>From the Scriviner:
        Well, This has been on my hard disk for a while now, but I haven't
gotten to the rest of it, so I may as well post it and let people read it to
make it look like I'm doing something while I frantically try to finish
'That's 1/2 My Goddess Part VII'
        I know Magical Knight Kiyone is doing a story using these same two
series, but that one's a crossover while this is a fusion with an alternate
history. In any case, read and hopefully enjoy. C&C, public and private is
appreciated. 
        Standard fanfic disclaimer: None of these chars are mine.


Magical Knight Ranma:
Magical Knight Rayearth/ Ranma 1/2 melding fanfic by the Scriviner
 Chapter 1:Part 1: Cephiro's Hope..?

	The sunlight danced easily across the surface of the water in the still
pools as the guide made his way to the road from his little cottage. In the
middle of most of the pools were one or more bamboo poles where martial
artists would stand to perfect their balance. In the old days, a week
wouldn't go by without someone coming here to practice their martial arts...
nowadays, though... the pools were too dangerous. Far too risky. He was
sweating from the heat, and although he knew that the waters from the little
pools would be cool he was hardly foolish enough to take a dip in any of
them. Even if he did know which pool was which. 
	The guide shielded his eyes from the noonday sun. He had been told to
expect the Japanese students a little after lunch and there they were. The
rickety old bus was on its last legs, but it had still somehow managed to
bring them here. These were the first visitors to the springs in over a
year. The guide squinted a little and murmured to himself in Japanese, "They
here already... I have bad feeling about this... very bad..."
	A large group of teens wearing school uniforms made their way out of the
vehicle, stretching their legs as they did... These were freshmen students
from Furinkan High School in Japan. They'd been on a tour of China as part
of a cultural exchange program and this was their last stop for the day.
	The guide approached them and smiled broadly as he gestured to the pools
behind him, "Welcome honored guests to Training Ground of Cursed Springs,
Jusenkyo," he held out a sign with 'Jusenkyo' written on it for emphasis, "I
make sure to tell you that this place very dangerous... there over one
hundred spring here and each one have own tragedy happen there."
	Unnoticed by most of the students, two men wearing backpacks and with a
travelworn air to them reclined on top of the bus and listened as the Guide
continued with his explanation of the history of Jusenkyo.
	The first man was broad and solidly built, but was rapidly approaching
middle age. He wore a bandanna over his head to cover up the fact that he
was bald and his worn gi had seen better days. He gave the younger man a nod
and said, "Well, boy... we're here. Time to get some training done..."
	With that, the man, jumped off the roof of the bus on the side away from
the milling students.
	The younger man, wearing a comfortable red satin shirt and loose black
pants gave the place a disinterested look, "Aww man, this place ain't half
as bad as its supposed to be..."
	He took a moment to glance down at the students... one girl in particular
seemed to be standing a little distance apart from everyone else... he
couldn't help but notice that she was also pretty cute...
	The girl turned suddenly. She couldn't have possibly heard him... but she
sensed the presence watching her nonetheless. She looked directly at the
younger man who was still sitting on top of the bus with a mixture of
surprise and puzzlement. The rest of the class hadn't noticed either of them
and were either listening to the guide or pretending to listen but doing
something else entirely.
	The man was surprised that she'd managed to spot him. He was faintly
embarassed at having been caught staring, but waved to her. The girl waved
back, unsure of what else to do. The young man put a finger to his lips
telling the girl to stay quiet. An amused look crossed the girl's features
as she nodded. He held out his hand to her to indicate that she should wait,
before he jumped behind the bus and disappeared from sight.
	The girl, still curious, looked around to see if any of her classmate's had
noticed her... seeing that they were all otherwise occupied, she slipped
around to the rear of the bus to find that the man... she corrected herself,
boy... he couldn't have been any older than she was... was doing some
stretching, his joints made little popping noises as he moved.
	The girl said in very halting Chinese, "Whatfor... you... stand on... bus
stop... er.... bus top?"
	The boy gave her a confused glance and replied in Japanese, "Sorry, I don't
speak Chinese..."
	"You're Japanese?" asked the girl, even more surprised.
	The boy nodded, then replied, "Yeah. Ranma Saotome. Nice to meet you." He
bowed.
	The girl bowed back, "I'm Akane Tendo. I was asking what you were doing on
top of the bus."
	"Oh, that..." Ranma looked embarrassed, "Well, my dad was too cheap to pay
for bus tickets so we hitched a ride on your bus."
	Akane giggled, "It beats walking I guess..."
	Ranma smiled, "Er... yeah."
	"Uh... so what are you guys doing here?" asked Ranma, casting around for
some way to keep the conversation going.
	"School field trip," she replied, gesturing to her classmates, "How about you?"
	"Martial Arts Training," he replied.
	Akane brightened up, "You're a martial artist too? What do you study?"
	"Kempo," Ranma answered proudly, "Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial
Arts."
	Akane looked surprised, "I study Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts..."
	"Hey, does that mean we're from rival schools?" Ranma asked curiously.
	"I don't know, I've never heard of the Saotome School before."
	"Me neither... I mean I've never heard of the Tendos..."
	Ranma's thought was interrupted by the older man, his father who suddenly
appearing behind him and walloping him over the head with his backpack,
"Ranma! This is no time to be flirting with women, boy! We have training to
do!" 
	Ranma shot his father an irritated look, "I'm not flirting with her, pop!
She's from the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, what do you know
about this?"
	Genma, Ranma's father looked at Akane in shock, "Tendo? Are you Akane Tendo?"
	"Yes, I am."
	"Only daughter of  Soun Tendo?"
	Taken by surprise, Akane said, "You know my dad?"
	Genma nodded, "Yes, we trained under the same master." He seemed to go pale
at that thought.
	"How is your father?"
	"Oh, he's fine sir," Akane replied, "He was a little upset that I was going
on this field trip but he does tend to over react sometimes."
	Genma nodded happily, "Yup, that's the Soun Tendo I know."
	"What's going on here, Pop?" asked Ranma.
	"Ranma, my boy, this is the daughter of a very good friend of mine," Genma
replied gesturing to Akane, "Her father and I used to train together under
Master Hap--" he managed to stop himself and looked around cautiously
realizing what he had almost said.
	"What a coincidence, huh?" asked Akane pleasantly.
	Ranma smiled back, "Yeah."
	"Well..." Genma said in a smug self satisfied tone which Ranma had learned
to identify from their long years on the road, "I was planning on having
this wait until we got back to Japan, boy... but since she's here anyway..."
	Ranma knew trouble when he heard it. He asked in annoyed voice, "What is it
this time, pop?"
	Genma smiled and put a hand around Ranma's shoulder. He gestured to Akane,
"I'd like you to meet your fiance, Akane Tendo."
	"My what?!" sputtered Ranma
	Akane frowned as she was also caught by surprise, "Dad was serious?!"
	Genma nodded, "Indeed. In order to carry on the tradition of the Anything
Goes School of Martial Arts, Soun and I decided when you two were born that
you would marry-"
	The rest of his statement was lost as Ranma hammered him into the ground,
"And you didn't tell me?!"
	Akane looked at the both of them strangely, "Is this some sort of weird
practical joke? Did someone put you two up to this?"
	"No... no joke," Genma replied, easily getting back to his feet.
	"I'm supposed to marry him?!" Akane asked, still in shock. As the
implications sunk in, she realized that he probably was telling the truth...
Her father never tired of talking about her fiance who would one day arrive
and allow them to carry on the dojo.  She murmured weakly, "I always thought
Dad was kidding when he mentioned that I was supposed to have a fiance who
was off on a training trip..."
	"Pity my old friend Soun isn't here to share in this joyous occasion..."
said Genma as he adjusted his glasses.
	Ranma had already lost his temper by this point, "Joyous occasion?! Joyous
occasion?!" he grabbed his father by the lapels of his gi, "You drop
something like this on me out of the blue and you expect me to be happy
about it?! I don't even know this girl!"
	"But son..." replied Genma consolingly, "You two seemed to be getting along
so well-"
	The rest of his answer was lost by Akane's interruption, "I agree with him!
This is a stupid idea! I just met him now and you're telling me I have to
marry him? I wasn't very happy about the idea even when my Dad was just
talking about it! What possessed you to make such a stupid arrangement in
the first place?!"
	Ranma turned to Akane momentarily, "Akane, please. He's my father. I'll
yell at him," Ranma shook his father some more, "Why the heck did you make
such a stupid arrangement in the first place?!"
	Genma looked as if he were about to speak, but Ranma and Akane suddenly
felt danger nearby... reacting instinctively, Ranma released his father and
grabbed Akane, jumping out of the way just as a rain of spatulas seemingly
from nowhere peppered the side of the bus near where they were standing.
Genma was less fortunate however, a few of the spatulas pinned his gi to the
bus. The little projectiles imbedding deeply into the metal of the vehicle.
	"What the-" Ranma started to say, just as he saw a person in a Japanese
boy's school uniform pull what appeared to be a huge spatula into an attack
position. 
	"Hey!" Ranma roared indignantly, "Watch it with those things! Someone could
get hurt!"
	"At last I've found you!" said the figure in harsh, angry tones, "I see it
all now! You were in love with someone else the whole time! That's why you
ran out on me!"
	Genma seemed to realize who the figure was and struggled harder to break free.
	Ranma looked at Akane who was still in his arms, "Erhm... friend of yours?"
	Akane blushed as she realized her position. She glanced at the boy again
and said to Ranma, "Never seen him before in my life."
	The grip about the huge spatula tightened until the figure's knuckles were
practically white, "Get away from Ranma, little girl! He's mine!"
	Akane struggled to get out of Ranma's grip, forcing him to let go of her.
She looked apprehensively at the two boys, before she turned to Ranma with a
strange expression, "Er... your boyfriend? 
	Ranma shifted his attention suddenly from the figure to Akane, "What's that
supposed to mean?!"
	Akane replied sharply, responding to his angry tone, "Well! It's obvious
that whoever he is," pointing at the figure, "He's in a jealous rage. He
must've been something to you..." 
	"I'm not like that!" replied Ranma, stepping closer to her, shouting in her
face, "I don't even know this person! How can you say stuff like that about
someone you just met?!"
	"So you say! But how would I know?" Akane shouted back into his face, "I
just met you a couple minutes ago! You could be some kind of perverted freak
for all I know!" 
	"What would you know, you stupid obnoxious-!"
	A small razor edged spatula suddenly flew past both of their faces and
embedded into the bus, cutting off any further insults. "Excuse me..." the
figure said in a tight angry voice, "I'm trying to say something here..." 
	But then there was light. A bright dazzling light which filled the sky. The
three looked up to see a woman, her long straight brown hair unbound,
kneeling with her hands clasped, as though in prayer. She said in a gentle
melodious voice, "Magical Knights. Please save us."
	The three were surprised as the they felt the soft ground underneath them
give way... becoming liquid... first putty like, trapping their feet... then
treacle as they sank to their knees... then almost like water... as it
reached their waists... then a powerful suction which pulled them all the
way under... swallowing them whole, before any had a chance to cry out. The
ground reformed itself just as swiftly, returning to it's natural
configuration in the span of a heartbeat.
	No one else seemed to notice the light. Genma whose attention had been
concentrated on pulling the little spatulas out had not noticed the
disappearance of the three. When he had finally managed to break free. He
looked around him in confusion, "Ranma? Akane? Where are you?"
	But nothing was left save Ranma's backpack and the figure's huge spatula.

	They were falling... endlessly... the three could see the land stretched
out before them. A lush abundant landscape dotted with broad forests,
soaring mountains, vast seas, floating islands... all of which was
unfortunately rushing up to meet them at a rather terminal velocity...
	Akane screamed into the tearing wind, "What's going on here!?!"
	"Saotome, this is all your fault!!!" roared the figure.
	Ranma kept his exclamation to a single syllable. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! 
	The ground was still a good mile away when their fall was abruptly stopped
by something...
	Ranma patted himself down as he realized a very important point, "We're
alive! We're alive!"
	"What did we land on?" Akane groaned, still dazed by the impact.
	The figure looked down and gave a small cry, "It's a fish!"
	"You found a fish?" Akane asked as she wandered over to the figure...
whatever it was they were standing on seemed to lurch slightly and it seemed
to be moving in a certain direction as indicated by the cold wind that kept
clawing at their clothes.
	Ranma was still too overcome with relief as he hugged the scaly gray
surface, "Who cares?! We're alive!"
	"No, you dumb bimbo!" snapped the figure, "We're on a flying fish!"
	Ranma looked up abruptly, "We're on a what?"
	Akane looked down finally, "Oh my God..."
	Ranma finally stood up and saw what the others had seen. They were on what
appeared to be a huge flying fish. It's diaphanous fins seemed to be
ill-equipped for the job of holding up the fish, much less its three passengers.
	"Nobody make a move..." Akane muttered, "Maybe it'll land soon..."
	The figure snarled at Ranma and flicked another spatula shaped shuriken at
him, "This is all your fault, Saotome!"
	Ranma easily dodged the missile, the wind making it too difficult for the
figure to aim properly, "What did I ever do to you? What do I have to do
with any of this?!"	
	"Yeah, who are you anyway?" asked Akane.
	The figure sniffed at Akane, "Just so you know... My name is Ukyou Kuonji."
	"Ukyou Kuonji?" Ranma muttered scratching his head...
	"You mean you don't remember me?" the figure asked furiously.
	"Um... gimme a moment..." Ranma said, still thinking.
	Akane sighed and tried to squint into the wind. Whatever was going on back
on the fish's rear end was their business... she just met the guy a few
minutes ago... and now this... She could make out a large floating island
where the fish seemed to be heading... it was only a few minutes away if it
kept going at the same rate. Wherever this was, it certainly wasn't China
anymore... She turned to tell her two companions just in time to hear a loud
CLONG.
	"Maybe that'll help your memory, Saotome!" screamed the figure, with a
medium sized spatula in hand. Ranma was slightly slumped clutching at his head.
	"Will you two stop fighting?!" Akane screamed back, her temper getting the
better of her.
	"This is none of your business, little girl!" 
	"Look you..." Akane said in low and dangerous tones as she stomped towards
Ukyou... "I don't know what your problem with Ranma is, and at the moment I
quite frankly don't care! We are on a flying fish of all things flying over
God knows where! Now... I would appreciate it if you kept yourself calm so
we can figure out what's going on here!!!"
	"Fine..." replied Ukyou, "We can finish this after we hit solid ground..."
	Ranma breathed out a sigh of relief, "Good... then maybe we can find out
where the heck we are..."
	"After I kill you." Ukyou replied reasonably.

	A small smile played on the features of the man in black shadows as he
watched the scene unfold... he stood in a darkened chamber... a scrying pool
at his feet and a man in silver behind him.
	"You must be joking. The Saviors of this planet... the Magical Knights are
a bunch of squabbling children?" he asked aloud, mildly amused, "It's almost
not worth the trouble..."
	"Nevertheless my Ono-sama..." replied the man who stood behind him.
	"Indeed, Tarou," the man replied. He continued softly, "Kodachi..."
	From behind a curtain of water against one wall, "Yes, My Ono-sama?" asked
a girl's voice sweetly.
	"Deal with them, please. In your own way..."
	"Yes, My lord..." replied the girl as she stepped into the light. She had a
trim, athletic figure which her uniform (which vaguely resembled leather
swimwear) did very little to conceal. Her long dark hair was gathered into
an off-center ponytail and her eyes gleaming with almost maniacal
intensity... She gave a soft demented giggle behind a leather gloved hand,
"They will never trouble you again... Ono-sama..."
	"Be on your way, Kodachi," The High Priest Toufuu Ono replied coldly to her.
	Kodachi gave vent to a full throated laugh as the scent of roses filled the
air... a gust of wind whirled around her body, obscuring her in a cloud of
rose petals, before she vanished to carry out her appointed task.