Here is the second secion of Part II. Continue commenting on this

	Enjoy, sorry about the inconvenience.


	The Legacy 
	PArt II: The Curse of Juesenkyo

	All characrets the property of Rumiko Takahashi

	Coming back into the room, he went over to the couch and pulled it back 
into position, sitting down and motioning for Akane to join him. Getting up she did 
so, sitting so she faced Ranma, their knees slightly touching.
     "I guess it will be easiest to just start out by saying, Ranko is the
cure for my curse, or at least the only one I could find. But, before you start 
asking questions, let me start at the beginning and tell my tale." Akane
nodded, keeping her curiosity under control.
     "When I left the dojo, my plan was actually very simple. I was
going to go to China, march into Jusenkyo, find the nannichuan and jump
in. Poof! No more curse. I should have realized that nothing is that easy with me. 
Anyway it took me about a month to get to Jusenkyo. Once there I quickly found the 
old Chinese guide and had him lead me to the Pool of
Drowned Man. He thought there was no problem, me being a man and
all, and so did what I asked."
     "On the way there he pointed out the various pools. Did you know
there is a Pool of Drowned Fish?" Akane laughed at that. Ranma liked it
when she smiled, and watched her for a second before continuing, "Getting
to the point, we arrived at the nannichuan. I was ecstatic at this point. I
was home free. Nothing had happened to stop me. I was finally going to
be cured! I did not even listen to the guide as he ran down the spiel on how
this was the pool were a man drowned tragically 1500 years ago."
     "Grabbing my canteen, I emptied it over myself and walked
towards the water. When the guide saw what had happened, he jumped at
me trying to stop me, telling me that this was wrong, that it would not
work. I ignored him and pushed him backwards out of my way. I was at
the edge of the pool now. The pleas of the guide behind me falling on deaf
ears. Taking a deep breath I jumped straight into the pool."
     "The water surrounded me. I felt the tingle that generally
accompanies my change. Exultant I exited the pool and looked at myself. I
screamed. I was still a girl. Nothing had happened. Furious I stormed up to
the guide and grabbed him, saying `I said take me to the Pool of Drowned
Man, not some plain pool of water!'"
     "`I'm sorry,' he said, `But Pool of Drowned Man won't cure curse
of Pool of Drowned Girl. Very tragic tale.' I about hit him at that point."
     "I asked him why it would not, and he shook his head and said,
`Very tragic tale.'"
     "I asked him what the tragic tale was and he said he did not know
and handed me the Chinese Communist Party Park Rangers Handbook.
Opening it to the section on Jusenkyo, I saw a map of all the pools, and
only one paragraph of instruction. `By decree of Communist Party all
curses are a result of a tragic tale involving drowned victim, in this way
we are able to promote the continued deception that our ancestors were
wrong and as such came to ends like these. Officially no stories exist,
accept that they are tragic of course, about any of the pools. Note: Hot
water reverses curse, cold water activates it. Being cursed is considered
treason and will be punished by death.'"
     "I sank to the ground, devastated. I could never be cured. I sat and
cried for a while until the guide came over to me and put his hand on my
shoulder. �Maybe if you find out the tragic tale you will find a way to cure
curse,' he said. Some hope was placed in my soul then. I did not really
expect to find a cure by listening to a story, but it was a chance that I
needed to take. I did not want to fail you, Akane. So I went in search of
the story of my curse."
     "I actually found the story pretty quickly. It only took me two
months of wandering through the mountains around Jusenkyo, asking
every villager, hermit, and peasant able to remember his own name if he
knew the story. I had traversed that area nearly three times when I finally
met someone I had missed before. He was an old man, who spent all of his
time sitting in his home halfway up a mountain simply watching the world
pass by."
     "I arrived there in the early afternoon. He was sitting on a stump
telling stories to a group of children. Tall and thin, he had a scraggly white
beard and a bald head, darkened and wrinkle like a raisin because of the
sun. I sat quietly and listened to him tell stories. I was exhausted from
climbing the mountain, and he told very good stories. After a time the
children disappeared to do chores and I was left alone with the old man.
Saying a quick prayer I walked up to him."
     " What do you want, boy?' he snapped at me. I told him about
what had brought me to China. The curse I was under, why I needed to
break it, and what had happened at Jusenkyo. Then I asked him if he knew
the story of the drowned girl and the drowned man, and why the nannichuan could not 
cure me. He nodded and said,  I know that story.' I asked him if he would tell it 
to me, and he said that he would and motioned for me to sit down."
     "He told the story masterfully, but I cannot even come close to his
performance, so I will just give you the idea of the story. Fifteen hundred
years ago the valley of Jusenkyo was under the rule of a well-respected
khan. Kubilai khan was his name. Under his rule the valley was prosperous
and flourished greatly. Kubilai khan, however, had become khan late in his
years, his father having ruled for nearly half-a-century. So only after ten
years he died, and his son Kaidu became khan of Jusenkyo khanate."
     "Now Kaidu was a handsome young man, for a Mongol. Women
for hundreds of miles would come and hope to gain his hand in marriage.
Kaidu khan entertained them all, but he had given his heart to only one girl.
Her name was Hui-cheng, a daughter of a Han prince who had been a
friend of Kubilai khan. When her father had died, she had been entrusted to
the care of Kubilai khan."
     "Hui-cheng did not love Kaidu khan because unlike his father, he
was not a just ruler. He would torture and kill people for the smallest
infraction of his personal laws. One such law was that if anyone stepped in
his shadow, they were to be beheaded immediately. Kaidu khan, however,
did not realize that Hui-cheng did not love him. He was considered a model
Mongol. Fierce, savage, strong, and well-built, he was an excellent man,
but his personality made it so Hui-cheng could not love him."
     "Instead Hui-cheng had fallen in love with a Han craftsman who
lived in the palace. His name was Sung Pao, an apprentice wood carver for
the khan. Sung Pao had befriended Hui-cheng after her father had died.
Giving her comfort and small carved gifts he had slowly and accidentally
won her heart. At the same time, Hui-cheng's beauty and sweet disposition
caused Sung Pao to fall in love with the princess."
     "Over the years their love grew. They kept it hidden from the khan
and the other palace servants, but soon rumors began to spread. Hearing
the rumors at one point, Kaidu khan finally understood why Hui-cheng
would not love him back. Furious he devised on a plan to show her that he
was the most powerful and deserving man of her love."
     "One night he sent his guards after Hui-cheng and Sung Pao, as
they snuck away to be together. When they were away from the castle, the
guards grabbed them and drugged them. Tying the two lovers in ropes they carried 
them down to the sacred pools of Jusenkyo, where Kaidu khan
awaited them."
     "Once there, the two lovers were revived. Hui-cheng woke next to
the khan, facing a pool of calm water. Sung Pao was kneeling in front of
the pool, bound, his head bowed against his chest."
     "Kaidu khan stood up and walked to the figure of Sung Pao.
Taking a knife he cut Sung Pao's bonds and ordered him to stand. Shakily
Sung Pao rose to his feet and faced his enraged khan."
     "'Hui-cheng,' Kaidu khan announced loudly, �I will prove to you
that I am the only man worthy of your love. I will show how weak your
lover truly is and how strong I am.' With that he handed the terrified Sung
Pao a sword, and then drew his own. With an enraged cry, Kaidu khan
charged the Han."
     "The fight was short and ugly. Sung Pao was a man of peace and
knew nothing of weapons. On top of this he was a sworn servant of the
khan. As such he could not harm the khan under threat of death, nor could
he disobey the order of the challenge. So Sung Pao stood there and did
nothing, allowing Kaidu khan to have his way."
     "It was over soon. Sung Pao lay dying on the ground, his arms and
legs dismembered, his guts spilled on the earth. The victorious bellows of
the khan covered up Sung Pao's cries of pain, but not Hui-cheng's enraged
cry of grief at the sight."
     "Standing she rushed forward and fell on her knees beside the fallen
form of her lover. Crying she stroked his hair, as he gazed into her eyes,
finally breathing his last and sinking to the ground. Hui-cheng raised her
voice in a keening wail of grief as her lover died. The wail silenced all of
the revelry by the khan and his men."
     "Kaidu khan was taken by shock when he saw Hui-cheng sobbing
and wailing over her lost lover, her body covering his as she grieved.
Confused the khan approached her and said, �Why do you grieve, love?
Have I not proven to you that he was a man unworthy of your love?'"
     "Hui-cheng's sobs ceased as she heard the khan's words. Slowly
climbing to her feet, she stared into the khans eyes and began to speak, anger and 
rage filling her voice."
 	"�How do you know who is worthy of my love? Who are you to decide whether 
this man was honorable or a man among men? I knew this man better than you could 
ever. He had a gentle heart and a kind spirit. He was there to comfort me. He would 
give help to those in need. He cared not for himself, but for others. He served you 
faithfully, not even raising his blade against you as you attacked him without 
reason. And yet you call him
unworthy of my love! You who are a butcher among butchers. You whose
very deeds make the earth weep as you walk upon it. You who are feared
by all and loved by none. Is that what makes a man? Is a man one who can
terrorize and destroy the beauty of life around him? No! A true man can
only be found in the kind heart. A true man is one who is dedicated to
peace and beauty, who lives honorably. Sung Pao was such a man, and he
gained my love, which you will never have'"
     "'I will show you the power of a true man. The power of love. I
curse you to a pitiless life. You will never be loved by another woman. You
will never have my love or my body, and I will wait for all eternity to gain back 
my love! Because our love will surpass even the bonds of death itself.'"
     "With that proclamation, Hui-cheng turned and dove into the pool.
Kaidu khan stood still stunned by his love's words and watched uncomprehending as 
the surface calmed once again. No one moved,
waiting for the body of Hui-cheng to float to the surface. It never did."
     "The khan stood by the pool for three days waiting for Hui-cheng,
stung and dishonored by her refusal. Finally he stood up and looked at the
pool. His love and grief had slowly transmuted over the three days into a pure rage 
of dark hatred. "If you think your love will overcome death, then so too shall my 
anger surpass my death and bring sorrow upon your life once more. You will love me 
or die, Hui-cheng!' with that he turned and trampled over Sung Pao's body as he 
walked into the pool opposite the one Hui-cheng had disappeared into. Ignoring the 
cries of his retainers, Kaidu khan disappeared beneath the waters, never to be seen 
again. As the water closed over his head, his pool and Hui-cheng's filled with 
light and shone on the body of Sung Pao. As the light died the body of Sung Pao had
disappeared, and so ends the tragic tale of Hui-cheng and Sung Pao. But
many say that one day Hui-cheng will be reborn, and Sung Pao and Kaidu
khan must once again face each other for the love of Hui-cheng."
     Ranma stopped speaking. His throat was dry, and his eyes were
wet. The tale always saddened him. He felt the pain of Hui-cheng and the
wonderful spirit of Sung Pao. He trembled at the anger of Kaidu khan, and
hoped beyond all hope that his daughter would not have to go through that
ordeal. He watched Akane for a second. He could see the tears rolling
down her cheek.
     "I never knew the story," she said, "That was horrid. I never knew
a human could be so cruel." a thought suddenly occurred to her, "Does that
mean Ranko is..?"
     "I don't know," Ranma answered, "I hope not, Akane-chan. I hope
not."

	
	Notes:
	This was actually the first half of Part II, originally, but I decided a 
50-oddkb section was a bit big to post so I broke it in the center. The second 
section became PArt III which I am posting at the same time as this.

	A few notes of the curse story.
	I do not know if the Mongols had any control of China in the 500's AD, but 
I just took a creative liscense with it. Most of the information about khans, names 
which are the names of real Mongols Marco Polo meet (Thanks to Gary Jennings and 
his book The Journeyer), their concept of bravery and manhood, and the reaction of 
the underlings to the khan are all real. 
	Han is the ancient name for the CHinese, they were the buearaucrats and 
artisans of the Mongol empires. 

	Arigato, sorry once again about size (Part III will probably be like this 
too)

	Joseph "Ashira" Kohle