If this was a movie it would be PG-13; safe for most FFML'ers; it
contains the usual crap, strong language, sexualy suggestive themes, and
exsessive violence. Great stuff.
A Ranma 1/2/ Tomb Raider cross over...
Part 1: Lara and the Diomond of Lord Struden.
French countryside, summer; 1985.
Lara Croft stood at the top of the Chasm, an open scar in the face of
the earth that seemed to go down for miles, mist and smoke seemed to haze
over the darkness as the sheer and jagged rock walls seemed to vanish
into nothingness. She glanced over the side and frowned as the large man
behind her with a gun to her back shoved her forward. He was wearing a
black suit and a dark pair of shades, his face was twisted and pitted
with various scars as he growled menacingly and pushed her ever closer to
the edge. Her glasses fell from her nose and tumbled into the pit
shattering a few hundred feet below on a large patch of sharp stones that
protruded from the side of the wall. A low growl escaped her throat as
she glaced back at him angrily. "Those were exspencive." The overbearing
man pulled back on the brown leather bomber jacket that she wore over her
tight fitting green shirt and short brown kaki shorts, two empty gun
holsters hung at her side as well; her face was tired and bruised
slightly from what had been a rough day for her.
The night before she had been shoved into a cell and guarded closely, a
little too closely for her taste; needless to say she had not gotten any
sleep.
A middle aged man dressed in a white suit and a wide brimmed hat walked
up from a black limozine parked near to the canyon. He had a slight limp
and leaned on a polished wooden cane that bent under his weight.
"Fraulein Croft, you shouldn't have." his heavy German accent touched a
bit of brutal class to his rather short stature and build. In his hands
was her travel pack, he tossed most of the contents over the side of the
chasm and held a large glittering diomand in his hand.
"I didn't, your mother should have told you it isn't nice to steal." she
snarled at him and pulled at her captors grip; behind her she could feel
his smile.
"I'm afraid she's dead; I would have kept you company myself, but
Strauss wouldn't have it. He's not much of a conversationalist, but I
hear he does have a way with za ladies." the man laughed slightly at his
own joke and stepped back a little from her struggles.
"I always liked the strong silent type." muttered Lara as her mind raced
for a way out of the precarious situation.
"Calm in the face of danger, you do live up to your reputation fraulein
Croft." said the man as he turned away from her and hobbled towards the
car holding the diomand in his hand while gazing into it's core greedily.
"More than I can say for your reputation Gaust, or should I say
Sturken?" Lara gave a small smile as the man stopped his stride for a
moment to give her a side long glance.
"Dat name has no meaning for me." snapped the man.
"That's obvious, why else would you kill your own daughter for a rock?"
said the woman coldly as she gazed into his eyes.
He stared back at her unfazed by her anger "I know she was an old friend
of yours, but zometimes we must endure a nessisary evil to reach our
goals frauline." he turned to the bulky form of Strauss and waved his
hand casually. "Trow her into za pit." the man was clearly disturbed by
the fact she knew his name; who else could know? Anyone she had come into
contact with resently would have to be eleminated save Strauss.
The hulking man laughed in a deep chuckle as she was lifted easily from
her feet by the massive man and held over the pit.
"Hey, take a look down big boy." said Lara as she hung from his grip.
Strauss looked confused for a moment and glanced at her hands, they
where still bound by the rough cord; but they where also holding the
small silenced handgun he kept hidden in his crotch. The gun fired twice
before he realized what was happening and he fell forward loosening his
grip on Lara just enough for her to twist away and catch the edge of the
cliff with her stomach, the wind was knocked from her, as she desperately
clenched her abdomen down and dug her chin into the hard soil of the
rocky ground; she grunted painfully as she kicked her legs up onto the
edge and pulled her body completely onto the ground. Strauss tumbled
forward and vanished over the cliff silently; the look on his face told
her he was still not certain what had happened.
"Thank you for the lovely evening, I might not have known that was there
if you hadn't shown me such a wonderful time." She watched as the man
vanished behind the murky grey fog that hid the bottom of the chasm from
view. After a moment of rest, she staggered to her feet and walked over
to the black painted motorcycle, it was little more than an overpowered
dirt bike, but far better than walking.
Gaust's car moved away from the canyon in a cloud of dust and started
down the long deserted road that would lead him back into the small town
nearby; Once he got there nothing could be done for several days, he
would be too well guarded. She struggled against the ropes and rubbed
them along the rough edge of the side car's small plexyglass windbreaker,
within a few seconds she was free. She pulled the clip from the gun and
counted the bullets hastily as she mounted the bike and kicked the engine
into a start; five rounds remained. A few small pins where all that held
the side car into place, she pulled them violently away and kicked the
small pod off roughly, sending it off the edge of the cliff as she drove
away after her prey.
Gaust fingered the jewel in his hands and relaxed in the back seat of
the limo; a tall glass of champaigne rested in his palm and an operatic
tune soothed his troubled mind. "Such a waste, she could have been useful
to me." He placed the diomond on the lavish bar that sat across from him
at the back of the limo.
"She was dangerous, eleminating her was not an option." snarled the
woman dressed in tight black leather that appeared beside him from the
shadows of the opposite side of the cab with another man dressed in
black. Gaust did not seem surprised by her presence.
"I know Frau Stanton, but she was quite a woman no?" the man chuckled to
himself as he handed the diomond to her; she idily tossed it back to him.
"This is not the stone I seek, you may keep it as compensation for your
trouble Gaust." the woman gave him a sly smile and brushed her long
straight black hair back behind her shoulder, it was cut in an almost
militaristic even length and her make up was strong yet some how perfect;
The deep red of her lips seemed to contrast her dark eyes and the pale
skin; she was beautiful, but it was a cold and harsh beauty.
The dark glass of the privacy window slid down slowly revealing the
driver, he was a harsh looking black man in his mid twenties with a dark
pair of sunglasses hiding his eyes.
"What is it, this had better be important." snapped the man harshly at
his driver.
"Heir Gaust, we are being followed." said the man simply before he
rolled the window back up.
"Vhat?!" screamed the man as his accent worsened in his anger; He turned
to see the slim form of a motorcycle bearing down on them in the
distance. "Croft!"
Lara could see the long silloette of the limo as she closed in on it at
top speed, they where still a good hour away from the village and she
could catch them easily if they maintained their current speed; however,
she knew that they would speed away if she was spotted and turned her
gaze to the hills that ran along the roadside, they would meet the road
halfway to the city, but it would be a rough ride; they could easily out
run her if she did not chance it though. The car began to deminish and
sealed the decision, she had been seen and it was a race now. She turned
and rode up the rough dirt trail that would lead her to them.
"Who are you calling at a time like this, she'll never catch us on that
toy." said the dark clad woman as she sipped on her glass lazily.
"You underestemate her ability fraulein, she is a dangerous opponent."
snapped Gaust as he continued to dial; he placed the reciever to his ear
and snarled into the phone. "Dis is Ludwig Gaust, dere is a woman on da
motercycle chasing my limo due west of your current location; about five
minutes away, kill her. Move quickly, she has just turned into the hills;
under no circumstanses is she to survive." he hung up the phone and
smiled darkly as he relaxed into the leather.
"Who was that?" asked the woman flatly, her intrest was obviously
waining.
"Just a weapons test for a new smuggling operation of mine, she won't
make it to the town alive." he sipped at his champaigne delecately. "Such
a strange drink, I haven't had it for some time."
"Your preference would be beer? A rather roughish drink for a cultured
man such as yourself." Stanson seemed amused for a moment before
returning to her own thoughts.
"Cultured? bah! Germany was brought to power by strong men, it will
continue to thrive under their influence." he snorted crudely. "Not this
fluff and pompas thing you call cluture."
"We'll see." she replied absently.
She was half way there and almost certainly ahead of them now, Lara
gunned the engine of the cycle as she flew over a hill and landed roughly
skidding for a few feet before she regained control of the bike. She
stopped for a moment and cocked her head, a familiar sound filled her
ears as the low thudding of a helecopter could be heard in the air; wind
blasted from in front of her suddenly as it appeared from nowhere
directly in front of her, from behind the cover of a hill. "A silent
running helecopter?!" She could see the look in the pilot's eyes as he
turned the massive bulk of the chopper towards her, it was a civilian
design; with the possible exception
of the minigun mounted just below the nose. It swiveled to face her and
she stared at it wide eyed for a second before gunning the motor as the
ground she had been standing on vanished behind her from the massive
force of the heavy calibur bullets. "Shit!" The helicopter itself kicked
and the nose was pulled down as the machine gun went off. It was obvious
that they could only use short burst of fire and Lara smiled as she drove
away.
She curved around the corners and stayed low between the hills as she
weaved her way around the random firing pattern of the chopper. The
gunner tried desperately to force her up to the top of a hill to get a
clean shot, but Lara stayed low and weaved in and out of the brush
forcing him to take shots at her in the dark. Within moments she was lost
to him.
"Where the hell is she?" screamed the gunner.
"You lost her?" screamed the pilot angrily.
"She disapeared in the bushes! How the hell am I supposed to keep track
of her?!" retorted the man as he gazed below.
About a twenty yards away behind a thick cover of bushes, Lara Croft
emerged from a long cement drainage pipe that had been abandoned in the
field. She gunned the motor and looked back with a smug grin plastered on
her face as the copter circled around the area she had disapeared into.
"See you later boys."
Around fifteen minutes later Lara found the road again, it was about a
ten foot drop to the road and she sat back a good distance from the edge
waiting patiently. Within moments the long black form of the limo rounded
the corner and coasted by lazily. Lara smiled and gunned the motor, she
blasted over the jump and sailed over the car landing gracefully next to
the vehicle and fireing a shot into the glass before she hit the ground.
Pain laced down her spine as she impacted with the road and ruined the
shocks of the bike, it still ran smoothly though and she kept up with the
car without breaking stride.
Her shot was no surprise though, it bounced harmlessly away from the
armoured car's windows leaving a dusty looking white spot where it had
hit. "Ok, the tires." Lara coasted next to the car and let a round fly
sending it through the rubber of the tire and finding equal success.
"Bullet proof tires, damn well built car I must say."
Inside Gaust was in a panic, "Damn her! how the hell did she get here so
fast!?" he picked up the phone and slammed it onto the ground angrily.
Stanton was completely calm however; she looked over to her aide and
nodded. He stood wordlessly and opened the sun roof with the flick of a
button, in his hands was a small machine gun, he pulled back on the lever
and cocked the gun.
Lara smiled as the car slowed down and a huge man emerged from the roof,
he let loose a spray of bullets that was controled and dangerously close
to her. "So they want to play do they?" she gunned the bike and swayed
between the deadly acuracy of the overbearing man who looked amazingly
simmilar to Strauss. He reached into his suit jacket and lobbed a small
black ball at her, she steered to avoid the projectile only to have it
exsplode behind her lifting the tail end of the bike up into the air and
almost causing her to lose control.
"This is getting serious." she muttered as she looked back nervously.
She leveled the gun on him and another exsplosion in front of her forced
her to swerve away; then another hail of bullets forced her further back.
"He's good."
With a hard look crossing her face she stuffed the gun in it's holster
and opened up the bike completely, this time she charged straight for the
car. The man smiled and fired a few shots in her direction, he lifted the
gun and smiled even more as she drew nearer.
Lara drew her legs up and tensed her body as she came within two feet of
the limo's trunk; he smiled and held a grenade in his hand glaring at
her maniacally; the machine gun was lowered on her and she forced herself
out of the seat and into the air pulling the gun from her pocket as she
went. The shower of bullets sailed underneath her and her bike toppled
and exsploded as they ripped through the gas tank, she fired two shots
that took the man in his chest, the grenade flew from his hands and she
fell barely missing the trunk and seeming to disapear onto the pavement.
"Damn!" growled Stanton as she saw her best man fall onto the carpet
dead.
"At least he got her, no one could have survived that bike crash, not
even frauline Croft." Gaust had a hard smile etched across his face as he
fingered the diomand greedily in his palm.
Lara grunted in pain as she hung onto the bumper of the car, her legs
scraped mercelessly against the pavement as the skin was shaven from them
easlily, her boots took the worst of it, but her thighs and shins
repetedly came into contact with the road. She struggled and lifted her
self up in a pull up onto the bumper of the car with another scream of
pain; finally she managed to wrap her arm around the decorative spoiler
on the back, it strained but managed to hold her weight. A cold look of
hatred filled her eyes as she climbed onto the back of the car and glared
at the dark glass that kept her from Gaust. In her right hand was the
hand grenade that the underling had thrown in his death throes, she
snarled and ripped the pin out with her teeth.
"All is well, frauline Stanton. We have ze diomond and our orginization
is one step closer to recovering the stone; I wouldn't mind a few more
failures such as this one though." Gaust smiled as he held the diomond up
to the sunlight from the open window of the sun roof.
The woman paid no attention to him she merely stared out the window in
disbelief as Lara Croft climbed up onto the trunk; she pushed herself up
with a strained look on her face and fell against the window. Gaust
turned at the sound and glared in disbelief, with a horrible realization
he jumped from his seat and pushed the button to close the roof, but it
was too late. Just before the window closed completely a small black ball
rolled into the cab and lay on the carpet; Gaust's leg gave out and he
fell beside it staring in horror; he had just enough time to look back
and see Lara was not on the trunk any longer. "CROOOOFFFFTTT!!!!"
She stood painfully and dusted herself off, she had managed to make it
to the sandy roadside instead of landing on the pavement. It didn't help
much, but it was enough to keep her from getting any more scratched up.
The limosine exsploded in a massive ball of fire about seven hundred
yards away and Lara was almost knocked back to the ground. She staggered
as pieces fell from the sky all around her. At her feet the europian
license plate stuck in the ground, it was bent terribly, but "Gaust-1"
could still be read; she lifted it up and placed it under her arm, "At
least it's not a total loss."
She staggered for a few steps towards the town when something fell at
her feet again, she looked down and saw the sparkling form of the diomand
buried halfway in the sand at her feet. An amused smile crossed the
woman's face as she bent down and picked it up. She turned it over a few
times in her hand and placed it into her pocket, she chucked aside the
license plate and continued towards the town. "I'm going to need a new
pair of specticals I suppose."
On the side of the road another form stood from the dirt on the side of
the road. It was a woman with long black hair who was dressed in tight
leather clothing. She stared at the burning wreakage and cursed in French
as she punched the ground, her shoulder had a rather nasty scrape across
it that was bleeding profusely; otherwise she appeared unharmed. After a
few moments of glaring at the remains of her former partener and his car
she smiled, and slowly her smile turned into a chuckle, finally she moved
into a full blown laugh. "Oh this is rich! Mrs. Croft, I do believe I
like you; such style and grace. I think I have finally found the perfect
partener in my little game!" she walked a few steps down the road and
picked up a long black coat; tossing it across her arm she started to
walk in the opposite direction of Lara.
Part 2: Nerima, and the beginning.
Nerima Japan, 1986.
Eighteen year old Ranma Saotome walked calmly towards the gates of
Furinkan High school along the sidewalk next to his fiancee. He wore a
school uniform and smiled a little as the sun gently warmed the cool air
of the autmn season. His life had settled down quite a bit over the past
year and he finally had the opportunity to relax and enjoy his youth.
It had been almost two years since the astranged wedding disaster; so
much had changed since then, Shampoo was the only girl still in active
persuit of him now, even though she had lost much of the passion she had
once had about the whole affair. Cologne and Mousse largely left him
alone, Ryoga barely set foot in Nerima any longer; The Kuno's where a
different story, they never let him be; fortunately he no longer had any
daily contact with them, Kuno had graduated and Kodachi was at a boarding
school on the other side of Tokyo; the only time he ever had to deal with
either of them was during a holiday or a school break.
Ukkyo was an unusual matter as far as the aftermath of the whole mess
that had been his life was conserned, she still offered him a smile when
he came to her restaurant; but she never really spent time with him any
longer; no more free meals, no more chasing him down, and no more calling
him Ranchan; He was just Ranma to her now. He felt a small tug at his
heart when he thought about it, but she was still friendly and always
willing to talk about old times; with a little work, she would be his
best friend again instead of another reason for him to be wary of the
female race in general. Things where finally settling down, but that's
when everything usually went to hell and blew up in your face.
Akane walked next to Ranma, she had grown her hair out again and her
figure had slimmed quite a bit, she looked mature now. She looked at her
fiancee and swallowed, it was still hard to be around him on occasion;
every now and then he had to be beaten back into his place, or even just
to deflate his ego in general; On the whole though he was much easier to
get along with over the last two years, they both knew how the other felt
about each other and neither would voice it aloud unless they where
possative they where alone; Still, everyone knew. Akane had grown into a
beautiful woman and Ranma was becoming a handsome man in his own right.
"Is this going to be the rest of my life?" she wondered idily. "It's so
peaceful and quiet, I don't think I can remember a time like this. It's
nice." Her smile widened as she took Ranma's hand and pulled him along at
a slightly faster pace, he made no move to stop her and complied moving
into the lead again.
"There goes the happy couple." said Kunoichi as he swept the front
doorway to the Ucchan, his dress ruffled slightly in a dramatic yet some
how romantic looking wind that swept by Akane and Ranma as they moved
across the low morning sun. He turned to see Ukkyo staring at them from
the doorway.
"It won't last, it never does." she smiled and turned back to the few
remaining breakfast customers. "He said he'd be here tonight for dinner,
I think she's coming with him this time."
"Peace like this is fragile and fleeting." agreed the Ninja as he
adjusted the sign. "I suppose you want to remind you they're coming
later."
"You probably won't have to, but don't let me close early tonight."
Ukkyo leaned against the grill and started to scrub at it with a scouring
pad.
"Are you feeling sick?" Konatsu turned and looked at her with a little
concern.
"No, just tired; all this inactivity is making me a little lazy." the
girl scratched at a particlularly bad spot on the grill surface with the
pad and frowned. "I'm gonna need a new grill soon."
A wet and female Ranma slammed into the restaurant and skidded face
first through the door all the way to the counter. "Ouch." she grumbled
as she sat up and rubbed a sore spot on her head.
"Hey Ranma, I thought you weren't coming by until later." Ukkyo handed
him a tea kettle from behind the counter and smiled wryly.
"I triped on some old lady's broom and fell into a puddle, Akane was
holding my hand and she fell on top of me; I tried to help her up and
grabbed the wrong thing I guess." he shook his hair out a little after
emptying the pot over his head and sighed. "If she's still mad later it
might just be me tonight."
Kunoichi smiled slightly and leaned between them. "If she's feeling bad
about it she may try to cook you dinner tonight; better hope it's curry."
"Nah, she knows I promised to come by here tonight, I can get out of it
if she tries it." Ranma smirked and attempted to fix his hair again with
his fingers.
"Well, I promise I won't close early tonight Ranma, bring her if you
can; I need the money." Ukkyo adjusted the grill temperature and turned
around to see him standing there still.
"Well, I'll be sure to let her know."
"Your still here? Don't you have school?" Ukkyo laughed as he hit the
side of his head and dashed out the door with a frustrated grimmace.
"Stupid Akane!"
"I guess even peace won't change some things." Kunoichi tied an apron
around his waist and pushed his hair back over his shoulder lazily.
"Speaking of which, aren't you going to be late too?"
"Nah, I know that idiot principal will be so wrapped up in Ranma that he
won't even notice I've come in late; my first period teacher eats here
anyway and I give him free meals to let me in class late."
"Genma, I worry about our son." Nodoka stopped her work in the kitchen
and sighed as her husband rummaged through the icebox in search of a few
beers to acompany the Shogi game currently in progress; his bag of tiles
was securely tucked inside his belt to prevent the theft of his better
pieces.
"Eh? This again? I told you, Ranma is fine." Genma popped the lid off
his prize and turned to face his wife.
"I know, but I worry still; What if he can't control his urges until the
wedding? Akane might be angry with him. He is very manly, I've seen him
peeping into her room and watching her with such a manly desire in his
eye; why I've even caught him alone in the furrow playing with his
little..."
"Nodoka!" cried Genma as he almost dropped the bottles in shocked
disbelief. "Ranma is fine! Please leave him be, everything is going well!
The wedding has been planed already and both of them have agreed to it!
The last thing we need to do is stir up more trouble; This is exactly
what happened last time!"
"I know that husband, and Ranma and Akane should be having a normal
relationship! If she does not get over this unusual shyness; why I'm
afraid my poor Ranma won't be able to contain himself!" Nodoka brought
her hands up to her eyes without realizing the cooking knife was still in
her hands, it slipped away and flew by Genma's head sticking into the
refridgerator.
Genma breathed a sigh of relief and glared at his wife, the peeping had
been set up by him and Soun as a way to keep her quiet; but Ranma's
reaction to the solution was something he didn't care to hear about; even
if it didn't surprise him. "Relax honey! Ranma is a strong man and a
disiplined martial artist; he could hold out for years if he had to!"
"But that isn't very manly of him!" Nodoka started crying even harder.
"Ah! But it is! If he would hold out on his sexual desires a bit longer,
he could have a lifetime of enjoyment; hardly something to risk the
pleasure of the moment! He is wise to realize this."
"You...are right husband, I am proud of my son!" Nodoka turned and
returned to her cooking with a new flame of passion burning in her soul.
Faint cries of "He's such a man!" could be heard by Genma as he snuck
back to the living room.
"What took you?" asked Soun as he looked up at his old friend.
"Tendo, I think we should tone down these peeping sessions of ours to
once a week instead of every day." Genma sat down quietly and looked at
the board. He was ahead in the game when he left, strangely the tide
seemed to have turned in favor of Soun.
"Why? Ranma and Akane don't seem to mind our little ruse, besides it's
not like Akane is really undressing; I think this idea of yours is quite
clever." Soun accepted the beer and took a swig from the bottle absently,
he stopped and noticed that the neck of his bottle seemed to have been
cut off; he quickly dismissed it and turned his attention back to Genma.
"Besides, the master has been getting along with him much better since we
started this."
"I know, its a good thing Nodoka never bothered to see if Akane was
really changing or this never would have worked. We shouldn't stop; but
she's under the impression that Ranma might be a little too manly and
lose control." Genma coughed and turned his head in a slight blush.
"That's understandable, let's make it three times a week. We wouldn't
want her getting too suspicious." Soun gazed at the board lazily and
noticed he was losing again; and they hadn't even started to play.
"It's agreed then; three times a week." Genma smiled broadly and placed
a piece on the board.
Mousse coughed as he recieved another facefull of dust as he rummaged
through the huge stacks of books with a small oil lantern in his hand.
"Ack! Stupid slave driving old monkey! How am I supposed to organise all
these cookbooks!? I can't even read what most of them say the print is so
small." a pot clanged noisily on the back of his head as light peered
down into the basement through the now open trap door; the boy's lantern
clattered across the floor noisily.
"Mousse keep quiet down there! Shampoo trying to work!" the door slammed
shut causing another dust cloud.
"Yes my darling Shampoo!" cried the boy happily. "I knew she'd come down
to check on me; now where's that lamp?" he felt along the floor in the
darkness for the small metal lantern he had brought with him to light the
small room, assorted books lined several book cases along the walls, most
of them where cook books; but a few where ancient spell tomes and Chinese
legends. He lit a match and saw the brass handle of the lantern shine
slightly.
"There it is!" he reached over and picked it up; after turning it over a
few times in his hands he saw it was undamaged and lit it again before
rising back to his feet. His head caught one of the shelves on the way up
and he muttered angrily. "Stupid shelf, I hate this job." Almost in
answer to the insult the shelf started to creak loudly, "No I didn't mean
it I love this job really!" the whole shelf fell noisily on top of him.
"Ouch."
"What is that useless fool doing down there?" said Cologne as she
hobbled into the kitchen and looked to Shampoo.
"Mousse so stupid, he making bigger mess than when started!" the girl
giggled a little and returned her attention to the stove.
"Well, there's no hurry, he'll just stay down there until it's
organised; I'm sure he'll find it relaxing once things start to go his
way. It'll be a welcome change to cleaning tables and doing dishes."
Cologne smiled at her grandaughter.
"Why you being so nice Mousse Great Grandmother?" Shampoo seemed
confused by the answer.
"Even the best dog will stop obeying you if you treat it cruelly all the
time, if you reward it on occasion it will do as you say no matter how
you beat it." she cackled cruely as she bounded off into the front of
the restaurant.
"I heard that you dried up old mummy!" called a tiny voice from the
basement.
Cologne tapped the floor with her cane lightly and a loud crash could be
heard below; followed by a cry of pain.
Under the kitchen Mousse stood up in the mess of books and the remains
of the shelf painfully, luckily the lantern had not gone out. He dusted
himself off and removed the open book that sat on top of his head in
disgust. He glanced around and frowned, "I'm taking a break." he plopped
down on a particularly large pile of books and lay on his back. The book
that had been sitting on his head was still in his hand and he adjusted
his glasses and looked inside at the dusty old pages. "Ancient Joketsu
treasures and legends? This could be interesting." he sat upright and
flipped through the pages, a picture of the Reversal Jewel that Shampoo
had tried to use on Ranma a few years ago caught his eye, as well as the
Naniban Mirror; something else caught his attention more than anything
else, it was a part of the Reversal Jewel legend, a much larger stone
that the jewel itself had been cut from; The book said it was just a
legend, but he had seen the reversal Jewel and it's power for himself.
Suddenly he found himself very interested in this stone, after a little
reading his eyes went wide and he gasped in shock. "If this is true, I
could be..."
Meanwhile, in Chicago...
Lara Croft sat at the bar lazily, the dimond she had aquired during the
noisy affair last year was being shown in the museum just across the
street. She frowned slightly, they had been making an exhibit around the
period and hadn't even known the diomond had been found yet; until she
offered it for a short showing. "I'm still not sure why I bothered to do
that, I do hate these kinds of affairs." she was dressed in a slinky and
simple black dress and had her hair pinned up over her head lavishly,
slight color could be seen on her lips and a few sparkling gems hung
around her neck and adorned her fingers. It was good to remind herself
why she hated this kind of life, a few high class bar flies floated
around the room trying to catch her attention, the bolder men she had to
wave away; she wasn't really in the mood for company at the moment, just
a quiet drink. Sitting in front of her on the bar was a rather large
glass of brandy she lifted it to her lips and downed almost half of the
glass in one swift motion.
An elderly man entered the room and was given a wide bearth as he
strolled casually across the room with the aid of a black cane, he pulled
an old brown hat off his head and placed it next to Lara on the bar only
to relax lazily beside her. "I'll have what the lady is drinking."
Lara smiled slightly and did not turn to face the man. "It's been a
while professor."
"Well, not long enough Miss Croft." the man looked her up and down
distastefully. "You haven't changed much I see."
"Neither have you, still the crotchety old man I remember from my
college days." she finished her drink and started to stand when the old
man forced her down into her seat again.
"What are you doing in Chicago old man?" asked Lara lazily.
"I went to college here, I'm visiting an old friend." replied the old
man; Lara gave him a distasteful stare and he sighed. "Giving a lecture
on egyptian mummification, yourself?" the old man returned her glare
before turning his attention to the drink.
"Showing off a cheap rock from my collection."
"Your still the same fortune hunting fool I tried to teach how to hunt
for real treasure; this isn't about money Croft, you never did understand
that. Sit down and let me scold you, show a little respect for the old
man who still can claim more than you've ever found." She complied
reluctantly.
"I found Atlantis, you found a few baubles rotting in the museum." Lara
was not in the mood, but she still had some semblance of respect for her
old teacher. Dispite his attitude towards her his class was the only
college education she could sit through, she continued to sit through it
after she dropped out for almost two months. That was when her career
really started all those years ago.
"Hold your tounge you little welp, I didn't bring back half of what I
found! I sank more than half of Atlantis myself fifty years before you
ever set foot on it; Don't think you're the only person who's risked your
life in such affairs. The only difference between you and me is the
reason why and what we did with what we brought back."
"I earned everything I've got old man, it wasn't handed to me." Lara
snarled at him, but he merely sat back lazily.
"You think I didn't toil for those dusty baubles your talking about.
Those pieces you hoard away are important artifacts, they belong in a
museum." He snorted again and downed all of his drink in a single gulp.
"The diffrence between you and me Miss Croft is that I do things for the
research, for the importantce of the find. Not for adventure or fortune!
If I happened to come across them on my finds I accepted this, you've
just turned my life's work into some sort of sick sport."
"I seem to recall a few stories surrounding a certain artifact..." Lara
gave him a wry smile.
"That was diffrent! It was a race against evil, and when I got it back I
turned it over for study, I didn't hoard it for myself in some sick
trophy room."
"Then where is it?" she smiled coolly and the man sat back and eyed her
darkly.
"I don't have it." he snorted. "I'm warning you now Croft, If I ever get
my hands on those pieces of yours; the next place you'll see them is in a
museum display case."
"But you won't get your hands on them, they are safe where they are and
it isn't your style to steal them is it?" she turned away from him and
grabbed her purse before storming away from the bar.
"No, no it isn't." the old man said quietly from his seat. "I'm too old
for such things."
"Good day professor." she said calmly as she walked out the door, a
strange smile was on her face.
The old man stood and grabbed his hat off the bar before placing a few
bills down on the counter. "I never liked her, she failed my class." he
said to the questioning look on the bartender's face.
"I can't see how anyone could hate her." commented the man with a rough
snort.
"Believe me she's more trouble than she's worth." the old man walked
away calmly and twirled the cane in his hand easily as he walked; it was
obvious it was nothing more than a show piece.
Outside the bar he placed the hat back on his head and adjusted it
lazily, he turned in time to see Lara disapear into a long black limo
surounded by black suited men. "Good luck kid, you're gonna need it." he
commented dryly.
A small weasle looking man scurried up to him and smiled giving a
relieved smile. "Your going to be late for you lecture, we only have a
few minutes." he rubbed his hands together absently as he spoke.
The old man sighed, he never liked the little man much, his predisessor
was an old friend though. "I just ran into an old aquaintance."
"A friend of yours?" asked the skiny man with a look that said he wasn't
really interested.
"No, I like her even less than I like you."
"Ha ha ha, very funny; now if you'll follow me please; there are very
important people waiting." the small man grit his teeth through his smile
and ushered the old man away.
"Yea yea, the only reason they are important is because they are paying
you money right?"
"Only if they like you doctor, that's why we have to hurry..." the pair
vanished into the crowd at the doors of the museum.
Lara relaxed slightly, they had not checked her for weapons; she had a
pistol in her purse and one strapped to the inside of her leg, she was
fairly certain one of the guards had seen it from the way he was watching
her. "What can I do for you?"
"Hello Mrs. Croft, you may call me Stanton. I am interested in hiring
your services." the woman on the other side of the cab was dressed in a
tight fitting leather dress that resembled the gown she was currently
wearing, her raven colored hair was cut shoulder length in a perfectly
even length; and her skin was almost completely white.
Lara raised her eyebrows and put on her sunglasses lazily. "I must get
the name of your tailor."
"Here is his card." said the woman with a completely straight face as
she handed a German business card to her.
"Well, I do like your style Stanton, now lets get down to business."
said Lara as she accepted the card and tucked it into the front of her
dress.
"Of course; Now, I know of your considerable skill. I was able to
witness your procurement of the piece you are showing in the French
countryside last year; exceptional work." the woman smiled, the black
lipstick she wore gave an almost demonic apperance to her smirk.
"Thank you, It was one of my better moments." Lara seemed undaunted by
this revalation and continued to listen with interest.
"Gaust was a nessisary evil, he performed well and got results. That is
the only reason I put up with his pompass arrogance. Now you, are a
little different, I know of your terms Croft. I'll pay your travel
exspences and one million dollars when you find my prize, all I want from
you is the location; report to me and your job is finished. Simple no?"
the woman's gaze made Lara's flesh crawl slightly, she remained calm and
smiled back at her coldly.
"What is it I'm looking for?" she accepted the champagne offered to her
by the strange woman; she cautiously inspected it and dipped her fingers
along the inside contours before taking a sip.
"A large stone with magical properties located somewhere in central
China." the woman sipped at her own glass and Lara followed suit.
"What leads have you got so far?" she did not want to sound to eager,
but the offer was intriging.
"A temple in Japan, no one is sure where it is though, all that is known
is that it was abandoned in the sixteenth century and no one has found it
since. A few people have even disapeared looking for it." the woman
seemed a little too excited about her story and leaned forward with a
greedy look in her eyes.
Lara frowned, "Not much to go on is it? There isn't a whole lot of
unexsplored territory in Japan, none if I can recall, almost as much
wilderness."
"It's probably right under our noses, I may have an interesting way of
finding out. You see a few members of the tribe where this stone
originated have settled in Nerima Japan; the Temple itself is on
Hokkaido. I believe they may know where the stone is located, at least
they may be able to supply a few clues to it's wearabouts."
"I'm not a strong arm Mrs. Stanton." Lara's gaze turned into a scowl.
"And I am not Gaust, do not worry. I will not pressure you in how you
find it and I will only pay you if you do. It is the same deal I made
with him." the woman leaned back in her seat and smiled at her again.
"You mean when you were searching for the diomand?"
"I wasn't looking for this diomand you speak of, I thought it might be a
piece of this stone; it is rumored to have several pieces floating around
with magical properties. If just a piece is this powerful, strong enough
to change a human heart; imagine then how strong the stone itself would
be!"
Lara frowned again, it sounded like another mystical artifact that was
falling into the wrong hands. "Tell me, if you don't mind of course, what
do you plan to do with this stone if you find it?"
"Why, turn myself into a woman of course." answered Stanton with a
slight color appearing on her face. "It is said that this stone can do
such things, but it is a dangerous artifact. There is much risk in
volved."
Lara's eyes went wide as she realized what was going on. "Pardon? Did
you just say?"
"Yes I know, but surgery can only do so much for someone such as myself,
the pain I would endure from that operation is a little much for me, I
would rather use a mystical stone than go under the knife again." Stanton
smirked and turned her attention towards the door of the limo. "I wish to
have children Croft, something a man like me cannot do. Your hotel I
believe? The tickets will be in your message box tomorrow morning, good
luck Croft, do not think that it will not be dangerous; there are other
interested parties, all of them much more sinister than I."
Lara exited the limo and staggered towards the door, she wasn't quite
sure if it was from the combination of brandy and champagne, or the
unusual exspirience she had just had. "I guess I'd better start packing."
she muttered as she held her forehead up with her palm.
TBC...
This is my homage to the Indian Jones films that Lara's series was based
off of, the mini adventure before the real one starts. I hope to keep
this sort of pace through the whole afair as things get started, with
Ranma and Co. competing against her for the stone. It holds a possible
solution to their problem, but it isn't a cure; interesting ne? A few
other things have to be set up before the real adventure starts,
something that will take them to an ancient Temple in Japan, across
China, and even into the Kuno masion, in a search for a lost Amazon
treasure that holds enourmous magical power.
It has every thing Lara needs, evil employers, exotic locations,
endagered species to shoot, lots of men to kill, and even a few new
things. One example of this will be Lara's old Archilogy teacher, [Not
her mentor from TR4.] These two obviously didn't get along; Why? Because
Lara Croft isn't a scientist, she's a treasure hunter and a grave robber.
Despite that, he will play a pretty major roll in this fic as well. The
old battle ax professor will have quite a bit to say about her treasure
hunting lifestyle; most of it not good. She'll be stuck draging him
around at the begining of the fic, I have important plans for him later.
Ranma will have his hands full as well, [Remember this is Lara Croft,
she's never met a man who didn't die around her; plus she's a babe and
Akane won't go for them hanging around each other for long.] Who will be
involved with this in the Ranma verse is uncertain as of the time I wrote
this. Ukkyo is out, Sorry fanboys, she'll make her apperance in the
begining I promise, but she has to stay in Nerima to run her business.
Mousse and Ryoga are definite, as is Akane. Shampoo is a maybe and may
oppose them meddling with the stone for her own reasons; Cologne plays an
important role, Happosai also has a set part, how Lara will react to the
old demon is still a subject of much amusement for me.
Next time: Mousse shares his revalation, why? Because there are things
that tell him he can't do it alone, a duck traveling across China isn't
exactly safe either. You'll just have to wait, besides he doesn't really
hate Ranma anymore anyway. [Also why I made Ranma older, and set it after
the Manga.] Ryoga shows up and things start to stir a little.
Lara goes to Japan and tries to deside if she really wants to help
Stanton, or if she should simply try to stop the 'other factions' from
reaching their goal, she also has her first run in with team Ranma and
the mighty Happosai!!
Cologne and Shampoo discover Mousse's plan as well, but the thing is she
knows things they don't about the stone and it's power; realizing she is
too late to stop them after a run in with Lara she calls in the help of
an old friend who seems to have followed his student from Chicago. Also a
connection between the Naniban mirror and the reversal jewel is revealed
as well as an important clue to the wearabouts of the temple they all
must find in order to continue. The legend behind the reversal stone is
also told, a vauge tale that reveals that the stone might have dangerous
powers.
Until next time! Ja ne! BWAHAHAHAAHAA!!! [I know all your really
interested in is Lara meets Happy.] "Bwahahahahahaa!!! What a haul! What
a..." BLAM BLAM BLAM!!
"Those are mine I believe."
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