Let Go of the Past, Embrace a new beginning

A Ranma Fanfic by Seras4545

Chapter 2: The DaiRyujin No Nishi and the village of Konoha

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vos ero ut filiolus ( You will be as gods )

quod abeo mos adveho ,

amo pluvia super orbis terrarum (and change will come, like rain upon the earth)

A/N: Sorry bout the long wait, I had to do a lot of homework and had to study for finals, not to mention I had writers block for a large portion of the time. Now I've read more fics and have refreshed some ideas and have decided to send Ranma through several 'ARCS'. Each ARC will have Ranma interact and meet with different characters from other anime/games and learn the styles and techniques/specialties of that particular story. These will last anywhere between 2 and 4 chapters, each chapter being around the length of my first though some may be longer and others may be shorter, depending on how much I want Ranma to learn and how in depth I want the story to go and whether or not to warp the stories or keep them more or less true to the original. I will be writing most of the characters OOC for the most part as I can't always remember how a certain character would react to a situation and also how things are being changed in their fundamental storylines by Ranma and Nabiki. I know I had originally just planned to mix this with Bleach but now I think I will have Bleach be the Ending ARC to my fic (I might continue with my own storylines and characters from then on but then again I might not, I expect this fic to take me the best part of 6 months to finish)

I will be glad for any suggestions and criticism(constructive) on anime/game storyline choices as well as different ways I can have Ranma and Nabiki's personalities and relationship change and develop during the stories.

Thanx to Innortal for pointing out the jumbled speech and the incorrect Hokage reference. It will help clear up a few things.

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Ranma looked around, staring at each of the springs as he spotted them. How well he remembered the day he and pops arrived here, neither of them able to read or speak a single word of chinese. Now, he could read the various signs posted next to each one, warning of what the spring would do to those unfortunate enough to fall into them.

There! Go there! A rather large and brightly glowing spring caught his attention. It seemed to be the center of the valley and it practically radiated power to someone as sensitive as Ranma. It seemed to draw him to it, it even seemed to have an effect on Nabiki who followed without a word.

They soon found themselves standing on the edge and looking down into the glowing green depths of the water. Soon he felt and heard someone approaching and he turned around. Unsurprisingly it was the Jusenkyo guide, who hurried toward them with a fearful expression on his face.

" Stop! You must not go near there! It very dangerous spring! It kill all who go in it!" He panted as he reached them, out of breath from hurrying.

Ranma and Nabiki stood back from the edge, rethinking their decisions. " Dangerous? How so? And what do you mean it killed people?" Nabiki asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this quickly. They were feeling an ever increasing desire to fling themselves into the spring, it was getting nigh unbearable, like an itch that you want to scratch but cant.

Hearing Nabiki speak perfect chinese, the Guide looked relieved and he started speaking to her. Ranma decided to let him, he hadn't quite mastered the language yet and Nabiki was better at information gathering than he was anyways.

" Ah good, at least you know chinese, that makes it much easier for me to explain. This spring is very cursed, no one who has fallen in has ever come out, and it eats most materials like acid. It is the original spring of Jusenkyo valley, believed to be around 4000 years old."

Ranma thought about this for a second. The original spring huh? It must be where 'they' want us to go. Having made up his mind he nodded at Nabiki who nodded back. They approached the spring and again looked down into its waters, ignoring the protests and warnings of the Guide. Suddenly he felt the ground shift and he started to slide into the spring.

" Ranma!" Nabiki shouted as she reached out and grabbed hold of his arm and began to pull him back onto firm ground. Ranma then felt some kind of energy reach out and he heard a resounding crack as the rock beneath her feat shattered and then dissolved onto fine gravel and they both fell into the deep waters.

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The Guide watched in horror as the couple fell into the spring. It had now claimed two more innocent lives. He jumped in surprise when he heard a sky shattering boom of thunder and he was nearly blinded by a brilliant flash of silver light that emanated from the springs. As his sight slowly recovered he looked around in fascination. The springs no longer glowed and the ever present silver mist was dissipating into the air.

He then heard some splashing and he looked over at the spring and to his wonder two pairs of hands shot up and grabbed the edge of the spring. He hurried to help the two out of the water. As he pulled them up he noticed something different about them, something out of place. Did the young sir always have red hair? Did the lady's hair get darker?

Then he noticed their eyes. The boy's had turned a brilliant emerald while the woman's were a dark icy gray. What was odd about them is they seemed to glow with an unnatural light from within. Then they looked straight at him and he flinched. He felt their penetrating gaze as a knife in his soul. He felt that they now knew everything about him. Then he felt the fear. The terrible and unexplainable terror that seemed to roll off them in waves, getting stronger every minute.

He began to back away, his surroundings momentarily forgotten in his hurry to escape the horror building within him. He slipped on something slippery and fell with a great splash into one of the springs. He frantically dragged himself out of the water, checking to see which he had fallen into, find out what had happened to his body.

He was completely dumbfounded to find that his body was unchanged, even though he had fallen into the spring of the gorilla. Perplexed he turned and found that the couple had disappeared without him noticing as well. Completely at a loss as to what he should do, he sat down to sort out his thoughts.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard what sounded like a voice. Not used to being snuck up on he turned quickly to greet the new guest, and was surprised to find nothing but air. He could have sworn he heard something... He heard it again but it was very faint. He focused, trying hard to make out what it was saying . Suddenly it became clear to him.

"...They are all gone. Damn! I have been waiting for this chance for so long! Oh, but wait! Here is one, not so great maybe but still tasty and alive too!" The voice was dry and raspy and was filled with a deep hunger that terrified the Guide. He frantically spun around trying to find the speaker but could find nothing. Then he felt a sharp pain in his chest and everything changed.

He could see them now, hundreds of them, all coming toward the valley. They were monstrous looking creatures with strange white masks that looked disturbingly like bone. He heard a clang to the left and he saw two people in black robes fighting the monsters with inhuman strength and skill. His hopes, which had briefly risen seeing them, sunk again as he saw that they could not gain any ground against the endless tide of monsters.

Then he noticed that there was a chain embedded in his chest that led to his body. Wait! My body! He started to run to his body when he saw it. It was one of the monsters but it was huge. It also seemed to be leading this attack on the valley. As he was watching it looked down at him and smiled. It was not a pleasant smile at all and he ran toward his body again.

He felt excruciating pain as the monster lashed out with mind numbing speed and grabbed him and severed the chain at the same time. As soon as the chain broke he felt something go missing, something that had been essential to him but now was no longer a part of him. Then the monster sniffed him and it exhaled in what seemed to be a human sigh of satisfaction.

" Ah! A Quincy! You are from the lost clan of chinese Quincy no doubt. This is fortunate for me, I have never tasted a Quincy soul, but you smell delicious." It began to open it's jaws leisurely, as if it had all the time in the world.

The Guide had no Idea what it was talking about but he caught the gist of what it was saying. He was dead and now the thing intended to devour his soul because he was something called a Quincy. He struggled to break the things hold on him but it was no use, the monster had a grip stronger than the hardest steel. The last thing he saw was the huge gaping maw and the sharp looking teeth that lined it. Then he was enveloped in darkness and knew no more as his soul was ingested by the creature.

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The two Shinigami watched in sorrow and frustration as the guide's soul was devoured. They were slowly being pushed back as the number of hollows in the area multiplied. There was too much loose spiritual energy in the area and it acted like a beacon fire to Hollows. When a rip in reality turned into a portal for a Menos Grande they began to retreat.

The man turned to his female partner, his face grim. "Come, we can do no more here, we must warn the Joketsuzoku of this disaster. Only a captain or an entire squad could hope to stand against this horde." With that he leapt into the air, heading towards a hidden village they knew of.

His partner looked back on the valley with unconcealed fear and then hurried after him. They must help the Amazons, the last of the chinese quincy. The Hollows would not be long distracted by the excess spirit energy and they would soon come after the villlage.

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Koh Lon sat in the chair in the hut, contemplating the situation. The Hollows were drawing closer to the village rapidly and she had little time. She looked up at the two shinigami. They were low class, obviously having only been in the area when the barriers around Jusenkyo fell. They were not strong enough nor prepared enough to take on such a large concentration of Hollows. Now that the Jusenkyo barrier has failed the entrance to their village lay open to all. It had been the overlapping of many strong magical barriers that had protected them so long but the barrier of Jusenkyo was the keystone to the circle of protection, when it fell so too did the other barriers.

" So you suggest we move? Where to, may I ask? Is there a place safer than here, where we can tap the land itself for power?" The two looked slightly surprised at this but soon got a hold of themselves. The man rose to his feet.

" There are two places actually. One is Nerima, the city itself is a barrier against hollows. Because of the land's strange properties it has also given birth to many who have the power to oppose the hollows. It has even given us a human who can use the way of the demon without being a deathgod. It seems this young man, Gosunkugi I believe his name was, can use energy from his surroundings to power his magic. Many martial artists there also tap their surroundings to give shape to many strange powers, some of which are extremely powerful for normal humans."

Now he turned very serious." We have also been authorized to offer you sanctuary in Soul Society itself. However you and your people will be under close guard and constant supervision. We offer this because we feel that the battle against the Hollows may take a downturn. If you choose to take sanctuary there you will become our secret weapon against them."

Koh Lon was very surprised by this turn of events and it took much of her willpower to not show it. She felt the need to keep tabs on Ranma but now she knew that Ranma had disappeared from this plane of existance. She could no longer feel the presence of his riatsu nor his ki. She needed to protect her people and that takes precedence over all. She stared at the two but could find no guile. " I think it would be best if we took refuge in soul society for now. I thank you on behalf of the Joketsuzoku for your kindness and hospitality. We have one thing left to do however." With that she left and gathered the elite quincy amazons.

They formed a ring around Koh Lon and began to glow a faint blue. One could see the energy of the land being sucked into the slowly forming cyclone of power. Koh Lon's staff began to change and when it was finished it had become a giant greatbow and the cyclone formed into an arrow to match. Koh Lon aimed at the Menos Grande and unleashed the bolt of deadly blue lightning. It burned it's way through the front ranks of the Hollow and collided with the great monster, completely obliterating it.

Koh Lon made her way through one of the twin gates that the two shinigami had formed during their attack. As the last of the amazons left the female shinigami looked back and saw the Hollows milling around, directionless without all the spirit energy to guide them. The land was already beginning to fade, to lose the brilliance and life it had before. She gazed upon the trench and crater that glowed orange and yellow. The walls and some of the ground had been melted down to glass, such was the fury of the amazon elder. Fearing that using them as a weapon may be a mistake, she followed her partner through the portal and disappeared from the world.

They did not see the Hollow form ranks around one who held some kind of staff. The head of the staff bore the same bone mask that they themselves wore. The Hollow plunged the staff into the ground runes carved into its wood began to glow with a sickly green. It became a fountain of blue energy that all the hollow began to congregate around and feed upon. The land began to turn dark and lifeless and for miles around life was extinguished, feeding the growing army of Hollow.

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Ranma and Nabiki floated down into the shadows. He was trying to hold his breath and swim upwards, but to no avail as the light slowly vanished. Nabiki fell unconscious and Ranma was pulled further down into the depths. Soon Ranma's vision began to blacken and fade. His last thoughts were of Nabiki and how much they had left to do.

He woke to find himself in familiar surroundings. The only difference being that Nabiki stood at his side and they were confronted by their Ryu-copies. Ryu-Nabiki had raven hair and Icy gray eyes, making her even more beautiful in his opinion.

The two looked at Ranma and Nabiki and smiled." Thank you for coming." They said almost simultaneously. For some reason their calm demeanor irritated Ranma. Just a few seconds ago he thought he and Nabiki were drowning and now they drag them to this place.

" Who are you really? Why did you need us of all people? What is going on here?" The two seemed unfazed by this assault of questions, indeed they seemed to expect it. They stepped forward as one and stopped a few feet from Ranma and Nabiki.

" I'm sorry but again we don't have much time to explain. We need you to make decision and quickly. Enemies are moving against us with great speed and we expended a little too much energy getting you here. We can give you the power to change worlds and the fates of many, we will make you whole in body and soul. All we ask in return is to allow us to merge with your souls and reside within you and to also fight a terrible enemy called Hollows by those on your world who know of them."

Images flashed rapidly before Ranma's eyes, imprinting themselves into his memory along with what they meant. He saw monstrous creatures and visions of what they did to people, devouring what appeared to be their souls. Worlds broken and burnt, the very soul of the planet itself having been devoured.

Shaken by what he had seen and now knew, Ranma looked to the dragons, seeing them for what they were. The two very last souls of their race, surviving by traveling in the bodies of those who accept them, giving them power to fight against the Hollows. They were fighting a losing war. He now knew what he and Nabiki were and why they were missing something. The pieces they were missing were the Dragons, having been born and sculpted into the perfect match for them. they would be the perfect warriors to fight the Hollows.

Ranma looked to his other half. " What will happen to us? Will we still be the same?" Ryu-Ranma seemed amused by this.

" Of course, your soul and personality were sculpted to fit us. You will still be you, but you will also be me. Kinda confusing, I know, but we will be one person. However you will be the one in conscious control, while I give you guidance and advice, not to mention Knowledge and power. It's nothing to worry about." Now he turned serious. " There is one thing you should be wary about however. You two must stay together. We were meant to be coupled together and if you should split it will weaken us greatly. Oh and as to what to call us my name is Coren and her name is Lym"

Ranma couldn't think of any reason for he and Nabiki to split so he simply nodded, as did Nabiki. "Right Coren, so how do we do this?"

The two Dragons seemed very relieved, as if they feared they would have refused. Ryu-Ranma smiled." It's not so hard. Simply open your heart and soul to us and we will do the rest."

Ranma relaxed into a meditative state, opening his heart and soul the only way he knew how. He felt something sink into him and sort of 'click' into place with a sense of belonging. The only way he could describe it was as a calm feeling after being tense and uncomfortable for a long time. He was complete for the first time in his life and it felt wonderful.

A/N: now indicates the Ryu communicating with their counterparts. indicates Ranma and Nabiki speaking to each other with their new found powers.

Suddenly they were back in the water but now they could breathe and did not feel the crushing power of the water on them. He looked towards Nabiki and she nodded and he grabbed her hand and shot toward the surface. They were much deeper than he thought and they just barely reached the surface and grabbed the rim of the spring. He felt the guide help them up and they stood at the edge for awhile catching their breath. Slowly he felt the power begin to well up within him, overwhelming him with the feeling that he could do anything. It felt great. It felt even better than when he learned to control the Neko-Ken.

He looked up at the guide and saw him flinch and begin to back away in terror. Ranma laughed when he fell into the spring behind him and looked toward Nabiki, who was also smiling in amusement. It was then that he saw the changes in her and the changes in him reflected in her eyes. They looked exactly as the Ryu had looked, right down to the glowing eyes. He also felt a strange power from her and within himself, like and aura of fear and terror, though very faint. Accepting this as part of the changes that had resulted from merging.

He looked around and noticed that they had company. Huge monstrosities, the Hollows, were making their way over the mountains and through the forests. Ranma wanted to see how strong he had become when he felt a sense of danger. Don't! Though you may have gotten stronger you are no match for them yet! Their skin is harder than diamond and you need to destroy their head in order to kill them, anything less and it will barely even slow them down. Now quickly, before they reach us, do as I show you! A series of images flashed before Ranma's eyes and were imprinted into his memory. Though reluctant to leave and give up a good fight Ranma looked to Nabiki and noticed that she was ready to leave, obviously having already talked to Lym. They stood face to face and formed the seals shown in their memory, feeling a large portion of their newfound strength leach away as they completed the strange ritual.

Runes appeared under their feat and flashed brightly. Ranma felt the air compress around him and as a dark capsule of energy closed around them he saw two people in black robes arrive at the edge of the valley wielding large katanas. Before he could blink the female had bisected one of the larger hollows, completely severing its body in two. Ranma had barely even seen her move even with his supercharged reflexes, and such power! Ranma didn't know what kind of strength it took to wield such a large sword so fast and cut something that is supposed to be harder than diamond. He did know that right now it was beyond his ability, he doubted that he could use a sword effectively right now anyway, he never liked using weapons or tools, it just didn't feel right. Before the capsule closed completely he saw a blast of energy from the other that put his moku takabisha to shame, then all went dark.

When he woke up he tried to lever himself up but his body screamed at him in weariness and pain. He lay back down and rested for a bit. His head was pounding and every muscle felt like it was cramped. When he relaxed a bit and his headache receded, he tried to get up again. This time he was successful though just barely, his body was still in great pain. He looked around and saw that he and Nabiki lay in a crater in the middle of what appeared to be a forest. It looked as if their arrival had blasted apart the nearby terrain. Trees lay scattered and broken, rocks had been pulverized, and all the plantlife had been shredded.

Ranma attempted to get up but knew it was a mistake as soon as he tried. He fell back down amid a wave of dizziness. He hadn't felt this bad since he had been caught in the girls locker room and had been beaten down by Akane and her friends. He vaguely wondered how Nabiki was feeling before he began to black out again. He saw a strangely dressed man with a forehead protector slanted over his left eye jump down from a tree and ask him a question but Ranma couldn't make out what he said. He saw him turn to another strangely dressed man and yell something else he couldn't make out, then the world went dark yet again. The only thought that came to Ranma before he lost conscousness is that this blackout thing was happening to him far too often lately.

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The man listened to the old man's orders and when he finished he immediately left to carry them out. The man had silver gray hair and had a light build. not much of his face could be seen due to the clothes he wore and the forehead protector that was slanted over the left side of his face and covering his left eye. He had a perpetually bored look but any who knew him would know that this was just a trick. Before he reached the edge of the forest another man caught up with him.

"Hey Kakashi! Wait! I'll come too." Kakashi turned around and stared at the other man for a little, measuring him up. He was on his way to investigate a large surge of chakra that had been sensed in the forest by most of the village.

Such a large amount of chakra hadn't been felt since the appearance of the nine tailed fox demon. It could be highly dangerous, but that was what he was trying to find out. "If you wish, though you will return when I say, got it Iruka?" he said. Iruka nodded and they headed off, jumping from tree to tree.

Eventually they reached a section of the forest that looked like it had been blasted apart, everything was torn up or simply broken. In the center of this devastation was a young man and woman in strange clothes. It looked as if they had been through hell, their clothes were torn and they were dirty all over. They were about to approach them when the boy suddenly groaned and tried to get up.

This was too much for him apparently as he collapsed back to the ground. Kakashi and Iruka watched for a little longer and the boy tried again, this time with a measure of success. He appeared to be in great pain and very exhausted. The boy looked around as if he had no idea where he was and Kakashi wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. The boy attempted to get to his feet but he fell back down and his body weaved with dizziness.

Having seen enough, Kakashi jumped down from his perch closely followed by Iruka. When they reached the ground the young man began to slump over. Kakashi ran over to him.

" Hey! Are you all right?... Hey!" Kakashi could see that it was no use, the boy had reached his limits and was beginning to black out again. Kakashi caught a glimpse of his eyes before they closed and he saw that they were an emerald color, unusual for this area, so he must be from far away. Before they closed completely he could have sworn he saw them glow, but that didn't matter tight now.

" Hey, Iruka! Go and get a med team out here and hurry! They look like they are in bad shape." Iruka ran off to get the medical ninjas while Kakashi stayed behind. He laid the boy back down and leaned back against a tree. He looked at the two and then looked at the surrounding area. What the hell attacked them I wonder. They couldn't have done this themselves, they're just kids. So what attacked them and why?

These questions continued to cycle through his mind until Iruka showed up with the med team and the old man. "hmm...What could be so important about this that the Third Hokage himself would come?" The Third Hokage looked around and moved some debris with his foot and studied the ground around the two. Then he found some glowing runes that were beginning to fade. He looked at them for a second and then turned to face Kakashi.

" They were not attacked, at least not here. They have merely used up most of their chakra getting here. These are teleportation runes, they could have come from anywhere, and that is what caused such a huge surge of chakra and destroyed this area. Even I can't use this particular technique. Looks like they could have been through a lot together though. Come, lets take them in and hear their story when they wake. I doubt they bear us any ill will."

The Hokage then proceeded to order the medical team to carefully transport the two back to the Konoha Hospital. As they were heading back Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that this would change them forever.

" What are we going to do about them, Hokage-sama? " Iruka asked. The Hokage seemed taken aback for a second, as if he had not expected such a question.

" Do? What do you mean? We will offer them a place in Konoha and educate them in the way of ninjas until they find a way to return to where they came from or decide where they want to go from here. People with such an abundance of chakra will be a great asset to Konoha. Also, judging by their clothes, they are probably from another world entirely and have no previous attachments here, which will make them more benevolent toward us for they will have no previous knowledge of this world."

Kakashi was stunned by this revelation. Not of this world? True, I thought their clothes were a little strange and outlandish but I thought they were just from a distant country, but to be from an entirely different world altogether? If it had come from anyone but the Hokage Kakashi would have disbelieved but now he looked on the two in a different light. Suddenly a thought struck him.

" What if they don't speak our language? It would be kind of hard to make our intentions known if they can't understand us."

The Hokage merely smiled and said " Don't worry about that. I've got just the thing to solve that little problem. They were initially used for negotiations between Konoha and a foreign country but they will serve well in this circumstance instead." They finally reached the village and Kakashi decided to be quiet about this for now.

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Ranma and Nabiki once again had the feeling of withdrawing into themselves but instead of finding the dead black landscape they were used to they found themselves in a lush and vibrantly alive world. They looked around in awe for a few seconds before they spotted the Ryu. They stood in the middle of a clearing in a forest and while there was no visible source the area was bathed in warm sunlight.

Ranma continued to look around for a while then approached Coren. "What happened? I can barely even recognize this place. Is this really our soulscape?" The Ryu smiled and gestured to include all the surrounding area.

Yes, this is the representation of the current state of your mind, body, and soul. It will thrive or become barren based on your current state of health. Now that your soul is complete it has taken on the semblance of your world. You will notice that while it is currently healthy it also lacks energy, there is no movement. This is because your ki reserves were nearly depleted by the technique we had you use.

Ranma looked around and noted that indeed there was no movement at all. No water, bugs, or animals to be seen. Even the wind was still and while warm, the sunlight did not seem to be... well energetic for lack of a better word. "Well, that explains why I felt terrible.What was that technique anyways? And where did we end up?" Ranma asked, curious. Nabiki also seemed to have her curiosity piqued, also wanting to know what had happened. The two Ryu looked at each other and then proceeded to tell them what had happened.

An hour later...

Ranma sat down to think over what he now knew. " so, we are on a completely different world from our own. We know very little of this world except that it has styles and techniques we need to become stronger. We are in no danger currently because of how the technique works so we can probably be sure that if we wake up and find others around us they mean us no harm. Also it will probably be three whole days before we wake up. That about sums it up right?" The two Ryu nodded.

Nabiki looked at them sharply and asked a question that Ranma had been thinking about himself. " What about our world? Is it alright for us to go off training like this while the Hollows invade? All this will be for nothing if our world is destroyed." Ranma nodded in agreement.

Coren sighed and seemed to decide something. It is very hard to explain but rest assured your world will not be destroyed. There is something special about Earth, something important that makes it invaluable to several civilizations other than the Hollow. We have come across legends and rumors of Earth that made it seam like paradise, a lost holy ground, a weapon of inconceivable power, even a treasure of lost technology and magic. That is why we decided to make our way there. When we arrived we did not find very much special about your world until we rooted ourselves to the core. That is when we found that your world is the very center of existence for it's plane. It is the core and therefor is the key to reality in that plane. It is also the gathering place for all the souls of the universe. Then we decided that that world is where we would make a stand against the Hollows. We waited for four thousand years for compatible souls to come our way and finally you two came along. The rest you should know. Another reason why Earth will not fall is because it has natural defenses, a society of powerful souls calling themselves Shinigami who are devoted to the protection of The Key as they refer to earth.

That made Ranma remember the two in black robes he had seen fighting the hollows. " Were those two in black robes shinigami?" Coren and Lym nodded in affirmation.

Those two were of the lower ranks of Shinigami. They are essentially trainees under the careful watch of the higher ups. Don't let that fool you however, those two could easily wipe you out even if you were at full strength. You need to expand your capabilities and your energy reserves greatly before you will be of any help to your world. Now enough questions. We need to sleep to regain our energy. You will find that you will know some things you didn't know before and you will discover what you are capable of overtime. Oh, and one more thing Ranma. Your curse is still a part of you and your soul, we cannot get rid of it without causing irreparable harm.

Ranma groaned, knowing that having his curse removed was a little too much to hope for. Well, you cant have everything, at least we have a way to save our world. He still hated the fact that he would have to deal with 'her'.

Feel free to practice and develop techniques in here. Try to discover what you are currently capable of and what of our powers that you can currently manifest. You can't cause yourself damage here, nor do you use any energy. The use of techniques will give you an idea of how much energy they use and how often you should be able to use them. Oh, and one more thing! If you need something or want to change the area just use your will. Focus on what you want and you can get it, this is your souls after all. With that the two Ryu faded from view and left Ranma and Nabiki to fend for themselves.

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They had no idea what was really going on, how they were being manipulated to the will of a greater being. Said being was currently staring at a board that looked like a checker board yet was in the shape of a globe and was gigantic. The being pointed at a particular section and the piece broke off of the whole and enlarged itself to show the jusenkyo. There were several pieces converging on five in the middle. Only the ones in the middle were identifiable however. It showed two dragons and the figures of Ranma, Nabiki, and the Guide. When the pieces of Ranma and Nabiki overlapped with the pieces of the dragons they began to resonate and then merged with a flash of light. The two pieces resolved to be Ranma and Nabiki still but with a different appearance.

The being frowned for a moment. The being walked into a light and was revealed to be a woman of unparalleled beauty. She had long flowing silver hair and a creamy complexion. Her eyes were an emerald green on one side while the other was a tawny gold. She called up a keyboard and typed something in and a list of information popped up listing all the statistics relating to Ranma and Nabiki. She then smiled and sat back in a chair that materialized behind her. " Well, well. Who knew that I would be so lucky to find Melkior's legacy? Not just find it but be able to take control of it. I had no idea it was even possible to keep pieces on a board when you yourself had lost and ceased to exist. That is a clear breaking of the rules yet it wasn't detected." She leaned back and thought this over for a second.

She then looked back up and found that the pieces of Ranma and Nabiki had traveled to a different board. Cursing under her breath she called up a record of what happened. What she saw astounded her. The two dragons had initiated a technique that allowed the pieces to transcend the borders of the board and travel to another. That shouldn't be possible yet it had happened. Then she smiled. If her pieces could rise above the rules of the game then she may be the first player to conquer a board that she had not chosen to start on without conquering her original choice. She then checked on her other piece to find that it had been destroyed. She cursed again and checked the stats of the piece that had done this. Now that one of her pieces had made contact she could see it in all its disgusting glory. Then she noticed something odd about it's stats. They were far above what even elite and seasoned players should have. She then noticed that some of the stats mirrored the highest of the Guides. The Gide had not been destroyed, it had been assimilated or consumed by this piece.

She switched back to the other board and noticed that her pieces had made contact with several unclaimed pieces and areas, placing them under her control. She brought up information on the board and found that it was a fairly new board, with only one other player not much above her level. She was happy about this, it meant that she would have an easier time and could take this board easily. She quickly used the resources she earned from the areas she acquired to spread her influence to meet the borders of her opponents influence. She noted that there were pools of his influence in several areas within her influence, which meant he had pieces scattered across the board. She would have to be wary of this player, either he was an idiot or he was experienced with this board already. She did not want her existence to cease so soon after being allowed to play the game. She leaned back and carefully observed Ranma and Nabiki's progress. They were key as they were pieces she had designed and cultured personally, from what she could tell they had excellent potential.

Little did she know that the unit types of Ranma and Nabiki had never before been seen. They had a special purpose that not even she could fathom and they had the potential to end her way of life and the ways of life for those like her...

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A/N: Sorry for cutting the chapter short but I have decided to split what I have written into two chapters and I also have an idea for another story floating in my head that I want to let loose. Don't worry, I plan to continue this story no matter what, Ive already invested much time and effort into it and it would be foolish of me not to see it to the end. Hope you like the twist at the end, continuing chapters will continue to clarify what the hell is going on but I'm really making most of this up as I go. Oh and Melkior, Coren, and Lym are my characters so ask before you decide to rip the names and characteristics.

Please review, it helps motivate me and gives me ideas of how to continue the story.