Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, not me. I am making no profit from this work of fanfiction, only mental relief, and personal satisfaction.

Matron Draconus

Chapter 01

A Mother's Cry

Bayankala Mountain Region: China

"How dare he do this to me!" A distraught red-head busies her mind with berating her non-existent companion, as she aimlessly wanders through the Chinese Amazon jungle, uncaring of her surroundings, or any inherent dangers.

"Stupid old man, always drilling me about being the best, to be a man amongst men, like my life depends on it. How dare he do this to me, rob me of the one, most important thing in my life."

Just then the girl hears a soft, motherly, voice call to her in warning, "Child, you must leave here, these animals are merciless, they will take you and make you their own. Turn back now."

The buxom young girl in a dirty white gi stops at the voices warning, her anger giving way to new thoughts, "Wait a minute, merciless animals?" she questions herself. "Hang in there, I'm coming!"

Instantly she bursts into a sprint, to the direction she's sure the voice came from. Her worrying thoughts drive her even faster, covering the near kilometer in mere moments. The red-head rounds a bend in the mountain path in time to see eight, rather large, animalistic men blasted out of a cave by a swath of eerie blue energy.

She slides to a halt when seven of them get back up, brandishing their weapons, prepared to reenter the cave. The last catches her attention, as he appears to be melting, unable to even express his own agony.

That voice calls to her again, "No child, you should not have come here, run!"

The young martial artist realizes that these seven are the aggressors, "I'm sorry lady, but my honor demands otherwise!"

The seven turn to the new arrival, and one, the leader of the pack, steps forward, "Leave now little wench, or you'll join the monster in the afterlife."

With that comment the red-head's drive to protect the weak is renewed, and fueled by her fury. "No, cowards, I'm your opponent now!" and she relaxes into a defensive stance, ready to lay down her life for honor, and the life of the victim taking refuge in the cave.

"The wounded beast can wait; first the wench must die for her transgression against the mighty Musk." With that, all seven charge the insolent fighter with the gall to disrupt their prince's order, archaic weapons ready to end her mortal existence.

Sizing up her opponents, the lone combatant decides the only advantages the seven posses are numbers, and reach with their weapons. "Ok, so I gotta get up close and personal, fast and precise strikes." She lets out a wry smile, "Just the way I like it."

In a blur of motion, the girl launches herself into her life's most challenging instance of mortal combat. Going straight for the apparent leader, her first kick breaking his weapon, a few ribs, and sending him careening, head first into the mountainside. She immediately sidesteps an overhead attack, and unleashes a powerful palm strike, shattering the shaft of his weapon. Quickly following with a low sweep, and another flat palm strike, hurling him back towards the cave entrance, where he collapses, unable to breathe.

Ducking under the next attack, she flips up, rebounds off of his outstretched weapon, and flows into an aerial roundhouse kick to his allies head, breaking his jaw and putting his back violently into a nearby tree. The lithe fighter lands on the shoulders of the one she bound from, squeezing his head between her thighs, she shifts her weight backwards, twists, and throws him into another opponent, impaling him upon his allies weapon.

Turning to the last two, she quickly unleashes a snap kick to one's left knee, breaking it backwards. Using her momentum, she vaults to his side, spins and plants her right knee in the other's nose, caving his face in. Leaping from his falling form, she turns and lands both feet on the face of the falling combatant with a broken knee. Her impact accelerates his fall back, driving the man's head into the ground. Flipping off of his prone form, she gracefully lands in a ready stance, surveying her fallen opponents.

"Hey, wasn't there another one of-" her self-questioning is cut off by a battle cry from behind, "Die!" Even with her lightning reflexes, the battle-worn martial artist turns just in time to see his thrown spear pierce her left thigh, and embed itself deeply in bone.

She reels back, unable to suppress a cry of pain, "Aaaahhh, you are so dead!" Not willing to pull it out just yet, she grips the hilt of the tip, just above the blade, and with her free hand, grabs and breaks the shaft off. Using all of her remaining strength, she brings the weapon down, impacting the side of his head. The weapon shatters, the blow cracking his head wide open, and the last enemy falls, his life draining from the massive head wound.

The exhausted warrior feels unconsciousness trying to claim her, but her indomitable willpower keeps the honor bound fighter standing, unwilling to rest until she is sure the innocent is safe.

The injured girl grips the spearhead, suppresses another scream of pain, and attempts to remove it from her leg. She fails, not having the strength left to remove the intruding piece of metal from its place in her thigh bone.

"Damnit, I'm gonna need help." Struggling to stay awake, she turns to the cave, "But first gotta make sure that lady is okay." The red-head slowly and painfully limps to the mouth of the cave, leaving a trail of blood wherever her left foot falls.

The cave is pitch-black inside, even though dawn came an hour ago. She slowly makes her way inside, supporting herself with the cave wall. About twenty yards in an eerie blue glow suddenly fills the small cave, illuminating the one she just fought on her honor to protect.

The weary martial artist stops in her uneasy tracks, first seeing the crystal blue reptilian scales adorning the creature's entire body. It's translucent, leathery wings lay unmoving, the long tail wounded and bleeding. The girl's eyes follow the creature's long neck, noting the many grievous wounds.

Last thing she sees are the creature's half-lidded, ghostly blue eyes, "Thank you child, you honor this dying dragon with your bravery."

The tired girl stares blankly, her mind unable to comprehend what her eyes are seeing. "Rest now young one, for you have earned it." And with that darkness finally wins, and she falls lifelessly to the cave floor.

Hours later, around mid-day, the silence of the cave is broken by the waking girl, "Uh, wow my head hurts." She attempts to stand, only to fall right back to the cave floor, having forgotten the spearhead, still embedded in her thigh.

"Easy child, do not move to quickly for you will aggravate your already healing wound."

The girl gets to a sitting position, and looks to the creature, the dragon that bears the voice of the woman she fought to protect. "It's really you. You're the lady that called to me?"

"Yes, I did call to you, to warn you of the danger here, but I see now that you follow the true warrior's code, and you were honor bound to come to my aide. For that I am eternally grateful."

The young warrior slowly rose to unsteady feet, eyeing the spearhead ruefully. "Tell me warrior, tell me your name."

Her confidence rises once again, "I'm Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."

"Spoken with pride, I like that. Come to me warrior, sit before me."

Slowly, wincing with each step, Ranma makes her way to the dragon, bows and proceeds to sit, in front of her.

The dragon reaches a shaky claw to the girl, and lays it on her leg, near the embedded weapon. "Brace yourself Ranma Saotome, this will hurt." Before Ranma can question, she leans her long neck forward, and grips the weapon with her powerful maw. One quick jerk later and the offending article is removed and dropped near the young warrior. Ranma barely manages to control another painful outburst.

"Now tear your clothing away from the wound." Ranma looks at the creature, confused for just a moment, and then does as she is told. The dragon then licks the wound clean; much like a mother would do for her cubs.

"Quickly now, go retrieve a fur from a fallen warrior." Again Ranma hesitates, and then gradually makes her way back to daylight.

Outside she cringes at the sight of the seven corpses, seven people she killed with her own hands.

Shortly she returns with the tiger fur from the leader, "I, killed all of them." She pauses, obviously shaken by this, "I've never killed before." She sits in front of the great serpent once again.

"Such is the life of a true warrior Ranma Saotome, but it warms my heart to see you feel remorse, even for the death of your enemies. Ranma Saotome, you bear the heart of a dragon, now dress your wound and listen to what I have to say."

Ranma begins to take care of her leg, never taking her attention from the dragon.

"Honorable warrior Ranma Saotome, I have a great responsibility to ask of you, and I pray that you accept the final wish of this dying mother." The dragon moves a front claw, revealing a small whelp, barely the size of a small housecat. The sight of the little one causes Ranma to lose her stoic demeanor, and shed a silent tear.

"She is my last surviving kin, and I humbly request that you take her, as your own daughter, and raise her to follow your warrior's code of honor."

Ranma is flabbergasted by this, unable to respond for many silent moments. "I am honored that you would ask this of me, but I am not worth to parent a great dragon."

Another tear is shed for the young, the baby that will never know her own mother. "Nonsense, earlier this day you demonstrated that you are more worthy than even I am, to be this child's mother."

Ranma's demeanor fails yet again, "I'm sorry, I couldn't be her mother, I'm not even really a girl."

The dragon smiles lightly, "Come now child, I know of Jusenkyo, I can clearly see your dual nature, you are all the parent this little one would ever need."

"I wouldn't know the first thing of how to raise a dragon. I feel I would make too many mistakes."

"Ranma Saotome, you already sound like a mother, we all make many mistakes with our first born. This brings me to my next request, Take her to Jusenkyo, and carry her into the very same spring you fell into, make her human."

Ranma seems to contemplate this for a long while, having finished dressing her leg wound, she sits, lost in thought for many long, quiet minutes, before she finally stands. "Please honored great dragon, tell me your name."

"To humans, I am simply known as Krynn."

Ranma bows, "Very well then, Honorable Krynn, I humbly accept your request to take your kin as my own."

Krynn smiles happily knowing that her little girl now has a future.

Ranma continues, "And I vow on my families honor, that she will have a good life, and she will follow the true warrior's code of honor, this I swear to."

"Thank you Ranma Saotome, for now I can die in peace."

Ranma kneels before Krynn, and carefully takes the sleeping whelp into her arms, and hugs her to her bosom.

"Things you must know, she will grow fast, and do not hide her heritage from her, only tell those you deem truly trustworthy."

"I understand great mother."

"Return to me after the moon has risen, and take from my body all that you can, use me to protect and nourish both of you." Ranma pauses, only vaguely understanding her meaning. "Come, stand before me warrior."

Ranma stands tall, cradling the infant dragon, her mind racing with thoughts of the future.

"Take my blessing, with this no one who sees aura will ever question your parentage of my young."

Ranma closes her eyes, and feels a single claw cut from above her left brow, to below her left cheekbone.

"With this mark I name you Matron Draconus, mother of the last dragon. Now go to Jusenkyo, and listen to the man there, he is wise in the ways of the cursed springs."

Paying no mind to the blood running down her face, Ranma bows deeply, "Thank you great mother, your kin, my daughter, will have a loving family."

The dragon lays her head down, slowly closing her eyes.

Ranma stands tall again, "Rest now Krynn, for you have earned it." With that said, Ranma turns and leaves, not looking back.

"Thank you fate, for bringing me the great warrior known as Ranma Saotome."

After Words:

Well, hope this is easy to read, this is the first fic I've ever posted, tho I've been an avid fanfiction reader for around 10 years. I know I didn't change much, but feedback is always welcome, good and bad (please be gentle). And I'm not that good with writing, so I may take a few days, maybe a week to post the next chapter.