The legend of Lujen:

This is the 3rd part of our fanfic. Credits and info at bottom.

Chapter 3: Ninja Wanderings


"Boy, go away before you get hurt," a temple guard said.
The aluded person answered, "I have told you there is something I need
inside your temple. 
Either let me pass or be defeated!"
"Stupid brat! You won't get past us gate guards, much less the inner
guards. No go away before 
I cut your throat."
"I will never surrender!"
The young man just smiled, lifted his sword high, and charged.
The ensuing battle was brutal. The boy frenziedly battled the cuartet of
guards just outside the 
oriental stone temple. The guard's attacks were fierce and violent, yet
the boy managed his 
overgrown sword masterfully. The boy's skill, coupled with the fact that
the guard's shields 
were pretty innefective against the mammothian weapon,  defeated the
guards.
The bloodied leader, lying on the floor, hissed, "You will never defeat
us all."
"We will see abou that," he countered, and stepped into the hall.

***

*My God, don't these guys get tired?*
He had been fighting for well over an hour now,  fighting progressively
into the small temple.
How many had he defeated so far? Eleven? Twelve? 
He came to an intersection and heard some voices coming from the
intersecting hall; *Dammit, not 
again* he thought. He hid in the shadows of a doorway and waited
quietly. The couple of guards 
passed unknowingly. *Damn, I'm lucky they haven't figured out yet I am
here. Good thing none of 
them was ever able to raise the alarm* 
He continued to explore the subterrenean halls of the temple, where he
thought he would find 
what he so ardently was looking for. After fighting the entrance guards
and the occasional one 
that had discovered him in the above halls, he had decided to
concentrate his search in the 
lower passages. *I need to find that thing fast... not much time before
they find the bodies I 
hid.*
He finally came up to a large, solid door with various inscriptions on
it.
*YES! Could this be the treasure room?*
He forced the lock with a dagger and stole quietly in. His eyes lit up
as he saw the treasure 
that abounded in every nook and cranny of the room. The two torches
which dimly lit it revealed 
all class of weapons, precious items, amulets, gems, and such. Towards
the other end of the room 
he saw an isolated chest-*YES! It HAS to be there!* 
He stopped walking on tiptoes and practically lunged over to the chest,
clanking his way there. 
Unfortunately for him, though, a deep baritone voice said, "Unhand that
treasure, thief!"
The young man turned around and looked up. And up. And up. 
A huge man-monster was standing in front of him, his sword drawn and
pointing towards him.
"What are you doing here, you petty scoundrel?" the giant asked.
"Uhm... lost my way to the outhouse?" he asked meekly.
The giant glared at him. 
"So, apart from being a thief, you are a bad comedian as well. Let me
tell you you won't get out 
of this room alive"
*Damn... he said it as if he meant it.* he thought, *This is gonna be a
tough one...*
"Very well then, I will fight you to acquire this treasure!" The young
man said as he lifted his 
sword.
The giant grinned, "A challenge? I was hoping you'd surrender and die
quietly. I guess I'll just 
have to kill you."
He slashed his sword towards the intruder. The intruder parried with his
own sword, and drove 
the slash back against the giant.
"Well, well. It seems the mouse knows how to bite." The giant taunted.
"More than what you can at any rate."
The giant laughed at this. "Ha, it seems this will be amusing after all.
Now Die!"
The boy, amazignly parried all of the giant's strikes, and drove back a
powerful swing which the 
giant almost didn't parry. 
*Dammit* the boy thought *this fukcer is a tough one. The only thing
keeping me alive is that my 
sword is long enough to keep him at bay, and my thrusts are deep. But
how long will I be able to 
hold this?* he wondered.
"Good, boy! You are better than what I expected. Your strength is
admirable! But the length of 
your sword will not keep you alive for long!"
The giant slashed again, and the boy parried it with courage, and
delivered a powerful 
counterstrike. Had a normal man stopped it, he would have probably been
thrown back by the 
sheer force of the strike, coupled with the weapon's manss.
Unfortunately for the boy, this was 
not an ordinary man.
"Is that the best you've got?"
*Oh man, what can I do? Is it just me or is this sword around 100 times
heavier than a couple of 
hours ago? I hafta do something... but this man is like an imprenetable
fortress! I can't go 
around him, and with this sword I can't jump over him....* Just then an
idea hit him. 
"So you think I'm weak?!" The boy yelled, "Well, take this!"
He pointed the tip of his sword at the giant's heart and charged with
everything he had. The 
giant just smiled and prepared to parry. Before reaching his target,
though, the boy dropped to 
his knees and slid between the giant's legs.
By the time the giant had realized what had happened and started to turn
around it was too 
late- a large broadsword was embedded in his back and ripping through
his chest.
Ranma retrieved his bloody sword from the titan's back and saw him
crumple to the floor.
He brushed his sweaty brows with his forearm and muttered, "At last...
all mine."
And it was then when he heard the girlish giggles.
The adventurer quickly went into battle position.
"Who is that?" he asked.
He looked around- left, right, yet saw no-one.
The giggling was louder now, and the boy noticed it came from above.
He looked up and saw a sillouette crouching in the rafters of the room.
The silloutte jumped down in front of him. What the boy saw was what he
least expected- a 
totally black clothed figure, with a small slit in the face for eyes.
She was a female, clearly 
apparent because of her voice, her small frame, and the pair of bulges
in her chest. She had 
landed in a crouch without making a sound, and had a short sword drawn.
Small wisps of purple 
hair could be seen coming out of the sides of her head, next to her
green eyes.
"Who the hell are you? Why were you spying on me?" the weary adventurer
asked.
The female warrior answered, "Who I am not matter. I spy because easier
to defeat one tired 
victor than two  strong contendants. But what matters is what I come
here for. And I come here 
for the SoulEdge!"
This infuriated the adventurer, "No way! I have traveled my ass off and
thought innumerable 
jerks to get it! It is MINE, whoever the hell you are!"
"Then we fight for it!" the girl answered.
"Whatever. Even though I normally don't fight girls, I will make an
exception in your case!"
The girl attacked with simply amazing speed. The boy had to parry most
of the blows with his 
armor-plated arm, as his sword was to heavy to swing in time to parry,
and he was dead tired.
The girl seemed to have the upper hand, as she was in a better condition
than the warrior.
*I've gotta best this little wench... or it'll have been all in bain* he
thought. This made him 
remember all that he'd been through... the ardous traveling.... the
sacrifices, the fighting, 
the fight against insurmountable odds... and it made him mad to think it
could end all here.
*It's not gonna end here, if I've got anything to say about it!*
Right after a strong blow from the female warrior the adventurer lifted
his sword and slashed 
with fury. True to her appearance, the girl was able to quickly parry
the blow with her own 
sword without much hestitation. Unfortunately for her, she made a fatal
mistake. She forgot to 
take into account the simple, yet inescapable fact that the warrior in
front of her was a great 
deal bigger than most, and certainly much bigger than her, and that his
sword was simply larger 
than life. As a result her frail female frame was thrown back a good 10
feet before she hit the 
wall, and her sword went away even further. When she opened her eyes she
saw the tip of the 
already bloodied sword pointing at her face.
*Haha!* the adventurer thought, *I did it!*
In his elation he failed to notice the change that had overcome the
female fighter. Therefore he 
was caught unprepared when she started crying.
"Whoa- what's wrong?" he asked.
Tears marred the beautiful girl's eyes.
"You- you defeat me in battle. Now I never get sword. I never be ninja."
"Uh? What's a neeja?"
"Ninja is powerful black clothed stealthy warrior. Now I never be one"
she sniffed.
"Oh" he said. "Uhm, what is your name?"
"Name of warrioress is Shampoo." After thinking for a bit she asked,
"What is yours?"
"My name is Ranma. Ranma Saotome."
"Well, Ranma, thanks to you Shampoo now never ninja."
"Uhm,  Shampoo, don't feel so bad.  I'm sure you can try another quest
to become a nimjap or 
whatever it is you wanna be. Besides, it's for the best. Girls are not
supposed to fight."
Shampoo seemed angered at this, "No! No true! That is what men in my
village say too. Not true! 
Shampoo become ninja and prove she good fighter as any man. That is why
Shampoo need SoulEdge."
Ranma was quite lost. 
"Hhhmmm... Shampoo, why don't you tell me what your problem is? Maybe I
can help." Ranma offered.
"Well, it start back in ninja training grounds, few weeks ago. It really
all start when...":
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
With lightning quickness, darting from cover to cover, Shampoo evaded
the
attacks: the fourpointed stars, the daggers, the spears. Finally she
reached the enourmous tree 
and
continued jumping from limb to limb, higher and higher, battling each
foe she found in her way.
 She stopped on a limb and gazed upwards. A smug smile grinned at her,
the only thing visible
among the leaves.
"Shampoo come to the end. Shampoo ninja."
"Not yet, precocious Shampoo. You still have to defeat me," an arrogant
voice informed her smugly.
"Shampoo kill," she said as she darted upwards with lightning fastness
again.
The other ninja, eluded her faster still, jumping to other trees and
darting through treetops 
and then down on the ground until he finally stopped at the entrance of
a stone temple. There 
he stood waiting until she had reached him.
She stopped when he stopped and approached cautiously. *Shekhan tricky.
Shampoo better. Shampoo kill Shekan and be ninja* Shampoo thought
murderously. She glared at him, eyeing him with suspision.
"Now, precocious Shampoo, the battle will end when either of us die. Or
when you die, better said even," Shekhan said.
"Shekhan die. Shampoo win," Shampoo taunted.
"Well see about that you little bitch," Shekhan snarled and assumed his
fighting position., feet crossed and arms ready to attack. Shampoo did
likewise and assumed her fighting position. They stood eyeing each other
when a voice floated over them.
"That is enough Shekhan and Shampoo. Shampoo has shown that has all the
necessary abilities and training to become a ninja."
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Shekhan snarled, still eyeing
Shampoo dangerously.
"What I'm saying is that this battle is useless. AND THAT IS AN ORDER!"
the
voice ordered angrily. "I will have no more of your impertinence
Shekhan!"
Shekhan's tense muscles relaxed and he turned around to argue with the
person that had ordered him to stop when a shower of bonboris fell upon
him. Shekhan looked murderously at the smiling Shampoo and stodd up to
attack her when...
"Shampoo, that will be enough. I told both of you to stop," the voice
ordered icily.
"Shampoo kill," Shampoo said angrily. *He no right interfere. Shampoo
kill.
Shampoo ninja.*
A ninja stepped from out of the temple, followed by two other ninjas.
The rank of the ninja was obvious, he was Tzu-Fung, prince of dragons
and
the head-honcho in the ninja get-up of the region. His face was
uncovered,
his almond eyes closed, and he was perfectly serene.
"I will not tolerate any such more battles," he said.
"But it's necessary, there must be a final test to prove the ability of
a
would be ninja," Shekhan protested.
"Indeed, and Shampoo will have a final examination," Tzu-Fung agreed. He
spoke up, "Be
it made known among our fellow ninjas that I, Tzu-Fung, prince of
dragons
has decreed that Shampoo's final examination will be to recover the
SoulEdge sword and present it to me."
Shampoo looked puzzled at Tzu-Fung. "SoulEdge?"
Shekhan smiled imperceptibly.
"Yes, the legendary SoulEdge sword. Once that it is under my posession
you
will become a ninja and that is my final word," Tzu-Fung said and
disappeared once again inside the temple.
Shekhan turned around to face Shampoo. "Our battle will have to wait
until
your return, precocious Shampoo," he said sardonically and disappeared.
Shampoo stared into the temple and walked away.

***

"But Shampoo, finding the SoulEdge sword is impossible!" Mousse
exclaimed.
"Shampoo find," Shampoo answered watching the water boil and adding in
the
ramen noodles.
"Shampoo, why don't you give up being a ninja and marry me?" Mousse
looked
pleadingly at her through his glasses.
"Shampoo not marry Mosse," Shampoo answered as she added vegetables to
the
cooking noodles.
"But Shampoo, I love you," Mousse said pleadingly.
"Shampoo not love Mousse," Shampoo answered as she stirred the ramen
soup.
"Shampoo..." Mouse said as he approached her.
"Mousse..." Shampoo said ominously and a beach ball struck Mousse in the
face and he fell backwards. "Stay still. Ramen ready," she added as she
placed a hot soup plate on his chest.
"AAAAIIIIEEEE!!!!" Mouse yelled as he jumped ten feet up, spilling soup
on
the floor.
"Mousse bad. He spill soup," Shampoo chastised Mousse.
"Shampoo! You put that hot soup on my chest," Mousse protested showing
her
his now-burnt tunic shirt to her.
Shampoo looked at Mousse through glassy eyes, "Mousse no like Shampoo
either?" *Shampoo failure. Soup no cook. Shampoo no ninja. Shampoo
failure*
Mousse softened and reached for her hand, "Shampoo, I do like you."
Shampoo asked through glassy eyes again, "Shampoo failure?"
Mousse answered softly, "Of course not Shampoo. You've just made the
wrong
choices. What you should have done is not try to become a ninja and
marry
me instead."
Shampoo got angry at this. "Shampoo no marry Mousse. Mousse leave."
"But Shampoo!" Mousse protested but a shower of bonboris began to
assault him and he left running.
Shampoo's anger began to dissipate. *Mousse nice. But he wrong. Shampoo
ninja. Shampoo find SoulEdge sword*. Her determination boldened and she
thought about the SoulEdge sword as she began to eat her ramen soup.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Shampoo kept on crying on the floor with her hands upon her face, "Now
no future for Shampoo," 
she said as she finished her story.
Ranma felt bad for the girl, and knelt down and took her hood off, to
ease her crying.
Shampoo, absorbed in her crying, did not notice this until it was simply
too late.
"Heeeyaa!" she cried, "No look at Shampoo!"
She tried to cover her face with her hands, but with little success. The
boy had already seen 
her- her beautiful eyes surrounded by a pristine face, and the long
purple locks of hair that 
came tumbling down her head.
"Hey, what's wrong??" Ranma asked.
She quickly put on her hood, but after a moment of realization she
seemed to think, "What's the 
point now?"
She composed herself and stood in front of Ranma.
What she did was completely unexpected. Had she tried to knife him, he
would have understood. 
Had she slapped him, he might have expected. Had she broken again into
tears it would have been 
totally acceptable, as weren't women weak? But the pasionate kiss she
landed on his lips was 
totally unexpected for him.
Astonishe as he was, Ranma was unable to break from the ninja's amorous
grip. Nor was he quite 
willing, either. Unconciously, at least.
After what seemed an eternity, their lips parted. 
"What was that for?" Ranma finally asked.
"It be village tradition, that if ninja or ninja-in-training's identity
uncovered while in 
mission, ninja must kill."
"So that kiss means you're gonna kill me?" he asked.
"No. If person is from opposite sex, then have to give kiss of devout
compromise." She answered.
"Huh? What's that?"
"People outside village call it "Kiss of Marriage"."
"WHAT?!?!"
"Now Ranma and Shampoo must marry by law."
"No way! And what about you becoming a ninja? And what about SoulEdge?"
"That no matter now. Since moment you defeat and see Shampoo, she at
your mercy."
Ranma was about to answer when he heard some faraway angry yells. He
couldn't distinguish what 
they said, but he took a pretty good guess. *Shit! They found the
bodies!*
"Look, we don't have time to dicuss this right now. Let's get the goddam
sword and get the hell 
out of here!"
He lifted his broadsword and it came crashing down unto the chest's
lock. It was split open lick 
a nut, and Ranma hurriedly and greedily opened the chest. What he saw
did not make him happy.
"A FUCKING CRUMMY AMULET?!?!?!"
Shampoo peered in. All she saw was a golden amulet. Beautiful, and very
well crafted, but not at 
all a sword.
"But Shampoo hear that sword be in this temple!" 
"So did I!" Ranma answered. "It must have been a big lie- a common
folktale which everybody in 
this region believed to be true. Dammit!"
By now the voices were dangerously near and brought Ranma bakc to
reality.
"Look, we've gotta get outta here, and I fear it's gonna have to be
fighting. Are you up to it?"
*God knows I'm not* he thought.
"Yes, but Shampoo know secret escape. That is how Shampoo enter without
nobody noticing."
Ranma beamed, "Good! Now, where is it?"
Shampoo pointed upwards, "In hole near ceiling."
Ranma's jaw dropped, "How the hell am I supposed to climb up there, and
with this?" he said as 
he pointed at his heavy sword.
Shampoo shrugged, "Shampoo don't know. Shampoo not know heavy husband
come in to steal sword as 
well."
"I am NOT your husband, groom, boyfriend, or anything else, got it? I
just wanna get the hell 
outta here! There's a whole army coming this way!"
The shouts were near the door by now.
"Look! The Treasury door is open! They must be in there!" a voice
shouted just outside the door.
Ranma turned around and readied his sword as a plethora of guards
entered the room.
*I'm wounded and too tired, and there's so many of them!* he thought, *
I ain't getting away 
from this one!*
He turned to his newly-found ally, and saw her in a battle position as
well, next to him.
"What the hell are you doing? Escape!"
"Shampoo no leave husband!"
The guards had them surrounded and both outgunned and outnumbered by a
ratio of 10 to 1.
"Drop your swords and surrender!" The head guard said.
"Shampoo, get away or DO something!" he hissed.
In an incredibly innocent manner she said, "Ok!" and grabbed into her
suit and pulled something 
out, which she threw against the floor in front of them. A screen of
smoke filled the room 
immiedately and Ranma felt a tug at his arm.
"Don't breath and run!" he heard Shampoo say.
They both darted amongst the coughing and disoriented guards through the
door, throughout the 
halls, and out the main gate towards freedom.

***

"Excellent. The plan worked beautifully," Shekhan said praisingly.
"Of course. That was the least to be expected," Tzu-Fung said as the
walked
through the stone hall.
"The SoulEdge Sword, Shampoo will never find it," Shekhan said
arrogantly.
"Precisely. Admit a woman into our exclusive circle? Preprosterous,"
Tzu-Fung added.
"One question master, what if she does retrieve the sword?" Shekhan
asked slyly.
Tzu-Fung opened his eyes and smiled icily at Shekhan. "Then you will
have
the battle you so desire." And with that the prince of dragons entered
his
chambers. The stone doors closed, forming the symbol of the dragon.
Shekhan
stared at the symbol and walked away satisfied.
Tzu-Kung watched Shampoo traversing through the countryside, as he often
had in the last few 
days. But now she was with a stranger. *How odd* he thought.*Yet it
doesn't matter. She won't 
achieve her objective* He smiled at the fact that Shampoo had refused
that bumbling farmer's 
marriage proposition but then his smile turned angry. *Shampoo refused
my marriage proposition.
Refused to become the wife of the prince of dragons. Instead she wanted
to
become a ninja. Well then, she chose her fate. But she will never become
a
ninja* Shampoo's image disappeared from the mirror and Tzu-Kung saw
himself
reflected again.









**************



This is just a draft. We need C&C on it, please. I'm too lazy right now
to keep on editing, and besides, I need a new perspective. Please don't
waste your precious time with our foolish ortographical and grammatical
mistakes.  We'll fix them soon enough.

Ranma ½ and characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, and SoulEdge
characters and story of 
Namco. 
Everything else is a creation of our demented minds.
Please don’t rip us off, and please don’t sue us...

Luis Majluf
<98lmajlu@amersol.edu.pe>
Jennifer Yi
<98jen@amersol.edu.pe>

For updates, extra info, etc, visit our story’s homepage at:
<http://www.geocities.com/~ollantay/lujen/lujen.html>