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al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx
The Four Birds of Fire
Second Step: RedBird
Encounter with the flames
She opened her eyes. Everything was blurry, but she could tell the
shapes of two women sitting beside her. She tried getting up, but a dull
pain in her head kept her from moving.
"How... how do you feel, Ranma?" Akane asked, seeing her waking up.
"Are you all right?" Kasumi asked as well. Ranma-chan groggily sat up.
Her body was numb, she felt as if she had awakened from a long,
dreamless
sleep. Again her head throbbed. She slowly brought a hand upwards,
holding her
forehead with it. A light grunt escaped from her lips as she did so.
"Take it easy, Ranma," Akane said, putting her hands on Ranma-chan's
arm. "You've been out for a long time."
"What happened?" Ranma-chan asked, quietly.
"We thought you'd know. Auntie Saotome brought you yesterday, and
you've been unconscious since."
Ranma suddenly snapped completely awake. She looked around wildly,
trying to see her mother. She was nowhere to be found. "Where...where's
Mom?"
"She left, Ranma. A few hours ago."
"What? Why did..."
Akane turned more serious, "Tell me what happened, Ranma. Yesterday,
your mom brought you on her back, and you were out cold. All the time
she was
here, looking over you. A while ago, she said she didn't want to hurt
you anymore, and she left. She even cried, Ranma. So tell me, what
happened?"
Ranma was shocked. She couldn't remember anything, but when Akane told
her how her mother had felt, she could practically feel a cold pressure
inside
her chest. "I... I don't know." Her eyes were starting to become watery
again. "I don't know! I don't remember anything!" she slammed her fists
on the futon, a few droplets running from the corners of her closed
eyes.
Nabiki walked in, holding a small tape recorder in her hand.
"Ranma-kun, I--"
Akane quickly stood up and led Nabiki outside. "What's going on?" Nabiki
asked.
"Shh. I don't think Ranma is feeling very well. Maybe we should leave
him alone for a while."
"Then I don't think I would be a good idea to show him this," Nabiki
raised the recorder. Akane shook her head. "Now I'll have to keep this
away from him," Nabiki said, "I should charge you for this, you know.
But maybe it's not a very good time." Akane breathed easily, and
returned to the room.
It was already dark outside. Everybody had finished dinner by now, but
Kasumi had saved a little for Ranma. Still in her female form, she was
eating like a, uh, like her namesake, as if she hadn't in months. Nobody
spoke as her father and the Tendos watched the food vanish inside her
mouth. When Ranma-chan finished, she silently rose from the table. She
only thanked Kasumi for the excellent meal. It was obvious to Akane she
was still feeling pretty bad about what happened.
"Ranma, will you be okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I guess. Maybe I'll just go jump off a cliff or something right
now. If you see Ryouga, tell him he can kill me. Okay?"
Akane and the others watched as Ranma-chan skulked her way upstairs,
looking as cheerful as a visitor to the memorial in Hiroshima.
"Ranma..." Akane said, softly.
"I'll go talk to him," Genma said.
Ranma flopped down on the floor of her room, feeling utterly miserable.
She had been very unmanly before her mother. She had even made her cry.
It was all because of the curse.
Standing up, she headed for the mirror. The lights were turned off, but
she could still see herself, a pigtailed GIRL wearing Chinese clothes,
She hated that image. Everything about it, she despised. The red hair,
the small size, the blue eyes... everything. She began to fill with
rage, a rage she directed fully toward the girl she saw in the mirror.
Ranma hated her. It was all
her fault. She was the reason for every single trouble. She clenched her
fists. She was so furious, she closed her eyes so she could no longer
see her reflection. Then, with a cry, she crashed the mirror with her
right fist.
Slowly, she reared her arm backwards. Small trickles of blood ran from
her knuckles, caused by the tiny fragments of glass embedded in the
flesh. But she didn't notice the pain. She spun around, when something
caught her eye: the
top drawer of the dresser was slightly open, and she could clearly see a
stack
of pictures inside. Pictures of herself. She threw a savage punch
towards it
with her left hand, closing her eyes. The fist suddenly stopped, as if
it had
connected with a soft pillow. The feeling was warm and soothing, but she
didn't notice it. She next tried punching the wall, using both fists
this time. Again, she was stopped by the warm barrier. But this time,
her right
hand also began to heal up rapidly. Unaware of her punches being
stopped, she
continued pounding away, releasing all her frustration. A small whimper
followed every punch. She had never felt so helpless.
Genma came into the room, "Ranma, I want to have a word with--"
He saw an enraged Ranma-chan pounding away at something on the wall.
Then she stopped and turned around, looking for a new target. Genma
hurriedly scrambled out of the room, pushing Akane into it instead. "He,
ah, he's your fiance. Maybe _you_ should talk to him."
Ranma saw Akane enter the room, but ignored her. Not even in such state
would she dare hurt Akane. Then she looked towards the open closet.
Something white caught her attention. Opening her hand, she delivered a
straight-handed spear thrust towards the white gown her mother had
bought for her. The air whistled as it was sliced by her hand.
"Ranma!" she heard Akane shout.
And she stopped.
Her hand was less than an inch away from the gown. The fabric swung
back gently to the breeze she had caused. She stared forward, her eyes
blank. Her breathing came in ragged gasps.
"My... my God," she said, coming to her senses. "What am I doing?" she
looked at her hands, still shaky from the previous tension. Akane
quickly rushed up to her, both girls falling to their knees. Ranma
looked downwards, trying to keep herself in one piece.
"It's okay, Ranma. It's okay." Akane said in a soothing tone, holding
Ranma's hands with her own. After a while, the redhead began to calm
down, her
breathing much easier now. Akane could see her face was still red and
soaked.
She had been through so much pressure, Akane felt relieved to see her
fiance
begin to relax... until Happosai smashed through the window, carrying a
sack
nearly five times his size.
"He, he he! What a haul!" he laughed. He looked around the room, "What?
Where's the lovely lady I heard about?" Akane and Ranma-chan looked at
the old
man. "Not now," Akane thought, "don't say that _now_..."
"Somebody told me there was a pretty lady here, carrying a katana.
Wonder where she is..." he noticed Ranma's tear-streaked face. "Oh,
don't cry, my Ranma-chan. I haven't forgotten you. Maybe when I find
that lady, I'll let
both of you serve me." He grinned evilly.
Akane immediately backed up towards the door, frightened. She covered
her eyes, not wanting to see the bloody mess the old man was about to
turn into. After witnessing that small fraction of Ranma's anger, she
knew what would
happen when her fiance became fully enraged.
Ranma shivered visibly, mostly out of anger than of sadness. She lifted
her head slowly, until she could see the lecher completely. "How...
dare...
you..." she said. Happosai took a step backwards.
"How DARE you say that... about MY MOTHER!!"
"What?!"
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
Despite his great skill, not even the old master could avoid the 638
furious punches Ranma sent his way. He managed to block a good 40% of
them, but the sheer power of Ranma's anger sent him flying toward the
far wall. Instantly he bounced back and lunged at her, using his pipe to
throw her beside
the window. To her surprise, she landed softly, completely unharmed.
But then Happosai threw a Happodaikarin at her. She threw her arms
upwards, defending from the blast. When the smoke cleared, she was still
unhurt. The old goat took out another bomb, but then a lightning-fast
fireball came in through the window, next to Ranma, and lit the fuse.
The bomb blew up in his hands. Dazed, Happosai saw the world swirl
around him, then saw an equally confused
Ranma-chan in front of him. Not thinking, he launched himself at her
through
the cloud of smoke, ready to grope onto anything in reach.
Everything had fallen silent. Akane opened her eyes and saw a large
cloud of smoke inside the room, but nothing had been damaged, except for
Happosai. But something seemed wrong. Then she realized it.
Happosai was suspended in midair.
He appeared to be encased in a small, orange glowing sphere, nearly two
feet in diameter. From the outside, it looked like soft cotton, but the
inside
was stronger than steel: the old man struggled harmlessly to get out.
Genma and Soun came into the room, startled by the sounds of the fight.
They, too, saw the orb. By the look on their faces, Akane could tell
they were
amazed. Then Ranma, who had fallen silent, stretched her hand towards
the orb,
entranced. "Don't--" Akane began to say, but Ranma didn't seem to be
hurt by
the bright sphere. In fact, its light became much more intense when she
fingered it, as in response.
Without warning, Ranma returned to normal --as normal as she could be,
anyway. She reared back, angrily looking at the midget inside the orb.
"Just
what kind of demon did you release this time, you old freak!?" the globe
glowed angrily when she said the word "demon".
"Hmmm," Soun hmmmed, rubbing his chin with his fingers. "Are you
thinking what I'm thinking, Saotome-kun?"
"Yes, Tendo-kun. It's an aura shield."
"Aura shield?" Akane and Ranma-chan blinked.
"Indeed," Soun said, pointing at the sphere, "A solid shield created
completely by ki. It is the work of a true master." Puzzled, Ranma
touched it again, this time with her entire hand. The surface was warm
and soft, like what she felt when she tried punching the wall a few
minutes ago. Soon everybody was
touching it, forgetting Happosai completely. It did resemble the aura
Ranma
felt whenever she summoned her ki, only it was more powerful. Nearly as
powerful as that of the ki master, Herb.
"Ranma, what were you doing when this happened?" Genma asked.
"I was just fighting the old creep again. He attacked me with a bomb,
but something contained the blast. When he took out another one, a
fireball blew it up in his hands. And now this."
Genma crossed his arms in a thoughtful manner. "There can be no other
explanation..."
"What?"
"Somebody else sent these aura shields either to attack the master, or
to protect you from him."
"But who would want to do that?" Akane asked.
"That's what I'm wondering." Ranma replied.
Meanwhile, Happosai was listening to the conversation, and was
beginning to summon his own ki.
"That's it! Nobody's keeping me from my beautiful Ranma-chan!"
Everybody was taken aback as his battle aura started to expand,
filling the entire sphere, which receded slightly because of the massive
assault. Then it pressed back again, trying to contain the old man's
power. A
few cracks appeared inside it. Happosai smiled, and pushed harder.
"It's not going to hold any longer!" Soun shouted. Immediately, a
small handle materialized on top of the orb. Holding it, Ranma-chan
punted the
sphere, Happosai and all, through the window. They heard a distant
explosion,
and the area was bathed in orange light.
"My my, what beautiful fireworks," Kasumi said, seeing the light from
inside the kitchen. Resuming her happy tune, she just went back to
washing the
dishes.
Let's talk
Akane walked up the stairs, carrying a thick, small envelope in her
hand. It was midday, and Ranma still hadn't woken up. Whatever happened
when his mother had brought him, must have really shaken his mind. She
would have liked to be there, or at least to know what had happened
between him and his mother. She could still remember that look on
Nodoka's face as she looked over the unconscious Ranma-chan. The image
was seared on her mind, and she would try to do anything in her power to
make sure that image wouldn't be repeated.
She opened the door to his room. There he was, practically hibernating.
She raised the envelope in her hands, and released it above his gut. He
awoke instantly.
"Wha... what?" he said, half asleep. "Akane? What are you...?" She
pointed at the envelope. He took it in his hands, "What is this?"
Akane turned away, "Everybody chipped in for it. I think it's enough
for a round trip by plane."
"What... do you mean?"
She ignored the question. "Even Nabiki cooperated. I still can't
believe it," she smiled.
He looked nervously at the envelope. When he opened it, he saw it was
packed with money. A lot of money. And reservations for a flight for
China.
"You mean this is for..."
Akane nodded. "I couldn't... _we_ couldn't endure it any longer, after
seeing
what happened with your mother. Just... just use that money and go to
China.
Maybe you can return to the springs and..."
Ranma turned to Akane. She still had her back to him, but he could
sense she was making an effort just by saying this. He stood up and
walked towards her. Slowly, he put his hand on her shoulder. "When?" he
said.
"That reservation is for today. I mean, you've been delaying this for a
long time. Kasumi already prepared everything, and we called a taxi. I-
I know it's a little rash, but I..." she lowered her eyes. Immediately
she clenched her
fists and turned around, smiling. "What are you waiting for? It's what
you
wanted, right?" She pushed him towards the closet, "Hurry up! You can
still
catch that plane!"
He stopped next to the closet, and gave Akane a serious glance. They
remained silent for a long time, just looking at each other as if some
sort of barrier had been torn down. Slowly, he glanced at the envelope
and its contents.
It really was a great deal of money, and that reservation must have
costed a bundle. They were really helping him out here. Even after all
the problems he had caused for the Tendo household, they were more than
willing to lend a hand. But Akane... She seemed to be happy and sad at
this. Isn't it always like this? He always appeared to be her reason for
sadness.
"Thanks," he said.
Akane stepped back, blushing. "Never mind. Just hurry." She left the
room. Ranma looked at the door, then at the envelope. He didn't know
why, but deep inside he felt weary.
"Ranchan!" Ukyou exclaimed as she saw Ranma come down the stairs,
already carrying his backpack.
"Nihao, Ranma!" Shampoo glomped onto him, knocking him down the stairs.
"Hey, calm down, will ya!" he said, prying Shampoo off him. He noticed
she had the same look Akane had, as well as Ukyou.
Everybody else was at the dining room: the Tendos, Genma, Mousse, and
Cologne. When Ranma came in, with Ukyou and Shampoo clinging to him,
they all
stood up. Soun began to say something, but as soon as he opened his
mouth he
bawled over and decided to flood the room with tears. Mousse came
forward.
"Good luck, Saotome," he shook Ukyou's hand, "remember to bring some
water from the spring of drowned man for the rest of us."
Ranma turned to Akane, puzzled. "I told you everyone had chipped in,"
she
said. "I'm sorry, Ranma, but I had to tell them what happened with your
mother. That's why they all helped."
"So you're finally going back to China, eh son-in-law?" Cologne smiled
wickedly, "This would be a perfect opportunity for you to meet our
family."Ranma shuddered visibly.
Genma also spoke, "I only wish I could go with you, son..."
"...But you're too cheap to buy your own tickets," Ranma finished.
Genma turned red in fury, "How can you say that about your own father!"
they began fighting.
"Ranma-kun, I prepared some cookies for your trip," Kasumi smiled and
handed Ranma a wrapped package. Genma jumped for them, but Ranma kicked
him into the pond. "Thanks, Kasumi."
"You're lucky, Saotome," Nabiki said. "For a loan like this I would
usually charge you 20% interest, but being the philantropic soul I am,
I'll drop it to 15%"
Soun kept weeping.
Akane came over to Ranma. She glared at Shampoo and Ukyou, who returned
the glare. A triangle of rage surrounded Ranma. Slowly, he removed the
girls. First he turned to Shampoo. WIth a tremendoulsy large amount of
hesitation, he
took her hand. "Thank you, Shampoo." She kissed him on the cheek, much
to Ukyou and Akane's displeasure.
"Why is Nabiki kissing Ryouga?" Mousse said.
Ranma then looked at Ukyou. "Ucchan, I..." She promptly hugged him.
"Just don't fall in the wrong spring, okay?" she said, not much for
goodbyes.
Soun had increased the water level in the room by 10 inches.
Akane was already by the door. "The cab's here." Ranma walked towards
her. Akane quickly walked away, coming out of the house. Everyone
followed
them outside. Then Ranma caught up with Akane, and held her hands. They
looked
at each other, trying to keep control of themselves. "Akane..." Ranma
started to say.
"Hurry up and come home, alright?" Akane said. Ranma walked out
through the gates and opened the door of the taxi. He looked back at the
crowd
in the porch. Ukyou and Shampoo were on the verge of tears, still
recalling what Akane had told them about Mrs. Saotome. Mousse was
looking towards the garden. Genma looked sternly at Ranma. Kasumi tried
to confort Soun, who had decided to create a new pond by weeping on the
walkway. Cologne and Nabiki were just standing there, looking at him.
Akane was in front of the crowd, expressionless. Ranma waved at them,
and with a sigh got into the cab.
As the cab dissapeared into the distance, a single phrase escaped from
Akane's lips.
"Come back soon, Ranma."
* * *
Ranma arrived at the Narita International Airport. The weariness he had
felt before was increasing with every step forward. Finally he reached
the
information booth.
"Escuse me, you know which airlines fly to China today? I have this
reservation, but I don't know where to--"
"There's a counter for UJA flights just down the hall," the woman said.
He walked towards the direction she pointed. There it was: United
Jusenkyo Airlines. He nearly fell down when he saw the half-mile long
line for it.
About two hours later, he had nearly made it to the middle of the line.
Hopelessly bored, he stared towards one of the several monitors that
displayed
the time of arrival for the flights. Suddenly a splitting headache
overcame
him, nearly forcing him to his knees. He put his hands to the sides of
his
head, trying to endure the pain. Meanwhile, completely unnoticed, the
monitor
began to glow eerily. Then the green letters on the screen began
swirling
around in a circle, before finally vanishing, leaving the image of a
girl in
their place. A voice, heard only by Ranma, said, "Look at the screen."
The headache was instantaneously relieved. Surprised, Ranma looked
upwards to the monitor and nearly cried out in shock. The screen was
showing a
picture of Ranma-chan, dressed in a pure white Amazon garb, like
Shampoo's. Immediately the image's pixels disintegrated.
Regaining his composture, Ranma shook his head. "What was that? My mind
must be playing tricks on me."
"NO."
The voice came again, but it was louder this time. Ranma couldn't tell
if it was male or female, but none of the other people in line seemed to
notice. Intrigued, he looked at the screen again. A message appeared,
"WE HAVE TO TALK."
"Who is this?" Ranma asked aloud. The other people looked at him oddly.
A second message appeared, "DON'T SPEAK. THINK THE WORDS."
He thought, "Heh, if my mind's playing tricks, might as well follow
'em. Okay, who is this?"
"IT'S ME."
"Who?"
"SOMEONE YOU KNOW."
"Who?" Ranma was becoming irritated.
Ranma's name was printed on the screen in hiragana characters.
"Very funny, but I'M Ranma."
"NO. YOU'RE RANMA." It was written in kanji this time.
"That's what I said. C'mon, who are you?"
"IT'S ME." the screen printed out again. Ranma frowned.
"Tell me who you are, or else I'll simply ignore you."
The messages' attitude and tone changed, "YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW WHO I
AM, DO YA?"
"No, I don't." Ranma crossed his arms.
"OKAY, I'LL SHOW YOU."
The color of the words changed, turning red. Again, an image of
Ranma-chan appeared. Ranma scampered backwards, trapped among the people
waiting in line. One of them looked at Ranma, then at the screen, and
noticed one of the flights was just being delayed.
"Don't worry, kid. Flights always get delayed. First time at the
airport, right?"
"This... this has gotta be some kind of sick joke!" Ranma thought.
"NO, IT'S ME." the words appeared in front of the girl's image.
"No, no. I'm probably just anxious because I'm finally going to
Jusenkyo. I'll ignore it, that's all."
"DON'T GO."
Ranma ignored the message. Smoke came out of the monitor.
"DON'T GO, I SAID!" An ear-piercing sound came from the monitor,
forcing Ranma to stare back. "Oww! What was that for?"
"PLEASE." The girl's image glanced at him, looking sad.
"Who are you to tell me what to do, anyway?"
"YOU KNOW YOU MUSTN'T DO THIS."
"And why is that?"
"BECAUSE... DON'T YOU REMEMBER ALL THAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH?"
"All YOU did was cause me trouble." Ranma was becoming very upset.
"THAT'S NOT TRUE, AND YOU KNOW IT. I'VE HELPED YOU MORE THAN YOU'LL
EVER ADMIT."
"Shut up! You're just some dumb Chinese bimbo who fell in a spring and
drowned. You have any idea what it's like to carry this curse!? If it
weren't
because I'm carrying you, my life would be a lot easier!"
The image changed to a VERY pissed Ranma-chan. The monitor glowed
bright blue and seemed ready to explode. All the other monitors reacted
in the same way. Ranma shrank visibly.
"W-Wait..." he said, "if I'm carrying you, then I must be carrying your
spirit..." The image blinked, and calmed a little. "But if you're inside
me,
what'll happen to you if I fall in Nannichuan?"
"TAKE A GUESS, PAL."
He looked at her image, not wanting to answer. "You won't go back to
your spring?" The image shook her head. "Then what will..."
Every single pixel faded to black. "You'll disappear?"
"NOT EXACTLY."
"Then you'll... die?"
"KIND OF."
"But then what do I..."
"WE'LL FIND A WAY."
"But they already gave me..."
"AND YOU'LL USE IT JUST LIKE THAT? YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS FOR THEM TO
FIND THAT MUCH MONEY?"
He looked at the envelope. She was right: it was the money Shampoo and
Ukyou were saving for their businesses. And he knew how difficult it
must have been for Nabiki to lend him that amount. Then again, there
were people who expected him to return with water from Nannichuan and
Nyannichuan so they could return to normal. What to do?
The image faded back to an ordinary flight schedule. But his female
side's words were seared on his mind. He couldn't just jump into
Nannichuan after all this. If he did, he would probably destroy that
spirit. And if what he was thinking was correct, getting the water would
probably curse the others with the spirit of the drowned man, despite
the apparent cure.
When he finally reached the counter, four hours after arriving at the
airport, he had made his decision. Taking a deep breath, he handed the
reservation. "Would... you... cash... this... in... please?" Every
single word required all of his willpower to be pushed out of his
throat. He even kept holding tightly onto the reservation, the clerk had
to pull it out of his grasp. But when he received the refund, he could
only let a deep sigh escape his mouth.
Just as he was nearing the doors, he turned around to one of the
monitors. He saw the girl again, smiling happily at him.
"You owe me a VERY big one, kid." The image pulled down an eyelid and
stuck out her tongue. Ranma replied in the same manner. Turning away, he
smiled, "Sheesh, what a tomboy."
Every single monitor dropped on his head.
The Aura
Ranma came in through the front gates, rubbing his head. Man, that
"girl" had really gotten angry at him: she had knocked him out
completely; he had to remain in the infirmary for almost an hour. It was
even getting dark now.
He had to find a way to explain to the others. Maybe Cologne would
understand, but Mousse and Ryouga would kill him before he got a chance
to
tell her. And then there was Akane, and--
"Oh, Ranma-kun, what are you doing here?"
Ranma froze and looked up at Kasumi, who was just coming out of the
house to water some plants.
"I, uh, decided to wait a while longer before I go back," he said
nervously. "Where... where's Akane?"
"Kasumi-oneechan, who are you talking to?" On cue, Akane stepped out
the door and saw Ranma. Both of them stared at each other. "What are you
doing here? I thought..."
"Somebody knocked some sense back into me," Ranma said, rubbing his
head. "I realized I shouldn't let all of you solve my problems for me."
"Ranma, are you sure? There might not be another chance..."
"I know, I know. But I guess I'll have to find some other way."
"I hope you're right." Akane began to head inside. "It's a good think
you're back, even if you aren't cured. But I don't think your Dad or
Mousse will see it the same way." She smiled at him.
Ranma looked at her thoughtfully, but after only a second he shook his
head. "Nah. There's no way she could feel that way," he thought.
"How about I cook you dinner tonight?" Akane said. A look of sheer
terror crossed Ranma's face.
Fortunately, that was a joke. Ranma was greatly relieved to see Kasumi
had prepared dinner for him. After finishing, he sat back at the dinner
table, waiting for the others to leave.
"Let's see if that girl's here... Hey, I wanna talk to you," he
thought. There was no answer. "Anyone in here?" he rubbed his head.
"Hmm... maybe if I turn into a girl..." He headed outside towards the
pond. He had to find out what had happened. Who was that girl? And why
did she choose to "wake up" until now? Unfortunately, he was brought out
of his thoughts as a yellow and black bandanna missed his nose by an
inch.
"Ryouga! What do you think you're doing?" Ranma yelled when he saw
Ryouga jump down from the rooftop onto the garden, facing him.
"If what I've heard is true, you went back to China to find a cure for
yourself. Isn't that right?" He lunged with his umbrella. Ranma clapped
his
hands on the tip. "And you didn't bring water from Nannichuan for the
rest of
us, I assume."
"If you'd calm down I'll--"
"How dare you go to China without bringing that precious water!?" He
launched a flurry of blows at Ranma, who evaded most while parried the
rest. "Cut it out! I told you to--"
"Shut up!" Ryouga shouted as he attacked with his umbrella again. This
time, Ranma couldn't block it, and was hit hard in the gut. The force
sent him
flying into the pond just as Akane returned to the dining room. She
watched in surprise as an upset Ranma-chan staggered out of the water.
"Why you..." Ranma said. Immediately she jumpkicked Ryouga. He
sidestepped and swung his umbrella around, directly towards her head.
Without warning, the umbrella was halted by a convex shield. An aura
shield.
"What the..." Ranma-chan and Ryouga stared at the barrier. It vanished.
Ryouga attacked again, and once more he was stopped. Slowly, a dome-like
aura shield was beginning to form around Ranma-chan.
"You coward! Fight like a man!" Ryouga shouted. In reply, a searing
fireball shot out of the aura shield, missing him by a millimeter.
Pressing on
the attack, Ryouga punched and kicked the shield, trying to get through.
He used the Bakusai Tenketsu, but the rock shrapnel was evaporated as it
touched the shield. "That does it!" Ryouga crossed his arms and called
his ki. "Shishi
hokodan!"
A blast of green energy engulfed Ranma-chan and the shield completely.
When it disappeared, the dome was still intact. In fact, it had absorbed
the
Roaring Lion Bullet completely. Ryouga looked at it aghast. "I don't
care how
you managed to do that, Ranma. Prepare to die!" He grabbed the shield
with
both hands and lifted it right off the ground. Instantly it disappeared,
but
then a complete sphere encased Ranma-chan, rising a foot over the
ground.
Ryouga used the sphere as a punching bag, but it wasn't damaged in the
least.
Ranma just watched amusedly at his useless attempts to break in.
Meanwhile,
Akane was coming out with a kettle of hot water. "Ranma, catch!"
The sphere opened slightly, allowing the kettle to enter. But when
Ranma-chan doused herself with it, the sphere disappeared without trace.
"What?" Ranma said, confused. Taking the advantage, Ryouga kicked Ranma
in the chest, sending him flying into a tree. The aura shield didn't
even form.
Confident, Ryouga kept attacking Ranma. Most of his punches and kicks
were
getting through, thanks to Ranma's confusion. Stepping backwards, Ryouga
leapt
into the air, brandishing his umbrella in both hands.
Something came over Ranma. Before he realized it, he was already
jumping to meet Ryouga. But he wasn't guiding his own actions, though.
Just as
both fighters met in midair, Ranma stretched his hand forward slowly,
putting
his palm on Ryouga's left shoulder.
"White Touch Technique!" he shouted. Ryouga was blasted over the outer
wall, leaving a trail of white energy in his flight, then crashing into
the garbage cans outside.
"How did I do that!?" Ranma looked at his right hand, incredulous. A
ghostly white glow surrounded it. But then the glow vanished. Ranma
touched a rock with his hand, and nothing happened. "Did I imagine it?"
The sound of
someone swimming in the garbage cans told him otherwise.
Akane stared at him in disbelief. Surely he had never used that
technique before, and he hadn't been learning any new ones lately. "How
did you...?"
"That's what I wanna know."
Outside, Ryouga scampered out of the cans.
"I'll get you for this, Saotome!" he shouted, as he headed for
Australia.
* * *
The morning sun came through the windows of the Kuno residence, giving
it a cheerfulness its inhabitants couldn't perceive, even if they
weren't insane. The ample light fell on dozens upon dozens of pictures
in Kuno's room,
all of which were either of Akane or the pigtailed girl. Awakening, the
"Blue
Thunder" gazed upon his beloved treasures.
"Ah, but to awake at the sight of such magnificent beauties, in the
blossom of their youth," he said. As he stood up, lightning crackled
around
him and smoldered his futon. "Yes, my loves! Today is the day when I
shall
deliver you from the evil hold of that fiend Saotome! Bwa ha ha ha ha!
Akane
Tendo! No longer shall you be bound to the lowly miscreant! Pigtailed
girl, be
brave! I shall rescue you from the evil one's hold!"
A small blur bounced off the walls in his room, before settling on the
ground before him. "Good morning, Master Kuno. It is I, Sasuke, your
humble
manservant! And may I say, I have news of the utmost importance."
Kuno straightened himself, as though he didn't rant maniacally,
"Speak."
"I have discovered, Master, that your enemy has recently fled the
country!"
Kuno looked at him in disbelief, "What? And how have you come to know
of this?"
"Yesterday, I spotted him on his way to the airport, Master. He seemed
to have departed to China!"
"Is... is that TRUE?!" Sasuke nodded. "I had never expected Saotome to
commit the dishonor of fleeing from an opponent. But then, that would
mean he
relinquishes to me, Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" he
began to
laugh idiotically. "Surely he has been struck by my prowess, and now he
will
stand no more between me and my loves!" he ran around the room, with a
bouquet
in the right hand and a fan with a rising sun in the other. He continued
to
laugh like a madman.
"Master Kuno and Mistress Kodachi have more in common than they would
dare admit," Sasuke thought.
* * *
Ranma and Akane were on their way back from the Nekohanten.
Unbelievably, Cologne had no explanation for the image he had seen at
the
airport, or for the aura shields. She did, however, know of the "White
Touch"
techinque. She said it had been a master move of one of the founders of
the
Joketsuzoku village, over 1500 years ago, designed only for self-defense
and
had no real offensive qualities. In fact, some members of the Musk
Dynasty had
been using it quite recently. But she couldn't tell why Ranma had been
able to
use it, especially since he had never even heard of it.
"So, why DID you come back yesterday, Ranma?" Akane asked. He had only
talked about the image to Cologne, in private. Akane still didn't know
about
it. He thought it was better this way, otherwise she would consider him
a
lunatic.
"It's nothing important," he said. "But I gotta find out who is sending
those shields, and why they come and go all the time."
He remembered the only other time when he had felt so much power. It
had been during the fight with Herb. But he never used aura shields. In
fact,
his ki was completely different. And besides, the guy wanted to kill
him,
there's no way he could be sending the shields.
Somehow, it was all linked. The shields, the White Touch, the image at
the airport, when he fainted in girl-form in his mother's arms... but he
didn't
know HOW it was linked. And that bothered him.
A raindrop fell on Akane's cheek. Then another. And another. Before she
or Ranma could react, it was raining heavily upon them, the sheets of
water so
dense they couldn't see very far away. Ranma-chan and Akane ran under
the
awning of a nearby flower shop, staying out of the rain.
"Swell, that's all I need. Now I'll catch a cold," Ranma-chan said,
sneezing. Suddenly she was covered by a feeling of warmth. Again, she
was
enveloped by an orange aura, but it wasn't in shield-form this time. The
aura
then extended to Akane, drying her as well. Both girls felt uneasy at
being
covered by the strange aura, but the warmth was so soothing and
comforting
they eventually enjoyed it, as if they were in a steam bath. "Maybe it's
not so
bad after all," Akane said. Ranma-chan agreed.
The flower shop's doors opened slowly. A figure dressed in samurai
garb, accompanied by a midget ninja, stepped out. Sasuke was carrying
over a
dozen bouquets of red roses, obviously too much for him. "Be careful
with those,
Sasuke. For they will be my present to my beauties. To resist such gift
would
be difficult for any woman, aside from the impossibility of bearing my
presence." Kuno then noticed Ranma-chan and Akane, standing under the
awning.
"Ah! The gods have granted me my sole whish, to meet you far from the
presence
of that fool Saotome!" He clung to both of them like Crazy-Glue. The
aura was
squished between the three of them. Annoyed, it blasted Kuno a couple of
feet
backwards.
"This cannot be! Saotome may have the powers of an evil wizard, but he
shouldn't be able to interfere with me so!" Again, he tried to glomp
onto
Ranma-chan. The aura then solidified around her, and Kuno smashed into
the
shield.
"The cad! I'll have none of this!" He took out his bokuto and slashed
at the aura shield. Nothing happened. He pressed harder, but it was
still
undamaged. "Never fear, my love! I shall rescue you!"
He slashed... and slashed... and slashed... and slashed... and
slashed... until he dropped to his knees, worn out. It had nearly
stopped
raining.
"Sa... Saotome will not best me!" Ranma-chan and Akane just waited
until the rain was over, watching in amusement as Kuno helplessly tried
to break
the shield.
"Finally!" Ranma-chan said as the rain faded out. "Time to get some hot
water. See ya, Kuno!" The shield vanished as Ranma-chan and Akane walked
away
from him.
"At last! Saotome's power has no loger influence upon them! This is my
opportunity!"
He chased the two girls all the way to Ucchan's, with the
bouquet-carrying
Sasuke in tow. Then the girls broke a right and entered the restaurant.
"Ran... Ranchan? What are you doing here? Why are you still a girl?"
Ukyou asked, flabbergasted.
"No time. Need hot water."
Ukyou handed her a kettle. Kuno arrived just as masculine Ranma was
handing the kettle back to Ukyou. "Saotome! You have returned! Now I
shall
avenge my beloved pigtailed girl!" He thrusted his bokuto at Ranma among
the
terrified customers.
"She ain't yours, you jerk!" Ranma yelled as he avoided the sword.
"Sorry, Ranchan, but the insurance company will kill me if you fight in
here again." She swung her giant spatula towards them, sending them
flying
out to the street.
"I shall smite you for enslaving the precious pigtailed one with your
evil sorcery!"
"I didn't do anything! And even if I did, you can't beat me!"
"You admit your crimes, then. For my loved one, I will bring punishment
upon you!" Both of them started fighting. Blow, parry. Blow, parry.
Ranma would
have taken him down by now if he hadn't been thinking about the shields.
Why
didn't they appear now, anyway? They surrounded him back at the flower
shop,
but not now. What was it with them?
Akane was thinking the same thing. She headed to Ukyou's kitchen and
filled a bucket of cold water. Taking Ukyou by the arm, she headed
outside.
Both girls watched the fight go on while Akane told Ukyou about the aura
shields and the White Touch. Then, while Kuno wasn't looking at Ranma,
she
threw the cold water at him. Instant Ranma-chan.
"What'd you do that for?!" she yelled. When Kuno turned around, he
saw her again.
"Pigtailed girl! You have come back to me!" He ran to her with his
arms open. He crashed into an aura shield again, knocking himself
unconscious.
"Just what is it with these stupid things anyway?" Ranma-chan asked
annoyed, punching the inside of the shield. Saddened, it's glow
diminished a
little.
"I think I know," Akane said. "I'll tell you back home."
* * *
"So what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Ranma asked, standing by
the pond. Soun and the panda were playing shogi in the dining room.
Akane came
out of the kitchen with a bucket and a kettle. She handed him both of
them.
"What do I do with this?"
"Just wait. Meanwhile. I'll go cook us dinner."
Ranma was horrified. "Wait, maybe you shouldn't..."
"Oh, are you saying my cooking is bad?"
"I never said..."
"It's not bad, Akane. It's just that Ranchan doesn't like to eat things
that
are alive," Ukyou said, grinning.
"Ranma no baka!" she pulled out her Interdimensional Mallet and took a
swing at him. She stopped voluntarily, less than an inch away from his
nose.
"What're you doing, you..." Ranma said, annoyed. Akane splashed him
with the bucket. "Now what?!"
Akane attacked Ranma-chan with her mallet again. Instantly it stopped
on an aura shield, about ten inches away from Ranma-chan.
Taking the kettle, she doused her with hot water. Again she swung at
him. No aura shield.
"Why are the shields protecting Ranchan only in girl-form?" Ukyou
asked.
"No way." Ranma said. He ran to where Soun and the panda were and shook
the shogi board, sending pieces flying everywhere.
"Ranma-kun..." Soun began to do his demon impression while the panda
loomed over Ranma. They attacked him savagely. Desperate, he leapt into
the
pond. When the men tried to attack Ranma-chan, she was protected by the
shield.
Unable to do anything, Soun started to weep. Kasumi walked over to him.
"Don't
worry, father. It was only a game." She lead Soun and the panda back
inside.
"Ukyou's right, Ranma," Akane said. "The shields come up only when
you're a girl."
Ranma-chan blinked, confused. She ran headfirst towards the wall. She
hit a shield instead, as soft as a pillow. She took the kettle and
changed
back. Akane and Ukyou had to stop him from knocking himself out.
"But why do they do this, anyway?" he asked.
"Maybe we should return to Shampoo's restaurant," Akane said. "Who
knows? Maybe her great-grandmother remembered something while we were
gone."
The others agreed. But as the trio headed for the Nekohanten, they
didn't
notice the tall, draconian figure that followed them.
"You say the shields come up only when you're a girl?" Cologne said.
"We'll have to test that, son-in-law."
Ranma sat down at one of the tables. The restaurant had been closed for
the day, and they could speak freely without other people eavesdropping.
"You'll find out, alright," he said, leaning back on his chair.
"Ranma! Shampoo so happy you here!" Shampoo clung to him, glaring at
Akane and Ukyou. Cologne nudged her into the kitchen, "Now, now,
Shampoo, get
some cold water." She smirked at Ranma. "Very well," she said, "we'll
see if those
shields are for real."
Shampoo splashed Ranma with cold water. In the blink of an eye, Cologne
shot out several knives at Ranma-chan. When the shield appeared, the
knives
weren't simply stopped. They melted.
"Impressive," Cologne grinned. "Your female side is being protected by
somebody very powerful." She hopped on her staff towards the shield,
putting
her wrinkled hand on it. "Yes, this ki is very strong. As strong as
prince
Herb's, I might add."
"But who could be interested in protecting Ranma when he's a girl?"
Akane asked. Cologne shook her head.
The doors burst open. "Perhaps I can assist you. I heard somebody speak
my name?" The Musk prince said as he stepped inside. Ranma-chan scowled
at him.
Herb of the Musk Dynasty smirked, flashing his fangs slightly. He stood
tall, his cape draped over his shoulders, and with his fists clenched by
his
sides. His presence alone seemed to darken all of Nekohanten.
"Don't stand in the door, you're blocking the light," Cologne said.
"Oh, sorry," he stepped in.
"What are YOU doing here?" she said.
Herb smiled. "Saotome Ranma... Even though we were enemies, you saved
my life. But I didn't expect you to greet me in such manner."
"What did you expect? You almost killed me!"
"Yes, quite true. But I regret that now. As compensation, I shall help
you discover who is protecting you."
Ranma-chan blinked. "What? You mean you know?"
"Indeed. And soon you shall know as well."
His right hand darted towards her head. She avoided it narrowly.
"What in the world are you doing?!"
He didn't answer. Once more, he lunged with his hand, always aiming for
her head. Angry, Ranma-chan attacked him as well. He didn't even bother
trying
to block her blows. Her speed wasn't as great as his.
"Leave Ranchan alone, you blue-blooded bozo!" Ukyou took a swing with
her spatula. Suddenly, they all remembered that Herb never traveled
alone. Ukyou
found out who Herb's bodyguards were when her spatula was ensnared by
the
steel chain of the young wolf-boy, Mint. As for Shampoo, she was quickly
halted
by Lime, the human wall. Akane jumped in for the attack.
"You idiot!" yelled Ranma-chan. "You're no match for this guy!" She
softly shoved Akane towards Cologne.
"I don't want to fight you, Saotome!" Herb said. Lime and Mint sent a
quick
glance at the combatants, still struggling to contain Ukyou and Shampoo.
"Well you could have fooled me!" Ranma replied, kicking him in the gut.
Staggering back, Herb said, "Forgive me for this, Yuannyan..."
Ranma-chan released a high kick. Herb ducked, and before her foot came
down he was holding her forehead with both hands.
"Mind Blast revised, step 2!"
The room was filled with a bright purple light. All of them had to
close their eyes, but Akane clearly heard Ranma-chan scream.
* * *
When the light disappeared, Herb was holding the unconscious
Ranma-chan. A bright white aura surrounded her head.
"Ranma! Ranma!" Akane shouted desperately.
"What have you done with Ranchan!?" Ukyou cried.
Shampoo took her bonbori, leapt over Lime and attacked Herb from
behind,
"DIE!"
Herb leapt upwards, still holding Ranma-chan. Ukyou recovered her
spatula
and sliced the air towards him. He twisted his body and landed exactly
next to
Akane. She glowed bright blue. With a loud cry, she embedded her fist in
Herb's
face.
"Master Herb!" Lime and Mint called, but he held up his hand to stop
them.
"I... I am aware of what you believe this is," Herb said, as the girls
began circling him, "but you have to understand, this is the only way!"
"I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" Ukyou sent a hail of mini-spatulas
at him. Meanwhile, Shampoo and Akane tried to hit him, their hands
glowing with
rage.
"RASP!" a male voice came out of nowhere. Suddenly the girls' ki became
weaker, and they had to lean against the chairs and the tables.
"I am sorry to have disturbed you so," Herb said, "but as you can see,
I haven't brought harm to Ranma. The Mind Blast only brings
unconsiousness. She
should recover in less than three hours."
"'Mind Blast'?" Cologne asked. "What is that technique? I haven't heard
of it before."
Herb took off his cape and gently placed Ranma-chan on a table, on top
of the cape. "May I have a word with you, old woman?" They headed into
the
kitchen. "Lime! Mint!" The tiger-boy and the wolf-boy perked up their
ears. "Take
care of the ladies. Make sure no harm comes to them." They bowed, "Yes,
master."
They said to each other, grinning, "We'll get to speak with girls!"
About an hour later, the troop was walking back to the Tendo dojo. Herb
carried Ranma-chan on his back, while Lime and Mint marched by his
flanks.
Akane, Ukyou and Shampoo looked worriedly at Ranma-chan, but Cologne had
advised them that it would be better if they took care of the redhead
instead
of fighting Herb.
"Loosen up, men!" Herb said to his bodyguards, smiling. "This should be
a special occasion to us!"
"What do you mean, 'special occasion'? You hurt Ranma!" Akane said.
"On the contrary, miss Tendo. Once she awakens, she will agree with
what I have said!"
"Why do you keep saying 'she'? Ranchan's a man!"
"Hmm. Japanese language must have changed since we came here, Master,"
Lime said.
"Be silent, Lime. The mistress shall explain this in due time, once we
are in China."
"You no take Ranma with you!" Shampoo said. "Shampoo no let you!"
"Do not worry, Amazon. We shall not take her home yet. There is one
more thing she has to do here before we leave." The girls stopped
walking at
the same time.
"I think you should explain," Akane said, "NOW."
Herb and his entourage stopped as well. He lowered his head. "Yes, I
believe an explanation is in order."
The Third Phoenix
They were at the park, among the trees. A soft warm breeze rustled the
green leaves that summer showed. A few birds fluttered overhead.
Everything was
peaceful, just as it should be.
Herb faced the trio of girls and Cologne. Meanwhile, Lime and Mint
guarded Ranma-chan, who slept soundly on the soft grass.
"A girl..." Lime said, entranced.
"The resemblance is incredible," Mint said, staring at her.
"The mistress was correct. They must be twins," Lime replied.
Mint bonked him on the head, "Of course they're twins, you dolt! Why do
you think they named it Shuanshontsuniichuan?"
Herb watched amusedly as the warriors continued arguing. Then he turned
back to the girls.
"Spill it pal," Ukyou said.
"Why you call Ranma girl?"
"And who is sending those aura shields? Are you two working together?"
Akane said. "Why didn't the shields protect him now?"
"Your doubts shall be cleared by me. But first, what do you know about
the Fire Phoenix?"
The girls moaned. Cologne seemed to understand, though.
"Not another one..." Akane said.
"Kuno's bird was bad enough..." Ukyou groaned.
"Do you mean the Third Phoenix?" Cologne asked.
"Ladies, please. I am aware of your previous encounters with his
namesakes, but this Phoenix is neither a pill nor a bird. He is a man."
"It's the Third Phoenix, alright."
"What you mean, great-grandmother?"
"The Third Phoenix is an old legend, derived from Jusenkyo. It's said
that 1500 years ago, a warrior drowned in one of the springs. But the
magic
didn't work properly and he was turned into a magical creature called
the Fire
Phoenix. Since there had already been two birds with that name, he was
called
the 'Third'."
"You are correct, old woman," Herb smiled, seeing that much of his duty
had been relieved, "but are you familiar with the legend that says how
the
warrior drowned? And what do you say about Nyannichuan? Do you know how
it
formed?"
"I have to admit I don't. Your tribe stole all our records concerning
those legends."
"Then I cannot reveal the full story as of yet. I will, however, tell
you how the Phoenix is related to what you call 'aura shields'. Yes, it
is him
who sends them. And yes, he uses them only when she is a woman," he
pointed at
Ranma-chan, "but my honor prevents me from disclosing any more
information."
"I guess we can live with that," Ukyou said. "But why do you keep
calling Ranchan as 'she'?"
Herb blinked in surprise, "Well, I, because she is not a man. Look at
her."
"You know that just Jusenkyo curse, stupid boy."
"Shampoo's right. You were cursed yourself once, from the same spring,"
Cologne said.
"'Curse'? 'Curse'? Why, I would never say that is a 'curse'."
"Then how would you call it, you pervert?" Akane fumed.
"Don't misunderstand me. I would call that... a release. Escape.
Freedom. Liberty..." He was beginning to drift off.
"We get the picture, pervert."
"Again, you misunderstood me. Not liberation for the host... but for
the spring's spirit."
"Now I understand what the son-in-law said about the image..." Cologne
said to herself.
"Well, anyway. Ranma is not a girl. He's a man," Akane said.
Herb glanced at her with a serious expression. She nearly backed away.
"Akane Tendo... you will have to be brave from this day onwards. For you
shall
have to endure a grave task Fate has brough upon you."
"What do you mean?" she looked nervously at Ranma-chan.
Herb continued, with a solemn voice, "Your fiance is perfectly safe. I
have made sure he wasn't damaged during the Awakening. But for the next
four
days, perhaps more, your feelings for him shall be put to test. Now, let
us
take her to your home."
On cue, Lime and Mint stopped squabbling and carefully lifted
Ranma-chan. Herb put on his cape. As they placed Ranma-chan on his back,
Lime
said, "Mistress Yuannyan will be pleased."
Herb smiled. "I should hope so, for their sake."
* * *
A while later, they arrived at the dojo. Kasumi was in the kitchen,
Nabiki was doing homework (or was she filling race track forms?), and
Soun and
the panda played shogi.
"Ranma-kun!" Nabiki said, alarmed, when she saw Herb carry Ranma-chan
on his back. Then the whole family met the prince.
"My son!" the panda wrote. Soun wept.
"What happened to him?" Kasumi asked, calmly.
"Fear not, for she is only asleep," Herb said. "As for me, I am Herb,
Prince of the Musk Dynasty of China."
The panda stepped back in shock. "You! It's you who has that cursed
bucket and nearly killed my son! What have you do to him?"
"I see you have been to Jusenkyo as well. But do not worry, she will
awake unharmed in less than an hour. She suffered a small accident, that
is
all."
"HE! HE!" Ukyou slammed her spatula on Herb's head, "And that was NO
accident!"
"Please, be careful. I am carrying a passenger here." Ukyou stopped
hitting him. With the help of Akane and Shampoo, she placed Ranma-chan
on the
floor. Then the girls calmly proceded to pound Herb into jelly.
"Master Herb!" Lime and Mint called. Herb lifted one hand and stopped
them from attacking the girls. "T-Take her upstairs," he said, weakly,
amid
the cloud of dust. They took Ranma-chan and looked around, trying to
find the
stairs.
"Follow me," Kasumi said. She led them to the Saotomes' room. They put
Ranma-chan on a futon, then mounted guard until Kasumi returned with
damp
cloths. "You people shouldn't do this to Ranma-kun. He will be very
upset when
he awakes. And Akane and the others care for him." She heard the sound
of
someone being brutally beaten up downstairs. "Maybe you should go back
down."
Lime and Mint looked at each other, completely oblivious to her words.
With
wide grins, they both thought, "A girl! A girl as talking to us!" Then
their eyes
widened and they remembered something, "Master!" they said, and bolted
out of
the room.
When the cloud of dust settled, a beaten and bruised Herb staggered to
his feet. There were dents all over his armor. He even had a black eye.
Once
Lime and Mint saw him, they tried not to laugh, but not with much
effort.
Herb looked at them. They stopped laughing. But then he smiled. "Go on,
men. Laugh. Me, the prince of the Musk Dynasty beaten by three girls.
Even
Yuannyan would laugh." Then the three of them laughed.
"He seems to have enjoyed it," Ukyou said.
"Shall we beat him again?" Akane asked.
"Yes. Shampoo want to beat him." Shampoo smirked.
The girls grabbed a warrior each, and turned them into Unidentified
Flying
Idiots. Then they raced upstairs, to Ranma's room.
"My, my. What violent girls," Nabiki said, walking upstairs. Meanwhile,
the panda had to build a dam around Soun to keep him from flooding the
house.
Herb, Lime and Mint landed on the rooftop of a nearby building. When
they came down, they saw a pretty young woman sweeping the porch, with a
white
shaggy dog sleeping next to her.
"Oh! Good afternoon!" she said. "Welcome to Ikkoku-kan. are you the new
residents?"
"Good afternoon, madam. May we use your phone?" Herb said.
"Well, yes. But you have to pay if it's not local..."
"I hope these suffice." Herb gave the lady a handful of gold coins. Her
eyes opened widely. "Y-yes. It's more than enough. Why, you can phone to
Europe
with these!"
"That will not be necessary."
They walked into the apartment house. Herb headed for the phone, while
Lime and Mint mounted guard. They saw a neglige-clad woman walk past
them. They
drooled in fascination.
"Breasts!" Lime said childishly. Mint stared wide-eyed.
"Hello? Am I talking to the Saotome residence? Good afternoon, Mrs.
Saotome... Indeed, it's Herb. Kind of you to remember your humble
servant.
Listen well: I have come across important information concerning your
son's
whereabouts... What? No, there is no need to rush. He has not returned
yet.
However, we can make an appointment to meet at the Tendo Training Hall
in four
days... Yes, that is correct, on Friday... I think It would be better at
noon... It's arranged then... Excuse me, I couldn't hear you... Yes,
Ranko is
fine. A a matter of fact, she is eager to see you, for she has something
important to tell you. However, I don't think she will be ready before
Friday... Very well, Mrs. Saotome, I shall tell her. And be sure to
bring your
sword, as well... No, I don't think you will need it. In fact, this may
be the
last time you carry it... I am happy to hear you say that... Well, then,
I
shall meet you on Friday at the Tendo dojo. Take care, Mrs. Saotome..."
He hung up the phone.
Personality switch
"So, how'd she take it?"
"Better than expected," Herb answered. "But the Tendo girl could be a
problem."
"Don't worry 'bout it. She won't be able to interfere. We might have to
hasten the Awakening, though..."
"Ran-- I mean, Zhaodi presented a great deal of resistance, as well,"
Herb
rubbed the place where Ranma-chan had kicked him.
"I'm sorry she did that. But his mind wouldn't just let you awake her."
"There's no need for apologies. I'm doing this for Yuannyan as well."
"Yes, Yuannyan... How's she taking this?"
"She was very excited. It is a shame she had to stay at the hotel."
"It wouldn't be a good idea to introduce her to Yuannyan before she
Awakes. The shock could kill her, especially if it's been over 1500
years..."
"But as soon as she awakes, she'll know what to do. Or at least that is
what you told us."
"She'll know... that Mind Blast has never failed me, and you know that.
But it may take her a while until she fixes things up with her mother."
"Yes. Mrs. Saotome needs to know. Her suffering is as great as theirs."
"She'll be overjoyed when she learns of this."
"We should hope so, for their sake... But I still cannot understand...
Why do you not present yourself? I have already told them about you."
"I've told you my reasons. And I'm still not sure how'd they take it.
And... you know that she doesn't remember about me..."
"Don't say such things. Yuannyan has told me about how close you two
were
before Jusenkyo. I'm certain she will recognize you."
There was a sigh of nostalgy. "That's not what I meant..."
* * *
"Bwaahh!"
"Calm down, father!" Kasumi said. The whole horde was hovering around
Ranma-chan, who still lay unconscious on the futon. Only Cologne, who
was
examining the bright white aura that surrounded Ranma's head, seemed
calm. She
had seen that aura before, but she couldn't quite remember when nor
where.
"Such a tragedy! Now he will never marry my little daughter!"
"He isn't dead, Dad," Nabiki said, "he's just sleeping." She pointed at
Ranma-chan: she was snoring loudly.
"Bwaahh! Now my daughter will marry a lazy snorer!"
"Not if I can do anything about it!" Ukyou said. "Ranchan will marry
me!"
"Ranma abide by Amazon law and marry Shampoo!"
"That's what you think!" Akane said. Suddenly everybody glanced at her.
"Well, what?"
"You won't steal Ranchan, Akane!"
"Ukyou right. You no keep him!"
"Ranma-kun will marry my daughter!"
Kasumi said, "Um, father...?"
"See! Kasumi thinks I am right!" Soun said.
"I am Ranchan's fiancee!"
"His engagement to Akane predates yours!"
"Law say he Shampoo's husband!"
Cologne looked at Ranma-chan, "Son-in-law..."
"Father?" Kasumi called again.
"I don't care if he's engaged to Akane! He already knew he was engaged
to me before he even met her!"
"Will all of you just SHUT UP! You're giving me a headache!"
Everyone turned to Ranma-chan. She was already sitting up on the futon,
holding her head with her left hand. They all fell silent.
"Thank you," she said politely, "Now don't do that again!"
"Ranma... are you alright?" Akane, Ukyou and Shampoo said
simultaneously. They glared at each other.
"I... I think so..." she replied, rubbing her head, "I feel strange..."
Cologne smirked. "You're very lucky, son-in-law. That Mind Blast was a
powerful technique." Her voice turned more serious, "Herb has grown even
stronger since the last time you encountered him, son-in-law. I advise
you to
be wary of him the next time you two fight."
Ranma-chan blinked in surprise. "Fight him? Why would I wanna fight
him? He just gave me a wake-up call."
A though suddenly crossed Akane's brain. Herb had attacked Ranma's
mind... He refered to Ranma as a 'she'... Ranma wasn't acting as
agressively
as before...
No, it couldn't be. He hadn't... He _couldn't_ have...
"Ranma, are you a boy or a girl?"
Ranma-chan stared confused at Akane, then at herself. "Well, I don't
think men have breasts."
"I'm serious, Ranma."
"Akane, what are you driving at?" Ukyou asked.
"Yes, Akane. Why you ask that?" Shampoo said.
Ranma smiled. "Are you feeling okay, Akane? Of course I'm a girl." She
cocked her head, letting her braid fall on her shoulder, and added,
"I've always
been."
Everyone stared at her wide-eyed.
Akane's scream of "NOT AGAIN!!" echoed throughout Tokyo.
* * *
Once again, they were gathered at the dinner table, watching the food
virtually vanish in Ranma-chan's mouth.
"Calm down, Ranma-kun," Nabiki said. "You eat like there's no
tomorrow."
"Mhsadfhhg?" Ranma-chan said with her mouth full.
Cologne kept staring at the aura around Ranma-chan's head, caused by
the Mind Blast. Yes, this was it. She just _knew_ she recognized the
aura... No, the
halo... All the pieces fit. She knew exactly what was happening. And she
was
amazed.
Finally, she hopped on her staff. "I have to say, I am very impressed,"
she
said, smirking. "And it certainly explains a lot. Shampoo, let's go back
to the
restaurant."
"Shampoo stay with Ranma!" she said, turning away from Cologne.
"In her state, you shouldn't stay with her. Now come along. Or do you
want to take over Mousse's chores for the rest of the week?" She didn't
really
mean those words, since Shampoo knew nothing of what was happening. But
right
now she only wanted to go back to Nekohanten, and check her diaries. She
had a
pretty good idea about what that halo was, but she had to make sure. And
having Shampoo at the Tendos' would only hamper her research.
Obedient to her ancestor, Shampoo sighed and walked out of the room.
"Shampoo see you when you better, Ranma!"
"Sfhuen bhgsadmpoo!" Ranma-chan smiled and waved at her.
"Now even Cologne thinks he's a girl..." Akane thought, with sadness in
her eyes.
"Whaf's fe mwaffer..." Ranma-chan swallowed the food, "What's the
matter, Akane?"
"Ranchan..." Ukyou interrupted, "Do you really think you're a girl?"
"Look at me, Ucchan. I'm a girl, a hundred percent," Ranma beamed.
Akane
stood up and went to the kitchen. When she returned, it was with a hot
water
kettle. Ranma looked at it horrified. "What... what're you gonna do with
that?"
Akane walked over to Ranma and poured the water on her. Ranma leapt
away before it even touched her. "A-Akane... just... don't."
Ukyou mimicked Akane and tried to douse Ranma with the water, but she
failed too.
"I'm sorry, Ranma, but you have to see you're not a girl," Akane said.
Ukyou then turned to her. "Akane? How did you kow Ranchan would act like
this?"
"Well, a while ago, I hit him too hard and messed up his brain. When he
woke up he thought he was a girl and turned ultra-feminine."
Ukyou scowled at her. "You mean he has been like this before? And it
was you who did it?"
"Look, I'm sorry about that, but it was Herb this time!"
"OK, but what happened when you doused him with hot water? Did he
return to normal?"
"No. Then he was a girl in a male body. He couldn't stand it for very
long, and I had to douse him with cold water again so he wouldn't go
insane."
"But at least he still does martial arts, right?"
Akane shook her head, "He's still very skilled, but all he wants to do
is pick flowers and cook and go shopping."
"Hey!" Ranma said, annoyed.
Ukyou dropped her kettle. "Then what do we do about this?"
"Maybe we should take him to Dr. Tofu."
"What... what're you gonna do?" Ranma said, backing away.
"Try to go along with this," Akane said out of the side of her mouth.
"Act casual." Then she turned to Ranma, smiling. "Don't you want to go
visit
Dr. Tofu, Ranma-chan?"
"Huh? Uh, sure," she said. "Maybe I better go along with this. Who
knows what are those two up to," she thought.
* * *
"Hmm, there's no sign of physical injury..." Dr. Tofu said, examining
Ranma-chan's head, "but I don't know what to make of this aura." He
faced her,
rubbing his chin with his fingers. "So this isn't the first time he's
acted
like this?"
"I'm a girl!" Ranma childishly hit her lap with her fists, "Don't call
me 'he'!"
"Alright. 'She' has acted like this before, right Akane?"
"Yes, but only when I hit him too hard on the head."
"And this time it wasn't a physical blow, you tell me..."
"That's right. It was something called 'Mental Blast' or something like
that."
"Mind Blast," Ukyou corrected.
"Hmm... alright, Ranma, I want you to tell me what you feel when I do
this..." he passed his hand through the aura.
She giggled a bit, "Hey! That tickles!."
"And this?" he touched a series of pressure points on her head. With
each pressure point, Ranma thought she was a monkey, then a bird, then
Amelia
Earhart, then Elvis. Then she returned to think she was Ranma, but still
a girl.
"What did you do, Dr. Tofu?" Akane asked.
"I tried to use some neural pressure points that are linked to
personality, especially those about gender, but none seemed to work. If
that
Mind Blast was a ki technique, then there's no sure way to cure hi-
'her' with
physical treatment." He stood up and faced Akane and Ukyou. "I'm afraid
you'll
have to leave the room, because I'm going to use some ki techinques."
"Okay," Ranma said, getting off the bed and starting to walk out. "You
stay here," Akane said, grabbing Ranma by the collar. She unwillingly
returned
to the clinic. "Stupid tomboy," she muttered, "I'm a girl!"
Akane knocked her out with a couch from the waiting room. "Akane, I
told you that won't work this time," Dr. Tofu said, dragging the KO'ed
Ranma up
onto one of the clinic beds. He closed the door to the waiting room.
"I hope he can do something," Ukyou said, "I don't like Ranchan to
think he's a girl."
"Don't worry. I'm sure Dr. Tofu can d--"
The doors to the oustide slid open.
Everyone in the waiting room gasped in utter terror. The greatest
danger
to ever step into the Tofu Clinic manifested itself, projecting its
deceiving
aura of innocence all around. But they wouldn't be fooled. They knew
their lives
would be in danger if this figure stepped in. And yet, there was nothing
they
could do about it but flee in desperation.
Gulping, Akane faced this terror.
"Kasumi? What are you doing here?"
"Well, since you came with Ranma-kun I thought I could give Dr. Tofu
some brownies I made." She began to open the door to the clinic.
"Kasumi, wait!" Akane and Ukyou reached for her, but it was toolate.
The
terror had begun.
"Ka-Ka-Ka-Kasumi!" Dr. Tofu saw her enter the clinic. His glasses
fogged up immediately. "What a coincidence to see you here to see you
here!" He
laughed foolishly.
"Dr. Tofu, can you cure Ranma-kun?"
"Sure!" He grabbed Ranma's arm. "I'll be I'll be done in a jiffy!" He
lifted Ranma, waking her up, and began to make modern art sculptures out
of
her.
"Hey! OWW!"
"That's right! I was supposed to use ki techniques!"
"Uh-oh..."
"I'll go wait outside, Doctor," Kasumi said.
"Thank you Kasumi!" Ranma said "You saved my life!" Kasumi just smiled,
then headed oustide.
"Ka-Kasumi!" Dr. Tofu went over the edge when Kasumi smiled.
"Oops. spoke too soon..."
Even through the closed doors, Akane and Ukyou saw many bright lights
coming from the clinic, along with a woman's screams of pain.
About half an hour later, when Dr. Tofu regained his senses, he saw a
charred and twisted Ranma-chan pretzel groaning on the floor.
"How did you get burned like that, Ranma?" He carefully lifted her and
put her on a bed, putting her joints back together. "I''l have to apply
a balm
on you before I work on your head." He took a ceramic container from the
cabinet.
"Doctor, are you done?" Kasumi asked through the door.
"Ka-Kasumi?" his glasses fogged up. The container was crushed in his
hands.
"Not again..." Ranma moaned, then felt herself being pulled up...
* * *
It was already Tuesday morning. Ranma kept thinking she was a girl
(although a remodelled girl, since that visit to Dr. Tofu's.) But as
they ate
breakfast, Akane noticed that was the only change in Ranma's mind: she
still ate
like a horse, and martial arts were still her life. She hadn't even
mentioned
cooking or going shopping. For anyone who didn't know Ranma, she would
be
considered a tomboy.
Akane thought, "I'm sure Cologne knows something, but what?"
Later in the day, Akane took Ranma into the dojo. "You wanna practice?"
Ranma asked.
"Well, it's been a while since we last sparred, so I thought..."
"OK. I haven't practiced enough lately, anyway."
Akane punched forward. Ranma leapt straight up. Then Akane kicked.
Ranma bent backwards. Akane followed with a series of punches, but Ranma
only
moved to the sides to avoid them. "Hey, we already this this!" Akane
complained, annoyed by Ranma's light-hearted attitude towards their
training.
"Right at the beginning of the series!"
Ranma giggled. "I remembered that time when you said you didn't want to
be beaten by a boy, so this is your chance to be beaten by a girl."
Akane stopped attacking. "R-Ranma... then you DO remember you are a
boy?"
"Yeah, sure. I mean, I used to be one, but now I'm a girl. Which is
more
than I can say about a certain tomboy..."
Akane glowed bright blue. "Ranma no BAKA!"
Her bokken conveniently appeared out of nowhere. She took a few swipes
at Ranma, but then an aura shield formed around her.
"You again! You sure got a lot of nerve!" Akane attacked the shield.
Taken
by surprise, it was pushed back a little. It fell in Ranma's range.
There was something that Akane failed to notice, though. If she had
payed
attention, she would have noticed the odd look on Ranma's face. She
seemed...
happy? Yes, there was a look of contained happiness on her face, just
like
someone who had been reunited with her closest friend. Her eyes sparkled
just a
bit, but when she noticed her own expression she shook her head and
gulped.
With a smirk, Ranma said to the shield, "What's the matter? Letting a
girl beat
you?"
Akane grew angrier, she didn't realize what Ranma just said. She just
kept on pushing the shield towards her.
"Akane, step back," Ranma said. Akane was surprised, and stepped back
involuntarily.
Ranma reared her right hand backwards. Releasing the blow, she touched
the inside of the shield with her palm. "Gray Touch Technique!" she
shouted.
The shield was thrown upwards and disappeared. Then a small fireball
appeared
in front of her, floating in midair. In less than a second, it had
vanished
too. The thump of a body hitting the ground was heard, but Akane saw no
one
else in the room.
"How did you do that?" she asked, flabbergasted.
"What? The Gray Touch? That's just a move I came up with a while ago."
"But I thought you couldn't..."
"That one was the White Touch, this was Gray. Besides, I remember you
once said I learn tricks quicker than Lassie. So, I learned this." She
moved
into a defensive stance, "You want to continue?"
Akane looked at her nervously, "I think I've practiced enough for
today..."
* * *
Thursday, noon. Ranma-chan and Akane were walking to the Nekohanten.
Actually, Ranma-chan was being dragged. Akane thought Cologne had
realized
something, but the old hag always kept this sort of things to herself.
A maniac laughter came from behind the girls. When they turned around,
they saw Kuno, standing in the middle of the street. "Bwa ha ha! Sasuke
has not
failed me this time! Saotome has indeed disappeared!"
Akane looked nervously at Kuno. Whenever Ranma acted like a girl, she
actually became attracted to him.
"And now, the fool has surrendered to me! My loves! I've come for you!"
He ran towards them, arms open.
"Oh! Kuno-sempai!" Ranma-chan sighed. She easily broke Akane's grip and
ran towards him... then punted him right off the Asian Continent.
"Don't you ever chase after me again, you jerk!" She wiped her hands,
and walked towards Akane. A look of pure satisfaction was on her face.
Akane
had to smile. "At least I don't have to worry about that," she thought.
"Maybe
Ranma is beginning to get better."
"Nihao, Ranma!" came Shampoo's voice as they came into the Cat Cafe.
She promplty adhered to her.
"Um, uh, Shampoo, will you, uh, get off m--"
Akane slapped Ranma silly until Shampoo released her. The redhead fell
to the ground as Akane and Shampoo glared at each other.
"Hello, there, Ranma," Cologne said, hopping on her staff.
"She didn't call him 'son-in-law'?" Akane thought.
"Hey, old ghoul, still think I'm a hundred years too early to defeat
you?" staggering to her feet, Ranma-chan used the White Touch Technique
on a
nearby chair.
"That was impressive, but you're still too young, even if you are who
I think you are..."
"What they talking about?" Shampoo asked Akane.
"You got me."
"Hello, Akane, are you here to train too?" Cologne said.
"Train? No, I'm here to talk to you about Ranma."
"So you still don't know, eh?" she grinned wickedly. "Come now, Ranma,
don't tell me you haven't told them." She poked Ranma-chan with her
elbow.
Ranma began to sweat, and the slightest of blushes lit up her face.
"Did Shampoo miss something? Did they play episode Shampoo didn't
watch?"
"I think this is going too fast for me..." Akane said.
"It ALWAYS goes too fast for you, Akane," Ranma said.
"What... do you mean by THAT?"
"The Awakening didn't make you smarter, Ranma," Cologne said. Ranma
didn't pay attention, as Akane was already chasing her out of the
restaurant
with her bokken.
"Shampoo need to lie down..."
"Don't worry, great-granddaughter. I will explain when the time is
right." Cologne turned to you, the reader. "It's all pretty confusing by
now,
isn't it?"
* * *
A 747 approached the JFK International Airport of New York. Both the
pilot and the copilot were almost asleep, having departed from Nairobi,
Kenya,
the day before. The flight had been non-stop, making it worse. They were
so
exhausted the control panels were blurry before their eyes.
"Uh, control?" the pilot called, "I think I'm gonna take a nap now..."
Suddenly they saw a man-sized figure, wearing samurai garb and wielding
a bokuto, sailing through the air with the greatest of ease. Then the
figure
crashed into the nose of the plane. The pilot snapped awake.
"On second thought..." the pilot said, examining the Japanese teenager
staring right back at him through the window, "Maybe I better stop
watching
those old Leslie Nielsen movies..."
* * *
"I said no, old lech!" Ranma yelled.
"But my beautiful Ranma-chan! You said you're a girl!" Happosai chased
her through the Tendo dojo with a bra and panties in his hands.
"That doesn't mean I gotta do it!" She stopped and suddenly charged the
old
man. Covered by an aura shield, she rammed into him.
"When I find out who's doing that..." Happosai said, staggering. "But
first, I'll see you wear these!!" He leapt at her with the garments. She
grabbed the back of his head and slammed him into the floor. He still
came
after her. After a while, he started attacking her with bombs, but every
one of
them blew up in his hands. "Bwaahh! I hate those shields!" Grabbing him
by the
belt, Ranma-chan used him as a soccer ball and sent him through the
window.
"Someday you will wear these, my Ranma-chaaaan..." he said as he
disappeared in
the distance. "Dream on, old man," Ranma said. It was already late in
the
night, and that old pervert had been chasing her around ever since he
found out
she thought she was a girl. Okay, so what if she was one? She still
hated
wearing those things. Besides... she didn't think her male side would
appreciate
it...
Before she went into her room, Ranma saw Akane come out of her bedroom,
half asleep. "What was all that racket?" she asked.
"The old goat wanted me to wear that stupid bra again."
Akane snapped awake, "Ranma? Did you...?"
"You think I'm gonna let that lecher get away with that?" she gave a
"thumbs-up", smiling. Akane sighed in relief, but then became worried.
Ranma
noticed the change in her expression. "What's wrong this time?"
"Ranma I... why won't you admit you're a man?"
"This again... look, Akane, I am a girl, and I'll show you." She
sprinted to the kitchen and began to boil water. Akane watched her
motions, high
hopes in her heart. Would she be willing to change back now?
Ranma doused herself with hot water. She was still a girl.
"No... that's impossible..."
"There, you see?" Ranma said, wringing the water out of her braid.
"Herb must have done something... like that other time..." Ranma didn't
answer. She didn't want to upset Akane further.
"This... this is all Phoenix' fault, whoever he is!" Akane attacked
Ranma, trying to hit her over the head, but the aura shields kept
appearing.
Soon she stopped trying and fell to her knees, on the verge of tears.
Ranma kneeled down and held Akane. "It's all right. I know how you
feel. It'll be only a few days 'till you see him..."
"See who?"
"Ranma, of course."
"B-but you are..."
"I meant the male Ranma. Now c'mon, go back to bed. I don't wanna stay
up all night trying to explain." Akane meekly followed Ranma-chan, who
led her
to her bedroom. Then Ranma headed back to her own room. Before she came
in,
though, she looked towards Akane's door. She felt guilty for doing this
to her,
but she knew she wouldn't understand if she explained it. It... it was
just too
complicated... it was something that had begun fifteen hundred years
ago...
Her head jerked slightly as she was suddenly surprised by a voice. The
voice of her male side, in her mind.
"She's gonna hate us for this. Actually, she'll only hate you, and you
deserve it."
"I know, I know. But I can't tell her anything right now."
She sighed, and went into the room.
* * *
Midnight. Everyone was sleeping soundly at the Tendo dojo. Everyone,
that is, except for Akane. Disguised like a ninja, she stepped lightly
towards
Ranma's room, wielding a mallet.
"Just wait, Ranma. I'll change you back if it's the last thing I do."
Slowly, she opened the door. She saw the large furry mass of the panda,
nearly filling the room. She went around it, and saw Ranma-chan spread
all
over the futon, wearing the tank top and boxers. At least she wasn't
completely
a girl, Akane thought. She heard Ranma mumble something in her sleep,
but she
couldn't make out the words. Just something like "lael-chan" or
something like
that. Looming over her, Akane pulled her mallet upwards, ready to bring
it down
on Ranma's head. Even Phoenix had to sleep sometime, and he shouldn't be
able to
shield her from the impact. Closing her eyes, Akane smashed Ranma with
her
mallet. Her face was flat, but she was still asleep. Akane hit her
again. Nothing.
The third time, however, an aura shield hurriedly formed around Ranma.
Akane
pounded on it furiously. In a last effort, she took the shield, and
threw it out
the window, with Ranma inside it. As she looked down to the garden, she
facefaulted: the shield was flat on the ground, but Ranma was cuddling
up in its
heat.
Confessions
Friday morning. Akane came down the stairs in her pajamas, holding
P-chan in her arms. She groggily walked into the kitchen. "Oh, good
morning
Akane!" Kasumi said. "What are you doing up this early?"
Akane glanced at the clock on the wall: it was 5:30 in the morning. And
during summer vacation, at that!
"Uh, I, I guess P-chan woke me up when he came back." The little pig
nuzzled her. "Where's Ranma?"
Kasumi looked at her oddly, "Why, I don't think Ranma-kun would get up
this early, especially if he..."
A sudden realization came to Akane's mind. "Ranma! He's out in the
garden!" They ran to the dining room and opened the door to the garden.
Ranma-chan was still sleeping in the shield. P-chan looked at her with
wide
eyes.
"Maybe we should take him inside," Kasumi said. Defensive, the shield
closed
further around Ranma. Akane clenched her fists so hard her knuckles
paled.
"'Phoenix,' eh? I'm going to kill him." P-chan turned up to her face.
She looked depressed.
"Now, now, Akane. We'll talk to Ranma-kun when he awakes," Kasumi led
Akane back inside. "Do you want to help me cook breakfast?" Akane
nodded.
Akane and Kasumi talked as they prepared breakfast. Akane was obviously
disturbed by all that had happened. P-chan was now aware of Ranma's
"feminine
behavior", and was still rolling on the kitchen table as he laughed.
"The next time I see that Herb, I'll bust his head open..." Akane said,
chopping a cabbage with a meat cleaver, which struck about two inches
away from
P-chan. He stopped laughing.
Suddenly, they heard a loud scream from the garden. "That sounded like
Ranma-kun..." Kasumi said.
"Ranma!"
The girls and the pig ran to the garden, and found Ranma-chan sitting
up on the grass, holding her head with her left hand. The shield was
gone.
"Ranma, are you alright?" Akane asked, sitting beside her.
"Just a bad dream, I guess..." Ranma said, "...about Jusenkyo. I
dreamed I drowned in a pool..."
"Recalling is painful, Saotome," came the voice of Herb as he and his
bodyguards leapt over the wall and fell on the garden.
"YOU!!" Akane scowled at him viciously. She wasn't just glowing blue,
she was practically exploding with rage. She launched herself at Herb,
her
fists gleaming with a red aura. The warrior prince easily held the
attack.
"Please, miss Tendo, I had no intention of hurting you feelings..."
"No intention! Look what you did to my fiance, you son of a b..."
"Akane!" Kasumi said, startled. Ranma was waking up completely.
"Herb!" she said, running over to where he and Akane hand-wrestled.
"Stop it, Akane. It's alright now. I'll take care of this"
Akane looked worriedly at Ranma-chan. But then she smirked. Ranma would
beat the tar of the stupid Musk prince. He would regret ever hurting her
fiance.
But instead, Herb let go of her and shook hands with Ranma, as if they
were friends. Akane facefaulted.
"Sorry 'bout that," Ranma said, poking Herb with her fist on the gut.
"Not to worry. It didn't really injure me."
"What do you mean? You're saying I'm weaker? I can still take you down,
you know."
Herb grinned amusedly, "I believe you could. But let us discuss why I'm
here, shall we?"
About half an hour later, everyone was at the table, eating breakfast.
Of course, Akane was careful enough to make Herb and his accomplices eat
her
cooking. If she couldn't fight them, she would poison them.
"Hmm, interesting flavors..." Herb said, eating his portion. Lime and
Mint were already twitching on the floor. "Now we shall talk to you
about my
mission."
"Why did you do this to my son?" Genma asked. Ranma-chan bonked him on
the head for using the word "son."
"That I didn't come to explain, for you all shall be informed in due
time. Remember that patience is one of the greatest virtues."
"Yeah, for example, right now I'm waiting for you to stop eating so I
can kill you," Akane said.
"Let him talk Akane," Soun said. "Now, what is it that you want to
discuss?"
Herb put down his bowl and chopsticks, "Very well. Saotome, I have come
to inform you the barge of the Musk Dynasty is fully prepared to depart
to
mainland China. At last you shall return to Jusenkyo."
Ranma's eyes widened, "You... you mean it?"
Herb smiled. "Yes, and I have made proper arrangements for all your
acquaintances to accompany us as well," he sent a covert glance at
P-chan, "so
their curses may be removed."
"_Don't_ call us 'curses,'" Ranma scowled at Herb for his choice of
words.
But after smiling, she quickly rose from the table, "Well, what're we
waiting for?
Let's go!"
"Hold, Saotome. Do you not think there is something you need to do
first?"
Ranma fell silent and looked downwards. "Mom..." she said.
"Exactly," Herb said. "But do not worry, for I have arranged a meeting
with her today, here at the Tendo Training Hall."
Genma and Ranma looked at him, both paralyzed in terror. "She's coming
HERE? TODAY!?" Before Herb could reply, Genma was already running for
the
hills, carrying Ranma-chan on his shoulder. He crashed into an aura
shield.
"I believe I should have used a different approach..." Herb said.
Akane looked at him furiously. "Are you happy now?" she said. Herb
turned to her, confused, "Why do you say that?"
"You just ruined everyone's life here! Everything was fine before you
and that Phoenix clown showed up!"
"Did I not warn you to be brave, Akane Tendo? If you truly have
feelings for your fiance, then you shall wait until this has ended. A
little
over than a month ago, you wished Saotome would find a way to remove
what you
call 'curse', did you not?"
Akane was taken aback, flabbergasted, "How... how did you know...?"
"I remember clearly... You made that wish just as a red shooting star
passed overhead, am I correct?"
Akane nodded, hesitating, "Y-yes, but..."
"Your wish has been granted, then. Now allow me to explain further."
Akane couldn't find a suitable comeback. She just sat back, defeated.
"As I was saying," Herb continued, "Mrs. Saotome shall arrive here by
noon. She
is welcome to come on our expedition as well." He turned to Ranma, "As a
matter
of fact, we can depart today, as soon as you talk to her."
"Did you..." Ranma began to ask, a little doubt in her voice, "tell her
about..."
Herb nodded, "She is now familiar with the legends of Jusenkyo. I have
taken care of that. I even put special emphasis on the tales of
Nyannichuan and
Shuanshontsuniichuan." Somewhat relieved, Ranma sat back down. But she
couldn't
help shuddering a little at that name. Nyannichuan. Brr...
Akane worriedly said, "Did you tell her about Ranma's curse?"
"No. I simply prepared the backdrop for Saotome's explanation of it.
As of yet, she only considers it to be a tragic legend. She knows
nothing of
the connection between it and your fiance." He paused for a second, then
thought to himself, "Or at least I don't think she does. She seemed
somehow
familiar with them..."
"Thanks for helping out," Ranma said, "but now I'll be forced to tell
her."
Herb shook his head. "She needs to know. She believes it is her fault
that
you fainted."
Ranma dropped her eyes. "Guess you're right," she said. "And I have
less than six hours to get ready."
Herb looked beyond Ranma, "Why is your father running away?" Ranma
frowned and somersaulted backwards, landing in front of Genma. He tried
to
escape, but she simply grabbed his gi and leapt into the pond.
"You're staying here, 'Mr Panda', unless you want to commit seppuku.
Got it? If you're not here when Mom arrives, I'll make sure she doesn't
understand my version."
The panda loomed over her. Both of them began fighting, until Ranma
used the White Touch and sent him flying into the dining room.
"The White Touch, eh?" Herb smiled, "We thought you stopped using that
technique long ago."
"It's hard to break a habit," Ranma said, grinning.
* * *
It was noon. Everyone was practically jumping around the dojo, either
in excitement or scared spitless. Herb had sent his guards off to his
ship, so
they prepared the last details. Ranma still didn't know how she was
going to
explain to her mother. Akane just avoided Herb, still holding a deep
grudge
against him.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Everyone but Herb paralyzed.
Kasumi opened the door.
"Hi! Is Ranchan here?" Ukyou asked as she entered the house. Everyone
sighed in relief.
"Jeez, Ucchan, you nearly gave me a heart-attack," Ranma said.
"What's up? Why're you all so jumpy?"
"We're waiting for Ranma-kun's mom," Nabiki said.
"She's going to explain everything to her," Herb said. When Ukyou saw
him, she immediately pounded him into a pulp.
"You had that coming you, you..." Ukyou said. Akane came over and put
her hand on her shoulder.
"Wait, Ukyou. Only he knows how to cure Ranma."
Ukyou looked at Akane, then at the pulp, then at Ranma-chan. "Akane,
you
sure?" She nodded. The pulp on the ground also made a good impression of
a nod.
Again, there was a knock on the door. "That's probably Shampoo," Ranma
said, "I'll go get it."
When she opened the door, she felt her heart jump out of her mouth.
Mrs. Saotome felt the same.
Both of them stood at the door, looking down to the ground. Neither
spoke. But after what had happened that day at the park, they didn't
have the
faintest idea of what to do. Ranma was just too nervous, she had no idea
what
to say; Nodoka, on the other hand, simply... didn't _want_ to say
anything. The last
time she had spoken to "Ranko" it was to tell her how she considered her
to be
her own daughter.
Trying to break the ice, Akane walked over to them, "H-Hello, Auntie
Saotome." Nodoka and Ranma-chan slowly turned to her.
"Oh, hello, Akane-chan!" Nodoka said, returning to her usual smile.
"Welcome, Mrs. Saotome," Herb said.
"It's you! Hello there!" Nodoka said. "You're the kind young man who
helped me bring Ranko-chan the other day, aren't you?"
"Indeed, it is me. And, as promised, you shall learn of your husband
and son." The panda tried to escape from the aura cage around him.
"Are you really Ranchan's mother?" Ukyou said.
"Auntie, I'd like you to meet Ukyou Kuonji," Akane said. "Ukyou, this
is Ranma's mom."
"How do you do? I'm Nodoka Saotome."
"Pleased to meet you, Auntie." Nodoka blinked at this.
"Ukyou is a friend of Ranma's," Akane explained.
"I am not a friend! I'm his fiancee!" Ranma-chan snapped out of it at
Ukyou's statement.
"Fiancee?" Nodoka asked, "I thought _you_ were my Ranma's fiancee,
Akane-chan."
"Saotome-kun hasn't fully explained this double engagement," Soun said,
"and he better do it soon." He glared at the sweaty panda.
"I'm sure I will have a word with Dear once I see him."
"That will be sooner than you imagine..." Ranma-chan said.
"Ranko-chan..." Nodoka gulped slightly.
"No. I don't want you to call me like that anymore..."
Akane and Ukyou held Ranma-chan's arms. "You sure you want to go on
with this?" Akane asked. Ranma-chan nodded.
"Why do you say that, Ranko-chan?"
"Mom?" Ranma-chan said aloud. Nodoka stared at her, surprised. The
panda seemed to melt into a black and white puddle. "My name's not Ranko
Tendo..." she swallowed hard and clenched her fists. "I'm... I'm Ranma."
There, she
had finally said it.
"Wh-what?" Nodoka stepped away. She couldn't really believe what she
had just heard.
"It's true... and that's Pop right there," she pointed at the panda. It
simply
fainted.
Nodoka was silent. Her hands were shaking. No, this couldn't be
right...
Ranko was a girl, and her Ranma was a man. A manly man. Then a sudden
realization came to her: She had always been told that Ranma and Genma
were
away training. She had been a close friend of Mrs. Tendo, and she knew
that
neither she nor Soun had any siblings, so Akane couldn't have a
cousin... "Ranko"
always looked unhappy when she was around... She and the panda always
looked
nervous whenever she took the katana in her hands...
Which is exactly what she did now. Herb quickly put his hand on the
blade.
"Please, Mrs. Saotome, allow Ranma to explain."
"B-but why? What happened...?"
"It's nobody's fault, mother. Herb told you about Jusenkyo, right?"
Nodoka nodded slowly, a look of incredulity locked in her face. "Let me
show
you." Ranma-chan poured hot water on the unconsious panda. He changed
back to
human form.
"D-DEAR?!" Nodoka yelled. Genma sprung to his feet.
"Uh, um, h-how nice to, to see you again..." he said nervously.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SON?!"
"He didn't do anything, mother. I--"
"And you!" Nodoka spun around, unsheathing the katana. "How could you
do this to me?! I trusted you and you lied to me!" Herb quickly moved in
between them.
"Please, Mrs. Saotome. I have already told you about the legendary
accursed springs."
"I thought you only said that because..."
"Your son is by no means unmanly, dear lady. He has endured this
condition far better than anyone on this Earth could." She still wasn't
convinced, even though something inside her kept nagging her to accept
what
Ranma was saying. "Look at me," Herb went on. "Because of Jusenkyo, I
once
turned into a woman as well, just as your son. Would you consider me
unmanly?"
Nodoka stepped back, unable to reply.
Herb smiled. "Very well, then. Remember how I told you that whenever
somebody fell inside a spring, they released the spirit within?" She
nodded.
"I also recall telling you about the Springs of Drowned Girl and Drowned
Twins..." She nodded again, and flinched involuntarily. "Within the
spring
Nyannichuan dwells--" Ranma-chan glared at him, "I mean, resides the
soul of a
young girl who drowned 1500 years ago. Only two beings have been able to
liberate that spirit. And one of them was your son."
Ranma-chan and Nodoka looked at each other. She couldn't tell what it
was,
but that strange "something" in Nodoka's heart was suddenly relieved.
Meanwhile,
even Ranma was being impressed by the explanation. "But I thought
everyone who
fell in the spring became cursed," Akane said.
"True, but the outcome is different from creature to creature. In the
past, when my tribe doused animals with Nyannichuan water to make
brides, those
animals were endowed with the physical aspects of the curse. It was
alike for
me. Many special circumstances must be met in order for the spirit to be
released. In this case, Ranma met those circumstances. Afterwards,
another
being met them. In both cases, they were endowed with the physical,
mental and
spiritual aspects of the young girl. But after the second being fell,
the
spring's spirit wasn't trapped anymore, thus I didn't acquire the girl's
soul."
Nodoka stared at Ranma-chan, who quickly turned to avoid her gaze. "But
then that would mean..." she said.
"Your son's psyche is indeed strong, Mrs. Saotome. Even within the
girl's body, his mind hardly ever allowed her to express herself
visibly. It
took a great impact caused by someone else..." he glanced at Akane, "to
revive
her temporarily. That, Akane Tendo, is why I used the Mind Blast. Only
by
Awakening her mind would she understand... and remember."
Akane looked nervously at Ranma-chan. She didn't feel comfortable
around her anymore, for Ranma, or whoever she was, was a completely
different
person. The person... that had drowned in that spring, fifteen hundred
years
ago...
Ranma seemed to read her thoughts, "No, Akane. I'm still the same
Ranma. But now I remember a lot of things that were buried in the back
of my
head."
"Yes," Herb said, "That was one of the requisites for her spirit to
escape. Since she was nearly identical to Saotome, she was able to come
out
through him. That explains why her change in behavior was considerably
smaller
than last time."
"But then what happened to my son?" Nodoka asked, worried.
"He is fine, Mrs. Saotome. His mind is simply asleep, that is all. And
as soon as we arrive to Jusenkyo, you shall see him anew."
A great silence filled the room. Only the chirping of birds outside
could be heard. Even P-chan was astounded: he wondered if he held the
spirit of
a pig inside him.
Finally, Ranma-chan spoke, crystalline liquid beginning to gather in
her eyes. "I... I know we shouldn't have lied to you," she said to her
mother,
"and I know you think I don't even belong here, but still... I... I'd
like to
still be part of the family... Even..." her voice turned shaky, "even if
I had
to commit seppuku..."
Nodoka looked down at the shorter girl. She too felt her eyes become
teary. "N-no... I... this is all happening too fast, I don't know..."
But her heart
knew. It knew what was the right thing to do, the only thing she could
do.
Slowly, a smile took shape in her face, but it vanished quickly again.
Ranma was
about to speak when Nodoka suddenly dropped to her knees, holding her
tightly.
"Rank- Ranma! I've waited so long! I don't care if you're under a curse,
I'm just
glad you're al lright!" Ranma broke down as well. She returned the hug,
putting
her arms around her mother's neck. Her head rested against Nodoka's
shoulder.
"Mom... Mother...!"
Akane felt incredibly relieved. At last the Saotome family had been
reunited, and she could feel nothing but happiness for them. Ukyou,
although
not being familiar with Nodoka, tried not to cry despite how glad she
felt. The
Tendos were cheering, even Nabiki. Genma flopped down on the floor,
wiping the
sweat off his forehead. Herb simply stood there, with his arms crossed,
and
showing a smile of pure satisfaction. Outside, Phoenix was creating
fireworks.
But for him, the Second Step had only been finished. There was still
much work
to do.
Pulling away, Ranma wiped the tears from her eyes, trying not to show
weakness. Both she and her mother found themselves unable to remove the
smile
from their faces. It was just too good to be true. Not only had Nodoka
come to
terms with Ranma's condition, but she had also accepted this female
Ranma. They
were simply too happy to even stop smiling.
"It is time," Herb said, not breaking his posture. Ranma turned to him.
"O-
Okay," she said, "but first I wanna tell Mom something..." She showed a
feline
smile, allowing her cheeks to blush deeply as she said, "It's something
about the
guy Herb calls Phoenix." She helped her mother to her feet and began to
lead
her upstairs, excited. Akane tried to follow, but then Ranma turned to
her and
smiled. Somehow, Akane knew it would be better to wait.
* * *
They were waiting at the seaport, by a large and magnificent boat.
Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne were starting to get irritated.
"Why we wait here?" Shampoo asked. "Shampoo want to meet Ranma's
mother."
"Patience, great-granddaughter. I'm sure they will come soon."
"I think I see them!" Mousse said, looking at the seagulls standing on
poles nearby. Cologne bonked him on the head.
Lime and Mint were becoming impatient, as well. Still, they wouldn't
break their guarding positions, considering the mistress was there.
Hesitating
for a second, they glanced up at the ship. Yes, there she was.
She was a young girl, slightly shorter than Akane, and dressed entirely
in
white. The many layers of clothing effectively hid most of her curves,
while the
long cape and hood managed to obscure her face perfectly. The only color
that
showed on her form was the shimmering, scarlet red of her hair, as a few
strands came out from under the hood. From her position, aboard the
ship, she
saw the shapes approaching from the distance. Although she felt a great
excitement at seeing them approach, she had to contain herself. She
didn't want
to compromise her sister. Not yet.
Finally, the troop arrived: the Tendos, the Saotomes, and Ukyou and
Herb.
Ryouga had changed back to human form, and looked uneasily at Herb.
The groups greeted each other. "So, you're the son-in-law's mother?"
Nodoka blinked, then looked at Ranma-chan. "It's a long story," she
said. Shampoo nearly clung to her, then remembered that Ranma was still
a girl.
"Ranma, you no cured yet?"
"I shall explain to them as well, Saotome," Herb said, "but I assume
the old woman is aware of this by now." Cologne grinned and nodded.
Mousse
recognized the voice. "You again! Have you come to fight?" he said as he
addressed Kasumi.
"Master!" Lime and Mint said firmly. "The mistress is here!"
Ranma-chan, Nodoka and Herb looked up towards the ship. The two women
smiled, hopeful, as they saw the white-clothed female, who greeted them
with a
nod. When she agily leapt down, she landed exactly in front of
Ranma-chan. She
was exactly the same height as the redhead.
Both of them looked at each other, as if trying to remember. Then
Nodoka spoke, "It's you, isn't it?" The cloaked girl nodded. Ranma-chan
smiled
widely.
"Yes, time has passed very slowly for her too, Saotome," Herb said as
he put his arm around the girl. Ranma-chan stared at them incredule,
"You mean,
you're his..." the girl nodded and cuddled up in Herb's arm. "It
figures..."
Ranma said, smirking. Nodoka just giggled a little while everyone else
stared,
confused.
"Very well, then," Herb said, "let's depart, to mainland China!" The
crowd ascended the plank upwards, boarding the ship. But nobody noticed
the
small ninja that clung to the ship's side.
The land of accursed springs
The voyage took over a week by boat, as the ship had departed from
Yokohama. From there it went around the Japanese islands in order to
reach
China. And despite how happy she felt for Ranma and Nodoka, Akane
couldn't help
being depressed for every minute of the trip. She would never admit it,
but she
actually missed Ranma. The male Ranma. And even though Ranma-chan acted
just
like him, it obviously wasn't the same. Akane would have liked to hear
him say
how awful her cooking was, how "uncute" he thought her to be. And the
truth
is, neither Ukyou, Shampoo nor herself was feeling very cheerful at the
time.
She couln't hold a grudge against Herb and Phoenix anymore, for she
knew they helped Ranma tell the truth to her mother. But she still felt
they
had kept him from her, without even a chance to say goodbye.
"What's up, Akane?" Ranma-chan came up to her. It was night, and Akane
was leaning against the ship's railing, looking at the waves below.
She shook her head. "It's nothing. I just... forget it."
Ranma gave her a cockeyed glance. "You never were any good at lying,
Akane. C'mon, what's wrong?"
Akane looked thoughtfully at Ranma, then quickly turned away. "You
wouldn't understand."
Ranma was annoyed by that comment, but she controlled her temper.
Softly, she said to Akane, "You're thinking about Ranma, aren't you?"
Akane
fell silent, starting to blush. For a few instants, she stood by the
railing,
her back to Ranma-chan. The soft, salty sea breeze caressed her face,
waving
her hair as it blew. Everything was submerged in silence, not even the
waves
could be heard. Ranma-chan looked downwards, and put her hands on the
railing,
standing next to Akane. "I know how you feel... believe me." She sighed,
"I really
know how it feels to be away from someone... But I promise, everything
will turn
out fine. We'll get him back to normal, then I'll get the heck out of
your life."
Akane quickly turned to Ranma. "No!" she said hurriedly. "I mean... you
don't have to go."
"You mean that?" Ranma asked, turning to Akane. Her eyes were
uncertain,
something that Akane found odd. This girl... she really resembled Ranma.
Akane
wondered who she really was. So far, she only knew she was the girl that
drowned at Jusenkyo, and that her character was almost a carbon-copy of
Ranma's.
But... what else? She likedmartial arts, that was certain, but in other
aspects
she was very... unique. She seemed to be a bit shy, maybe even childish.
And
there were those times, when Akane caught her sighing. What was the deal
with
this girl? What was her past?
Then there was the way she had entered their lives. She would have
probably spent the rest of eternity trapped in Nyannichuan if Ranma
hadn't
fallen in the spring. In a way, she had always been with them --Akane
met Ranma
only after he had become "cursed." This girl knew everything that Ranma
knew,
but her judgements were of course based on a female standpoint. But
since she
had never been able to express herself, it still seemed she had just
barged
into everyone's life, suddenly and wthout warning. Maybe those were the
reasons
why this Ranma-chan felt like an intruder, even though no one thought of
her
that way.
"It's just... these days have been very hard on us..." Akane said.
"I didn't mean to cause you all that trouble."
"Don't worry... Heh, it's ironic. Herb even told me this was going to
happen, and I didn't want to listen." A small tear ran down Akane's
cheek. She
really missed her fiance.
Ranma put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Akane. I'll be around if
you need a shoulder to cry on. I'll always be around." She started to
head back
to her quarters. Akane turned to her, still not believing what she had
just
heard. "R-Ranma... Was that you?"
Ranma-chan fell down on the bed at her quarters. She heard a female
voice in her head. "Okay, you can come out again," Ranma-chan said. She
felt a
light throb in her head, then she relaxed as the girl's spirit took over
once more.
"You owe me that one, Ranma," she said.
The one who had said that last phrase to Akane, the one inside
Ranma-chan's body, had been the male Ranma.
* * *
A few hours had passed since Akane and Ranma-chan talked. Most were
already asleep, except for the Musk servants that served as crew of the
barge.
The ship itself swung lazily up and down with the waves, the wood from
its hull
creaking slightly as it did. The soft roars of the ocean were the
perfect song
for the sleepers, and the constant rocking only served to imitate a
baby's
cradle. Thus, it is no wonder nobody woke up at the sound of those
voices.
"It's... it's really you..."
"I can't believe it... I still feel like I'm dreaming... But you really
_are_
here!"
"It's all right... I'm here for you... I missed you a lot."
"I missed you too, oneechan...!"
"Oh, God... I can't believe we're out of that spring...!"
"I know, oneechan... I know..."
"What's that? Oh, come on... You're strong. Don't start crying like a
little
girl."
"B-but you're crying too..."
"That's... that's because I thought I'd never see my sister again...!
It's so
great to be with you again!"
"I... feel... that... too... but... you're... holding... too.. tight...
ribs...
breaking..."
"Oh, sorry. Better?" Silence. A soft sigh was heard, joined by a brief
laugh
of release. Both had the same tone of voice. Both were heard at the same
time.
"So... it was a boy?"
"Yeah... and you?"
"A monkey."
"A monkey?"
"Remember what Herb-chan told you?"
There was a gasp, "You mean _you_ were..."
"Uh-huh... Bit of luck, I guess."
Again, silence. But then the other replied, "It wasn't luck... I just
know it."
They looked at each other. Both nodded in agreement. Slowly, they
kneeled
on the deck and clasped their hands. Smiling at each other, they looked
up.
Feeling deeply thankful, they... prayed.
* * *
"Ah! So you're back, Mr. Customer!" the guide said, seeing Ranma-chan
and the panda.
"The Master has alredy explained you the situation," Lime said to him,
"you shouldn't address the woman in such manner."
"Be easy on him, Lime," Herb said, "he can't keep track of everything
that happens here."
It was beginning to darken, but at last they had arrived at Jusenkyo,
dreaded land of accursed springs. The entire horde was there, even the
Tendos.
Akane and Soun were thoroughly impressed, given that this was the first
time
they actually saw the famous pools. Shrouded in its eternal veil of
mist, the
valley continued to be a beautiful sight --and a place that terrified
many,
especially Ranma-chan. She could still remember being trapped inside the
spring.
But that was all over now. Everything was going to end soon. Trying to
control
herself, Ranma-chan looked starry-eyed at the springs.
"Before we begin," Herb said, stopping Shampoo and the panda, "we need
to fully release the spirits in Nyannichuan and Shuanshontsuniichuan, so
you
don't capture them once you plunge into them."
"Why Shampoo need water from Drowned Twins? She only want be normal
again."
"And I don't see why we can't just jump into Nannichuan," Mousse said.
"You no see anything, stupid duck boy. Period."
Herb chuckled. "If you truly intend to be relieved of your curses, then
you must wait until we find a way to keep the spirit of the drowned man
from
entering your body. It is the same for Nyannichuan. Once the spirit is
released, the spring won't be able to give you her soul, although it can
still
return you to normal." Shampoo crossed her arms, annoyed. Herb motioned
for
Ranma-chan to come closer to the springs. At the same time, the cloaked
girl
also stepped forward. Both of them stood next to each other, facing the
springs. Their hearts were beating excitedly.
Then, in perfect coordination, Ranma-chan and the girl leapt towards
the spring, spinning in midair, and fell in the spring at exactly the
same
time. Before they came up, Herb approached the spring.
"Mind Blast revised, step 3!" The water glowed bright pink, then blue.
Two streams of bubbles came to the surface, then they became four, and
finally
three.
"Ah! Miss! What you doing!?" the guide cried out. "That cursed spring
of Shuanshontsuniichuan! It doubles what it touches!" Everyone but
Nodoka,
Herb, Lime and Mint was shocked, especially Ryouga.
"Aargh! Not TWO Ranmas!"
"Ranma!" Akane cried. "You fell in the wrong spring, stup--"
She saw Ranma-chan come up, together with the cloaked girl. Then
ANOTHER Ranma-chan floated upwards, unconscious. The first Ranma quickly
held
her and handed her to Herb. To the guide's amazement, the cloaked girl
hadn't
doubled.
Akane rushed up to the spring, and helped Herb hoist the unconscious
Ranma upwards. Then she noticed something: the aura around the other
Ranma's
head had completely vanished.
"Perfect," Ranma said, looking at her double. The other girl nodded in
agreement. Then, without a word, they jumped into the spring next to
Shuanshontsuniichuan.
"Aiyaaa! Now you jump in Nyannichuan!"
When both girls came up, they were practically gleaming with energy, at
last being completely free of Jusenkyo. They jumped around happily,
hopping off
every single bamboo pole. Ranma-chan had a face-wide smile. It was over.
It was
_all_ over. Even the small fragment of her soul inside the spring had
been
released. She was completely free of Jusenkyo's enslaving magic. But
then she
looked down at Akane and her double. Simultaneously, she and the other
girl
came down next to them.
"Now's your turn," Ranma-chan said, glad to help. "Go on, splash him
with
Nannichuan water."
Herb nodded. As he headed for the spring of drowned man, he reared up a
massive Mind Blast sphere in his hand, then flung it straight into the
water.
While the spring glowed, the cloaked girl handed him four buckets, which
he filled
carefully. Meanwhile, Shampoo was leaping into the spirit-free
Nyannichuan.
Herb handed a bucket to Genma. Herb gave Mousse another bucket. Ryouga
ran behind the guide's house, then Lime took a third bucket to him.
Finally, Herb
gave the fourth bucket to Nodoka. Ranma-chan carried her twin over to
her.
Akane followed her closely, as well as Ukyou and Shampoo.
"Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for..." Ranma-chan said
with a deep voice, as if to parody a stage announcer. She gently put her
twin
on the ground, beside Nodoka. Akane and the others kneeled down next to
her.
"I've waited so long..." Nodoka said, her voice barely above a whisper.
With
painstaking care, she spilled the water over the unconscious Ranma-chan.
At
last, the male Ranma returned, completely cured.
"Wha... how did I get here...?" he asked, awakened by the water. He
yelped at the sight of Ranma-chan.
"Ranchan!"
"Ranma!"
Ukyou and Shampoo glomped onto him before he could ask any more
questions. Akane tried to glare at them, but she couldn't avoid
releasing the
tears of joy that had gathered in her eyes. Nodoka was feeling the same.
All
of them held Ranma-kun. Ranma-chan smiled at them, as so did Herb. The
guide
just looked around, utterly confused.
"Help! I can't breathe!" Ranma-kun pleaded.
Despite his efforts, Ranma couldn't get them off. It was only when his
mother gently pulled them apart that they budged. "M-M-M-Mom?" Ranma
said,
nervously looking at her. "How did... Do you..."
Nodoka nodded softly. "Yes, son. She and you friend prince Herb
explained everything." Then she turned kinder, "It was very noble to
sacrifice
yourself so you could save her."
"Save who...?" he began to ask. Then he saw Ranma-chan again. "Aargh!
It's the demon!"
Ranma-chan and the cloaked girl were annoyed, "Hey, who're you calling
'demon'?!"
No Way, Impossible, Yaargh, were the words that revolved around
Ranma-kun's head at 480 RPM. His eyes were completely fixed on his
female
double, who returned the gaze. She was considerably calmer than him,
though,
but she was still staring at him as if she were examining him.
Ranma then turned to Herb. "You! You attacked me!"
"I believe he needs to have his doubts cleared, wouldn't you say,
Yuannyan?"
The cloaked girl nodded. She gestured for Mint to come. He happily
obeyed.
"It's your turn, Dear," Nodoka said to Genma, who was still holding
the bucket. Taking a deep breath, he brought the water above his head
and
splashed himself with it. He and Nodoka held each other in happiness.
Soun
began to weep in joy, creating yet another spring.
"Mousse want this?" Shampoo balanced the bucket on her fingers,
balancing on a pole away from Mousse's reach. The torture went on for a
while
until Cologne finally splashed him with the water.
"Where did Ryouga go?" Akane asked, just as a damp Ryouga was being led
back to the group by Lime, who stopped him from heading to Brazil.
Soon everybody started to dance and celebrate, Kasumi and Nabiki
included. They seemed to forget Ranma-chan, Herb, Lime, Mint and the
cloaked girl, Yuannyan. It didn't matter, anyway, They too were sharing
on the other's
joy, although in a different manner.
Ranma-chan then turned away, becoming saddened for a moment. Yes,
everything was over... including her life with them. She knew this would
happen,
especially since everyone had always thought of her as an obstacle, the
"curse"
that Ranma had to get rid of. But at least they would be happy. That was
enough for her.
Ever since Ranma fell in Nyannichuan, she had always been with him. Her
soul, her mind, they were always hidden behind Ranma's, always watching
the
events unfold before her. She shared his life, she learned along with
him, she
suffered because of his own sorrows. She had come to become a part of
him as
much as he was part of her. All of her friends were actually Ranma's,
but she
appreciated them nonetheless... even if they would just forget about her
now
that he was "cured."
Herb noticed her expression, and instantly stopped smiling as he
understood. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said, "You should be with
them."
"Are you kidding? He always wanted to get rid of me. I don't think it
would be a good idea to go there."
Yuannyan finally spoke, "You know your place is with them," Her voice
sounded exactly like Ranma-chan's, although somewhat more feminine. "You
belong
with your family."
Ranma-chan turned to her. "I... Family...? But you are... it's been
over 1500
years..."
Yuannyan shook her head. "I know you love them. Stop being so hard on
yourself and join them!"
Ranma-chan looked at the celebrating crowd. Her eyes showed how much
she wanted to be with them. Amid the festivities, Nodoka suddenly saw
her.
Without saying a word, she came over to them. "Why aren't you with us,
Ranma-chan?"
She looked towards Ranma, "I don't think he'd like to see me right
now."
Nodoka turned to him as well, "Don't worry. Your brother will get over
this in time."
Ranma-chan blinked, "Brother?"
Nodoka smiled at her. She was even more naive now that she was an
individual again. "Well, he's my son, and you are my daughter, aren't
you? Then
you two must be brother and sister." Ranma-chan blushed. She looked at
Yuannyan. "This could get complicated," she said.
Akane noticed Nodoka's absence, and saw she was with Ranma-chan.
Embarassed to have forgotten her, she walked towards them.
"Ranma, I'm sorry," she said, blushing in abashment.
"It's okay. Guess I deserve it anyway, after making you feel
worried..."
Akane quickly grimaced, forgetting her previous thoughts to give way
for
pride. "I was not worried!"
Ranma-chan rolled her eyes, "Sure you weren't..."
Herb clapped his hands loudly. Everyone at Jusenkyo turned to him.
Again, Ranma nearly collapsed when he saw his female twin. "Very
well,now that
you have all been restored, allow me to invite you to my humble abode,
in the
Musk village." He signaled to Lime and Mint. Both warriors quickly moved
to
the flanks of the larger group. "Escort them to our palace. I believe we
still
have business to conduct here."
Immediately, the men and Yuannyan led the unwilling group to the
village. Only Herb, Ranma-chan and Nodoka remained. "Y-you can go with
them...
Mom," Ranma-chan said, looking up at her. She knew how much Nodoka
wanted to be
with her son.
"I want to be here for you. My son is restored, but my daughter still
has
to deal with this curse." The smile she sent lit up Ranma-chan's heart.
The
redhead soon found herself smiling, feeling unmeasurable confidence at
hearing
how Nodoka had called her "daughter" with such ease. It was as if a
weight had
been lifted from her chest. She hadn't told anyone yet, but she... was
an orphan.
Her parents had died a long time before she even arrived at Jusenkyo. To
see
Nodoka standing beside her, giving her the motherly support she needed
so much,
was all it took to send her spirit soaring in happiness.
Finally, after waiting for a few minutes, Herb said, "Will you do the
honors?"
Ranma-chan nodded eagerly. The trio backed away from the springs.
Gathering all her ki, Ranma formed an energy ball in her hands. This
would be
the real end of everything.
"Moko Takabishya!" she launched the ki blast towards Nyannichuan, then
Shuanshontsuniichuan. Both springs dried up completely. Without the
water, one
could see both springs were connected to each other through a tunnel at
the
bottom.
A faint golden glimmer, vaguely resembing a bracelet, shone in the mud,
but no one noticed it.
"Finally," she said, slumping down slightly as her lips traced a soft
smile
of satisfaction.
"Will you be alright?" Nodoka asked.
"Uh-huh. That's why we needed to jump into the spring before I blew it
up."
"So now you and Yuannyan have been freed completely?" Herb asked.
"Yep." She looked at two other springs, also next to the previous, and
noticed they were dry as well. "He already came here, didn't he?"
Herb nodded. "Yes. He destroyed his spring as well as Coldfire's, so
that the demon may never return."
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that's one less worry. But are
you sure Coldfire didn't follow him?"
"I cannot be completely sure of that, for only Phoenix can sense his
presence. But I would not worry. You and Yuannyan aren't as vulnerable
as you
were then."
Ranma grimaced, "Vulnerable? I'll show you vulnerable! We had many
moves back then, you know!" Nodoka put a tranquilizing hand on her
shoulder.
Herb smiled. "I am sure you did. But so did Coldfire." He swung his
cape back, "You have always been an exceptional fighter, but you have
yet to
tap into the full power of your inner ki. Phoenix and Coldfire have
already
succeeded at that."
"Maybe, but without their energy blasts they wouldn't fight their way
out of a paper bag."
"Skills aren't everything, Ranma-chan," Nodoka said, "I'm afraid your
father only focused on your physical abilities, but I would gladly help
you
learn how to solve this kind of situation through thinking rather than
through
conflict."
Ranma-chan settled down and looked at her mother. "Thanks, Mom."
Nodoka smiled, "Why don't you call him, now?" Ranma nodded, and began to
gather
her ki anew. But this time, she aimed upwards. She paused, "You sure he
isn't
around?" she asked Herb.
"Yes. When your aura disappeared, he lost all track of you. Maybe he is
still in Japan."
Ranma stretched her arms upwards, holding the ki ball. In a flash, she
moved her arms apart, causing the sphere to envelop her. A bright light
flooded
the valley, reaching as far as the Joketsuzoku village. For an instant,
the
darkness of the night receded at the new source of light. When the light
was
gone, Ranma-chan flopped to the ground. She was completely exhausted.
Her
mother caught her before she fell.
"If... if Phoenix doesn't see THAT," she said, weakly, "then it means
he's more blind than Mousse..." She fell asleep.
"Hmm, that was unexpected," Herb said. "I did not think creating the
signal would drain her so."
"It has been a rough day for her..." Nodoka smiled softly at the
redhead,
then slowly placed her arms beneath the unconscious girl. With a slight
effort,
she stood up, carrying her adoptive daughter in her arms. Herb
immediately
offered his help.
He and Nodoka began to carry Ranma towards the village. The night was
peaceful, with the breeze of summer being refreshed by the cool mist
that came
from Jusenkyo. Of course, they didn't expect what happened next.
Apparently attracted
by the light, four yellow beams appeared from the sky. The beams moved
upwards,
revealing a magnificent flying barge attached to a large orange-yellow
balloon.
"Who is that?" Nodoka asked.
"Not him..." Herb replied, almost clenching his teeth. "You are very
brave to come at this time!" he shouted.
"Have you not forgotten the conflict Kirin had with you, warrior?" the
Nekonron prince asked, undisturbed. Once the barge landed, beside the
springs,
he agily leapt to the ground. He still held the rice bowl and steel
chopsticks
in his hands.
"I see you still have not learned to use your hands," Herb said.
"Fighting with one's hands is a barbarian method that Kirin shall not
employ, prince of the Musk."
"Do you mock me?"
Kirin smirked, "Did you not have this argument with Kirin long ago?"
Herb smiled, "Indeed, and I believe you lost to me."
Kirin stood back, surprised, "Dare you say that to the proud and mighty
Kirin?"
Nodoka looked up at them, "Excuse me, but..."
They looked at her and the unconscious Ranma-chan. "Kirin recalls
seeing her before," he said, staring at Ranma, "Yes, Kirin now
remembers... she
was in the company of the great warrior Ranma Saotome, and the lovely
Akane
Tendo."
"Actually there is more to them than that," Herb said. "But as I
explain, shall your six accomplices assist us?"
"Do not call Kirin's loyal followers 'accomplices', lowly dragon man."
"Shall I remind you, every insult you aim at me shall return to you?"
Kirin smiled, "Kirin is aware, for he is also a dragon man... brother."
"Indeed, brother Kirin." Both warriors smiled and hugged each other. "I
still cannot forgive you for eating my delicious Fokujin pickles," Herb
said.
"Put it to rest, brother. The sacred scroll was still missing by that
time."
Kirin kneeled down and held Ranma-chan. He easily leapt back onto the
ship's deck. Holding Nodoka, Herb mimicked his movements.
"Master Herb, we are pleased to meet you again," Ebiten said, bowing.
The rest of the Seven Lucky God's Martial Artists bowed as well. "It is
a great
honor for us to see Master Kirin's brother. But may I ask, who are the
women
in your company?"
"I believe Kirin's brother shall explain this to all," Kirin said, as
the barge sailed the skies of night towards the Musk village.
The Spring of Drowned Twin Sisters
"So you're saying she's the spirit that was trapped in Nyannichuan,
then?" Ranma asked as he and Akane waited at the courtyard of Herb's
palace.
"Uh-huh. But she's a lot like you, though. I could hardly tell the
difference." Ranma shivered. A girl that acted just like him? Then she
was
probably even more of a tomboy than Akane!
Suddenly many of the palace guards rushed to the gates, making loud
noises outside. Ranma and Akane heard a deep, hollow sound, as if an
aircraft
were landing.
"Hey, look!" Akane pointed at a red-haired figure running across the
courtyard to the gates. She looked exactly like Ranma-chan, except she
wore a
long gray gown and her hair flowed freely. She also had more delicate
movements as she ran. "Isn't that her?" Akane said. Ranma shivered
again.
Curious, they followed her through the gates. They were surprised to see
Kirin's barge just outside the palace gates. But then they facefaulted
when
they saw Kirin drop down with Ranma-chan, just as the other girl came up
to
them. She hugged Herb emotively, then the seven warriors, together with
Nodoka
and Ranma-chan, followed the couple back to the castle.
"Oh, hi!" the girl waved at Ranma and Akane when she walked past them.
They moved away slightly. But then Akane worriedly followed Kirin, who
was
carrying Ranma-chan upstairs to the living quarters.
Soon the entire troop was once again gathered, but this time it was in
Herb's enormous chambers. Ranma-chan was still snoring soundly on the
bed.
Akane, Kasumi and Nodoka sat at one side, while Herb, Kirin and the
red-haired
girl sat opposite to them. Ranma was standing as far away as possible
from
Ranma-chan and the girl, while the rest were scattered throughout the
room.
Only Kirin's warriors were absent.
Kasumi and the girl both tried to put a damp cloth on Ranma-chan's
head at the same time. They smiled. Then they tried to adjust her
pillow, then
the sheets, feel her forehead, etc. The girl giggled.
"It appears you met your match, dear Yuannyan," Herb said.
"Yuannyan?" Akane asked.
The girl nodded, "Uh-huh. And this is my sister, Zh--" Herb looked at
her. She realized she had said too much and fell silent.
"I believe you are wondering what is the meaning of this," Herb said.
He turned to you, the reader, "and now all the plot twists, or at least
the
mayority, shall be straightened."
"First allow Kirin to inform you, he is brother to Herb, prince of the
Musk Dynasty."
"Huh?" Ranma huhed.
"Yes," Herb said, "we are both sons of the king that ruled over
this kingdom. When our father passed away, he divided the land between
us. I
remained here at the Musk village, while my brother Kirin took the
throne of
the Nekonron territory. Unfortunately, we have not been able to reunite
the
kingdom since." He glared at Kirin.
"But Kirin is as guilty as Herb for that matter," Kirin added,
unaffected by Herb's comment, and ate a pickle afterwards.
"And what about..." Nabiki pointed at Ranma-chan and Yuannyan.
"Tell them, Herb-chan," Yuannyan said, cuddling up to him. Herb blushed
slightly.
"Yes, please," Kasumi said. "The resemblance between you is amazing."
Herb cleared his throat, "There should be a resemblance, taking into
account they are twins." Nearly everyone was frozen in surprise. "No
need to be
alarmed. You should be very familiar with this by now. As you must
recall,
there are two springs in Jusenkyo that formed 1500 years ago. Those
are...
WERE the Nyannichuan and Shuanshontsuniichuan. But in truth, they were
the
same spring, in which two girls..." His voice showed slight hesitation,
as if
the topic were too difficult for him.
Yuannyan held his hand, "It's okay, Herb-chan. It wasn't your fault."
"Wait a minute..." Ranma came closer, "you're not saying you were..."
Yuannyan looked straigt at him. Her innocent gaze nearly summoned Ranma
to come closer. "Yes. We were those twins."
For over a minute, an eery silence filled the room. Among the Japanese
people, only Nodoka wasn't shocked. Mousse and Shampoo looked at
Cologne, who
was grinning in satisfaction.
"But I don't understand," Ryouga said. "If you two fell in a single
spring, how come there are two different wells now?"
"Just plain erosion and land change," Yuannyan said, shrugging.
"Besides, the spring where we fell didn't split in two, it split in
four."
"Then what are those other springs?" Ranma asked.
"You ask a difficult question," Herb said. "We cannot reveal the origin
of those other springs, but I assume Phoenix shall tell you in time."
Akane suddenly looked at Herb, "You mean... he's coming here?"
Herb nodded. "It will not be for quite a while, though. After what he
has done, he is to rest before meeting you all."
Ranma looked at them confused. "What're you talking about? Who's
Phoenix?"
Yuannyan looked towards Ranma-chan, "It's... nobody important."
Disappointed, Ranma turned to Herb, "By the way, the old ghoul told me
some of you people use something called White Touch, or something like
that.
You know about it?"
Herb and Yuannyan quickly looked at each other, "You... how do you know
about the White Touch?"
Cologne hopped next to them, "The son-in-law recently used it.
Unwillingly, I might add. He doesn't know yet of his female twin's
secret."
"What secret?" Ranma asked.
"Well," Yuannyan said, "a very long time ago, me and my sister arrived
here from Japan..." she noticed Ranma's expression, "no, we're not
Chinese.
Anyway, we arrived at the Amazon village and trained there, and that's
how we
learned the White and Gray Touch techniques. After a while, we traveled
to this
village, and met Phoenix."
"Wait, wait. First, what's that Gray Touch? And who is Phoenix again?"
Cologne said, "The Gray Touch is similar to the White, except it is not
based on blasting your opponent away with your ki. Maybe you will get a
chance
to see it soon."
"As for the Phoenix," Herb said, "when Yuannyan and her sister arrived
at this village, they met a warrior from the Bizantine Empire, I assume.
He
befriended them, and trained together. He was a great master of ki,
which only
led him to have equally powerful enemies. That situation is what
eventually
led to the accident at Jusenkyo."
"Hmph," Nabiki crossed her arms. "Then that explains it..."
"What are you talking about?" Akane asked. Nabiki took out a small tape
recorder from her pocket.
"I recorded this when Auntie brought Ranma-kun the other day. He...
she... whatever, was mumbling some strange names in his... her...
sleep." She
pushed the play button. They heard Ranma-chan's voice, mentioning
several
names: Yuannyan's, Herb's, and Phoenix. They couldn't identify a few
others,
but they sounded vaguely like "Lael," "Cordis-oneechan," and then the
one that
she repeated the most: "Coldfire." Yuannyan shuddered visibly when she
heard her
sister's voice pronounce that name, but the first two made her smile
widely.
Especially the "Cordis" one.
"I have to say," Herb admitted, "I don't know who those others are,
with the exception of 'Coldfire'. But I am not allowed to disclose his
identity
for now."
Akane looked at Nodoka, who still seemed unaffected. "Auntie, what do
you think? You haven't said anything."
She shrugged, "Before departing, Ranma-chan told me all of this, and
even more. But she asked me not to tell anything to you and the others
before
we arrived here."
Genma folded his arms, "Then I suppose the rest of us will find out at
the proper time. But I still have a question," Herb raised his head.
"Before we left," Genma said, "you said there were special requirements
for the spirit of a spring to be released. What are those requirements?
Why did
my son release her?"
Yuannyan answered before Herb even opened his mouth, "It's more a game
of luck than anything else. But it has a lot to do with the host's
mental
alignments. Since my sister was also very high-spirited and devoted to
her
skills, only somebody who resembled her could do it."
Herb continued saying, "On the other hand, dear Yuannyan enjoyed
leading a more peaceful life, which explains her lack of a training as
advanced
as her sister's. But her love for animals, especially mokeys, is what
helped
her be released by one of such beings."
Ranma and Ryouga suddenly realized something. "Hold it!" Ranma said,
"If you were released by a monkey, then that means you are..."
Yuannyan nodded excitedly, then glomped onto Herb's arm. "Uh-huh. I'm
going to be Herb-chan's bride." Herb blushed strongly.
"Yes, that is true," he said, smiling, "But liberation, or 'Awakening'
as we call it, is never complete. Sometimes, I can see dear Yuannyan
climbing
trees or leaping among them, reminescent of her origins." As if to show
what
Herb meant, Yuannyan acted like a monkey, scratching her head and belly
while
making howling noises. She and Herb smiled at each other.
"Who let the monkey in?" Ranma-chan said groggily as she sat up,
rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Immediately Ranma-kun jumped
away
before she noticed him.
"Ah... ah... ah..." he pointed nervously at Ranma-chan.
"Yuan-chan!" she said as she looked at Yuannyan, who hugged her in
reply.
"Heh, it seems the twins have been reunited," Cologne said.
Akane said, "I'm sorry, Ranma. I had no idea you..." The twins looked
at her, suddenly freezing her in midsentence. She blinked several times
as the
two identical faces stared back.
"Don't call her Ranma!" Ranma-kun said. "That's my name!"
"But it's mine too," Ranma-chan said, smirking.
"No, it's not!"
"Is so!"
Nodoka smiled amused at their bickering, "Calm down, you two. We'll
think of different ways to call you later."
"Why don't you use your old name?" Yuannyan said.
Ranma-chan grimaced, "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Your old name?" Akane said.
"What is it?" Ukyou asked.
Yuannyan opened her mouth to talk, but Ranma-chan cupped her hand over
her mouth. They just heard Yuannyan mumbling.
"Maybe Ranma-chan would like to tell you later," Nodoka said. Ranma-kun
just fumed.
One of the palace guards came into the chambers, bowing, "The quarters
have been readied, Master."
Herb rose from his sitting position, "Very well. I believe you are all
tired, and hungry. I beg your pardon for not being able to hold the
proper
feast this occasion demands, but I wasn't able to prepare for so many
visitors.
However, I have arranged for dinner to be brought to you at your
chambers.
Mint, Lime!" the guards appeared next to the door, "Please escort our
guests to
their rooms. I shall be at the East wing room."
Lime and Mint blinked, "Are you sure, Master? That room is falling
apart."
Herb smiled, "I have decided to leave my chambers for the Saotome
family, along with dear Yuannyan. A good ruler must learn to be humble
and
generous, don't you agree?" Yuannyan looked at him with starry eyes.
Impressed,
Lime and Mint bowed. They led the others to their respective rooms. Only
the
Saotomes, Yuannyan, Herb and Kirin remained.
"Kirin believes there shall be further surprises within the next few
days."
Ranma just looked at Ranma-chan and Yuannyan uneasily.
Zhaodi-chan?
Ranma-chan couldn't sleep a wink. Understandably, considering she had
slept all afternoon. But that wasn't the real reason why she walked the
palace
halls at midnight, in her fishcake-decorated pajamas.
The palace was huge. Probably half the village was contained within its
walls. Lightly tip-toeing across the cold tile floors, Ranma reached a
balcony
that looked out the palace.
Leaning towards the railing, she took a deep breath and closed her
eyes. Somehow she just couldn't remove the smile from her face. The
peace
outside was equal to what she felt in her heart. At last everything was
over.
All the suffering, the troubles, the unending fights... they were over.
The
curse had been removed. The springs were no more. And when Phoenix came
back,
she would... she would tell him. She still felt her cheeks reddening,
but she
could only smile. For the first time in her second life, Ranma felt
everything
was right.
Opening her eyes, she looked out towards the landscape. From that
position, she could see all the way back to Jusenkyo. The moonlight,
reflected
by the springs, gave the impression of hundreds of small silver plates.
The sky
was clear, and the air was fresh. A soft breeze waved her hair
backwards. The
delicate "cric-cric" of the crickets below added to the intense peace.
Yes, _everything_ was right.
* * *
The men finished loading Kirin's barge. The travelers had already moved
their luggage to their quarters aboard. Settled outside the palace
walls, the
flying ship was ready to depart, taking them back to Japan.
Herb and Yuannyan were standing outside the gates, facing outside. They
had been avoiding the rest, they didn't want to say goodbye to them.
"It's been over 1500 years, and now..." Yuannyan said, quietly. Herb
put his arm around her, trying to comfort his fiancee.
A few other people approached them, coming from within the palace.
Turning around, they saw Cologne, Shampoo and Mousse, walking up to
them.
"You no Ranma, right?" Shampoo asked Yuannyan.
"Not everybody fully understood your explanation," Cologne said.
"This is Yuannyan, Shampoo. Ranma is already aboard."
Herb and Yuannyan looked back at the ship, dumfounded. Ranma-chan was
indeed aboard, fastening the ropes that held the large containers on the
stern
of the ship. She looked at them briefly, but her face turned worried and
she
turned away, concentrating on her work.
"She is taking this just like you," Herb said. "Why don't you go with
them? You are aware I would not want to see you upset such as this."
Yuannyan looked at him, blushing, "My... my place is here. With the
Musk. Just like her place is with her family... her new family. I also
want to
stay with my family, Herb-chan."
He looked at her, thoughtful. Smiling, he messed up her hair. "I
received the message, dear Yuannyan." Their faces came closer, and
closer...
For once Mousse was wearing his glasses. He looked at the couple, then
at Shampoo. Now that she and Ranma-kun were normal again, she would
probably
double her efforts. He had to act before Ranma appeared. Getting a fix
on
Shampoo's position, he slid up his glasses and moved towards her.
"Sh-Shampoo..." he said, "Now that we're normal again, would you go out
with me?"
"Wrong girl, duckboy," Ukyou said to him, as she passed by. He was
staring right towards a tiger sculpture. "By the way, has anyone seen
Ryouga?"
she asked, "I found his pack in one of the towers."
"I'd bet the idiot tried to find the door and ended up back in a spring
somewhere," Ranma-kun said, coming into view. Immediately Ukyou and
Shampoo
clung to him. Then an elbow connected with his face, as Akane drove him
into
the ground.
"You've got no excuse this time, Ranma! Why do you let them do this?!"
Akane shouted in his ear.
"Shampoo no turn into cat now, so Ranma no afraid of her anymore,"
Shampoo said.
"But Shampoo!" Mousse said, "I don't turn into a duck anymore either!"
"No, but Mousse have bird brain anyway."
"I don't think this is helping you," Herb said quietly to Yuannyan. He
slowly led her away, but then both Ranmas approached them. Ranma-kun
scowled
at Ranma-chan for an instant, then shook Herb's hand.
"Hey, thanks for helping us," he said, "Sorry 'bout the fight. No hard
feelings?"
Herb smiled, "Yes, 'no hard feelings'. But you shouldn't be thanking
me, it was Phoenix who devised the plan in its entirety. As a matter of
fact,
he taught me the Mind Blast which was so necessary for it to work."
"When do you think he'll come?" Ranma-chan asked, hopeful.
"It should be pretty soon," Yuannyan said, "I mean, you know how weird
he is sometimes." The twins smirked. "Yeah, I got that," Ranma-chan
said. She
hugged her sister, "I'm gonna miss you, squirt." She was used to calling
her that
way, since she was the older twin by one minute.
"Yes, me too," Yuannyan said, "but we're from different worlds now. You
belong with them, I belong here."
"Thanks," Ranma-chan pulled away. "So, any chance for you to come
visit?"
"Maybe," Yuannyan said, "Herb-chan and I are already looking for a date
and all..." the couple turned bright red.
Lime and Mint appeared from behind the palace, with an embarrassed
Ryouga in tow. "Master, we found him. He was unable to leave his
bedroom."
"Master, we're ready to leave," Ebiten said, aboard the ship. Kirin
came up next to Herb and motioned his men to wait.
"Kirin will return as soon as he delivers the passengers, brother."
Herb nodded. Kirin and the others began to head for the ship, but Akane
quickly
came back to Herb.
"Look, I'm... sorry for what I said before. I should have listened to
you."
He smiled, "No need for apologies. You knew nothing of our plans."
She returned the smile, "Well, thanks for everything." She glanced at
Yuannyan, "You... you're her twin sister, then? Could you... tell me
more about
her?"
Yuannyan smirked, "Nothing more than what you already know. Well, there
are some other things, but she'd kill me if I told you. But just a
suggestion,"
she motioned for Akane to come closer, and then whispered in her ear,
"When
'Phoenix' shows up, don't get angry at him or anything. My sister will
like that."
"Huh?" Akane blinked, "Why? What do you mean?"
"You'll find out," Yuannyan snickered, then stepped back and let Herb
put
his arm around her. Puzzled, Akane shrugged and bowed, then she ran
back to
the boarding crowd.
With a blast of air, the barge slowly rose from the ground.
"See ya, Yuan-chan!" Ranma-chan waved from the ship, as Ranma-kun edged
away from her nervously.
"Bye, Zhaodi-chan!" Yuannyan waved back happily in a girlish voice. A
large drop of sweat appeared on Ranma-chan's head.
"'Zhaodi'?" Akane asked. Shampoo, Mousse and Cologne were choking,
trying not to laugh. Nodoka looked at the trio annoyed.
"Zh-Zhaodi!" Mousse clutched his gut, laughing.
"And Shampoo thought she had strange name!"
Cologne managed to control herself, but couldn't supress a giggle,
"It... ha ha... It's certainly f-fitting!" All three of them just gave
out laughing.
Ranma-chan fumed like a volcano.
"Actually, it doesn't sound that bad..." Akane said.
"That's because you don't know what it means in Chinese!" Mousse
spurted.
"'B-Bring b-b...'!" Shampoo tried to say.
Even Nodoka was starting to fume like Ranma-chan. "There is no reason
to make fun of such beautiful name. At least she isn't named like a
bathroom
product like you."
Akane looked at her, "Auntie? Do you know what it means?" Nodoka
nodded, "Ranma-chan told me before we left."
"Then what does it--"
Ranma-chan ran over to her, "Don't ask."
"Wh-why, 'Zhaodi', surely you don't want them to be left in the dark,"
Cologne said, grinning. "It... it means 'bring a brother'."
Shampoo giggled, "At least she honor name!"
Ranma-kun scowled, "I am NOT her brother!"
Defeated, Ranma-chan tried to explain, "Well, back to when we were in
China, our other parents wanted to have a boy, but got us instead. I'm a
little
older, so they called me 'bring a brother' because they thought they'd
have a
boy after me. But then they called Yuan-chan 'Pandi' or 'expecting a
boy' because
we we were both girls and they still wanted a boy."
Nodoka held her. "Don't let them make fun of you. Just ignore them."
She couldn't help smirking, "Besides, you did bring a brother."
"I AM NOT HER BROTHER!"
The rendezvous
A young man walked the streets of Nerima, towards the Tendo dojo. He
was completely covered in black and gray robes, concealed by a navy-blue
trenchcoat. He carried a large backpack, almost as heavy as Ryouga's.
His face
was completely hidden by a light-blue mask.
Arriving at the closed gates, he put his hands on the dojo's sign. He
looked at it thoughtfully, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Easily he
leapt over the walls, landing on the garden. He went around the house,
realizing it was deserted. Clenching a fist, he created a gray aura
shield
beneath his feet, using it to rise upwards to the roof. From that
position, he
could see very far, almost as far as Furinkan High school.
He smiled beneath the mask. At last he had arrived. Sure, the place was
deserted, but soon he would meet the person he had been looking for.
"Ah, yes," he thought, "This is where she has been living, under the
disguise of the curse. Ranma, I believe, is her current name." With
ease, the
figure created a large gray ki ball in each hand. "But the expectation
has come
to an end. For the one formerly known as Zhaodi will now meet the
Phoenix of
Gray, who will bring forth her destruction and the death of her family!"
He shot out a massive ki blast, and an evil laughter echoed throughout
the city.
Calming down, he took out a small booklet from his coat, entitled _1001
Classic Megalomaniacal Villain Quotes and the Art of Cackling_.
"This thing really does work," he said to himself.
* * *
The group was at the beach, enjoying the summer vacation which would
soon end. In the shore, Ranma-kun, Genma, Ryouga, Mousse and Shampoo
were
overcome with joy, splashing and swimming about. Everybody else looked
at them
as if they were insane. And on the beach, the rest were sunbathing,
greatly
relieved to know Happosai wasn't there.
Akane looked at Ranma-kun, giggling. "I don't think I've ever seen him
this excited."
Nodoka handed her a glass of iced tea, "They must be really happy to be
cured." She looked at Genma, and smiled.
"Actually, I don't see what's so hot about swimming like that,"
Ranma-chan said, taking off her sunglasses. She sat up and turned on her
stomach, continuing to bathe in the sun.
"Oh, yeah?" Akane said, "When was the last time you took a hot bath?"
Ranma-chan turned away, annoyed. Akane smiled at her victory.
Soun came back down to them from the hotel, accompanied by Nabiki, "I
still don't understand," he said.
Nabiki sat next to Akane, "The guy at the desk told us they wouldn't
charge us a yen. Looks like somebody else already paid for ALL our
rooms."
"But who could have spent all that money for us?" Akane asked. Soun and
Nabiki just shrugged. Ranma-chan got up on her elbows, putting her chin
in her
hands, "Guess I know who that was..." she said to herself, smirking. She
got up,
brushing the sand off her green bathing suit. "I think I'll check around
the
hotel, to see if I can find out. Don't wait up!" She waved at the others
and
ran back up to the hotel. She was gone in a flash.
"I wonder what's gotten into her," Akane said, and turned to Nodoka.
Although Mrs. Saotome knew exactly what her daughter was excited about,
she
decided to remain quiet, replying only with a shrug.
* * *
It was already dark. The hotel staff had pulled out a wooden platform
down to the beach, together with lamps and potted palm trees. The soft
music
invited people to dance on the platform. But there were two dancing
couples
that just couldn't avoid scowling at Ranma-kun and Akane.
"I have to find a way to get Ranchan away from her," Ukyou thought as
she and Ryouga pretended to dance. "Hey, Ryouga, why don't you take out
Akane?"
She noticed his expression, "Yo! Earth to Ryouga! Hey!"
Ryouga was drifting off in another fantasy, as he dreamed he danced
with Akane. Ukyou bonked him on the head, but received no answer.
Letting go of
him for an instant, she took a large pot and lovingly crashed it on his
head.
He was still out of it. She sighed in defeat.
At the other end of the dance floor, Mousse was in paradise, despite
the fact that Shampoo kept looking in Ranma's direction. "How Shampoo
get rid
of Mousse now?" Shampoo thought, noticing the powerful grip he had on
her hands
and the ear-to-ear grin on his face.
Akane and Ranma were at the center of the platform, looking nervously
around to check that nobody was trying to attack them. Eventually, they
settled
down, and enjoyed the dance.
"Heh," Ranma smiled to himself.
"What?" Akane asked.
"It's just that I never thought a tomboy could dance li--"
Akane purposely stomped his foot, "And to think I didn't believe macho
jerks could be able to move on the dance floor."
"What're you talking about?" Ranma asked, irritated.
"Just that an elefant would do better than you."
"So you're saying you're a better dancer, eh?"
"I'm surprised you understood the message," Akane grinned. "Girls are
always better dancers."
"Okay, I'll show you." He grabbed a bucket of ice water from a waiter
and poured it on himself. "Oops."
Akane giggled. "Sometimes I think you liked being a girl," she taunted.
"What?! Are you crazy?! I'm glad I got rid of that curse!"
"Are you sure YOU got rid of it?"
Ranma was taken aback, "Well, in some way..."
"You still haven't thanked her, have you?"
He grimaced. "No, and I won't thank her. Everybody's acting like she's
my sister or something, but she's just a girl who was in the spring.
She's
caused more troubles than I can even remember, and--"
"And you wish she was here," Akane said.
"Hmph. Who'd want a crazy tomboy like her around?"
"You're talking about yourself, dummy," she poked him on the chest. He
couldn't find a suitable comeback and continued dancing in a sulky mood.
Out the corner of her eye, Akane saw Mr. and Mrs Saotome leave the
dance floor and head for the hotel.
Nodoka noticed her, "Good night, Akane-chan!" She flung a set of keys
to Ranma, "I think your sister is already upstairs."
"She is not MY sister!"
Nodoka ignored that comment, and Ranma's parents went into the hotel.
"Why don't you just admit and save yourself the trouble?" Akane asked.
"No WAY."
The music changed to a more romantic tune. Akane and Ranma stood there,
embarrassed, not knowing what to do. Suddenly Ukyou and Shampoo saw
their
opportunity.
"Guess I'll have to do this without you, Ryouga," Ukyou said as she let
go of him. Ryouga was already lost in a reverie, and his erratic dancing
led
him to become lost in the beach also. Shampoo steered Mousse towards a
palm
tree and switched her hands with its leaves. He didn't even notice. Both
girls
ran over to Ranma.
"You want to dance, Ranchan?"
"No! Ranma dance with Shampoo!"
Akane glared at them, but then the girls used Ranma to play tug-of-war.
The couples nearby could hear the sound of joints dislocating.
"Help!" Ranma cried out weakly. In reply, Akane smashed his face on the
floorboard.
"Ranchan!" Ukyou exclaimed.
"Ranma, you alright?" Shampoo asked.
* * *
Ranma-kun came out of the elevator, rubbing his head. Absent-minded, he
rummaged through his pockets looking for the keys to his room. Stupid
tomboy...
Always hitting him when it wasn't his fault...
As he walked to the door, he felt a strong ki emanating from within.
No,
not HER again... He took a hand to his forehead and opened the door. Why
did he
have to stay with that weird girl, anyway?
When he came in, he saw that the lights were turned off. Standing
between the beds, Ranma-chan was concentrating on various techniques,
most of
which he had never seen before. It looked as if she had been like that
since
noon, for she still wore her bathing suit and sunglasses. All she had
done was
cover herself with a white "Street Fighter 2" T-shirt, which was nearly
soaked
through in sweat. Still unsure as of what to do, Ranma kept watching her
techniques. Some of them were normal attacks, like kicks and punches,
but from
time to time she would glow faint blue and do the motions for a ki
blast.
Without breaking her rythm, with her eyes closed, she said, "What? You
gonna stare all night?" Ranma ignored her and went to the bathroom to
wash his
face. She ceased practicing and looked at him. "You can't do this
forever, you
know."
"Oh, yeah? Just watch me." Ranma walked towards a lamp on the
nightstand and took off its screen, placing it on a lopsided position so
the
light was aimed towards the wall in a broad circle. Moving to the wall,
he
began to shadowbox.
Mimicking his actions, Ranma-chan aimed another lamp at the wall,
lighting a circle next to Ranma-kun. Standing next to him, she imitated
his
every move. Annoyed, he moved on to several more advanced techniques,
which
she followed to perfection. After a while of this, Ranma got fed up and
used the
Kachu Tenshin Amaguri-Ken, sending 738 punches in under 2 seconds. The
shadows
moved as quickly as his fists. Satisfied and confident, he stood back,
waiting
for her to try to beat his own personal record. Smirking, she took a
step back
and threw 945 punches. Her fists didn't even cast shadows anymore.
Dumfounded
and upset, Ranma bolted out of the room. She followed him. "Hey, what's
gotten
into you?"
Just as he was about to reach the elevator, its doors burst open,
revealing a figure dressed in samurai garb and brandishing a bokuto."Bwa
ha
ha!" Kuno gloated, "Sasuke has informed me well! You are indeed here,
Saotome,
now you shall pay for enslaving the precious pigtailed girl and Akane
Ten--"
Without a word, Ranma turned around, held Ranma-chan's waist with his
hands, lifted her off the ground, and placed her in front of Kuno.
"She's all
yours, Kuno." He walked back to his room. "Finally, I got rid of two
nuisances,"
he thought.
"WHAT?!?!" Ranma-chan shouted at him.
Kuno stood behind her, incredule, "Ah! So you relinquish her to me!
Surely you have been so terrified by my prowess you give up without a
fight!
Now, O pigtailed goddess, no one stands in our way! Bwa ha ha ha!" He
glomped
onto her from behind like a leech.
"Get off of me you idiotic jerk!" Seeing that his grip wouldn't budge,
Ranma-chan walked towards Ranma, dragging Kuno, and flung him over her
shoulder. The "Blue Thunder" smashed headfirst into Ranma, knocking both
of
them towards the end of the hallway. Ranma-chan rushed worriedly up to
them.
"Jeez, I'm sorry but you brought this upon yourself..." she said to
Ranma as
she lifted the unconscious Kuno off him.
Weakly, Ranma said, "G-get away... groan... from me... you kawaikunee
tomboy..."
Pissed, Ranma-chan let Kuno fall on him again and stomped her way to
the room. Taking only a yellow cap, she stormed out and headed for the
elevator, scowling at Ranma before the doors closed.
"Crazy chick..." Ranma managed to say before losing consciousness.
* * *
Ranma-kun and Akane walked the streets nearby to the hotel, as if
looking for somebody. Ranma was obviously griping about having to tag
along.
"Raaanmaaa! Where are you?" Akane yelled.
"I told you already I'm right here!" Ranma said.
"Not you, you jerk! Your sister!"
"For the last time: that weird, crazy, uncute, violent tomboy is NOT my
sister!"
"How... how can you say that? After all she's done for you!"
"Troubles and more troubles!"
"Then why are you out here?"
"You know Mom and Pop will kill me if she doesn't come back."
"So how did Auntie find out she was missing?"
"Oh, she came to check up on us this morning and saw she wasn't in the
room. I thought I was lucky. But then Mom scolded me for saying some
things
that maybe I shouldn't have..."
Akane looked at him with hope, "So you're sorry about--"
He quickly got back at her, "No, I'm not! All I did was tell the truth!
I'm sorry I said it because now I have to go all over town looking for a
girl I
didn't even want to meet!"
"Remember that you were once the same person, Ranma. You can't treat
her like that."
"Sounds funny coming from someone who used to crush her head with a
mallet."
"Ranma no baka!" Akane crushed HIS head with a mallet.
* * *
Boy, it was hot. It's a good thing she could easily mooch off free ice
cream from the beachside vendors, or she would have to go back for
money. But
Ranma-chan always found it easy to use her "kawaii mode" to get free
food.
As she ate her double ice cream, she walked through the streets along
the hotel section of town. After storming out of the hotel last night
she had
tried to cool off her temper by training in a secluded beach, but a
large
triangular fin accompanied by John William's music advised her to go
someplace
else. So she had spent the night at a small inn, which was also payed
for by
the time she left it.
Coming out of the sun, into an area shaded by the large buildings to
the sides, she took off her cap and put it on backwards, ready to mooch
off
another sundae. She regretted leaving the hotel in such a hurry, without
shoes
or sandals, for the hard sidewalk was hot as a grill for her bare feet.
Suddenly, it appeared to cool down, almost in response to her thoughts.
Turning around, she caught a glimpse of a dark figure leaping across the
rooftops in the distance.
Now she was sure.
The others had to know. She ran excitedly back to the hotel. She didn't
notice every step of the road becoming lighter and cooler. From the
distance,
she heard her mother and Akane calling for her. She pressed on, only to
run
into a familiar sword-wielding figure.
"P-Pigtailed goddess! You have come... to me?"
Before her fist made contact with his face, Ranma-chan heard a slight
rumor in the wind, like supressed laughter. "Who's there?" she asked.
"'O, pigtailed goddess', I can see you have many admirers," a male
voice said, laughing out loud this time. "But that nickname doesn't win
any
awards for originality, though."
"Who dares disturb our reunion?" Kuno asked. "I demand to kn--" Ranma
booted him into orbit, causing him to crash into a CIA satellite.
"You, on the other hand," the voice continued, "really have a good
taste in names." A figure dropped from the sky, covered by a gray
trenchcoat,
and wearing leather boots and gloves. A red pilot's jacket and brown
pants
could be seen beneath, but the face was covered by an odd gold helmet,
with
only two slits for the eyes.
"Sheesh, aren't you hot in that outfit? You think you're Rocketeer or
something?" Ranma-chan said, mockingly. Without warning, the figure
attacked.
She jumped away instinctively, but the punch was feeble and slow. Almost
laughing at the pathetic assault, Ranma avoided a series of kicks and
punches.
The attacks were always very simple, almost as if this fighter were just
a
beginner, but they were still aimed away from her. But even if the kicks
and
punches were useless against her skill, she wouldn't counterattack. She
was sick
and tired of these weird characters who wanted to do nothing but fight.
This
time, she preferred to think her way out of it.
Stepping back, the figure took out a smooth staff, nearly 1.50 meters
long. He lunged at her with it, missing her head by only a few
milimeters. The
attacks renewed, but again they all missed on purpose.
"Either this guy stinks or he doesn't really wanna hit me," Ranma
thought. Stalling, she said aloud, "You're not that bad, you know."
Surprised, the figure stepped back, blinking. "C'mon, I stink and you
know it." Yet again, he continued to attack. He lunged at her with the
staff,
almost hitting her in the gut. Ranma handsprung off it and landed behing
him.
"That does it!" she said. When the figure turned around, his face met
Ranma's foot. Staggering back, he put the staff back in the trenchcoat.
Holding
his mask, which now had an impression of Ranma's foot, he leapt nearly
thirty
feet backwards. That was impressive. Although he completely lacked
martial arts
skill, he did seem to possess some other abilities.
"This will show who I am," he said, as he took the ends of the coat and
lifted them.
"Oohh," Ranma nearly laughed, "Dracula!"
The figure grinned, "Not exactly." He crossed his arms, and bolted
forward. "Blazing Bullet!"
Suddenly enveloped by a fiery aura, the figure charged at Ranma-chan
with blinding speed, his arms crossed in front of his face. The entire
street
was covered in fire before Ranma could even react.
* * *
Cologne bounced off the rooftops, back from her search for Ranma-chan.
She would have continued, but when she felt a powerful ki near the hotel
she
knew she had to go back. And it paid off: just as she was about to come
into
the building, she saw a large explosion of fire coming from down the
street.
"So, he has returned," she thought, and came into the hotel, satisfied.
* * *
The man stood ten feet behind Ranma-chan, with his fists outstretched
as if he had thrown a punch. His mask was gone. At first glance, he
appeared to
be about 17 years old. His face was slightly feline in structure, with
sharp
eyes and thick eyebrows that were slightly tilted towards the center of
his
brow. He had back --and slightly messed-up-- hair, which was tied into a
ponytail as long as Shinnosuke's. His eyes were bright red, almost like
coals.
His face had a smile of satisfaction.
Ranma-chan was in shock, still unable to move after the attack. She
couldn't yet make out what happened. First the boy lunged at her with a
running
tackle, but he was covered in fire. Then an aura shield was formed
around her,
protecting her from the flames, while the boy leapt over it and landed
behind
her. And now, her eyes were blankly looking forward, her heart beating
rapidly
in her chest. It took her a second to recover.
And a realization came to her.
Both of them turned around towards the other. Ranma-chan blinked
confused, while the boy smiled at her.
"Zhaodi-chan?" he said.
"Ph-Phoenix?" Ranma asked, still dazed.
He nodded slowly.
End of the Second Step
------------------------------------------------------------------------
al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx
The Four Birds of Fire
Third Step: White Bird
The seeds of the fire
Both of them snapped out of it and ran for each other, arms fully
extended. Upon meeting, they fell into a tight hug that was quickly
accompanied
by wide smiles. "You really took your time, you idiot!" Ranma exclaimed,
closing
her eyes to widen her smile.
"I can't believe it _is_ you!" he pulled up slightly so her feet didn't
touch
the ground. Given his height, she barely reached his chin!
"Of course it's me, you baka!" Ranma-chan detached from him while
playfully
bonking his head. She immediately released a high kick to his head, as
if to test
him. "But you could've come sooner!"
He dodged, "Who could've known it'd take you 1500 years to find
somebody like you, you tomboy?" He darted his fist towards her.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault, you jerk!" she blocked the fist and tried a
sweep-kick.
"Nor mine!" Phoenix took the fall and launched a small ki ball at her.
"So how did a moron like you find us?" she leapt over the blast and
jumpkicked.
He sidestepped, "You gotta thank your brother's fiancee for that." He
swung around with a backhanded fist.
She grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder, "You mean Akane?"
He rolled in midair and landed on his feet, "Yep." He tried an
uppercut.
She back-flipped and grabbed his arm with her feet, "And you planned
all this?" She completed the back flip and drove him into the street.
He stopped his fall with one arm and bounced away, "You got it." He
lunged at her with a spear-hand, "What'd you think?"
She dropped to the ground and pushed his legs out from under him,
"Could've been better."
He grabbed Ranma's shoulders and handstood on them, "How so?"
She stood up, making him lose his balance, "You could have told us
first, you idiot!"
He landed next to her, "Hey, it worked, right?" They stood there,
panting from the heat and the workout. "So, 'Ranma Saotome', eh?"
She nodded, "And...?" She waited for him to catch his breath. She was
excited about this reunion, that was for sure, but she was a bit
embarassed
that she couldn't remember his name.
That was one of the worst parts of being trapped in Jusenkyo. Since she
had been inside the spring for so long, the magic had somehow erased her
most
traumatic memories -those asociated with drowning, and even what her
parents looked like. And since she had met him
shortly before falling in the spring, she had seemingly forgotten about
many of
the details of Phoenix' relationship with her and her sister, his own
name
included. She could remember bits and pieces, but nothing precise. And
then,
there were things she thought were just products of her imagination,
which her
mind believed to be true after being deprived of her real memories.
It was even worse when Ranma's psyche kept her down. His mind slowly
kept
erasing her; she was lucky she could still revert to her old self after
the
separation. Unfortunately, _his_ memories didn't spare her own. It was
akward.
She could remember meeting Ukyou with more clarity than even arriving at
Jusenkyo!
"Well, I didn't exactly get a name..." he said. He knew it. He could
sense her
embarassment at forgetting his name. He knew she wouldn't remember. But
he was
still her... friend... and would help her as such. "...but some of the
guys back at
the Esper World call me... Phaeron."
Ranma-chan blinked, "'Esper World'?"
He put his hands on his knees, "It's a very long story. First, has
anyone in this world heard of Magitek, or the War of the Magi?"
* * *
"So you were trapped in a rock for a thousand years?!" Ranma asked, not
believing Phoenix' story. She knew her own history was hard to believe,
but she
never expected him to have shared a similar fate.
"Hey, it's nothing compared to being contained in a spring for 1500
years, right? Besides, time flows differently in Esper World."
"And what did you do for the other 500?"
"I got around, helped beat a couple demons, brought a few people back
to life, defeated a crazed master of magic named Kefka..." He noticed
Ranma-chan
was speechless. "But everything's had its highs and lows. When I was
turned
into an Esper by those goddesses, many people used me as a tool for
their
battles. Since they owned the Magicite rock that contained me, I
couldn't
disobey them. But when that guy Locke rescued me, everything turned out
for
the better. We defeated Kefka, we Espers were released, and I got to
train and
study with them in their world." He opened his double-bag, "They even
gave me
a few Magicites, too." He looked thoughtfully at Ranma-chan, "You know,
there
is a guy back there, called Sabin, that's a lot like you and your
brother!" But
then he noticed she looked rather glum. "I'm sorry 'bout that. I guess I
forgot
you were... I mean, you couldn't..."
She looked up at him, suddenly brightening up, "Hey, don't worry. This
life's been pretty interesting, too."
He smiled back, "I can tell. Seraphim could somehow show me everything
that happened here. I don't know how she managed to do it, but she did."
Ranma
looked nervous for a moment. He continued, with a grin on his face "You
don't
know how much I would have liked to help you against Pantyhose Taro and
Herb."
She turned to him, annoyed "You think I needed help?! I could take you,
or any of those guys anytime!"
He smiled, "I knew you'd say that. Even after 1500 years, you haven't
changed a bit."
"My girl!" Nodoka exclaimed as she saw Ranma-chan enter the hotel lobby
with Phoenix --or Phaeron-- in tow. She ran up to her and held her
tightly.
"Agh... uh... gasp... Mom... wheeze... I can't... pant... breathe..."
"And you are?" Akane asked as she saw Phaeron. He didn't look Japanese,
or
even Asian. His features were closer to somebody from the Mediterranean.
He bowed, "I am Phaeron of Fenix, also known as Esper Phoenix, Third
Phoenix, Phoenix of Fire, Ignis..." he was beginning to drift off.
"They get the picture," Ranma-chan said, rolling her eyes. Akane looked
at him with wide eyes. Nodoka released Ranma and walked to him, as if to
examine him.
So this was Phoenix... Finally, in person. She had heard much about
him,
from the few memories her daughter could recall. He seemed to be like
her son,
but with a more fiery personality. She was quick to notice the way he
looked at
her daughter. Slowly, a smirk appeared on Nodoka's face. But she would
have to
learn more from him...
"You... you really are..." Akane said. He nodded, smiling. Without a
word, Akane's knee was suddenly part of Phaeron's face. "That's for not
telling
us, you insensitive jerk!"
"Now, now, Akane-chan, it isn't ladylike to push other people's noses
into their heads," Nodoka said.
"What's all the racket?" Ranma said as he came out of the elevator,
with Ukyou and Shampoo clinging to him like yesterday's lint. Akane gave
him
the same treatment she gave Phaeron.
"Oww! What was that for?!"
"I thought I told you to stop doing that, you jerk!"
Phaeron looked thoughtfully at the newly arrived. As he had known of
the
events that took place around Ranma-chan, he could recognize the faces.
His
mind took a little longer to assign them names, though. "Let's see
now...
Chinese girl, purple hair, clings to male Ranma... she's Shampoo,
right?"
"Huh?" Shampoo was confused. Who was this weird gaijin with the stupid
outfit?
"And you are..." he said turning to Ukyou, "hmm, brown hair, white
ribbon, spatula, also clings to male Ranma... then you're Kuonji Ukyou."
"And who are you?" Ranma asked.
Phaeron tried to answer, but found Ranma-chan's hand over his mouth.
"He's Phoenix, oniisan."
"I-AM-NOT-YOUR--" Nodoka sent him a worried glance that cooled him off.
"Let me guess, he's your 'loving' brother, right?" Phaeron said.
Ranma-chan sighed.
"YOU're Phoenix?" Ukyou and Shampoo looked at him wide-eyed. He nodded
hesitantly. As expected, the girls began to pound him into marmelade.
"At
least you could've warned us, you big jerk!" Ukyou said. "You make
Shampoo
worry!" the Amazon yelled.
"Calm down, you guys!" Ranma-chan said.
"Stop it, great-granddaughter," Cologne said, appearing out of nowhere.
"Great-grandmother..." Shampoo immediately calmed down. If Cologne
wanted
her to stop, she wouldn't even try to argue.
"So this is the legendary Third Phoenix," Cologne loked at him up and
down. He didn't look like the great warrior she had expected, but she
knew
better than to judge from appearance. She turned to Ranma-chan, "Are you
sure
this is him, son-in-law's sister?"
"What did you mean by that?" Phaeron said, annoyed. "You want me to
prove I'm Phoenix?" Cologne smirked, "You are him alright. Only one who
bears
that name could be so proud." He looked at her dumfounded.
"I believe we haven't been introduced properly," Nodoka said, "I am
Nodoka Saotome."
Phaeron whipped his head towards her, an obvious look of nervousness
filling his face. Fumbling at first, he quickly put his palms on his
sides and
bowed respectfully, "I... I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs.Saotome."
Realizing how he
had been rude by not presenting himself properly, he spun in place and
bowed
before the rest of the people, eyes closed and keeping a straight face.
"I want to thank you for what you have done to help me and my
children," Mrs. Saotome said, putting a hand on his shoulder to let him
stand up
straight.. Ranma scowled at Ranma-chan again.
The smile that Phaeron saw on Nodoka's face soon found a reply on his
own, "I assure you, Mrs Saotome, it was nothing at all. None of it would
have happened without your understanding and faith."
"My, what a polite young man," Nodoka said, stepping back slightly and
with
a pleased smile. Ranma-chan smirked a little at her mother's reaction
towards
him, as if they had both received some sort of approval. On the other
hand,
Ranma-kun felt jealous of the attention Phaeron received.
One of the clerks came up to him, "Sir? Your luggage has been prepared.
Will you make your payment in the usual manner?"
"Sure, here." Phaeron gave the clerk a small bag. "That should cover
all eight rooms." As the clerk opened the bag, his eyes bulged out at
the sight
of the gold coins inside.
"You mean you were the one who paid for this?" Ukyou said.
"Yes, I was. You wouldn't believe how easy it's to earn GP... I mean,
money, where I come from. The inns sometimes cost up to 2000 gold pieces
there,
so this I consider cheap." He paused a moment to smirk, "And I like to
help out
Zhaodi's friends."
Ranma-chan turned to him, "I'd like you to call me Ranma. That other
name reminds me of Coldfire. Besides, that's how they all call me here."
"But that's MY name!" Ranma yelled.
"It's Ranma-chan's name too, Ranma," Nodoka said. "We really need to
think of different ways to call them," she thought.
"'Ranma-chan'? That's how they call you? 'Little wild horse'?" Phaeron
asked, finding it strange.
"No, without the 'chan'--"
"Okay then, Ranma-chan," Phaeron said, pretending to have missed
hearing
her comment. "I'll have to get used to it, though. I still haven't
learned
everything about those strange Japanese suffixes..." Ranma-chan just
covered
her face with her hands in embarrassment.
After a few hours, Phaeron had helped everyone board the train back to
Tokyo. For him, it was all over. The 1500 years he had waited to come
back had
finally ended.
Just before he boarded, he saw the shadow of a large bird-like figure
above him. "See? I told you it would turn out alright." Phaeron said.
"I still hope it remains that way," the bird said with double meaning.
"Calm down Crystallus. I haven't sensed him since I returned. Maybe
he's dead for good."
Oniisan, imootosan
(Older brother, younger sister)
Kyoko Otonashi swept the sidewalk just outside her apartment house,
Ikkoku-kan, as she did every day. Beside her, Mr. Soichiro slept like a
log in
his doghouse. It was a peaceful Monday morning, and for once, there
wasn't a
single misunderstanding disrupting the lives of the building's
inhabitants.
But there was a change, though. A new resident had arrived recently at
Ikkoku-kan. And he was strange: no older than 17 years, at most. He
carried
very few luggage when he arrived the day before, but when she checked up
on
his room, No. 3, he seemed to have brought a furniture store with him.
Now
that she thought about it, not even Mr. Yotsuya was that strange.
Mr. Yotsuya!
Kyoko hurriedly came back in the building. She knocked on the door to
room
3, worried. After a few moments and some muttered words, a groggy
Phaeron
opened it.
"Sorry to bother you," she said, "but have you been hearing strange
noises coming from that wall? Like somebody scratching?" Half asleep, he
shook
his head. Stratching? What the heck was she talking about...? But just
then
suddenly a battering ram crashed through the wall, waking him up
completely.
Surprised all the way back from slumberland, he stuttered, "Who the heck
are
you?"
A strange-looking man peered in through the hole, examining the room.
He snapped his fingers. "Drat. Everything's in order. I can't be
interested in
spying this room." He looked at Phaeron and an embarrassed Kyoko, "Good
morning. I am Yotsuya, from room 4. Pleased to meet you."
Phaeron hesitated as he shook his hand, "Don't you have a first name?"
"Even if he did, he wouldn't tell you," a short and stubby woman came
in through the door, holding a bottle of sake.
"Mrs. Ichinose!" Kyoko said, upset, "You shouldn't drink at this time
of day!"
"I'm not drinking, I'm just holding on to it." She sat down on the
floor and began pouring drinks. "Besides, what's wrong with throwing a
little
welcome party for the new resident?"
"Well, he's underage," Kyoko looked at Phaeron, "You are, aren't you?"
He nodded, looking nervously at Mrs. Ichinose and Yotsuya. Hearing
footsteps
coming from the corridor, he turned to the door.
"Gyaahh..." he pointed at the neglige-clad redhead coming into the
room.
"Hi, I'm... hic... Roppongi Akemi. What're y'all... hic... doing in
here this early?"
"Oh, Akemi, you're not drunk again, are you?" Kyoko said, annoyed.
All of a sudden they heard a small celebration coming from beyond
Yotsuya's room. It sounded like "Free! Free of the Loon Squad at last!
Freeeeeee! Bwa ha ha ha!"
"That sounded like Godai-kun," Yotsuya said. "Maybe we should go bother
HIM now so he doesn't miss our presence."
"Good idea," Akemi said. She leaned towards Phaeron, who turned bright
red, "Nice to meet you, sweetums." She staggered her way out of the
room.
"Too bad, kid. Looks like your party's gonna wait," Mrs Ichinose said
as she went out the door.
Phaeron stood in his room, which had once again become silent in a
matter
of seconds. "Wh-What was that?"
Kyoko smirked a little, "You'll have to get used to them. They do this
to Yusaku every day, and now I think they'll do it to you." She was
about to
come out of the room when she caught a glimpse of the clock. It read
6:30.
"Hmm. They're starting to get up earlier. They must be up to
something."
Phaeron turned to the clock and cried out in shock. He hurriedly put on
a jacket and jeans, and took his backpack. Running out the front door,
he
waved at Kyoko and shot out like a bullet --literally-- towards the
Tendo dojo.
"Oh, man, what time is it?" Ranma-kun said as he came down the stairs,
still half asleep, while putting on his red sleeveless shirt. "Crazy
chick.
Who's she think she is, taking my clothes?"
"Good morning, Ranma!" Nodoka waved from the kitchen. He almost fell
off his feet at the sound of his mother's voice, but his conscous
finally
awoke and he remembered he didn't have to be afraid of her anymore.
"Is your sister up yet?" He started to make up a comeback, but he was
too tired
and too sleepy to have an argument right now. He just mumbled a surly
yes.
Genma came down as well, but unlike his son he was completely awake.
"Let's go,
Ranma. We haven't trained in over a week."
Ranma-chan, wearing the red satin shirt, just came into view, coming
from the dojo with Akane. "No thanks, Pop."
Ranma snapped awake, "He was talking to me, you twit!"
She scowled at him, "Who's a twit, you brainless moron?"
"Calm down, you two," Kasumi said, coming out of the kitchen.
"Yeah, you're finally up early on the first day of school and you're
going to waste it fighting?" Nabiki said, sitting down at the table.
There was
a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Akane said. "Oh, good morning
Phaeron. She told
us you were coming, so we were waiting for you." Ranma jealously tried
to
ignore the phoenix boy. If Akane wanted to act nice with him then fine!
"So... sorry... sorry I'm late..." Phaeron said, panting.
"Late? It's 7:43 in the morning," Akane said. "What happened? You look
like you ran all over town."
"And knowing him, that's probably what he did," Ranma-chan said. "You
forgot the address we gave you, right?" he nodded, too tired to be
embarrassed.
He didn't tell them he even tried consulting Ryouga for directions.
"So, you're ready?" Ranma-chan asked, jumping out to the garden.
Phaeron followed, zombie-like.
"Watch, Ranma. We will train after your sister is done," Genma said.
"She's not my--!" he suddenly heard a loud shout in the garden.
Phaeron was dashing towards a grinning Ranma-chan, who idly stood even
as
he launched his first attack. Her grin enlarged slightly as the sparring
continued, a grin that was matched by the one on Phaeron's face.
Although it
was clearly obvious Phaeron was barely a beginner-level martial artist,
neither
did he complain about Ranma-chan's patronizing "sparring" nor did she
make any
attempt to retaliate. In fact, they seemed to be enjoying this, as if
they were
just recalling their routine from fifteen hundred years ago.
Finally, after Phaeron flung an axe kick that missed tremendously,
Ranma-chan leapt onto a flat stone by the pond and taunted, "C'mon!
Don't go easy!
Gimme your best shot!"
Phaeron fumed and glew bright red. He dashed at Ranma-chan completely
covered in fire. Ranma-kun nearly choked on his glass of water.
"I told you! Don't go easy!" Ranma-chan complained as she leapt up.
"THAT's going easy?" Ranma-kun thought.
"Easy?!" Phaeron began to reply, but all of a sudden he realized he had
dashed right towards the pond. "Eep."
"Idiot," Ranma muttered as he heard a loud splash.
"Alright..." Phaeron stood up and wrung the water out of his clothes,
"you
asked for it." He pulled out his long staff from hyperspace. This time,
he began
to get the upper hand, being more skilled with his weapon than
bare-handed.
Ranma-chan finally began to defend from the strikes. But to him and
Genma it
was obvious Ranma-chan was holding out on him, as before.
"Stop that!" Phaeron said, "Don't pull your punches on me!"
"I don't want to pick on a weakling, bird boy!"
Annoyed, he channeled energy to the staff and drove it straight into
the ground. "Quake!"
A small area shook because of the attack. Ranma-chan lost her balance
and fell on her back. Phaeron was next to her in a flash, holding the
tip of
his staff an inch above her neck. "So who's the weakling?"
"That's more like it!" Ranma-chan grabbed the staff and vaulted Phaeron
over the pond. He simply sat there, confused.
"If that's how you want it..." he glowed red again. "Birds of Fire...
Strike!" Four large energy balls, shaped roughly like birds, shot out
towards
Ranma-chan. Each would have been the size of a large hawk. She managed
to
dodge the first two, but the others caught her in the stomach and the
back. She
fell to the ground, completely unhurt, but dazed.
Phaeron grinned, "You're getting slow, girl. Gold Bird and White Bird
can still get you." Meanwhile, the other two blasts, "BlueBird" and
"RedBird",
smashed into the wall, leaving large burn marks.
"Hey, no fair!" she cried out, "We never use ki attacks when sparring!"
"Funny. You never said anything when you managed to dodge the blasts,"
he
smirked as he saw her frowning face, but soon she dropped that angry
look and
snickered as well. Offering his hand, Phaeron helped her to her feet.
"That is what I wanted you to see, Ranma," Genma said.
"What, see a crazy girl get beat up?" Ranma soon had Ranma-chan smash
his
face into the table.
"I didn't 'beat her up'!" Phaeron yelled.
"And I'm still better than him!" Ranma-chan added. Phaeron smirked at
her.
"So what was it then?" Ranma asked, removing his head from the table.
"You two..." Genma said to both Ranmas, "...need to learn how to
control your inner strength. Physical prowess is no longer sufficient
for
either of you," he turned to the new guest, "Phaeron, from what I've
heard, and
what I've just seen, you appear to be a ki master, even if you lack
martial
training. Would you help me train them in how to use ki?"
"There's no way he could train ME." Ranma said.
"I don't think that's a problem, Mr. Saotome," Phaeron said, "I trained
Ranma-chan for a long time when we were in China."
"You mean Yuan-chan and I trained YOU," Ranma-chan smirked.
"And what do you remember from that training, 'pigtails'?" Phaeron
taunted.
"Don't call me that! Besides, I can still do White and Gray just fine,
thank you!"
"Let's see you try it, then."
Annoyed, Ranma-chan put her hand on Phaeron's shoulder. "White Touch!"
Phaeron shuddered back sightly.
"Heh. Your ki is strong, but there's room to improve," he unconsciously
rubbed his shoulder. Damn, that was a strong one! He could barely resist
being
blasted away by her!
"Gray Touch Technique!" Ranma-chan quickly followed up with the second
technique. Phaeron flopped to the ground, paralyzed, as this time he was
completely unable to defend from it. "So who's got the weak ki now, bird
boy?"
Ranma-chan smiled at him.
"Very funny."
Ranma was shocked in surprise. "How... how did she...?"
"The Gray Touch is like Hinako-sensei's moves. You drain a little ki
from the target, then you--"
"I didn't ask YOU, you crazy b..." he noticed his mother was coming out
of the kitchen and shut up.
"...Then you use that ki to paralyze him," Ranma-chan finished,
unaffected by his comment.
Phaeron staggered to his feet. "It's quite useful against those of us
who use a lot of ki, since you can drain as much of it as you want and
then
turn it against us."
Ranma-chan looked saddened for a moment, "Yeah... that's how we used to
beat Coldfire..."
Phaeron noticed this. His arrogant tone changed to a softer, worried
voice
when he put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. That's 1500 years in
the past
now."
"Who is Coldfire, anyway?" Akane asked. Phaeron, Ranma-chan and Nodoka
shuddered visibly.
"N-Nobody important..." Ranma-chan said, shaking her shoulders.
"Ranma-chan..." Nodoka looked worriedly at her.
Genma and Ranma went out to the garden and started to train. Meanwhile,
Nodoka served Phaeron breakfast while Ranma-chan went upstairs.
"So, where do you come from?" Akane asked.
"It's a very long story, I'm afraid, and I've told Ranma-chan part of
it
already. Besides, this fanfic is advancing pretty nicely, I don't want
to break
the continuity with a flashback. Maybe when you and your fiance are in
the same
room I'll tell you."
"Well, okay. Ranma-chan told me she had to thank me for you coming.
How's that?"
Phaeron smiled. It was true, without Akane he wouldn't have been able
to
come back. "Do you remember a certain time when you met a strange
doll?" Akane shivered at the memory of the cursed doll that had
possessed her
a few weeks ago. "Well, when you were cursed by it, you were half in the
spirit
world. Since that world is very closely linked to where I come from, I
managed
to create a rift between our worlds with the help of a few of my Esper
brothers. That's how I came to this world. But I couldn't get a fix on
your
location until you started to have those nightmares."
"You mean where Ranma..."
"Those exactly. You remember the bright red shooting star that you saw
back then?"
Akane leaned backwards, "Don't tell me that you..."
Phaeron smirked, "That was one of my favorite techniques, the Blazing
Bullet. It's great for transportation, if you know how to use it."
"But how did you arrive here?"
"Actually, I arrived at Jusenkyo. Then I visited Herb and Yuannyan and
told them who I was. They insist on saying that I planned everything,
but they
are too modest to admit they played a great part in it. And when Mrs.
Saotome
brought Ranma-chan back home, I followed them, and since I had used my
'Vanish' spell, none of you could sense me as I made myself present with
the
aura shields."
"So that's it..."
"It's not that complicated, once you get the hang of making that kind
of plans. You get used to it after going through the World of Ruin."
"World of Ruin?"
"That's one of the places I visited, but I'll tell you more later. For
now let's say, if there's a place in the Universe that's even stranger
than
Nerima, it's the World of Ruin."
A while later, they were on their way to Furinkan High school. As
usual,
Ranma and Ranma-chan were balancing on the fence, while the others
walked on
the street.
"Why'd you do that,anyway?" Phaeron asked.
Both Ranmas shrugged, "Just balancing practice," both of them said.
Ranma-kun scowled at Ranma-chan "Stop that!" She looked away, annoyed.
Phaeron
leapt onto the opposite fence. "It's not that difficult." They heard the
sound
of bells approaching rapidly, and suddenly Phaeron's face was part of
Shampoo's
bicycle.
"You no Ranma," Shampoo said, blinking at him confused. But then she
spotted Ranma and clung to him, much to Ranma-chan's amusement.
"Let go of me, Shampoo!"
"Ranma, Shampoo have very happy news. Now that Shampoo no turn into
cat, Great-grandmother say we can go home in China, yes?" Akane glowed
blue and
punted Ranma into the river.
"Shucks. I forgot," she said, smirking, as she saw Ranma-kun come out
of the water.
Shampoo scowled at her, "Why Akane so jealous?"
"I'm not jealous!"
Ranma-chan rolled her eyes, "Are you sur--" Akane buried her into the
street before anyone could stop her.
"See? Even Ranma sister know you want take Ranma away for yourself."
Shampoo stuck out her tongue at Akane.
"I wonder who's stranger," Phaeron said, "the guys here in Nerima, or
the ones at Ikkoku-kan."
Meanwhile, unnoticed, Ranma-kun was swimming his way to school.
Ranma-chan staggered out of the asphalt, "T-Tomboy..." she was driven
into the
street again by Akane. Phaeron just watched the show, amused. The girls
continued arguing.
"Ranma now go China with Shampoo!"
"Are you out of your mind?!" Akane reflexively ground Ranma-chan's face
into the asphalt.
"Help..." Ranma-chan said weakly. Trying not to laugh, Phaeron encased
the two girls in an aura shield and lifted them off the ground, dragging
them
along as he and Ranma-chan ran to school.
"So how often does this happen?"
"Evey other minute..." Ranma-chan said, rubbing the back of her head.
Phaeron shook his head, smirking amusedly, "And I thought I had it bad
with
all those stupid engagements..."
"Huh?"
"Never mind," he saw the school gates, where a figure stood waiting.
Ranma-kun leapt into combat with the figure. "Who's that?"
"No, not Kuno..." Ranma-chan brought a hand to her head.
"Your evil hold on the pigtailed one is weakening, sorceror. Now you
shall not vanish her as you so often did in the past!" Kuno thrust with
his
bokuto. Ranma twisted his body to the right and swept Kuno's legs from
under
him.
"I told you already you can have her!" Ranma yelled.
"Will you cut that out?!" Ranma-chan smashed her schoolback over his
head.
Upon hearing her voice, Kuno immediately recovered. "Ah! It's the
pigtailed girl!" Before he could glomp onto her, Phaeron stretched his
hand and
put an aura barrier between them. Kuno looked at him angrily.
"And who might you be, peasant, to treat the great Tatewaki Kuno, Blue
Thunder of Furinkan High, in such manner?"
Phaeron grinned, "I am Phaeron of Fenix, also known as Esper Phoenix,
Third Phoenix, Phoenix of Fire, Ignis Avis, FireBird..." He went on for
ten
more minutes, revealing each and every one of his nicknames.
Akane rolled her eyes, "Does he always do that when someone asks his
name?" Ranma-chan nodded in embarrasment
"Enough with your nonsense!" Kuno shouted. "None shall mock Kuno
Tatewaki! Prepare to be smitten by my hand!" He sliced the air towards
Phaeron,
who was too slow to avoid it. Staggering back, he put his hands on his
side,
enduring the pain. Kuno smiled in satisfaction, "Heh. You are certainly
of
inferior skills in spite of your boasting."
Akane and Ranma looked at Phaeron surprised, "I thought he was supposed
to be a warrior," Ranma said.
"He thinks he is," Ranma-chan said, "But without his ki blasts, even
Gosunkugi would beat him up." large drops of sweat formed on Ranma and
Akane's
heads. Silently watching the contest, she thought to herself, "Man,
don't tell me
he forgot all our training! He's usually better than this!"
Beaten and bruised, Phaeron leaned back against the wall, "I think this
has gone far enough." He smirked. As Kuno thrust with his sword, Phaeron
grabbed it and pulled, delivering a front kick to his gut. A small blast
of
intense light was shed from the impact. Kuno bent forward and fell to
the
ground, unconscious. "That was the Folding Kick, and you'd be wise not
to mess
with it."
Walking towards the others, Phaeron rasied his hands and a few
glimmering lights enveloped him. "Cure 2!" he chanted, and suddenly his
bruises disappeared. They looked at him amazed.
"What was that?" Akane asked. "How'd you take him out with just a
kick?" Ranma stared at him confused.
"I told you, you learn a lot when you live in a world overrun by
magic."
Ranma-chan cocked one eye, "Folding Kick? You're STILL using that
worthless technique after ALL we taught you?" Phaeron sweated visibly.
* * *
"Good morning, students!" Hinako-sensei said happily as she came into
the classroom. "Enjoy summer vacation?"
"Hey, Ranma, I heard you went back to China," Daisuke said.
"Is it true you have a sister here, Saotome?" Hiroshi asked.
"That crazy girl is not my sister!" Ranma fumed.
"We have two new students here," Hinako-sensei said, "They should be at
the principal's office."
Ranma groaned. "Not them not them NOT them not THEM NOT THEM!" he
said repeatedly.
"Come on, Ranma. You knew they would come here," Akane said,
suppressing a
giggle.
"I don't wanna be near that girl more than I already have to, okay?"
Hinako-sensei looked up from her student roll, "How strange. He doesn't
have a last name. And now two students have the same name. Hmmm... Mr.
Saotome,
do you know who the girl named 'Saotome Ranma' is?" He fell of his desk.
"A girl named like you?" Hiroshi said confused.
"I knew she was your sister," Daisuke said.
"She is NOT my sister!" Ranma yelled.
"Did you say she is your sister, Mr. Saotome?" Hinako-sensei asked. She
moved her arms excitedly, "Whee! How nice to have a family here!"
"No! I said she ISN'T my sister!" Nobody listened to him. He heard
various gossip around him.
"See? I told you he had a sister... Wonder if she's that girl... Great,
another martial arts chick... Nah, she can't be the same girl... Who
could be
that other student?... I wonder if she's cute... Is he handsome?... I
heard
that guy beat Kuno with one kick... Maybe he's better than Ranma...
Didn't you
see the fight? Kuno nearly killed him..."
The class settled down as they heard the sounds of a fight outside.
"Cut that out you jerk! No! I didn't mean that!... Hey, leggo of my
ponytail!... Who says I gotta wear a dress!?... No, I don't have a last
name,
okay?!... Drop those scissors!"
"Guess they already met the principal..." Ukyou said. Hinako-sensei
opened the door. Phaeron and Ranma-chan were busy evading the
principal's
attempts to cut off their hair. "Welcome, students! My name is Ninomiya
Hinako,
and I will be your new teacher!" she waved her arms rapidly. The trio
stopped
fighting. After punching the principal's jaw, Ranma-chan and Phaeron
came into
the classroom. Nearly every one of the guys moaned in disappointment
while the
girls looked starry-eyed at Phaeron.
"Great, now nobody can go out with her... Yeah, Kuno would kill us...
He is cute... Man, what is it with ponytails these days?... I don't mind
he doesn't
have a last name... Hmph! Another macho jerk...! This place will become
a
battlefield... I thought it already was... Forget Kuno, SHE would kill
us... Isn't
that the same girl Saotome used to be?... Could be, they have the same
name...
Too bad, she is cute... Just what we needed, another tough guy to hog
all the
girls... What do you wanna do tonight, Brain?... The same thing we do
every night,
Pinky... Darling? Where are you?... This isn't Tomobiki... Maybe we can
still get
her to go out with one of us... Try to take over the world!"
Hinako-sensei brought the two to the front of the classs, "Class, I'd
like you to meet Saotome Ranma and Phaeron... Do you really don't have
a last
name?"
Phaeron fumed slightly, "Actually, I don't have a last name. But I have
different nicknames..."
"NO!" both Ranmas, Akane and Ukyou yelled. He shrank visibly.
"What are you to Mr. Saotome, Miss Saotome?" Hinako-sensei asked.
"She's not, NOT my sister! I don't know who she is, I never met her,
all she did was cause trouble..." Ranma said.
"Despite what Ranma may say, she is his younger sister," Phaeron said.
Ranma nearly jumped for his throat.
"And here I thought you would be twins... Oh well... Okay. Miss
Saotome, take
that empty seat next to Miss Kuonji. Mr. Phaeron, sit next to Mr.
Gosunkugi."
"What's up?" Ukyou greeted Ranma-chan. She smiled in reply.
"Okay class, settle down. Just one thing, Miss Saotome, we have a dress
code. I hope you wear your uniform from this day on." Ranma-chan nearly
jumped
out of her seat while Phaeron and Akane tried not to laugh.
The rest of the day was a complete bore. Both Ranmas snored loudly
through most of the classes, while Phaeron just juggled with a couple of
small
ki balls. The girls sighed. Only P.E. class brought them back to life,
but
Phaeron looked rather clumsy until he summoned his ki. "Great warrior,
eh?"
Ranma said, mockingly.
The last class was Math. For once the two Ranmas were actually paying
attention, as if to prove they were better than the other. Phaeron just
continued to look bored as he read a "Fire Tripper" manga.
"Mr. Phaeron, pay attention!" Hinako-sensei said, irritated.
"Excuse me, but I already know all this, sensei. I studied Math for 3
hundred years."
Confused, but still upset, Hinako-sensei was beginning to rummage
through her pockets for spare change. Fortunately for the school's
insurance
company, the bell rang. "Well, I guess we'll have to go through this
next
class. See you tomorrow!" she fluttered her way out of the room.
Immediately
most of the guys surrounded Ranma-chan, while Phaeron became buried in
girls.
"Hey, wanna go out?... I don't care you don't have a last name...
Know-it-all... Wise-guy... You're another of those stupid avatars,
aren't you?
Don't say that about him!... Lucky broad... I'll pay you to do my
homework... I can
do YOUR homework, cutie... Hey!... Help! You're choking me!... It all
has to do with
Chaos theory, John... Get off me!.. A-ko! Where are you?... This island
is an
accident waiting to happen... Sorry, gotta fly."
Phaeron leapt out of the cluster and landed near the door. Ukyou heaved
in her spatula and pulled Ranma-chan through the mass. Both girls jumped
out
the window. Phaeron just followed Ranma and Akane through the halls.
Ranma was choking in laughter, "It... it took you 3 hundred years to...
to learn MATH!"
"Hey! I didn't say that! I said I studied it for 3 hundred years, but
that's because World of Ruin Math is more advanced than it is her--"
A wooden sword cut him off before he finished. "How dare you insult the
great Kuno Tatewaki like that?" Kuno said, wielding his bokuto.
"Not again, Kuno..." Akane moaned.
"Hey, Kuno-chan, how'd you like these?" Nabiki came out of a classroom
and showed him a series of photos of Ranma-chan.
"Hey!" Phaeron protested, blushing deeply when he saw the pictures.
"Ah! Such beauty!" Kuno gazed upon them. While nobody saw him, Ranma
fumed.
"Stop that, oneechan!" Akane said. "You can't go selling pictures of
her! Especially to Kuno!"
"Why, I'd never! I simply feel it's my duty to keep Kuno-chan's
interest in our sister-in-law. Besides, I did not take any..._revealing_
photographs..."
"Well, you once did!" Ranma said, "So don't sell any more pictures of
that girl, you hear?" Everyone looked at him incredule. "I...I mean...
It's not
that I like her or nothing, but I don't want Nabiki to sell pictures of
someone I know."
Phaeron smirked, "Sure."
"Hey, I said I don't like her!" Ranma yelled. Before anyone could
notice, he emptied his wallet on Nabiki's hands and took the pictures.
"You cad! I shall stop you from defiling the pigtailed girl's image!"
Kuno started to chase him with his bokuto, but Ranma kicked him out the
window.
He then stormed out of school, Akane and Phaeron following him.
Ranma-chan was waiting for them, leaning against a tree near the gates.
Ranma nearly froze when he saw her. "What happened?" she asked.
"None of your business," Ranma said.
"Whatever happens to you is my business too, remember?"
"Oh, stuff it already, will ya?"
Akane came up to them, "How can you say that to her? She's your..."
Ranma fumed greatly, "For the last time: that CRAZY..." Ranma-chan
fumed a little, "...UNCUTE..." she clenched her fists, "...VIOLENT..."
she
glowed bright blue, "... MORONIC..." she was very pissed by now,
"...TOMBOY is
not, by any means, my sister!" Ranma-chan looked like the Vesuvius about
to
erupt. Phaeron and Akane backed away from the two.
He continued, "You hear me? You are not my sister, even if everyone
acts like you are! Ever since I met you you've been nothing but trouble
for
everyone! I don't know why people like you! You're just a pain in the
neck! You
always act like a baby! I think that idiot Kuno must be the stupidest
person in
the Universe to love you! Besides, I don't know why Mom treats you like
my
sister, since you were never even BORN!!"
And Ranma-chan snapped. Phaeron was about to crush Ranma's head with a
ki blast when she pounded him into the ground instead, releasing all her
anger.
Ranma couldn't avoid a single attack. She wasn't just giving him the
usual
comical pounding Akane always gave him, she was practically (and very
literally)
burying him into the ground. As Ranma-chan attacked, Phaeron himself
calmed
down, seeing that this was no answer. Gently, he stopped Ranma-chan's
fists
with his hands, trying to endure the subsequent pain. He could see she
was
crying.
"Please," he said calmly, "this is no way to--"
Before he could finish, Ranma-chan turned away and leapt over the
school walls, bouncing off the rooftops into the distance. "Ranma..."
Akane
thought.
In the middle of the crater, Ranma twitched in pain. "Ka-Kawaikunee
t-tomb--" Suddenly a purple column of light erupted next to his head,
nearly
burning his hair. When it was gone, Phaeron's arm was embedded deep into
the
earth.
Recovering, Ranma bounced away. "What the hell do you think you're..."
Akane shut him up by bonking him on the head. "Look," she said, pointing
at
Phaeron.
He was still kneeling beside the crater, with his arm stuck in the
ground. He glowed white, but his arm was covered in violet light.
Slowly, he
got up. The place where he was standing exploded in a blast of golden
light, a
small hurricane kicking up the dust around him. This was the Phaeron
that they
had first expected. A ki master, with enhanced abilities due to his stay
on
another world, instead of the low-skill fighter wannabe they had seen up
to now.
"How dare you..." he said, covered by the wide aura. "She is
your sister... and you treat her like dirt..." Ranma was about to reply,
but
the prospect of fighting a ki master in his weakened state discarded
that idea.
"Who're you to talk?" he finally said. "I was just a normal guy before
I met her! She used me to get out of the spring!"
Phaeron lifted his face. His red eyes burned like hot coals. "You...
you have any idea what it's like to be truly cursed? What it feels like
to be
used by others as if you were an object?" He enlarged his aura, pressing
Ranma
backwards. "Do you know what it's like to be trapped for the centuries
in a
place where no one can help you? You have a lot to learn, you so-called
warrior."
"Phaeron, calm down," Akane said softly, "What are you talking about?"
Phaeron's aura diminished, from gold to white to red and finally to
blue. Still scowling, he said, "It's time you meet my brothers."
* * *
Ranma-chan was leaning against the railing of the bridge, throwing
stones into the river. Her face was still red, and her heart still beat
rapidly. She couldn't believe what that jerk had told her. She WAS his
sister,
for crying out loud.
She sighed. Only a few days ago she believed everything to be right.
Nobody was cursed now, and she had a family that loved her. Most of it,
anyway.
How wrong she had been.
What was wrong with him? He had never acted with such hostility towards
anyone before. And she had been part of him, for crying out loud! She
knew
exactly what he was like! But... now he hated her. He blamed her for all
the
troubles he had had. She knew there was some truth to that, but she just
couldn't help it! She didn't pull Ranma to fall into her spring! She...
but if he
hadn't fallen... He had saved her from Nyannichuan, and now he hated
her.
She put her forearms on the railing, resting her head on them. Sunset
was approaching. A few birds fluttered overhead. Only when her mother
wasn't
aware of their secret she had felt so miserable.
In the distance, she heard the shrill sound of a young woman shouting.
She turned around, and saw a brown-haired young man being chased by a
flying
girl with green hair and horns.
"Darling, come back!"
The boy saw Ranma-chan, "Oohh! Come to me cutie!" He lunged for her but
Ranma-chan just jumped out of the way.
"Don't that, darling!" the horned girl fried him with an electric zap.
At the same time, two people, a fifteen-year-old girl and a man who
seemed to be twenty, saw the charred boy leap back onto the road after
recovering instantaneously.
"Yuta, do you think he's one of us?"
The young man, Yuta, shook his head, "No, Mana. I heard that people
from this place are simply very strange."
Suddenly they all heard a loud clatter. Turning to a nearby house, they
saw a strange young man scampering out of the garbage cans he had just
teleported into. Muttering to himself, he went off to look for his
partner.
Then the other couple walked down the road, leaving the scene. The other
two
disappeared as well, while a strange man kept throwing blind punches as
he
jogged, mumbling something about a sister Angela. Ranma-chan just stood
there,
blinking.
"Man, I wonder who thought those guys up," she said to herself. She was
beginning to walk back home, when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Oh, Ranma-chan! What are you doing here?"
"Eh? Oh, hi Mom." Ranma waved, not too cheerful.
"What's wrong?" her mother asked. "You look like you cried about
something."
Ranma-chan wiped her face with the back of her hand. "It's nothing."
Damn,
she hated having anyone see her like that, even if it was her own
mother.
"Come, dear, tell me what's wrong. Was it your brother again?" Nodoka
asked, but being careful with her words. She knew that Ranma-chan loved
her
brother very much, especially since he saved her, and thus she knew that
any
pain that he caused her would leave a lasting impression.
Ranma-chan nodded silently. "I just don't get it. Why doesn't he admit
it?"
Nodoka put her arm around her, "You know how he is sometimes. He
doesn't really mean it. Of all people you should know him."
"I know, but it's so different now. Back when Herb first used the Mind
Blast to wake me up, me and Ranma used to get along."
"People are always like that. When you were still the same, how did you
show Akane-chan that you cared for her?"
Ranma-chan grimaced, "We never did that. We always argued with her."
Nodoka smiled, "You see? You and Ranma just have a strange way to show
you care. I don't know why, but it's difficult for you to show how you
really
feel." Yes, it was odd, she repeated to herself, given that they were
both very
strong-willed. It shouldn't be that hard for them to show their
emotions.
"But why does he say that?"Ranma-chan sighed, "I mean, he even said
that I
wasn't born..."
Nodoka was surprised by that, "He did? I'll have to have a talk
with him later. But he's not right. Even if I didn't bear you myself,
you're
still my daughter."
Ranma-chan looked up to her, "Mom?"
"I was away from Dear and Ranma for ten years. I could hardly remember
what he was like. When I finally found you, it was the same as if Dear
had
taken a son and a daughter from me ten years ago. I had to meet you
both all
over again. And I found that you and your brother had grown to be very
strong
and kind. I don't regret what your father did anymore."
Ranma-chan turned to her, "Thanks, Mom."
Nodoka hugged her, "It's all right, dear. Remember, a person is not
defined by a name, nor by the past. It's your present actions that tell
who you
are. And right now, you are Ranma Saotome, despite what your brother
tells
you." Ranma-chan finally smiled at her. Then her stomach reminder her of
the
time. "Actually, what I really am is hungry. C'mon, maybe we can go to
Ucchan's place." They walked back up the road, towards Ukyou's
restaurant.
* * *
Phaeron, Akane and Ranma were on their way back to the dojo, riding a
large, multicolored bird that resembled a stork.
"So you see now?" Phaeron said. "Is everything clear?"
"I guess you should explain everything again," Akane asked.
Phaeron blinked, "Again? Why?"
Akane crossed her arms, "Because the guy who's writing this fanfic
switched to another scene while you told us, that's why."
"Oh, all right."
Hey, gimme a break here. I have to say what happened to the other
characters, remember?
After leaving Furinkan High, the trio went to Ikkoku-kan. Neither Akane
nor
Ranma were too willing to see what Phaeron was going to show them, but
after
the incident they still felt slightly curious about it. While they
waited outside,
Phaeron went inside and returned with a small backback. Opening it, he
took out
a strange hexagonal stone. It seemed to be an emerald, but it had a
bright red
ruby in its center.
"So who's your brother?" Ranma asked.
"This is," Phaeron replied, showing the rock.
"Your brother's a stone?" Akane asked.
"No, this is just a Magicite. It's what I use to call him." He led
the others away from Ikkoku-kan. "Alright, on my signal, jump onto his
back."
"Jump onto his back? Who're you going to..."
Phaeron raised the Magicite rock, "Palidor! Sonic Dive!"
The Magicite glowed brightly. All of a sudden, a large bird dropped
from
the sky. It looked like a stork, but its feathers were blue and purple.
It
shrieked as it neared Phaeron. "Now!" he shouted, and leapt onto the
bird's
back. Out of pure reflex, the other two followed. Rising into the air,
the bird
spread out its wings.
"Ranma, Akane," Phaeron said, "I want you to meet my brother, Palidor."
"THIS is YOUR brother?!"
"Exactly. I believe Herb told you about me having strong enemies when I
arrived at China, right?"
They nodded. "Well, one of those enemies was the warrior called
Coldfire. You've heard of him."
"But what's so special about him?" Akane asked.
"For that, let me tell you my story..."
"As Herb said, I arrived at China from the Bizantine Empire, from a
region once known as the Phoenician Culture. There, at the Musk village,
I met
Pandi and Zhaodi, or Yuannyan and Ranma-chan as you call them now. We
trained
for a long time, until Coldfire came, hunting all three of us down. He
was kind
of like Ryouga: he fought us every other day, but we always defeated
him. But
one day, when we trained at Jusenkyo, he beat Pandi and Zhaodi while I
was
away. When I returned, it turned out that he had thrown them into a
spring.
They were unconscious. I fought Coldfire and defeated him, then threw
him into
the spring. I tried to save them, but the magic was confused at having
so many
people inside and a portal opened at the bottom, which sucked me in. I
ended
up in a place called the World of Balance, which was at war at the time.
A
battle called the War of the Magi.
"It turns out that there were three goddesses of magic who were waging
that war. All of us that got caught in the crossfire were turned into
magic
creatues, called Espers. Thus I was turned into a Phoenix bird. But some
hotshot magic user turned us Espers into the stones called Magicite. For
one
thousand years I was trapped in that stone, buried beneath the ground.
And if
someone were to find me, they would just enslave me and use me for their
battles.
"It was very lonely being an Esper. Most of the other people who were
also Espers suffered as much as I did. Our only hope came when, 1000
years
later, a small band of fighters called Returners saved us. We were still
Magicite, but at least we fought for good, against an evil lord called
Kefka.
"I, in particular, was rescued by a fellow named Locke. He was a
magnificent treasure hunter, and easily found me. Together we fought
many
battles, and I even had to use my skill of Rebirth so his friends didn't
die in
the battle against Kefka. But in the end, we succeeded. Just as Kefka
died,
magic disappeared from that world. We Espers were free at last. Taking
other
five Espers with me, I escaped the World of Ruin, as the World of
Balance had
been destroyed.
"We arrived at the Esper world, where magic ruled supreme. The others
were surprised to find out I was a human, but then I found another Esper
that
had arrived from Earth.. It was a young, gaijin girl, who had been
turned into an
angel-like Esper called Seraphim. She was the one who kept me up to date
with
whatever happened here. So, for the next 500 years, I waited. I trained,
I
studied, and most importantly, I prepared for my return. When I finally
left, the
five espers that I saved thanked me by giving me their Magicites."
Phaeron opened his backpack. Beside the Palidor Magicite, there were
four other similar stones. "That's Seraphim's, that's from a sacred
sword named
Ragnarok, that's from a trio of warriors called the Crusader, and that's
the
Magicite of my best friend, Crystallus."
"But what's all of this got to do with me?" Ranma asked.
"Didn't you hear what I said? Nobody knows best what it's like to be
magically trapped for ages like Yuannyan, Ranma-chan and I. And they
were
trapped for 1500 years, much longer than me. You said you were cursed,
but do
you know about being truly cursed?"
He paused, then turned to Akane, "You do remember what it was like to
be trapped in that doll, don't you?"
Akane shivered. She remembered that doll very well, and how helpless
she
felt inside it. But then she thought about it: she was still a person as
a doll.
She could move about and keep her own will. If what she thought was
right,
Phaeron had been trapped inside a stone, completely unable to do
anything.
"He... he's right, Ranma. You don't know what it's like."
"And you also said she had used you, "Phaeron frowned. Man, if only
someone had used me like that! I had to kill other people against my
will! Nobody
even cared for what I felt except for one person, named Rachel, and she
died
saving me! Even when I fought with the Returners, I was being used for
my
abilities, not for what I WAS! I was always forced to relinquish my
magic powers!
And you think you were being used? Don't make me laugh."
"B-but..." Ranma tried to say. He couldn't say more, for he knew
Phaeron was right.
"And let me tell you something else," he continued, "Just how many
times did you try to get rid of Ranma-chan?" Ranma didn't answer.
Phaeron kept
going, "And you don't see her being angry at you for nearly killing her,
do
you? If I had waited 1500 years until someone saved me, then that same
person
wanted to kill me, I'd be pretty pissed off. Wouldn't you?" Ranma
nodded.
"Alright, then. Just try to make an effort. You owe Ranma-chan a lot,
even if
you don't admit it. In fact, you don't ever have to admit it. Just say
that she
IS your sister. You two can work it from there. And don't go saying she
wasn't
even born, because in a way, she was, just in a different manner."
"B-but she can't be my sister," Ranma insisted, "we aren't even the
same age..."
"That's why I said she was your younger sister," Phaeron sat back,
thoughtful, "You're seventeen, right? How old would you say she is,
forgetting
that she's really over 1500 years old?"
"I dunno... sixteen, seventeen?"
"She was fourteen years old when I met her. Right now she appears to be
nearly sixteen. She's the perfect age to be your younger sister."
"No wonder she called you 'oniisan'," Akane said.
The trio remained silent for a moment. Only the soft movement of
Palidor's wings could be heard. It was already in the night. Any moment
now,
they would reach the dojo.
"So, will you admit she's your sister?" Phaeron said.
Defeated, but convinced, Ranma slowly nodded.
"And you can't call your sister 'kawaikunee tomboy'..."
Ranma looked up, "Come on, she IS a tomboy."
Phaeron thought for a moment, "Hmm, guess you're right about that. And
I have to agree sometimes she's quite weird, but that's no reason to
insult
someone who you owe your life to."
"I owe her my life?"
"Think about it. Akane, what would have happened if Ranma had first
arrived to your house as a man?"
"I'd have probably rejected him on sight, I guess."
"Hey, you did reject me on sight!"
"But that was after I found out, you jerk! Besides, Nabiki would have
probably taken you otherwise." Ranma shuddered slightly.
"And you're supposed to be a martial artist. Then tell me how many
techniques you learned because of her," Phaeron asked again.
"That's a low blow," Ranma protested, "But I guess you're right. My
life would have been completely different."
Phaeron smiled, "Then you're just in time to admit it, because we're
right over the dojo. Palidor, thanks for the ride." The bird swept lower
to the
ground. "Alright, now jump!" The trio jumped from the back of Palidor
just as
the bird vanished. Phaeron created an aura shield below Ranma and Akane
as
they fell. They landed on the yard, just outside the dojo. They could
hear
sounds of fighting coming from it.
Coming into the dojo, they could see Ranma-chan in her white gi,
sparring with Ukyou. Ranma-chan looked away from Ranma as soon as she
saw him.
Nodoka, who watched by the door, looked at him upset.
"Are you ready to apologize now?" she asked. He nodded sheepishly.
"I don't care if he's gonna apologize. I don't wanna talk to him,"
Ranma-chan said, crossing her arms.
"Ranchan, I'm sure Ranchan didn't mean it," Ukyou said, putting down
her spatula, blinking confused at her own statement.
"Even if he didn't mean it," she replied.
Ranma hesitantly walked over to her. "Look, um, I'm sorry about what I
said. I guess I didn't know..."
"Tell him he's darn right he didn't know," Ranma-chan said, without
turning around. If he had been such a jerk back then, she had all the
right to
be bitchy now.
"Hey, this is hard enough for me to say, okay?"
"And it wasn't hard for him to say those things back there, huh?" she
said, not yielding.
"Listen, you..." Ranma was upset. He turned around and saw his mother.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry, alright?"
"That doesn't solve much," Ranma-chan looked briefly at him out the
corner of her eye.
He remembered what Phaeron had told him, "Alright, already. My life
wouldn't have been better if I hadn't met you, okay?"
"And?" she still refused to look at him.
"Hey, I come down here and apologize, and you still don't believe me?"
Ranma-chan remained firm. "And to think I didn't say anything when you
used me to lure that 8 headed dragon..." Akane shuddered at the memory.
Yamata
no Orochi had nearly killed Ranma-chan back then.
"Or all those times when you used my body to lure Happosai..."
Ranma-chan continued, shuddering.
"Hey..." Ranma put a hand on her shoulder.
"Or when you almost let Shampoo kill me..."
"Wait..."
"And how about--"
"Enough already!" Ranma spun her around. "I am sorry for all of that,
okay? But you know why I did all those things. Now, if you can't ever
forgive
_your own brother_, it proves you're a complete moron!" He turned away
from her
and realized what he just said. Had he really said he was her brother?
Was he
thinking straight?
Ranma-chan suddenly looked at him thoughtfully. Her scowl quickly
disappeared as she walked around Ranma, staring at him incredule. She
looked
back at her mother. Nodoka was smiling.
"Now, that didn't hurt much, right?" Phaeron said.
"He... he said it?" Akane and Ukyou looked at Ranma, who now felt like
a strange bug under the microscope.
"You... you really think I'm your..." Ranma-chan started to say.
Ranma suddenly exploded, "Sister! Sister! Alright? You happy now?!
Sheesh...!" Before he knew it, Ranma-chan was hugging him happily, her
eyes
closed yet drenched. Through the fabric of his clothes, he still felt
her face
moving into the shape of a great smile. He didn't even try to move, as
an odd
feeling of release spread inside him.
Hesitant at first, he slowly returned the hug. "I'm sorry, kid," he
said
softly.
"Don't worry, oniisan."
She tightened the hug. He looked down at her, but couldn't meet her
eyes. She was happy. His little sister. And he would never destroy that
happiness.
Akane sighed in relief, looking at them finally getting along. Nodoka
simply left the room, smiling. Ukyou supressed a sniff of happiness.
Phaeron
was again creating fireworks outside the dojo. The Third Step was
finished. Now
all that was left was for Ranma-chan's lost memories to be somehow
restored.
The thought made his face drop the smile. It hurt not being able to...
to say it
to her. But if she couldn't remember...
Akane finally spoke, "Okay, now to celebrate, how about I cook you both
dinner tonight! And you too Phaeron, for helping them."
The two Ranmas shivered in terror. Phaeron looked at them confused,
"C'mon, you guys. It can't be that bad..."
"Our last supper..." Ranma said, slumping down.
"At least we will die at peace..." Ranma-chan added, sighing.
"Ranma no baka!" Akane malleted Ranma into the wall. "Ranma no baka!"
she punched Ranma-chan into the floor. Storming away, she said, "You may
be
family, but you don't have to be both idiots!"
"Hmm," Phaeron turned to her, "Akane, I brought over a few potions
from Esper World. Maybe that would help--" Akane punted him through the
wall
and into the yard. She stomped her way back to the house, leaving a
dazed
Phaeron wondering, "What'd I say?!"
"If you're a phoenix, hope you can be reborn after you die from Akane's
cooking," Ukyou said to him, peeling Ranma off the wall with her
spatula.
The Phoenix of Gray
The dining room was silent, despite the crowd gathered in it. Both
Ranmas were seemingly in pain as Akane watched them with a scowl on her
face.
"I'm dying..." Ranma said weakly.
Ranma-chan put a hand on her stomach, "I think I got an Alien in
here..." She shivered as she felt something move inside her.
Akane looked away from them, furious, "Hmph. Now I'll get twice the
insults."
Ranma groaned. "Don't worry, Akane. One of us will die soon..."
"Will you cut it out?!?!" she punted him out to the sky.
"I wonder how Phaeron-kun is doing," Nabiki said, "This was his first
taste of Akane's cooking."
* * *
Ikkoku-kan, six thirty in the morning.
"Geez, kid. You look like hell," Mrs Ichinose said, bending over
Phaeron.
"I didn't need YOU to tell me!" he pulled a pillow over his head.
"Hmm, did you tried to commit suicide?" Yotsuya said, analyzing the
shifting
colors on Phaeron's face.
"Please... just let me die in peace..."
"We wouldn't want that," Akemi said, "you're our newest source of
strange gossip."
They heard the sound of bells outside, "Excuse me, this girl is here to
see you," Kyoko said. Surprising even Yotsuya, Shampoo leapt into the
room
carrying a tray of ramen.
"Boy-type Ranma and girl-type Ranma send to Phaeron. It good ramen with
anti-Akane spice. Just leave bowl outside and Shampoo pick up later.
Enjoy!"
She disappeared as quickly as she entered.
Mrs. Ichinose elbowed Phaeron, "You sly fox, getting girls to bring you
food!"
Phaeron turned red, "She's just a friend who happens to work at the
restaurant!" he started to gulp down the ramen.
"Oh, yeah?" Akemi said, "And what's that about a girl-type sending you
that food?" He choked on the noodles.
"Y'know, when a girl sends you food..." Mrs Ichinose sipped her beer.
Phaeron quickly recovered, "Ranma-chan AND her brother were just
thanking me for helping them out, okay?"
"And what's that we heard about 'anti-Akane' spice?" Akemi insisted,
"She's an old girlfriend?" For someone sitting up on a futon, Phaeron
did a
great impression of a facefault. He got up and got dressed. Taking his
backpack, he nearly stormed out, "You guys are impossible."
"Yusaku could learn something from that kid," Akemi said, once Phaeron
was
out of earshot.
"Yes," Yotsuya said, "Godai-kun has always seemed to have difficulties
with women, something our young resident seems to lack."
"I heard that!" came a voice from room five.
Kyoko sighed. She noticed Phaeron had left the bowl in his room. "I'll
have to go leave this outside," she said. A note dropped from the bowl's
bottom. Before Mrs. Ichinose could snatch it, Kyoko quickly lunged for
it.
"Seems to me like a love letter," Mrs Ichinose said.
"Seems to me like a bill," Kyoko contested. She read it aloud, "Dear
Phaeron, please come to the Nekohanten this afternoon, or sooner, if you
can.
We have urgent matters to discuss. Signed, Cologne, Shampoo's
great-grandmother."
"So, what'd I tell you?" Mrs Ichinose said in victory. Abashed, Kyoko
answered. "I'm sure it is nothing of that sort."
"Why, he's even stringing along older women," Akemi said, "If that
Cologne is somebody's great-grandmother..."
Kyoko walked out of the room, "He's right. You're impossible."
"It's our job to be impossible!" Mrs Ichinose, Akemi and Yotsuya said
in unison.
* * *
"Feeble warrior, I challenge you!" Kuno bolted at Phaeron with his
sword. "None shall ever humilliate the great Blue Thunder in such
manner!"
"Oh, so you want me to humilliate you some other way?" Phaeron jumped
out of his way, much faster than in his previous encounter.
"Silence, boor!" Kuno slashed at him. Phaeron easily grabbed the sword.
"Y'know, this could get boring..." Phaeron grinned.
"How'd he get so good so quickly?" Akane asked.
"Oh, I don't know..." Ranma-chan said, snickering. "Finally..." she
thought,
"looks like that whole year of training in China payed off."
"Release my blade, fiend!" Kuno commanded. Phaeron obeyed, letting Kuno
fall off balance. As he got up, he began his lightning sword attack.
"Heh. Cyan would like you.." Phaeron smirked. Using a technique similar
to the Amaguriken, only slower, he parried the strikes instead of
dodging
them. "That's it. Random Fist!" Breaking through Kuno's defense, Phaeron
landed a flurry of blows to his chest, leaving burning marks on impact.
Kuno
fell back, staggering.
"Sorry 'bout that. Cure 3!" Suddenly Kuno was completely healed by the
glimmering lights around him.
"Fool!" Kuno thrust his sword. Disappointed, Phaeron grabbed the
sword, turned around and whipped him to the ground, leaving Kuno
unconscious.
"Don't mess with an Esper," Phaeron said victorious.
Everyone around him stared at him surprised. "How did you...?" Ranma
asked.
Phaeron wiped his hands, "Oh, I just remembered a few techniques I
picked
up somewhere..." he winked at Ranma-chan. She smirked; he meant that
those were
the techniques _she_ had taught him while in China... before the
accident at
Jusenkyo, of course.
The schoolday was as boring as the previous. Maybe even more, since
they didn't have P.E. class that day, and now they were simply bored to
death.
Even Hinako-sensei was doodling on the blackboard. The only difference
was that
Ranma-chan seemed ready to explode in the school uniform, or at least
tear it
off.
At last, the bell rang. Again, the guys encased Ranma-chan. Meanwhile,
Phaeron and Ranma looked at the pathetic group, amused.
"Wanna do the honors?" Phaeron asked. Ranma nodded. Phaeron moved his
arms apart and created an aura barrier arround Ranma-chan. Her brother
leapt
inside, grabbed her, and leapt back out, landing by the door, hearing
only
several moans, angry shouts and a even couple of threats. Ranma-chan
looked at
him incredule.
"Hey, gotta take care of my sister, right?" he winked at her. She just
blinked, confused.
"I knew it," Phaeron thought, "They're so alike, it's only natural
they'd hate each other's guts, or love each other dearly." He smiled and
followed them outside.
But yet again, a samurai figure stopped them short. The entire hall was
darkened, as he made his presence, burning with fury. "Remove your lowly
hands
from the immaculate pigtailed girl, Saotome," Kuno said, looming over
him as the
lamps in the corridor overloaded thanks to his lightning.
Downstairs, in the teacher's lounge, Hinako-sensei was chatting with a
new substitute teacher. His suit was decorated with onsen signs.
"So the high school you came from is very strange?" Hinako-sensei
asked, eating her ice dream. Onsen Mark nodded.
"Yes, you could see the weirdest things there. We even have aliens
there... But finally I escaped from it. Now that I'm at Furinkan,
nothing can
go wrong! I'm free at last! Bwa ha ha!" Fire crackled around him, as he
continued to laugh maniacally. Suddenly they saw Kuno falling down
outside the
window. Hinako-sensei wasn't disturbed.
"That happens every day here..." she said, not turning away from her
ice cream.
"Maybe I WAS better at Tomobiki..."
* * *
Yes, this was Furinkan High school. He knew that by the strange people
coming out. But he knew it even better by the two presences he felt,
even as
he stood on the roof, right over the clock.
Ignorance. That's why they were so careless. They should have known he
would come. But then again, good is stupid. Only Evil is smart. Maybe if
they
had stayed in China they would have stood a chance, considering Herb and
Yuannyan were there, along with their bodyguards. But here, none of
their
friends was powerful, or skilled, enough to counter him.
Little did they know what had happened to him after their battle 1500
years ago. Little did they care. No matter. They should be alive no
longer.
Then he saw them. The prey. A small female and a larger male, both
irradiating their distinctive ki. A faint, nearly invisible blue aura
surrounded
the girl, while a powerful red aura encased the man. He shuddered for an
instant.
He didn't remember him to have such a strong ki. Could it be he was also
transported to the World of Ruin?
It didn't matter. The figure lifted his hands up in the air, easily
creating a massive ki blast within them. Smirking evilly, he
concentrated on
his enemies. Sure, they were only two, but once they were taken care of,
the
sister would be easy pickings. Soon the blast was larger than his own
body. He
would have to act fast, lest they notice his presence. That was his only
flaw: he never did learn how to hide his presence. No, his OVERWHELMING
presence, as he put it. At any moment, he would deliver his revenge upon
his
greatest opponents. Any moment now, Phaeron and Ranma-chan would die...
again.
They wouldn't know what hit them.
Suddenly he stopped. Something kept him from attacking, something that
told
him that it wasn't right. It was a voice, a voice that kept telling him
to oppose
the evil that consumed him. But he turned deaf ears on that voice. His
master
would destroy him if he let them live.
But he still let them go.It was no good this way. He wanted them to
suffer, to pass through the pain they so deserved. Besides, he was
fairly
outnumbered here. Her brother was a fearsome fighter, and nearly
everyone and
his dog at this school knew martial arts. Thus he decided to wait. Very
well. He
shall pluck them out, one by one. He will destroy their friendship
first. Once
set apart, all of them would easily fall prey to him and his forces.
Yes, his
forces... he had so much power now, unlike when he was in China. Thanks
to his
master, entire armies were now under his command.
Yes, he would wait.
They would die, one at a time.
End of the Third Step
al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx