Unexpected
By Jeremy Evans

Unforeseen Meetings

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters nor am I
Making any money from this. Please do not sue
me.



	The day under L-sama's sky was a
Beautiful one. Being summer the world was rich
with the signs of life. But one man took no notice
of this. Zelgadis Greywers, was a man on a mission.
That mission was to rid himself of the curse that had
Plagued his existence for so long. The past few years
had seen him being sidetracked by his time with Lina
and the gang. After the events dealing with the
Dark Star They'd each gone there separate ways.
Now he was able to devote all his time to his search
for a cure. His last stop had been at a temple of
Ceiphied's. There he'd learned of a Library that had
books on the removal of enchantment and curses. So
once again he was off, hoping that this one would
not be a disappointment like all the others.


	The forest was like the many other thousands
he'd walked through in his life. It teemed with the
sounds of life, an a gentle breeze caused the trees to
rustle in such a way as to fracture the light from the
sun creating a dazzling display. He barely even
registered any of this. As he continued on, his hand
idly brushed a flower, The fact that he could not feel
its softness did not occur to him. He had crossed that
bridge long ago. His only thoughts were on finding
new leads if this one did not pan out.

	A loud scream pierced the young Shamans
thoughts. Quickly he moved towards the sound,
more out of curiosity than a desire to help anyone,
at least that's what he told himself. Soon he came
upon a sadly common scene, a small group of
travelers was being menaced by a group of burly
Bandits. Deciding that these people may be able
to better directions to the library, he stepped into
the clearing to intervene. It turned out to be
unnecessary as a figure clothed in green, broke from
the tree line across from him. The person's hands
blurred and several men went down, grabbing at
the dirks lodged in their knees. The figure
continued its rapid pace, devouring the distance
between him and the villains. One of the larger
raiders unsheathed his sword. In a flash of
silver two scimitars appeared in the others
hands. The bandit lunged, trying to skewer the
young rescuer, who instead pirouetted to the
side. His left blade flashed out,
knocking the sword from the other's hand while
his right slammed the hilt across his face.
The man sank heavily to the ground as the figure
continued on by without breaking stride.
Seeing so many of their men downed so quickly
the rest of the raiders had a sudden
attack of intelligence, they broke and ran for the
trees. Unfortunately there path took
them towards Zelgadis who casually raised a hand,
"Fireball." The orange ball of flame flew from his
hands to explode in front of the fleeing men,
launching their burnt forms high into the air
and out over the trees.

	Once done He turned back to the figure
who'd saved the travelers. Already he had the
remaining bandits hog tied and was talking with
one of the travelers. Seeing this he turned and
began to walk away, no point in staying, they
probably didn't know anything about library he
didn't know already. He didn't get to far before
he was tapped on the shoulder. He whirled
around to find himself staring at the green
clocked man. Check that teen. The hood covered
much of his features but Zel could easily make
out his blue eyes and bright smile. "Thanks for
the assist." Zel nodded "Your welcome, now I
must be on my way." A frown crossed the others
face as he turned away "Hey, wait where you
going?" Zel looked back over his shoulder "Ceiphied's
library." the other looked surprised "Really, I was
on my way there too. Some friends of mine need
some information there. Say, the leader of this group
knows one of the librarians,
he said they don't normally let people see those
books. However if we agree to protect them till
they get into town he'll put in a good word with his
friend. That or 50 gold pounds each." Zel thought
it over and nodded "Alright, I'm in." The smile
returned to the young man's face "Great let's go!"
As the two walked back towards the group the
other spoke up "What's your name any ways?"
"Zelgadis Greywers and you." The young man
turned around and stuck out his hand which
Zelgadis  took and shook. "Ranma Do'Urden"
Zelgadis blinked "Interesting name, are you an
Elven Ranger?" Ranma chuckled a bit as he
pulled his hood off to expose human ears and
a long pony-tail that reached to mid-back "I'm
not an elf but I have been trained as a Ranger.
The last name  is from a personal hero of mine."
Zelgadis nodded and decided not to press, it wasn't
any of his business after all. And so the two
rejoined the group and continued there trek to
the town.

	Once they'd made it safely to town, the
leader of the traveler's had kept his word.
Soon Ranma and Zelgadis found themselves in
the waiting for a guide to take them to the
lower level's of Ceiphied's library. The two had
spoken very little, and it had mostly
been Ranma trying to strike up a conversation.
"I got it!" Zel turned genuinely curious
"Got what?" Ranma smirked a bit "I knew I'd
heard of you. You were a part of that group
responsible for the destruction of a piece of
Shaburanigdu, Hellmaster Phibrizzo, and
Dark Star!" Zel raised an eyebrow at this and
then nodded "Yes I was. I didn't think you
Rangers would know about that" Ranma took up
an indignant expression "Hey, I'll have you know
I am WELL informed on current events!" Zel
watched him for a few more moments then turned
away "So it would seem." Before he could say
any more there guide arrived and lead the two through
a series of long passageways and stair wells.
before finally ending up in front of set
of large doors. "Here you go sirs. If you need
anything just ask." Once gone the two pushed
open the doors and froze at the sight before them.
There before them was a 30 X 50 ft book case
with an innumerable number of text stored in it. After
blinking several looked at his companion,
turned to him, shrugged, took off his cloak, and
moved towards the book case. Zel sighed and
decided to start with the lower books and
work up."

***
	Silently the two poured over the books for hours.
Neither finding anything of use. Still they continued
on, hoping to find at least one small clue to the answer
they sought. Eventually their diligence was rewarded.
"Hey! check this out." The young Ranger put the tome
in question before Zelgadis. The Shaman quickly read
through the text, which told of a Golden Dragon artifact
that could lift any curse through nullification magic. It
was located in a Dragon Temple that that wasn't to far
away. However to get in they would need the
permission of a Dragon Priest or
priestess. Zel looked at his young friend and nodded
"Good work." The other man smiled obviously pleased
with himself, then his face fell as he noticed his
companions somber expression "Hey, what's wrong.
If its the priest thing I'm sure we could find one pretty
quickly and I figure a quest or two latter and we've got
their permission." Zel shook his head "Actually I know
a priestess named Filia, so that's not a problem." A
frown creased his face "then what is it?" Zel stared
for a moment at Ranma before he answered "I've
run into a lot of false leads and goose chases before,
I just don't want to get my hopes up."
The pig-tailed ranger nodded his understanding.
After a few quite moments Zel stood "Filia lives
a couple of days walk north so we'd better get
moving." The other nodded and stood and the two
walked towards the exit. Once outside Zel turned
to Ranma "If you need any provisions now would
be a good time to get them. I'll meet you in the
Town square in 2 hours." 'Ranma
nodded "Got yeah." Hearing this Zelgadis turned
and strode away. Ranma watched till he was out
of sight  before heading
quickly towards the tree line.

***

	A few minutes later and we find the young
ranger laying across a tree branch, arms folded
across his chest. The warm summer air gently moved
through the trees causing motes of light to flash
across his eyes in a dazzling display. His
Enjoyment of the moment was interrupted by a
light cough. Turning his head to the side he saw a
familiar face. "Hello Xellos, I see you got my
summons." The trickster priest sat on the branch
next to his in a similar position only his
arms were folded behind his head. "Its good to
see you. So how goes it." Ranma straightened up
a bit "Well I got him interested in the artifact. We
leave for Filia's in a bit. We should arrive in a couple
of days" Xellos nodded, obviously pleased
"Good, good. He should arrive when the others do."
Xelloss gave the young man a sideways grin "I suggest
you be careful around that group. You lack my resistance
to fireballs." Ranma  gave him an exasperated look
"I'll keep my foot out of my mouth." Xelloss smiled
but looked unconvinced "We'll see. well I best be
leaving, good luck" and with his usual flair he disappeared.
Ranma sat for a moment longer, considering his actions
before dropping to the ground below and sprinting for
the town.

***

	At night we find Zelgadis and Ranma sitting before
a fire, Ranma is busily roasting several rabbits he caught
over the fire. The Shaman's stomach began to rumble as the
seasonings and spices Ranma had added created quite the
aroma. "Smells pretty good." He commented. Ranma
inclined his head slightly "Thanks, one  can learn a lot
doing my kind of work." Zel noticed
the fire began to dim some what and quickly tossed
another piece of fire wood on it. The light flared
slightly bathing the area in a warm light. "What
happened to your friends?" Ranma looked up from
his seasoning "Hmmm?" Zelgadis folded his arms
across  his  chest. "Your friends why do they need
this cure." Something flashed across Ranma's face
but it was to face for him to follow, but the slightly pained
expression that followed it was far more obvious
"Its kind of my fault, I made a mistake
and they ended up with a water based poly-morphism
curse. When ever splashed with cold water they turn
into something else. Hot water returns them to normal
but only till next time." Zelgadis looked at his
stony hand then back to Ranma "The ability to turn
back at the touch of hot water."
A wry smile briefly touched his lips "I would give
much to trade places with them." Ranma stared
at him for a long moment "I guess, but they could still
be trapped in their forms so I want
to find a cure as quickly as possible." The two fell silent
for some time. Only the snapping fire was heard as
Ranma added more kindling to the flame. "Have you
met any Elves?" Ranma looked up slightly surprised
but not un willing to answer "A few, they mostly
keep to themselves." He nodded, and turned back to
staring at the fire and listening to there
surroundings. "So what is Lina Inverse like?" Zel
drew his eyes from the fire to look at Ranma,
who wore a curious expression "The rumors are right
and wrong. She is powerful, greedy and
she has a short fuse but beneath it all she is a good
person." Ranma considered this, before
going back to work on dinner. Soon the two ate
heartily, then bedded down for the evening

***

	The two arrived at Filia's around mid-morning.
As they approached they heard the voices. As they came
closer Zelgadis recognized whose they were. "I tried
to contact him too but no one seems to know where
he's disappeared to." That was Filia "Well I guess
we'll have to do with out him for now." Lina. "Its too
bad, I was kind of looking forward to seeing him
again." Amelia "Why I'm sure we'll run into him"
And Gourry. Looked like they were all there. All
eyes turned on him as he cleared his throat "I assume
you are talking about me." The first emotion the group
showed was shock at his arrival then
genuine joy. "Well speak of the devil..." Lina began
"See I told you we'd run into him." Filia seemed relieved
"Oh good your here after all. "Mr. Zelgadis its great
to see you again." Amelia began as she gave him a
firm hug. A slight snicker behind him alerted the
group to Ranma's presence. Amelia released Zel
"Whose your friend?" Zel motioned for Ranma to step
forward "This is Ranma Do'Urden. He helped me find
a book on an artifact that could cure my curse which
is why I'm here." Ranma bowed politely. "Its a pleasure
to meet you all." The Dragon priestess fidgeted "The
artifact your talking about it wouldn't by any chance
be the 'Crystal Scepter'?" Zel looked genuinely surprised
"You knew about that? Why
didn't you tell me?!" Filia held her hand up defensively
"I only learned about it today because it was one of the
items stolen by an unknown group of thieves from the
temple." Zelgadis shoulders slumped slightly as Ranma
muttered "Figures." under his breath. "That's why I
called you all together" Filia continued "We don't think
it was the Mazoku, they aren't in
a position to attack." "BINGO!" Filia nearly jumped out
of her skin at the words spoken directly into her ears.
when she caught sight of the speaker she growled
"What are you! Doing here." The Trickster priest smiled as
his eyes opened, barely revealing the purple pupils beneath
"Sore wa, himitsu desu." Filia checked the urge to bash
him and turned back to the others.

"The only description we have of the thieves is
that they were mostly thin but wiry, With ebony
skin, white hair, pointed ears and
an odd sort of cloak." A sharp intake of breath caused
everyone to face Ranma. "Drow." he said simply Lina
blinked and looked between Filia and Xellos "Dark
Elves, don't they work for the Mazoku?" Xelloss shook
his head "Not since the great war. To bad to they make
excellent assassins." His piercing gaze fell on Ranma "So
I see you've added a Ranger to your little group. Interesting."
Ranma gave him a funny look "Who are you anyways?"
The trickster priest made a great show of
bowing "Xelloss Metallium" Ranma stared at him for a
moment then shifted to a more defensive stance to the
priests amusement" I see you've heard of me." Ranma
didn't take his eyes off him "Some high elves mentioned
you once." Xelloss smile grew "Really, what did they
say?" Ranma was about to answer when a hand landed
on his shoulder, he turned to see Zelgadis shake his
head. Ranma straightened up "Nothing pleasant." Filia
cleared her throat for attention "Although we think the
Mazoku are not responsible we aren't willing to chance
That. Zelgadis realized  where this was going "You want us
to recover the stuff  while you continue your vigil on
the Mazoku." Filia's expression said it all Zel sighed
"Well they have my cure so I'm in, Ranma?" The young
Ranger smiled "Hey, I got to cure my friends right,
I'm in too." Amelia took pose "We will bring these
foul villains to justice!" Lina didn't
look convinced. "You know, they took a lot of treasure
with them, I'm sure no one would mind if a few baubles
here and there were missing." Filia said. Lina's face
brightened considerably "Of course we'll help, right
Gourry!" The swordsman shrugged "Sure."  Zelgadis
rolled his eyes "So where do we
begin." Ranma stepped forward "The high elves or Forest
elves might know something, we could try asking them
for information." Xelloss cocked his head to the side as
he considered the young man "You know some Elves?"
Ranma glared back "I know things about them." Xelloss
chuckled then continued "You might also want to try the
Orcs living in the plains." Amelia looked surprised
at this suggestion "Why would Orcs help us?" Ranma fielded
that one "Rumor has it that these Orcs have reject the dark
sorcery of there ancestors and peers and are living with the
land. Basically they've gone Noble Savage. Travelers are
safe but they will protect the land from the encroachment
of civilization." Xellos nodded, "They may know of the
Dark Elves though so it would behoove you to look into it
if you find nothing else." Lina stared suspiciously at Xellos
"We'll think about it." Xelloss began to fade from sight
"Well, good luck then." The group watched him leave,
once gone Lina turned to face the group "I guess we
should try to find these high Elves first, I figure they'll
be fairly receptive to us, at least more so than an
Orc." All the others agreed except Ranma who
maintained a dubious expression. "Maybe." he
admitted. "We'd best get going, its quite a walk." The
group started to depart when they noticed Filia wasn't
following "Aren't you coming?" Amelia asked.
She shook her head "I have to stay here, but good
luck." The group gave a collective shrug and waved
goodbye. She watched as they disappeared into the
distance. A rustling of air and wind alerted her to
his presences. She turned and sighed to see
Xellos "I don't like this one bit." Xellos merely
shrugged "Its necessary, you know that. Besides
Ranma's with them, they'll be fine." She frowned as
she turned to stare in the direction the group  had
gone "That doesn't fill me with great
confidence." Another rustle of air and she knew he
was gone. Sighing deeply she walked indoors and
prayed she was doing the right thing.

Author Notes: No Ranma was not trained by
Drizzt Do'Urden nor will he be showing up.
The reasons for his last
name will come up later though. Well I would
greatly appreciate some C&C on this.