The Legacy
Part II:
The Curse of Jusenkyo
A Ranma Nibunnoichi fanfic
by Joseph "Ashira" Kohle
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Akane hurried out of her apartment and into the street. There was
too much happening too fast. Ranma's return had created problems which
she was completely unprepared to deal with, both mentally and emotion-
ally. It was only complicated by being unable to talk to anyone about
it. She had to find her own way. Her promise to Ranma would keep her
silent no matter what. She loved Ranma and would not betray or hurt him.
<Then why won't you tell him about Ryouga?> she asked herself. She
knew the answer. She did not want to hurt either of them. Over the years
she had come to love Ryouga. He had been there for her when she was hurt
and depressed.
The first year, Ryouga had always been there, somehow finding his
way to her when she had needed a comforting presence. When she would cry
and could not stop, he had been there for her, holding her, calling
Ukyou, making sure she ate. He had been a friend. Someone she could talk
to, who would hold her when it was just too hard to go on.
After a time she expected him to be there, him and Ukyou. She had
needed him there. When he was there, it was so much like Ranma protect-
ing her that she had often mistaken him for Ranma, calling him Ranma
when crying on his shoulder, begging him to stop the pain. At others she
would scream and yell at him for leaving her. Ryouga had accepted the
mistaken identity stoically and had only held her tighter. That was the
Ryouga who had slowly entered her heart.
They had traversed from friends to a tentative relationship during
her hardships. That was not to say it had been a calm stroll. The road
had been long and rocky for both of them. Her own emotional problems and
Ryouga's own depression and anger had exacerbated matters in most cases,
but somehow they had worked past those problems to find a comfort in
each other.
There were still problems. He was lost most of the time, and his
anger was still there, threatening to explode when things went wrong
between them, but she still cared for him. Somehow, he had wandered
into the place in her heart that Ranma's death had left empty. A hollow-
ness that had needed to be filled. He had never filled it completely. As
the years had passed, she had realized that nothing could take Ranma's
place, but Ryouga had been a buffer protecting her from the hurt and
emptiness. His care and love had allowed her to continue living when she
had wanted only to die.
It was impossible for her not to care for Ryouga. He was a constant
in her life. She loved Ryoga, but when he had proposed to her she just
could not accept. Nor could she refuse him. When he had asked her, she
had been flattered and had wanted to blurt out yes, but Ranma's face had
emblazoned itself over Ryouga's, the ring she wore around her neck a
burning reminder of the past, making it impossible for her to say yes.
Watching Ryoga walk out of the room that night had broken her
heart. She had tried to explain why she couldn't accept, why she held
back, but he had not listened. His face a mask of grief and anger, he
had stumbled blindly from her room, leaving her alone again. She had
cried after he had gone, the gold ring still cupped in her hand. She had
not seen him since, but knew that he would return when he could, and
when he did, she had decided that she would marry him. At least until
now, that is.
Now Ranma was back in her life. And things were so much more com-
plicated. She still loved Ranma, and always would, but it was not the
same. He had changed. Having a daughter was just a small part of it. For
six years, he had been wandering and growing up. From seventeen to
twenty-three, he had been gone. Those were years in which he had matur-
ed, refined his personality, defined his place in life. In those six
years, he had seen things she could not even imagine, overcome obsta-
cles that probably would have daunted her and most other human beings.
She knew he had. She could see it in his eyes. The way he held him-
self. Just watching him had imprinted that reality on her mind. He moved
confidently and easily through her apartment, forming the surroundings
to himself. It bespoke of an inner strength that went beyond her own.
And the way he acted to his daughter, the tenderness, the compassion
proved that it was not her Ranma back in her apartment, but it was still
Ranma, and that was what mattered.
In their short reunion, she felt like she was his inferior now. It
was not that he made that known to her. He didn't. He had been kind and
considerate, a gentleman. Yet she could not shake the feeling that she
was never going to be able to know him. How could she understand some-
thing she could not even contemplate. Six years. A daughter. He was a
parent. A father. A mother. What could have possessed him to have a
child? A child by himself no less. It was so drastic of a change that it
boggled the mind. She wondered if the Ranma she loved was even alive
within this new one.
He was so much kinder now, gentler. Not once had he lost control of
his temper that morning. She knew the old Ranma would have completely
lost it and fired back at her with insults and accusations, yet he had
calmly talked to her, made her listen to reason. It was something he had
never been able to do before. Although it was a nice change, it still
was hard to accept, hard to deal with. It was too confusing for her. She
did not know what to do, what to think, so she continued walking.
Lost in her thoughts she did not even notice the restaurant she was
supposed to meet Ukyou at as she walked past it. Luckily, Ukyou had been
watching for her, seeing as Akane was nearly an hour late.
"Akane," Ukyou's voice cut through her thoughts, dispelling the
haze of doubts and misgivings slightly. Shaking her head, she glanced
over at the restaurant and smiled sheepishly, realizing what she had
done.
"Konnichi wa, Ucchan," Akane said as she walked over to her friend.
"Sorry I'm late. It has been a bad night and morning for me."
"No problem, Akane-chan," Ukyou said comfortingly. She watched her
friend closely. She knew something was bothering her friend, but she
could not guess at its source. She looked haggard and out of touch. Her
eyes kept clouding as if something was vying for her attention, making
her ignore the world. She watched as Akane shook her head and gave Ukyou
a wan smile.
"Let's eat," Akane said quietly, trying to control her emotions.
"I'm starved."
Nodding, Ukyou led her to the table she had reserved and sat down
across from Akane. Akane simply sat down and picked up the menu and
starred at it without moving. Ukyou was getting worried, and asked her
friend, "What is wrong, Akane?"
Akane was almost oblivious to her surroundings. In front of her the
menu was a meaningless page of random scratches. Her mind was still on
Ranma and Ranko, mulling over the problem. How she felt. How she should
feel. It was so confusing that her mind was unable to simply concentrate
on one problem and solve it, instead flitting from thought to thought
like a hummingbird did from blossom to blossom. Caught in this chaotic
swirl, she did not hear Ukyou's question the first or even the second
time. The third time she caught a smidgen of the words and glanced up at
her friend. "W-what?" she asked confused.
"What is wrong with you today Akane?" she asked again her eyes
reflecting her concern. This was not like Akane. She had not seen her
like this since Ranma had died. Her heart seized up at the thought as it
always did, but she pushed down her feelings, concentrating on Akane.
Akane opened her mouth and just said the first thing that came into
her mind. She was wondering if she could really go back to Ranma after
all that had happened, so she answered without thinking, without even
realizing she was answering. "Ranma," she said.
"What!?" Ukyou said her eyes lighting up, hoping Akane had heard
something about Ranma. It died as she saw the distraught expression on
Akane's face. It could not be good. "What about Ran-chan, Akane?" Ukyou
pressed.
Suddenly, everything came into focus for Akane. <Oh no! What have I
done? I promised Ranma I wouldn't tell. What did I say?>
Ukyou answered her unspoken question, though. "What do you mean
Ranma?"
Sighing in relief, Akane quickly pulled together a story, with
enough truth in it to be real. "I-I thought I saw Ranma last night,"
Akane explained. "I chased after him calling his name, but when I caught
up with him I saw that it was just some guy with a pigtail. When I saw
the guy, everything just hit me. I would never see him again. The tears
just came, and I ran home. I started crying on my bed and couldn't stop.
I don't remember falling asleep, but I woke up late this morning, and I
could just not stop thinking about Ranma I'm sorry Ukyou, I'm just not
up to anything today. I've had a rough time of this."
Trying to comfort Akane, Ukyou reached out and grasped her hand.
Ranma's death had affected both of them greatly. Ukyou had almost killed
herself when she had heard. It had taken her months to even be able to
think of Ranma without breaking down. Finally, she had accepted it with
the help of her friends and started to move on with her life. Of course
it had taken time, but today she could think of Ranma and remember the
joy-filled times they had spent together and stop seeing his face in
death, buried in some unknown place.
No matter how hard it had been for Ukyou, she knew Akane had
suffered the most. She had blamed herself for Ranma's death. Somehow
she had decided that she should have stopped Ranma from going on his
quest, especially since Ranma did it so he could marry Akane as a full
man.
As the years passed, Akane never got over it. She continued to
blame herself, rubbing salt into her open wounds instead of allowing
them to heal. It had come to the point where Akane could not think of
Ranma without crying or just shutting herself off to the world. Ryoga
had helped a bit, but the smallest thing could trigger Akane's dark
depressions.
This was the most distraught Ukyou had seen Akane in a long time.
It did not help that yesterday was the anniversary of Ranma's death, and
that was probably why she had reacted so strongly. Ukyou truly felt
sorry for her. "Do you want to talk about it, Akane-chan?" she asked.
Shaking her head, Akane responded, "No, Ucchan. I think I just
need some time by myself. Besides my final is in an hour. I should
probably get over to the university." She smiled and started to get up.
"Are you sure, Akane?" Ukyou asked. "I hate to see you in pain."
"I'll be fine," Akane insisted. "I just need some time to work
things out. I'll call you tonight. Thanks for the concern though." Akane
grabbed her purse and books and started for the door when she turned
back. "Sorry about lunch, maybe tomorrow?"
"Hai," Ukyou responded, "That would be nice." She watched as Akane
walked out of the restaurant. Worry gnawed at her like a dog did on a
bone. She knew the type of drastic turns Akane's depressions could take.
In the back of her mind, Ukyou was terrified that Akane might try
and kill herself again. Although there had only been three suicide
attempts, two of them directly following the news of Ranma's death and
one two years ago at Christmas, there was the possibility. Ukyou knew
Akane had been stable for the past few years, and although she doubted
Akane might take such a drastic step, the possibility was always there.
Despite being her best friend, Ukyou was unable to predict Akane's moods
with any degree of accuracy. Two months of a happy and outgoing Akane
could turn, in the matter of hours, to a darkly depressed and suicidal
girl. Waiting and watching was the only way to be sure.
It was hard to wait, knowing the possible outcomes, and watching
over Akane constantly had always annoyed Akane. Ukyou doubted anything
would happen during the afternoon. When she was around people, or had
her mind occupied, Akane forgot about her problems. Tonight, however,
was a different matter. Akane lived alone with no one to watch her or
cheer her up. That was the reason Ukyou had been against Akane moving
out from her place, but Akane had insisted, so Ukyou had relented.
Maybe she would stop by and check on Akane tonight. Yes, that was
exactly what she would do. In some small part, the decision eased her
conscience and troubled mind. Smiling, Ukyou paid the check and walked
out, heading home.
Akane walked into the apartment building and up the stairs to her
apartment. She was impatient to see Ranma again. Throughout the day she
had been plagued by questions and doubts, and ranma was the only one who
could answer them. When she spoke with him, she would discover whether
her doubts and misgivings had any foundation to stand on. Silently, she
hoped they would crumble into the sea like a sand castle in the tide.
She wanted her Ranma back, but could she ever forgive him?
After her meeting with Ukyou, her thoughts settled down to a low
murmur, allowing her to get through the rest of the day. The exam was
simple despite the four hour length, but that was it for her college
career. She had finished and would graduate soon.
As was common after exams, her friends invited her to join them in a
small celebration. She accepted the invitation of her friends. Akane had
accepted more out of desire to avoid her apartment and Ranma then any
sense of celebration. They had gone out for a movie and a few drinks.
Normally, it would have been fun, but Akane had found herself once more
plagued by her thoughts and excused herself so she could think.
Once alone the waking nightmares had come back to her. As she
aimlessly wandered the streets, the past four years of her life had
endlessly paraded through her head like some sick, macabre carnival. All
the suffering and pain she had endured had been presented on silver
platters for her enjoyment, and it was because of Ranma.
Over and over, she silently asked the uncaring world why Ranma
could not have stayed. It was as if he had not cared about her or how
much it hurt her to be apart from him. Somehow Ranma had overlooked how
much she depended on him to be a security blanket for her. So, when he
left, she had been as lost and alone as a wandering child in the dark.
Separation from him was one thing. His death had been an entirely
different matter. Her life had ended that moment. Nothing had mattered
to her as her hopes and dreams had been crushed because Ranma refused to
believe that she wanted to be his bride curse or no.
Nothing in her life had ever been fair. She had trusted in Ranma,
put her faith and confidence in him. For the first time she had let down
the barriers she had erected just to let him in, so that they could love
each other. And he had betrayed that by leaving her, not explaining, not
even trying to reach her. She wanted to hate him, but she could not. She
loved him. She always had and always would love him. Yet could she
forgive him for the pain he had caused?
It was a little past eight now as she walked up to her door, and
she was unable to answer that last question. In her heart she was
doubting whether they could ever be together again. So it was with
trepidation that she climbed the stairs and approached her room.
She hoped Ranma would not be mad that she was late. As she reached
the door a shriek of laughter came from her room. Curious, Akane opened
the door quietly and sneaked in hoping to see what Ranma and Ranko were
doing. What she saw surprised her, bringing a genuine smile to her face
for the first time that day.
Ranma was in the center of the room, the furniture having been
pushed against the walls. In his arms he held Ranko as he spun about the
room in a complex series of turns, leaps, and flips, Ranko laughing out
loud as she spun with her father. The small girl's bright blue eyes
shone with glee as she spun through the air with her father. It seemed
that the more dangerous the combination, the more Ranko loved it and the
harder she laughed in childish delight.
Leaping into the air, Ranma somersaulted and landed on one hand,
Ranko cradled in his other arm. Pushing off he flipped back onto his
feet, then flipped backwards again into a fast turn, lifting Ranko over
his head as he did. Ranko's head missed the floor by only a few inches,
but Ranma did not even flinch, trusting in himself, and Ranko just
laughed gleefully clapping her hands in excitement, trusting her father
completely. Never in her life had she seen such a sight. Father and
daughter moved together in graceful arcs and turns, a complex ballet
made all the more poignant by the obvious bond of love between the two.
Landing on his feet, Ranma launched Ranko into the air. Without
breaking a movement he somersaulted on the ground and sprung to his
feet. Pushing off backwards, he caught his daughter at the apex of her
ascent and continued the flip to land on his feet, Ranko securely in his
arms hugging her father tightly as she laughed.
"Again, Otoosan!" she shouted gleefully.
"Not now, Himechan," Ranma said kissing his daughter's forehead,
"It is time for dinner. Akane's back." He looked up and smiled at her
wide-eyed expression.
"Hmm," Ranko nodded, and dropped from Ranma's arms and dashed
toward the bathroom.
Watching Ranma had opened a new door into this confusing man Akane
was reunited with. He truly loved is daughter. It seemed an obvious and
almost redundant observation, but this was Ranma. The unbeatable martial
artist who had hidden behind layers of gruff arrogance and brusque
comments and insults, the man who had taken two years to admit he loved
her without denying it the next second had succumbed to the charms of a
whimsical and bright-eyed child.
Standing up Ranma, walked towards the kitchen, breaking Akane's
thoughts. "You are just in time, Akane-chan. Dinner is almost ready,"
Ranma said as he started moving about the kitchen putting together
serving plates, while checking the pots and wok on the stove.
Carelessly discarding her stuff into a nearby chair, Akane walked
into the kitchen, smelling the delicious aroma coming from the stove.
"Mmm, it smells good, Ranma," she complimented moving about, picking up
a stack of plates and bowls before taking them out to the table.
"Arigato," Ranma said as he put the food in their proper dishes,
"Do you think you could put the table back into its proper place?"
"Hai," Akane said as she placed the dishes on the table and then
pulled the table back into its original position. As she was doing this
she asked a question that was bothering her. "Aren't you scared of
hurting Ranko when you do that with her?"
"I was the first time," he answered bringing the food out to the
now positioned table, "but not anymore. There is a special bond between
us. When I am practicing with her like that, I know where she is like
she was part of my body. It just becomes natural after a time. I can
keep her safe and still let her enjoy herself. She really does love that
kata."
"Kata?" Akane asked curiously, it was the only bit of what he had
said that she remotely understood.
"Ah-huh. It is a kata I learned while training after I left," he
explained, "It was important for me to learn how to dodge better and
use those dodges to my advantage. By using the flips and acrobatics I
could confuse my opponent. He would not be able to accurately guess how
I would land, and he would not be prepared for a counter-attack. That
kata was a simple one that Ranko likes a lot, and it is one of the few I
can do inside a room."
Surprise flitted across Akane's face. Ranma used to seek out the
new attacks. He was fast and agile, so he had not really worked on
dodging nor avoidance techniques, preferring more power and a greater
variety of attacks. It confirmed one thing for Akane, though. He had
definitely not lost his enthusiasm or talent for martial arts.
"What else did you learn?" Akane asked curiously. Surprisingly
Ranma laughed out loud, his head thrown back carelessly. It was a
reaction that shocked Akane. The Ranma she had known was never so
forward about his emotions, generally hiding them from those around him.
"I-it would take me days to explain my new techniques, Akane-chan,"
he said, still chuckling. "Maybe weeks. Let's just say that I gained a
lot of knowledge and improved beyond my wildest dreams."
<Well at least his ego is still there,> Akane thought sullenly.
"I'll make you a promise," Ranma said. "I'll spar with you tomorrow
and then show you a few new things. You have been keeping up your
training, haven't you?"
"Hai," Akane replied. That was one of the few things she had kept
up with. Katas and training had been her only release for a long time.
She knew she was much better than before Ranma had left. She promised
herself to give him a big surprise.
When she glanced up, Ranma was looking curiously at her, "Did I say
something wrong?" he asked. Akane suddenly realized that her aura was
glowing slightly.
Blushing, she calmed herself down. "No, I just was thinking it
will be fun to spar with you. I've sort of missed our fights." Ranma
laughed out loud again. He has changed, Akane thought for at least the
thousandth time.
"Come on," Ranma said, his laughter dying down to an occasional
chuckle, "Let's eat and then we can talk. I did promise you an
explanation."
"Hai, you did," Akane said, glad he hadn't decided to back out like
he usually did.
"Ranko," Ranma called, "time to eat." A moment later, Ranko
appeared out of Akane's bedroom and rushed to the table. For a brief
moment Akane wondered why she had never seen Ranko move slowly. She was
either running, sitting in someone's lap or sleeping. Another thing she
would have to ask Ranma about, she reminded herself.
Sliding into the place between Ranma and Akane at the small table,
Ranko smiled brightly at Akane. "Konnichi wa, Akane-chan," she said, her
voice bubbling.
Akane started again. She was not used to children being so informal
with her. Actually as she thought about it she realized Ranko had called
her that all along, simply imitating her father. Ranma seemed to notice
the discomfort and suggested, "Why don't you call her Akane-obasan,
Himechan?"
"Hai," Ranko responded, the rebuke not seeming to bother her. She
smiled at her father and began to eat as he placed rice, stir-fried
vegetables and a meat that looked sort of like pork on her plate.
Akane watched for a second as the child picked through her food
picking out what she liked best. Turning back to the table, Akane
served herself, as she realized Ranma wasn't going to eat until she had
what she wanted. Eventually, they were all settled and eating.
Akane was surprised at the taste of the food. She knew Ranma could
cook stir-fry, but he had actually done wonders with this meal. The
vegetables were lightly spiced to match the spicy sweet taste of the
meat. After her first bite she complimented Ranma, "This is excellent.
It's like eating Kasumi's cooking."
Ranma smiled at the compliment, "Arigato. Having a child sort of
made me realize I needed to know how to cook. A few women were willing
to teach me, so I learned. My first meal actually made your cooking
taste good."
Akane's anger was on the verge of exploding at Ranma, when she
suddenly realized that he had not meant to insult her. He had said it as
if he understood how hard she had tried to cook well for him and wanted
her to realize that. She smiled shyly at him across the table and forced
a small laugh. Ranma smiled in return.
The rest of the meal passed quickly, Ranma mostly listening to
Akane tell about her time at the University and some of her friends. He
listened and asked questions about the family, happy to discover that
his parents finally made up and were back together. More so, everyone
else seemed to be doing fine.
"That's great," he exclaimed when told that Dr. Tofu and Kasumi
had finally gotten married. "What is Nabiki doing?"
"Oh, she is making a killing on the stock market," Akane answered,
pushing away her empty plate. Ranko was in her lap again, having
climbed into it after finishing her meal.
"Figures," Ranma said. "I wonder if she still has all my debts on
account?"
"Oh she did, but erased them when we heard you had...um you know,"
she finished lamely.
"Well, I guess being dead does have its advantages," he laughed.
Then stopped as he saw Akane's hurt expression, "I'm sorry, Akane-chan.
I did not know. There was just so much going on. So many changes I had
to get used to. I just could not come back. Believe me, I never wanted
to hurt you."
Sniffling, Akane said, "Well, you did. I'm just glad you're back,
actually I'm overwhelmed. My only dream was to find out that you were
alive somewhere, trying to get back to me. But...but now your back, and
everything is so confusing. You have Ranko, you don't act the same. It's
like you are someone I never meet with Ranma's memories. It is really
hard to understand, Ranma." She was crying now, the tears running down
her face. She was not angry, just confused and frightened.
Ranma stood up and went to Akane. Picking the now sleeping Ranko
up, he said, "I think it is time we talked, Akane-chan."
"Hai, I would like that," she answered, sobbing softly as Ranma
stepped into her bedroom and put Ranko down for the night.
Coming back into the room, he went over to the couch and pulled it
back into position, sitting down and motioning for Akane to join him.
Getting up, she did so, sitting so she faced Ranma, their knees slightly
touching.
"I guess it will be easiest to just start out by saying, Ranko is
the cure for my curse, or at least the only one I could find. But,
before you start asking questions, let me start at the beginning and
tell my tale." Akane nodded, keeping her curiosity under control.
"When I left the dojo, my plan was actually very simple. I was
going to go to China, march into Jusenkyo, find the nannichuan and jump
in. Poof! No more curse. I should've realized that nothing is that easy
with me. Anyway, it took me about a month to get to Jusenkyo. Once
there, I quickly found the old Chinese guide and had him lead me to the
Pool of Drowned Man. He thought there was no problem, me being a man and
all, and so did what I asked.
On the way there he pointed out the various pools. Did you know
there is a Pool of Drowned Fish?" Akane laughed as she shook her head.
Ranma enjoyed her smile and watched her for a few moments before
continuing with his story. "Getting to the point, we arrived at the
nannichuan. I was ecstatic at this point. I was home free. Nothing had
happened to stop me. I was finally going to be cured! I did not even
listen to the guide as he ran down the spiel on how this was the pool
were a man drowned tragically 1500 years ago.
Grabbing my canteen, I emptied it over myself and walked towards
the water. When the guide saw what was happening, he jumped at me trying
to stop me, telling me that this was wrong, that it would not work. I
ignored him and pushed him backwards out of my way. I was at the edge of
the pool now. The pleas of the guide behind me falling on deaf ears.
Taking a deep breath I jumped straight into the pool.
The water surrounded me. I felt the tingle that generally
accompanies my change. Exultant, I exited the pool and looked at myself.
I screamed. I was still a girl. Nothing had happened. Furious, I stormed
up to the guide and grabbed him. "I said take me to the Pool of
Drowned Man, not some plain pool of water!" I shouted. I wasn't very
happy at that point.
"I'm sorry," he said, "but Pool of Drowned Man won't cure curse of
Pool of Drowned Girl. Very tragic tale." I about hit him at that point.
I was so furious I almost walked away. I was pissed at having come all
that way and only gotten myself wet and probably a cold on top of it.
But it was the very fact that I had come so far, that made me stay. I
had to know why it didn't work, so I asked the Guide.
He shook his head and said, "Very tragic tale."
I asked him what the tragic tale was and he said he did not know
and handed me the Chinese Communist Party Park Ranger's Handbook.
Opening it to the section on Jusenkyo, I saw a map of all the pools, and
only one paragraph of instruction. `By decree of Communist Party all
curses are a result of a tragic tale involving drowned victim, in this
way we are able to promote the continued deception that our ancestors
were wrong and as such came to ends like these. Officially no stories
exist,
accept that they are tragic of course, about any of the pools. Note: Hot
water reverses curse, cold water activates it. Being cursed is
considered treason and will be punished by death.'
I sank to the ground, devastated. I could never be cured. I sat and
cried for a while until the guide came over to me and put his hand on
my shoulder. "Maybe if you find out the tragic tale you will find a way
to cure curse," he said. Some hope was placed in my heart then. I did
not really expect to find a cure by listening to a story, but it was a
chance that I needed to take. I didn't want to fail you, Akane. So I
went in search of the story of my curse.
I actually found the story pretty quickly. It only took me two
months of wandering through the mountains around Jusenkyo, asking
every villager, hermit, and peasant able to remember his own name if he
knew the story. I had traversed that area nearly three times when I
finally met someone I had missed before. He was an old man, who spent
all of his time sitting in his home halfway up a mountain simply
watching the world pass by, and telling tales.
I arrived there in the early afternoon. He was sitting on a stump
telling stories to a group of children. Tall and thin, he had a scraggly
white beard and a bald head, darkened and wrinkled like a raisin because
of the sun. I sat quietly and listened to him tell stories. I was
exhausted from climbing the mountain, and he told very good stories, so
it was no big deal. After a time the children disappeared to do chores
and I was left alone with the old man. Saying a quick prayer, I walked
up to him.
"What do you want, boy?" he snapped as I approached. I told him
about what had brought me to China. The curse I was under, why I needed
to break it, and what had happened at Jusenkyo. Then I asked him if he
knew the story of the nyannichuan and the nannichuan, and why the
nannichuan could not cure me. He nodded and said, "I know that story."
I asked him if he would tell it to me, and he said that he would
and motioned for me to sit down.
He told the story masterfully, but I cannot even come close to his
performance, so I will just give you the idea of the story. Fifteen
hundred years ago the valley of Jusenkyo was under the rule of a well-
respected khan. Kubilai khan. Under his rule the valley was prosperous
and flourished greatly. Kubilai khan, however, had become a khan late in
his years, his father having ruled for nearly half-a-century. So only
after ten years of rule, he died, and his son Kaidu became khan of
Jusenkyo khanate.
Now Kaidu was a handsome young man. Well, at least for a Mongol he
was considered handsome. Women for hundreds of miles would reportedly
come hundreds of miles in the hope of gaining his heart or at least
becoming one of his brides. Kaidu khan entertained them all, but he had
given his heart to only one girl. Her name was Hui-sheng, a daughter of
a Han prince who had been a friend of Kubilai khan. Hui-sheng's father
died while she was still a child. Because of the friendship with the Han
prince, Kubilai adopted Hui-sheng and brought her to Jusenkyo.
You can imagine what kind of life she had there. Grief-stricken by
the loss of her father, she was forced into this strange environment
with the fearsome Mongols. Luckily, Kubilai was a kind man and treated
her as such, but he also died only a few years after Hui-sheng came to
his palace, leaving the girl in the hands of Kaidu.
Hui-sheng did not love Kaidu khan because unlike his father, he
was not a just ruler. He would torture and kill people for the smallest
infraction of his personal laws. They were pretty stupid laws. I
remember one of them was something like that if anyone stepped in his
shadow, they were to be beheaded immediately. I guess that's not
important though. The thing was that Kaidu khan did not realize that
Hui-sheng did not love him. He was considered a model Mongol. Fierce,
savage, strong, and well-built, he was an excellent man, but his
personality made it so Hui-sheng could never love him.
Instead Hui-sheng had fallen in love with a Han craftsman who lived
in the palace. His name was Sung Pao, an apprentice wood carver for the
khan. Sung Pao befriended Hui-sheng after her father had died. By giving
her comfort and small carved gifts, he slowly and accidentally won her
heart. At the same time, Hui-sheng's beauty and sweet disposition caused
Sung Pao to fall in love with the princess."
"That's so sweet," Akane interrupted.
"Huh?" Ranma stammered, losing his place.
"It's sweet. It's like one of those Disney fairy tales. You know,
where the princess falls in love with the lowly squire and he turns out
to be a prince in disguise."
"I guess," Ranma conceded, "but I don't think it relates to this
story. Sung Pao wasn't a prince, and there definitely wasn't a happy
ending."
Akane gave him a hard stare and rolled her eyes. "You can still be
really insensitive, Ranma, and you're absolutely hopeless where romance
is concerned."
Ranma didn't deign to answer that, mostly because he was not up to
an argument. "Anyway," he continued, "Over the years their love grew and
they could no longer deny it. They tried to keep it hidden from the khan
and the other palace servants, but soon rumours began to spread. Hearing
the rumours at one point, Kaidu khan finally understood why Hui-sheng
wouldn't love him back. Furious, he devised on a plan to show her that
he was the most powerful and deserving man of her love.
One night he sent his guards after Hui-sheng and Sung Pao as they
snuck away to be together. When they were away from the castle, the
guards grabbed them and drugged them. Tying the two lovers in ropes,
they carried them down to the sacred pools of Jusenkyo, where Kaidu khan
awaited them."
"Sacred pools? I thought they were the Cursed Training Ground of
Jusenkyo," Akane said.
"I asked the old man the same question," Ranma explained. "After
he hit me on the head for interrupting his story, he told me that it was
the sacred pools of Jusenkyo. I, of course, asked him why they were
sacred, and he just shrugged and said that was how the story went."
"So you don't know."
"No clue," Ranma answered blithely. "It was probably just a trans-
lation error. My Chinese wasn't too good, and I probably misunderstood
him."
"Like father, like son," Akane muttered.
Once again Ranma ignored her and continued with his tale. "Once
there, the two lovers were revived. Hui-sheng woke next to the khan,
facing a pool of calm water. Sung Pao was kneeling in front of the pool,
bound hand and foot, his head bowed against his chest as several of the
khan's guards cursed the poor fellow.
Kaidu khan stood up and walked to the figure of Sung Pao. Taking a
knife he cut Sung Pao's bonds and ordered him to stand. Unsteadily, Sung
Pao rose to his feet and faced his enraged khan. Then the khan turned to
face Hui-sheng.
"Do you love me, Hui-sheng?" the khan asked, ignoring Sung Pao who
was rubbing his wrists to gain back circulation.
"No." Though Hui-sheng was soft of voice, it is said that her
denial carried like the thunder of an avalanche in the khan's ears,
enraging him beyond slander most foul, wounding him beyond mortal thrust
of blade."
"Since when have you been a poet, Ranma?" Akane asked.
"Those were the old man's words, not mine. I asked him to tell this
part to me again and again until I could recite it verbatim. I even
wrote it down so I would always remember it. For some reason it caught
me. I truly felt sorry for Hui-sheng and Sung Pao. They did not deserve
what happened," Ranma explained softly. Akane saw his eyes start to
unfocus as if he was lost in another time.
For a moment she was quiet and then spoke again. "Tell the rest,
Ranma. I want to know."
He nodded and once again took up the tale, his voice smoothing as
he took up the cadence of the ancient tale. "There was silence as Hui-
sheng's pronouncement crossed the Valley of Jusenkyo. None dared move
for fear of the khan. In silence the lovers awaited their fate. And the
khan, upon who the decision was laid, was a statue among them, his face
a contortion of hate and inhuman pain. Finally, he lifts his face to
Hui-sheng. "Why?" he asks softly. "Why?' " Akane jumped as Ranma's voice
seemed to thunder.
"Hui-sheng stared directly into Kaidu's face. "I love Sung Pao.
You cannot command my love, Kaidu. I'm not some prize to be won by you."
"You love *this*?" Kaidu sneered. His hand lashed out striking Sung
Pao. The fell silently, his body sprawled across the dirt, a crimson
stream of blood cascading from his broken nose.
"Look at him. Look! He is pathetic, a mere nothing. What is his
place in society.? A carver. An apprentice. Is one such as him deserving
of a princess of your beauty and grace. Only I deserve that. The man is
filth. He is the maggot that feeds upon my slain enemies. He is a Han!"
"I am also a Han, and I want nothing to do with you, Kaidu."
"You want nothing of me? After I have given you everything? Shel-
ter, riches beyond your dreams, power such as no woman could ever hold.
Have I not given you my love."
"Power? Riches? What need have I for such things. Sung Pao can
shelter me and love me more than you ever could. You do not and never
have loved me. I am a pretty toy for you to play with, another trophy to
place in your throne room. You are a man not deserving of my offal much
less my love."
Silence descended like a dark cloud as Hui-sheng's denouncement
rolled over the khan as a fire races over a grass plain, igniting and
consuming all within its path. "Hui-sheng," Kaidu khan announced, the
chill of Death's touch in his words, "I will prove to you that I am the
only man worthy of your love. I will show how weak your lover truly is
and how strong I am." With that he handed the terrified Sung Pao a
sword, and then drew his own with a steely rasp.
"No!" Hui-sheng's words were lost as Kaidu charged Sung Pao, his
voice rising in an crescendo of hatred and loathing. Kaidu descended
like an avenging demon, his eyes aglow with the primal lust for blood.
Before him stood Sung Pao, a man of peace who knew nothing of
weapons nor war. A servant of the khan, he was torn between love and
duty. To strike his khan was to entreat death, to stay idly was to die,
to flee was to abandon his love, so the man gathered his strength and
courage and brought himself to face the angel of death descending upon
his unprotected body. With a final lift of his sword, he saluted Hui-
sheng, his lips speaking of his love for her. The khan's blade descended
like a thunderbolt from the sky, felling Sung Pao as if he were a stand
of grass.
The world stood still for a moment; the khan's sword tip touching
the ground, bright crimson running from blade to the thirsty earth; the
sword of the slain, fallen from lifeless fingers, lay beside the pooling
blood as the body of Sung Pao slid to knees and then ground as his life
gushed onto the khan as if to glorify the victor.
Then the world turned again as the khan raised his dreadful voice
in a full-throated roar of victory. His voice was joined by the trium-
phal shout of the massed retainers and warriors of the khan, and above
the din echoed the crystal clear bell of Hui-sheng's anguished cry as
she stumbled to her feet, tears spilling down her cheeks as if to wash
away the blood and hate.
Rushing forward, she fell on her knees beside the fallen form of
her lover. Crying she stroked his hair , whispering words of love as the
last of his blood soaked into her white robe and pulled the light from
his eyes for all eternity. As his body became a doll in her hands, Hui-
sheng's voice rose in a keening wail of grief, silencing all of the
unrestrained revelry of both khan and men.
The khan was a man unfettered by the understanding of human nature.
As a warrior, he understood strength and victory, and as such was taken
aback when he saw his beloved Hui-sheng sobbing and wailing over her
lost lover, her body covering his as she grieved. Confused the khan
approached her and said, "Why do you grieve, love? Have I not proven to
you that he was a man unworthy of your love? That only I may claim that
right?"
Hui-sheng's sobs ceased as she heard the khan's words. She was
silent as she gently arranged her lovers body, laying him straight and
crossing his arms in preparation for the next world. Then, her duty
done, she climbed to her feet and faced the khan. Her eyes were the
glittering ice of the mountain glacier, her voice the bitting chill of
ta blizzard's wind. "How do you know who is worthy of my love? Who are
you to decide whether this man was honourable or a man among men? I knew
this man better than you could ever. He had a gentle heart and a kind
spirit. He was there to comfort me. He would give help to those in need.
He cared not for himself, but for others and me. He served you faithful-
ly, not even raising his blade against you as you attacked him without
reason. And yet you call him unworthy of my love! You who are a butcher
among butchers. You whose very deeds make the earth weep as you walk
upon it. You who are feared by all and loved by none. Is that what makes
a man? Is a man one who can terrorize and destroy the beauty of life
around him? No! A true man can only be found in the kind heart. A true
man is one who is dedicated to peace and beauty, who lives honourably.
Sung Pao was such a man, and he gained my love and died taking my love
with him, a love that you shall never take from me, not in a million
years, not in a thousand deaths!
You can never know love, for you are incapable of love. Your life
will be lived in wretched misery as the world turns about you, and you
slowly decay to nothing with naught but the dust from your bones to mark
your passage in history. For you are nothing, Kaidu. This man is more
than you shall ever be."
"What need have I of love?" the khan snarled, stepping toward Hui-
sheng's defenseless form. "What good does love do? I do not need your
love? Who is to halt me from having your body as mine? Love matter's
not. The defeat of the enemy, the killing blow of the sword, the power
over life that is my sword. That is what makes history, what marks my
place."
"Your hate and anger are hollow. They doom you to an empty death
with nothing to comfort you. I go to my grave with love. I go to be with
the man I have loved. Love transcends death. My love will pull me from
the grip of death and bring my love back to me whether in the next year
or when the world ends."
With that proclamation, Hui-sheng stepped away from the grasp of
the khan and fell backward into the sacred pool, the water making not a
sound as it swallowed her like a sandstorm does a city. Kaidu khan stood
still stunned by his love's words and watched uncomprehending as the
surface calmed once again. No one moved, waiting for the body of Hui-
sheng to float to the surface. It never did.
The khan stood by the pool for three days waiting for Hui-sheng,
stung and dishonored by her refusal, angered and burning with hatred at
her words. Finally, he stood and looked at the pool. His love and grief
had slowly transmuted over the three days into a pure rage of dark
hatred. "If you think your love will overcome death, then so too shall
my anger surpass my death and bring sorrow upon your life once more. You
will love me or die, Hui-sheng!" With that he turned and trampled over
Sung Pao's body as he walked into the pool opposite the one Hui-sheng
had disappeared into. Ignoring the cries of his retainers, Kaidu khan
disappeared beneath the waters, never to be seen again.
As the water closed over his head, it is said that the sky darkened
and his pool and Hui-cheng's filled with light and shone on the body of
Sung Pao. As the light died and the sun once more shone upon the Valley
known as Jusenkyo, the body of Sung Pao had disappeared leaving nothing
but the blood-stained ground upon which it had lain.
So ends the tragic tale of Hui-sheng and Sung Pao. But many say
that one day Hui-sheng will be reborn to fulfill her promise, and Sung
Pao and Kaidu khan must once again face each other for the love of the
nobel Hui-sheng."
Ranma's voice fell silent, the last syllable echoing in the room
despite the hushed tone with which he had ended the tale. His throat was
dry, and his eyes were wet. The tale always saddened him. He felt the
pain and grief of Hui-sheng and the wonderful spirit of Sung Pao. He
trembled at the anger of Kaidu khan, and hoped beyond all hope that his
daughter would not have to go through that ordeal. He watched Akane for
a second. There were tears rolling down her cheeks as her shoulders
shook in silent sobs.
"I never knew the story," she said. "That was horrid. I never knew
a human could be so cruel." A thought suddenly occurred to her, "Does
that mean Ranko is...?"
"I don't know," Ranma answered in a small voice. "I hope not,
Akane-chan. I hope not, but for now it is not important. I still have
much to tell."
Author's Notes
As you can see I'm not changing the story too much, just giving it
more depth. Well, not as much depth as I would like, but if I did that,
I'd have to write a prequel that covered Ranma's adventures and write a
full tragic tale to be related by the old man. Doing the verbatim part
at the end taxed my mind enough and I'm not about to write several
hundred pages to explain Ranma's adventures over the last six years.
Anyway, this was originally a very long part with pt 3, but I
decided to cut it back since I didn't want to overload the reader with
background information. Besides, I like leaving you hanging. You know
what happens, but you've no clue how it happens or what all this
business is supposed to mean. Okay if you read the original you do, and
if you are used to reading a lot of fanatasy you probably have a good
idea also, but that only counts for 99% of you. I always bet on the 1%,
unless money is involved.
Anyway, I'm really hoping this is reading a lot smoother than the
first one. I don't think I really ever explained the characters enough
in the rough draft. I Mean this is a different setting and the
characters are much older and they have to be explained, don't they? I
mean I can't keep the same ones and just try and fit them into a round
hole if they're a square peg, can I now? Okay I'm rambling and I know it
so just leave me alone.
Well back to working on MASN. I hope can have the next part out
this weekend, finally got some damn inspiration, so don't have to spend
all my time rewritnng the Legacy, although it is fun and it is going to
be a much better story for my efforts.
Until next time.
----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----
All rights and priveleges to Ranma Nibunnoichi
belong to Takahashi Rumiko. The characters of
her series are used without her permission for
the purpose of entertainment only. This work of
fiction is not meant for sale or profit.
All original characters are the creation of the
author. All copyright privileges to these chara-
cters are reserved for the author.
This story is a product of the author's hard work
and imagination. Do not modify, add to, or make
use of any part of this work without the author's
knowledge and consent. Please feel free to archive
this work.
Comments and criticism are welcome.
Written by Joseph A. Kohle, (c) 1997.
Send all comments to Ashira@worldnet.att.net
