Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Through the Eyes of a Dragon ❯ Part 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Through the Eyes of a Dragon
A Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic

Disclaimer: I did not originate the characters borrowed from Ranma 1/2 and
Sailor Moon (nor those from Palladium's books), nor did I originate the
associated plot ideas, location, and so forth.

(Revised) Part 1

Ranma looked up at the sky. It was getting towards night; he'd need to
find a good place to camp.

He sighed. Training was all he did now; he hadn't been back to the dojo, or to school, for over a month. Too many memories; too many well-meaning (or ill-meaning) encounters with people who didn't care or didn't understand.

Kuno was out for his blood; Kodachi, Shampoo, and Ukyo all pursued him harder than ever. Oyaji, Soun, and Cologne all trying to manipulate him more, trying to coerce him.

Oddly enough, Ryouga hadn't been giving him any grief; he was probably feeling the same way. Lucky pig; at least he could get lost at the drop of a hat, could, without trying, lose everybody who attempted to follow him.

'Poor Ryouga. Poor Ranma. Poor...'

He refused to go any further. No sense in getting depressed like Ryouga.

There was a faint rumble in the sky, as clouds drifted in from the north.

'Not enough time to set up a shelter. Maybe I can find a cave or something to weather it out,' he thought, looking around for a likely candidate.

A small cliff-face rose up off to the right, and he headed towards it. The cliff had a few sizable niches and a few caves, mostly near the top, except for one largish one that was only about twenty feet off the ground.

He shrugged. This seemed to be good enough.

He crouched, then jumped up to the opening, and peered inside. It was quite large, and the cave went back farther than he could see.

'Perfect. I'll just get some wood and I'll even have a fire.'

He set his pack down by one of the walls, and jumped down to the ground to get the firewood, while the sky grew darker and the rain began to fall.


The fire crackled and hissed as he laid out his sleeping bag, and then sat and watched it burn, occasionally stirring it with a stick.

Akane was dead. It was time he accepted that. His first real friend in almost ten years of traveling, maybe even more than a friend, gone. He'd never find out if they were meant to fall in love, as his father seemed to think; he never got the chance to really train her like she wanted.

It was all his fault. Maybe if he fought harder, or maybe if he had stayed home in the first place, she'd still be alive...

"It's my fault. If I had tried harder, she'd still be alive. If I had killed Saffron sooner, she would have had time..."

"And maybe she wouldn't, youngling," a deep, hollow voice echoed in the cave.

"Huh? Who's there!?"

Ranma whirled, looking around. He hadn't sensed anyone approach, and he couldn't see or hear any movement beyond the firelight.

"Who, me? Why, I'm only a memory of ages past..." the voice replied with a hint of humor.

A formless light seemed to gather in the cave, illuminating...

A reptilian face, with a long scaled body coiled up behind it, far longer than anything Ranma had seen before. A dragon.

Ranma's eyes widened. He'd never really seen an actual dragon; Herb wasn't really a dragon - just descended from one, after all. It was... huge!

It was also slightly transparent.

"Wha...?"

The dragon's eyes danced in a lively pattern. "If you don't close your mouth, youngling, you'll be catching flies soon."

Ranma shut his jaw with a *snap*, and flushed.

"Whaddya want?" he said, with a hint of his customary insolence.

"Why, nothing. I was just curious about who was staying in my cave."

Ranma stood up, somewhat unnerved.

"I'm Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. And, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way; I won't disturb your rest any more."

The dragon smiled. "A disturbance would be quite welcome. It's been a long time since I've talked with anyone, and you... intrigue me. You have a strong spirit, and one that seems quite pure in purpose."

Ranma sat back down reluctantly.

"Now tell me, youngling, what is it that's troubling you? I gather that you lost someone close to you... who was she?" the dragon asked in a strangely gentle tone.

Ranma hesitated.

'Oh, why not. Maybe talking about it could help.'

"My fiance, Akane. She died a little over a month ago, in China."

"I see. Did you love her?"

"I-I think so. I mean, I liked her; she was my first real friend in ten years, and she was my fiance. I guess we never really got the time to sort out how we felt, really. And now we never will."

"Tell me how she died."

Ranma found himself telling the whole tale; the trip to China, Akane's kidnapping, the springs, and Saffron.

"And you blame yourself for her death." It was not a question.

"Yes! If I had been faster, or if I had..."

"I wouldn't say that her death is your fault; from what I see, you tried as hard as you could to save her. The one truly at fault would be Saffron. Any person involved could've, might've, done something different. You can't blame yourself more than any other person in it, except for those who did what they did, intending her death."

"But I-"

The dragon cut him off. "Would she have blamed you?"

"Yes! It-"

"I doubt it. You fought hard, far harder than anyone had any right to expect from you. Let your soul be at peace. Remember her in your heart, and let yourself heal. You lost your friend; don't lose yourself as well."

"I'll... try." Ranma paused. "So, who are you?"

The dragon paused for a moment, then looked rather sheepish.

"You know, I've been here so long, I do believe I've forgotten my name. How embarrassing!"

Ranma sweatdropped.

"Ahh... so; you're a dragon?"

"Well, not really. I've been... kinda... dead for the past few centuries."

Ranma blinked.

"So you're the ghost of a dragon?"

"Well... yes."

"Huh."

The dragon looked him over.

"So, what are you going to do now? It does help to find something to do to get over your grief, you know."

"Well, I suppose I'll go back to the dojo soon, and find some way of getting rid of the other fiancees."

The dragon looked nunplussed.

"... How many do you have?"

"Currently two... that I know of... plus a psychotic gymnist."

His host winced at the bitter tone in his voice.

"... All oyaji's fault. And then I guess I'll go live with my mother."

The dragon sighed.

"Once you're done with settling your affairs, come back and I'll give you some training. With the life you've led, and doubtless will continue to lead, you probably could use it."

"Uh... thanks."

"Good night, youngling."

The illumination dimmed and vanished, leaving Ranma alone by the fire.

***** *****

Ranma hiked through the forest towards the cliff that, two weeks ago, he had met the dragon.

'I hope he was serious about that training; I need new stuff to practice.'

As the cliff face came into view, he wondered what the training would be...

He built a fire in the cave and waited for night to fall.

"Ahh... back so soon, youngling?" came the half-expected voice, as the cave lit up. "So, how did it go?"

Ranma sighed.

"Well, it could have been worse, but not by much..."

**** flashback ****

Everyone was gathered together in the dojo, each responding to a hand-written
message from Ranma:

Please come to the Tendo Dojo at noon tomorrow, concerning the matter of my
engagements.

Ranma Saotome

'At last, Ranma will get rid of that Chinese hussy and marry me!' Ukyo
thought with a dreamy expression on her face.

'Airen finally come back to China and marry Shampoo!' Shampoo thought, with an
identical expression on her face.

'Ah, the boy has come to his senses and agreed to marry a Tendo and I'll at
last get my retirement of leisure!' a rather over-large panda thought.

'Oh ho, Ranma-darling will at last run off with me and declare his love!'

Cologne, Nabiki, Soun, and Kasumi just sat there, waiting.

Ranma walked in.

"Ranchan!"

"Airen!"

"Ranma-darling!"

He sighed. He had just known this would be a mistake. Maybe he should've just
left.

But he had to at least try to solve things.

"Siddown, everyone."

Shampoo and Kodachi sat down.

"I've been thinkin about this whole mess, an how I feel about it, and I've
come to some decisions."

'At last!' most of the room thought.

He turned to Ukyo, and knelt down in front of her. This would be the hardest
of all.

"I'm sorry, Ucch- Ukyo, but I don't love you the way you want. I'd still like
to be your friend, but I can't marry you. I'm sorry."

Ukyo stared up at him in shock.

"What? But- you- I-"

He got up, and moved over to Shampoo.

"Shampoo..."

She jumped up and glomped him.

"Aiyah! Now we get married and go to China, yes?"

He gently disengaged from her and set her back down.

"No. I'm not going to marry you. I don't love you, and have no intention of
living in your village."

"Son-in-law, she is your wife. Amazon law demands that you come back to the
village," Cologne said, rather sternly.

Ranma turned to face Cologne.

"Guess what, old ghoul? I'm NOT an amazon, and I'm NOT in your village! I am
not bound by your laws, and my laws do not support your claims!"

He strongly suspected that his place in the village would not be a comfortable
one - second class citizen at the best - and he had no illusions about his ability to
overcome a whole tribe of amazons and escape once he got there.

He turned around and faced Kodachi. He didn't want to get immersed in a
pointless argument, at least, not before he was finished.

"Kodachi-" he said, his voice not gentle at all.

"Ranma-darling! At last, with these harlots out of the way, and that filthy
peasant dead, we can-"

Ranma's eyes hardened, and the temperature of the room dropped at least 20 degrees.
Cologne stopped what she was about to say, and Nabiki winced. That was an exceptionally
stupid thing to say.

"Kodachi." Ranma's voice was like ice, "I don't love you, and never did. Your mind is
as warped as your soul, and if you speak of Akane again like that, you will... not like the
consequences. Am I understood?"

Kodachi sat, wide-eyed, stunned. She didn't say a word.

He grimaced. 'One more to go...'

He turned to his father and the Tendos.

"I'll be moving out, and finding a place to live." He turned to Soun, and gave a
small bow. "Thank you for housing me, Tendo-san."

"But, son; what about the pledge to the Tendos? Do you have no honor? How could-"
Genma burst out.

Ranma broke in. "Who are you to speak to me of honor, with everything you've done to me?"

He turned back to Soun, and gave a sad little smile.

"I would not put either of your daughters at the same risk as Akane..."

He stopped and looked around at everyone. He sighed. They weren't listening.

'Well, it looks like this was a total waste... I'll give them maybe an hour to get over
the shock before they start up again.'

He walked out of the dojo, grabbed his pack, which contained the sum of all of his
belongings, and walked off.

Back in the dojo, people started drifting out, already plotting their next attacks.

**** end flashback ****

"Nobody really seemed to believe me except for Soun, Nabiki, and Kasumi. Everyone else
just won't give up."

The dragon shrugged. "Did you really expect them to?"

"Well... not really, but, still..."

"Enough of that, youngling. It's time for me to teach you. First, however, I need you to
demonstrate what you already know."

He paused, then said "Begin!"

Several hours later, Ranma was drenched with sweat. He had pushed himself almost non-stop,
flowing through kata after kata at the fastest speeds he could push himself at. He demonstrated
how he used his battle aura, and the chi techniques that he picked up. He demonstrated the Hiryuu
Shoten Ha, although he didn't have a target to perform it on, and performed the strongest Moko
Takabisha that he could muster. With some hesitation, and a little prompting, he even displayed
the Forbidden Techniques of the Umi-senken (which did seem to impress his audience).

He carefully walked over to his bed roll, trying hard not to stagger with exhaustion.

"So, how did I do?"

"Impressive... most impressive. I haven't seen such skill in a long time. There is
little in the ways of martial arts that I could teach you; you are at the point that you
will improve best on your own."

"So you can't teach me?"

"I didn't say that, youngling. There are still a few things that you can learn. We
can start with your senses... sit down in a comfortable position and close your eyes."

Ranma shrugged and did so.

"Good. Now let your thoughts go... relax your emotions, and feel for your center;
where your aura feels strongest."

The dragon then paused for a moment.

"Now release your aura, and just stretch out your senses and listen."

A small mouse scurried out and crouched over Ranma's pack, and started rummaging for food.
The dragon grinned. Perfect.

"Can you feel anything?"

"Like what? I feel uncomfortable and a little cold; that's it."

"Forget that. Listen and feel for energy; much like you normally would sense a
well-developed battle aura. You are searching for life, youngling. Stretch out your spirit, relax,
and feel the world around you."

Ranma furrowed his brow.

The dragon watched, and waited.

The mouse nibbled on a piece of dried fruit.

The fire crackled.


A half hour later, Ranma slowly said "I think I feel something... off to the left?
Something small?"

The dragon smiled.

"Good. Now open your eyes and look for what you sensed."

Ranma opened his eyes and looked over to his left, where his pack lay.

"I don't see anything there; just my pack-"

The pack rustled, and Ranma's eyes met those of a well-fed mouse, still holding
a small piece of fruit.

"Hey! Get away from there, you little runt!"

Ranma lunged for the mouse, who ducked behind the pack and scurried off into
the night.

"Grrr... little rodent!"

"Calm down, youngling... that mouse was what you sensed. Now, we practice and
practice until you can detect various kinds of energy around you."

"What's the use of being able to detect mice?"

"You have encountered magic and demons before, yes? Imagine, youngling, being
able to know when something evil approaches, or being able to sense someone under a
spell? Or perhaps you are in a pitch black room, and you need to fight, without relying
on any of your senses. I'm sure you can see the use of that."

"Err... makes sense, I suppose."

"Good. Now, get back to sleep. We start in the morning."

****

Nabiki smirked as she organized her accounts current. Whatever stunt Ranma was
trying to pull, it was quite profitable, for however long it took to find him. Everyone
seemed to want to find him, and naturally paid her for the location. She in turn sold
information on what each of the others was plotting, and thus every one of them spent
their time foiled each others' plots, thus leading to more frustration and more yen for her!

Her mind carefully avoided... the reasons for Ranma's departure, and she coped with
grief in the same way as she always had - she threw herself into her current tasks with
renewed fever.

The amazons were the first to come to her - Ukyo soon followed, and then Kodachi,
almost immediately after the meeting in the dojo had degenerated into a fight, with each
potential fiance blaming the others for 'scaring Ranma away.'

Next, her father and the panda tried to get her to help them, and paid a large amount
to locate the "wayward groom". She briefly noted that they seemed to be pushing Kasumi into
accepting the engagement; after their abortive attempt to convince her - and her almost
violent response - they seemed to have settled on her... remaining sister (and here her mind
hitched a bit, before directing attention away from that dangerous line of thought) as the
best choice.

It would be best, she thought grimly, if they didn't succeed. While she didn't blame
Ranma - quite... she didn't want her family involved with him. Ranma's life was far too
dangerous for those around him.

Kodachi had offered a significant sum, and her brother had offered a larger one for
the locations of the 'foul sorcerer' and his 'pig-tailed love.'

Now, she spent her time searching for Ranma, on a daily retainer too, while the
conflicts escalated. Ukyo spent her time drinking and running her restaurant, pausing only in
another attempt to foil the amazons' plans. The amazons were preparing to haul Ranma back home
with them, willing or not.

Nabiki made another mental note to investigate that further - they seemed to be more
and more frantic to find Ranma... almost as if they had a time limit...

The Kunos were merely being nuisances to the others, and her father and Mr. Saotome spent their
time playing shogi and bemoaning 'such a worthless boy,' and half-heartedly come up with plans
to coerce Ranma to the altar with Kasumi once he was found.

Soon, she would find wherever he was hiding, and the real money would roll in!

But she had to be careful to ensure that Ranma, and his deadly karma, stayed away from
what was left of her shattered family.

****

Ranma sweated as he concentrated on the air in front of him. It was a month since he
started training, and it was a month spent in constant labor. After pronouncing his senses
"adequate," his new teacher started to instruct him in the real thing; magic.

At first, Ranma was a bit leery of learning it; his previous exposures to magic were
never very benign, whether it was Jusenkyo curses, love potions, or a phoenix's fire. However,
his teacher's arguments were quite... persuasive...

**** flashback ****

"You WILL learn it!" he said with a slight frown that showed a little too much in the way
of teeth for Ranma's comfort. "Or are you, perhaps, too much of a coward like your father, who
would cower in front of an angry child with a dull kitchen knife? You are a martial artist,
correct?"

Ranma was a bit taken aback at first, but his customary bravado reasserted itself. "Of
course I am! I'm the best!"

The dragon gave a bit of a smirk that reminded Ranma of the times that Nabiki got him to
say something that would become an incredible embarrassment later.

"Well then, youngling... what is the purpose of a martial artist? What is the most
important duty of someone who studies the art and becomes strong?"

"Err... to protect those weaker then themselves?" Ranma said, a bit hesitantly. He had an
inkling of where this was going, and it didn't look good.

"And wouldn't it be your DUTY, as a martial artist, to become the best you can be, in
order to protect better," the dragon thundered, "and wouldn't you therefore owe it to yourself,
and to those who you would protect, to learn everything you can?"

"Uhhh..." Ranma really couldn't see any way out of it...

"WELL?"

"Uhh... yes?"

"Well then," his teacher's voice dropped from a bellow that eerily resembled that of a drill
sergeant to a (to Ranma's mind, safer) more muted rumble, "why would it be so bad to learn how to
use the natural forces around you? After all," and here his voice became almost coaxing, "many of
the effects of magic, especially spirit or chi-driven magic, are very much like what you can do with
certain application of pure chi."

"B-but..."

"Are you so frightened of something so natural?"

The dragon shot Ranma a scathing look, to which he responded with the beginning of an angry
huff and blustering denial.

"Of course not! I-"

He was shut up by another look, and looked down and sighed. Was it really all that important?

"Okay, fine. Now tell me what I gotta do."

**** end flashback ****

And that brought him to his present predicament: for the past two days, he'd gotten no sleep and no food. In front of him was a veritable feast, protected by a shield of magic generated by his new teacher (torturer, he mentally amended), and which he was determined to break. Until he did, it was declared, he couldn't eat, and he wouldn't be permitted to sleep, either.

First, deciding to 'cheat' a bit, he tried using a form of chi-blast to break it, only to receive a painful surprise when it 'bounced' off of the dome and smacked him in the forehead. The smirk on the dragon's face served only to motivate him, and he spent a (very) painful half-hour blasting at it with his chi, and trying to use physical attacks (which was quite painful, to say the least), before giving up and deciding to take a nap, and figure it all out later.

Second mistake.

No sooner had his eyes shut than be was roughly awoken by a jolt that reminded him of the time he had hit a live wire coming down from a malleting. The smirk on his teacher's face widened.

"What the hell was that for??" he snapped angrily.

"Now, now, youngling..." and here the voice was almost mocking, "no napping for you
until you can do this!"

Ranma had muttered something unintelligible (and impolite) and sat up, glaring at the dome of glistening air.

Ever since then, he'd been examining the globe, pushing at it with his new senses
and abilities, trying to figure out how to open it. With little success, too.

Gradually, over the past two days, he had learned how to use his chi to crudely "push" at the barrier, rather than that first disasterous blast, but with little success. No matter how hard he shoved at it, it just seemed to flex and waver.

There was a sigh, and he looked up.

"Youngling, try to use the natural magical energy inside you, rather than your life
energies or chi. It will work a lot faster; trust me."

Ranma glared.

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

The dragon gave him a look that reminded him of a teacher who couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how he could have gotten such a dense student.

"You weren't listening earlier, were you?"

"Err... uhh... well..."

"I take that as a 'no.'"

"Well..."

The dragon gave another long-suffering sigh, and them cleared his (rather
insubstantial) throat.

"Well, do you remember what I told you about finding your magical center?"

"Err... yeah, kinda."

"Well, then... do it!"

Ranma closed his eyes and sought inwards. He slowly brought one hand up, and a
glimmering ball of blue appeared above it. He opened his eyes.

"There."

The dragon frowned.

"No, that's your chi."

"... What's the difference?"

"Well, youngling, your chi can be seen as your life force. It's reflected in
your determination, your mental strength, and your health. The weaker your chi, the frailer you tend to be."

"Like Ms. Hinako, before the old perv fixed her up?"

"Yes, very much like her; her ability to drain off others' chi is what keeps her
healthy, since she had little chi of her own. Magic, however, is centered in the spirit; the soul, if you will. Unlike when you gather your chi, you need to first 'find' your spirit before bringing it out. Often, with chi, you focus, but with magic, you need to keep a connection with your soul. Focus on your center, instead of on your target."

Ranma frowned.

"So, how do I find it, then?"

"Remember what I said, the first day, about feeling where your aura is strongest?
Do that."

Ranma sat down and meditated.

Ten minutes later, he said "Okay, now what?"

"Concentrate on that point until you feel a warmth."

"Okay... ... ... and?"

In your mind, concentrate on it. Now, bring your hand up, and, still holding on
to that warmth, let part of that warmth flow up your arm and coalesce above your hand."

Ranma slowly lifted his arm. A frown furrowed his brow in concentration as a
gleaming ball of pearly white light sparkled in mid-air.

"Now open your eyes"

Ranma sat up and stared as the illumination coming from above his palm.

"Good. Now, look closely at it; describe the color or colors in the center of
the ball."

Ranma leaned closer and squinted.

"Whitish, but there's something funny about it; as if there was some sort of
rainbow sheen coating it."

The dragon quirked an eyebrow. Interesting... he had half-expected it to breed
true, knowing what he did of Ranma's family history, but it was still gratifying to
see.

'Every third generation...'

"Err... is there something significant about the color?"

"The color often indicates what associations your magic has, youngling."

"Huh?"

"Magic can be divided into elements. A person's spirit often will have ties
to one or two elements."

"Elements?"

"There are five, corresponding to the five elements found in nature: air,
fire, water, metal, and wood. Most magic - most mortal magic falls within the bounds
of these five."

"So how can you tell what element someone has?"

"The color of someone's magic often gives a clue to the nature of a person's gift. A reddish tint indicates fire, while a bluish hue corresponds to water. A yellow or white shade usually indicates air, green for metal, and a brown color is for wood."

"So I correspond to air, then?"

"Not exactly, youngling. Note that earlier I said 'most' mortal magic falls
within these bounds. There are a few exceptions... such as 'spirit' magic."

"Spirit magic?"

"What you saw just now. Spirit magic represents itself as a white glow, like air, but is distinguished by the irridescent sheen and faint rainbows inside. It is, perhaps, one of the rarest of human (and other) magics, although it is not necesssarily more powerful than any other. It's strength is most amenable to the focuses of one's will - it is somewhat more adaptable and malleable to your wishes, and is much more instinctive - less training is usually needed to use it. I myself manifest both spirit magic and air magic, which is a very rare combination; spirit magic usually doesn't mix with any other kind. However, it often closely resembles chi in manifestations, and is, in many cases, very tightly linked to it. In fact, those who are adept at manifesting chi who turn to the study of magic are more likely to have ties to spirit magic than those who do not. Certain beings that are linked with the chi-flows of the earth also commonly
manifest a spirit aura.

"Why is that? I mean, why the link?"

"The most likely explanation lies in the traits often shared by those who hold
a bond to a particular element. For example, those tied to fire often are
passionate, in either anger or in love, and are often creative and have quiet a temper, while those of water tend to be calm and adaptable, often calmly planning for the long view. Wood is slow but steady; those who share it's nature are solid and stubborn, and very loyal to those who gain their affection. Air is light and quick, curious and
impulsive, and those traits are shared with those connected to it. Metal is
unyielding and strong, and so are those aligned with it a rock and a shield for those around them. Spirit magic seems to most often manifest those with a strong life-force, reflecting their determination, their will, and their, for lack of a better word, inherent 'nobility,' and those are also some of the same traits reflected in those who have achieved some mastery of chi."

Ranma was... intrigued. This was something new, maybe a chance to learn
not just a new technique that happened to be magical, but a whole new set of
skills that could be applied... anywhere!

"There are a few other forms of natural magic, but they are rare and
often unique, and usually focus upon a concept or pseudo-element, such as time, healing, or an emotion of some kind. Now, youngling, relax, and let the energy flow back into your body."

Ranma sat back, and the glow vanished.

"So, what do we do now?"

"What do we do? Nothing. You, youngling, on the other hand... you practice doing those same motions, centering, finding, drawing, and releasing, until you can center, find, draw, and release under any circumstances whatsoever," and here the dragon's face twisted into a positively gleeful smirk, before continuing. "Once we havefinished with that for the day, you may attempt to use your energy to break the dome and get supper."

Ranma groaned. This was going to be a loooong day.

'Or days,' he silently amended, gazing at the still-smirking ghost.

"Stupid flying snake," he muttered.

'Wham!'

'Crunch!'

"Ite..."

"S ticks and stones, youngling, won't break my bones, but words can
definitely hurt you."

****

Ranma and his teacher stood about ten feet apart of them, ribbons and
beams of amorphous light cracking in the air between each other. A light would
shoot out from one, only to be parried or blocked by a light from the other - rarely would one connect in this elaborate duel of light and energy. Sometimes a wrestling match between two extensions developed, as each sought to trick the other into making a mistake. They had been standing there for hours, each refusing to move. Occasionally one shining spark or beam would get through and impact on the other's skin, causing a sudden flinch. At last, the dragon called a halt.

"That's enough, young... man. You've been making a lot of progress, and I'd say you've done well enough, in my mind; there's not much more I can teach you. Most of what you really need is experience, and you won't get much of that here."

Ranma gave a small smirk and a slight bow.

'Smack!'

The dragon gave a surprisingly solid (for a supposed ghost) cuff on Ranma's cheek, rocking him back.

"Don't let that swell your head; you still have much to learn. Most of it, however, are things that I can't pound into your thick skull - maybe you'll learn better when you've made your own mistakes."

He gave a small grin to take away the sting of his statement.

"I must admit, howeer, that you've done quite well, and I'm proud of you. I do expect you to visit in a few years, though, amd maybe find a nice girl to show off to your poor old teacher, perhaps, hmmm?"

Ranma rolled his eyes and bit back a groan. His teacher, however wise and all-that he may be, did have his faults. One of the more irritating (to Ranma's mind, at least) was his tendency to wax eloquent on Ranma's potential future romantic possibilities. He could understand it from his mother perhaps; she wanted grandchildren after all, but not from HIM. He didn't think he was related to him, after all...

The ghost handed Ranma an elaborate scroll, tied with a golden ribbon and a seal of a coiling silver dragon in golden wax.

"Take this to your mother before you leave to be on your own."

Ranma looked puzzled.

"Why?"

"With some luck, it'll help you patch things up with her, and perhaps enlist her help for dealing with your... other... problems."

At that, Ranma grimaced.

"Don't remind me."

The dragon shrugged.

"They'll still be there whether or not you consider them. Besides, one should always keep on good terms with one's mother... I'd bet she misses you terribly."

Ranma winced, and then sighed and nodded. He'd take it to his mother... he
did owe her a lot of lost time, after all... ten years' worth, more or less.

"All right, all right."

The dragon suddenly started to glow brighter, and then slowly faded out.

"Remember to visit, and keep practicing; you'll never know when you'll need it."

Ranma watched as the light dimmed into a single spark, which them vanished.
Giving a small, if sincere, bow, he hefted his pack and walked out of the cave that had been his home for eight months.

As he walked away, unseen eyes watched him go.

'Good luck, Ranma, son of Nodoka of the clan of Takari... Soon it will be time for you to truly awaken to your heritage, descendent of mine."

***** *****

Ranma, sweating slightly in the mid-day heat, carried a large box up to the apartment. This would be the last of it; next was... unpacking. Joy.

His visit to his mother had been surprisingly anticlimatic. He half expected to be ambushed by the Nerima Nutso Squad by the time he left (courtesy of Nabiki), or to encounter his good-for-nothing bum of a father.

Instead, his mother had greeted him with a smile and outstretched arms - no katana. She had asked him how he way, and then after the pleasantries were out of the way, had asked him where he'd been.

**** flashback ****

She sat across from him, sipping tea as she looked at him.

"Where have you been, Ranma? It's been eight months... without any word or mention! I've been worried about you... I even went back to the Tendos' to see if that father of yours had struck again, and found nothing except a crying man wailing about the schools never joining, a pair of still-grieving girls, and a blustering walking panda-steak.

"G-gomen. I was... busy"

She looked at him more intently and her expression softened somewhat.

"Ah. I think I understand... are you feeling better?"

"I think so. Actually, I spent most of the time training with a new sensei."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "And does this teacher have a name?"

"Ummm..." he flushed in embarrassment. "I never really asked, come to think of it." He scratched his head and laughed nervously.

She smiled at his obvious discomfort at forgetting something like that.

"So, what was he like? Did you learn anything?"

'Manners, perhaps?' she thought. She loved her manly son, she really did, but there were some things that... needed improvement.

"Well, he was... well... different, I suppose..."

He stopped, and then fished a scroll from his pack and gave it to her.

"He said to give this to you."

She turned it over and over a few time, and her eyebrows shot up when she saw the golden seal. Then, she carefully broke the wax and took a few minutes to peruse the letter. She then calmly folded it up, set it aside, and sat in thought for a moment.

"What does it say?"

She was slow in answering.

"I think... that it's something that it would be best for you to find out when you're a bit older. Don't worry; your teacher is... an old friend of the family... you're quite lucky, you must realize, to have him."

"You KNOW him?"

I've never met him, really, but I know OF him... perhaps I'll tell you more of him later. But first -"

She pulled a familiar long bundle wrapped in rice paper from beside her and calmly unwrapped it, revealing the Saotome family sword.

"I believe that this should be yours, Ranma."

He caught his breath and carefully took it from her. He drew it a few inches and look at his shining reflection in the unmarred steel. Then he reverently slid it back in it's sheath and gave it back to her.

"I'm not ready, mother... at least, not yet."

She gave him a smile and she wrapped it back up and then stood up, drawing him to his feet. She embraced him for a moment, and then let go.

"Stay in touch, Ranma... and find a girl, settle down, and give me grandchildren," she said with only a hint of a smile showing that she wasn't serious - at least, not completely. After all, she wasn't getting any younger, and neither was Ranma.

He nodded and gave her an answering grin.

"I'll keep in touch... I donno about the girl though."

**** end flashback ****

It had gone extremely well, from his point of view, and afterwards he had found an apartment of his own in Juuban, another ward of Tokyo. It was rather small, but it was clean and inexpensive, as property was cheap in Juuban... similar, really, to Nerima in that respect; it was considered risky business to invest in real estate.

He had paid for the first couple of months, but he needed to find a job, or jobs, to pay for food. Maybe he should take a walk before he unpacked...

There was a knock at the door.

'Odd... I just moved in here.'

Curious, he opened to reveal... nobody. He looked around again, examining the halls. Still nobody. Strange. He would have heard it if someone had knocked and then run off as a prank.

As he walked by into the apartment, shaking his head in puzzlement, he almost tripped over a small object on the floor in front of his door and caught himself. Bending down, he picked up a small box with a tiny scroll attached to the top, a miniature gold seal of some sort of other on it... he couldn't quite make out what it was.

He closed the door and walked over to the table, where he set the box down and carefully unsealed the small scroll. There was a short message written in small delicate calligraphy, elaborate and exact in a black ink that seemed to have flecks of gold in it.

'Ranma,
This box holds the key to your past, and it is now time for you to open it.
You will understand more afterwards. Good luck on your future... I see much
excitement ahead of you.

Shen Chih, Feng Dong Ti'

Ranma frowned in bemusement. What kind of a name was that? "Spirit Owl?" And he called himself 'Feng Dong Ti' (Emperor of the East); he'd never heard of such a title, although it sounded kinda like one of his erstwhile opponents like Kirin, Saffron, or Herb would call themselves. And what exactly was this note talking about? His past? He already knew his past... it wasn't as if he had amnesia or something.

The box was small, and made of a polished wood that gleamed with the light from the fixture. It had no apparent opening; only a set of eight ideograms arranged in order around the center, which held his name in elaborate calligraphy. It appeared to be a sort of puzzle box. He held it up in the light and examined it carefully, and then gripped two opposing corners tightly and slid the front out about two millimeters. As he released the corners and set the box down, the top suddenly opened up, and the world disappeared in a blinding flash.

****

He spun in a world full of stars, with constantly changing constellations of lights spinning across his gaze. He felt... at ease. For over a year now he had been bothered by a sense of... incompleteness, as if he had, not forgotten something, exactly, but more that he should know something he couldn't quite grasp. Suddenly, the hazy dreams he'd had for much of his life, each disappearing and forgotten by his waking, made much more sense.

His name was Ranma, but he was much more than that... he felt a connection across the ages - names and lives floated through him, half-remembered. Scenes of lives gone by flickered like candles, leaving behind bits and pieces for him to put together. A voice spoke - his teacher's voice, repeating some of the lore that he had taught him in those long months in that cave.

"Numbers and words have importance, youngling - and certain numbers and names hold great power and significance in our world. A man that holds such a name, or is born under one of those numbers, can change the world. Listen to the stories, legends of the third son born of a house achieving great wealth and power far beyond his older brothers (of which there are many), for example. And such a number repeated is only strengthened - thus one who is the third generation removed from one who is likewise the great-grandson of one who is the third generation from an ancestor of great power, for example, holds great potential for change. Often, too, one's name - the one given at one's birth - even if not one of history and fate, holds great personal power, and sometimes hold hints to what destiny has in store for one.

Sometimes one is reborn on the wheel of life, bound to such a name - fated to repeat the eternal cycle until a rash oath is redeemed, or until one has learned a lesson the gods wish upon one. Stories of those offending the gods being turned into suitable animals until penance is served are common in many cultures."

His teacher had then told a story - the life of a single warrior long ago. Now Ranma SAW that life - felt it, as if it were it own. Yet the details fled, leaving only disjoined scenes and his teacher's voice telling the tale.

The man was a wandering warrior named Chung Shan (loyal mountain) who sought to strengthen himself, to make his family, particularly his revered and ancient great-grandfather and his widowed mother, proud of his accomplishments, and to teach others to likewise strengthen themselves, bringing honor to his small family. The oldest son, with no younger siblings to carry the name of his family, he sought enlightenment and the pinnacles of the human spirit. He had studied under master after master, moving from martial arts to mysticism and back again, until he had found a man known only as Chih Jing (trans: 'golden mirror'). Chih Jing was an old man, looking well into his eighties, who claimed to be immortal. While Chung Shan was skeptical, he did acknowledge that the old man's wisdom and learning was far beyond his own, and perhaps far beyond that of any other man alive. Perhaps he really was immortal, and perhaps not. After all, many claimed to be immortal - all of them grew old and died, in time. Some earched for a perfect alchemical poison to kill the death worms and corrupting agents of the body. Others made pacts with demons or worse, in a quest to deny death it's victory. All failed - at best, merely delaying that which came to every man. Here, he was sure, he would find enlightenment - a goal almost as prized as fabled immortality.

For over a decade he had struggled and worked at the cryptic lessons and teachings, refusing to give up. After all, he had been almost unsurpassed as a warrior, and he was the best. He would not let this defeat him. But eventually, in the thirteenth year, he had thought it all a fake, a giant hoax. He had told Chih Jing that he could not do it, and left the mountain in a cloud of shame. It was clear that enlightenment was not for him - he had failed.

It was then, when he had given up and no longer struggled towards his goal, that he had discovered the last piece of the puzzle, which suddenly pulled all the years of study together. The acknowledgement of one's failure, and the subsequent complete honesty about one's life was essential to learning to transcend it to enlightenment. Ironically, those who seek it the hardest, find it the least - only by learning to let things come in their own time can one transcend one's existance.

Two days later, he ran back to the mountain where Chih Jing lived, to be greeted by the old man's smile and words of congratulation. He had never been so proud in his entire life.

His lessons did not end here - there was still so much for him to learn, and enlightenment was not a goal one can reach - one always strives towards it, but never achieves it. Time became less important as the years passed, and it was without surprise that he noticed that he aged very little, and his teacher even less. He was content to stay on that single mountain in meditation and learning forever - for one can find an infinite wealth of knowledge merely by contemplating oneself.

Eventually, though, Chih Jing told him it was time for him to learn anew the lessons of the outside world, and sent him on a quest to gain the blessings of each of the four dragon kings. Reluctantly, he left the cottage he had built years before, and left, heading north.

He first sought the Dragon King of that frozen direction, and found him in an abandoned monastery in the cold lands to the north and west, where the ground was covered with ice and snow for most of the year's cycle. Here he was given a test; to find the demon immortal named Yin Sha (silver shark), who had cheated the rulers of an ancient hell by hiding his heart and spirit away in a large ruby gem. Once he had found him, he was to convince him to go to his much-delayed fate, so that that the rulers of that hell could finally retire in peace.

It had taken him several years of tracking to find the man, and when he had found him, he was able to make a bet with him. If he won two of three contests with Yin Sha, Yin Sha would peacefully go to his fate. If Yin Sha won, Chung Shan would never trouble him again, after serving him for two years time.

He chose the first contest as a fight with bare hands and feet. He won that one, although with effort and not a little luck - although his once-coal-black hair had long ago turned completely white, his muscles did not lack any of their old strength. The second contest, chosen by Yin Sha, was a similar fight, but with swords. As Chung Shan was relatively unused to the use of any weapon (considering them the way of the barbarian and the coward), he lost easily to the skilled blade and inhuman strength of the demon immortal. The third contest was decided by consensus as a game of Wei Chi (AN: That's the game of 'Go', FYI). The game started at noon, and lasted until sunset, when it was decided that a break for sleep would be taken. The next day, as the sun rose, they ate together in silence and again sat across from each other on the game board, the white and black stones shifting back and forth like the tide all day. Again, at sunset, they departed for sleep. Yet again, on the third day, they rose, ate a hearty breakfast together, and sat across from each other. First Chung Shan would gain an advantage, and then the white pieces of his opponent would turn the tables. Each move was contemplated, as the sun moved slowly across the sky. Finally, only an hour before the sun set, Chung Shan gained a decisive advantage over Yin Sha, and the game, and the contest, was his. His opponent had given him a low formal bow, and congratulated him on the win, and thanking him for a worthy game, before destroying the double-fist-sized ruby that held his mortality in check. With that, the task was finished, and Chung Shan traveled back to the house of the Bei Feng Long Wang (North Dragon King) to receive his blessing.

Next he walked across the length of the Middle Country to the south, to search for the Nan Feng Long Wang (South Dragon King). He found his objective in an ornate cave near a still-active volcano on a small island south of the mainland. Here he received his test: to fetch the living heart of the nearby volcano, and retrieve it for the king. After he did so (which is a tale in itself), and received the fiery essing of the South, he traveled north and west, to seek the Dragon King who resided there. In the mountains west of China, he received his third quest, to slay a nearby demon. Here, too, he received the King's Blessing, and headed to the East, to find the last Dragon King.

Soon he came across a village that was familiar to him; in fact, it was where he grew up, countless years before. The Dragon King of the East lived in a cave in the mountain nearby, and his strode up the path to find his last quest.

Before him stood the cave, and... and oddly familiar figure in front of it. He stopped, stunned with disbelief.

"Great-Grandfather?"

His great-grandfather smiled at him (it almost seemed like a smirk) and gestured for him to come in.

"I was wondering how long it'd be before you'd decided to visit me. Come in, come in."

Chung Shan numbly followed him in, and sat down at a table.

"B-b-but..."

He tried again.

"Y-y-you..."

He snapped his mouth shut and looked a mixture of deep embarrassment and total bewilderment.

"So what are you here for, child?"

"I-I-I seek the Dragon King of the East..."

"Eh? So you think you're ready for the gift of the East, eh?"

"u-u-uh..."

He told himself to stop stammering, but it wasn't working very well.

"Answer me this: a simple question, really..." His great-grandfather paused for a moment, and then continued. "What is the meaning of your existance?"

And with that, the old man suddenly disappeared, leaving Chung Shan behind, gaping like a fish out of water.

For nine days he meditated, trying to find an answer. After the nine days, he had come back with no answer in mind, and waited for the appointed time, dread in his heart. He knew that his great-grandfather would be displeased, and, feeling restless, he took a small walk to clear his mind. The question he had been asked haunted him, had haunted him for the whole time.

'What is the meaning of my existance?'

The question took on a far greater meaning than 'merely' pleasing his great-grandfather, who's nature he shied from thinking about (it brought up rather nervous questions regarding himself that he didn't feel it was quite time for him to ask). He had braced himself for a quest of some sort, invariably difficult or nigh-impossible. He had been ready for any test he could think of... a riddle, a game, anything.

Except this. He had, once he'd recovered, thought it an easy question. But the answer he thought of in a minute, upon further reflection, was wrong. And so, each time he thought he had the answer, the meaning for his existance, it slipped away, leaving him behind. And as it slipped away, it was replaced by an immense sense of failure. What kind of man was he, who didn't know the meaning to his own life, his own being? Had he not learned of enlightenment? Had he not studied for decades on end? How could he not answer such a simple question?

The last of the four tests had struck him in a weak point he never knew he had in over six centuries of life.

Reluctantly, he dragged himself back to the cave and sat down.

"Do you have an answer for me?" A familiar aged voice spoke suddenly from behind him, sending him starting in surprise and shock. He turned to face his great-grandfather, and took a breath.

"I-" he started, and then bowed his head in shame. "I couldn't find an answer, zengzufu (great-grandfather). Duibuchi (I am sorry)."

The old man's eyes crinkled, and, amazingly enough, he smiled. "I would have been surprised if you had, boy. It's a question that isn't meant to be answered, if there is an answer, merely thought about - it's the journey that is important, not the destination. The real 'test' was long ago, as I watched you grow up."

Chung Shan hesitated, and then braved the question that had been on his mind. "Ummm... are you..."

"Really your great-grandfather? Most certainly. A dragon, the ruler of the East? Yes. Even dragons fall in love occasionally, child. Now get on with you... you still have things to learn."

Again, the old man simply disappeared, his voice lingering for a moment. "I AM proud of you, great-grandson. Remember to look me up in a century or so..."

He had come back to Chih Jing's mountain, bursting with pride, only to find his teacher vanished - leaving behind a note elegantly calligraphed in golden ink on a white scroll saying goodbye.

He had left then, seeking to explore the world. Soon after, he met a beautiful young woman and fell in love, living with her and raising a family. When she died, he, still with hair white as the moon and skin firm as a young man's, left without a word, seeking the home of his old teacher.

His son, a quiet man who never lifted a weapon in anger, became a renowned carver of jade and wood, and lived a comfortable life, raising his single son, who took over his trade and also married young.

The village they lived in was attacked by bandits- the only survivors of the raid were a young widow and her infant son, named "Shan Ma" (the mountain horse), who she left at the door of a monastery in the foothills of northern china one morning before dying from cold and exposure. The boy, the great-grandson of Chung Shan, was almost the spitting image of his ancestor - and had his temper as well. He was raised by the monks as a novice, and spent his early life learning the disciplines of the mind and the body, whether in the realms of scholarship and philosophy or on the fields of combat. Early on, his potential had been seen by the monks, who had pushed him to his limits and beyond.

When the dreams had started along with the onset of puberty, the head of the monastery, named simply 'Ying' ('eagle', for his bird-like features) simply nodded - he had known the boy was special, and sent for a retired demon-hunter to train him. Thus Shan Ma learned how to fight demons (a call that, while perhaps seldom needed, was important to many), and spent his life in training and in quests for the demons his dreams showed him. He was, perhaps, lucky, for he survived numerous battles with both men and demons and moved to Japan with his young wife. Soon his family increased by one, and he retired from the demon hunting business in order to raise and train his son.

Regretfully, although he had given up the hunting of demons, demons did not likewise ignore him. One day, he had sensed an outbreak of demonic activity nearby, and had gone to investigate it. He arrived to find a great number of infernal spirits summoned by a reckless martial arts master named Happosai, who had merely been curious as to the purpose of a 3,000-year-old scroll. He arrived too late to seize the scroll, and had to fight against over two dozen demons, several of great power, including one of the dreaded Hei Lou Kung (Black Steel Centipedes), used by the Yama Kings long ago in their bid to take the Hells for their own.

He had fought, bravely enough, but it was a doomed effort. Without the Hei Lou Kung, or if he had time to prepare himself beforehand, he might have been victorous. Perhaps if he had continued his own training, he might have survived. As it was, his dying attack had finished off the giant steel insect and killed the two other remaining demons.

His widow and child did survive, however, and fled to another village, where she found a man willing to adopt her orphaned child and give the boy his surname - Saotome.

**** end flashback ****

Ranma watched as the story ended. He felt curiously... detached from it all. Here was the story of his ancestors - while his teacher had told him the story of Chung Shan, as a lesson in patience, he had not known the rest at all. He distantly noted that Happosai had caused the death of his great-grandfather, and vaguely wondered if he should confront the pervert about it - at the least, he should probably make sure that scroll was burned.

Although he hadn't seen Chung Shan's great-grandfather in any form other than human, in the visions he was pretty sure that his teacher was the same person - err... being. He wondered distantly how his mother had known of him - but he felt like he was floating in water - everything seemed so distant... sleep... yes... that would be...

Ranma watched the swirling constellations around him fade slowly into blackness, and then he similarly faded into unconsciousness.

*****

Author's Notes: Alright! I finally started giving this story a much-needed re-write. First thing to do was the Mystic China cross - while there's still some things from there that inspired certain parts (names, for example), it's not in the crossovers here. Instead of Ranma being a reincarnated immortal, he's the great-grandson, ect, of his teacher (which was actually the original idea, more or less). The way I have it, every 3rd generation (remember that passage on numbers?) descended from the dragon holds power in the form of the ability to change the world in some way - Chung Shan became more or less immortal (he may or may not show up later - haven't decided), Shan Ma (heheh - horse names ^_^) became a demon hunter, and Ranma... well... we'll see.

Lessee... at one point, the dragon claims to have forgotten his name, and also claims to be a ghost (implies it, at least). No, it wasn't that I wrote that and then changed my mind - he lied ^_^. The scene with Ranma and his mother seems a little awkward to me right now, but I don't know how to make it better, really - and yes, Nodoka doesn't know OF the dragon - and not through general myths, either. I sorta glossed over some points when I was doing the family history bit - but it looks all right to me.

I'm also condensing the chapters into the revision posts - this is the prologue and the first two chapters. I think the current revision is better than the last, but would welcome commentary. deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com