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-- File: Ocarina1.txt
Matrix Dragon Presents.....
A NERV Production.....
Ocarina's Love
Part One
Insert standard issue copyright here.
[Times, Dates and Locations]
"Talking in Japanese"
"{Talking in English}"
<Thinking>
Unless stated, all times and dates shown are Japanese time.
***
[9:30 pm, July 13, 1999]
[Tokyo]
"The usual," Ranma Saotome said to the bartender.
"Sure thing Ranma," the Dwarf replied. Ranma looked around the
bar. Places like this were things that most people didn't believe in.
In one corner, a group of people were playing cards. While this could
be considered normal, the fact that only half of them were human was
not. Nearby, a minor demon drowned his sorrows in drink.
This place was a Shadow Bar, a place where those that were part
of the hidden aspect of the world could let their guard down and
relax.
Ranma gulped the drink down, and scowled as he saw a familar
figure walking his way. "What do you want now Crash?"
The half-ogre smirked. "Da boss wants a word with ya."
Ranma shook his head. Crash worked for the local lord of the
Yakuza, who had been usuing meta-humans as long as Ranma had been
alive. "Tell Yotsuya I'm not interested."
The bar fell silent. Everyone there knew Yotsuya had been
trying to 'recruit' Ranma for almost six months now. And amazingly,
Ranma had resisted.
"What da boss wants, da boss gets. Or mebie ya buds get hurt.
Probly da girl. Akane, ain't it?"
Ranma's foot connected with slammed into Crash's face, throwing
the half-ogre into a table. "You're an idiot Crash. Tell Yotsuya I'm
not interested, and if he does harm anyone in any way when he tries
to backmail me, I'll kill him. That includes any financial attacks on
the dojo or the resturants."
"Ya don't have the guts ta kill anyone," Crash growled as he
pulled himself to his feet.
"Tell Yotsuya to investigate Saffron of Mount Phoenix. Then
we'll see if he's willing to risk it."
"Why you little runt!" Crash stepped towards Ranma, but stopped
when a sawn-off shotgun was pointed in his face.
"You've caused enough trouble tonight Crash," the bartender
said calmly. "Out."
Crash left the bar, muttering various things about Ranma. The
pig-tailed martial artist watched him go, then turned back to his
drink.
***
[8:30am, July 14, 1999]
[Nerima]
Ranma devored his breakfast, grateful that his father wasn't
there to make him miserable (He was floating face up in the pond). He
and Akane actually managed to set off for school early, and avoid the
usual glomping by Shampoo.
<I should stay off the fence for the next few days,> he thought
to himself. <She always aims for me when I reach a certain area, so
walking on the footpath might slow her down.>
"Ranma!" The pair turned to see Nabiki running towards them. "I
need to talk to you for a minute."
"Sure thing Nabiki. Akane, go on without me." Akane nodded and
continued towards the school. "What's up?" he asked.
Nabiki pulled a wad of cash out of her pocket and handed it to
him. "Here."
Ranma took the money, slightly confused. "What's this for?"
"It's your share of the profits from this weeks photo sales."
Ranma gave Nabiki a confused look. "So why are you giving them
to me?"
"Well, the photos were of your cursed form. Besides, I've made
enough profit to pay for everything at the moment. It's only fair you
get some of the money."
Ranma held out the money. "Keep it Nabiki. You and I both know
something will happen that will cut into your money supply. I don't
wanna be the reason you and your family end up in the poorhouse."
Nabiki took the money suprised. She watched Ranma run towards
the school, and smiled to herself. "Just when I think I've figured
you out Saotome..." She smiled as the old woman splashed Ranma again,
and he set off for Doctor Tofu's instead.
***
A few blocks from where Nabiki was, a glowing red portal rose
out of the ground, lighting up the alleyway. A young man stepped out
of the portal, a fairy floating next to his shoulder. Behind him the
portal sunk back into the ground. "This is different," he said to the
fairy. "And it's not Hyrule, that much is certain."
"No doubt about it Link," the fairy replied. "I wonder where we
are."
"Well, only one way to find out Navi," Link replied, and
stepped out into the street.
Link examined the area, noting that it was the most advanced
world he had seen yet. Except for the month he spent in the Rifts
corner of the multiverse. He grinned as he remembered some of the
wacky stuff that happened there. He noted the appearence of many of
the people on the street. They were similar to the ones in Juban,
when he had been on the version of Earth with the Sailor Senshi. He
also wondered why people were avoiding him.
The last fact had quite a bit to do with the fact that Link was
a tall seventeen-year-old elf with blond hair, wore a simple tunic,
pants, gloves and boots, and had a sword strapped to his back. In the
opinions of most residents of Nerima, he was simply another fighter
out to get Ranma.
***
[9:00pm]
Link pulled himself up onto a fence, and looked at the school
in front of him. Out the front of the building, a dazed looking young
man with a wooden sword was pulling himself to his feet. A girl
walked past him, said something Link couldn't hear. Then the man
started ranting. Link listened for a minute, then smiled. "There's a
evil wizard around here? All right! Now this is something I can deal
with."
"Don't look now," Navi said, "but I think said evil wizard is
coming."
Link looked at the boy walking through the gates. The boys
power levels were impressive, and there was a trace of magical energy
in him, but it was obvious the boy didn't use magic. "I think you're
wrong there Navi."
"I think the first one is a bit crazy. Remember that crazy
knight a few years back? The one that wasn't quite with it?" Link
nodded. "This guy's emotions are kinda like that. There's something
wrong with them though."
Link shrugged. "You're the Empath, not me." He watched the
swordsman get slammed into the ground face first by the second boy.
"This kids good in unarmed fighting."
The fighter ran into the school, and Link walked forward to
examine the body. He knelt next to the man, examining the injuries.
"Concussion, broken rib, couple of bruises. He'll be out of it for a
while."
"Never!" the boy cried out. "I shall never rest in my quest to
destroy the evil Saotome!"
"Of course, I could be wrong," Link said to Navi. The fairy
shrugged.
"You, what is your name?" the youth demanded, his voice full of
arrogance. Link decided he didn't like this boy.
"I'm-"
"Wait, is it not proper to give one's own name first? I am the
greatest fighter in the Ward of Nerima, the rising star of the Kendo
world! I am Kuno Tatewaki, the Golden Blade!"
<Pompus ass,> Link thought to himself. "Link Hylia. The fairy
is Navi."
"Hi!" Navi said.
"What is this? A fairy? Nay, it is merely an illusion, one
created by Saotome to hide his servants. I shall smite thee!" Navi
flew backwards as Kuno swung his wooden sword at her. Link used the
instincts that had kept him alive for over seven years.
One kick later, and the wooden sword was lying on the ground
several meters away. "Try that again, and my foot'll aim for your
head," the elf growled.
"You dare attack me! I shall take thy head. SASUKE, KATANA!" A
small figure seemed to appear out of nowhere, handed Kuno a katana,
then vanished before Link had a chance to look at him. Link looked at
the sword, then at Kuno.
"Okay pal, you're on." He reached over his shoulder, hand
wrapping around the familar hilt of a blade that he had kept for
over seven years. In one graceful move, he pulled Biggeron's Sword
from it's sheath, and adopted a simple stance, sword held in both
hands.
The prospect of a fight pulled evryone to the windows,
including Ranma, who was simply interested in seeing a fight that he
wasn't involved in.
"Hey Ranma, that sword looks pretty good," Hiroshi said.
"Feh, it's a weapon," Ranma replied. "I bet that if I disarmed
him, he'd be helpless." <Yeah right,> he was thinking. <There's no
way a sword that long could possibly fitted in a sheath that small.
It's gotta be a pocket dimension. Which means he's a shadowwalker.
Probably got plenty more weapons hidden. I'd be as sucessful as
trying to disarm Mousse.>
Link watched Kuno. From everything he had seen so far, the boy
was impatient. The elf simply waited.
Soon, Kuno couldn't take it any more. Roaring a battle cry, he
charged forward, katana gleaming in the morning light. Link leaned
back, and the blade missed his head easily. In return, Kuno got a tap
on the shoulder with the hilt of Link's sword.
"TASTE MY WRATH!" Kuno yelled, attacking once again, katana
nothing more then a blur. Link ducked, parried, dodged and leapt over
every attack, coming out of that round without a scratch.
"Wow, Kuno can't even touch him," Daisuke said.
"Now you've got to admit he's good Ranma," Hiroshi added.
"Are you kidding?" Ranma said. "Even Akane could dodge Kuno if
she tried, but her tomboy nature means she thinks in terms of
punching through things."
"Ranma..." Akane growled, reaching for a chair.
"Hey look, Kuno's glowing!" Yuka exclaimed.
Ranma's eyes widened at the sight of the aura, and he grabbed
Miss Hinako as she ran forward. "No way teach. Getting involved now
would only get you hurt."
"Those two are being deliquents!" she protested.
"The blond guy doesn't even go to school here, and Kuno's
getting pounded. All is right with the world," Hiroshi said.
"Oh no it's not," Ranma said, "and that guy's in big trouble."
With that he jumped over the railing and down to the ground.
"I'm Ranma," he said to the elf.
"I'm Link," the elf replied. "I guess you sensed that too."
"Oh yeah. Some sort of demon. Powerful too."
"The time has come to die, Hero of Time," Kuno yelled. "My
master shall reward me well!"
"I'm guessing he means you?" Ranma said.
"Yeah. Wonder who the master is," Link said.
With an inhuman roar, the demon attacked.
***
[Nekohanten]
Cologne dropped a plate in shock. Just a second ago a surge of
magic had swept past them all. But the magic was nothing she dared to
touch. The horror, the... evil that passed through her body at that
moment was unlike anything she had ever experienced.
"Shampoo, Mousse, take care of the shop. I have matters to
attend to," she said as she pogoed towards the door.
Leaping onto a rooftop, Cologne looked for a sign of which
direction the evil went.
A geyser of black flame exploded high into the sky from the
direction of Furinkan High. <Call me senile, but I get the feeling
that's where the evil went.>
***
[Furinkan High]
Link backflipped, the back flames barely missing him. "Navi,
lock on!" he yelled, bringing his shield up to block the next blast.
"I'm trying!" the fairy yelled, activating the mental link the
pair shared.
"Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma yelled, throwing a ki-sphere forward,
only to see it deflected by some sort of invisible force field. "Aw
crap!"
Navi flew in behind Kuno, and began to send her findings to
Link.
Link flinched as he felt the power radiating from the posessed
boy. This demon was no hellspawn, it was created from a different
power. Leaping forward,he slammed his sword into a point on the
shield that both his own senses and Navi's readings said was a weak
point. As the shield buckled, the demon leapt back, then opened fire
with dozens of spheres as black as the night. Link was consumed in
a huge explosion as the spheres detonated.
"That was the Hero of Time? the demon said. "I don't see why
the master was so worried." He turned to Ranma. "As for you child, I
sense Jusenkyo's touch. The spirng of drowned girl. This could be
fun."
"I don't think so pal. Mouko Takabisha!"
Yawning, the demon held his hand out, and reflected the blast
right back at where Ranma was.... a second ago. "Huh? Where'd she
go?" he yelled, looking around him.
"It pays to think in more then two dimensions," Ranma advised
the demon as he reappeared above the demon, slamming his elbow into
Kuno's skull. The demon simply shrugged off the attack, and hit Ranma
with an uppercut, sending back up to his classroom window.
"Wow Ranma, Kuno's winning," Hiroshi said. "Did he get a magic
sword again?"
"Uh, yeah," Ranma said, knowing that they would never believe
the truth. He was kind of surprised that even after everything they
had seen happen to him, many of his classmates still didn't believe
in things such as demons. Leaping back down to the ground, he fired
another ki-blast at the demon.
The demon reflected the blasts again, but Ranma was also long
gone again. "Stay still, or I'll simply kill you like the elf!"
"Wanna bet?" Link asked as he stepped out of the smoke. A faint
blue glow covered his body.
"How the heck did you survive that?!" Ranma exclaimed.
"A little trick I know," Link said.
"No matter! You'll still die!" The demon yelled.
"I think not," Cologne said, slamming her cane into the side of
his head, before following through with a spin kick that sent him
flying from the school grounds.
"Ranma Saotome! Get into class this instant!" Miss Hinako
yelled from the window.
"Sorry Teach, but Kuno's out of control! We've got to stop him
before he hurts someone!"
"Kuno's out of control? Don't you mean the deWOAH!" Link yelled
as Ranma grabbed him and pulled him along. The moment they were out
of sight, the pig-tailed martial artist slammed him into a wall.
"Are you nuts?" the youth demanded. "You don't just go around
blabbing 'bout demons. Or have you forgotten the Shadow Laws?"
"Huh?"
Cologne pulled Ranma away from Link. "Calm down Son-in-law.
>From what I can sense, this young man is from another dimension."
"Bingo," Link said. "Fill me in later, let's just deal with
that demon."
Ranma jumped onto a rooftop, trying to spot Kuno's body. He
jumped down after a minute, and pointed down a side street. "This
way," he said, taking the lead. Link and Cologne followed him.
"We can't draw attention to the fight. We need a plan," Ranma
said as they caught up to him. "And I think I have one," he added as
he spotted a pay phone.
***
Kuno-demon walked down the street, pushing people out of his
way. <This body is powerful,> he thought to himself, <but the boy-
girl is much stronger. I may need to find another way to get to the
Avatar of Courage.>
<Servant!> A voice screamed into his head.
<Master?>
<Why have you attacked the Avatar of Courage? I will kill him
myself. Leave that body at once!>
<Yes master.> A trail of black ki left Kuno's body, invisible
to those that didn't have the training needed to see the soul. Kuno
was left wondering where he was and why there was a large blank space
in his memory. Naturally, he assumed Ranma had cast a spell on him,
and went into his usual rant.
Most people simply assumed Ranma had sent Kuno flying, and the
would-be samurai was denying Ranma beat him again. After all, it did
happen on a regular basis.
One figure was paying much more attention. As Kuno walked past,
he pulled out a mobile phone, hitting the speed-dial. "He's heading
your way," he said, then ended the call.
At the over end of the line, Ranma placed his borrowed mobile
back into his pocket. "He's on his way," he told the group assembled.
"Everyone knows the plan?"
"Yes," Dr Tofu said. "You guys trap him, then I exorsise the
demon. And we have to be quiet."
"Why do we have to be quiet anyway?" Link asked. "I say we
blast him before he has the chance to put up any defense."
"The result of that could be devestating Elf," Cologne said.
"What do you mean by that?" Navi asked, waiting for the chance
to try out a new spell.
"Quiet, I can see him," Ranma said. His eyes narrowed. "What
the hell? The demon's left him!"
"What'd it do that for?" Link muttered.
"Got sick of Kuno's personality?" Ranma suggested.
Kuno's eyes widened as he spotted Ranma. "So Saotome, you
thought to weaken me with your dark spells, then kill me whilst I was
in a trance. Fortunatly, I had the strength of will to resist your
evil ways!"
"Is he for real?" Link said.
"'Fraid so," Ranma replied, sending Kuno flying with a quick
kick. "Look, I gotta get back to school. You guys head to the clinic
of Nekohanten. I'll meet you after school finishes."
***
[10:00 am]
[Tofu's Clinic]
Cologne blinked at the sight of Tofu's back room. Quite
possibly the largest room in the building, the walls were covered
with bookselves.
Link pulled a book off a shelf and blew away the extremly thick
layer of dust on it. "Fear Demons; tatics and abilities?" he said.
"Over the years, I've been more then just a doctor," Tofu said.
"Since I began to integrate Ranma into the Shadows, I've been using
these things a lot more often." He pulled several books off another
shelf. "From what you've described, the demon wasn't a standard
hellspawn, so our best best would be to try looking in these books."
Link picked one up, as did Cologne. "One question. What are the
Shadows?" he asked. "I only showed up on this world a few hours ago."
"Very well. Do you know what year it is here on Earth?" Tofu
asked.
"I don't even know what day it is."
"Wednesday, July 14, 1999. Anyway, around five hundred years
ago, there was a incredibly large number of witch hunts across the
world. To be honest, hardly any real mages, witches or whatever you
wish to call them were captured and burned at the stake."
"You're kidding right? Mages burned at the stake? That's crazy!
Everywhere I'll heard of Mages, they were treated with the upmost
respect, no matter what their affilation. Sure, if they were evil
they were feared and hated, but still-"
Tofu cut him off. "The religion of the day said that all magic
was evil, and they were going against God by using the ether. But
we're getting off track. Very few mages were burned, it was mainly
the outcasts of society, prejudice making them perfect targets. But
the magic users realised that operating even semi-publicly was
dangerous for them and for innocent people. And so they hid, as did
all sorts of meta-humans and non-humans. Dwarves went underground,
and created underground cities that are supposedly nothing more then
fiction to the genral public. There were time travellers, and Ogres,
Griffons, dragons, Hydra's, Vampires, Werewolves and thousands of
other creatures that hid."
"In fact," Cologne said, "the only things that didn't go into
hiding are pokemon."
"What are pokemon?" Link asked, skim reading another page.
"I'll explain that later. But when all these different beings
hid, another layer of society was formed. It eventually became known
as the Shadows for some strange reason. To this day, everything in
the Shadows operates in secret. In some areas such as here in Nerima,
some things have become a little more public, but we're working on
hiding it again. There are people who make sure the media doesn't say
anything, but as long as events such as the demon earlier continue,
we're constantly in danger."
***
[12:00pm]
[Furinkan High]
Ranma inhaled his lunch, grateful that Kasumi had made it
before Akane had woken up.
"Hey Ranma!" Ranma looked up to see Hiroshi walking towards
him. "Hinako-sensei's looking for you. There's a five-yen piece with
your name on it."
"Right. I'll have to remember to avoid her for the rest of the
day."
"True. So, did you get that magic sword off Kuno?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Once we managed to disarm him, it was as easy
as usual."
"You know, it's weird," Hiroshi thought.
"What?"
"That all that's left of magic these days is a few cursed
training grounds, and some old magic items." The young mans face
became thoughtful as he considered it. "I wonder what happened to
everything else."
"Hey, don't look at me for answers," Ranma said quickly. "I'm
just caught up in this mess."
"Hey Ranchan!" Ranma looked up to see Ukyou walking towards
him. "How are you? Hungry?"
"Not really," Ranma said, standing up. "Sorry to run, but I've
got things to do."
Ukyou watched him leave. "What was that for?" she asked no one
in particular.
"Could be the fact that you ruined his wedding," Hiroshi
muttered as Ukyou walked away, "but then again, no one ever seems to
listen to common sense where Ranma's involved."
Ranma leapt up to the rooftop, and sat there brooding. <Man,
Ukyou expects everything to be the same as always, even though she
tried to ruin my wedding. She is my best friend, but she wants to be
more then a friend. But how do I tell her? And then there's Hiroshi.
According to Daisuke, he's always been interested in magic. And when
I showed up, proving it was real, he became even more interested in
it.> He laughed bitterly. <Tofu has all sorts of spellbooks and junk
that Hiroshi would love, but if he gets involved in the shadows,
he'll get hurt or killed. I can't let that happen.>
***
[4:00pm]
[Tofu's Clinic]
Ranma stuck his head through the open doorway. "Anyone home?"
he called.
"Hi Ranma!" Navi said as she flew up to him. "Link and Doctor
Tofu are in the back room."
"Thanks... ah, what is your name anyway?" Ranma asked.
"Oh, I'm Navi, Link's guardian fairy." Navi bowed, which looked
a little strange considering that she was floating in midair.
"Pleasure to meet you." Ranma made his out through the clinic,
into the back room. "Hello all! How is everybody?"
Link scowled. "While you were at school relaxing, we've spent
all day searching through all these old books for information on that
demon."
"Hey, Hinako-sensei's been trying to catch me all day. It
wasn't easy avoiding her I'll have you know!"
"Hinako....." Link scratched his chin as he ran through what
Tofu had told him. "She's the one that drains battle auras
through coins isn't she?"
"Yeah, but she can drain ki without a battle aura as well."
"Ouch. Anyway, we didn't find anything worthwhile. This demon
could be serving anyone, and we'll never figure it out."
"But he knew you were the Hero of Time, whatever that is,"
Ranma pointed out. "And people say I've got an ego. _Hero_ of Time?"
"Don't blame me, I didn't come up with the title. It's because
I travelled back and forward through time to save my homeland."
Tofu looked up from his book. "Hero of Time? You never
mentioned that."
Link shrugged. "I hate the title. Just forget you ever heard of
it, 'kay?"
"That might not be a good idea," Tofu said. "I've heard of the
Hero of Time before."
"Did you hear that, you're famous," Ranma quipped.
Tofu pulled a very old book out of it's space on a shelf. Link
looked at the title on the binding. The History of the Elves. His
eyes widened as he realised it was writen in Hylian, his native
langauge!
"I've only managed to translate a small part of this, but that
part mentions a Hero of Time." Link grabbed the book and started
flicking through it.
"This is amazing!" he said. "It's got my entire journey
documented."
"Hey, there's a picture of me!" Navi said.
Link stopped and turned to Tofu. "This book is from this
world, isn't it?"
"Yes," Tofu said. "The events written there took place over ten
thousand years ago."
"I knew that time runs at different speeds in different
realms," Navi said, "but can Hyrule really be.... gone?"
"Maybe, maybe not," Link said. "It could be an alternate world.
We've come across them before."
"Alternate world?" Ranma asked. "What's that mean?"
"It's a world similar to your own, but different events have
occured, making it slightly different."
"Slightly different?" Navi asked. "Remember that first Hyrule?
The one with the moon about to crash into it?"
"All right, they can be very different!" Link replied. <Sheesh,
she's still angry about her evil double,> he thought.
"So, it may not be your home world?" Ranma asked.
"We may never know," Link replied. He turned to Tofu. "Is it
alright if I borrowed this?"
"Of course Link. Feel free to."
***
"Look, I'm sure if I spoke to Mr Tendo, I could get him to let
you stay for a while," Ranma said as he walked along the fence.
"Well, I guess so," Link replied from the ground below. "Say,
what exactly are you doing up there anyway?"
"Balance practice," the pig-tailed youth replied. Then he
remembered avoiding Shampoo, and jumped to the ground. "I do it from
time to time."
"You're pretty good," Navi said.
"I'm the best there is," Ranma bragged.
"No-one's the best Ranma," Link commented. "There's always
someone better at something. You have to be content with what you
have, and watch out for the one that is better then you, so you can
learn how to improve."
"That... makes a lot of sense," Ranma admitted. <A hell of a
lot more then anything Oyaji ever said. 'You must be the best, with
no exceptions.' Man, does everything the old fool does have to annoy
me?>
"Ranma?"
"Huh?" Ranma turned to Link.
"You kinda zoned out of it for a minute there."
"Sorry. I was thinking about some things."
***
[Tendo Dojo]
Ranma stepped back as Nabiki and Link fought a battle unlike
any he had ever experienced. Both of them were quoting prices and
fees, trying to get the best deal they could for the rent Link would
pay.
"You could lose a wing in there," Navi said. "Hey Ranma?"
"Yeah?"
"Fairies aren't common around here are they?"
"You're the first one any of us have ever seen," Akane replied.
"So, how come none of you are really freaked out by me?" the
fairy asked, more then a little nervous. People had reacted badly to
her presense in the past.
"Trust me Navi, stranger things have happened in Nerima
before."
Link and Nabiki finished the debate, Link paying less then he
had feared, while Nabiki was happy with the profit. "Pleasure doing
business with you," she said. "So Link, when are you going to try to
kill Ranma?" she asked.
"Kill him? Why would I do that?"
Nabiki shrugged. "It's just that every fighter that comes to
Nermia wants to kill Ranma. A large number of people have betted
large sums of money on when the fight will take place."
"He seems like a nice guy, and I have no reason to kill him. I
only just met the guy today." Nabiki's eyes grew large, and she
quietly walked from the room. Link watched her leave. "What's with
her?"
Ranma shrugged. "Something either went really wrong or really
right. I've never seen her do that before." He grimaced, seeming to
suddenly realize something. "There's some stuff we have to show you
if you're going to live here Link. Kasumi, could you get some hot
water?"
"Of course Ranma." She walked into the kitchen and came back with
a kettle. Ranma then threw Genma into the pond. Link's eyes widened
slightly as a panda appeared where a fat man had once been.
"Let me guess, this is some kind of curse, and hot water reverses
the effect?"
Ranma blinked. "How'd you know?"
"Lucky guess. I have experience with magic." <Not to mention Tofu
told me about them.> He passed Genma the kettle and looked at Ranma.
"Anything else I should know about?"
***
[8:45pm]
Nabiki watched as Link climbed up onto the roof. "This should
be interesting," she said to herself. And profitable. No-one had bet
on him not wanting to kill Ranma. The odds were somewhere
around 10,000 to 1.
She thought back to what Link had told them of his past. While
there were holes in it, it was no less believable then some of the
things that happened around here. She looked at him. A lot of girls
would pay good money for photos of this guy.
***
Link sat up on the roof of the Tendo dojo. "Okay Navi, let's
see if I've got this figured out. Ranma is engaged to Akane through a
decision made by their parents before the pair was born. He's also
engaged to Ukyou through a scam his old man pulled ten years ago when
Ranma was six. Shampoo is trying to get Ranma to marry her because he
beat her in a fight-"
"I thought that was Kodachi," Navi interrupted.
"Nope, I'm sure it was miss hair-care. Kodachi is the insane
one, I think."
"I think Shampoo's parents are insane. Naming their daughter
after a hair care product?"
Link grinned. "Then there's the curses. Ranma turns into a
girl, his father into a panda, Shampoo into a cat and that Mousse guy
into a duck. Did I miss anyone?"
"Probably." The fairy buzzed around for a second. "This
definitely counts as one of those weirder worlds."
"You got that right. Still, it's a nice place." Link thought
about that for a second. It seemed too nice. For some reason he felt
like staying here. Why was that? Before, he'd always wanted to return
to Hyrule. He dismissed it. Maybe he was just tired of traveling.
Out of habit, he pulled out his Ocarina and began to play in
the manner that he had been taught over the years...
Inside, Ranma stopped to listen to the tune. It was quite
beautiful, he thought, as he walked outside and jumped onto the roof.
He watched as Link poured his heart and soul into the tune. It had
elements of sadness, but also elements of joy.
At last, the elf finished. Ranma gave a polite clap and sat
down beside him. "You're a pretty good musician," he commented.
"Thanks. When I first learned how to play it, it was because
some tunes had power, power that I needed to defeat Gannon. But after
that, I kept playing it simply because I enjoyed it. That one was the
first tune I learned. It's called Zelda's lullaby."
Ranma looked thoughtful for a second. "Could you teach me how
to play it?" he asked.
"Sure. Just one question; why?"
Ranma shrugged. "Just curious, that's all." Downstairs, Nabiki
frowned. Since when was Ranma into stuff like that?
The trio sat up on the roof for another hour or so, comparing
notes on their life.
"So let me get this straight," Ranma said. "You saved Ruto from
inside a giant fish, and then she gave you the spiritual stone as an
engagement ring? And you didn't know what it meant?"
"I was only ten years old!" Link protested. "How was I to
know?"
"Firefly could have told you."
"I didn't know either," Navi admitted. "Marriage wasn't that
common in the Lost Woods you know."
Ranma grinned. "Anyway, then you pulled the Master Sword out
of the Pedestal of Time and went to the future?"
Link nodded. "I saw her a few months afterwards. It was in the
Water Temple. She said all this stuff about love and all that and
then swam off until after I broke the curse on Zora's Domain. Bit of
a tomboy."
"Sounds like Akane."
Link groaned. "I just realized! If I get back to my Hyrule,
she'll want to marry me again!"
Ranma patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll pull
through. C'mon, we've got school tomorrow." Ranma leapt of the roof.
"School?" Link asked in surprise.
"Legally you have to go to school."
"Legally I don't exist. In case you forgot, I'm an
interdimesional travelling elf with a guardian fairy! I don't need to
worry about it!"
Ranma grinned. "Everyone our age has to go to school. You
should go, or they'll catch you sooner or later."
"But whenever I go to school I end up with no idea what to do.
I know nothing about this worlds history or anything like that."
"Relax, you'll be fine," Ranma reassured him.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Navi said.
Link found himself sleeping in the guest room with Genma and
Ranma. When he checked the other guest room, he'd nearly been crushed
by a mountain of panties. And he wasn't going to ask about what they
were doing there, he probaly didn't want to know the answer.
In her own room, Nabiki lay on her bed, and considered what she
had heard.
***
[Jusenkyo]
The night sky over the ruined valley of Jusenkyo was cloudless,
making it easier to see a figure walking out of it. While it was easy
to see the figure, it was next to impossible to make out any
features, except that he was human and possibly male. Of course,
where Jusenkyo is involved, he may have been neither. In his hands he
held a small vial.
He looked up at the sky, and for a second his eyes could be
seen. They were totally white, and glowing slightly. "Soon, Hero of
Time," he swore. "Soon I shall my revenge!" With that he floated off
the ground and flew towards Japan.
***
End Part One
***
Well, I've begun the rewrite. Why would I do something as crazy
as that? Well, there was a lot of plot holes in this thing, and they
needed to be removed for the story to work better. Simple as that.
Apart from a few changes, the story will pretty much run the same,
although Ash and co will appear in Part Two at Jusenkyo. I got a few
requests asking for that scene, so why not.
I'll also have another story coming out soon. Called Shadows,
unless someone else has already used that name, it will detail some
of the adventures of the organisnation known as Omega Sector and it's
founders. It will also include many of the characters that were to be
included in the original Ocarina's Love Six had I not started on
this.
Till next time!
Matrix Dragon.
"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The new rat bait works
wonders, doesn't it?"