LOST BOY OF AMBER
               A Ranma 1/2/Chronicles of Amber x-over
                       By C.J.

All characters from actual anime/manga are property of their respective writers/creators/distributing companies.  Chris Angel, God of Moments is property of himself (unless you ask Urd or Skuld) and is used with permission. Erik was lent to me by Grog. Any new characters are mine. Please don't sue
 me, I have less money than most college students (if that's possible).

Note: Since people have been making requests, I am currently working on a side story dealing with the time that Ryoga and little Lara were by themselves.


PART3-EXCURSIONS AND ANSWERS
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     The raven watched, as was its duty.  That was it's entire purpose for being, even if it did not understand why it watched the spy-prey, or what the prey was doing.  So all it did was watch as the two left the building and headed down the street.

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     "What are we doing again, Lara?"  Ryoga asked his newfound cousin once more.

     "I told you, we're going to walk through shadow.  You need the practice, and anyway, you looked awfully nervous about owing that... Nabiki money for any length of time."  The young girl sounded exasperated with the former Lost Boy. 
"Look. Finding things is simple.  From what I understand, you just fix whatever it is that you're looking for in your mind, like, say, enough money to pay for the damages and then walk through shadow towards it.  Walking through shadow is done by making changes in the environment as you go.  The i
mportant thing is to keep moving."

     "How do you make 'changes in the environment'?  I usually do that in fights, but..."

     Lara grinned sheepishly.  "Sorry.  What you do is expect things to come up, a little at a time, and they will.  For instance, say you wanted to go to a forest.  You start by adding greenery, like potted plants lining the walkway.  Then you just continue on that way, eventually spacing the bui
ldings, a road becoming dirt, and then a trail, and the next thing you know, you're in a forest that was just like you pictured it.  And as for 'expecting things to come up', all that I can say about that is if you want it to be there, it'll be there.  Now let's try it, and see how you do."  She p
ulled her reluctant cousin into moving.

     Ryoga grumbled as he did what she said.  "If it's so easy, how come you don't do it?"

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     "How come she doesn't do it?"  Asked the woman watching the pair through a yellowish globe.

     Her companion spoke up.  "Apparently, Auntie, your little girl was too afraid to walk the Pattern.  At least, that's what my sources suggest.  Perhaps her backbone isn't at stiff as you thought, hmm?"

     Lady Rakthiya glared at her 'associate'.  "You know we aren't related, Erik, you just do that to annoy me."

     "Ah, but we are related, at least in deed.  We both think that Amber would get along better with the Courts of Chaos if there were a puppet ruler in charge.  That's why you 'fluffed the royal pillows' in Random's bedchambers, even though it got you exiled, isn't it?"  Erik smirked at her.

     "Of course, fool, but now that we've tested the mettle of her new allies, we'll watch and see how she develops.  Lara has got a long way to go if she thinks that she actually 'escaped' my reach."

     "Certainly, Auntie."  He frowned to himself thoughtfully.  "But I don't think much of the new addition to the family.  This Ryoga seems like he's got a one track mind."


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     "You've got a one-track mind, don't you, Ryo-chan."  Lara looked concernedly at the Lost Boy.

     Ryoga frowned.  "What do you mean?"

     "Well, we've been trying to walk through shadow, right?"

     "Right."

     "And we've been walking in a straight line for a half-hour, right?"

     "Right.  So what's your point?" Ryoga was starting to get annoyed.  "Why haven't we come across what we want.  You made it sound easy."

     Lara looked at him strangely.  "Uh, Ryoga, we have come across what we, or rather you, want."  She pointed off to his left.

     Ryoga looked to where she was pointing.  There, before his eyes, was a sign that read 'Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts'.  Next to it was a panda with a broom looking back at the two of them.  He glared at his cousin.  "I thought you said I wasn't going to get lost anymore."

     She sighed, and looked sadly at him.  "You're not lost.  You were probably thinking about getting back to the dojo and Akane, so you're back."

     Ryoga blushed.  "Well, yeah.  That's usually what I think about when I wander.  It gives me something to do."

     "Well, that's one thing we got to teach you to not do.  Remember that when you're walking through shadow, your thoughts govern your movement.  That's how we got to the Dojo during the fight."  She smiled at him.  "I think I know how to help you with that."

     "How?" Ryoga, like Ranma, had the tendency to perfect a technique at all costs.

     "Like this."  She reached out and flicked the end of his nose.  "Tag, you're It."  Lara disappeared into thin air, using the Logrus to travel in her own way.

     Ryoga froze for a moment in shock, but quickly reacted.  "Oh no you don't."  He began to run; the world blurring at he went.

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     All joking aside, one thing Chris Angel (God of Moments, Protector of the Norns and brother to the same) has learned since having a wish given to him, is to enjoy the quiet moments.  Keiichi and Belldandy were out on a date.  Skuld was at the junkyard looking for the right piece of equipment 
to make the tool to adjust the item that she wanted to use to align the new upgrade for her newest Banpei attachment (?). Urd was up in the Heavens, trying to explain some of her more unusual activities to the 'Boss' (why she even bothered to put an aphrodisiac in the soda machines in the Motor Cl
ub, when Belldandy makes Keiichi tea to take with him).  This left the former mortal with a serious engagement with a bowl of popcorn, a TV, and a stack of Slayers tapes.

     Of course, he should have expected a girl to appear out of nowhere and fall into his lap.

     "Hi! Sorry about the popcorn.  Gotta go, I'm sort of in a hurry."  The stranger jumped up and ran out the side door, gesturing with her arms as she went.

     Chris could only stare in amazement as, just after she left sight, another person (who bore a striking resemblance to an anime character) opened the door opposite and ran through the room, shouting, "Sorry for the intrusion, YOU GET BACK HERE, sorry again!"

     He was still looking for the bug when Keiichi and Belldandy returned from their date.

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     Priss was having a bad day.

     "Damn it! What the @&#%$ is this one made of?"  She dodged another blast from the super-boomer, and hit it again, making another scratch in its side.

     She could hear a wail from the comm.  "I don't know!  It's got a jamming field I can't penetrate!  What do we do, Sylia?"

     The 'ice queen' of the Knight Sabers struck the boomer in the back.  "We keep hitting it until it falls. The only other option is to let it rampage through the streets, and I do not consider that viable."

     "Look out!"  That came from Linna, who was looking past it, where two civilians ran out of the shadows.  The big one seemed to be chasing the other one, a girl, who was laughing.

     "Ha, ha. You're way to slow, Ryo-chan. Watch this."  With that, she leaped, pushed off the boomer's head (Pushing it off balance) and disappeared.

     The other one growled.  "Damn, I almost got her! Bakusai Tenketsu!"  As he ran by the rogue, he thrust his finger into its side in frustration.  The explosion took out the armor plating, giving Priss the opening she needed.

     "All right! Eat this one!"  With that, she leapt to the hole and, using her knuckle-buster, blew the internals of the boomer into so much scrap.

     The four women stood around, looking at each other.  Nene spoke up.  "What just happened?"

     "No clue. We'll figure it out later, the ADP are on their way."

     On their way back to base, Nene played back the recording of the two strangers, up to the last thing the guy said as he went around the corner.  'I've got to get her!"

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     "You've got to get her!  She's up to something, I can feel it!"  Random, king of Amber, was fuming.  He was pacing back and forth before a younger man, one who still towered over the monarch.

     "All I can tell you is that she brought someone with her.  Whoever he is, he walked the Pattern, uncle."  The bored, almost passionless voice stopped Random cold.

     "Damn!  Are you sure, Jules?"  The king was shocked by the thought.  "Another member of the family?  Just what I need."

     Jules glared at his relative.  "Yes, I am sure, uncle.  My father, Julian, may be the Master of the forest Arden, but I am a hunter.  Unlike him, I do not use dogs, hawks, or assistants when I track my prey.  There were two sets of tracks.  One belonged to a girl of apparently twelve years of
 age, the other to a male, roughly sixteen, wearing well-worn traveling shoes.  And estimating from his walk and stance, I'd say he's been practicing martial arts for most of his life.  I don't know the style however, it's a very unusual stance."  He picked up his pack.  "If you still wish, I shal
l leave immediately."

     Random frowned.  "Take Michiko with you.  As you said, you're a hunter, and I like it if you could bring them both back alive."

     "As you wish, uncle."

     "And see if you could find out who's kid the new guy is."

     Jules paused at the door.  "Offhand, I would say Benedict or Gerard."

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     "Benedict or Gerard?"  Ryoga said between gasps.

     "Yeah.  I mean, either of them would be likely to spend a lot of time 
in a shadow where the martial artists are that tough.  Probably three or 
four generations back, one or the other (or both, you never know), stayed 
here to do some training and, um, 'sown their wild oats'.  I wouldn't be 
surprised if both of your parents are descended from an Amberite.  It just 
wasn't strong enough to count until you came along."

     Ryoga finally caught Lara.  The forest that they were in consisted of 
blue trees under a yellow sky.  Both of them were exhausted, and could 
hardly talk due to the panting.

     "I hope that you learned your lesson, cousin. I really don't want to do 
that again."  Lara lay on her back, unable to move.  Realizing that her 
cousin was only winded, she said, "I give.  Your too much for me, cousin.  
Let me rest a moment, and we'll head back."  With that, she fell asleep.

     Picking her up, Ryoga lay her across his back and began to walk away.  
He spoke quietly to her.  "You rest Lara-chan, I'll take care of you."  He 
headed of into the direction of the setting sun.

To be continued...

-------------------------------------
Name: cj
E-mail: cj <cj@stny.lrun.com>
Date: 6/12/98
Time: 3:21:52 PM

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