Here's Chapter 2.  For all of you that forgot, or haven't read previous chapters, they are on my website, listed at the bottom of the story.


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The Catalyst
A SI+ fic by Comictiger
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The Notorious Disclaimer:  I do not own Ranma 1/2 or any
other Anime series I feel like putting in.  They all
belong to their respective owners. And anyways, these
fanfics can only help their business.
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    "Chapter 2: Here's Trouble!"

2 hours ago:

    "Suck on THAT you blubberous panda!"

    Jamil grinned.  He knew those grammar lessons he gave Ranma would help...a bit.  'Ow...' He held his cheek.  'Man... A month after Josh dropped me and it STILL hurts.'

    Watching Jamil hold his cheek, Josh grinned.  'That's what he gets, not telling me how Jusenkyo curses worked.'

    Walking down a wet street was a party of four.  As two of them had umbrellas, it showed that two of them had more sense than the other two, a redheaded girl and a panda.  The ones with the sense being two boys, one who at the moment was flirting with a certain tomboyish girl.  Make that one boy with sense.  Jamil just held his head.

    *SMACK!*  "You PERVERT!"  *SLAM!*

    Jamil walked over to his now unconscious friend.

    "I TOLD you not to flirt with _HER_." Jamil said.  "That was Akane Tendo."

    "IT WAS?" Josh exclaimed, waking up.  Josh was still having trouble believing that.  'I thought she had short hair?'

    Jamil pulled Josh to his feet.  'Well Akane was right, he IS a pervert' Jamil laughed at his thoughts.

    Akane stared at the two boys and growled.  Josh and Jamil sped away from her.

    "Still have that thermos?" asked a feminine voice from behind them.

    "Yeah." Josh said.  He set his pack down and looked through it.  "Here."  He said as he handed it to Ranma.

    While Ranma was pouring hot water over her head, the Panda stood up and yanked up a sign from the sidewalk. 'You ARE going to the Tendos son...WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!'  Genma thought as he snuck up behind the three.

    *SWACK!*  Genma hit them with the sign, knocking them all out.
'Hmmph!  Those two are a bad influence on my son.  I'll just leave them here.'  He then took their umbrellas.

    The panda picked up his son and left Josh and Jamil in the street.

    Jamil woke up in time to see what direction Genma left.  He stood up and dusted off his blue silk shirt.  He retied the ties on his pants and shook Josh.

    "Wake up."

    When Josh showed no signs of following directions, he rummaged through his pack.  He pulled out a small cup and went into a nearby building.  He came out with the cup filled with water... cold water to be exact.

    Careful not to splash it on himself, he poured it over his friend.  'Instant Cabbit, just add water.' he smiled to himself.

    He picked up his friend's clothes and stuffed it into Josh's backpack.  He lifted Josh's pack and tied it onto his.  He then hefted the double-backpack and put it on his back.  Showing no strain, he bent down and picked up the still unconscious animal.  "Let's go Josh..." he said as he set the cabbit on top of his bag.

    "Hmmm, I wonder why there isn't anyone in the street." he pondered as he walked down the street.

    The truth was, on the call of "pervert" the citizens of Nerima had ran away.  The girl named Akane Tendo was infamous for her lack of attention for her surroundings.  The fact that a panda was in the street didn't help any.

---------------

    "Fiance?" asked Kasumi.

    "Yes.  My friend is coming from China with his son.  They have just finished a training trip and will be staying here." Soun continued.

    "First the pervert in the street and now a FIANCE?!" Akane screamed.

    "Is he rich? Is he cute?" Nabiki asked.

    "I hope he isn't younger than me.  Young people are just so...young." Kasumi said.

    "Actually...I don't know.  I've never met him." Soun replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

    All three sisters just stared at him.

    "I can't believe this!" yelled Akane.

    Suddenly a Koi (fish) jumped from its pond as the doorbell rang.

    "That must be him!" Soun cried as he ran to the door, only to have Nabiki run in front of him.

    Kasumi was surprised to see her sister and father running past her a second later as if their life depended on it.  Which, from their viewpoint, it did.

    "Put me down!  See!  You're scaring them spit less!" cried a boy who was within the grasp of a panda.  He had hair that was jet-black, eyes that were as blue as the sky, and a red silk shirt as vibrant as fire.  After he was set down, he turned and bowed to the girl.

    'Very polite man.' Kasumi thought.

    'Ooh!  He IS cute.' thought Nabiki.

    'Ugh.  A boy.' thought Akane.

    "Are you..." Soun trailed off.

    "I'm Saotome Ranma.  Nice to meet 'cha."  He shook the elder Tendo's hand.  Soun, not completely familiar with the gesture, just stared at the boy.

    'Where are those two when you need them?  Until they get here, I have to stay dry.  Then we'll leave for China.' wondered Ranma.

    Soun led the boy into the main room.  "Here are my daughters.  Kasumi, 19.  Nabiki, 17. Akane, 16.  Pick one and they will be your fianc�e."

    "WHAT? Don't we have any say in this?!" Akane exclaimed.

    "That's right!  I can't decide right now!  I have to go back to China!" Ranma agreed as he turned around to walk away.

    Genma remembered something that would come in handy now.  'The one good thing that Jamil boy was good for.' he thought

----------
Flashback: Two weeks ago
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    "So when are you going to tell him?" a voice asked.
Genma stood from his dinner, a stolen pie, and turned around.

    "I asked, when are you going to tell him." Jamil said.

    "When am I going to tell who _what_, _girl_." said Genma.

    "When are you going to tell Ranma about his engagement to one of the Tendo girls." Jamil said with a grin.

    "Wha...how...ack!" Genma sputtered.  'How'd he find out about that?'

    "Well if he can't choose, just engage him to all of 'em until he does." Jamil said as he walked off.  As soon as Jamil was in the shadows, he sniggered.  'Heh.  Can't wait to see the expression on Ranma's face when he hears that.'
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End of Flashback
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    "Since you can't choose, my boy.  You are engaged to all of them until you do!" Genma, who had changed back, patted his son's back.

    Ranma looked behind him and saw his wet father.  'When did he change back?  How?'

    "Brilliant Saotome!  How did you think of that?" Soun cried because he was so happy for his daughters.

    "Wha...?  HEY OLD MAN!  WHAT DO YA THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

    Genma replied by giving his friend a bottle of sake and pushing him onto the porch.  Both of them proceeded to get drunk.

    Before anything else could happen, the doorbell rang again.

    "I'll get it!" Ranma yelled as he escaped the glares of two of the three sisters.  Kasumi was only smiling.  "Oh how nice of him."

    Ranma opened to door to see someone dressed similar to him.  The person had black hair tied into a ponytail, green eyes, and was a few inches taller than him.  On the guy's shoulder was a familiar animal.  Ranma tensed before remembering that it was a cabbit, and not a cat.

    "Took you long enough." Ranma told Jamil.

    "Well, I was kinda side-tracked." Jamil glared at the cabbit.  Who in turn jumped from his shoulder and hid behind Ranma.

    Mischievously, Jamil asked, "Is Akane here?"

    "Yeah.  How'd you know?" Ranma wondered aloud.

    "You'll see.  Heh heh heh." Jamil set down the double-pack and rummaged through one of them.  He brought out the thermos and emptied the rest behind Ranma.

    "Oh Akane...." Jamil sing-songed and hid out of sight.

    Akane turned the corner and her eyes narrowed.  'It's the PERVERT from earlier!  How DARE he come to MY house after trying to MOLEST ME!'  Akane looked around and saw a wooden mallet conveniently placed in the doorway.  "YOU PERVERT!  HOW DARE YOU COME IN MY HOUSE NAKED!"

    Josh looked down at himself.  "Eeep."

    Jamil laughed as sounds of massive destruction were heard.  Ranma soon hid beside him, which happened to be on the roof.  Which also happened to be a bad place to be when one was being pummeled by Akane.  The roof underneath them exploded and sent them to the ground.  Jamil had just enough time to laugh one last time before everything got black.  Jamil landed on the porch beside Ranma.

    "Oiiii....."  cried Josh as he was sent into Juuban by Air Akane.

    "What's wrong Akane?" Kasumi asked turning the corner.  "Oh no..."

---------

    Eventually Josh made it back, but as a human with clothes this time as he did not want to repeat earlier actions.  He explained he was a friend of Ranma's and was welcomed in by Kasumi. Therefore he was in the room when Jamil woke up.

    "Wha...?" was the only thing Jamil could think of.  He saw Josh cracking his knuckles and flinched, expecting a pounding.

    Before anyone could get hurt...seriously, Kasumi walked in the room.

    "Good, you are awake.  Since you are a friend of Ranma's you can stay here until you can find a place of your own.  Well, you two should get washed up and ready for dinner."  Kasumi said with the ever-present smile.  Jamil recognized the room as where Happosai stayed later in the series.

    "Thank you Tendo-san." Jamil said as he bowed to her.

    She blushed and bowed back.  "Oh no...call me Kasumi."

    Jamil nodded affirmative and she turned and walked down the stairs, blush still on her face.

    Jamil stood up and saw that Kasumi had left two baskets.  Both of them had bathing supplies within.  He picked up a basket and went downstairs to the furo.  Before he undressed however, he called out, "Anyone in there?"  With no answer he started undressing.
------------

    "Kasumi.  Do you know who that man is?  The one talking to daddy?"  Nabiki inquired.

    "No idea.  I'm sure Daddy will introduce him." Kasumi replied.
------------

    In the living room, Genma and Soun were having a conversation.  Both of them had streams of tears cascading down thier cheeks.

    "A martial artists life is fraught with peril." Soun said, tears streaming down his cheeks.  Genma nodded, having just told his friend about the Jusenkyo curses and the two tagalongs which he hadn't been able to escape.
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    Jamil opened the door a little, peeking through the crack.  'Ahhh!  Akane is in there!'  He silently shut the door.  'I wonder why she didn't answer me when I asked?'  He re-dressed and went upstairs with the basket in one hand.

    Akane turned at the sound of a door closing.  'Hmmm?'  Seeing nobody there, she went back to her bath.

    Curiously, Jamil walked into the room across the hall from Akane's.  Sure enough, there was Ranma-chan laying there with a towel across her forehead.  Jamil frowned.  'I missed something.'  He shrugged.

    He left the room and went into his current living space.

    "Done already?" Josh asked.

    "No.  Akane is in _THERE_" Jamil said.

    "You didn't..." Josh let it hang.

    "No, but almost." Jamil replied.

    "Phew."

    "I have to wait for her to get out before I'll even try getting in the tub...err furo." Jamil sweated.  "I don't have a death wish." he added.

    "Well...ok.  Wake me when its my turn." Josh said as he laid down on his futon.

    Jamil went back downstairs and waited outside of the furo.  Kasumi walked by and asked, "Is there anything wrong?"

    "No.  Its just that the furo is currently occupied by someone." Jamil frowned.

    "Hmmm...I thought she finished a while ago.  Well when she gets out go in." Kasumi smiled and entered the kitchen.

    Jamil saw Ranma walk down the stairs and turn toward the furo.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Jamil warned.

    "Well why not?" Ranma asked him, currently rubbing her head.

    "Because Akane is in there.  Actually I'm next, you can go after Josh." was the answer.

    Ranma was quite aware of Jamil's and Josh's reluctance to bathe with anyone, so she just nodded.

    "I'd go to the public bath, but because of this curse  I can't." Ranma frowned.  Not that he really wanted to go to the public bath anyway.  If anyone but his friend had told him that though, he would have beat him up and went in.  Since they left that Amazon village, Jamil's instincts have been good to follow.  He had been using them to keep safe.  Imagine what would have happened to him if he ate that soup!

    The door then opened and out stepped Akane who was dressed in a robe and still furious with Ranma.  She glared at Ranma and walked upstairs.

    Then something odd happened.  Everything went normally without incident.  Jamil, Ranma, and Josh got to bathe without interruption.  Both Jamil and Josh enjoyed it as much as possible, for they knew there was a small chance that it would happen again.
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Somewhere in a different staff...
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    "Hmmm.  Only slight changes so far, and the chaos is piling up already." Xellos said to himself.  He was looking in a mirror and saw what had been happening so far.

    "I know." said a voice from behind him.

    "What?  How did...oh.  It's you." Xellos said.  'Note to self:  strengthen Anti-Detect Spell next time.'

    A small black cat appeared from the shadows.  "I thought I would get more respect out of you.." grinned Toltiir.  "Considering what I did for them."

    "You made that happen?  Truly you aren't interfering?  I might have to..." Xellos said, keeping his calm.

    "Do better than you have.  Or else you'll never become as great as me."  The cat then stood on its hind legs and it grew into a human, a human with muscles the size of Germany...err Austria.  "I'll be back..."  Toltiir, God of Mischief, turned around and disappeared out of thin air.

    "This might be harder than I thought.  Maybe I'll send in Shiriasu?  Yes...this will be interesting.  That man...cat...god is almost as bad as Filia.  He'll go down."
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Somewhere in China...
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    A figure who looks strangely like Ranma is being glomped by a purple-haired girl.  The man is wearing a yellow bandanna and tunic.  He had a large pack on his back on which a red umbrella was placed.

    'Why is this girl hugging me?  Why won't she let my go? '  Ryouga wondered.

    "RANMA THIS IS ALL YOUR FALT!!!"  Ryouga screamed from within Shampoo's clutches.

    "What you talk about Airen?  You Ranma!"  Shampoo snuggled her "husband" and smiled.

    "AHHHHHHH!!!!!"
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Tendo Household
------------

        After Jamil let Josh enter the furo, he had started thinking about what had happened while he was...asleep.  That was why he was currently in "his" room, rubbing his temples.

    'Ok, the Tendos know about Ranma's curse, because I saw him in his cursed form unconscious.  Only Soun knows why at the moment.  Akane hasn't seen me at all, but hates Josh.  I think she hates Ranma too, otherwise I don't know why Ranma would be unconscious.'

    The door opened to reveal a girl with long dark blue hair tied in a ribbon. She is wearing a look of curiosity.  "Hi.  You must be Ranma's friend.  I'm Akane Tendo.  Welcome to my house."

    'Welcome?  She is being nice to me?  Even though I'm Ranma's friend?  I kinda expected her to hate me for acquaintance with "the baka"'  Jamil stood up.  'If I stay on her good side, maybe I won't be pummeled!'

    "Hi.  I'm Jamil Yotaka.  I can sense you could be a good friend." 'Or a lethal enemy' he added in thought.

    Akane smiled at the compliment.  'Looks like he's not a pervert.  I wonder why he's friends with Ranma...or what's his name...J-something?' "Well, Kasumi asked me to bring you down.  Ranma just got out of the furo and my dad has an announcement."

    "Hai...I'll be right down." he replied.  When she exited, a stray thought entered his mind. 'Hey, she CAN be cute.'  'Huh?  NONONONONO! I can't have a crush on a character, I'll leave eventually, and I don't want to hurt anyone by doing so.  Unless it's funny, which I doubt.'

    He stood up and went downstairs.

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Somewhere in China...again
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    "Ah no sir!  You DID fall in pool last time you here!  You had fall in Spring of Drowned Rival.  Usually it do nothing, because most people have no rival.  But you sir take form of man here 1 month ago.  You try follow yes?"

    A mumbling sound came from Ryouga, for he was being smothered in a hug from Shampoo.

    "Can do nothing about Amazon warrior, no matter who you are, when you change back you still her husband.  I suggest you go back and cooperate, no?"

    A muffled scream came from Ryouga.  Shampoo bounced giddily.  She pulled on Ryouga's newly grown pigtail.  "Come Airen!  We make marriage true!"  She started pulling him down a dirt road.

    "Oh yes sir!  Need have no rival to change back!"

    Ryouga, whose mouth was now free, yelled, "Ranma!  You'll pay for this!"

    "I think Airen need see great-grandmother.  He no think he himself."

    A whimper came from Ryouga's lips.

    Shampoo dragged the psuedo-Ranma down the road, toward the Amazon village.

    'His hate of that man has doomed him.' thought the guide.  He flinched at the sight of blood. 'That boy has got to get used to it, otherwise he might die of bloodloss.'

    Shampoo had kissed Ryouga, who had a sudden nosebleed.
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Nerima, Japan
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    The Tendo sisters are sitting at a table looking at their dad expectantly.  Soun is sitting at the edge of the table, and the Saotomes are sitting opposite the Tendos.  Behind the Saotomes, Jamil is pulling Josh to sit next to Akane.

    "Hey. Let go.  Come on...I don't wanna die." Josh whispered.

    "It's not that bad, is it?" Jamil asked curiously.

    Josh nods.

    "Fine you big baby, I'll sit next to her."  Jamil walks and sits near Akane, who smiles at him.  Josh then sits next to Ranma.

    "Now that we are all seated." Soun started.  Jamil and Josh laugh nervously and fidget in their seat.  "I'll introduce you to my friend..."

    "Genma Saotome."  Genma finishes, "And this is my son..."

    "Ranma Saotome.  These are my friends Jamil," Jamil smiles, "and Josh." Josh smiles nervously at Akane, who stares at him angrily.

    Genma scowled at his son.  'How dare he call them FRIENDS?!'

    "Are you really the girl from the pond?"  Kasumi asked.

    "Yes." Ranma replied.

    "How?" Nabiki asks.

    "It's a long story, I don't know where to begin.  I know...lets start with this!" Genma picks up his unsuspecting son and throws him into the koi pond.

    Ranma emerges a girl and screams, "Why'd you do that for?"

    "Oh how it shames me to see my son in this condition.  Ranma...you break your father's heart!"  Genma starts his fake tears.

    "Hey it's your fault I'm like this!"  Ranma said as she emerged from the pond.

    "Genma!  Is this TRUE?!"  Soun goes into demon-head mode.

    "Truly Tendo, do you believe I would make my son act like a GIRL?"

    "I'm sorry I doubted you Saotome." Soun's Demon-head deflates.

    "Were you not willing to sacrifice your life for the sake of the ART?"  Genma yells at Ranma.

    "My life is one thing, my manhood is another!"  Ranma fills a bucket and splashes her father with it.  Sadly, some of the water hits Jamil and Josh.

    "Ack!" came from a blue-haired girl's mouth.

    "Hiss!" came from a wet rabbit-cat with a jewel on its head.

    The Tendos stare at the two people who are their guests.  Jamil is tightening her pants as Josh struggles out of his pants.

    "Same thing happen to you two?  The thing that happened to the Saotomes?" Kasumi asked.

    "Yup." answered Jamil.  Josh nodded.

    Jamil turns to Josh.  "Jun ken pow!"  Jamil hits his fist against his palm as Josh floats up and down.  Jamil keeps his fist in his hand as Josh transforms into a flat crystal.  A happy meowing sound can be heard from the crystal.

    "Ok...you win.  I'll be back."

    "Where are you going?" Kasumi asked sweetly.

    "I'm going to heat a kettle of water while those two calm down."  Jamil pointed at Ranma and Genma-panda fighting.

    "Here...let me help." Kasumi stands up and leads Jamil to the kitchen.

    Nabiki is busy drawing a sketch of Josh.  Below is writing of how much such an exotic animal is worth.  'I wonder if I can get a piece of crystal...?'

    Akane just sits there bored, although she was surprised to see a floating rabbit...or is that a cat?
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Later...
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    After everyone is calm and in their normal forms, Genma starts to tell the story.

    "Well one day my son stole a pie from this voodoo..."

    *SMACK*

    "Tell the RIGHT story pops!"

    "Ok...boy..."

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Flashback to a month ago....
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    Ranma and Genma are swimming across the ocean.

Genma's voice is heard. (Ranma and I were voyaging across the ocean to China.  We voyaged for many days, many nights.)

+-----------------------+
| "(....)" = Voice over |
+-----------------------+

    The scene changes to a mountain range, and shows a valley with many springs.  Each spring has at least one bamboo pole in it, two or more for the larger ones.

Genma "(It was in China's Mount Quanching region, Bayakala range Quinghai province that we finally found what we were looking for.)"

    Ranma and Genma are dressed in a gi and are following a pudgy looking Chinese man in a green Communist uniform.  The man is obviously the guide and is explaining something.

    "Here sirs we come to famous training ground of "Cursed Spring, Jusenkyo..." says the Guide.

    "Are you prepared Ranma?"

    "Ah man, this place ain't near as bad as I thought it would be."

    The guide becomes confused.  "Ah sirs, you are very strange ones no?  This place is very dangerous!  Nobody use it now 'cause more than one hundred spring here, and each one have own tragedy happen there!"

    "Nobody uses this?  Then who is that?"  Ranma points at a cloaked figure, who we know as Xellos.  The figure is laughing evilly.

    The guide looks in Xellos's direction.  "Hmm...Me no know sir, he no check in with me."

    Meanwhile Genma has jumped onto a pole.  "Come on RANMA!"

    "Wha...oh.  Comin' old man!"

    Ranma jumps onto a pole near Genma.

    The guide goes crazy.  "Aiya!  Sirs!  What you doing?!  Ohh!  I have not finished my tragic story!  You can't go there!"

    Ranma and his father scream as they leap in air and meet midpoint.  They exchange blows and land on another pole.

    They leap again and this time Ranma kicks Genma and his father lands in a pool.  Ranma notices a boy his age flying overhead for about 10 feet.  This distracts him as a panda leaps from the pool Genma landed in.  He looks a second too late and is kicked by the panda into the air.

    "Oof!"

    Ranma looks up in the air above him and sees that he hit the boy.  They both fall in the same pool.

    The guide talks to the panda.

    "Oh too bad.  You fall in Shonouniichuan, Spring of Drowned Panda.  Very tragic story of panda who drown there two thousand year ago.  The legend say, who ever fall in spring take body of panda.

    The guide walks over to the pool Ranma fell in.  Ranma and the other boy surface.  Ranma looks for the boy, but only sees a girl.

    "You two fall in Spring of Drowned Girl.  There very tragic story of girl who drown in spring one thousand five hundred year ago."

    Ranma looks down and notices the change of him for the first time.  She frightfully opens her gi.  She lets out a shriek.

-------
Flashback ends.
-------

    "So the true horror of Jusenkyo is finally revealed." Soun said nonchalantly.

    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN TRUE HORROR???" Ranma and Josh screamed.  Jamil unplugs his ears after the echo went away.  'I knew of the horror in the beginning...' Jamil thought.  "And so did Genma."

    "Huh?" everyone said, for that didn't make sense.

    "Genma knew about Jusenkyo.  He knew he would have to hide someway from his wife, so he deliberately fell into Spring of Drowned Panda.  They ARE endangered, you know."

    Genma looked around and coughed.  "Heh heh... I didn't mean for the boy to be cursed, its just that after all I did to Ranma that she'd...I mean what are you talking about _girl_?"

    Jamil scowled at the name.  Genma had been calling him a girl to spite him.

    "SAOTOME!  HOW DARE YOU ENDANGER OUR AGREEMENT!" Soun said in full demon-head mode.  Genma cringed and ran outside.  Soun started crying and said something along the lines of: Oh no!  Now the two schools will never be joined!

    Ranma frowned at his father.  'He had a mother?'

    Jamil laughed at Genma.  'Oh how much trouble he's gonna be in!'

    Josh was merely clueless.  Although he was glad Akane's glare was pointed at Ranma's father instead of him.

    Genma looked at the everyone.  Suddenly he heard something on the roof.  'There's a guy up there...he seems to be writing something down..."  The panda then picked up a rock and threw it.  It hit the guy square in the head.  The guy lost his balance after seconds of struggling and slid down the roof onto Genma.

    Now everyone was staring at the newcomer.  He was wearing black creased slacks and a black muscle shirt.  Over that he had a black trench coat and fedora.  On his right hand he wore a black glove that seemed to be made of metal, but was flexible.

    "Err...guess who?" the man said before disappearing.
-------

    The next day, Josh and Jamil were discussing the man that fell off the roof the night before.

    "I wonder who he is, and why he has been following us." Josh wondered.

    "Huh?"

    "When I am a cabbit, my senses are greater, and I always sensed him behind us, by smell, hearing, or sight."

    "So it looks like that form is useful..."  'even more so when you figure out how to turn into a spaceship.' Jamil continued in thought.

    "Maybe he's that other guy that Xellos had to talk to?" Josh said in an uncommon burst of wisdom.  Seeing that Jamil didn't understand, he explained.  "Remember how when we were...err...sucked into the portal, and he said he was late because he was talking to someone?"

    "Err...no."

    "That's the problem with you...you can't remember ANYTHING!"  Josh said as he slapped Jamil on the back of the head.

    "Hey!  Why'd ya do that for?"

    "Cause you can't remember anything!"

    "Can too!"

    "Can not!"

    "Wait....1...2...3...Jun...Ken....Pow!"

    Josh picked rock and so did Jamil.

    "Arrgh!  Lets try that again!"

    "One...two...THREE!"

    This time Jamil picked scissors and Josh picked paper.

    "Fine...I'll admit you CAN remember SOME things."

    "Anyway...why should I remember things when I have you around?"

    "Are you saying that I am just some tool that you use?"  Josh growled.

    Before a fight could occur, Nabiki walked into the doorway.  "Well...you two coming or not?"

    The two boys turned to the voice.  'Uh oh...how much of that did she hear?  I don't want anyone to know about Xellos or why we are here.'

    "Coming to what?" Josh asked.

    "School of course.  I checked school records and you two are already enrolled.  I am curious on why you didn't know that."  Nabiki grinned cat-like.

    "Uh...err...that is..." Josh started.

    Jamil glared at Josh, but finished the thought.  "We forgot."

    This surprised Nabiki.  Although that fit in with the conversation she just "overheard" it didn't make too much sense.  But then again, she didn't know anything but their names.  "Fine...I'm going.  You might want to follow Ranma and Akane to school."  She turned around and sauntered down the hallway.  'I'll find out all about you two...'

    Jamil and Josh went downstairs to see Ranma follow Akane out the door.  They ran to catch up and were a few feet behind them when Genma ran down the fence and hit Ranma.  Before they could make out what was happening, two lights flashed in front of the duo.  They looked down to see two book bags. On one read Jamil Yotaka, and on the other: Josh Zenpin.  What amazed Jamil more was that he could understand Kanji.  'Whoa...this is just too weird.'

    SPLASH!

    Jamil looked up and saw Ranma get splashed by an old lady who was watering the street.  "Next stop:  Dr. Tofu's office." he said to himself.  He then grabbed Josh's arm and started running at top speed to catch up with Akane and Ranma.
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Furinkan High
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    "Kuno...." said a voice.

    Tatewaki Kuno turned from behind a tree.  He saw a cloaked man with purple hair holding an odd staff in his right hand.  In his left hand, he held a glowing bokken.

    "You will meet a man who opposes your love to the beautiful Akane Tendo.  He will be your toughest opponent to date.  With this bokken, you can smite him and nothing will stand in between you and your love."

    "Tell me!  Mysterious one!  How can I have this bokken?  Although I, the mighty blue thunder of Furinkan High would need help is laughable, I see that you are very powerful yourself."

    "Oh, it is but a favor to me.  You must reveal a curse.  Accompanying Akane and her new fiance are two boys.  Each have a different curse but it is triggered the same.  Reveal this to the world, and you may use this more than once.  Today though, you can borrow it."  Xellos grinned mischieviously as he threw the glowing weapon to Kuno.

    "Thank you!  You must be the God of Truth for you see that Akane and my love is true!  I will do as you ask, but how should I return this weapon of glory?"

    "Don't worry, I'll retrieve it myself."

    Kuno bows and sheaths his new weapon.  He does not notice a glow surrounding his body as he does so.

    "Worldgate!" Xellos yells as a portal appears in front of him.  The Mazoku disappears from view.
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End of Chapter 2
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Heh!  Did you expect that?  Will Jamil and Josh be able to keep their curse a secret?  Do they want to?  Can Kuno defeat Ranma?  How will this new weapon help?  Exactly what DID Xellos do to Kuno?  Most will be revealed later!

Also...some of you might be wondering why this is called "The Catalyst" when Josh and Jamil aren't doing much, right?  Well who said that Josh & Jamil are the Catalysts?  I mean, they ARE being changed as much as the rest of the cast.  Could it be Xellos?  Toltirr?  That guy decked in black?  Or someone not yet named?

    Comictiger


Send all email to:

    Comictiger@hotmail.com

Thanks to all my Pre-readers!

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     http://www.geocities.com/comictiger


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