Disclaimer: Ranma and company don't belong to me. They belong to their owner, who is not me.
A/N: I tried to format this right. It is an alternate universe, fantasy fic. Yes, that kind.
Chapter 1
The merchant ship rode the waves smoothly, sleek and powerful as it coursed through the ocean. Its grizzled captain eyed the fair skies with a benevolent squint, feeling that if the good weather lasted, he might make it to port earlier than he�d thought and earn himself a nice little bonus.
After all, he carried precious cargo that would be delivered to the harbour as soon as he lay anchor. Yes, early entry would earn him a fat bag of gold. He nearly gave the ship�s wheel a slight twirl at the thought.
On the deck of the ship, sailors talked and laughed as they too kept an eye on the weather, and looked forward to reaching the Neriman kingdom, home to many of them. They were but a few days from the harbour, they knew, and if luck were with them, they�d be on land soon.
Up on the crow�s nest, the little cabin boy watched the endless blue sheet of water gleaming before him in the sunlight. His eyes strained for a sign of land, even though he knew there was little chance of reaching Nerima so soon.
What was that?
The boy sat up, curious. Had he imagined that silver flash? He held the pose for a minute, shielding his eyes from the sun. No it must have been a�Wait! There it was again. What in the seven seas was it? It looked like�Unaware of what he was doing, the boy got to his feet, leaning over the edge of the nest. Then, his eyes bulged out, and he let out a shout.
�Captain! Captain! Sea monster!�
Below him, the sailors looked up curiously.
�Seijiro! What did you say?� they called up.
�Seeeea monster!� Seijiro bellowed, leaving his perch and skimming down the ropes.
�Did he say sea monster?� enquired a sailor, smiling uncertainly at his fellows.
�Look! Look!� the boy shouted as he got closer. He paused briefly to point in the direction of the ship�s prow.
The first mate got out a spyglass.
�Great gaspin� goldfish! It�s a bleedin� serpent!� he cried out, even as he stared through his instrument, aghast. His sun burnt skin turned an odd gray colour.
Sailors ran to the edge of the ship, grasping the side and squinting into the sun.
�A sea monster? Don�t be ridiculous!� cried the captain, leaving his post at the wheel.
But now all the sailors could see it. Approaching them at a supernaturally high speed, a long silver thread glinted on the surface of the sea as it raced towards them. Even as the captain tried to believe his eyes, the sailors rushed for every weapon they could find. Their cargo was too valuable to lose.
Within minutes, the serpent had reached them and there was no doubt in anyone�s mind that it was indeed what the boy had claimed. Coil after shining coil looped around the ship even as the hapless sailors hacked at the metallic scales with their weapons. A great long face, almost horselike in shape, more than twenty feet from ear to jaw, grinned with sharp needle fangs at them. Huge webbed ears sprang out on each side.
As the serpent opened its jaws wide and darted towards the deck, the cabin boy looked close and saw in astonishment that a young man was seated astride the serpent. The young man, not much older than himself, was grinning from ear to ear, and he appeared to be talking into the serpent�s ear.
Then the serpent�s coils crushed the ship to matchwood, and even as Seijiro stared at the boy riding the serpent, he fell into the sea.
Sailors dived off the ship, abandoning it in its death throes. The masts keeled over as the serpent charged through the remnants of planks and cargo, its muscular tail causing even more destruction as it flailed back and forth.
In the water, Seijiro watched the boy riding the serpent. No one else seemed to be aware of him. They were busy trying to save their lives.
As the older boy looked about, grinning at the scene he�d caused, his fierce blue eyes met Seijiro�s brown ones for a moment. Unlike the cabin boy�s soft cotton shorts and ragged shirt, the rider�s clothes were dark and rich, ornate in design. His black hair flew around his head like a demons� aura, Sejiro dreamily thought, unaware that he was immobile from shock and the cold water. Even as he stared at the mysterious serpent rider, Seijiro�s vision dimmed to two tiny pinpoints.
The serpent-rider watched indifferently as the boy sank silently into the arms of the sea.
******
On a lonely stretch of sandy beach, Ranma hefted a sack and dismounted from the great silver serpent. With a snap of his fingers, he dismissed her even as he approached the entrance to his own master�s dwelling place, a cave.
The serpent made a low, fluting sound and Ranma stopped.
�Enough! You�ve had your fun,� he said without looking back at his loving pet. �Go home. I�ll call you when I want you.�
The serpent slid silently back into the water, hardly a gurgle noting her passing.
Ranma moved his left palm over the cave entrance. Something shimmered there, and he passed through without disturbing the soft sand under his finely crafted boots. Even as he stepped into a large, domed hall, something clanged against the wall next to him, and fell down.
He paused, looked down mildly at the fallen dented copper pot.
�I assume I�ve displeased you again,� he said.
�Ranma! Wretched creature! I told you to bring me some game before you left!� Another metal pot smashed mere inches away from Ranma�s shoulder. �What do you expect me to cook when you�re always gallivanting around?!�
Amused, he looked up at the thrower.
�I was given an errand, Shampoo,� he said, bowing mockingly.
�Errand?� shouted the lavender haired girl in the homespun gown. �What sort of errand�?�
�I sent him on an errand, Shampoo,� drawled a deep masculine voice, making Shampoo�s eyes widen in surprise and dismay.
She bowed immediately. �My lord Kulloden,� she whispered. �I didn�t know��
Darkness moved, pooled, grew into a figure of a man with two long, shining wings of hair held back by a knot. His robes were of deepest black. His face like the blade of a knife- sharp and dangerous. His deep-set eyes regarded Ranma and Shampoo with amusement.
�Master Kulloden,� Ranma said, and bowed deep, this time with no mockery.
�My apprentices,� Kulloden said. �Shampoo, it is not for you to question what Ranma does with his time. His time is mine, as is yours. Need I remind you?�
�N...no, Master,� Shampoo sounded suitably chastened, yet Ranma could tell she was already plotting payback. No doubt Kulloden knew it too, yet he was content to let his two apprentices bicker between themselves. Only today he apparently had no patience for it.
�Ranma!� he barked. �Make your report to me.�
�Master,� Ranma went to one knee, yet still looking up proudly. �The attack went well. The king�s men were caught completely unawares, and Sivari was able to annihilate the ship��
�Yes yes,� his master said impatiently. �Did you get the treasure?�
�I did, my lord,� Ranma said, letting the sack he was carrying slide down to the ground with a solid thump.
�It was ready?� Kulloden moved forward eagerly.
�Wrapped in the sack ready and waiting, my lord.�
�Wonderful!� Kulldoen exclaimed, moving forward to untie the mouth of the sack. �It seems some in the palace are loyal to me after all.� He peered inside, chuckled, and lifted up the sack.
�Behold their precious cargo!� he proclaimed, and tilted the sack so that a damp, mussed young woman fell out and landed, unconscious, on the sandy floor.
Ranma and Shampoo looked on in surprise. The girl lay on the floor, clothed in a thin, silken gown that clung to her limbs, her hair wrapped around her pale skin like seaweed.
�Is this�?� Ranma said, then stopped. He ran his gaze over the girl, the way her chest fell and rose so shallowly.
�Yes! This is only the first part, remember.� Kulloden moved to stand over the limp form that reminded Ranma uncomfortably of a broken doll he�d seen somewhere.
�The princess of the Tendos,� Shampoo said wide-eyed. She crept closer, taking in every detail of limb and face and dress, no doubt satisfying her curiosity about royalty. Ranma had no such curiosity. He turned away and walked to the low stone table and poured himself a flagon of wine.
�That�s correct, my little Shampoo,� Kulloden was saying. His deep, hollow eyes were alight with triumph. �Princess Akane, the sister of the heir to the Tendo throne, daughter of the Tendo king. A precious prize, indeed.�
Ranma said nothing, only took a deep drink of wine from his cup.
The sorcerer turned to his servant.
�You are unhappy, Ranma,� he noted. �You disapprove?�
Ranma shook his head. �You might have told me what I was stealing, lord.�
�I�ve been planning this for longer than you can know,� Ranma�s master said coldly. �You both know that much. You are privy to my greatest plans. You quibble over details?�
�Of course not, lord.� Ranma drained his cup and set it aside. �Your command is always my desire.�
�So the princess has been kidnapped,� Shampoo said slowly. She looked apprehensive and excited at the same time. �My lord, does that mean it is time for�?�
�Yes. You may prepare the cauldron. I have nearly completed the spell. And now I have my last required ingredient. Soon, we�ll be ready.� The sorcerer studied the prone princess. �Ranma, convey her to a secure place. We have great need of her. For now.�
Ranma watched as the sorcerer turned to a column of oily darkness and melted away. Then he approached the small heap on the floor.
�Where will you put her?� Shampoo asked, her animosity forgotten in her excitement.
Ranma considered. �The hole, I suppose. Where else?�
Shampoo shuddered as he�d known she would. �The hole! She�ll scream herself hoarse in there! Why not the pantry? It has a barred door.�
Ranma shrugged and bent to pick up the slight form. For a princess, she was very light, he thought. Her clothes were nearly transparent, made of layers of soft veils. Only her hair made her heavy. Long locks of it hung from her head, hiding her face and caressing his legs as he walked with her towards the pantry.
Ranma did not think of her at all as he walked.
**********
Princess Akane Le Tatewaki Ur Tendo woke up with a cold. Her head felt like a throbbing sponge, and her nose was ready to drop off.
Eyes still closed, Akane wondered where her nurse was, even as she grimaced at the unaccustomed hardness of her bed. Immediately she smoothed out her features. Princesses never grimaced.
She tried to open her eyes, but they seemed sealed shut. She lifted her hand, expecting a servant to instantly give her a cup of hot chocolate. No such cup was forthcoming. Akane finally cracked one eye open, and peered around.
Oh, she was still dreaming. Hm, she seemed to be in some sort of cave this time. She caressed the sandy floor with one hand. It felt remarkably real. She touched a hand to her gown. It was very stiff and seemed to be full of particles. What an uncomfortable dream to be having!
�You�re not dreaming,� came an amused voice, and Akane looked around. She was in a small cave, and a barred door held her in. Through the bars, she could see two people. Both were odd looking, but one caught her attention immediately. He was a boy, nearly a man, dressed in rich black velvet, trimmed with silver. He stood formally, as befitted a noble, yet there was an odd ease about him as he watched her. Why was he watching her? No man was allowed to look at the royal princess so boldly! His cobalt-blue eyes studied her casually, with a familiarity that made her blush. She switched her attention.
The one who had spoken was a girl, lavender haired.
�This is real and you�re not dreaming,� said the girl again, a twisted smile on her face.
�I�Who are you?� Akane asked uncertainly.
�No one you need to know, princess,� the girl snapped.
Akane stared. Surely she hadn�t dreamt up someone this rude, had she? And who was the mysterious looking prince? Was he here to rescue her?
The girl snorted. �What a shrinking violet!�
She opened the door and bent to enter Akane�s prison. Akane watched timidly as the girl came forward, backing away at the same time.
�Come here!� Shampoo said harshly. She caught the shocked Akane in her grasp, wound a hand around her long hair, and with a flash of her silver knife, severed the princess� silky black locks.
Akane went into shock. Had..had the girl truly cut off her hair? At about this time, it occurred to Akane that she could not have dreamt up something so horrible as someone cutting off her prized hair. This was all real. This girl was real. The boy standing at the entrance, watching her, was no prince, but some horrible demon!
And they had cut off her hair!
Stunned beyond any words, Akane slowly moved a hand towards her hair, then stopped. She couldn�t bear to touch the cropped off ends. She watched as Shampoo grabbed the silken locks and let herself out.
�Good bye, violet, though, when you think about it, I�ll be seeing you frequently!� She giggled and told the boy, �Bring her!�
Then she left, Akane�s hair clutched to her bosom.
******
Ranma watched as the princess� hand hovered uncertainly over her cropped hair. The girl had the look of a deer caught by a hunter, her big brown eyes wide and stunned, and tear-filled. She was completely oblivious to him. She stared after Shampoo with an expression of inconsolable loss.
Why on earth had she taken it so hard?
�Hair grows back, you know. It�s just a matter of time.� Ranma snapped his mouth shut when the princess turned her tear-filled eyes to him. What had made him blurt that out? He�d been determined not to even talk to her.
�Where am I?� she breathed. �What�s happened to me?�
Even as Ranma watched, comprehension came into her eyes.
�I was on the ship�� she said slowly. �A water dragon attacked us.�
She�d used the old folk name for the serpent. That surprised Ranma.
�You�re my prisoner,� he said shortly. �That�s all you need to know.�
�Will you�will you ransom me?� she asked softly.
�Yes,� Ranma lied.
She sat back, relief in her bent posture. Then tensed, as Ranma slowly unlatched the door and entered the prison. She stared up at him fearfully, crouched at his feet with her shorn hair and ragged clothes, reminding him yet again of a small discarded doll. Suddenly impatient with his odd imaginings, Ranma wrapped an arm around her slim waist and threw her over his shoulder, ignoring her screams.
�No, please!� she cried, her mouth muffled against his back. �What are you doing? Where are you taking me?�
�Hush!� he said sternly, tightening his fingers around her thighs. She gave a muffled sob.
He walked back up into the main hall, where a large, cast iron cauldron was bubbling in the fire pit in the middle of the room. Akane stopped pounding ineffectually at his back, her interest caught by the cauldron and Kulloden.
�Now� said Kulloden, who was standing over the cauldron. Beside him, Shampoo tossed the handfuls of hair she�d stolen from Akane, then looked up at her master with trepidation.
�Trust me, Shampoo,� he said.
Shampoo closed her eyes and jumped in. Immediately the mixture bubbled up. Kulloden frowned and said a few words. The mixture smoothed out, grew translucent, and became as clear as water.
Out of this mixture rose a humanoid form. Ranma�s captive tensed against the curve of his shoulder as yet another shock was dealt to her.
Princess Akane, smiling and long-haired, stood hip deep in the cauldron.
*******************
Any reviews or C&C would be appreciated, but not necessarily expected, given the latest thread. :) But I could use some C&C, private or otherwise. Thanks.
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