The Legend of Ranma

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< >: Thoughts

Chapter 9

The Search for the Hyrule Knight

"Yes Kasumi. I'm all right, so don't you worry about it. I'll be back later

this evening. I'm with... some friends of mine. All right, goodbye."

Ranma put down the telephone and smiled at Belldandy and the other

goddesses. He walked over to the coffee table and sat down.

"So is everything going to be all right?" Belldandy asked as she poured

Ranma another cup of tea.

"No problem. "Ranma shrugged as he took the cup and sipped. "The people with

whom I'm staying are nice enough, though they don't know about my... other

self. In any case, thank you for all your help."

"It is no problem." Belldandy replied. "You are after all, Hyrule's

ambassador and a representative of Farore."

"Well, I'm not too sure about that, but thank you for your hospitality."

Ranma said with a bit of nervousness. On his shoulder, Navi glittered a bit.

"So what are you going to do?" Skuld asked.

"Well..." Ranma began as he thought about it. "I guess the first thing I

should do is figure out who framed me. I can't have those Sailor Senshi

after me for something I didn't do."

"Maybe we can help?" Belldandy suggested.

"How?"

"Well, I suppose the best place to go look for clues is back at the scene of

the crime."

"I guess that's logical." Ranma agreed.

"Let's get started then." Urd said as she sided up to Ranma and took his

arm. She affectionately ran her fingertips along his muscular bicep and

Ranma's cheeks reddened at the Norn.

"Uh yeah, just hold a second." Ranma disengaged his arm from Urd's grasp and

produced a small, green ball of light between his palms. "Farore's Wind."

Skuld took out her scanner glasses and began analyzing the sphere. "Ooh, a

warp teleportation spell! Nice work!"

Belldandy nodded as she recognized the energy. "Very impressive, but why are

you creating a warp point here?"

Ranma shrugged. "Well, if we're going back to the park, then I'd assume that

the Sailor Senshi might also be there. I'd rather have an escape route ready

if things get too messy and I have to switch to my Hylian form. You don't

mind if I leave the warp point here?"

"Not at all." The Norn of the present simply gestured to the ball of energy

and it then went over to a secluded corner of the temple. "Actually, we can

use that warp point as well, instead of looking for mirrors, televisions or

hot water."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, that's just the way we're able to instantly move form place to place. I

use mirrors, Urd uses television screens and Skuld needs hot water. However,

your warp point provides a homing beacon for us as well as for yourself.

Now, shall we get going?"

Ranma nodded as he led the three Norns out of the temple.

Some time later...

"So this is it?" Skuld said as she looked at the now devastated park where

the Hyrule Knight had fought the Headmasters, the three Negaverse Generals,

Tokima, the resurrected Morpha and the Sailor Senshi. The entire area looked

like it had been subjected to World War VII. Large water mains were jutting

out from the ground. The city had diverted the water from the area and shut

down the gas mains underneath that had not exploded during those battles.

"Yep. And about here is where that strange duplicate of me suddenly appeared

and handed me that bow." Ranma pointed to a spot where he had been. Flitting

around his shoulder, Navi was also indicating where the mishap had occurred.

Belldandy nodded as her senses picked up the remnants of an aura of someone

familiar.

"I thought so. Urd, can you feel it?"

The Goddess of the Past nodded as she too picked up the faint emanations of

the taint of demonic power. "Mara."

"Who?" Ranma asked.

"An old rival of Belldandy's and someone who just loves to stir up misery."

Urd explained. "She's a demon, first-class. This sounds just like her and we

can still feel the remnants of the spell she used to frame you. Looks like

she was a bit sloppy. She usually hides her tracks better."

"Hmmm, I suppose that she didn't expect us to be involved." Belldandy

commented as she watched Skuld take out one of her inventions and began

taking readouts.

"Yep! Definitely from a first-class demon, and it does match Mara's energy

signature."

Ranma scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "Well, it's good to know

that you believe me, but I'm going to need more proof. No offense, but I

don't think the Sailor Senshi are going to believe you, even if you are...

goddesses."

"We understand." Belldandy said. "In any case, we know that Mara was the one

responsible for doing this to you, but we still have to find out why she did

it."

"That's easy. She did it just for the sheer pleasure of watching people

suffer." Urd said.

Belldandy shook her head. "No, that doesn't really sound right, at least,

not entirely. It's true that she likes to spread misery and mistrust for

pleasure, but take another look at that energy signature. It's too intricate

and complex. She used a very powerful disguise field and don't you feel

something else?"

Urd stared back at the spot as Skuld scanned the place again. They both

nodded as they felt something else.

"You're right, sis." Urd said. "I do feel something else. It feels like...

some other kami was involved. I don't recognize the signature though."

Skuld looked down at her scanner and nodded. "Very strong readings, but...

I'm going to need more time to cross-reference the signature with the files

at the Ultimate Force System."

"Ultimate Force system?" Ranma asked.

"It's the main computer in heaven that runs the entire universe. It's also

known as the Yggdrasil. It's got all the files on every kami in heaven as

well as demons, devils, angels, demi-gods and so on. It'll take a while for

me to scan through the files, but I think I can do it."

"That's wonderful, Skuld. I'm certain that you'll be able to do it."

Belldandy said.

Ranma sighed as he wondered just what the Sailor Senshi were planning

against him at the moment. He then remembered something else. "I think I

already know who might have sent Mara after me. I guess I should have

mentioned this to you sooner. Remember what I told you about that god named

Saffron?"

"Saffron?" Belldandy cocked her head a bit, then nodded. "Yes. We remember.

I believe he's a minor deity of a place called Phoenix Mountain, in Asia. As

I recall, he's a new god, a godling actually. He hasn't fully developed his

powers yet. Do you think he had something to do with your problems with the

Sailor Senshi?"

Ranma nodded his head. "It sounds logical. And about his powers not being

fully developed, well... I would think that's not true. I forgot to

mention... he's got the TriForce of Power."

"WHAT?!" All three Norns exclaimed.

Ranma sighed a bit. "Sorry about not saying that to you sooner. But now that

I think about it, it makes sense. As Zelda had already told me, any who wish

for the full power of the TriForce, must have all three of the qualities of

Wisdom, Courage and Power in balance within him. If not, then the piece that

most suits that person will remain with him and the remaining two pieces

will seek out others that suit them. I got Courage while Zelda still retains

Wisdom on Hyrule. Saffron has the piece that pertains to Power, and I think

that part of the TriForce is compelling him to seek out the other pieces. It

would make sense that he would turn the Senshi against me in order to get to

the TriForce of Courage."

All three goddesses nodded as Skuld spoke up. "If that's the case, then if I

look up Saffron's file, I'm certain to find that his status has been

upgraded to full godhood. Din's part of the TriForce would be more than

enough to boost Saffron's abilities. Of course, we still don't have any

solid evidence that he was behind that frame up, but it does make sense.

I'll go back to the temple and do some more research. Catch you later!"

Skuld bowed and then winked out, using Ranma's Warp Point to teleport back

to the temple.

Ranma nodded as he and the other Norns began discussing their plans to prove

Ranma's innocence.

----------

Meanwhile, at the Time Gate...

Setsuna was worried. Something was definitely wrong as she tried to look

into the future and found nothing. Instead of the usual images of things yet

to come, she got naught but empty space. The Time Gate wasn't showing her

any possible timelines or even different versions of herself. It was if the

Time Stream had just suddenly stopped flowing.

The Senshi of Time didn't like this at all. She assumed that the Hyrule

Knight and that other person Saffron was behind this and steeled in her

resolve to eliminate both of those sources of chaos. The Outer Senshi were

with her 100%, but some of the Inners still needed convincing. Sailor

Jupiter and Venus were still under the impression that they had made a

horrible mistake when they attacked the Hyrule Knight. Sailor Moon and

Mercury were undecided while Mars and Chiba-Moon were somewhat on her side.

However, even they had started to have their doubts.

Well, there would be no room for doubts after the Hyrule Knight and Saffron

were taken care of and the Time Stream was restored back to the way it was

with Crystal Tokyo as the ultimate destiny. Of that she was sure of.

----------

On Hyrule...

Unfortunately for Sailor Pluto, the real cause of the Time Gate's lack of

response to her was not because of Saffron or Ranma's existence. The Senshi

of Time had been so concerned with ensuring the future of Crystal Tokyo, she

had neglected to learn the lessons of the past. She still had the capability

to observe the past and would have learned the origin of the Time Gate had

she looked back far enough, specifically over two millennia ago.

In the Temple of Time, Princess Zelda nodded as the Master Sword hovered

above the pedestal as it waited for the hand of the Hero of Time. She turned

to the Sage of Light. "Raoru, has the link between the Temple and the Moon

Kingdom's Time Gate been severed?"

The old man nodded. "Yes, Princess Zelda. The Time Gate that the Kingdom of

Hyrule had granted to the Moon Kingdom has now been made inactive with our

removal of the Master Sword. They will not be able to directly interfere

with the future, nor observe it. They will not be able to change the past,

though they can still see the images."

"Excellent! They shall soon be taught a very hard lesson for violating the

sacred treaty between our two kingdoms. The first gift that we had bestowed

upon them has been reclaimed." She then turned to the ruler of the Gorons

and the Princess of the Zoras. "Darunia, Ruto, are your forces ready to move

out?"

"We each have a small task force ready at your command, Zelda, with more to

come shortly." Darunia said gruffly.

Ruto nodded in agreement. "The Gorons and the Zoras have agreed that a

scouting group be sent in first to find my betrothed and to assess the

situation."

"A very wise precaution." Zelda nodded. They were now entering a world that

was unlike their own and it would be best not to involve any innocent

inhabitants as the forces of Hyrule moved against the Sailor Senshi. "I

would imagine that the Moon Kingdom would be on alert now that their ability

to directly alter the future has been removed. Two thousand years ago, the

Royal Family had allowed the Moon Kingdom access to our Temple of Time by

creating the Time Gate for them to use to better themselves. However, they

have misused this gift and attacked our savior without just cause. Now, the

Time Gate shall be the first of the many gifts that we shall reclaim."

The other Sages nodded in agreement as the nexus began to open in front of

them.

----------

At Rae's Temple...

"What? What do you mean that it doesn't work?" Ami asked after Setsuna had

popped in again on the Inner Senshi and told them of the Time Gate's current

status.

The Senshi of Time shook her head as she replied. "The Time Gate won't allow

me to see or enter the future anymore, and I can't go into the past either.

I can only observe the past and that's no better than reading a history

book."

"So what do we do now?" Usagi asked.

Setsuna stood up to her full height while tapping the butt end of her Garnet

Rod on the floor. "All of this disruption can only mean that the Hyrule

Knight and Saffron are behind this and we must try even harder to get rid of

them."

"Now wait a minute." Makoto interrupted. "Now I can believe that Saffron guy

is our enemy, but I really don't think that the Hyrule Knight is behind

this. He saved our lives, twice already!"

"You SAW him trying to kill Usagi's daughter." Setsuna stressed coldly. "We

all saw him. And now the Time Gate is malfunctioning because of his

existence."

"I'm telling you that it's all a mistake!" Makoto stubbornly maintained.

Minako also nodded in silent agreement. Why would the Hyrule Knight fight so

hard to save them from Beryl and Saffron, only to suddenly betray them? It

didn't make any sense. Even though Sailor Pluto maintained that he was a

danger to the future of Crystal Tokyo, Sailor Venus couldn't help but think

that the Hyrule Knight's very existence was essential for that utopia's

future.

It was at that moment that the phone rang. Rae went to pick it up as the

Senshi of Time continued to argue with Sailor Jupiter. She then became pale

as she turned to call out to Setsuna. "Setsuna! It's Haruka and Micharu!

Something's wrong with their weapons."

"What?" The Senshi of Time instantly teleported to where Sailor Uranus and

Neptune were, leaving the Inner Senshi alone with their thoughts.

----------

Haurka and Micharu didn't understand it. All of a sudden, they had begun to

get a peculiar feeling, as if something was pulling at them. Then they felt

as if something had been removed and got the overwhelming urge to transform

into their Sailor Senshi personas. After becoming Sailor Uranus and Neptune,

they began trying out their powers. At first they thought that nothing felt

wrong, until they pulled out their magical items.

Sailor Neptune was shocked to find out that her mirror was not emanating any

energy at all and had been reduced to mere glass and metal. The only thing

it showed now was her own reflection. As for Sailor Uranus, she was

speechless after pulling out her Space Sword and saw that the weapon was not

giving off any power. In fact, it felt much heavier than usual. Neptune also

noted that her mirror was also weighing more than it should. It wasn't long

before they had to set their weapons on a nearby table. They noted that the

wood creaked under the combined weight of sword and mirror as they called

the number of Rae's temple.

What the Outer Senshi did not know was that the mirror and sword had both

been forged on Hyrule. In addition to the psychic images of the mirror and

the destructive cutting power of the sword, both had been enchanted with

spells to offset the weight of the heavier alloys and materials that they

were composed off. Now, with the opening of the Temple of Time and the

people of Hyrule gearing up for war, well... it seemed that the Time Gate

was not the only thing that wasn't working for the Sailor Senshi.

It was at that moment that Sailor Pluto appeared. Just as she faced the two

Outers, she suddenly felt her staff become heavier in her hands. It as if

she was hefting a steel girder. It wasn't long before she had to drop it. It

made a very loud thud on the floor which caused the wooden tiles to creak

and groan. In some places, the wood cracked and splintered.

The three Senshi could only stare at their weapons and equipment in shock.

It was at that moment that Hotaru came running into the room in her Sailor

Saturn guise and cried out that something was wrong with her Glaive.

----------

Ranma shook his head as he and the Norns of the Present and Past returned to

the Morisato home via the Warp Point. They hadn't been able to figure out a

way to prove his innocence as of yet and were waiting for Skuld to return.

At that moment, the phone rang. Belldandy went over to answer it.

"Hello? Oh hello, Hepheastus! How are you? Oh? You've finished it already?"

----------

On the other side of the line, the Greek God of fire nodded. "Yep! Didn't

take as long as I thought. Apparently, the shield still retained some the

enchantments which helped me to piece it together and reforge it. The shield

is ready to go." On a nearby worktable, the Mirror Shield glinted as it

reflected the light of the forge.

"Thank you very much." Belldandy smiled as she glanced toward Ranma.

"No problem! Glad to help anyone from Hyrule." Hepheastus said as he hung up

and went back to start filling out his other orders.

----------

Belldandy nodded as she hung up the phone and turned to Ranma. "That was

Hepheastus. He just told me that your shield is ready." She then made a

magical gesture and the Mirror Shield appeared in front of him on a table.

Navi glittered a bit as she hovered above the shield, then set down on the

polished surface. "Wonderful! If I didn't know better, I would have thought

that Biggoron himself had repaired it."

Belldandy nodded as she smiled. Urd gave the little fairy a curious look and

asked her. "Hmmm, I see that you're not affected by the iron ores contained

within that shield."

Navi shrugged as she replied, "Yes, well unlike the fairies of this realm,

Hyrule fairies are descended from the three goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore.

They were the ones who created our world and everything in it. Besides,

we've had thousands of years to adapt to that particular weakness. If I

could not stand to be near iron, then I would not have been able to aid my

life-friend with all the metal he carries with him."

"Point taken." Urd said

Ranma picked up his shield and admired it for a moment before shunting it

back into the dimensional pocket where he kept his weapons and other Hyrule

gear. Just as the shield disappeared, he felt a sudden tingle come over him.

Navi also felt it as well.

"What's wrong Ranma?" Belldandy asked.

"I... don't know. For a moment... I felt... I guess it was nothing. How

about you Navi?"

The fairy glittered for a moment, then replied. "I don't know... I felt as

if something in the ethereal fields of magic and time space was...disrupted

for a moment, and I could swear that the TriForce was being used."

"But I didn't use the TriForce of Courage." Ranma held up his hand and

showed his life-friend the part of the mystical artifact.

"No... I felt that it was another part of the TriForce... the part that

belonged to Nayru."

"The TriForce of Wisdom? But that part is with Zelda, on Hyrule. What does

this mean?"

The fairy could only shake her head as she began to worry.

----------

On Hyrule, the first of the scouting groups prepared to enter the nexus

which would lead them to Earth. They consisted of Gorons, Zoras and Gerudo

Thieves. At the mystical entrance, Princess Zelda, Princess Ruto, Nabooru,

and Darunia gave their instructions to their followers.

"Remember! Once you arrive on Earth, the glamourie spell shall take effect

and the people shall not realize that you are not of their world. Only those

who are from Hyrule shall be able to see you as you truly are. Therefore,

the Hero of Time and his fairy shall be able to recognize you as subjects of

Hyrule." Zelda nodded to her subjects before asking, "Are there any

questions so far?"

Everyone remained silent as Darunia picked up with the instructions. "Do not

attract attention to yourselves as you make contact with my Sworn Brother!

We do not know the extent of the situation, but until we get the entire

story, we shall be taking a cautious approach. Technically, we are at war,

but we will not have innocent bystanders getting hurt in our business with

the Moon Kingdom! Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded as Princess Ruto spoke. "We have already begun disabling the

enchantments of the weapons that we had made for them. Their access to the

Time Gate has been severed. Take care though. They still are in possession

of their powers at present. However, I am certain that you will be able to

defeat them should you encounter them."

The groups continued to listen to their leaders as they prepared to find

their savior and punish those who dared to attack him. The war between the

Moon Kingdom and Hyrule had begun!

----------

Ranma sighed as he trudged back to the Tendo home. After receiving his

newly-repaired Mirror Shield and storing it back into its subspace pocket,

the Hero of Hyrule and his fairy companion were now trying to figure out

their next move. The Three Norns had promised to stay in contact with him

through the TriForce of Courage, should any new information come up.

It was at that moment that Ranma's right hand began to glow as Farore's

section of the TriForce appeared. The teen looked down at the back of his

hand as he held it up.

<What's going on, Navi? > Ranma asked telepathically. <Is it Belldandy or

her sisters calling me? >

The fairy shook her head. <I don't sense their influence. The TriForce of

Courage seems to be reacting with something else... >

Then, just as suddenly as it started glowing, the section of the mystic

relic dimmed and faded back into Ranma's hand.

----------

Just beyond the outskirts of Tokyo...

On a meadow some two kilometers outside of the city, a large circle of light

suddenly shimmered into view. A small group of individuals passed through

the mystic portal before it winked out of sight. The Hyrule exploratory

party had arrived. In mere moments, the strange visitors from the world of

Zelda were enveloped in a shimmering mist as the glamourie spell took

effect. The rocky hides of the Gorons and the scaled surfaces of the Zoras

instantly took on a more human appearance as normal skin. Their body

proportions also took on human dimensions, though only visibly. Physically,

they remained the same. The Gerudo Thieves, who were already more or less

human-looking, (with the exception of the pointed ears), received only minor

changes in their physical appearance. Their somewhat outlandish garb was

replaced with more conservative clothes. Since both Gorons and Zoras

normally did not wear outer garments, the spell created an illusion of

attire for camouflage and a sense of modesty. When the mist faded away, the

disguises were complete. No one would ever know that they were from the

Kingdom of Hyrule.

They began moving toward the city limits in search of the Hero Of Time and

to stop the ones who were trying to destroy him.

----------

At Rei's Temple...

Usagi and her friends gasped when Sailor Pluto and the rest of the Outer

Senshi appeared. Without her Garnet Rod to help focus her abilities, the

Senshi of Time had a difficult time transporting her comrades. Since the

mystic energies which powered their weapons were no longer available,

Setsuna had to use her own personal stores of manna energy to temporarily

reactivate Neptune's mirror and Uranus' sword. She could do nothing for

Saturn's glaive or her staff. The abilities of the Outers were severely

limited now, and she could only think of one way for them to regain their

full powers and ensure the future of Crystal Tokyo. For that goal, it would

have to require the combined might of all the Sailor Senshi.

"The Hyrule Knight must be destroyed." Pluto said with finality.

The Inner Senshi were speechless at this announcement.

----------

At the home of Devil Hunter Yohko...

"Grandma! Look at this!"

Yohko's grandmother turned around and saw that the ring on her

granddaughter's finger was glowing.

"What does it mean?" Yohko asked.

Nadoka's eyes narrowed as she studied the ring that was handed down

throughout the generations of her family. Something big was going to happen

and soon. She had a feeling that it had something to do with the Hyrule

Knight.

She never truly believed that he had been destroyed during that last attack

by the Sailor Senshi, and had felt a kind of kinship with him. She could

tell that he had destroyed his share of youma and monsters. He ACTUALLY used

the Soul Sword and fused it with his own to create a weapon that annihilated

the resurrected Tokima.

Whatever or whoever had brought back the hated enemy of her family was evil

beyond belief and must be defeated. The former Devil hunter knew that the

Hyrule Knight was out there somewhere and would be needed to battle the

greatest evil this world would ever face.

However, they would have to find him first...

To be continued...

Author's notes

Yeah, I know that it's not much of an update, but I had to replay the

Ocarina of Time to get a feel for it again. It's been a long time since I

wrote on this. A lot of readers have asked me to add elements from the new

game, Majora's Mask and I'm considering it. Anyway, next chapter we will see

a confrontation between the weakened Senshi and the Hyrule warriors and you

can be sure that it won't be pretty. Saffron will be around to watch for his

opportunity to gain more power and Ranma's going to have his Hylian hands

full. Be there!