f you are reading this story, please tell me.  I know I have
problems in my stories, and I desperately need the C&C.

Things happen how they happen.  This story is a product of my 
imagination,
and the pain I feel.

<disclaimer>
Okay, before I let you into the story, I have to state that THIS IS A 
VERY DARK STORY! If you don't like that theme of story, turn back 
now.  Also included in this story are scenes of rape and murder, so 
you would be well advised to turn away if you hate that kind of stuff 
as well. </disclaimer>



Happi's Legacy,
A Ranma 1/2 Alternate world
By Liath Corrine Shadow
Episode 2


Darkness surrounds me.

Well, my eyes are closed, so of course I should only see darkness.

But darkness isn't just in the sight...it's in the feel.

I open my eyes slowly, and glance around me.  something feels
wrong, something feels...not right.

I'm in a room, not surprising.  It's dark outside, I probably slept a 
long
time.

Someone is in the room with me.  Someone small, shrivelled.

Whoever it is is standing, or is it sitting?, in the far corner of 
the
room.  Whoever it is looks up at me, and I can see into his eyes.

Deep into his eyes.

"I'm sorry.  I'm so, so sorry," My father whispers before vanishing
from my sight, leaving only a seeming of shimmering air.

Amazement strikes my heart.  My father?  Saying he's sorry?  Couldn't
happen...

Unless...

Could he have changed?

Could death really have changed him that much?

The shimmering air is still hanging in front of me.  Why hasn't it
disappeared?

A foot slowly steps down, from no-where.  A foot, then a leg, firmly
muscled.

Slowly, as if whoever it was was fighting what was happening, a large 
bald
man appears.

The man from my dreams.

"Ranma,"  He whispers.  I can see tears in his eyes.  He holds his 
hands
out to me, still whispering, "Ranma, my son.  If, if only I could 
protect
you..."

"My son,"  his final whisper is carried on the wind, as he is dragged 
back
into the air by some unseen force.

Shivering, I watch as the air slowly stops shimmering.  I feel as 
though
something that should have happened didn't.

And won't, ever again.

*****

Morning comes with it's usual regularity.  Sun comes up, check.  Roll
over, check.  Father glomps me...

I wait.

Five minutes pass by.

Still waiting.

I peek open my eyes, sure that I'll see him sneaking up on me.

He's not there.

What happened?  He should be...here...

Memories rush back to me.  Yesterday, everything...

Men don't cry.

But, am I a man now?  Have I ever really been a man?

Tears flow down my cheeks as I give in.  A knock on my door,
someone...no...Kasumi asking, "Are you okay, Ranma-chan?  Imouto?"

I try to call out, but it only comes as a whisper, "I....I don't 
know..."

I think it was loud enough, because Kasumi opens the door quietly, 
slips
in, and closes the door behind her.  She walks over to me and kneels 
down,
lifting me carefully, and embracing me in a gentle hug.

"Ranma-chan, I know things are bad for you,"  She whispers in my ear,
"They are bad for everyone here,"  her hand strokes through my 
hair...just
like I remember my mother doing.

I hold onto her tightly, hoping that her gentleness isn't a dream, 
that
I'm not dreaming this kindness.

"Ranma, let me tell you a story..."

*****

A little girl stands just outside of her mothers kitchen.  She can 
smell
all the delicious foods coming from there, but she's not allowed in 
there.

The kitchen is Mothers Place.

Mother is kind and gentle in the Outside World, but in Mothers Place, 
it's
as if she's a different person entirely.

Screams of rage come from the kitchen as something goes wrong, yet 
again.
Things fly around, a few even hitting the walls.  Bursts of light and
crashes of thunder are heard in the kitchen.

Mothers Place is sacred.  None may go there.

"I want to be like her," the little girl whispers, "like Mother is in 
the
Outside World.  I don't want to be like her in Mothers Place,"  the 
girl
jumps back as a flying frying pan hits the wall right next to the 
door.  A
deep sadness is seen in her Mother's eyes as she looks at her 
daughter,
just outside of the room, "I love you, Mother.  I want to be a 
mother,
like you, but not like you."

That same day, her Mother brought her into the kitchen, and taught 
the
little girl.  She taught her how to be a Mother, how to hold 
everything
inside.  Her teachings also included how to cook, and the little girl
loved that.

Her mother also taught her many things that would startle and amaze.  
The
girl has never shown anyone these teachings.  Ever.

*****

"The little girl,"  I whisper, "Is...is she you?"  I look up at 
Kasumi's
face, and feel the warmth of love.

"Yes, imouto, I was that little girl,"  She kisses me on the forehead 
and
hugs me gently, "Please, Ranma-chan, you need to get ready for 
school.
Maybe a routine will help you settle down, ne?"  Her smile seems to 
be
infectuous, and I in turn smile a little.

"Hai...maybe it will,"  I whisper, as Kasumi slowly stands up and 
walks
out the door.  It might be my imagination, but I think I see little 
stars
floating around her as she quietly closes the door.

*****

As I come down the stairs, Akane meets me.

"Are you okay?" She asks me, carefully looking me over, "we were so
worried last night when you collapsed like that..."

I whisper, "I'm sorry.  I....everything just surprised me and...I 
don't
know,"  I hang my head down.  I must have messed up so bad.  Now I 
won't
have any family...

Akane steps closer to me, and then holds me gently against her.  She
whispers in my ear, "When were you born, Ranma?  I'd...like to know
please?"

I'm confused, why does she want to know that?  I whisper, "February
17'th," Akane's big smile seems out of place, "Why are you smiling 
like that?" I nervously ask.

"Because, imouto, I wanted to see who was older,"  she smiles
mysteriously, "You are sixteen, yes?"

I blush, and nod.  Akane smiles happily again and whispers in my ear, 
"I'm
two days older,"  before picking me up (I didn't know I was THAT 
light...)
and taking me into the family room.

"What are you doing, Akane?"  a terrified Kasumi cries out.

Akane waves to her older sister, "Just carrying my imouto to the 
table,
like I always wanted to,"  She calmly replies.  I can tell she's 
having
fun.

Wait.

_My_ imouto?

So...they...were...asking...for...real?

A scared Akane looks into my face, "Are you okay, Ranma?  You're as 
stiff
as a board..."  I'm still startled at what has finally occurred to 
me.
Slowly, hesitantly, I raise my arms, and wrap them around Akane.

"Thank you," I whisper.

Some strange feeling overcomes me.  I think it might be love.

Why is the room sparkling like that?

*****

Akane and I are running to school, late, I think.

Well, it's more like Akane is running, and I'm being dragged.  But 
it's
still fun.  She tells me all these horror stories about some wierd 
pervert
named Kuno who made some wierd challenge to her, and another pervert
named Kinuko who has also been challenging Akane in her own way.

She says, with some mirth in her voice, that occasionally the two 
will
fight each other, rather than her.

Just as the school comes into view, she starts chanting some kind of
mantra.  Something doesn't bode well for the mass of males crowding 
in
front of the gate, "I hate boys I hate boys I really really hate 
boys"

I almost think that I'm going to be used as a battering ram, before 
Akane
throws me up in the air.  I didn't think I weighed this little.  I 
watch
in amazement as Akane finishes off beating up the boys, making a 
complete
mess of unconscious bodies, just in time to catch me on my way down.  
*boy
is she good...* I think as she sets me down carefully.

"Listen, imouto, some of these people are really good, and I don't 
want
you getting hurt, okay?"  I look up into her eyes and nod.  She's 
grown
quite a bit, hasn't she?  I didn't have to look up this much so long
ago...

We start to walk towards the front doors, when Akane catches two 
things
that were thrown to, or is it at?, her.

One red rose, and one white rose.

"The flower of beauty is such," a male voice starts saying.

"Oh go put a sock in it," another voice snaps out. A definitely 
female
voice.

"Who dare challenges Tatewaki Kuno this way?"  the boy cries out.  He
appears from behind a tree, and I can see him fairly clearly.  A male 
half
japanese teenager, almost seventeen years old, decent build, smooth
moving, but not too intelligent.  He's also carrying a wooden sword 
of
some kind. I guess my fathers quick appraisal classes came in handy, 
after
all.

"I do, same as I do every day," the girl replies, fairly miffed.  She
steps out from behind another tree, closer to the school, and on the 
other
side of the sidewalk.  She appears to be half japanese also, sixteen 
and a
half years old, graceful, gentle, and fairly smart, for a blonde.  
She's
also carrying one really big scary naginata.

Akane sighs, which makes both people look our way.  The boy glances 
at me
for a second, and then stares at Akane.

The girl, however, looks at me.

and stares at me.

How interesting...water seems to be dribbling out of her mouth...

No, that's drool.

Oh.

Dear.

God.

Akane whispers in my ear, "Ranma-chan, you really should have worn a 
bra
today..." and giggles at my blush.  She continues, a little louder, 
"Well,
at least you got her off of my shoulders," and winks at me 
conspiratorily.

The girl, somehow, picks her jaw up off of the floor, walks over to 
me,
and kneels at my feet.  She proclaims, loudly, "The flower of beauty 
is
such; That a bloom might take forever to bloom," She continues with 
the
poetry, and Kuno mutters from off to the side.

Fairly loudly, too, "She complains about my poetry, and then steals 
it
from me."

The girl turns and glares at him, "At least I can say it with style, 
you,
however, are a boorish cretinous male, who could never do anything 
more
than be inadequate!"

Akane whispers, "Here it comes..."

Kuno stands in front of the girl, I'm pretty sure that she's Kinuko, 
now,
and draws his wooden sword, (*bokken* my mind remembers) facing off
against her.  Kinuko picks up her naginata from where she dropped it 
at my
feet, and stands in front of him.  Absently, I wonder how a wooden 
sword
can stand against the steel blade of the naginata, until I hear the
*clang* of the impact between the two weapons.  Multiple clangs.  
Very
fast.  My eyes nearly pop out of their sockets in surprise as I 
marvel at
the sheer _speed_ that the two are fighting at.

Akane says in my ear, as I watch the two fighting, "Kuno is the 
champion
of the boys kendo club here.  Kinuko is pretty new, though.  She came 
here
almost two months ago from journeying in china.  At first everyone 
thought
that Kuno would beat Kinuko in a fair fight.  Then she pulled out 
that
naginata and pounded him into the dirt."

"She's good..." I whisper...eyes locked on the graceful form of 
Kinuko as
she fought.

Then, something happens.

Well, normally things happen, but this is a little unexpected.

Someone, I don't know who, has walked up behind me.

This someone reaches around me, and, his obviously male hands, 
proceed to
wrap around my breasts.

And squeeze.

Everything goes black, and I can hear screaming.  I wonder whose it 
is?

When I can finally see again, I'm sitting in a corner between two 
stone
walls.  My back is to the walls.

I'm looking towards the front gate...and there I see Akane and Kinuko 
both
beating someone into a pulp.

Into a very messy pulp.

Slowly, I stop shivering.  Taking deep breaths, I try to calm myself 
down.
It's not working...

He...grabbed...me...

The shivering turns to shuddering, and I lean over.  Retching, I lose 
the
breakfast I had before we ran to school.

Akane is beside me, holding me tightly, whispering softly.  Tears are
flowing down my face...when did that happen?  I'm crying, holding 
onto
Akane, "He...grabbed...me," I sob out, "he squeezed
me...he....hurt...me..."  My tears are running down, landing on 
Akane's
school blouse.

"Shhh...be quiet, imouto...I know...he won't do that to you ever 
again..."
she holds me tightly and rocks me in her arms, "You shouldn't have to 
be
hurt like this at all, and you have another protector to help with 
it,
now..." her whispering voice helps soothe my fear.

I look up, slowly, and look into the deep green eyes of the girl who
helped
Akane pount the boy into the ground, "Thank you," I whisper, still 
holding
Akane tightly.  The girl turns suddenly, and I'm almost afraid that 
she's
angry with me, until I see her naginata fly to the side and clock 
someone
on the head, knocking him out.

Kuno lands to the ground, mumbling, "My love, I shall comfort you..."

*****

My father has never made me regularily attend schools before, so 
almost
everything here is new to me.  One really new thing is when the 
teacher
introduces me to the class, and then sends me, Akane, and Kinuko out 
into
the halls with a pair of water buckets each.

Akane and Kinuko both are bored with the standing, but me...

My arms hurt.

I am about to ask Kinuko about her trip in China, when suddenly a 
splash
of water flies over us, with someone yelling, "Never!  You shall 
never be
the protectoress of the flame haired one!"

Water drips down my front, landing on the already drenched floor
underneath me.

Akane is dripping similarily.

Kinuko...is missing.

Although there is this really big white tiger standing beside me, 
Kinuko
seems to have gone missing.

The tiger snarls...uh-oh...it's gonna eat me...and then springs 
towards a
very startled Kuno.

"Vile sorceress, come out of thy feline form and face me!" he swings 
his
bokken at the tiger...and misses by a mile.

Oh, no, wait...

The wooden sword is in pieces on the floor, _that's_ why he missed.

Akane sighs as Kuno is batted around like the proverbial mouse.  
Akane
whispers in my ear, "Kinuko has been to jusenkyou like you, Ranma-
chan,"
She smiles, "Although she has probably had her form longer than you 
have."

I whisper, in shock, "That's....her?" as the white tiger almost 
absently
finishes off the fight by knocking Kuno out of a nearby open window.  
She
then turns to us, looks at me, and then holds her head down.

Kinuko-tiger backs away slowly...as if she were afraid...

I walk towards her and, haltingly, hug her around her big furry neck. 
 I
whisper, "I like cats," into her ear.  I'm afraid.  So afraid...

And yet I want a friend...enough that I would do this...

A big tongue running up my face in a feline kiss startles me, and 
causes
Akane to laugh.

A hesitant smile creeps onto my face.  This might be....fun.

*****

The day is over, and everyone heads home from school.  Akane and 
Ranma
head back to the Tendo Dojo.  Kuno runs off to his mansion.  
Kinuko...

*****

I get home from school, earlier than usual.  I walk into the reading 
room,
and pull a book entitled, "Ferocious Felines" half way out of the 
case,
then let it slide back in.

A section of the wall creaks, and moves slightly outwards.  I grasp 
the
edge firmly, and pull open the hidden door.

The scent of magic and various herbal ingredients assault my nose as 
I
slip down the hidden stairs into my lair.  A smokeless oil lamp burns
brightly in the center of the room, lighting up all the areas that I 
need
right now.

Ranma likes cats, the thought runs through my head.

I so want to be rid of this curse, though.

Ranma likes cats, it seems like a mantra, as I start preparing the 
last of
the ingredients I need to cast the spell to uncurse me.

Ranma likes cats.  I start chanting, the circle of Ouroboros, the 
world
serpent, at my feet begins to glow.  Red sand marks a circle of magic
inside of the snake design.  The sand also begins to glow.

Ranma likes cats.  The circle, prepared, stands ready, glowing 
faintly in
the light.

Ranma likes cats.  I step into the circle, take a deep breath, and 
make my
wish.

Ranma likes cats.  "I,"  Ranma likes cats, "wish," Ranma likes cats, 
Ranma
likes cats, "to be rid of this curse."

A feeling overcomes me.  The circle flashes, and I can hear a deep 
bell
tone in the distance.  "It is done."

Ranma likes cats.  I look down at myself, sure that I'll see my 
normal
body, free of the curse.

Free of the curse, yes, but not my normal body.

My human form seems to have merged with the tiger form I had before, 
fine
white fur decorates my arms.

Oh dear...at least Ranma likes cats.

*****

Mother isn't too pleased at my recent...mishap.  Actually, angry 
would
come closer.   So would furious.

"What convinced you that you had to use that awful spell?"  she yells 
at
me, "You know that it screws up all the time!  Mischief is always 
running
after our family, and you tempted fate like that??"  I hang my head 
down.
This is so embarrasing!  My new tail twitches as my mother continues 
her
lecture.

For almost an hour I stand there, pretending to listen to my mothers
ranting, but really ignoring her.

How will I manage to find a school uniform that would fit me now?

*****

Three gods sit laughing in their chairs, pointing at the little girl 
that
used a mischief making spell.

One god sits apart from his fellow deities.  He stares at the little 
group
of people, held in a timeless dimension, two of which have already 
left.

A third looks up at him, and he understands her request.

She disappears.

*****

Akane and I are talking about what had happened at school today.  She
explains that Kinuko had told of her trip to China before.  She was
actually from this area, a long time ago, but her mother had taken 
her to
a village of Amazons, to learn the ways of the warrior and the ways 
of
magic. Akane was about to mention something else, when I hear a knock 
at
the front door.

Kasumi calls out, "I'll get it,"  as she rushes to the door.  Again, 
I can
see those sparkles around her, flashing brightly in the evening 
light.  We
hear her open the door, and talk to the person there.  Curious, I 
stand up
and peek around the corner, and see an old woman perched on a walking
stick talking to Kasumi.

Kasumi turns around, "Ranma-chan," She calls, "You have a visitor."

Akane walks behind me, I can tell it's her because she's been going
everywhere with me recently, and we look at the old woman.

"My name is Cologne,"  The woman says, looking at me in a funny way.

"Hello..." I reply, curious, and maybe a little scared.  How does she 
know
me?  I don't even know who she is.

"I have come here to ask you something,"  Cologne continues, "and I 
hope
you do not consider it rude.  What did you think of the amazon girl
you...fondled, when you visited the village not too long ago?"

Akane looks at me in confusion as I blush, "She was...um...nice," I
whisper, "why do you ask?"

The woman smiles, "I just wished to know something.  Maybe I will see 
you
again."

She hops on her walking stick about 5 feet, away from the house, and 
then
disappears into the air....just like Father and the other man did 
last
night.

"What was that all about?"  Akane asks me in confusion.

"I don't know," I whisper, "but I really wish I did."

*****


Thank you for reading.  C&C is much appreciated!

I await the flames!!!

Liath Corrine Shadow
Shadow Dancer
Shadow-Chan

<Love, Laughter, Imagination, and Hope>
Shadow's Edge

The shadow is longer than the sun itself,
Its edge goes on to the light,
Walk ye at the edge of the shadow,
To finally understand the night.
(c) Liath Corrine Hidson, June 14,2002



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