                                  Dragon Child

Disclaimer: Here disclaimer, here boy. Where are you?

< >: Thoughts

[" "]: Dragon telepathy

Chapter 4

Transformation

"Class, we have a new student today. His name is Ranma Saotome and he has just
come in from China."

Ranma bowed as the teacher finished introductions, then took the only empty seat
in the class, which was coincidentally beside a red-haired girl with superhuman
strength and a hyper-active blonde. A few seats away, B-Ko looked on as her
razor-sharp mind began hatching up a new scheme.

"Hi."

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm A-Ko. You did a really great job in smashing up
those battle mecha before." She started looking up and down at her new classmate
and especially took note of his sharply defined musculature.

"No problem." Ranma said nonchalantly as he gave her a friendly smile.

A-Ko could only gaze upon him with a starry expression. <Oh boy! He's even more
dreamy-looking than K was! Better still, this guy isn't a wimp! > She then
remembered herself and gestured to her firend. "Oh, and this is my friend C-Ko."

The little blonde-haired bundle of energy nodded as she greeted Ranma with her
usual perky style.
"Hi!MynameisCkoandit'sreallynicetomeetyou!WhatyoudidthismornigwassocoolandI
justknowthatwe'llallbegoodfriends!Everyday,AKogetsattackedbyalotofrobotsand
stuff,butsheusuallydestroystyhemallinaminute!Youtookoutthoserobotsinseconds
andIneversawB-Kosoupsetathowyoutrashedthosemachinesand..."

Ranma just partially caught what A-Ko's friend was saying to him, but still gave
her a nod. He was so focused on trying to decipher what C-Ko uttering, that he
didn't notice the lovesick look A-Ko was giving him, nor the devious expression
on B-Ko's face a few chairs behind him.

----------

In the Dragon World...

["Well now, it looks like the ladies are starting to notice your

pupil, Sojan."] Karrida remarked.

["I expected as much."] Sojan said with pride as he and Karrida peered through
the viewing portal. It was then that the smaller dragon noticed heading toward
the coast of Japan. ["Oh dear. Look at that."]

The Fire Dragon King of the South looked over to where his companion was
indicating, then nodded his head. The viewing portal now depicted a small cargo
ship that was sailing across the Sea of Japan and was about to reach the
coastline. On board the vessel, were several Amazon women and their leader, an
ancient crone that was perched on a cane.

["It seems that the females at school are not the only ones that have noticed
him. Should we give him a hand?"]

Sojan was thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. ["Ranma is not in any
true danger for the moment, and his interactions with these females will help
him adapt to dealing with others. In any case, unless Ranma is in true peril, we
are still forbidden to interfere with any mortal affairs. I remember what Socran
had declared when he allowed Ranma to return to Earth."]

["Indeed."] Karrida agreed as they turned their attention back to the portal.
["By the way, did you take care of that little detail about Ranma's... you
know."]

["What?"]

["IT."]

Sojan thought for a moment, then slumped down. ["Oh dear, I completely forgot
about that! I was so eager to see how Ranma would adjust to the human world that
I forgot to put the mental barrier on his transformation powers!"]

["Hmmm, this could prove interesting..."]

["Although I have taught Ranma not use his shape-shifting ability unless it was
necessary, he could still undergo a full transformation under very high stress
or mortal danger."]

["Let's just hope that he doesn't get into any of that."]

At that moment, there was a sound of flapping wings from outside of the cavern.
Both dragons looked toward the entrance saw that they had a couple of visitors.

["Karisu! Rike! What a pleasant surprise!"] Sojan greeted.

Karisu was a female Golden Mane Dragon. Like all Golden Mane Dragons, she had
feathery birdlike wings, instead of the more common batwing varieties. She was
about sixty feet in length. She also had a long mane of yellow fur, from behind
her head, which ran down her back and tail. Her eyes sparkled like amber gems
and her features were graceful and streamlined. As soon as she set down, she
glowed with a soft, yellow light and instantly morphed into a beautiful human
adolescent, with waist-length blonde hair, and pale skin. She wore a simple,
emerald dress that would have just barely covered a tea tray. She had a crimson,
triangular jewel on the center of her forehead and a wedge-shaped marking on
either side of her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled as she approached Sojan and the
Dragon King.

Rike was a Gray Thunder Dragon and happened to be a close friend of Ranma's
during the time he grew up in the Dragon Realm. Like all dragons of his kind,
Rike's scales were colored a dull gray and he was about ninety feet in length.
He too took on a human form and became a husky teen with lightly tanned skin and
a mass of navy blue hair. He was dressed in a simple tunic and leggings
ensemble.

Though it was unnecessary for both to assume human forms, both he and his cousin
had gotten used to the bodies after spending much time with their childhood
playmate, Ranma. They stood side-by-side as they bowed to the Dragon King of the
South.

"Hail to thee, Great Dragon King." Both youngsters said.

Karisu then bowed to Sojan. "Greetings, Godfather."

Ranma's teacher nodded. ["A pleasure as always, Karisu. You too, Rike. So what
brings you two here?"]

"We wanted to know how Ranma's doing, now that he's in the human world." Rike
replied. He then gave a sly expression. "Though Karisu would much rather know if
he's found himself a human girlfriend."

The transformed Golden Mane Dragon's cheeks reddened as she promptly denied it.
"Cut it out, Rike! I... just wanted to see if Ranma is doing all right, that's
all!"

"Yeah, sure."

Sojan couldn't help but chuckle. He knew that Karisu was very interested in his
protege and had often hinted that she wanted to become MORE than just friends.

["Ranma seems to be doing fine. See for yourself."]

Rike and Karisu nodded as they stepped closer to the viewing portal...

----------

Back on Earth...

Ranma was just starting on his lunch in the cafeteria when both

A-Ko and C-Ko came up to him.

"Hey Ranma, mind if we sit with you?"

"No problem." Ranma gestured to the seats next to him. As he watched the two
girls sit down, C-Ko thrust a bento in front of A-Ko.

The red-haired girl blanched at the sight of the offered tray as her

companion took on a bubbly expression.

"Here A-Ko, I made this just for you!"

Ranma couldn't help but gaze at the look of absolute terror on A-Ko's face as
she looked at her friend's offering.

"Is... something the matter?"

A-Ko held up her hands and waved frantically while trying to hold a smile. "No!
N-N-Nothing's wrong! I-I-I-It's just that... well, I just bought this big meal
here and it would be a shame to waste it after paying for it. Sorry C-Ko. Maybe
next time."

A-Ko's friend went from cheerfulness to absolute disappointment in a nanosecond
as her eyes began to get watery and her face took on this sad puppy expression.
"Aw, but A-Ko, I worked so hard on this for you. Can't have just a little?
Please? Pretty please?"

A-Ko sighed. She knew where this was going. Every time her friend went into that
sad, puppy dog routine, the redhead would cave in and be subjected to yet
another bout with the lethal cuisine that her friend referred to as food. She
wondered if anyone could be an even worse cook than C-Ko.

----------

Somewhere in Nerima, a certain uncute tomboy sneezed. (Sorry,

couldn't resist that one).

----------

A-Ko was about to reach out with her chopsticks when Ranma saved her.

"Do you mind if I try some?"

A-Ko let out a sigh of relief when she heard those words, then panicked again.
C-Ko's cooking may likely kill this boy and it was so hard the super-strong girl
to get a date.

"Ranma, you really don't..."

C-Ko cut in as soon as she heard Ranma's polite offer. "Really? That's great!
Here, have as much as you want!" She thrust the bento in front of Ranma.

"No, you don't have to..." A-Ko was now frantically shaking her head and waving
her hands.

Ranma smiled as he good-naturedly took piece with his chopsticks and popped it
into his mouth. He had only been here one day and he was already making some new
friends. Life seemed good.

Then it happened.

He didn't know why, but as soon as the morsel hit his tongue, it suddenly
changed temperature from tepid to blazing hot. He had experienced high heat
before, but nothing like this had ever hit his taste buds all at once. He then
felt a feeling of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him as he began to chew.
He wondered just what was in that food and felt a wave of dizziness. He suddenly
felt clammy. Then he made the biggest mistake of all. He swallowed.

----------

"Ranma!" Both Karisu and Rike gasped.

["Don't worry! He'll be all right..."] <I hope!> Sojan added silently.

----------

 

A-Ko frowned as she saw her new friend suddenly turn green, then blue, then
purple. She winced as she saw his forehead become covered in sweat. Then she
held her breath when she saw him swallow. She began thinking that she should
call his next of kin at this moment.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" Ranma leaned back and his mouth opened wide,
belching out a huge stream of fire. He looked like he was going to explode as
his face turned red, then black, then pure white. Ranma started making
convulsions, then leapt up and did a back flip. He then crashed down onto the
floor of the cafeteria, drawing the attention of everyone there.

A-Ko quickly rushed to his side and crouched down to hold him in her arms.
C-Ko's expression went from joyful to confusion. Why was he acting like that? It
couldn't be her food could it? She had been practicing and had thought she had
gotten the recipe right. It couldn't be that bad could it? She looked down at
the bento, then decided to try a bite.

Ranma was still emitting smoke from his mouth after the initial fires had burned
themselves out. Even though he had the constitution of a dragon and could
withstand any natural poisons and most drugs, C-Ko's cooking was anything BUT
normal. And there were certain things that even a dragon couldn't stomach. That
point was further supported by C-Ko suddenly jumping up and down and screaming
after eating a bite of her own food.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!! I'M ON FIRE!!!! I NEED WATER!!!!"

C-Ko was also spouting flames, though nowhere near as large or as hot as Ranma's
were. As she rushed to the nearest water cooler, A-Ko looked back down at the
boy cradled in her arms. She smiled with some relief as she saw some color
return to his face. She also noticed how very well built he was. Her cheeks
began to tinge with pink as she felt the lean and tight muscled frame in her
arms. She looked at his face and became even more embarrassed as his eyes met
hers and he gave her a small smile, signaling that he was all right.

She almost fainted at the sight. She had never seen such a shade of blue before
and those liquid depths accentuated the rest of his handsome features. He was
such a hunk and those slitted pupils of his were so dreamy.

----------

"Hey! WHAT IS THAT HUSSY THINK SHE'S DOING?!" Karisu exclaimed.

"I thought you and Ranma were just GOOD friends?" Karrida teased.

"Well... I.... er.... I mean...." The golden-haired girl turned around for she
didn't want the Fire Dragon King to see that her cheeks were now redder than his
scales.

----------

Back on Earth...

 

 

<Wait a second. Slitted pupils?> A-Ko did a double take as she looked into his
eyes again. However, she did not get a closer look as Ranma blinked and then
started to rise. He gave her a weak smile and dusted himself off.

"Uh, well that was... interesting. I... must say that your friend's

cooking packs... quite a kick." Ranma commented politely as he looked over to
where C-Ko was drinking like mad from a nearby water fountain.

A-Ko shook herself to compose herself as she got up and said, "Uh, yeah. C-Ko's
cooking does tend to be a bit on the... spicy side. She is getting better
though. Usually it takes a person a lot longer to get over it after eating her
food. I'm really sorry that..."

Ranma held up a hand and said, "No need to apologize. Actually, as far as
spiciness goes, that was actually a little milder than some of the foods I've
eaten. It... just caught me off guard, that's all."

Ranma was in fact telling the truth. In the Dragon World, he had been foolish
enough to take a bite into one of Karrida's special Demon Inferno Peppers. The
Fire Dragon King of the South loved to spice up his meals and had grown his own
specialty herbs. Ranma had taken a small nibble, but that one tiny bite alone
was like swallowing napalm, nitroglycerin and a truckload of jalapenos

all at once. Despite Ranma's ties to dragons and his high resistance to heat,
that one bite had taxed the insides of his body to the limit. It had taken more
than a month before Ranma could taste anything again. Since then, he had
preferred foods that were easily digestible.

Meanwhile, near one side of the school, B-Ko and her henchmen were busy planning
the latest scheme to separate C-Ko from A-Ko. This time however, there was an
added hitch. The spoiled rich girl was more than intrigued by Ranma's
interference that morning. The way he had sliced up her battle mecha with that
sword of his had been unbelievable. Even though no one else saw it since that
sudden flare of light had blinded them, one of the video cameras from the
destroyed mecha had survived when her crew went to salvage the wreckage.

The sensors could not accurately measure the power contained within the blade,
nor could it analyze the material it was composed of. The thought of what she
could do with such a weapon made her shiver with delight. She saw herself
standing triumphantly over a beaten and cut A-Ko with that sword held above,
ready to deliver the final blow. Furthermore, the owner of the sword was also
puzzling. The sensors had also scanned him and Ranma did not register completely
as human either.

Ranma was mystery and B-Ko was determined to solve it. That and the fact that
her most hated rival had started forming an attachment to him only fueled her
determination. He was very handsome and even better than that wimp K was. Taking
him and C-Ko away from her would even be more delicious! Yes, this was

going to be very interesting!

She then gave off a maniacal laugh that made a certain Black Rose in St, Heberke
seem tame.

----------

Meanwhile, back in China...

 

"Have all the preparations been made?" Prince Herb asked.

"Yes my Lord." The servant answered. "The journey should take only a day, two at
most."

"Excellent. We shall leave immediately." The ruler of the Musk Dynasty turned
away to make his own preparations in his private chambers. He continued to
contemplate what he would do once he arrived in Japan and found the source of
the dragon power that he had detected earlier. He had already decided that such
power was his by rights and any who stood in his way would be dealt with. He was
the Dragon Prince and only he should have such magic.

According to his spies, he was already aware that the Amazons had left for the
Land of the Rising Sun. To any other person who was familiar with the warrior
women, it appeared as if they were on a simple husband-hunting expedition, but
Herb knew better. He knew that they were after the same dragon power that he
sensed, but they would not have it!

He was the descendant to those majestic beasts, and only he could claim the
rights to that power! After all, who else could boast about such a lineage?

Little did he know, that in his arrogance, he neglected to consider that the
current owner to that power was not about to give it up to anyone. Not even to
another dragon descendant.

----------

On the western coastline of Okinawa, a lone figure finally set down after a long
and exhaustive flight across the vast expanse of the sea. The being was female
in shape and made a soft splash while setting down on the shoreline and lay
sprawled on her belly. As the individual struggled to get to her feet, twin
appendages on her naked back spread themselves out to flap themselves dry. Then,
a moment later, the being took to the skies again, though it just barely managed
to keep aloft.

<Getting... closer...>

----------

Later that day, at Ranma's home...

"Mom! I'm home!"

"Rammie!"

Ranma smiled as his eight-year-old sister Kisara glomped onto his legs as soon
as he entered the house. Patting her head, he managed to pry himself loose from
her iron grip. He then picked her up and swung her around before giving her a
piggyback ride into the house.

"Hello son. How was your first day?"

Ranma nodded to his mother as he set his sister down in the den. "It wasn't too
bad. Made a couple of new friends. So when's dinner?"

Nodoka gestured towards his room and said, "We'll be going out to eat tonight,
so you'd better get changed. We'll be leaving as soon as your father returns. He
should be back in an hour."

The dragon warrior nodded as he went upstairs to his old room to change. As he
took out some new clothes to wear, he decided to check on a few things in his
backpack. Unzipping the top, he took out several, flat, rectangular objects and
focused his ki into them. The objects instantly expanded to form several thick
books. Ranma checked each and every one of them, making certain that the
protection spells and locks were intact.

In addition to Crimson Fang, Ranma had received several other Dragon Gifts in
the form of spell books and talismans. The volumes that he possessed contained a
vast amount of magical knowledge and it wouldn't do if his greedy father or
would-be sorcerers were to get a hold of those secrets. The books had been a
present from Socran, and had various rock spells and incantations, as well as
the locations of the many portals in which to enter the Dragon Realm. They also
listed the names and locations of the dragons that still existed on Earth.

After making certain that the protection spells were in place and that the locks
were secure, the dragon warrior shrunk them down and placed them into his
backpack. He then went to take a quick bath before getting ready for dinner.

----------

Some time later...

Genma was unusually happy as he led his family into a small restaurant near the
edge of Juuban. Ranma and his mother couldn't help but be suspicious of him.
After all, it was just a couple of days ago that his son had pounded the living
daylights out of him for his deceitful ways, and there was also the matter of
that seppuku contract that Nodoka had reminded him of. After all that had
happened, Genma seemed to be too relaxed and sure of himself. Something was up.
Ranma had noticed that his mother was also giving her husband a suspicious eye
when he suggested going to a restaurant that was near

the Nerima district.

Ranma and his mother's suspicions were confirmed as they entered the
establishment and Genma started waving to a group that was already sitting down
at a nearby table, which incidentally was the table that Nodoka had reserved.

"Soun! My friend! Good to see you again!"

"Genma! Over here!"

Nodoka's eyes furrowed a bit as she recognized the Tendo patriarch and his three
daughters. After Genma returned home after Ranma's apparent death, Nodoka had
gotten acquainted with Soun and his family. Genma's old friend was just a bundle
of uncontrolled nerves and emotions. That was when she had learned of the pact
to unite the Schools of the Anything Goes. She had been keeping on relatively
quiet terms with the Tendos since then. Now that Ranma had returned, she should
have expected that her husband and his over-emotional friend would try to get
her son to marry Akane, Kasumi or Nabiki. With that in mind, she pulled her
husband off to the side.

"Dear... just is the meaning of this?" Nodoka said in a low, but very firm tone.

"Er... I don't know what you're talking about." Genma said with slight tremble
to his voice. "I thought it would be nice to get together with my old friend, so
I invited him and his family to join us for dinner. This would be a good
opportunity for Ranma to meet..."

Nodoka cut him off with a very dangerous look. "This isn't some plan for you to
force Ranma to marry one of Soun's daughter's, now is it?"

"Uh... no! It's not that at all!" Genma said defensively. Some sweat was
starting to form on his brow. "I just thought that it would be nice for us to
spend some time with old friends, that's all! And it wouldn't hurt if Ranma got
to know Soun and his family, now would it?"

Nodoka remained silent for a long moment before she said, "Just so long as it is
just that, Genma. Remember that I am still holding you to that contract. I will
not tolerate any coercion or suggestion of marriage. Is that understood?"

"Y-Yes dear."

"Very well then." Nodoka then led her husband back to where Ranma and Kisara
were standing and the four of them headed to the table.

"Genma! It was very kind of you to invite us to join you for dinner!" Soun then
looked at the tall and handsome boy beside Nodoka. "And this must your son,
Ranma?"

Nodoka nodded as she and her family took a seat. Genma sat beside his old
friend. "Yes, he just returned to us from China."

"Well now, Ranma." Soun then gestured to his three girls. "I would like you to
meet my daughters. My oldest daughter Kasumi, she's 19. My middle daughter
Nabiki, she's 17. My youngest daughter Akane, she's sixteen. "

Ranma nodded to each. Kasumi was gentle looking with long

brown hair done up in a simple, lush tail. Nabiki had short, brown

hair cropped in a fashionable, yet very moderate style, while Akane

has a long black hair with equally lengthy sideburns. "Pleased to meet you all."

Soun beamed as he said, "So, which one of my girls will you ma... Erk!" He then
found himself short of breath as Genma jabbed his elbow into his solar plexus.

"Heh, heh... Well, shouldn't we get started and order an appetizer, while Ranma
gets acquainted?" Genma said with a nervous laugh.

As he gestured for the waiter to bring some menus, the three girls began looking
over the handsome boy.

----------

The Dragon Realm...

Karisu gave a slight growl, while Rike could only chuckle. Behind them, Sojan
and Karrida watched with more interest.

----------

Kasumi saw a very mature-looking person who seemed nice enough, though a bit
young for her. For some reason, she felt that Ranma had a certain something that
set him apart from everyone else. He was very attractive though. He had a kind
of trait that made him seem...otherworldly. Contrary to popular belief, the
eldest daughter was not as unaware to things going on outside of her home. She
possessed a mental acuity that rivaled her mercenary sister's and had a bit of a
sixth sense for things that seemed out of place.

Nabiki looked over the boy with the calculating efficiency that had made her the
Ice Queen of Furinkan High. <Hmmm, good looking... built... tall... obviously
not starving... interesting... I'm going to need some more information.>

Akane managed to hide her contempt for boys as she nodded her head to him and
said hello. Boys were nothing but perverts after all. Only Dr. Tofu was the
exception. Every other boy was scum and deserved to be pounded into the ground
with Kuno and the rest of the morning mobs that she faced every day. It had
taken some doing for her father to persuade her to join the rest of the family
to eat with the Saotomes. After finding out from Genma that his son was alive,
her father had gone into a fit of silliness and kept on repeating some nonsense
about the schools being joined. Whenever she asked him about it, her father
would just give her a goofy grin and say nothing.

As the families ate dinner and engaged in quiet conversation, Genma was in a bit
nervous throughout the evening. With Nodoka watching over him like a hawk, he
couldn't press Ranma into choosing one of the girls as a fiancee. Furthermore,
the hope of the boy getting close to one of Soun's daughters diminished, as he
showed no interest in them other than casual acquaintances. Genma and Soun had
thought that by just introducing them to each other, they could let nature take
its course. However, they knew about romance about as much as they knew about
quantum physics. They had assumed that it would be love at first sight, but the
boy wasn't cooperating!

<Come on boy! Ask one of them out! Do something! Can't you see that your future
bride is there? Come on! What's wrong with you?! The fate of the Anything Goes
Martial Arts depends on you marrying a Tendo!>

However, Genma despaired in silence as Ranma simply continued making polite, yet
non-intimate conversation with the girls. Ranma's father suppressed the urge to
shout out that he should pick a bride and get it over with. If Nodoka wasn't
there and that damned seppuku contract, he would have forced Ranma to choose
from the start. But he was forced to sit and fume in silence. He also noticed
that Soun was agitated at the lack of results this meeting was having.

"So, what kind of martial arts do you study?" Akane asked.

Ranma shrugged as he replied, "Well, I know about the Saotome style of the
Anything Goes, but I haven't really practiced it very much. I do know several
other styles and I'm pretty good with Kendo forms as well." Ranma purposely
didn't mention that he was actually from the School of the Four Dragon Kings.

Akane frowned a bit when she heard that Ranma knew of Kendo. <Great, another
Kuno!> She had developed a special disgust for the pompous captain of Furinkan's
Kendo Club, ever since he made that insane declaration for her to be defeated in
order to date her. But she was curious to see what level this Ranma was at. Not
as good as her of course, since he did admit that he didn't practice the
Anything Goes very often. "Say, would like to have a sparring match some time?"

Ranma looked at Akane and took a moment to consider before saying, "Thanks for
the offer but no thanks."

Akane's eyes narrowed as she was casually brushed off. How dare that... that...
BOY turn her down! Does he think that he's better than she was? Did he think
that she wasn't good enough for him? Her temper began to rise at this boy for
this slight against her ego.

Ranma apparently didn't notice Akane getting miffed.

----------

The Dragon World...

["Oh my. It seems that Ranma still needs some work on being tactful."] Karrida
commented.

["Well, it's not like he had very much practice with other people. After all, he
spent most of his time with us dragons. Ranma had simply gauged the girl's skill
level and saw it was well below his own. I had tried to teach him subtlety, but
it looks like he needs more practice. "] Sojan replied. ["That's the one of the
main points why I sent him back to his world, to get the experience. Unlike his
clueless father, Ranma does learn from his mistakes."]

"Ranma could have beaten her, no problem!" Karisu commented, relieved to seeing
that he wasn't interested in that girl.

The Fire Dragon King of the South then saw a scene that was sure to erupt into
violence, some blocks away. ["Look at that!"]

----------

Earth...

Genma pulled Soun off to the side as the rest of the group went to the cashier
to pay for the bill.

"Genma... the schools must be joined!" Soun whispered. "I thought you said that
all we needed to do was to have them meet and let nature take its course!"

"I thought so too, but that boy of mine isn't cooperating!" Genma

was very exasperated. He had thought that Ranma would go with Akane, after their
little conversation about martial arts. He was a martial artist and so was she.
You couldn't ask for a more perfect match up, right? But, Ranma spoiled
everything by turning her down to a match! He had also noticed that Ranma was
taking normal-sized bites. Genma despaired and silently vowed to retrain that
son of his in the Anything Goes. Maybe a refresher course, starting with the Cat
Fist, would be in order. <Well, maybe not the Cat Fist...> He still remembered
Nodoka's warning.

"Well, why don't we just..."

"I told you before Soun! We can't just force that boy to marry up with one of
your daughters! Nodoka would kill me if she found out! Besides..." Genma
shuddered as he remembered how badly Ranma had pounded him that day. "The boy's
too strong and independent for such measures! We have to think up a subtle plan
for him to marry one of your daughters! By the way Tendo, which one of them is
he going to marry?"

Soun thought for a moment, then said, "Akane! Yes! She's a martial artist. He's
a martial artist! It's a match made with heavens blessings!"

----------

In the Dragon World, Sojan, Rike, Karisu and Karrida groaned in disgust

at the sheer stupidity these two humans were displaying.

----------

Genma smiled as he said, "Then it's up to us to bring our children together!"

"Then it's Soun..."

"And Genma's..."

"Operation Wedding Bells!" The two said quietly as they struck a small pose.

Near the cashier, Nodoka frowned as she saw the two men whisper to each other,
then took a pose. It looks like she would have to have another one of those
(ahem) discussions with her husband.

----------

Later on in the early evening, after Kisara had been put to bed...

Ranma was soaring high over Tokyo as the sun began setting toward the horizon.
He had decided to have a quick flight before turning in for the night. He had
always loved flying with the wind dragons of Surek's domain and it was a great
way to relieve tension.

He had told his parents that he was just going for out for a while. Of course,
his father shouted at him, telling him that he was being lax in his training and
accused him of becoming weak like a girl. Ranma agreed to a quick match and
Genma was instantly pounded into la-la land. Promising his mother that he would
return shortly, Ranma then walked a few blocks before taking flight. Making
certain that he was high enough so no one would spot him, he darted across the
darkening sky and watched the city below turn on its evening lights.

<Everything looks so peaceful from up here. Maybe I should take Kisara flying
one of these days.> Ranma took a deep breath while enjoying the air as it rushed
past his face. Everything seemed just right at that moment.

KABOOM!

Ranma looked down when he heard the explosion and saw a huge column of smoke
rising from an area near the West Side of Juuban. He decided to investigate and
dived down toward it.

"AKAGIYAMA MISSILES!"

A-Ko yelped as she twisted and turned to dodge B-ko's attack. The missiles from
the rich girl's battle armor exploded all around the super-strong redhead,
causing major property damage. Stores were wrecked, signs were blasted and huge
potholes in the pavement were formed as the two rivals duked it out.

"You won't get away this time A-Ko! I will defeat you!" B-Ko sneered as she
launched another barrage of missiles at her.

"Will you just give it a rest!" A-Ko shouted as she leapt high to avoid the
attack, then dived down to plow her feet into B-Ko's gut. It had been bad enough
that her rival attacked her daily at school, but now she was doing it after
class as well! She just didn't know when to quit!

B-Ko was sent reeling back from the force of the blow, but did a somersault and
then lashed out with her whip, catching A-Ko's leg. She then used her suit's
strength boosters to swing her around before slamming the schoolgirl into the
asphalt.

THOOM!

A-Ko was quick to bounce back as she worked her leg free, grabbed the whip and
yanked. B-Ko was thrown off balance and pulled toward her. As soon as she got
close, A-Ko reared back a fist and gave B-Ko a haymaker to the chin. The force
of her punch caused the faceshield to crack as B-Ko was sent flying back again.

The armored girl did not land on the ground as she activated her suit's flight
mechanisms and became airborne. She flew up to a height of fifty feet and
hovered.

"I have a surprise for you A-Ko. Remember my Ultron 3000 battle droids? You
never did get to face off against them this morning since that new student had
cut them to pieces so I thought to whip up some brand new and upgraded models,
just for you." She took out a small control device and pressed the red button.

A-Ko wondered just what was going on when she then heard the distant sounds of
jet engines in the distance. She then looked up and saw several bright dots in
the sky, heading toward where they were. In less than a minute, twelve large and
very dangerous-looking giant robots landed in front of her. Each machine was at
least forty feet tall and sported an array of weaponry that made their
predecessors look like tinker toys. They were far more massive and had thicker
armor.

"Behold! My Ultron 3000 A's! They have at least fifty-percent more armaments and
the best titanium/vanadium armor, ten inches thick! Even you couldn't punch
through that! Prepare to meet your maker!"

A-Ko winced as the first of the robots began with a barrage of laser fire. The
redhead jumped up and landed on the shoulder of the machine. Digging her fingers
into the metal, she began pulling with all her might. The armor may be too dense
for her to rip open, but the junction between its head and shoulder wasn't.
Circuits began letting off sparks as they were torn free. When enough of an
opening was made, A-Ko sent her fist into the exposed machinery, causing a small
explosion. She leapt off the robot as it suddenly toppled forward like

a tree, crashing onto the pavement with a resounding crash.

"Bring it on!" A-Ko cried out as the other machines began letting loose with
missiles, energy beams and other projectiles.

<Whoa! A-Ko's packing some serious power there!> Ranma had seen the girl's
display of superhuman strength and was impressed. <She could probably give some
of the lesser fire and earth dragons a run for their money!> Ranma then frowned
as she saw the brave, yet hopelessly outnumbered girl, fight on. B-Ko wasn't not
playing fair as she used her monstrosities to keep A-Ko occupied as she took pot
shots at her foe. He winced as he saw A-Ko avoid a barrage of B-Ko's missiles,
only to be hammered into the pavement by a robot fist from behind. It then
released a ball of sticky goop from a shoulder cannon, which covered A-Ko and
glued her to the ground, hampering her movements and blunting her strength. The
droids took this opportunity to keep on pounding the poor girl into the concrete
as B-Ko laughed maniacally from above. That was when Ranma decided to step in.

B-Ko was ecstatic as she watched her creations continue to mercilessly pound her
rival into a pulp. The super-adhesive she had developed had worked like a charm
and now held down A-Ko like a spider caught in flypaper. She became even more
amused as her robots began releasing canisters of tear gas at their helpless
target as they continued to pound away at her. Without any leverage to push
against or a chance to retaliate, A-Ko's superhuman strength was rendered
useless and it wouldn't be long before she was forced into submission. Nothing
could stop B-Ko now!

A-Ko was just barely conscious from the beating she received as the robots
halted for a moment to regard they prey. They all raised their fists to deliver
the final blow. A-Ko closed her eyes and waited for the end.

"DRAGON FLASH!"

A huge strobe of light suddenly appeared ahead, blinding both B-Ko and her
robots' sensors. She then heard the sounds of metal being sliced apart as a gale
force wind was suddenly swept up. Her suit's flying mechanisms were strained to
their limits to keep he stabilized.

"HUNDRED WIND SLASH OF THE WEST!"

When the bright light finally faded from view, her eyes widened as she saw Ranma
standing amid several piles of scrap metal and robot parts. In his arms he held
A-Ko, battered, barely conscious, but somehow clean of the sticky goop. Ranma
looked up defiantly at B-Ko. Crimson Fang glinted in the night from its
scabbard.

"You again?! You dare to interfere with my revenge?! This is none of your
business!"

"Too bad. I'm making it my business!" Ranma retorted as he gently set A-Ko down
to one side. "Now, leave A-Ko alone or else!"

B-Ko sneered at him and said, "So, you think you can just butt into my affairs?
You've got gall. I like that in a man." B-Ko smiled seductively at Ranma as she
then pushed another button on her

remote control. "I was hoping that we'd meet again. You've already proven
yourself quite formidable. I was hoping that we'd might be able to have
something. However..." She glared at A-Ko. "Since it seems that you are allying
yourself with my mortal enemy, I must consider you as my enemy as well. A pity,
but now you too must share A-Ko's fate. Oh well, at least I'll still have C-Ko
when this is over." B-Ko shrugged as two dozen more of her Ultron 3000 A's
appeared from the sky and began firing at Ranma and A-Ko.

Ranma had no chance of fighting back as he was concerned with A-Ko's safety.
Quickly sweeping her back up in his arms, he began leaping about and darting
every which way to avoid the laser beams, concussion blasts and various
ordinance that was thrown at him. More property was damaged as he scrambled to
get A-Ko to safety.

"Hmmm, he's very nimble. I'll give him that." B-Ko marveled as not one of her
Ultron 3000 A's could score a hit. She then saw Ranma run into an abandoned
building. She directed her robots to obliterate the building completely.

The droids launched a sizzling swarm of missiles at the structure, enveloping it
in a series of explosions. Gas mains were ignited, adding more fuel to the
conflagration, causing the building to fall apart in a heap of concrete, wood
and twisted metal. B-Ko sighed as she thought about what could have been magic
between herself and Ranma. Oh well, time to move on.

It was then that an inhuman roar was heard from the wreckage of the building.

----------

The Dragon World...

["Sojan... would a building collapsing on top of him and multiple explosions
count as a mortal danger to Ranma?"]

["I'd say so."]

----------

Earth...

B-Ko wondered just what was going on when the huge, still burning mound of
debris began to tremble and shake from something moving beneath it. Suddenly, it
exploded out into a hail of flaming rubble and the rich girl had to fly backward
to avoid being hit by embers and chunks of concrete. A huge cloud of smoke was
kicked up as something huge emerged from the rubble. It was then that the smoke
cleared and B-Ko got a good look at what had just came out of the mound.

The dragon was huge! It measured more than one hundred and twenty feet from
snout to tail. It resembled a dragon of Western Europe and had blue scales with
silver highlights. Its head was kind of a cross between a Chinese dragon of
ancient legend and something from the time of Camelot. The face had winglike
protrusions and sparse hairs around its temples. The large, batlike wings
attached to its shoulders kicked up even more dust and debris. It let off
another roar as it turned its head toward B-Ko and her robots.

----------

The Dragon World...

"He's soooo beautiful!" Karisu said as she marveled at Ranma's Dragon form.

["Now, things are going to get interesting."] Sojan commented.

----------

Earth...

B-Ko was more than shocked to see Ranma's dragon form, which looked at her as if
it was going to swallow her up in one gulp. She decided that now was time for a
strategic retreat as she ordered her robots to attack it while she withdrew from
the battle scene.

The Ultron 3000 A's opened up with every weapons they had, but the energy beams
and missiles were about as effective as throwing pebbles against Ranma's thick,
scaly hide. The dragon tolerated the little gnats for a few moments, then looked
down at the ground. A-Ko was still unconscious at his feet after Ranma had
shielded her body with his own during the building's collapse. Not wanting A-Ko
to be hurt by any falling debris or errant laser blasts, Ranma raised his head
back up and opened his mouth.

A huge blast of blue-white fire exploded forth from his maw and reduced a third
of the robots into melted piles of slag. A single flap of his wings caused a
hurricane blast of wind to be kicked up, knocking back the several of the
irritating machines and slamming them into the pavement. One swish of his tail
smashed the rest into recyclable junk.

When the robots had all been dispatched, the dragon looked down at the girl and
saw her starting to regain consciousness. He also began hearing sirens in the
distance and the flashing lights of fire engines and police cars. Not wanting to
be around when the authorities arrived, he carefully picked up A-Ko in one of
his massive paws and took off. A news van stopped in its tracks as its camera
crew looked up in awe at the magnificent flying lizard streak overhead. They
couldn't wait to show this footage on the nightly news.

A-Ko regained full consciousness as the nightly air cleared her head. Though
they were flying at an altitude of at least 3500 feet, she didn't feel the
slightest chill. Whatever was holding her was very warm, like an electric
blanket turned on high. She then looked up and her eyes widened. She was so
stunned that she didn't even think to scream.

["No need for you to panic A-Ko. It's just me."]

A-Ko became confused at the sudden voice in her head. "Huh? Wha...? What's
happening? Where's Ranma? What did you do to him, you monster!?"

A-Ko began pounding on Ranma's oversized fist, making him wince.

["Calm down A-Ko! It's... me, Ranma."]

A-Ko thought she was dreaming as she continued to stare up at the dragon that
was holding her. She began to panic and tried to break free of the dragon's
grip.

["I wouldn't do that if I were you. Look down."]

A-Ko then noticed that they were flying pretty high and a fall from this
altitude would hurt, even with her strength and endurance. She ceased in her
struggles and then looked back up. ["R-R-Ranma? Is that really you?"]

["Uhhhh... yeah it is. I guess I should explain myself. Listen, could it wait
until we land?"]

A-Ko couldn't believe that this huge dragon was the same person she shared lunch
with as she nodded slightly. ["Uh, okay..."]

Ranma nodded as he winged his way toward Mt. Fuji and disappeared behind the
summit.

----------

A while later...

A-Ko watched in awe as the dragon standing before her glowed with a soft blue
and white aura and then flared. The huge shape began shrinking down and shifting
back into a humanoid form. When it took on Ranma's normal form, the light faded
away and A-Ko was now face to face with the dragon warrior, who was fully
clothed with his sword strapped to his back. Ranma gave A-Ko a sheepish smile as
he scratched the back of his head and said, "H-H-Hi there, A-Ko. Sorry about
this."

To be continued...

Author's notes

Well, that takes care of the rewrite to chapter 4. Not too bad with an injured
wrist. As for the new players that I've introduced...

Karisu is a female Golden Mane Dragon and one of Ranma's playmates when he was
growing up. She has a huge crush on him. Rike is a Gray Thunder Dragon and
Ranma's other rough-and-tumble childhood friend. You can find their entries in
the Dragon Section of Dragon Lore, after I get around to updating it, and they
will make their appearances in the human world in the near future to add to the
chaos. As for Prince Herb, there will be a major confrontation between him and
Ranma as the ruler of the Musk Dynasty will demand that Ranma hand over his
Dragon Gifts. As for the thing that came from Jusenkyo and just landed in
Okinawa, well... stay tuned!

 
