Ranma belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Naruto belongs to name? I don't own either, I don't make this story with permission, I don't get a profit.
Ranma swung, the hit blasted into his opponent and sent him reeling back before the winds surrounding them carried the enemy back into the air. It's minor wounds were already healing, his cursed powers healing the damage like viscous oil coming together. The pig tailed glared and ignored a wave of flames floated past him, carried by the tremendous tornado that had ripped the mountains top off.
"PUNY LANDLING! I…" Ranma tuned out the rest of the words, time was up, Akane had to be saved and there wasn't much to do now, he had the energy, but not the time to use it effectively against the godling he fought, and Ranma just didn't know a way to release, to use, it all at once… if he could just find a way, the battle would be over. But Saffron had more energy, and could use so much more of it at once.
Ranma blinked, that fireball had been too close, but it had brought an idea… Ryoga was down on the ground and the pigtailed boy grinned and bellowed to him to get up there. Ranma ducked another fireball, and leapt forward to Saffron, twirling the ice staff as he went, as he approached the martial artist unleashed a chestnut fist upon the godling, throwing rocks and other flying debris to blind and wound the enemy, a last use of the ancient chinese technique tossed a rock down at Ryogas umbrella. The hit shook it in Ryogas hand and the lost boy instinctively opened it to defend himself.
Ranma smirked in false confidence, the lost boy was lifted by the wicked winds and catapulted into the air, only the umbrella held the boy up, its surface area countering Ryoga's massive weight. Saffron launched another blast, his wounds gone, the godling paused to boast again and Ranma took the advantage to toss the doll at Ryoga who dropped the umbrella to catch it and plummeted to the ground near the tap. Saffron's eyes widened as the implications of that action hit the demi-god, the winged phoenix screamed in fury and the pigtailed martial artist quickly distracted him with a well aimed blow.
"Bakusei Tenketsu!" Ranma sneered; Ryoga had just broken the tap and was dousing the Akane doll in it as he spoke. Saffron would die; it was only a matter of time now. Ryoga bellowed his happiness and picked up the naked and barely conscious girl, before removing her from the open-air cavern. Ranma inwardly smiled as one less problem vanished into the cave wall.
"Landling. You've done what no other has. Be proud, for you, and your death will be remembered for evermore." Saffron's voice was cold and ice hard, the escape of the girl had angered him so much he had become ice calm, a dangerous thing for Ranma, who had needed the callous overuse of the godlings powers to continue drawing power from.
"I think not Saffron, it's only a matter of time before you die." The pigtailed man said confidently, his voice and eyes however spoke another story, the man would be cold, colder than ice until he was finished with the godlings corpse.
Saffron felt a little fear, but his own ice-cold murderous rage eliminated it quickly, but it had been enough for the nerimian prodigy to attack with the Yumisenken. A vacuum blade sheered off half of one of Saffrons wings, Saffron scowled and ripped the rest of it off, allowing the temporary drop in altitude before the wing regenerated in a burst of flame.
Ranma angled himself forward; he approached the godling, dodging the two fireballs and a wing that had come his way. The young man had an idea, it was untested, but it would guarantee death, for at least one of them. Ranma's ki swirled around first inside him, then outside as he forced his aura outwards. The Nerimaian reached Saffron and dug his fingers into the demi-gods shoulders as saffron howled in pain as ligaments and muscles tore underneath Ranma's hands.
"Die Saffron." Ranma whispered, a sudden paling of Saffron's face showed that although he had been unable to hear the whisper, he had read the mans lips. Ranma's ki surged down ranma's hands through his fingers and palms into Saffrons body where it, using an idea reminiscent to vacuum blades, cut through Saffrons dominant and far more powerful Chi like knife through butter. The Demi-God howled in pain and agony as he soul was damaged by the attack, Ranma too screamed as the attack bounced back and cut into his own Ki.
Desperately grabbing at something, anything to stop his own attack from falling out of control Ranma took the broken pieces of his own Ki and Saffron's Chi and melded them together as the martial artist absorbed them. The new energy was powerful, and it took a mere moment for Ranma to bend the malleable stuff around himself to protect his own Ki from the attack.
Ranma sneered into the pain filled eyes of Saffron and continued his attack when something flickered at the corner of his eye, down below them a large symbol made of what appeared to be small kanji, the symbol Ranma realized meant something, and it appeared to be powered by a similar mix of energies as what the martial artist had made with Saffron and his own Ki.
"Shit." Ranma muttered as precious seconds passed as he removed his embedded hands from Saffron's shoulders. The demi-gods lack of control had made skin heal right over Ranma's hands and the wounds healed again as he pulled his hands free. There! They were free, and Ranma kicked off Saffrons twitching pained and unfortunately still alive body, The pattern below had almost reached them, Ranma smirked as he passed outside the zone covered by the pattern.
Saffron glanced down and inwardly cursed, the boy was going to escape because he was being summoned. But it would only be temporary; the demi-god knew the boy lived in Japan, it would only be a matter of time to find him again. The godlings stomach lurched suddenly, something was… out of shape with the summoning circle, it was stretching out towards the boy…Saffrons eyes widened in joy, the fool had taken enough of Saffrons Chi that he too would be brought along to battle! If Saffrons enemy did not kill him, Saffron would have the time to get sufficiently clear from the boy to make sure he did not return!
Ranma scowled, the enemy was laughing at him. Glancing around the man noticed that the pattern had stretched and now covered Ranma again, the pigtailed looked around frantically, but there was nothing he could push off, and the wind was pushing him back towards saffron. Ranma cursed, he could accelerate towards saffron, but even then, he'd strike a blow at the same time as the pattern reached them. He made up his mind and angled his body for a little more wind resistance, he moved closer and closer, the whirlwind had been dying and he wasn't moving as fast as he could have earlier.
Ranma swung at Saffron, and the world went white.
Naruto glared at his enemy from his perch upon Gamabunta's head. Gaara had become visible above the giant one-armed Racoon he had become and was smirking at Naruto "Thankyou for keeping me entertained so far.." Gaara paused to widen his smile a little, "But I think its time to show you the full powers of the sand demon… and also stack the odds a little more in my favour."
With those words, the sand ninja's hands become a blur, Gumnabunta spoke, explaining about the insomnia of Gaara, but Naruto could barely hear him, why wasn't the giant toad attacking?
"SLEEP SUMMON!" Naruto's eyes widened, that technique was known in the leaf village, it forced the user to sleep for the length of the summon but it didn't require blood or a contract to summon the mythical beasts, ranging from Youma to Demi-Gods. Naruto started looking around almost frantically for the summon, but it hadn't shown itself when the giant sand demon started laughing.
"Hahahahaha" it chortled in what had to be the most annoying voice ever, "I'm finally out!!!" Naruto stared with wide eyes as the demon did a little victory dance "Yahoooo!!!" it cheered as it spotted Gamnabunta and Naruto. "And here's someone I want to kill, Right-off!" the sand demon chortled and suddenly flexed its stump "FUUTON!" Naruto gasped but Gamnabunta and Gamakichi didn't even blink.
"Get down fella!" Gamakichi ordered suddenly, Naruto quickly hunkered down on top of Gamnabunta as the giant toad king bellowed and jumped above a Renkuudan attack shot from Shusakuu. As they reached the high point in their flight Gamnabunta bellowed and released two massive water cannonballs down upon Shusaku who quickly countered them with five of his own attacks.
"THIS IS BAD OYABIN! THERE'S STILL ONE LEFT!" Naruto bellowed moments before they were hit, throwing them down into the forest, far too close to Sakura for Narutos liking. The orange clad boy dimly heard the sand demon cheering its victory and repeating itself inanely, Naruto scowled for a second before grinning as Gamnabunta walked out of the cloud of smoke that obscured them from Shusaku's view. "That hurt! You pumped so much damned chakra into that ball you threw at me!!" declared the toad king in an irritated voice, although, to Naruto's ear it was much louder and deeper than the boys own bellow.
Suddenly a bright light filled their eyes, and just off to the right of the two giant creatures appeared two figures, as the summoning light receded Shusaku chortled with glee and called out in what passed for a happy voice. "Hey Hey Saffron! A bit slow getting here!" the Sand demon chortled again but stopped mid laugh before appearing to look closer at the figures which were beginning to fall. "Saffron?" Naruto and Gamnabunta turned to look a little closer too, the second figure, who Naruto could only just make out, was dressed in red shirt with black pants… and he was also attacking the phoenix, Naruto didn't recognize him, but it appeared that he was going to kill the winged man.
"Comeon boss, lets get Shusaku while he's distracted." Naruto almost begged. Luckily Gamnabunta did here him and spoke "For now rough up that medium kid! So the spell will break!"
Naruto eyes bulged, "How?" he gasped out in shock, how the heck was he, a boy, meant to get over there? Not that if there was a way, he'd not be able to do it.. he'd get the job done, somehow.
"We'll get close to that stupid badger and stop him in his tracks!" Gamnabunta lowered himself slightly to prepare for a lunge, "We'll do it when his guard is down!"
Naruto's face twisted slightly, becoming more determined than ever. "I'm asking you how exactly are we going to do that!?"
"I'm just a toad so, I don't have any fangs or claws to stop him- so using the Henge No Jutsu, I'll transform into something that does!" Naruto grinned wildy as Gamnabunta continued, "I'm no good at transforming so! You be my will and do the 'In' for me, I'll lend you my Chakra, It'll be a Combo Henge!"
Naruto's face firmed into position as he felt the chakra enter him, what could he use, something with claws and fangs! "umm umm" then inspiration struck.
"Here we go!" bellowed Gamnabunta as they vanished into a cloud of smoke.
Ranma looked around for a second as the light receeded and noticed two things, two very, very, big things. A giant toad, and a giant racoon… not only were these things giant, they were completely out of his experience, the largest things Ranma had ever seen were the giant animals and Orochi at Ryuugenza. Shaking his head, he dismissed it and did his very best to ignore that the giant racoon was trying to speak to Saffron.
"Hey Hey Saffron! A bit slow getting here!"
"Saffron?"
Ranma punched Saffron downwards as hard as he could, there was no way he could stay afloat via using the non existent whirlwind which had floated around them mere moments ago, so he was forced to slow his fall by belting the crap out of Saffron… not that Ranma had anything against that. Saffron was coming around, enough that he was beginning to block a few blows from the young man, Ranma scowled and swung harder, breaking the demi-gods arm for what seemed like the umpteenth millionth time.
'I've got to find a way to put him down permanently!' Ranma thought frantically, the man hadn't thought that Saffron's claims to godhood were true, but he was willing to admit Saffron's power to constantly heal himself was a little… god like. Unleashing a kick upon the godling Ranma angled after him in the fall until Saffron regained enough presence of mind to straighten his wings. Ranma impacted upon the godling almost immediately causing Ranma's feet to break several of Saffron's ribs. The golden winged phoenix gurgled out his pain to the uncaring world as Ranma placed his feet on the phoenix gods chest and pelvis.
'Come on… quicker.. fall quicker dammit.' Ranma thought as they fell down towards the treetops, Saffron blinked groggily but Ranma ignored it as they hit the treetops like a hammer going through a thin wooden table, Saffron's body suddenly slowed and stopped its downward fall as Ranma's previous aiming caused Saffron's landing, and consequent impaling upon a tree trunk. Ranma felt his legs strain as his own weight pushed down onto Saffron's body hard enough to break the spine and most of the bones in the phoenix kings cadaver. And he was dead too, the trunk of the tree had impaled him through the heart and by the time the corpse had stopped sliding down the centre trunk, it had nearly been ripped in half.
Ranma sighed as he broke his own fall with branches, not without its own consequences as the man felt his arms bruise heavily and several deep cuts appeared on said arms.
Suddenly something impacted from the side, hard, Ranma gasped for air as someone grabbed him and slowed his almost lethal fall to something much more acceptable.
Naruto leapt out of the cloud of smoke and savagely bit and grasped hold of the sand demons neck and arms with his fangs and hand like claws. The jutsu dissipated and Naruto reeled for a half second as the strange merging of Gamnabunta and boy ended.
"WAKE UP!" Naruto bellowed as he leapt from Gamnabuntas head onto the soft sand of Shusaku, as he sprinted up along the racoons muzzle when the sand suddenly sunk under his leading foot, Naruto stopped in surprise and barely heard Gamakichi's call to his father as sand leapt up to attack the orange clad boy, only to be stopped by Gamabuntas tongue.
"Don't lick me!" the semi-awake/semi-possessed Gaara howled as he forced the toads tongue away. "What kind of power does this boy have?" asked the sand ninja to the air around him as he forced back the possession enough to think and check out the situation, "Damn, this is bad! He and I should both be out of Chakra!"
Naruto meanwhile heard Gamnabunta curse as the giant toad was pushed back towards where Sasuke had first confronted Gaara and where Sakura was stuck to the tree. "Sakura-Chan!" Naruto whispered in horror, reaching deep inside of himself he begged of the imprisoned demon fox within him, 'I'm begging you… all I need is a little bit… enough so I can protect everyone… give me YOUR CHAKRA!' Naruto gasped as the demon fox complied and the red Chakra swirled out the howling Naruto.
Gaara screamed at Naruto to die but was ignored as the blond haired boy jumped forward a challenge on his lips. "HERE I GO!!! YOU DUMB BADGER!!!" Gaara managed to summon enough sand to slow the fox empowered boy, but Naruto's eyes merely narrowed as he swore at him. "You BASTARD!" finished Naruto as he head-butted Gaara between the eyes. Gaara suddenly slumped a little, and their now bleeding foreheads rested against each other, both too weary to move after the devastating hit.
The sand demon began to dissolve into chunks of sand and then into smaller pieces as Gaaras disorientation returned Shusaku to powerlessness. Gaara and Naruto both regained enough sense of mind to land safely on two nearby treetops, the duo stood staring angrily at each other for nearly a minute before Naruto spoke to the backing of falling sand. "Like.. Even I'm… Empty after all this.." he paused to breath and spoke again as Gaara regarded him with no little fear. "…I'll reach my limits after one final blow to you…" Naruto tottered to his feet and Gaara did the same, "We're both alike, you and I… Lets make this the end of it!!!" he finished with a near bellow and simultaneously Gaara and Naruto leapt towards each other and dealt a single blow.
The person carrying Ranma set him down gingerly, which Ranma was more than thankful for, being a manly man and all was okay, but being treated like dog shit for it sucked ass. Suddenly the person whirled and sprinted around thirty feet before diving and catching someone else. Ranma pushed himself up and rested against the tree trunk, the person who caught him, a black clothed guy with the weirdest tattoo covering his left half of his face, was carrying a sand covered girl wearing a short dress much in the manner that Shampoo had. He carried her back to next to Ranma who managed to say thanks for the catch when a dog seemingly appeared out of nowhere, "Check Sakura…" he said to the dog before bounding off, presumably after another person, who would no doubt be falling from the sky in Ranma's opinion.
"Lemme look at her." Ranma said to the dog, more to let the dog know he was being friendly than of any belief that a dog could possibly ever talk back.
"No. Sit there, shuddup." Ranma blinked. Then he blinked again. That dog did talk to him… A sudden burst of flame above them caused Ranma to flinch and look up to Saffron's corpse as it was engulfed in a fireball, covering his face from falling charcoal the man noticed as the fire receded that there was an egg in its place, the egg subsequently shone with light and vanished.
Ranma could think of only one thing to say before he passed out, "Shit."
Naruto landed face down on the soft grass, for a few minutes the boy was unable to move at all, but he managed to turn his head at Gaara, who appeared to be in better condition and laying flat on his back. Naruto narrowed his eyes but found he couldn't move.. until he constricted himself and started edging towards the other boy like a slug or snail.
The sand ninja's eyes flickered, and he turned his head towards Naruto, only to find him edging towards him Gaara's eyes widened and he whispered to himself "..My existence won't be put out... It won't be put out!" Gaara had a sudden premonition, he couldn't stop Naruto now, he didn't have Chakra, nor could the sand ninja move. "Will I be saved?" the unloved boy questioned as he listened to Naruto exert himself to get closer.
"D…Don't come closer!" Gaara begged as Naruto approached, all the way crawling towards him with only his chin.
Naruto stopped and looked up at the sand ninja, Gaara was astonished to realize the boy was crying, 'why?' "I know what you must feel…" Naruto spoke, it was obviously trying for him, "..Being along… Being incomplete.. What your pain must be.. I understand that.." Gaara could do nothing but stare, why, for what purpose did he speak these words? They could not possibly be true. "But.." Gaara trembled at that word as fear flowed over him, "for the people that are precious to me, to be able to…" he stopped, and Gaara felt hope rise from within, perhaps he had fainted? But no, he was still staring the Sand Ninja, "The people that are precious to me… if you are hurting them…" he stopped again, and Gaara looked into those eyes, the eyes that spoke of death and held within a vertically slitted pupil. "And If you are trying to kill them.. I will stop you!" Naruto finished.
Gaara stuttered as he tried to speak, "what the…" he stopped as Naruto began moving towards him again but continued on with an edge of fear and hysteria in his voice "What? Until now for the sake of other people, you've.." but Gaara could fine no strength to speak more.
Naruto stopped again and looked at Gaara for a moment before speaking "Because they rescued me from the hell of being alone.. they acknowledged my existence, that's why they all are the most important…"
Gaara blinked and remembered "love" he whispered, "that's why this guy is so strong."
"That's enough Naruto." Said another voice, Gaara would have shaken his head to clear his vision but couldn't, so it took a moment to realize it was that Uchiha that had managed to hurt him… one of Narutos…loved ones. He was down on one knee and resting his hand on it as he spoke to the boy, "Sakura is all right now." He began in a soothing voice before turning slightly to regard Gaara, "This guy has run out of Chakra… Sakura has been saved from the sand."
Something just obscured Gaara's vision for a second, it was Temari and Kankuro, they were both looking much worse for wear, but Gaara could make out no permanent injuries. "that's enough… stop it." Gaara eked out in a quiet voice when he realized that Temari and Kankuro were about to continue the fighting.
They glanced back at him and he saw Kankuro's eyes widen in surprise at how hurt Gaara was.. "I understand." He said as the puppeteer lifted Gaara onto his shoulder, they left instantly and Gaara spent a moment to look back at Naruto who had allowed himself to fall unconscious with a peaceful expression on his face.
"Temari.. Kankuro.." Gaara said quietly, "I'm sorry.."
Authors Note: you may have noticed that I used Ki & Chi in this. There is a purpose behind this and it will be revealed later.