Hail all. This is just the prologue of Founding Fists. Basic idea: Ranma and Dr. Tofu become the founders of the School of the Great Bear (FOTN) and the school of the Southern Cross. Action starts in CH1 which is actually written, but not proofed. Warning: gets darkish in later chapters C&C privately to this address please. (BTW, if you do wish to comment, could you please put a [private] tag in the subject line to differentiate it from the other 32143 emails received from the FFML daily?) Founding Fists Prologue - Cursed Standard Disclaimer Do we have to? *Sigh!* Characters taken from Rumiko Takahshi's 'Ranma ½', concepts from Buronson and Tetsuo Hara's 'Fist of the North Star' Actual story by Immortal Wanderer and Omega Point ******* Somewhere in South America about 1600 AD The man emerged from the jungle to a grassy clearing and looked around. His piercing gaze settled on a large Aztec temple engraved with large predatory animals, the intricate workmanship exposing forms which had been extinct for many centuries. Exultation trickled past the barriers of his wavering self-control "Once again, the Seeker's sense has succeeded - the Hidden Temple is hidden no longer!". He tried and failed to suppress the yearning that drove his worked and battered frame "The Chief _will_ be pleased. One trinket to prove that it's here, and I'm home free!" (even though this expression was not to come into fashion until the invention of baseball some hundreds of years later) The Seeker approached with quiet and circumspect steps across the tumbled sandstone - most of the temple's protection would arise from its secrecy and any traps on the inside, but then again, there was no point in making one's self a target unnecessarily. Arriving at the open pyramidal front, he paused, noting with greater care the array of creatures lining the entrance. Beginning with the smaller predators of nature, birds of prey were dwarfed by half-man half-beast combinations of canines, felines and avians, to where increasingly intense sweeps of the brush were finally resolved into a black scape scarred with pairs of eyes. Having come this far, he barely hesitated and stepped straight in. Scanning for signs of traps and finding none, he began to explore cautiously. The lowest of the temple's three entrances, level with the ground, appeared to be dedicated to the ground predators. Friezes of the various animals lined alcoves containing what appeared to be their sleeping materials. In one alcove, he did in fact find a sleeping jaguar curled around her cubs, and thought it advisable to make an extremely quick and silent change of direction. Towards what appeared to be the back of the temple there squatted an altar, its aged obsidian splattered with blood. Fortunately for his nerves, both stains and unoccupied surface appeared quite old. Beyond the altar loomed three chiselled staircases, two ascending to merge on the floor above, and a third descending. Lacking a clear picture of the item he needed to earn his retirement, he wasn't able to invoke his Seeker sense. Figuring that treasure was most likely to be found below ground, he decided to descend - a move which was to cause many people to suffer. Horribly. ******** Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, he found himself in a hallway that stretched out for some distance. He noticed a glimmer of light at the far end of the hallway, with many dark openings lining the way. Evermore cautiously, his stomach hardening with a sense of dread, he slipped forward, past the numerous alcoves. "So far," he noted, mentally touching wood as his eyes darted from floor to sloping ceiling "no spiders, snakes, scorpions or nasty traps." His next measured step elicited a loud click that echoed in the hallway, followed by the grating of stone on stone and the scratching of thousands of claws. A ridiculously oversized drop of sweat materialised along one cheekbone "I think I thought too soon…and I don't think that's rats!" Suddenly the hallway filled with light as the back walls of the alcoves slid upwards and large predators were released into the space surrounding the Seeker. Fearing approaching death, he turned, only to discover that the stair case had noiselessly sealed itself, runes of gold standing stark against every surface. Bracing himself for the impact of claws and the death certain to follow, the Seeker was shocked to hear a clear female voice cry "Hold, intruder! Move one step more and you die!" Really not seeing much choice, the Seeker froze, as did the beasts surrounding him. "Now turn and face me." He continued to obey. He caught a shred of a barely audible chant, and his throat tingled. "You will now tell the truth, and that isn't an option. Fail to speak, and… well, I think you've got the idea." Her manic grin did not do wonders for his peace of mind, especially since some of the larger cats all licked their lips hungrily, as if on cue. Their stares were starting to get on his nerves. "How did you find this place?" Pausing a second, then trying to come up with a somewhat safer explanation (Such as "Don't look at me, I'm just an ordinary panda!" Nobody said anything about 'believable'.), he opened his mouth to glibly explain his way out of trouble, "I was described the place in enough detail to be able to find it using my Seeker sense." *That was _not_ what I'd intended to say.* "Seeker sense?" "An ability to find any object or person once provided enough of a description." *This isn't working.* "Who provided the description and why?" "My Chief, the leader of my tribe, because he wanted the rumoured treasure to pacify the invaders." *Hang on a second…* The young female pausing for a moment as if in thought. "Why did you agree to desecrate my God's temple?" "I wanted to find a wife and settle down, and no longer be sent out to find _this_ and _that_ at the whim of the Chief. He would not have required my services further, provided I gave him proof that the treasure existed." *All right, enough already! I can do this myself, you know.* "So, you have the Hunter's gift! That's a sign of high favour, a gift honoured amongst our followers and as such your life will not be forfeit." *I don't believe this, I'm going to survive* "However, the crime of desecration shall not go unpunished; one with such a gift should use it wisely." *I knew there was going to be a catch* The Priestess, for by now there was no mistaking her identity, began to invoke her god. "For a thousand years you and your descendants' gift shall not only be stripped, but reversed. You shall wander the earth, never finding that which you seek, a home and family of your own. This amulet I now bestow upon you as a mark of the curse. Keep it with you always as a reminder of your sin. Do not part with it, or you will find that my god is not as forgiving as I." A red glow appeared between her hands, solidifying into a glowing medallion hanging on a chain. She tossed it to the Seeker as she finished laying the curse. Instinctively, the Seeker raised his hand and caught it; the glow moved from the completed amulet into Seeker's body, flaring brightly before vanishing, leaving him clutching a magnificent golden pendant featuring a representation of a hunting jaguar. The manic grin reappeared "Oh, and one other thing; just to show I'm not completely heartless, if you ever do marry, I'll make sure that your spouse understands what you're going through." Sudden pain erupted in the Seeker's forehead and, wincing in pain, he turned to find himself in a village, strangely dressed people wandering the village green. Approaching one of the men, ignoring the strange looks being directed his way, he asked where he was. "Excuse me, could you possible tell me where I am?" Blank looks greeted his question. "Eh, Jules, tu comprends ce qu'il dit, toi?" "Aucune idée. Ca resemble à rien qu'je connaisse" Annoyed at being ignored and at the unintelligble conversation in front of him, the Seeker restated his question. "Qu'est-ce que tu veux, rosbif? Ne me dérange pas, je suis occupé." With that response, the group he was trying to talk to dispersed and moved away in all directions. Having no idea of what was said, the Seeker continued searching for something, anything that might give him a clue, as to where he is. Several months, and two dozen languages later, somewhere in Japan - (Learning languages is a skill you pick up very quickly when you could emerge in a different country every time you turn a corner.) *It's going to be one of those days,* he thought to himself, already he had taken a turn in a house that kindly put him up for the night in return for a few chores, and wound up somewhere unfamiliar. He listened carefully… *I know this language, I've wound up here before, what was it called … Ja.. Ja.. Ja - Pan Japan! That's it! At least I don't have to learn yet another tongue.* Before he'd even finished the thought, his gaze fell upon a woman, who seemed to be more beautiful than any other he had ever met.. Knowing full well that if he removed his eyes from her, he would never find her again, he immediately began to approach her. Unfortunately, three other people spotted her and decided she did indeed appear to have some attractive features, namely one fat purse. Just before opening his mouth, the former Seeker is interrupted by the tired old "money or your life" routine used by the three bandits. An interruption! "HOW DARE YOU!" a huge battle aura flared up around him, something that hadn't occurred to him before. Two of the bandits immediately broke off and ran, leaving the third very nervously facing the towering rage. Drawing a knife, he leapt at the former Seeker, only to be avoided and suffering a return hit, "I was about to ask this lady's name …" The bandit, while very worried that aura wasn't disappearing, and, well, that hit _did_ sort of hurt, attempted another slash across the stomach, and succeeded, slicing through cloth and flesh. His success was very short-lived, however, as the young lady's umbrella was promptly brought down on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. The former Seeker weakly asked "What's your name?" before he too fell unconscious. Deciding he was kind of cute, the noble woman, for such she was, paid some people to help move him back to her family's estate. Waking up in a comfortable bed with the lady tending to his wound, the once-great Seeker decided he must be dreaming, but before he fell asleep again he heard, "My name is Sakura Hibiki." Several months later… "You have the worst direction sense imaginable… but I love you, I'll accept. One thing: you will have to take our family name, because I'm the only child and I would not have my clan die out." "Of course. From this day on, I shall be Hochtli Hibiki, your husband." "W- whoa, hold on a sec! I want a proper wedding, you know." "Oh. Alright then." About 16 years 10 months later… Hochtli's and Sakura's daughter, Jasmine, was contemplating (it could hardly be called celebrating) he 16th birthday, not having seen her parents for weeks (not an unusual occurrence). She started to pack up her equipment around the camp, a legacy of her family's problem. Consisting primarily of one very large backpack, capable of carrying enough survival equipment for months at a time, it had been put to the test on many occasions. There was also her umbrella, a gift from her parents around this time last year. Regretting that she had attempted to go down the street and get some supplies for the house, she started stowing her bed roll and various items in her backpack. Suddenly, she noticed a glint of gold in the bottom of her pack. Figuring that it must be a present from loving parents who had taken into account the unlikelyhood of the family actually being in one place at one time, she reached for it. Retrieving the item, she found it to be a beautiful golden amulet in the shape of some kind of hunting cat … A week or two later … "Hi mum, hi dad!" Finally running into her parents, though none of them had any idea of where they currently were, Jasmine embraced them both. "Thanks for the present!" "What present?" "The pendent you gave me, this one, remember…" holding out the amulet for her parents to see. Hochtli's expression was a very confused mixture of relief and concern *Thank Quetzalcoatl, I thought I'd lost it.* "Jasmine, there's something I have to tell you …." Several hundred years later… Another 16th birthday was taking place, also with no relatives in sight. "Ranma Saotome, this is all your fault!" Ryoga Hibiki started packing up his equipment, similar in all respects to that of his ancestors', save that his umbrella was several magnitudes greater in weight. Suddenly, he noticed a glint of gold in the bottom of his pack. Figuring that it must be a present from loving parents who had taken into account the unlikelyhood of the family actually being in one place at one time, he reached for it. Retrieving the item, he found it to be a beautiful golden amulet in the shape of some kind of hunting cat … ;-) "It is fate! For my birthday, I have been granted the perfect gift to win Akane's heart, and to keep that rogue Ranma away from her." Authors' afterword: Eh heh heh! In case you're wondering, yes, the title does mean something. This was conceived on a bus, expanded on a ferry and written at three in the morning, but we like the idea anyway. -- .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List---. | Administrators - ffml-admins@fanfic.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@fanfic.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---http://www.fanfic.com/FFML-FAQ.txt ---'