Neko
by Mark Doherty (mdoherty@mailbox.uq.edu.au)

Chapter 2: Meow...?
(Draft)

Characters are the property of Takahashi Rumiko. I deserve to be drowned in
the spring of drowned ferret for even thinking of using them. Please
don't sue me, I am but a poor and penniless student.

Anyone who has read any of my previous alternifics should know that I never
change just one curse, so read on at your discretion...

C&C's are welcome, wanted and not wasted on me.

My conventions explained:

- The suffix -kun is used to denote a character's cursed male form. No
  suffix indicates that the person isn't in their cursed form. If someone
  turns up with a girl curse, they'll get the -chan suffix. Animal curses
  are denoted by the name of the animal as a suffix. After a couple of
  times, animal suffixes will probably usually be shortened to the first
  letter. For example, Henry-Mockingbird, or Henry-M after the first couple
  of times the name is used in a scene.

- <> Denotes Chinese.

- [] Denotes thoughts.

- ** Is animal speak when used without quotes, and is sound effects within
  quotes. For example: *Hello.* the duck quacked. And: "*sigh*" she sighed.

- {} Are Panda signs.

*********************

"Aren't you cute?"

The cat blinked as the strange boy who had rescued him from the black and
white beast started to stroke his fur. Rational thoughts floated to the
surface of his mind and then they were submerged again, submerged by his cat
persona.

[No. No...] his thoughts whispered to him. But he ignored such things. What
was speech to a cat? [Don't pu...] the cat started to purr as the boy that
was holding him continued to stroke him.

[No...] his thoughts whispered to him, before the cat within him became
dominate again.

*********************

Ukyou looked down at the purring cat he was holding. There was something
about the feline that seemed so familiar...

Nearby, the Tendos were looking at the panda, who was slowly standing.

"You don't think its dangerous do you?" Soun whispered to Nabiki.

"Why don't you find out, Father?" Nabiki replied, pushing her father between
her and the now standing panda.

{Hello.} the panda signed.

"Well he looks harmless." Kasumi decided. "Would you like some bamboo shoots
Mr Panda?"

{I'm insulted.} the panda signed indignantly. It hesitated, before it twirled
the sign around to reveal {Unless, of course, they're tasty bamboo shoots...}

Ukyou, having decided that the panda was no threat, retrieved his giant
spatula, keeping the cat in the hook of his left arm. He eyed the dojo
speculatively, before he turned to Akane. "Say, Akane, would you mind having
a spar in your dojo? It's been a while since I've sparred under a roof. And
we haven't sparred as g... uh... in our normal forms for a while now."

Akane nodded. "Sure." she said. She looked at the cat, before she added "You
seem to like that cat."

Ukyou looked at the furry bundle he was carrying. The cat looked back up at
him with the typical haughty expression of a cat. "There's just something so
innocent about him." he said. "It just reaches into my heart."

"Why Ukyou." Akane said with a smile as the two teenagers walked off to the
dojo. "I never would have thought you were such a softy at heart."

Ukyou smiled as he limbered up his right arm with his combat spatula. "We'll
see how soft I am. Remember, I don't go easy on girls."

"Like you have the option." Akane retorted as they walked into the dojo.

Back where the other Tendos were, the panda looked around, almost as if it
was searching for something. Finally, it shrugged and lead a slightly nervous
Soun inside.

*********************

Ukyou and Akane, who was now dressed in a gi, were sparring in the dojo.
Ukyou had the advantage in reach thanks to his combat spatula, but Akane was
holding her own in the fight. The cat was napping in a corner of the dojo,
apparently completely uninterested in the spectacle.

"So when are you going to tell your father?" Ukyou asked as he swung his
spatula in a low arc at Akane's feet.

Akane leapt over the strike and came down, her fist extended in her own
attack. After Ukyou dodged, Akane drew back a bit and said "I don't know...
This isn't an easy thing to tell him."

"You have to tell him sooner or later." Ukyou noted as she backed up from
a series of fist strikes by Akane.

Akane sighed as Ukyou stopped dodging and started his own attack. "Maybe..."
she admitted.

Ukyou stopped his attacks, looked at Akane, and said "Break?"

Akane nodded. "I guess." She turned and looked at the cat. "And you were no
help. Just sitting there like that."

The cat looked up for a moment before he sat his head down again.

Ukyou snickered. "I don't think he's too worried."

"Well..." Akane said with a glint in her eyes as she advanced on the cat.
"We'll see how unfazed our little friend here can stay." She lunged at the
cat. The cat seemed to blur as he rose from his resting position and leapt
over Akane, using her shoulder as a stepping stone. The weight of the cat
overbalanced the girl, and Akane ingloriously fell on her face.

Ukyou couldn't help it, he started laughing. It didn't help that the cat
was calmly licking one of its front paws as Akane rose from her undignified
position.

"I think he's defeated you Akane." Ukyou chortled.

Akane looked annoyed for a few moments before she started to laugh too.

*********************

At the table in the living room, Soun sat opposite a heavy-set man who was
dressed in a white gi. The other man wore a white bandanna that covered what
was almost certainly a bald head. The man also wear a pair of glasses that
were tied around his ears, perhaps to ensure they didn't come off under
stressful conditions. Steam was wisping off the man. Perhaps that had
something to do with the nearby kettle, which also had steam drifting out of
it's spout.

"Incredible." Soun said. "Genma, old friend, if I hadn't seen it with my own
eyes I wouldn't have believed it."

The other man, Genma, nodded. His face was set in a serious expression.

"And... Ranma...?" Soun asked hesitantly.

Genma sighed. "A true tragedy. I wonder if he was born under an unlucky
star..."

"What curse could affect a man deeper than yours?" Soun asked in awe. "He...
isn't a girl is he? You're not saying he can't marry Akane are you?"

Genma shook his head. "If only his problem were so simple. This goes beyond
the affliction he shares with me. You see..." Genma leaned forward, and
started to whisper to Soun.

A growing look of horror enveloped Soun's face. Finally, after Genma had
finished, he looked at his heavier friend and said "You know, that was pretty
stupid, even by your standards."

Genma cleared his throat. "Anybody could have made the same mistake." he
defended.

"Mistakes." Soun corrected.

"Well, yes." Genma admitted. "But that is in the past now. What we must do
now is look to the future."

Soun looked speculative. "I'm sure the engagement will help the boy resolve
his problems."

Genma grinned. "I agree."

The two men smiled, before they shook hands.

*********************

Ukyou was sitting on the porch of the dojo, stroking the cat. Kasumi walked
up with a towel and said "Ukyou-kun, why don't you take a bath? You must be
sweaty after a practice session."

Ukyou looked at Kasumi for a second before he said "Ok. Thank you for
thinking of me Kasumi."

Kasumi smiled. It was no easy job, taking care of this household. Right now,
for example, she had to go get some drinks for Father and his friend. It was
a testament to Kasumi's efficiency that she had time to take care of the
other guest at the Dojo. Still, with all the things on her mind, perhaps it
was understandable that she had momentarily forgotten to find out where Akane
was...

*********************

Akane luxuriated in the bath, enjoying the feeling of the hot water. It was
amazing the things you could miss when you didn't have easy access to them.
The last three months had taught her that.

It had also taught her that some things were best left alone. Still, at least
one good thing had come out of the disastrous trip to China. Ukyou. Akane had
thought she'd never meet a boy her own age that she could like. But Ukyou was
so different. He didn't chase after her like all the other boys seemed to. He
seemed to genuinely want to be her friend simply for friendship's sake, not
to have her as some sort of trophy like all the other boys she had known.

She started from her reverie when she heard a knocking at the bathroom door.

"Akane?" Ukyou's voice drifted in. "Are you still in there."

Akane's eyes widened. "Don't come in!" she shouted. Stupid! She'd forgotten
to stick up the occupied sign when she'd taken her bath. Living without a
private bathroom for the last three months had made her forget some of the
baser rules of living with others. Still, that was another good thing about
Ukyou. He'd never just rush in, even when there wasn't any sign up. He valued
people's privacy, both his own and others, too much to ever just walk in.

A few minutes later, Akane walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a robe with
a towel around her hair. "All yours." she said to Ukyou, who had been waiting
patiently outside. She looked down at the cat in Ukyou's arms, and added
"You're not going to give him a bath are you?"

Ukyou laughed. "No, no. But I don't want the poor thing running off, so I
thought I'd keep him somewhere where I can keep an eye on him until his owner
turns up."

Akane shrugged. "Well, have it your way. I'm going to dress and see if Dad
knows exactly when the Saotomes are going to get here. I don't want anymore
false alarms like before."

Ukyou nodded before he walked into the bathroom, still holding the cat.

*********************

Ukyou let the cat go as he closed the door behind him. He looked down at the
cat, which was sitting on the tiled floor, apparently content to do nothing.
"No peeking now." Ukyou said playfully. "That wouldn't be very gentlemanlike
of you."

The cat looked up at Ukyou as he took off his shirt. Then, seemingly bored,
the cat lay down, resting his head on his front paws.

Ukyou, meanwhile, had finished undressing and was now in the bath up to his
chin. He looked over at the cat before he shook his head. "You're a strange
one." he said. "But that's ok. You'll fit in just fine around me and Akane.
Now if you were normal you might have trouble..."

The cat didn't deign to reply. But then, he was a cat. Why would a cat be
affected one way or another by someone's words?

*********************

Akane walked down the stairs, refreshed after her bath. She had gone upstairs
after her soak so that she could get changed, and now she was coming down
again to see who the man with her father was.

"Hello." Akane said as she walked into the living room.

Genma and Soun looked up. "Ah, Akane." Soun said. "I'd like to introduce you
to Saotome Genma, Ranma's father."

Akane felt a stab of ice in her heart. If his father was here, then... she
looked around. There was no-one else in the room. "But... where's Ranma?" she
asked.

"Oh, I'm sure he's nearby." Genma said. He hesitated, before he added "Tell
me, Akane, I have a cat that should be around here somewhere. Have you seen
him?"

"Ukyou's been taking care of him." Akane explained easily. "He just took him
with him to the bath."

Genma's eyes widened. "What!?" he exclaimed, before he rushed out of the door
that led to the bath.

"Did I say something wrong?" Akane asked.

*********************

Genma barrelled into the bathroom just in time to see Ukyou finish buttoning
up his shirt. Ukyou looked up and snarled "Don't you know how to knock...
you!"

"Do I know you?" Genma asked.

Ukyou was about to reply when there was a knock at the half-closed door. "Is
there something wrong?" Akane called in.

Ukyou clenched his fists. "No. Nothing's wrong." he snarled as he swept past
Genma. "I'll deal with you later." he vowed quietly to the older man as he
walked out of the room.

"How rude." Genma muttered. "Kids these days." He looked over at the cat, who
was looking back at him, tail swishing. "Come on Ranma, time to meet your
fiance properly."

The cat hissed as the Genma approached him, but Genma had obviously had
practice with the cat's attitude before. With a swiftness that belied his
size, Genma swept up the cat and, in the same motion, threw the animal into
the hot water of the bath.

"Time to wake up to yourself." Genma muttered to himself as something a lot
bigger than a cat rose from the bath. "In more ways than one, my boy, it is
time to wake up to yourself."

*********************

In the dining room, the Tendos and Ukyou were sitting around the table.

"I can't believe he just walked in like that!" Ukyou was muttering to Akane.

Akane looked at her friend with puzzlement on her face. "I can't see what
your problem is." she admitted. "I mean, you're both guys, right?"

Ukyou cleared his throat. "Ummm... that's not the point. I don't like people
walking in on me when I'm in the bath, no matter who they are."

Akane shrugged. "Well, I'm sure if you ask everyone not to come in when
you're in the bath then won't bother you next time."

"Next time?" Ukyou asked.

"Well, you told me you had nowhere to go, so I managed to get my Dad to let
you stay here for a while." Akane explained.

"But what about Ranma?" Ukyou asked.

Akane blushed slightly. "Ra... Ranma? What do you mean? You know that I don't
want to be engaged to him."

"What?" Ukyou asked. "I meant that I don't think I could live under the same
roof as him..."

"Oh." Akane said. "That vengeance thing. Come on Ukyou, where are you going
to go if you don't stay here?"

Ukyou thought about it. "Well... if I'm not imposing, and your father thinks
it's ok, how can I argue?"

"Of course my Dad thought it was ok." Akane said with a smile. [At least he
did after I threatened to go back to China. I still have to tell him about
my curse too. I bet he'll take _that_ well.]

*********************

Nabiki looked over at her younger sister and the young man Akane had brought
with her. It was just unbelievable. Her sister, the man-hater, and yet not
only did she have every boy at school after her but now she was acting like
she and this boy were old friends. What had happened on that trip that Akane
had so foolishly taken?

"So if that was Mr Saotome..." Akane was saying to her father, "...then
where's Ranma?"

"Why, he's right here." Genma said from the entrance to the dining room that
led to the bathroom. Next to him stood the young man that the panda had
chased. Ranma looked a bit woozy.

[Hey, he's actually a major hunk.] Nabiki thought as she looked on. [Making
Akane the sacrificial lamb in this engagement thing is starting to look a
little hasty all of a sudden...]

Ranma's eyes seemed to focus before he said "Hi there..."

*********************

Meanwhile, at the docks of some Japanese town, the captain of a freight ship
was seeing something he'd never been so glad to see. Dry land. That would
have to have been _the_ worst trip he had ever _heard_ about, let alone been
on.

He looked over at the young woman who stood waiting to disembark. She had
long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. She probably would have
been beautiful, if it wasn't for her seemingly permanent haughty glare, a
glare that she directed at anyone who got too close.

Not that anyone did get too close. She was a witch, that one. Not only were
there her strange shapeshifting companions, but the first mate had sworn that
he had seen her change her shape as well, one night when a storm had been
giving them trouble. No-one disbelieved the first mate, if anyone could be a
mistress of dark powers, it was this woman. After all, what sane woman would
wear a leotard like it was some sort of everyday wear?

The woman looked up at the captain, a look that from most would probably be
a promise of unending death, but from her was probably an almost friendly
goodbye gaze. She looked down around her, at what appeared to be a mass of
brown fur.

"Come then, my little brethren." the woman said to the heap of brown fur.
"It is time to find my brother, and chastise him for conveniently forgetting
to bring me back with him." She smiled, and then she laughed as she leapt off
the ship onto the dock. The brown mass flowed, before it separated into
several dozen shapes.

*Right, you heard our Queen.* one of the creatures squeaked. *Follow her!*
he cried, before he leapt after his mistress.

There was a pause, and then the other lemmings flowed over the side, landing
on the dock. Soon, the ship was free of the woman's seemingly magical hold.

"Right, let's get out of here." the captain said as he watched the woman
bound off, her lemming escort following her.

"I thought we were going to have a couple of days rest here." the first mate
protested.

"In the same country she's in?" the captain retorted.

"I'll go get clearance from the docksmaster." the first mate replied quickly.

In the distance, an horrible, spine-shivering, insane laugh mixed in with the
excited squeaks of several dozen small rodent-like creatures...

***************************************************************************
***************************************************************************

Well, that's the end of Chapter 2. Please tell me what you think. It
shouldn't take that long to do the third chapter.

What, did you think those lemmings wouldn't have a major impact on the
story? Lemmings shall rule the world...

Everything will be explained sooner or later...

Till next time.

"Mad Scientist: Igor, I have a hunch...
 Igor: That makes two of us."

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Mark Doherty  -  mdoherty@mailbox.uq.edu.au

"Kawaii must die."

*     *     *     *     *     *     *    *     *    *     *    *