well, I hope they keep it up. I'll never see a lagman or a fanboy if I can help it. Well, unless..." Mousse narrowed his eyes. "Unless?" The three boys looked at each other. Ranma said, "We...might have seen one...on the road." Mousse blinked and shook his head, as if to clear it. "You think you saw a lagman? Here?" They quickly related their experiences and the gleeman thought for a moment. "It was alone?" The boys nodded. "Hmm. Probably just a traveller. If it was a lagman, though...Well, keep an eye out. And don't go telling everyone...but you might want to tell the village council, just in case." He nodded his head. "Yes. That would be wise." Shinnosuke shook his head. "I'd better keep quiet then." Memories of past meetings with the village council drifted through his head...some of the memories were only mostly unpleasant. Ryouga nodded. "We can try. They might listen to Ranma." A voice they did not expect spoke. "Listen to Ranma about what?" They all jumped a little. She laughed. It was Akemi. "What did Shinnosuke do this time?" Shinnosuke spoke with the voice of wounded innocence. "I didn't do anything!" Ryouga nodded. "Several people think they've seen a lagman in the woods." Akemi laughed. "A lagman? Was it here to buy wool for uniforms for its fanboy friends? Perhaps it wanted to hire Cenn Buie to thatch its roof? Or Willy Shatner to sing for it?" Shinnosuke blushed. Ranma stared at the ground. "It just didn't look right. The way it moved and everything..." Akemi laughed again. "Well, if it comes to the village, we can invite it to dance with us on Bel Tine." Ryouga blinked. "Invite a lagman to dance at Bel Tine?" Akemi pointed a finger at Ryouga and lectured, "You know there are no lagmen in the Two Rivers. There hasn't ever been a lagman this far south." Mousse shook his head. "Sorry to contradict you, but they came much farther south than this during the fanboy wars. In fact, the kingdom of Tomobiki was overrun and destroyed by the fanboys towards the end of the wars. The kingdom could have been saved if not for the late arrival of the army sent by the Covenant of the Ten nations to its aid. And that was only because of the jealousy of the wife of the army's leader towards Queen Shinobu of Tomobiki." Ryouga nodded. "Because Queen Shinobu was a better channeler than her. Old man Jordan drags out that part of the story everytime he sees someone acting jealous..." Akemi blinked. "This area was part of the kingdom of Tomobiki?" Mousse nodded. "All of the Two rivers, parts of western Andor, and the mountains of Mist. Tomobiki itself was just up inside the mountains a short distance. I suppose the survivors of the kingdom eventually became the folk of the Two Rivers." For a moment, everyone's eyes were misty with dreams of days gone by...the glory of ancient Tomobiki. Then Akemi sighed. "Well, that's over and gone. Ranma..." Ranma blinked. "Uh, yes?" Akemi said, "Will you and your father stay and celebrate Winternight with us?" She sidled over to Ranma, a little closer. "I need a dancing partner for tonight. Or will I have to dance with Wil again?" Ranma frowned for a moment, then smiled. "If you offer my father food, he'll agree to anything. I'd be happy to stay." Akemi smiled. "Good. And we shall have excellent music for the dancing, with a gleeman in town." Mousse smiled and bowed. "Thank you, good lady. I shall strive to be worthy of your praise. " The day passed quickly. Ranma took care of a few purchases that he and his father would need tomorrow for the festivities. He spent the afternoon practicing shooting with Perrin, Shinnosuke, Wil, Jon, Steph, Jerem, Jefer, Orlan, and several other boys his age from the village. It was a common and enjoyable activity. Ranma was quite good with the bow, but Shinnosuke and Jefer were even better. As usual, it came down to a contest between them, with the others trying to compete. Akemi watched, amused by the constant banter. She was as good a shot as any of them, but with her strength, arrows tended to be driven through the target and into nearby trees or buildings, usually destroying the arrow in the process As a result, she didn't participate in casual archery contests very often. Her strength was a source of frequent speculation in the village, but no one really knew where it came from. Certainly not her mother or father. Akemi had always been that way, so the village folk simply accepted it the same way they accepted the abilities of the village Wisdom. It just was. If things happened, you dealt with them. The Ronin's number had been scrawled on her door once or twice by troublemakers, but she payed it no heed. She knew she was no darkfriend, and so did most of the people of the village. Troublemakers like old Willy Shatner or Cenn Buie simply had to be ignored. Soon the sun began to set, and the evening chill crept across the village. Winter had been long and hard, and it seemed Winternight would live up to its name. Many of the villagers gathered with their families this night to celebrate and exchange gifts. Others gathered at the Winespring Inn to celebrate together, to listen to music and stories of times gone by, to fellowship with the guests from beyond Nerima's field. And most importantly, they came to dance! Mousse was in fine fettle that night, playing everything from country tunes like "Fox In The Henhouse", "Tinker, Mend My Pots", "Harvest Moon" and "The Ultimate Country Song", to more sophisticated tunes, like the ballad of Rogash One-Eye and Dunsinane, the Caemlyn Waltz, and Ramen's Folly, a ballad about foolish king Ramen Damodred of Cairhien. King Ramen brought down the Aiel upon his head by cutting down the sapling of Miltonbradliena, the tree of Life, suitable for players 8 and up, to build a housing development, and to make a monogrammed throne for himself. The Aiel had given the sapling to the Cairhien 500 years ago, for reasons unknown, giving them permission to trade with the isolationist wierdos of Cher, who all had bad taste in clothing, but made very good silk. Cher had once been allied with the other kingdom beyond the waste, Bono, the sunny land, but the two nations had since parted on bad terms. Also, all of Ramen's checks to the Aiel for silk bounced that year. The Aiel got annoyed and decided to foreclose on his head. The result was the Aiel war, in which king Ramen was slain and the property values of the housing development plummeted after the Aiel killed all of its inhabitants, burned it to the ground, and rearranged the ashes to spell, "Treekillers suck." in huge letters, easily visible from space, except that no one in space was watching. The Aiel were finally driven back by the united armies of the nations, after a fierce battle on the slopes of the Roninmount, home to the White Tower, home of the Aes Sedai. They returned to the Waste on the other side of the Spine of the World, leaving behind a land full of rapidly dropping property values, and a note to the new king noting they had confiscated the royal treasury to pay off Ramen's bad checks. The Aiel remained figures of mystery, legendary black veiled warriors who slew without warning or mercy, bound in a web of incomprehensible laws and taboos, known as tic'tac'toe. It was even rumored that some women among them fought. They could hide in the shadow of a single upraised finger. The Aiel were thought of as strange and alien barbarians, but also as the greatest warriors of the time. To counteract the glum mood induced by this ballad, Mousse switched to a lighter tune, "Dance Beneath the Stars." The tables had been cleared away, and it was time to dance! Akemi whirled across the floor with Ranma, Ryouga with Rache Hompso, and even master Happousai joined the dance, whirling with Lady Eleanor, who seemed quite surprised to have a dancing partner her size. Genma got up and danced a turn with Mistress Al'vere, while Roland did Hinako the honor of a dance. Soon many others joined in, and the dancing was properly begun. Only Shinnosuke was not there, for he was off with his family and relatives at their home out in the countryside. Many different pairs whirled across the floor before the night was through. They danced into the wee hours of the night, until everyone was too tired to go on. Akemi sagged in Ranma's arms as they danced one last dance, "Farewell to Barns". Ranma smiled quietly to himself. If only there could be more moments like this, and fewer like yesterday morning. Finally the music died down. Genma got up. "Time to ride home, Ranma my boy." Ranma yawned. "All the way home? Tonight?" He rubbed his eyes. Genma said, "Come on lad! Sleep makes you weak! Exhaustion, that is what makes you strong." Ranma tried to clean out his ears, hoping that he had misunderstood. But as usual, Genma was too busy babbling words of wisdom to repeat himself. Akemi clung to Ranma as he tried to get out the door. "Akemi. I have to go." Akemi yawned, and sleepily said, "Don't go, Ranma. Don't go. It will only..." YAWN! "...bring you trouble. " She rubbed her eyes. "I think I dozed off for a moment there." She stood up, and looked Ranma in the eye. Ranma smiled nervously, then tried to get her to let go. She reluctantly released him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Akemi." She smiled. "I will dance with you again on Bel Tine." He nodded. He staggered outside with his father. They soon mounted up and rode off. The ride soon woke up Ranma, even if it did not make him happy. They rode quietly through the night to their farm. It was a several hour ride, which did nothing to endear the trip to a tired Ranma. Finally, they arrived at their little farm. Genma headed inside to start a fire to warm the house, while Ranma took Lugosi and Sentarou around to the stable. The night was silent, cold, and clear, a full moon shining down as Ranma left the stable. Somewhere, a branch broke. Ranma turned, and saw a shadowy figure in the woods for a second, light glinting off a small circle near it's right shoulder. Then it was gone. Ranma stared nervously into the woods. He heard another branch break. Someone was there. He backed towards the stable, hoping to get his quarterstaff before whatever lurked in the darkness could emerge. Visions of bandits, wolves, lagmen, and giant wombats danced in his head. As several figures emerged from the shadows of the forest, he ducked into the stable and grabbed his quarterstaff. It was the smell of pizza that reached him first. One of the figures was munching on a slice as they approached, while a second guzzled Jolt, the breakfast of caffeine freaks. One carried a large mallet, the other a odd metal thing that resembled an L with a loop inside the bend. They stared at him for long moments. They wore tattered armor and had unkempt hair. Both had a small circlular pin near their right shoulders. One's pin said, "Arshes Nei is a babe." The other pen said, "Live Long and worship the Great Lord of the Dorks for eternity, or suffer forever, you hoser." in really tiny print. Ranma stared, feeling a chill across his spine. They spoke. "What Star Trek episode contains the most violations of the Prime directive?" Ranma stared at them. What was a Star Trek episode? The Prime directive? "Name all the characters from Mortal Wombat III and their secret moves!" He stared. Wombat? He had never heard that story. "How much of a babe do you think Minmei is?" Ranma wondered briefly who Minmei was...more questions. "So would you rather see A-ko, B-ko, or C-ko naked? Don't you agree that G Gundam sucks? Name all the apperances of the 33-SUX boomer! In alphabetical order! Would you rather be an Invid or a Paranoid?" The questions became increasingly arcane and incomprehensible. Finally, Ranma couldn't take it any more. "SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE! I AM NOT ANSWERING YOUR STUPID QUESTIONS!" The fanboys growled. "You're not worthy!" One leaped at him at with the mallet. The other said, "set phaser on kill!" It pointed the L at Ranma, and squeezed something. Nothing happened. Meanwhile, Ranma swung up his staff, blocking the mallet, then swinging it down to hit the fanboy in the stomach. It staggered back. He struck the L knocking it away. The fanboy ran after the L, yelling something about paying too much for that phaser to give it up that easily. The first fanboy tried for a second swing and got a staff to the head. He passed out. Ranma turned to the second one and rapped it on the behind, knocking it down. The staff spun around and came down on the fanboy's head. The fanboy collapsed from the blow. Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. "That wasn't so hard. I thought fanboys were tough." Then he realized they had gotten back up. "Hah! Send more fanboys!" He shouted at them. They rushed at him again; a fierce fight ensued, but only one of them had a functioning weapon. Ranma soon knocked away the mallet and methodically beat them unconscious, then he heard sounds of fighting from the house. "POP!" He charged into the house, kicking open the door. Inside, two fanboys lay battered unconscious, but five more were rampaging through the house. Three of them had broken into Genma's private chest and were rummaging through it. The other two were scarfing down food from the kitchen. Ranma's father was nowhere to be seen. Ranma shouted, "YOU FLAMING BASTARDS! What have you done to my father?" The fanboys blinked. The two scarfing food kept eating, but the other three turned around. They were holding various trinkets they had extracted from Genma's chest: Some medals Genma had acquired during his travels, one of Nodoka's scarves, a deck of cards, a card that said, "I met the Dirty Pair and lived", an empty wine bottle made out of cuendillar, a bunch of left socks, a copy of the Anvillanian national anthem, and a small bottle of water. It was the bottle that caught Ranma's eye. The bottle he had been told never to touch. His father had found it on his travels. Ranma never understood why he wasn't supposed to open it...what good was an unopened bottle of water? The fanboys began their usual run of babbling. "Would you date Shun if he was really a girl? Do you think Priss or Linna is better in bed? Do ninjas really cause the world to turn into those blurry speed lines when they leap into the air? What are those drops of water on people's foreheads, anyway? What was the fourth Kanji in the third scene of Riding Bean on that sign? Name five continuity errors in BGC!" Ranma growled and leaped at them, quarterstaff in hand. Ranma yelled, "I don't know or care!" He leaped onto the bed and attacked them from above. He now saw his unconscious father on the floor, along with two dead fanboys. A sword lay by his father. Ranma blinked for a moment. "A sword?" he thought. Where did that come from?" In that moment, the fanboys emptied their hands and grabbed for their weapons. One of them emptied his hands by throwing the contents right at Ranma. He tried to swat the objects aside. For a moment, the world slowed and he realized the bottle was coming...right...at...him. It bounced off the staff and onto his forehead, shattering, pouring water all over him. His body tingled, the sensation spreading like a wave over his entire form. He trembled. The fanboys stared, their eyes bulging. Ranma took the opportunity to smack one of them in the head, knocking him down. The other two chopped at him with their axes. He leaped up over their heads, rebounded off the wall, and smacked both of them in the heads. They crumpled and collapsed. "What's with them," he thought, "Since when is a wet guy a big deal? I wonder why that bottle was supposed to remain sealed, anyway?" The two fanboys from the kitchen shouted, "You are already dead!" and charged. Ranma ducked low and lashed out with the staff, knocking them off their feet. Before they could get up, he rapped each of them in the head. He heard more footsteps outside. He bent over and grabbed the sword. It had blood on the blade, which was made of some black metal. A panda was stamped into the metal on each side. The hilt was white and unadorned. Ranma grabbed the scabbard, hastily cleaned the sword blade on a fanboy's naked Nene by the pond shirt, and buckled the scabbard to his belt. Then he started trying to rouse his father. Genma moaned a bit when Ranma shook him. Finally, he opened his eyes and stared at Ranma. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Genma promptly fainted. Ranma blinked. His mind quickly concluded that something had to be wrong with him. Fanboys were incomprehensible, but if his father was yelling, something had to be wrong. He paused and looked down at himself. It was at this moment he realized the problem: he was now a she. She ran and looked at herself in the mirror. In some ways, she looked like Akemi dressed up in Ranma's clothing. The same red hair, the same braid, the same body. Her shirt was very tight on her substantial bosom, but a few inches too long now. The same for her pants, now tight at the hips and too long. She was certain she must have become shorter. The first thought that crossed his mind was, "At least I'm old enough to braid my hair." Then he snapped back to reality and began to panic. "That bottle must have had some kind of hallucinogen, or I'm asleep in the saddle...this can't be real! I can't be a girl! I can't! " She began to breathe hard. Far off, she heard even more crashing noises. More fanboys coming. She grabbed her father and dragged him outside. Oddly, he seemed lighter than usual, much lighter. She quickly saddled up Lugosi and Sentarou. It wasn't until she picked him up and threw him onto Sentarou's back that she realized she seemed stronger than before. She blinked and looked at her arms. They looked rather smooth and pretty, certainly not muscular enough to pull that off easily. Shrugging, she grabbed some rope and tied Genma in place in the saddle. Then she lead both horses out of the stable. The fanboys began to boil out of the woods. And leading them was....a lagman. The world seemed to turn to jello, as everything slowed. Ranma kept trying to slap Sentarou to get him to move, but nothing seemed to be happening. She dug her heels into Lugosi, but Lugosi didn't move. Finally, she gave up and tried to draw the sword. "If only I knew how to use this," she thought. The world suddenly snapped into a blur of motion. Sentarou took off down the road towards Nerima's field in a blur of motion. Lugosi bolted after him, and the sword suddenly arced up out of the sheath in Ranma's hand. At that moment, the fanboys and the lagman dashed forward. The sword flew up and struck the lagman's descending blade, shattering it, right as Lugosi took off running. Far behind him, he could see the now once again lagged fanboys and lagman stuck far behind him. By the time they were in motion, Ranma was far down the road. Way off in the distance, she could see Sentarou running at high speed, Genma bouncing along in the saddle. Ranma thought, "How on God's green earth will I ever explain this? Everyone is going to laugh at me. Not to mention...Akemi. At least we can share a wardrobe, I suppose, but...ack! What am I thinking? How did that water do this? I don't wanna be a girl! Maybe...maybe it will wear off...Why did dad keep this? Why?" He galloped through the night, leaving the fanboys far behind. "I never knew pop kept a sword. A good sword. It broke the lagman's blade like a knife through butter." Sentarou galloped off out of sight. Ranma wondered how a horse that large could run that fast. After a long, exhausting ride, Ranma finally rode into Nerima's field. He could see smoke rising from deeper inside the village, and could hear the sounds of people fighting a fire. He was startled to see several people waiting for him. Mousse, Ryouga, and Akemi were waiting for him at the edge of town. Ryouga shouted, "Is that you, Ranma? We saw your father gallop in unconscious. They took him in to be healed by the wisdom, but all he remembered was fanboys attacking the farm." Akemi cut in. "Are you okay, Ranma? Your father was babbling about doom and curses and lagmen and fate and stuff. And he kept insisting he didn't have a son anymore. And...oh Ranma, I was so worried. " She started running towards him. Mousse and Ryouga followed her. Ryouga was carrying a heavy umbrella that Ranma had never seen before. "A whole squad of them and a lagman too snuck into town and tried to burn down Ryouga's house. If Lady Eleanor hadn't sensed them, the whole town might have gone up in flames." Ranma finally spoke. "Sensed them?" Mousse nodded. "It seems Lady Eleanor is no lady. She is one of the Aes Sedai, and Roland her warder. With their help, we drove off the fanboys before more than a stable could be burned." He shook just the tiniest bit. "But we still don't know how the fanboys got here. So they did attack your farm? I wonder if...hmm." Akemi blinked. "Ranma? Are you okay? Your voice seems odd." Ranma shuddered. "I...am most definitely not okay." She spurred Lugosi forward into the light Everyone stared. Ryouga's jaw dropped. Akemi started. Mousse rubbed his eyes, removed his glasses, cleaned them, took a second look and tried cleaning them again. Akemi. "R...Ranma?" She couldn't believe it. There was no way...it wasn't possible. Ranma nodded. "Well, I finally found out what that bottle does." Mousse seemed lost in thought, or perhaps asleep. He was very silent. Finally, he muttered something in the old tongue. "What was that, Mousse?" Ranma said. Perhaps the gleeman had heard of some story, some tale that might offer some way out of Ranma's predicament. "Have you ever heard of the story of Futaba the Changing man?" Mousse asked. They all shook their heads. "Most of Futaba's saga is lost. He was an Aes Sedai from the age of Legends, before the war of the Shadow and the breaking of the world. He too changed into a woman. He suffered some sort of ancestral curse. He transformed back and forth whenever he got excited. You might have the same problem." Ranma blinked. "But Dad doesn't have that problem. I think the water did it...somehow." Mousse nodded. "I've never heard of magic water, but I never expected to see fanboys here either." A lilting voice spoke. "Nor I. So you did indeed survive. And now I understand your father's statement that he no longer had a son." Lady Eleanor had arrived, along with Roland, moving silently out of the darkness. "Is pop okay?" "He will be fine. He just needs rest. I did the best I could for him." She paused and hopped over, then poked Ranma's left breast with her staff. "Hmm. Quite real. Amazing. The water of transformation. I will enjoy studying this." "Studying this? I don't intend to stay this way any longer than I have to!" Ranma was irritated. "And stop poking me there!" "And how do you intend to change back?" "Uhh...." "No matter. We must be on the road at once to get your friend before it is too late." Lady Eleanor hopped up onto her nearby horse. "On the road?" "Do you think the fanboys will have forgotten your friend Shinnosuke? He too is in danger. Indeed, all the Two Rivers is in danger as long as you stay here. Get your horse and anything you cannot bear to leave behind, Ryouga. We must ride quickly." Akemi blinked. "What? Where are you going? Why? You are NOT taking Ranma anywhere without me!" Eleanor nodded. "I have no intention of leaving you behind, girl. You have potential girl. The old blood is strong in your veins. You will do well in the Tower." A loud voice boomed from the darkness. "You are not dragging off Two Rivers men and women without explaining yourself to ME!" Hinako strode out of the darkness in her adult form, her yellow dress full to bursting with her now adult form, her voice deepened and loud. Eleanor calmly turned to face Hinako. "Ah, yes, the Wisdom. I am taking these three boys and girl because the fanboys are after the boys, and the girl needs to be trained in the tower." Hinako blinked. "Whatever reason would the fanboys have for wanting to kill Ryouga, Ranma and, uh...three boys?" Then Hinako took a look at Ranma. "R..Ranma?" Eleanor said, "I am Aes Sedai. They are no longer safe here with fanboys looking for them. I can protect them better than you. They need to go to the tower where they will be safe. For they are ta'averen. The wheel bends the pattern around them, and they bend the pattern in turn. The forces of the shadow fear them, and seek to strike them down. And now I see that Ranma has further need of my aid. Perhaps in the Tower he can find the cure he seeks." Hinako raised an eyebrow. "What has happened to Ranma?" Eleanor shrugged. "I do not know. Some kind of water transformed him, he said." Hinako blinked. "Water?" Roland said, "We must go swiftly. The lagmen and fanboys will return in larger numbers soon. We must go before the sun rises if we intend to remain hidden." Hinako said, "I don't know if I can trust an Aes Sedai." Eleanor stared a moment. "You too are a channeler and would benefit from training in the tower." Hinako got red in the face. "I do not channel!" Eleanor smirked. "I saw you blasting fanboys to bits only an hour or so ago. May I ask how you did that without channeling?" Hinako said, "Any wisdom can do that!" Eleanor nodded. "Then all wisdoms must be channelers, for that cannot be done without the one power. The same goes for your own transformation." Hinako said, "I am no manipulating Aes Sedai!" Eleanor said, "You may come or stay. We must leave, and leave now." Hinako hesitated. "Then I will go to protect my people. But if I find out you mean them ill, I WILL stop you." Eleanor nodded. "I would expect no less. All of you, prepare yourselves." Mousse said, "I am going also." Eleanor blinked. "As you like." Mousse said, "I don't trust Aes Sedai either, but I'd rather not stay and wait to see if your theory is correct. Perhaps I will get a good tale out of this." Soon the group assembled and headed out towards Shinnosuke's place. As they approached it, Roland slipped off into the darkness. Akemi stared after him. "Where is he going?" "To scout ahead. There may be more lagmen lurking around here." She peered about in the darkness. Ranma felt the hairs on her neck rise. Hinako tugged her braid nervously. Akemi blinked. For a moment, she could have sworn Eleanor was glowing. Ryouga nervously swung his umbrella around in small circles. Mousse kept flicking knives in and out of his hand. "We ride onward." Soon they arrived at Shinnosuke's place. On the way there, Hinako braided the hair of a protesting Ranma, telling her that everyone would think she was a child if her hair wasn't braided. There were dead lagmen everywhere with arrows through them. Eleanor had a whispered conversation with Shinnosuke's father, and soon Shinnosuke joined them, carrying a bow and a quarterstaff. He rode his horse Forget-me-not over to the others, rubbing his eyes. When he saw Ranma, he fell off his horse. Ranma looked down at him. "Shinnosuke?" Shinnosuke said, "Wow. They didn't tell me there would be a cute girl on this trip. I'm Shinnosuke Cauthon. And you are?" He got back up on his horse. Steam blew out of Ranma's ears. "I AM NOT A CUTE GIRL!" Shinnosuke blinked. He had never met a girl who didn't want to be called cute. "Should I have called you a cute woman, instead?" "It's me, Ranma!" Shinnosuke looked around. "Ranma, where? They said he was here, but I don't see him." He then ogled Ranma, who he obviously thought was rather cute. Ranma growled. "I am Ranma!" Shinnosuke blinked. "What?" "That stupid water turned me into a girl!" "The one your dad said not to open?" "One and the same. The stupid fanboys hit me with it." Ranma shook her head. "They might be able to help me at the tower, Eleanor says." "We're going to the White Tower? With Aes Sedai? And all that?" Shinnosuke shuddered. He had heard many fearsome tales of the White Tower and the Aes Sedai: master manipulators all. They were bound not to lie, but the truth you heard from an Aes Sedai might not be the truth you thought it was. For three thousand years, all Aes Sedai had been female, since the Breaking of the World. At the end of the war of the Shadow, the Dark one had placed a taint on dubin, the male half of the One Power. The male Aes Sedai had gone mad from the Taint and rampaged, shattering the world and civilization. For three thousand years, the female Aes Sedai had gathered at the White Tower on Roninmount, to counsel the nations, battle the shadow, hunt down male channellers before they could do any more damage, and to prepare for the day when the Dark One would one day escape his prison and bring about Tarmon Gai'don, the last battle. In those days too, the leader of the war against the shadow, the Ronin, would be reborn to lead the armies of light against the Dark One. Three channelers had claimed to be the Ronin in the last year. Two of them were still on the loose. Akemi nodded. "Lady Eleanor seems to think Hinako and I could become Aes Sedai." Shinnosuke shook his head. "Why would you ever want to do that?" Lady Eleanor spoke. Everyone blinked as they realized she had returned. "Because the talent cannot be wasted. Hinako already channels whether she admits it or not. Akemi has the talent to learn how. They must be trained. Tarmon Gai'don approaches. The tower will need their strength when that day comes." Ryouga shuddered. "Surely Tarmon Gai'don is not coming soon. The Dark One is imprisoned in the prison made for him by the Creator at the dawn of time with the Forsaken. The shadow cannot touch the world while he remains sealed away. The..." Eleanor shook her head. "Trust me. The Dark One is beginning to stir once more. His minions will hunt you and take you, to die or be turned, until you are safe at Tar Valion. Now we ride!" She spurred her horse. The others nodded, and followed. They soon emerged from the forest, heading cross country towards Taren's Ferry. Ranma looked back towards Nerima's field and his home as the sun began to rise off to their left. "When will I see home again?" Ranma thought. "At least this way, you'll all be safe if those lagmen really are after us. We'll lead them away from you all. " Far away, someone cursed and sniffed the night air. The ones he was hunting thought they could escape him. They would learn they were wrong. He had searched too long to lose them these easily. He gave the commands and the pursuit began. End Chapter 1.