So, this is the first chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
Zero Interface (working title)
Chapter 1
Life sucked, Ranma thought, nodding firmly to himself.
China was bad enough. Having been dragged to Japan to be engaged to a total stranger against his will was worse. Being forced into an engagement with a violent, obnoxious, uncute chick was just insult to injury. And now, he had to live with the pain in the ass and even go to school together. How unfair!
ôMan, all I freaking want is to get rid of this stupid curse!ö he groused to himself, making his way to the school he was supposed to be attending, Furinken High School, instead of doing something more important. Like restoring his manhood to full-time status.
ôWeÆre not going to get married, you know!ö the girl Akane Tendo started.
ôYouÆre tellinÆ me?ö he shot back, completely annoyed with her.
ôSo donÆt hang around me in school.ö
ôDonÆt worry! I canÆt stand macho chicks like you!ö he snapped.
Seconds later, he took a shot to the back of his head. For the moment, Ranma thought that violent chick had hit him with something. Turning around, he blinked in surprise and annoyance.
ôPop! WhatÆre youùô
ôYouÆre in no position to be choosey about women!ö the older Saotome roared. ôListen, Ranma, IÆll tell you only onceùô
RanmaÆs foot shot out to knock his father off the fence and into the canal with a loud splash.
Staring down at the resulting panda bear, he called down to it. ôWhatÆs wrong, Pop? WerenÆt you going to say something?ö
Genma-Panda sprang up several feet over the fence, intent on paying his son back for his insolence. Ranma hopped off quickly, tucking himself into a small ball in order to avoid the bearÆs swipe. Having successfully dodged the attack, the younger Saotome made to land lightly on the ground several feet away.
ôHa!ö he called out from over his shoulder. ôCheck thisùô
And he suddenly fell into blackness.
---
ôGROWRF?ö
Akane and Genma blinked as a greenish oval appeared just in front of RanmaÆs path of descent. The boy never had a chance to see it, nor be warned. He fell into it, and suddenly disappeared.
ôGROWRF!ö Genma lunged forward to grab the boy, but it was too late. The floating oval ring disappeared before Genma made contact with it.
Akane blinked again. ôUh, what just happened?ö
Genma-Panda turned to Akane, opened his mouthà
And realized pandas couldnÆt talk.
---
RanmaÆs eyes opened to see the bright azure sky overhead. He found the grass beneath him to be warm. A gentle breeze caressed his skin.
ôWhere am I?ö he wondered aloud.
A head entered his visual frame, wavy strawberry blonde hair dripping down all around her face.
Ranma took his eyes off of her. The girl was sort of cute, but heÆd rather know where he was. The last he wanted was to hear his old man gripe at him over that stupid fiancÚ issue again.
ôWho are you?ö the girl asked.
ôRanma Saotome,ö he said, redirecting his attention to the girl. The second look pointed out that she most certainly wasnÆt Japanese by a longshot. American? WhatÆs an American doing here? Wherever here wasà
ôWhere are you from, commoner?ö
ôHuh?ö
"Louise, what were you thinking, calling a commoner with 'Summon Servant'?" Ranma heard someone say. There was a round of laughter at that, all save for the strange girl with the pinkish hair, whose face reddened.
"I... I just made a little mistake!" she snapped back at the crowd, all of them wearing cloaks and holding what looked like smooth sticks.
"What mistake are you talking about? Nothing unusual happened."
"Of course! After all, she's Louise the Zero!"
The laughter roared to life once more, and the little girl shook. Probably with anger, since Ranma deduced her name was Louise. Louise the Zero.
He took a moment to raise and chamber his legs before he snapped them outward. His body sprang from his prone position on the ground and into a standing position, drawing a few eyes towards him.
ôMr. Colùô
ôSo, Louise the Zero, where am I and how do I get to Furinken High School from here?ö
The crowd surrounding both him and the Louise the Zero girl paused at his words for a moment before breaking out in guffaws.
ôEven the commoner calls her Louise the Zero!ö
ôZero! Zero!ö
Ranma blinked at everyone. ôO~kayà anyway, Louùô
ôDonÆt call me Zero, you stupid commoner!ö the small girl û barely looked older than twelve or so û barked, pointing her own smooth stick at him.
ôHey! Whoære you calling a commoner!ö Subtract all thoughts of this girl being even somewhat cute. She was just as obnoxious as that macho chick heÆd been saddled with.
ôYou!ö
ôAll right, all right! WhatÆs the commotion?ö A bald man wearing glasses and a heavy cape asked, a big wooden staff in hand as he cut a path through the other people.
ôMiss ValliÞre, what seems to be the matter?ö
ôMr. Colbert! Please, allow me to try summoning one more time!ö
ôSummoning?ö Ranma said aloud. ôWhat the?ö
Mr. Colbert shook his head. ôI cannot allow that, Miss ValliÞre.ö
"Why not?" Louise asked.
"It is strictly forbidden. When you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar, which is what you just did."
Summon? Familiar? What kind of weird gamespeak was this?
"Your elemental specialty is decided by the familiar that you summon. It enables you to advance to the appropriate courses for that element. You cannot change the familiar once you have summoned it, because the Springtime Familiar Summoning is a sacred rite. Whether you like it or not, you have no choice but to take him."
ôO~h, no,ö Ranma spoke, drawing both of the strangersÆ attention. ôLook, I have no idea whatÆs going on, but right now, I really gotta get back to Furinken High School, so if someone can tell me where I am and how to get there from here, IÆd be really grateful.ö
Silence followed his words. After several seconds, it turned from awkward to uncomfortable.
ôWell, donÆt everyone speak all at onceàö Ranma said, scratching the back of his head.
Mr. Colbert opened his mouth to say something, closed it, then opened it again. He turned to Louise. ôAt any rate, commoner, though he may be, he was still summoned by your spell, which means he must be your familiar. Never in history has a human been summoned as a familiar, but the Springtime Familiar Summoning takes precedence over every rule. In other words, there is no other way around it û he must become your familiar."
ôHey! What the hellÆs a familiar, and what does that have to do with me?ö Ranma snapped, irritated that he was getting ignored for no reason.
ôWell then, continue with the ceremony."
"With him?"
"Yes, with him. Hurry up and form a contract. The next class will begin any minute."
Various people chimed in.
ôYes, Louise, hurry up!ö
ôForm the contract!ö
ôWe donÆt have all day for you try yet again!ö
Ranma simmered in annoyance. Again with these people ignoring him. Well, they werenÆt going to be helpful. He started to just pick a direction at random and go with it until he found Louise standing in his path.
ôOh, finally youÆre going toùô
"You should count yourself lucky.ö
ôHuh? Why would Iùô
ôNormally you'd go your whole life without a noble doing this to you."
He perked an eyebrow at the girl. ôSay what?ö
Louise closed her eyes, shoulders slightly slumped in resignation. She waved around the wooden stick in her hand.
"My name is Louise Franþoise Le Blanc de La ValliÞre. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar."
Ranma frowned, watching her as she chanted those same words over and over. Elemental? Blessing? Familiar? None of it made sense. ôWhat are you--?ö
The wand tapped him on the forehead, making him blink in surprise. What was that supposed to be?
He blinked back to reality when found a pair of pinkish lips on a collision course for his face.
ôWh-whoa, hey now!ö he jerked away from the girl, blood rushing to his face. She wasnÆt about to do what he thought she was going to do, was she? He barely even knew her name! And man, would heÆd never heard the end of it from Pop if the old man found out about this!
ôJust stay stillàö Louise moved in on him again, face drawing near. Ranma again dodged.
The strawberry blonde growled in annoyance. ôStop moving! I have to complete the ritual!ö
ôNo way! IÆm not going to let you!ö
The crowd snickered.
ôGeezàö Louise lunged for Ranma, but he sidestepped her. Quickly she gave chase, shouting at the pigtailed boy, who continued to dodge and evade her for a full two minutes. The laughter swelled, LouiseÆs face burned from both exertion and mortification, and Mr. Colbert palmed his face in embarrassment.
ôEnough,ö Mr. Colbert finally said.
The next thing Ranma knew, his feet had taken leave from the ground, his entire body being buoyed by some weird force.
ôWhat the?ö He tried to flip, turn, twist, anything to get back to the ground, to no avail. He could just see the bald instructor pointing his stick at him.
ôGotcha!ö Louise gasped, arms latching onto him like a starfish with a mussel. A sheen of sweat adorned her brow, a trickle flowing down her cheek. ôIÆm going to kill you for making me runàö
ôPlease, continue, Miss ValliÞre.ö
Ranma struggled in vain to resist the weird force, to break free. ôPut me dùô
LouiseÆs lips pressed to his. Ranma went into a rigid shock; even his braid stood out on end.
Louise withdrew, a clear look of annoyance on her face. ôIt is doneà you stupid familiar.ö
ôNow, now, Miss ValliÞre, this is a first for history, a human familiar,ö Mr. Colbert spoke solemnly before his expression brightened. "Besides, while you may have failed 'Summon Servant' several times, you managed to succeed with 'Contract Servant' on your first try!ö
"It's just because he's only a commoner."
"If he was a powerful magical beast, she wouldn't have been able to make a contract."
ôHeÆs a commoner, and she just barely made that contract! What does that tell you?ö
The laughter swept over the field, making Louise turn red all over.
RanmaÆs brain rebooted. ôWhat theùyou kissed me!ö
LouiseÆs glare returned. ôShut up; itÆs not like I wanted toàö
The pigtailed boy started to retort when a wave of fire ripped through his entire body, making him tense all over. The most unintelligible sound squeaked through his throat.
Louise regarded him with a hint of satisfaction in his suffering. ôSettle down, itÆs only the FamiliarÆs Runes being inscribed. Quit being such a baby.ö
ôFuckà youàö Ranma growled. It felt like someone was pouring molten steel into his body.
Louise colored scarlet. ôWh-what kind of commoner are you! Speaking so coarsely among nobles!ö
The burning sensation ebbed away and his body cooled. Ranma stopped clenching up, only to glare at Louise. ôYOU get set on fire and tell me how good it feels!ö
ôWhy, Iùô
ôThat was remarkably fast,ö Mr. Colbert replied a little too loudly as he tromped over to check out RanmaÆs left hand. He blinked in surprise. ôThose runesàö
Ranma snatched his hand free to examine it. ôWh-what the hell is this!ö
ôWell, letÆs go back to class everyone!ö
Ranma turned to face Mr. Colbert, only to be treated to a spectacular sight. Well, to him, spectacular.
Everyone from the crowd, including Mr. Colbert was flying from the field.
He stared, watching their figures shrink into the horizon, completely ignoring anything else.
ôTheyÆre flying,ö he said dumbly. ôTheyÆre really flyingàö
"Who are you and how dare you embarrass me so!"
Ranma snapped out of his stupor to see that the strawberry blonde was still there.
ôHow the who what flying?ö He shook his head hard. ôWhere the hell am I?ö
"This is Tristain! And this is the renowned Tristain Academy of Magic!"
Ranma blinked. "Academy of Magic? Like spells and stuff?"
"Yes! I'm a second year student, Louise de La ValliÞre. I am your master from now on. Remember that!"
ôSo, if you can do magic,ö Ranma continued on, having completely ignored everything past ôYes.ö ôDoes that mean you can likeà break curses and stuff?ö
ôI- er-um, w-well, yes, b-butùô
In an instant, Ranma held out a bouquet of flowers. ôLouise, was it? We may have begun on the wrong foot. My name is Ranma Saotome. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.ö
She blinked, a small blush appearing on her face. ôUh, umàö
He took her hand and looked into her eyes warmly. ôPlease, allow me to escort you back to your place.ö
She shook her head clear and jerked away. However, it did nothing to the blush on her cheeks. ôThatÆs not funny, familiar!ö
Ranma blinked. ôHmm? Familiar?ö
ôYes, familiar! I summoned you into this world; therefore, that makes me your Master.ö
He blinked owlishly. ôIsnÆt slavery outlawed?ö
ôSlavery? This is a time-honored service to a noble; you should be honored, being the only human familiar in the history of Halkeginia.ö
ôÆHonoredÆ wouldnÆt be quite the word IÆd use here,ö he said flatly. ôAnyway, I just want you to do one little favor for me so I can go on my merry way back to Furinken. Wherever that is from here.ö
ôÆFavor?Æ Favor! How dare a familiar talk so disrespectfully to his Master!ö
Ranma scratched his head boredly. Wile he really, really wanted to get cured of his curse, it was looking less and less appealing to stick with this girl. Already, she was reminding him of that lousy Akane from last night, except there was that whole Master/Slave fixation she had.
ôLook, whatever, IÆm just going to go now.ö
ôWh-what~!ö
ôSee ya!ö He picked a direction at random and started walking.
ôWhere do you think youÆre going!ö Louise shouted at his back.
ôSchool. I already got enough problems as it is without having to deal with youàö
ôW-Wait! Stop! You canÆt leave me!ö
She tried to tackle him from behind. Not that it did much good, as he continued to walk on as if unimpeded.
ôI order you to stop!ö
ôNot happening.ö
ôStop, you stupid familiar!ö
He sighed, deeply annoyed as the girl had climbed up on his back and was squeezing around his neck as if to prevent him from going. She really didnÆt have much in the way of strength. He just hoped she didnÆt decide to bite his head or something.
ôLook, IÆm going to school. I really donÆt care much for this crazy notion you got about you æowningÆ me or something. So, bye.ö
ôYou canÆt do this to me~!ö
ôYeah I can.ö He took a hop up into the trees. Twenty feet, forty feet. Louise squealed and clutched onto him tighter.
ôYou stupid~! DonÆt let me fall!ö
Ranma made a face at that, continuing his ascent and travel. ôWhatÆre you worried about? You can do magic; just fly or something.ö
She squeezed harder. ôI canÆt!ö
ôWhatÆre you talking about? ArenÆt you some sort of mage?ö
ôY-yes, b-butàö
The girl stopped talking and Ranma kept flying from tree limb to tree limb.
Why he hadnÆt just tossed the girl off now, he hadnÆt a clue. Maybe because she weight like next to nothing to him. At any rate, he really needed to get rid of her, or else heÆd have to endure his PopÆs lecture about why he had to be engaged to the Akane girl.
ôT-the truth isà Ià am a failure at magic.ö
ôHuh?ö
Ranma caught hold of a tree, stopping his travel. A quick glance down revealed he was at leas a good sixty feet or so from the forest floor.
Her fingers dug into his flesh, legs clamped tightly around his waist. ôIà I canÆt do magicà I barely was able to summon you! And youÆre a commoner, which really shows how much of a failure I am!ö
He could feel the girl shiver against his back, and it wasnÆt from cold. Ranma sighed, biting his lip. ôAll right, all right, IÆm sorry. I didnÆt know, really. Hang on tight.ö
And with that, he hopped down from branch to branch, ignoring LouiseÆs shrieks in his ear until he touched ground.
As soon as he felt the girl light off of his back, she was in his face, her cherub face red and wet with smeared tears. She beat her tiny fists against his chest, repeatedly shouting, ôStupid!ö and ôYou jerk!ö
Ranma let her; after all, he did make her cry.
After maybe half a minute, the girl took time to catch her breath, her blows barely even registering to his senses.
ôSo, we good?ö he asked.
She frowned at him. ôNo.ö
Ranma sighed and took a seat on the ground. ôLook, letÆs start again from the top. What exactly is going on, how did I get here, and whatÆs up with this æfamiliarÆ business?ö
Louise started to say something, but took the time to visibly will herself to join him in the sitting. ôFine. I can do that.ö
ôGood.ö
So they sat, and they talked. And talked. And Ranma was fast getting that sinking feeling that he wasnÆt anywhere near Nerima. Or Japan for the matter.
---
ôWow,ö Ranma idly commented, munching on a bread roll as he looked at the night sky from LouiseÆs bedroom window. ôWhoÆdÆve thought there could be two moons in the sky at once?ö
ôThere arenÆt two moons where youÆre from?ö Louise asked.
ôNah, just one.ö He chewed slowly. ôIÆm really far away from homeàö
She frowned. ôI suppose so.ö
ôAll this way, just to be some sort of gofer for youà what a waste.ö
In all of her life, she never once heard of a familiar that just up and left their Master. She had no designs on becoming the first, either. Because this, Ranma guy was more than willing to leave. Threats had no meaning to him, and in all honesty, she didnÆt have any sort of power to stop him if he wished to go, either.
And yet, he decided to stay with her, even help her out if he could. Albeit, with the caveat that she didnÆt try to claim him like a stray dog.
But heÆs supposed to be her familiar~! None of it made any sense!
ôAs I said, I only cast the spell. ItÆs supposed to pick out whoever fits best with the casterÆs affinity.ö She looked decidedly dejected. ôAnd since you donÆt have any special abilities, like say, flight or firebreathing...ö
He threw a cocky groin at her. ôIÆm the best martial artist youÆll ever meet.ö
ôàIÆm not even certain how that would count for something.ö
Ranma shrugged. ôEh, youÆll see.ö He yawned. ôOkay, so whereÆs my room?ö
ôThere isnÆt a room for you. Familiarsàö
ôMy nameÆs Ranma, Zero.ö
ôStop calling me that!ö
ôThen start calling me by name!ö
ôLook, even if I do call you by name, it wonÆt change how anyone else is going to treat you. To them, youÆre just a commoner. Even moreso, youÆre the familiar of Louise the Zero!ö
He shrugged. ôI donÆt care what other people think. IÆm still just as much a person asn anyone.ö
ôYou really donÆt know anything about this worldàö
ôNo, and I donÆt care, either. I just want a cure for this stupid curse.ö
She looked away. ôFine, Ranmaàö
He made an exasperated face. ôDonÆt get so happy over it. Anyway, where would I have normally slept?ö
ôIn the same room as me.ö
ôWell, thatÆs going to be awkwardàö
ôWhyÆs that?ö
ôBecause youÆre a girl. Guys shouldnÆt be in the same room as with a girl, you know?ö
ôYouÆre a familiar; no one would have thought of you any differently.ö
ôIÆm not a pet.ö
Louise gritted her teeth. ôYouÆre so obnoxious!ö
Ranma stuck his tongue out at her. ôAnyway, where do you keep bed mats at?ö
As Ranma rooted around her room, Louise almost wished that Ranma guy did get struck by lightning or something. If this is what it meant to have a human familiar, sheÆd just as soon rather have a cockroach. She just hoped this was nothing more than a bad dream.
------------------------------------------------------------
Of course they never are, are they?
Zero Interface (working title)
Chapter 1
Life sucked, Ranma thought, nodding firmly to himself.
China was bad enough. Having been dragged to Japan to be engaged to a total stranger against his will was worse. Being forced into an engagement with a violent, obnoxious, uncute chick was just insult to injury. And now, he had to live with the pain in the ass and even go to school together. How unfair!
ôMan, all I freaking want is to get rid of this stupid curse!ö he groused to himself, making his way to the school he was supposed to be attending, Furinken High School, instead of doing something more important. Like restoring his manhood to full-time status.
ôWeÆre not going to get married, you know!ö the girl Akane Tendo started.
ôYouÆre tellinÆ me?ö he shot back, completely annoyed with her.
ôSo donÆt hang around me in school.ö
ôDonÆt worry! I canÆt stand macho chicks like you!ö he snapped.
Seconds later, he took a shot to the back of his head. For the moment, Ranma thought that violent chick had hit him with something. Turning around, he blinked in surprise and annoyance.
ôPop! WhatÆre youùô
ôYouÆre in no position to be choosey about women!ö the older Saotome roared. ôListen, Ranma, IÆll tell you only onceùô
RanmaÆs foot shot out to knock his father off the fence and into the canal with a loud splash.
Staring down at the resulting panda bear, he called down to it. ôWhatÆs wrong, Pop? WerenÆt you going to say something?ö
Genma-Panda sprang up several feet over the fence, intent on paying his son back for his insolence. Ranma hopped off quickly, tucking himself into a small ball in order to avoid the bearÆs swipe. Having successfully dodged the attack, the younger Saotome made to land lightly on the ground several feet away.
ôHa!ö he called out from over his shoulder. ôCheck thisùô
And he suddenly fell into blackness.
---
ôGROWRF?ö
Akane and Genma blinked as a greenish oval appeared just in front of RanmaÆs path of descent. The boy never had a chance to see it, nor be warned. He fell into it, and suddenly disappeared.
ôGROWRF!ö Genma lunged forward to grab the boy, but it was too late. The floating oval ring disappeared before Genma made contact with it.
Akane blinked again. ôUh, what just happened?ö
Genma-Panda turned to Akane, opened his mouthà
And realized pandas couldnÆt talk.
---
RanmaÆs eyes opened to see the bright azure sky overhead. He found the grass beneath him to be warm. A gentle breeze caressed his skin.
ôWhere am I?ö he wondered aloud.
A head entered his visual frame, wavy strawberry blonde hair dripping down all around her face.
Ranma took his eyes off of her. The girl was sort of cute, but heÆd rather know where he was. The last he wanted was to hear his old man gripe at him over that stupid fiancÚ issue again.
ôWho are you?ö the girl asked.
ôRanma Saotome,ö he said, redirecting his attention to the girl. The second look pointed out that she most certainly wasnÆt Japanese by a longshot. American? WhatÆs an American doing here? Wherever here wasà
ôWhere are you from, commoner?ö
ôHuh?ö
"Louise, what were you thinking, calling a commoner with 'Summon Servant'?" Ranma heard someone say. There was a round of laughter at that, all save for the strange girl with the pinkish hair, whose face reddened.
"I... I just made a little mistake!" she snapped back at the crowd, all of them wearing cloaks and holding what looked like smooth sticks.
"What mistake are you talking about? Nothing unusual happened."
"Of course! After all, she's Louise the Zero!"
The laughter roared to life once more, and the little girl shook. Probably with anger, since Ranma deduced her name was Louise. Louise the Zero.
He took a moment to raise and chamber his legs before he snapped them outward. His body sprang from his prone position on the ground and into a standing position, drawing a few eyes towards him.
ôMr. Colùô
ôSo, Louise the Zero, where am I and how do I get to Furinken High School from here?ö
The crowd surrounding both him and the Louise the Zero girl paused at his words for a moment before breaking out in guffaws.
ôEven the commoner calls her Louise the Zero!ö
ôZero! Zero!ö
Ranma blinked at everyone. ôO~kayà anyway, Louùô
ôDonÆt call me Zero, you stupid commoner!ö the small girl û barely looked older than twelve or so û barked, pointing her own smooth stick at him.
ôHey! Whoære you calling a commoner!ö Subtract all thoughts of this girl being even somewhat cute. She was just as obnoxious as that macho chick heÆd been saddled with.
ôYou!ö
ôAll right, all right! WhatÆs the commotion?ö A bald man wearing glasses and a heavy cape asked, a big wooden staff in hand as he cut a path through the other people.
ôMiss ValliÞre, what seems to be the matter?ö
ôMr. Colbert! Please, allow me to try summoning one more time!ö
ôSummoning?ö Ranma said aloud. ôWhat the?ö
Mr. Colbert shook his head. ôI cannot allow that, Miss ValliÞre.ö
"Why not?" Louise asked.
"It is strictly forbidden. When you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar, which is what you just did."
Summon? Familiar? What kind of weird gamespeak was this?
"Your elemental specialty is decided by the familiar that you summon. It enables you to advance to the appropriate courses for that element. You cannot change the familiar once you have summoned it, because the Springtime Familiar Summoning is a sacred rite. Whether you like it or not, you have no choice but to take him."
ôO~h, no,ö Ranma spoke, drawing both of the strangersÆ attention. ôLook, I have no idea whatÆs going on, but right now, I really gotta get back to Furinken High School, so if someone can tell me where I am and how to get there from here, IÆd be really grateful.ö
Silence followed his words. After several seconds, it turned from awkward to uncomfortable.
ôWell, donÆt everyone speak all at onceàö Ranma said, scratching the back of his head.
Mr. Colbert opened his mouth to say something, closed it, then opened it again. He turned to Louise. ôAt any rate, commoner, though he may be, he was still summoned by your spell, which means he must be your familiar. Never in history has a human been summoned as a familiar, but the Springtime Familiar Summoning takes precedence over every rule. In other words, there is no other way around it û he must become your familiar."
ôHey! What the hellÆs a familiar, and what does that have to do with me?ö Ranma snapped, irritated that he was getting ignored for no reason.
ôWell then, continue with the ceremony."
"With him?"
"Yes, with him. Hurry up and form a contract. The next class will begin any minute."
Various people chimed in.
ôYes, Louise, hurry up!ö
ôForm the contract!ö
ôWe donÆt have all day for you try yet again!ö
Ranma simmered in annoyance. Again with these people ignoring him. Well, they werenÆt going to be helpful. He started to just pick a direction at random and go with it until he found Louise standing in his path.
ôOh, finally youÆre going toùô
"You should count yourself lucky.ö
ôHuh? Why would Iùô
ôNormally you'd go your whole life without a noble doing this to you."
He perked an eyebrow at the girl. ôSay what?ö
Louise closed her eyes, shoulders slightly slumped in resignation. She waved around the wooden stick in her hand.
"My name is Louise Franþoise Le Blanc de La ValliÞre. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar."
Ranma frowned, watching her as she chanted those same words over and over. Elemental? Blessing? Familiar? None of it made sense. ôWhat are you--?ö
The wand tapped him on the forehead, making him blink in surprise. What was that supposed to be?
He blinked back to reality when found a pair of pinkish lips on a collision course for his face.
ôWh-whoa, hey now!ö he jerked away from the girl, blood rushing to his face. She wasnÆt about to do what he thought she was going to do, was she? He barely even knew her name! And man, would heÆd never heard the end of it from Pop if the old man found out about this!
ôJust stay stillàö Louise moved in on him again, face drawing near. Ranma again dodged.
The strawberry blonde growled in annoyance. ôStop moving! I have to complete the ritual!ö
ôNo way! IÆm not going to let you!ö
The crowd snickered.
ôGeezàö Louise lunged for Ranma, but he sidestepped her. Quickly she gave chase, shouting at the pigtailed boy, who continued to dodge and evade her for a full two minutes. The laughter swelled, LouiseÆs face burned from both exertion and mortification, and Mr. Colbert palmed his face in embarrassment.
ôEnough,ö Mr. Colbert finally said.
The next thing Ranma knew, his feet had taken leave from the ground, his entire body being buoyed by some weird force.
ôWhat the?ö He tried to flip, turn, twist, anything to get back to the ground, to no avail. He could just see the bald instructor pointing his stick at him.
ôGotcha!ö Louise gasped, arms latching onto him like a starfish with a mussel. A sheen of sweat adorned her brow, a trickle flowing down her cheek. ôIÆm going to kill you for making me runàö
ôPlease, continue, Miss ValliÞre.ö
Ranma struggled in vain to resist the weird force, to break free. ôPut me dùô
LouiseÆs lips pressed to his. Ranma went into a rigid shock; even his braid stood out on end.
Louise withdrew, a clear look of annoyance on her face. ôIt is doneà you stupid familiar.ö
ôNow, now, Miss ValliÞre, this is a first for history, a human familiar,ö Mr. Colbert spoke solemnly before his expression brightened. "Besides, while you may have failed 'Summon Servant' several times, you managed to succeed with 'Contract Servant' on your first try!ö
"It's just because he's only a commoner."
"If he was a powerful magical beast, she wouldn't have been able to make a contract."
ôHeÆs a commoner, and she just barely made that contract! What does that tell you?ö
The laughter swept over the field, making Louise turn red all over.
RanmaÆs brain rebooted. ôWhat theùyou kissed me!ö
LouiseÆs glare returned. ôShut up; itÆs not like I wanted toàö
The pigtailed boy started to retort when a wave of fire ripped through his entire body, making him tense all over. The most unintelligible sound squeaked through his throat.
Louise regarded him with a hint of satisfaction in his suffering. ôSettle down, itÆs only the FamiliarÆs Runes being inscribed. Quit being such a baby.ö
ôFuckà youàö Ranma growled. It felt like someone was pouring molten steel into his body.
Louise colored scarlet. ôWh-what kind of commoner are you! Speaking so coarsely among nobles!ö
The burning sensation ebbed away and his body cooled. Ranma stopped clenching up, only to glare at Louise. ôYOU get set on fire and tell me how good it feels!ö
ôWhy, Iùô
ôThat was remarkably fast,ö Mr. Colbert replied a little too loudly as he tromped over to check out RanmaÆs left hand. He blinked in surprise. ôThose runesàö
Ranma snatched his hand free to examine it. ôWh-what the hell is this!ö
ôWell, letÆs go back to class everyone!ö
Ranma turned to face Mr. Colbert, only to be treated to a spectacular sight. Well, to him, spectacular.
Everyone from the crowd, including Mr. Colbert was flying from the field.
He stared, watching their figures shrink into the horizon, completely ignoring anything else.
ôTheyÆre flying,ö he said dumbly. ôTheyÆre really flyingàö
"Who are you and how dare you embarrass me so!"
Ranma snapped out of his stupor to see that the strawberry blonde was still there.
ôHow the who what flying?ö He shook his head hard. ôWhere the hell am I?ö
"This is Tristain! And this is the renowned Tristain Academy of Magic!"
Ranma blinked. "Academy of Magic? Like spells and stuff?"
"Yes! I'm a second year student, Louise de La ValliÞre. I am your master from now on. Remember that!"
ôSo, if you can do magic,ö Ranma continued on, having completely ignored everything past ôYes.ö ôDoes that mean you can likeà break curses and stuff?ö
ôI- er-um, w-well, yes, b-butùô
In an instant, Ranma held out a bouquet of flowers. ôLouise, was it? We may have begun on the wrong foot. My name is Ranma Saotome. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.ö
She blinked, a small blush appearing on her face. ôUh, umàö
He took her hand and looked into her eyes warmly. ôPlease, allow me to escort you back to your place.ö
She shook her head clear and jerked away. However, it did nothing to the blush on her cheeks. ôThatÆs not funny, familiar!ö
Ranma blinked. ôHmm? Familiar?ö
ôYes, familiar! I summoned you into this world; therefore, that makes me your Master.ö
He blinked owlishly. ôIsnÆt slavery outlawed?ö
ôSlavery? This is a time-honored service to a noble; you should be honored, being the only human familiar in the history of Halkeginia.ö
ôÆHonoredÆ wouldnÆt be quite the word IÆd use here,ö he said flatly. ôAnyway, I just want you to do one little favor for me so I can go on my merry way back to Furinken. Wherever that is from here.ö
ôÆFavor?Æ Favor! How dare a familiar talk so disrespectfully to his Master!ö
Ranma scratched his head boredly. Wile he really, really wanted to get cured of his curse, it was looking less and less appealing to stick with this girl. Already, she was reminding him of that lousy Akane from last night, except there was that whole Master/Slave fixation she had.
ôLook, whatever, IÆm just going to go now.ö
ôWh-what~!ö
ôSee ya!ö He picked a direction at random and started walking.
ôWhere do you think youÆre going!ö Louise shouted at his back.
ôSchool. I already got enough problems as it is without having to deal with youàö
ôW-Wait! Stop! You canÆt leave me!ö
She tried to tackle him from behind. Not that it did much good, as he continued to walk on as if unimpeded.
ôI order you to stop!ö
ôNot happening.ö
ôStop, you stupid familiar!ö
He sighed, deeply annoyed as the girl had climbed up on his back and was squeezing around his neck as if to prevent him from going. She really didnÆt have much in the way of strength. He just hoped she didnÆt decide to bite his head or something.
ôLook, IÆm going to school. I really donÆt care much for this crazy notion you got about you æowningÆ me or something. So, bye.ö
ôYou canÆt do this to me~!ö
ôYeah I can.ö He took a hop up into the trees. Twenty feet, forty feet. Louise squealed and clutched onto him tighter.
ôYou stupid~! DonÆt let me fall!ö
Ranma made a face at that, continuing his ascent and travel. ôWhatÆre you worried about? You can do magic; just fly or something.ö
She squeezed harder. ôI canÆt!ö
ôWhatÆre you talking about? ArenÆt you some sort of mage?ö
ôY-yes, b-butàö
The girl stopped talking and Ranma kept flying from tree limb to tree limb.
Why he hadnÆt just tossed the girl off now, he hadnÆt a clue. Maybe because she weight like next to nothing to him. At any rate, he really needed to get rid of her, or else heÆd have to endure his PopÆs lecture about why he had to be engaged to the Akane girl.
ôT-the truth isà Ià am a failure at magic.ö
ôHuh?ö
Ranma caught hold of a tree, stopping his travel. A quick glance down revealed he was at leas a good sixty feet or so from the forest floor.
Her fingers dug into his flesh, legs clamped tightly around his waist. ôIà I canÆt do magicà I barely was able to summon you! And youÆre a commoner, which really shows how much of a failure I am!ö
He could feel the girl shiver against his back, and it wasnÆt from cold. Ranma sighed, biting his lip. ôAll right, all right, IÆm sorry. I didnÆt know, really. Hang on tight.ö
And with that, he hopped down from branch to branch, ignoring LouiseÆs shrieks in his ear until he touched ground.
As soon as he felt the girl light off of his back, she was in his face, her cherub face red and wet with smeared tears. She beat her tiny fists against his chest, repeatedly shouting, ôStupid!ö and ôYou jerk!ö
Ranma let her; after all, he did make her cry.
After maybe half a minute, the girl took time to catch her breath, her blows barely even registering to his senses.
ôSo, we good?ö he asked.
She frowned at him. ôNo.ö
Ranma sighed and took a seat on the ground. ôLook, letÆs start again from the top. What exactly is going on, how did I get here, and whatÆs up with this æfamiliarÆ business?ö
Louise started to say something, but took the time to visibly will herself to join him in the sitting. ôFine. I can do that.ö
ôGood.ö
So they sat, and they talked. And talked. And Ranma was fast getting that sinking feeling that he wasnÆt anywhere near Nerima. Or Japan for the matter.
---
ôWow,ö Ranma idly commented, munching on a bread roll as he looked at the night sky from LouiseÆs bedroom window. ôWhoÆdÆve thought there could be two moons in the sky at once?ö
ôThere arenÆt two moons where youÆre from?ö Louise asked.
ôNah, just one.ö He chewed slowly. ôIÆm really far away from homeàö
She frowned. ôI suppose so.ö
ôAll this way, just to be some sort of gofer for youà what a waste.ö
In all of her life, she never once heard of a familiar that just up and left their Master. She had no designs on becoming the first, either. Because this, Ranma guy was more than willing to leave. Threats had no meaning to him, and in all honesty, she didnÆt have any sort of power to stop him if he wished to go, either.
And yet, he decided to stay with her, even help her out if he could. Albeit, with the caveat that she didnÆt try to claim him like a stray dog.
But heÆs supposed to be her familiar~! None of it made any sense!
ôAs I said, I only cast the spell. ItÆs supposed to pick out whoever fits best with the casterÆs affinity.ö She looked decidedly dejected. ôAnd since you donÆt have any special abilities, like say, flight or firebreathing...ö
He threw a cocky groin at her. ôIÆm the best martial artist youÆll ever meet.ö
ôàIÆm not even certain how that would count for something.ö
Ranma shrugged. ôEh, youÆll see.ö He yawned. ôOkay, so whereÆs my room?ö
ôThere isnÆt a room for you. Familiarsàö
ôMy nameÆs Ranma, Zero.ö
ôStop calling me that!ö
ôThen start calling me by name!ö
ôLook, even if I do call you by name, it wonÆt change how anyone else is going to treat you. To them, youÆre just a commoner. Even moreso, youÆre the familiar of Louise the Zero!ö
He shrugged. ôI donÆt care what other people think. IÆm still just as much a person asn anyone.ö
ôYou really donÆt know anything about this worldàö
ôNo, and I donÆt care, either. I just want a cure for this stupid curse.ö
She looked away. ôFine, Ranmaàö
He made an exasperated face. ôDonÆt get so happy over it. Anyway, where would I have normally slept?ö
ôIn the same room as me.ö
ôWell, thatÆs going to be awkwardàö
ôWhyÆs that?ö
ôBecause youÆre a girl. Guys shouldnÆt be in the same room as with a girl, you know?ö
ôYouÆre a familiar; no one would have thought of you any differently.ö
ôIÆm not a pet.ö
Louise gritted her teeth. ôYouÆre so obnoxious!ö
Ranma stuck his tongue out at her. ôAnyway, where do you keep bed mats at?ö
As Ranma rooted around her room, Louise almost wished that Ranma guy did get struck by lightning or something. If this is what it meant to have a human familiar, sheÆd just as soon rather have a cockroach. She just hoped this was nothing more than a bad dream.
------------------------------------------------------------
Of course they never are, are they?
