A Ranma 1/2 / Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki crossover series. Rated PG-13.

This story and a few others can be found on my web page at
http://www.oocities.org/jlfenton65/
jlfenton65@yahoo.com

Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Viz Communications, Inc. and was created by Rumiko Takahashi.
Tenchi Muyo! and its characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC, Inc. and was created by Masaki Kajishima.
This story is of my own derivation and is not intended for commercial purposes, so please don't sue me.

Author's Notes: This is a crossover with Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, not Tenchi Universe, and definitely not Tenchi in Tokyo. For details on the true Tenchi Muyo!, go check out the link
http://www.oocities.org/mpfenton_86001/tenchi/ttm.html

     A crimson and white crystalline star ship approached the blue planet, a Juraian first-generation battleship close behind. The lead ship dropped down into the atmosphere, hoping to shake the pursuit. The Juraian ship stuck doggedly to its tail, releasing a salvo of energy beams as it got the chance. The other ship was able to dodge the shots successfully, but as a result of their speed, the drag of the atmosphere, and the rotation of the planet, they veered away from a group of large islands they had been approaching, moving much further into the mainland of the continent west of the islands.

     The Jusenkyo guide yawned as he watched the sunset darken into night. Life at the cursed springs was mostly long stretches of boredom interspersed with brief moments of tragedy. Every so often, some poor soul would be drawn to the springs. The lucky ones left with a curse; the unlucky ones stayed to pass a new curse on to the next unwary visitor.

     The magic of Jusenkyo never seemed to touch a guide or their immediate family. The current guide sometimes wondered at that. He supposed the magic knew it was in the spring's own interest for there to be a guide. No one would take such a position if it meant risking a curse, either on themselves or on their family. He thought he had seen it all after taking over the position from his father almost a decade ago.

     Several bright flashes in the sky to the east drew his attention. A flurry of streaks like shooting stars were followed by another large flash of light. Where the last flash occurred, a streak lanced down to the earth in the next valley over from Jusenkyo. An explosion the likes of which the guide could barely comprehend briefly lit the sky to daylight levels. The guide stood quaking, wondering if he should flee, or go see what had happened. Before he could decide, several smaller explosions lit the mountain pass leading toward the springs, each one successively closer than the last. His decision made, the guide fled toward his hut.

     Yosho pursued his quarry down into the valley. Ryoko occasionally fired a ki-bolt at him, forcing Yosho to dodge or deflect it using a lighthawk wing. The space pirate stopped amidst the pools that dotted the valley. A trio of tiny stars lit the surrounding pools as her gems flared with power. Radial electric fields suspended Ryoko in the air as she powered up; the energy ionized air particles making the field fluoresce.

     "How good of you to come rushing to your death!" Ryoko gloated as the ecstasy of the power of the gems filled her.

     Yosho firmed his stance. He needed to get inside where he could use the master key. He was certain Tsunami's power could contain the gems. The problem was that Ryoko was keeping him at a distance. Maybe he could draw Ryoko to him.

     "Tired of running, Demon? Funaho has already disposed of that garbage scow you called a vessel. You won't be any harder to deal with."

     "RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Ryoko slammed him into the side of a nearby hillock. Her eyes blazed red in hatred. She gathered a large ball of ki in one hand. "I shall burn you down to ashes for that!!" She moved in close so her foe would be unable to dodge her blast.

     Yosho waited as long as he dared, allowing Ryoko to loom overhead. In a flash of motion, Yosho ignited Tenchi-ken, thrusting it up at gem blazing at Ryoko's throat.

     "Tsunami aid me!" Yosho gasped harshly as he struggled to hold a thrashing Ryoko in place at the end of the master key's blade.

     The gem on Ryoko's left wrist flared and disappeared. A globe of light appeared in the blade of the master key, flowing down its length to disappear as it reached the hilt. As it disappeared, a red gem formed at the end of the hilt of the sword. The gem on Ryoko's right wrist went next. Ryoko redoubled her efforts to free herself as Yosho used all his strength to hold her in place. Her struggles weakened and died as the gem at her throat was drawn into the master key.

     Ryoko dropped to the ground and stumbled backward, dazed at the loss of her power source. Finally losing consciousness, she fell over backward into a small pool behind her. The water closed over her, then stilled.

     Yosho fell to his knees, panting at his exertions. He watched the pool for a long moment, then forced himself upright. He'd best retrieve Ryoko and get on with the sealing. He took a couple steps towards the spring. A shout made him pause.

     "Exalted Warrior! Wait! Do not enter the pool!"

     Yosho turned to eye the rapidly approaching man as he had Funaho translate the language through their link.

     The man stopped a few paces from him, panting from sprinting over to prevent yet another tragedy.

     Yosho gave him a moment to regain his breath. "Is there a problem?"

     The guide bowed low. "This was an uncursed spring. The demon you were fighting has drown."

     Yosho frowned. "This demon cannot die that way." He turned to enter the pool. A hand on his arm stopped him.

     The guide paled and released Yosho as the warrior turned to confront him. He all but prostrated himself. "Forgive me Honored Sir! I mean no disrespect, but this is Jusenkyo! The springs here hold cursed magic - uncursed springs draw in the unaware and unfortunate to drown in their depths. From that point, whoever or whatever enters the pool is cursed to become what drown there when splashed with cold water!"

     Yosho looked dubiously at the still pool. Ryoko might be stunned at the loss of her gems, but she should have come around by now. He pointed at the pool.

     "So if I were to enter this spring, I would take on the form of the demon who just fell into it?"

     The guide nodded nervously. "This is very distressing. There are a few springs here which hold powerful cursed forms. It is the blessing of the kami that more do not fall into them. Those living nearby have become strong to fight those unfortunate enough to be so cursed. Every spring has its own tragic story, some more tragic than others."

     Yosho pondered on the problem - he had a brief image of a dozen Ryokos walking the land. "That won't do."

     He had hoped to bind Ryoko in a place much closer to his mother's homeland. He had a desire to see the people his mother had told him so much about. He turned the thought over in his mind. He didn't have to be close by - Funaho could monitor Ryoko from anywhere on the planet, and the master key would hold the seal indefinitely. He nodded as he made up his mind. He would seal Ryoko and the spring together.

     The guide looked in awe at the what the heavenly warrior had wrought in the last week. An arabesque of glowing lines of water surrounded the spring. A small shrine sat to one side.

     Yosho placed the master key into the shrine. "So long as the divine object remains in the shrine, the pool shall remain sealed."

     Yosho shook his head at the religions of the region. Removing a divine object from a shrine was a capital offense, even more reviled than rape or murder. It would work in his favor in this instance.

     The guide bowed, then resumed writing. He would leave a record for future guides; this pool would be one of the few safe pools, but only so long as the divine object was left undisturbed. Such pools were to be treasured in Jusenkyo.

     Yosho had Funaho teleport him back aboard. "Can we make it to Mother's homeland?"

     Funaho considered the amount of damage sustained in the battle with Ryo-Ohki. "I can make one more jump before the damage to the external armor and flight control systems is irrevocable."

     Yosho took one last look at the valley on the monitors before nodding. "Take us there."

     The guide paused in his writing as the huge wooden sky boat streaked off toward the rising sun, obviously taking the warrior back to heaven.

     A teenage boy with his black hair gathered in a ponytail followed an older man with a bandana tied over his head. They were dressed in worn practice outfits and carried heavy packs. The guide waved at the multitude of pools, each sporting a few bamboo poles at various locations.

     "Here sirs, the famous training ground - Jusenkyo. Are over one hundred spring, each with own tragic story."

     Ranma gave the training ground a bored look. "This place doesn't look like much."

     The guide boggled. "You very strange one, sir. Training ground very dangerous. Nobody use anymore."

     Genma shrugged out of his pack. "Might as well get some exercise while we're here. Let's go, boy!" He sprang onto the closest pole.

     Ranma dropped his pack and sprang onto another pole. "Ready for a bath, old man?"

     Genma readied himself. "Don't expect me to go easy on you!"

     Ranma smirked, "Like you ever do."

     The guide tried to get their attention. "Please, sir! Very bad if you fall in spring!"

     The pair paid him no attention as they sprang toward each other. They exchanged blows a few times before Ranma gained the advantage. A flying kick knocked Genma into one of the pools.

     Ranma looked at the pool, waiting for his father to surface. "How's the water, Pop?"

     A large body sprang from the pool to alight on one of the poles. Ranma stared at the large panda in shock.

     "What the..."

     The guide decided he was probably ready to listen. "That one Spring of Drowned Panda! Is tragic legend, very tragic, of panda who drown there two thousand year ago!"

     Ranma looked more closely at the panda. It was wearing a badly stretch gi-top, and a pair of glasses dangled from one ear. "P-p-pop?"

     The guide continued. "Now, whoever fall in that spring take body of panda!"

     Ranma jumped to the side as the panda jumped at him with a roar. "Wait, Pop!"

     The panda followed Ranma further into the training grounds. Ranma almost made the far side before the panda finally managed to knock him from the pole he was on.

     Ranma surfaced, patting himself frantically.

     The guide ran up, a look of relief on his face. "Young sir very lucky! Is one of only three safe pool in Jusenkyo."

     The panda sprang down next to the guide. "Growlf?"

     The guide produced a kettle, then poured it over the panda. "Hot water change you back, but only until splashed with cold water."

     Ranma climbed out of the pool, then gaped as the panda changed back into his father.

     Genma frowned at his son. "How come he falls in a safe pool, while I wind up a panda?"

     Ranma's smirk was even wider. "Maybe the kami are trying to tell you something."

     The guide pointed to a small shrine on the side of the spring. "Shrine here protect those who fall in. Only wish were more."

     Genma wandered over to the shrine and opened it. The wooden hilt of an old sword was revealed. The sword itself probably wasn't worth much, but the gems embedded in the hilt might be. He grasped the hilt and pulled.

     The guide gasped in shock. "Sir! Is grave sin to remove divine object from shrine!"

     Genma ignored him as a sudden surge of pain flared up his arm and into his body. The spasm cause him to jerk the hilt free from the rusted blade. His body continued to convulse until he reflexively tossed the hilt away. It landed in the spring, floating out to the middle.

     Genma slowly recovered, shaking his numb arm. He looked at where the hilt floated out of reach. "I don't want to get wet because of my curse." He shoved Ranma into the spring. "The pool is safe, so you can go get it, boy!"

     The water started to bubble, then formed into an increasingly larger whirlpool. Arcs of electricity raced across the surface of the pool, which was glowing a bright red. An arabesque of glowing lines of water blasted clear seven hundred years of dirt and vegetation to outline the agitated spring in an eerie blue light.

     Genma grabbed the terrified guide and began to shake him. "What drown there?!"

     The guide stammered, "Scroll say this Spring of Drowned Demon! Is very fortunate legend of Divine Warrior from Heaven who defeat demon and seal pool with shrine seven hundred year ago. Only now you defile shrine! Young customer now become too too powerful demon!"

     A form encircled in a sphere of power floated free of the water. Arcs of energy lanced between the pool and the form as it hovered. Red, glowing eyes focused on Genma. The form glided away from the pool toward the petrified men.

     "Stupid old man!!!" The figure held a hand out and a field of ki formed in front of it.

     Genma trembled as the field coalesced into a bright point in the figure's hand. He did the only sensible thing he could think of - he passed out.

     The ki gathered by the figure glowed brighter each passing second, then sputtered. The figure fell bonelessly to the ground. The guide rushed forward and splashed the figure with the water remaining in the kettle. He gave a prayer of thanks as it changed back into the young man.

     At a shrine near Okayama, Japan, Katsuhito Masaki looked up from penning a fortune as Funaho informed him of Ryoko's release. A bright light shot into the sky from the Holy Tree of Masaki as Funaho sent the information via a tight-beam transmission to the Royal Trees of Jurai.

End Chapter 1