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 in late 1995 or early 1996. *** CHAPTER 2 Manifest Destiny *** "We'll have to make camp here, Lady Eleanor," said Roland, materializing suddenly out of the trees to one side of the trail. His cloak swirled around him, the colors seeming to shift to match his surroundings. "I don't like it. I was hoping we could reach Taren's Ferry by tonight. Well, I hadn't counted on having to stray from the trail so many times to chase after the Aybara boy. Who would have thought it possible to have such an awful sense of direction?" She sighed. "Very well, we'll have to push on as soon as we can. Roland, go ahead and set camp, and keep a watch out for fanboys." She turned to Ranma and the others, who all watched intently as Roland seemed to dissolve into the trees. "Why didn't you mention that your friend here had such an incredibly bad sense of direction?" Shinnosuke looked over at Ranma with a slight shrug. Ranma was seated on a log, staring at the ground, a sulky look on her face. Every few moments, she unconsciously began to cross her arms over her chest in a typical pouting gesture. Each time she did so, she started in surprise, then returned to sullenly staring at the ground. "I guess we all just take for granted that Ryouga can't find his own backyard." Ryouga turned red, and mumbled something. Ranma finally looked up, glaring over at Eleanor. "You're an Aes Sedai," she began accusingly, "Can't you just wave your arms and cure me or something?" Eleanor gave a long-suffering sigh - this argument had come up countless times during the trip so far. "You don't understand, girl...all right," she amended, fending off the beginnings of yet another indignant outburst from Ranma, "You don't understand, BOY. The One Power does not work that way. There are different types of Aes Sedai, each specializing in something different. The ones you would need to meet are the Yellow Ajah. To bring your problem before them, you will have to travel to the White Tower." Ranma stared sullenly at the ground. Eleanor sighed again, and turned to Hinako. "You, there. I'm sure everyone will be tired this evening. You know the herbs of the region better than me, come help me pick some for some tea." Hinako began to protest, but Eleanor just gave her a look, and Hinako subsided and trailed after. Shinnosuke shuddered. "She's scary...anyone who can bully down Hinako like that..." He looked down at Ranma. "Hey, cheer up. It's not so bad." Ranma looked up in disbelief. "Even if you're stuck as a girl, at least you're a real cute one!" He smiled. *************************** Akemi entered the clearing just in time to see a muttering Shinnosuke leaving, with a swollen cheek. "Try to cheer someone up," he muttered, "And get clobbered." She watched, somewhat puzzled, as Shinnosuke vanished off to where Eleanor had tied Ryouga to a tree with a strand of the One Power to prevent his wandering off. Akemi walked up to Ranma, and sat down next to her. "Hey, you ok?" Silence. "Ranma?" Silence. Akemi pondered for a moment, then pulled a large megaphone out of seemingly nowhere. "HEY!!! I TALKING HERE!!!" Ranma was blown sideways for a moment, then blinked back at Akemi. "Whaddya want?" Ranma asked sullenly. "Ranma, I...I think it's pretty clear you need to talk to someone," she began. "But first you should just settle down and try to calm yourself..." "What could you know about it?" asked Ranma. "Everything feels different! Even walking feels different, like my hips were moved around! Even BREATHING feels different! Calm DOWN? How can I calm down??" She stood up, fire in her eyes. "I'm the one who has just had my life altered forever, and you want me to CALM DOWN???" Suddenly, Ranma stopped. Her mouth was still moving, but no sound came out. Akemi, rather angry herself now, ignored this. "And who are you to complain, Ranma al'Thor? You're not the only one who's had their life altered! You keep insisting that you're still a man...so ACT like one! You're acting like a little girl, not a man. In fact," she continued, eyes glinting, "Since you're a girl for now, I think it would be appropriate you follow Two Rivers customs. Little girls aren't allowed to have their hair in braids." Ignoring Ranma's surprisingly ineffective, and suddenly silent, struggles, she reached back and undid Ranma's braid, letting the red hair cascade down over the other girl's shoulders. "THERE!" She stalked off out of the clearing. Ranma remained standing there silently, trying to figure out why she couldn't move or speak. Finally, exhausted from her struggles, she collapsed, still held in place by invisible bonds. Eleanor appeared from in the bushes a few minutes later, and looked over at the still-unconscious Ranma. "That one is very powerful. If she can learn to control her weaves, she will be a great Aes Sedai indeed. Now I'd better go free her victim..." She tapped Ranma with her staff, and Ranma fell to the ground. "Powerful indeed..." She mused for a moment. "Now I KNOW we must get to the Tower." *************************** They took dinner that night around the campfire, in a rather sullen atmosphere. Ryouga ate sullenly, his ankle secured to the log he was sitting on by the One Power, and glared at Eleanor at frequent intervals. Shinnosuke glared over at Ranma, rubbing his bruised cheek. Ranma sat there picking at her food and glaring at everyone in general and Akemi in particular. She had not, however, re-braided her hair. Eleanor sighed as she finished her dinner and glanced around. Suddenly, Roland sat up straighter, motioning for silence. "What is it?" asked Eleanor. Just then, a cry rang out in the distance. "Live long and prosper!" Eleanor shuddered. "The cry of a fanboy. We may not have much time! Quickly, gather everything up." Shocked into action, even Ranma hurried in gathering as much as they could, and ran towards the horses. Another cry sounded, even closer. "Bentara Bentara space people!!" Eleanor motioned for everyone to grab what they could and run. Just then, the first fanboys broke through the trees. Spotting their quarry, their hunting cries changed to the inexplicable questions of before. "How many episodes were there of Macross?" "Name the three shows combined to make Robotech!" "What was the name and number of the episode of Star Trek where there was a planet of androids?" "Would you rather see Deunan or Minmei naked?" Chased by these nerve-wracking questions, and a little further back, by the fanboys, Ranma and the others lept onto their horses and fled through the forest. Ranma's new female form gave an advantage... her lighter weight and increased agility allowed Lugosi to go much faster than otherwise. Yet despite the narrow trail and many obstacles, the fanboys - several of whom were quite obese - moved surprisingly fast, gaining on the party. As Lugosi nearly tripped over a fallen tree, the sight of the wood finally triggered the thought that had been bothering her. "Wait! We left Ryouga tied to that log!" Eleanor looked at Roland, who nodded and turned his horse back the way they came. She then motioned for Ranma to keep moving. Ranma remained there for a moment, caught between following the others and wanting to go back to help her friend. In that moment, a fanboy emerged from the trees beside the trail. The fanboy took one look at Ranma, and began to drool slightly. "MINE!" Ranma turned her horse, but the fanboy lept, landing behind her on the horse and grabbed her from behind. His hands ended up directly on Ranma's chest, and began feeling around. Ranma looked down for a moment, then turned very red. "You...you...you...DIE!!!!" She turned around and punched the fanboy. The fanboy flinched back...and kept going. Ranma had already turned Lugosi around again to follow Eleanor by the time the fanboy collided with a tree across the clearing, leaving a dent. Ranma flicked Lugosi's reins, still fuming and muttering something about dubfriend perverts. Eleanor glanced back once at the unconscious fanboy, a thoughtful look on her face. "Quite a punch that girl has. I wonder..." She turned to follow the others, just as Roland materialized out of the trees, a struggling Ryouga thrown over one shoulder. "We're almost to Taren's Ferry," said Roland. "If we hurry, we can make it to the village. The fanboys may be unwilling to approach so many people." Everyone nodded. Ranma glanced around, the numerous differences in her new body not foremost in her mind for the first time since leaving home. As they raced along, the trees seemed to blur by. The world narrowed to include just the path, the feel of the horses' pounding hooves, and the relentless cries of the pursuing fanboys. Suddenly, a new noise entered this environment. Faintly, in the distance Ranma heard a repetitive crashing noise. "Lagmen!" she screamed. Eleanor turned to look. Ranma pointed in the direction of the sound. "It's getting louder!" Eleanor cocked her head for a moment, listening. Then she nodded at Roland, who lept off his horse and vanished quickly into the bushes on the side of the path. "Keep moving!" Eleanor yelled over the fanboy's cries. "We have to reach the ferry. Roland will meet us there!" She looked around, and saw that the horses were out of breath and beginning to stagger. "This won't do. Here." She walked over to Hinako's horse. "I don't want any of your Aes Sedai witchery!" Hinako snapped, but Eleanor placed her hands on the horses leg insistently. The horse shivered for a moment, then seemed to dance, almost impatiently, ready to run again. Eleanor repeated the process with all the horses, then turned to their riders. Ignoring all protests, she placed her hands on them, one after another. When it came Ranma's turn, she tried to flinch away, but Eleanor was relentless. Ranma felt a strange chill go through her, and then all her fatigue seemed drained away, as if she'd just had a good night's sleep. "Now, we must hurry!" she snapped. "No more delays! The lagmen draw closer, and I daresay none of you have the slightest clue as to what's truly at stake here! Far more than your lives rides on this!" At that moment, the fanboys broke through the trees. They spotted the party, and gave a howl of glee. "Where can you get the best price on import CD's?" "Does Kei or Yuri have the better figure?" "Do you still think Gally's a babe even though she's a cyborg?" "Is Madoka or Kyoko better looking?" Ranma covered her ears and spurred her horse onward. She tried to concentrate on just the path, and avoiding obstacles, but the fanboy's odd cries broke through her concentration constantly. "Which of the Sailor Senshi really DOES have the biggest chest?" "SHUT UP!" Ranma stopped, and turned to face the fanboys. "JUST SHUT UP!" She had a feeling as if she'd reached out and grabbed pure sunlight suddenly. The warm energy filled her, flowing throughout her body. She was distracted from this new feeling when the fanboys began slowly to advance. One opened its mouth to scream out another odd battle cry. "NO! SHUT UP!!" Ranma raised her hands as if to ward off another incomprehensible question, but it was not forthcoming. She peeked over her hands. The fanboys were standing there in shock, moving their mouths like fish underwater, but unable to make any sound. "You'd best keep moving, girl!" Ranma turned around to see Eleanor. "We've got to make the ferry tonight!" Ranma sighed in relief, realizing it must have been Eleanor who froze the fanboys. She ran to catch up with the others. Eleanor remained a moment, looking down at the shocked and unhappy fanboys pensively. "Indeed...an odd village I seem to have visited. The old blood runs strong there. I really must get these girls to the Tower." She turned to follow the others. *************************** "Look!" Shinnosuke called out. "Lights! We're approaching Taren's Ferry!" Eleanor glared at him. "Don't count yourself safe yet! We have to cross the Taren river tonight, or none of us will live to see the light of day!" She pushed forward towards the lights. "We'll soon be across, but do NOT speak unless I tell you to and do not fall behind." Hinako seemed ready to argue, but once again Eleanor quieted her with a glare. They continued forward, with Hinako muttering something under her breath and avoiding Eleanor's gaze. All but Eleanor were frightened by the sudden appearance of a man, seemingly out of nowhere, before they realized it was Roland. "I've arranged for the ferrymaster to take us across. He needed some... convincing...to get out of his bed to carry us across, but the sight of good Andoran gold, as well as a loosely sheathed blade, helped to win him over to our side. But I suggest you all keep on your guard in case he decides it would be more profitable to merely set upon us and take our possessions." He stalked off towards the river, becoming only a vague shadow in the fog again. The others followed; Hinako avoiding Eleanor, Ryouga's horse fastened to hers so he wouldn't ride off in the wrong direction, Shinnosuke still nursing a large bruise on his cheek with an occasional glare at Ranma, and Ranma staring anywhere but at her companions. Soon they reached the fog-covered river...even Ranma was startled out of her stupor when the horse's footsteps changed tone as they stepped onto the dock. It seemed so loud that she was sure the fanboys would hear them. The river also seemed unnaturally loud, and Ranma nervously backed her horse to where she could tell she wouldn't fall into the unseen cold depths of the Taren. She shivered in the cold, wondering why she hadn't grabbed a warmer coat before leaving. Fool, she thought to herself, it was because you were being chased by lagmen at the time. Down below, the river raced uncaringly and rapidly along its cold path. Ranma shivered to think of falling in... even the Two Rivers folk, who were good swimmers, would be quickly swallowed up in the raging waters. Shortly, the ferrymaster, a stocky, balding man arrived. He looked nervously at Roland's hand where it lay on the hilt of his sword, lying loosely in the scabbard. "Are you planning on bringing the horses too? The ferry may not be able to carry them all in this weather." Roland just gazed at the man, who swallowed nervously. "I mean, well, for a small extra fee, for the additional danger, you know, we could carry the horses." Roland never stopped staring the man straight in the eyes as he dropped one additional coin into his hand. The man looked about to say something, then seemed to think better of it. He motioned for his men to come forward, and they began to pole the ferry across the river. The crossing was cold and wet, and more than once Ranma was afraid they would be dumped into the cold depths of the Taren. But despite whatever vices he might have, the ferrymaster was good at his job. After ten minutes during which Ranma later thought that the Wheel of Time itself must have been turning incredibly slowly - for they seemed like ten hours - the shivering band of travelers stood on the other side of the Taren. The last horse had just gotten off the ferry when the Taren seemed to come alive and swallow the wooden boat. The ferrymaster and his men stood at the edge of the river, staring in shock as Eleanor motioned for the others to follow her. When they were a short distance away, Hinako muttered angrily, "You didn't have to sink that man's boat!" Eleanor just fixed her with a level gaze. "Do you honestly think, child, that he or his men could have kept silent in the face of a fanboy or lagman? If they were to return to the village, they would surely be questioned about any travellers heading across the Taren. We need all the lead we can get. Now, if we ride fast enough, we can make Baerlon before too long." She urged her horse onward, leaving the others no choice but to follow. *************************** Finally, exhausted, they stood at the top of a hill and looked down over Baerlon. "Blood and ashes!" exclaimed Shinnosuke, "It's huge! You could fit ten Nerima's Field's in there!" Roland tried to hide a smile. Down below them, small stone houses, some with metal roofs instead of the hay used in Nerima's Field, were arranged in rows, inside a stockade wall. They rode down to the gate, where the guard addressed Eleanor with the ease of long aquaintance. Shinnosuke and Ryouga glanced around in awe at the number of people and houses they rode past. Hinako tried to pretend not to be interested, and seeing this, Akemi tried to mimic her. Even Ranma forgot her troubles long enough to look around them. As a result, she nearly rode into Roland when he abruptly drew his horse up at an inn. After they dismounted and brought their packs into the common room, the innkeeper rushed out to meet them. "Ah, Mistress Eleanor, Master Roland! It's so good to see you. I see you've brought some friends along! I'll get your rooms ready and have Ukyou take your bags and get the baths ready for you." He hurried off, leaving Ranma and the others blinking while Eleanor turned to a young boy with long, black hair bound back. She began to quietly discuss something with him. Ranma, standing nearby, overheard some of the conversation. "Do you know who they're looking for?" asked Eleanor. The boy nodded. "Some Aes Sedai named Cologne, and her Warder, Soun." Eleanor exchanged a glance with Roland, who grimaced. "Well, we're all too exhausted to worry about that now. Ukyou...child, what's wrong?" For Ukyou was looking rather confusedly at Ranma. He shook his head as if to clear it and smiled at Eleanor. "Nothing. Let me go get the baths ready." He hurried up the stairs. Ranma shrugged and trooped upstairs with the others. She turned to go into the bath for men, but Roland blocked her way. "But, but I'm a GUY!" she protested. Roland merely gazed levelly at her, and finally she turned and, very red, walked slowly into the women's bath. From behind the men's door she heard Shinnosuke protesting that if Ranma would be more comfortable in the men's bath, she should use that. She shut the door behind her, and, red-faced, tried to avoid looking at the girls already in the bath. She stripped down for the bath, still avoiding looking down, and the awareness of changes that it would bring. Slowly, she slid into the corner of the bath... *************************** Eleanor looked up in surprise as the first screams sounded from the women's bath. She hurried down to the door and opened it, hearing as she got closer the cries of 'pervert!'...she reached the door only to see an unconscious...and male...Ranma lying on the floor. "My, my..." she muttered. "This does complicate things." End Chapter 2.