Cat-Fist Fervor
Chapter 1: The Trigger Effect
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
by:
Wakko, Ani-Maniac
[A strange little puppy-boy thing in a blue shirt and red cap walks out, taking a script from his “Sack of Hefty Holding”, and reads] Hello. This is sort of my first fanfic. It’s not the one I started on first, but it is the one I finished first(at least this chapter). I always wanted to do a fanfic that started “And after Ranma killed everyone...” I know it never happens, Ranma just takes his lumps and moves on with it. But what if he didn’t? The title probably gave away that this fanfic deals with the “Cat-Fist” training that Ranma underwent. I never thought that throwing someone in a pit of cats was the whole training. Couldn’t be. So... I made up what the rest of what the training was supposed to be and what happens to Ranma when he doesn’t go through it right. This fanfic will probably be four or five chapters long, it depends on what happens in the story. Please, please, e-mail me and tell me what you think. C&C, ideas, sugestions, flames, and credit card numbers can be sent to AniManiacW@aol.com. And now, on with show! Ps: All characters are copywright by Takahashi Rumiko-san
Quick Notes:
[]=stage directions
()=characters thoughts
{}=my thoughts
| |=Ranma’s berserker thoughts
***=Scene changes
It was a normal day in the Tendo dojo. At least as normal as it ever got. Kasumi was cleaning up after dinner, Genma was a panda, Akane was chasing Ranma around the dojo, Soun was crying about how 'Now the schools would never be united', {Wail #216} and Nabiki was taking pictures of Akane and Ranma and trying to deiced how much she could extort from Kuno.
"Ranma no baka!" Akane yelled, swinging her hyperdeminsional mallet at Ranma, barely missing. "How could you say my tempura was rotten without even tasting it!"
"Well..." he said ducking a swipe, "it's just that...most tempura... isn't purple...or... moving... when... it hits... the table."
Speaking of hitting, Akane nearly clipped Ranma at 'moving'. That may have been true, but he could have put it more tactfully. She decided not to club him. "You know Ranma..."
At that time, one of Ranma's other 'curses' decided to kick in. The Dreaded Saotome "Hoof In Mouth" disease. "Besides that, it was slithering away from that plate of plaid rice. If you own food can't stand to be near its self, what makes you think I'd eat it!"
Akane stopped short, looking at the ground. Ranma stopped and turned around, "Akane, are you..."
"RANMA NO BAKA!!!!!" came Akane's typical battle cry as she leapt at Ranma aura blazing and hammer swinging.
Just as Akane was going to pound Ranma, he put on a quick burst of speed and ducked over the fence.
"Man... am I glad I'm saffpffhe.." Ranma sputtered. It wasn't his fault, though. Studies have shown that it is, without a doubt, difficult to speak with a bicycle parked on your face.
"Nihau!" greeted a happy Shampoo. "Airen take Shampoo to date now?"
"No," muttered Ranma, getting up and dusting himself off.
"Good, you take later!"
"That's not what I.."
"Never mind, you come eat. Shampoo bring husband food."
"But Shampoo..." Ranma tried to protest, despite the lopsided battle. He was trying to use his wits... a losing battle considering the fact wits are useless in the face of Shampoo's choking stubbornness.
Shampoo, Ranma in tow, burst into the dojo. "Nihau. Shampoo bring food!" she announced, and pulled up short, as she looked at the table, and saw the dishes being cleared. "Oh drat," Shampoo said, frowning, "Saotomes eat already." She smiled, "That okay, that just mean more food for me and Airen on date!"
The dojo ground to a halt.
Several things happened at once. Kasumi looked up from drying a dish, 'Oh my'ing. Soun burst into wail #347 "My future son-in-law is going on a date with some Chinese bimbo(no offense intended) instead of my daughter". Genma growfed, holding up a sign saying "How could you so besmirch the name of Saotome". Nabiki quickly calculated how much she could get from Ranma to keep it from Akane, then quickly raised the value to the 63rd power as Akane burst through the wall and figured he'd pay at least that to keep her from killing him. Shampoo smiled, completely oblivious to what was going on around her. Ranma was totaling up his hospital bill and trying to figure out whether it would be cheaper than paying off the dollar signs in Nabiki's eyes.
"Ranma," came from everyone's lips at the same time, and finally something in him snapped. He didn't know whether it was Akane smacking him around, Nabiki exploiting him, his father selling him off for fiancées, or Shampoo pawing at him. (Actually that bothered him alot more then he liked. Stupid 'Cat-Fist' training), whatever it was, he just gave up trying to reason with them.
"That... is... IT!" he finished in a yell, catching Shampoo mid-sigh, Soun mid wail, and Akane mid swing. "I have had it with this madhouse! Nabiki," he said glaring, "you ain't gettin’ a bloody cent from me, now or ever!" His glare next turned to Soun, "Will you stop cryin'! And you, Ojii-san," he snarled, whirling on his dad, dragging Shampoo with him. "You can drop the act, I ain’t done nothing bad enough to deserve having you as a pop! As for you, Shampoo" he said, shaking her off of his arm, "get your claws off me!" Next his gaze traveled back into the kitchen to Kasumi, who was just standing there, holding a half dried dish. "You... just keep drying dishes!"
Shampoo was furious. "How can you speak to wife like that!"
"I ain't your husband, and I never will be,” he snarled. “If I never see you again, I'll be only too glad."
"Man who play with woman heart go very bad place!"
"As long as you aren't there, I'm only too glad to go!"
Ranma turned to leave. Akane followed him, furious. "How could you talk to us like that, you baka!" she yelled, slamming him with her mallet. At least that's what she thought. She looked to find her mallet blocked by Ranma's open palm, his fingers curling around the edges. "And you," he said, "I was hoping you'd do that, Akane. You refuse to listen, always expecting the worst of me, and you refuse to accept the truth. This time," he glared at her, "you are going to listen and learn. First, you can't cook, no matter how much you try, so give it up. Second, you love me and we both know it. Third,” he narrowed his eyes, glaring right into Akane's face, "I may love you, but neither of us will ever know if every time something happens, you bash me with that hammer of yours.” This shocked the whole family, especially Akane. “I’ll tell you one last thing, too, if you ever try to hit me with that thing again..." he crushed the end of it, large cracks fissuring up the head of the hammer, crackling ominously, "I might just forget I don't hit girls." He let go of the mallet, walking out the door. "I'll be back, probably," he called over his shoulder, walking out the front gate.
The room was stunned. They had never seen Ranma express his emotion so... violently. They each reacted differently. Nabiki coughed, looking at the ceiling. Genma growfed, refusing to sign what he was thinking. Kasumi 'Oh my'ed again. Shampoo looked confused, gathering up her food and leaving. Soun burst into a brand new wail, #856 ‘My son-in-law just threatened my daughter, now they’ll never get married, but on the bright side I get to kill him for mistreating poor Akane’. Akane just stood there with the mallet in her hands. She didn’t move. She stayed that way for a good five minutes before Kasumi spoke, breaking the silence.
“Akane,” she said, “are you...”
Akane burst into tears, burying her face in Kasumi’s shoulder, sobbing and coughing. After about ten more minutes, she calmed herself down enough to go to bed. “You know,” she said, so quietly that they didn’t know if they were supposed to hear her, “he just may have been right.” So saying, she ducked upstairs, starting to sob softly again.
Her family and Saotome-Panda watched her go. They all wondered the same two things. What the heck had happened to Ranma, and just which of his statements she was referring to.
***
Ranma trod down the streets, grumbling under his breath. “I can’t believe this mess. I’m glad I finally got a chance to tell them all off. Still,” he mumbled, “I can’t believe I threatened Akane like that. It’s like it wasn’t really me talking. Kuso,” he cursed, “When I get back she’s gonna clobber me. Well, after talking to her like that I deserve it. I just don’t know what came over me.”
Lost in thought, he didn’t hear the footsteps behind him. They approached softly, then, *GLOMP* “Nihau, Airen. We on date now!”
“Shampoo, get off of me!” Ranma shouted, shaking his arm violently, pushing Shampoo back. The ferocity of the move shocked him as much as Shampoo. He backed away slowly. “Shampoo, I...” Suddenly, Ranma felt sick. He felt a cold knot rise in his stomach. He pulse raced, his temperature soared... he only felt like this when... but there wasn’t a cat anywhere near here... or was there...
Shampoo, concerned for Ranma, stepped toward him. “Airen ok? We go to date?”
Ranma backed further away, turning away from Shampoo. “Shampoo, get away. Something’s happening... I don’t know if I can control... Cat-fist.... afraid...” he babbled incoherently, grinding his fists to his temples.
“Husband,” called Shampoo, taking his shoulder.
Ranma whirled, snarling and hissing, his eyes flashing like a tiger’s and pushed Shampoo away, running down the street and screaming over his shoulder at Shampoo.
“Stayhg swaygh frommm Me... oooooooooow!” the scream turned into a yowl of pure fear as the leapt from rooftop to rooftop.
“Ra... Ranma.” Shampoo started... and suddenly burst into tears, fleeing on the Bicycle of Death back to Nekohatten. “Must... must see Great-grandmother” she whispered to herself between sobs, “She fix Airen.”
***
Shampoo, sobbing, made her way through Nerima and back to Nekohatten, just as Mousse finished sweeping. He greeted her at the door. “My darling Shampo-oof” he grunted around an elbow to the stomach.
“No have time for Mousse, need speak to great-grandmother.”
Cologne, looking every bit of at least 10,000 years old, bopped out on her cane. “What is it, my child. I though you were going over to the Tendo dojo to eat.”
“I did,” Shampoo confided between sobs, “But I mention date. I think violent girl smack Ranma again, and then I have reason to take him away. But...” at this point she hesitated.
“Well,” prodded Cologne, “what happened next.”
“He... he... he yell at Shampoo and everyone else in room, threaten stupid violent girl and leave,” she said, sobbing again. “I thought he play trick; I follow so we go to date. I catch, but he yell again and...” this time, she stopped dead, not just hesitated.
“Well, what happened!” Cologne and Mousse both shouted, though Mousse shouted it at the stove.
“He... he push me twice, yelling, and run off, howling like cat.”
“Saotome, you fiend!” Mousse shouted, taking up a mop. “I swear, Shampoo, that I will not let this slight against the woman I love go unpunished.” As he stroked the mop’s ‘hair’, it began to drip on his hands. “You’re crying Shampoo. Saotome, you will die tonight!” so declaring, he pushes his glasses back on his head, and takes a good look at the mop. “You’re not Shampoo! I though those tears smelled alot like Pine-sol.”
The next thing he knew, he was Mu Mu-chan, and sitting under a bucket that Cologne had dumped on him. “Now, Great-granddaughter, go over everything that happened. The Ranma you described doesn’t sound like our normal Son-in-law”
So, Shampoo went over everything that happened. Her entrance, talking with the Tendo’s, Ranma’s promising to take her on a date(as she saw it), and the ensuing fight, and Ranma’s actions and words when they met after the dojo incident. Then Shampoo said she thought Ranma mentioned something about “Cat-fist”.
“Wait,” Cologne cried. “Are you sure he said “Cat-Fist”?
Shampoo nodded. “I very sure. Why, great-grandmother?”
Cologne just shook her head. “Not even that buffoon would use the Phobos technique, would he? Then again, he did train at Jusenkyo without knowing a word of Chinese except for “Chow Mien”.
Shampoo looked up at Cologne. “What you talking about, Phobos Technique?”
Cologne suddenly looked very concerned. “I’m not sure, but this could be bad. I need to do some research. Go,” she said, pointing out the door, “Bring the Tendo’s back here. If I’m right, they’ll need to hear this.”
***
Ranma was running. He didn’t know why he was |being chased| running. He was leaping from |not being chased| fence to rooftop and back, bounding |escaping| across Nerima. He couldn’t |scared| place his reason for running, so he kept going, not noticing that a black, athletic shadow followed him. Finally, he stopped dead in his tracks, on a fence, and wondered just what he was running from.
(Man,) he thought, (What happened. I was talking with Shamp|rrrrr|). At this thought, he crumpled from the fence, shivering. All he could see were flashes of Shampoo, Neko-Shampoo, his fiancées, cats, girls, glomps, cats, Shampoo, cats blazing across his mind as he hallucinated, curled into a fetal ball, whimpering.
Meanwhile, the shadow edged closer...
***
Needless to say, things did not go well for Shampoo on her second trip to the dojo. She burst through the door, only to find two glaring people, one glaring panda, and one heavily cried on person avoiding making eye contact, which was in a way worse then the glaring people.
“Please, everyone, you must come with me to Nekohatten.”
“Oh really,” Nabiki muttered darkly, “And why is that. Unless it’s to help you pack for a return flight to China, I don’t think you’ll find alot of sympathy here.”
“It about Ranma!” she said. This caught their attention. She didn’t say ‘Husband’, or ‘Airen’... just ‘Ranma’.
“Ok,” replied Nabiki, naming herself spokesman, since, between Soun’s crying, Genma’s Panda-ness, and Kasumi’s... uh, Kasumi-ness, she was the only one in the room that could speak coherently at the moment. “Just why is it we need to go chasing after you to your restaurant in the middle of the night?”
“It Ranma,” Shampoo replied, “Great-grandmother think something wrong with him. She say he no act like himself.”
“You can say that again,” came an almost steady voice from the stairs.
The all looked up to see Akane, face still marred by crying but looking more in charge of herself, coming down the stairs. “He may be a perverted, tactless, annoying, cross-dresser, but he isn’t violent.”
“Like you.” Shampoo added, and suddenly realized she said it out loud.
“Yes,” Akane replied, thinking out loud, “like... me”.
***
Ranma awoke to darkness, which was normal considering it was night. He sat up and looked around. “Man, what the heck happened. One minute I’m talking with Shampoo, and suddenly... suddenly...” Ranma stopped, scratching his head. “Funny, I can’t remember anything after seeing |Horrible Cat-thing| Shampoo.” (Whoa, where did that come from) Ranma thought. As he was considering what was going on, a lithe, black shadow slipped down next to him on a jet black ribbon.
“Well, well, my darling love,” whispered Kodachi into Ranma’s ear, slipping the ribbon around his neck, “I see you’ve decided to take up the night life, eh?” Her black, insidious laughter rattled windows across the street.
Ranma’s reaction was fast and sure, he ducked under her grasp, yanking the ribbon off of himself, and wrapped it around a quite suprised Kodachi’s wrists, looping it over a tree and hanging her up by her own favorite weapon.
“Oh, darling,” sighed Kodachi, “this is a side of you I’d never guessed you had...”
Ranma meanwhile, was very concerned. He just tied up a girl. That was almost like hitting one. He backed away slowly. “Sorry, Kodachi, but...” as he looked at her, something else in him went *snap*. He began to sneer, a little.
“Don’t be sorry!” Kodachi snapped, “Be ruthless, be merciless, tie me down and... what do you think you are doing!”
Ranma, during her triad, had turned on his heels, walking away slowly. He turned around and smiled a smile that made even the Black Rose shudder. “Why, my darling piñata,” he drawled sarcastically, “I’m leaving you to hang. You did say, be merciless...” The laughter that came from Ranma as he slunk away sent small animals running in fright like lemmings to the sea...
***
“What do you mean he was reacting to the “Cat-Fist” training!” shouted Akane. “There wasn’t a cat in sight. Except her,” she sneered, jerking her head at Shampoo.
Cologne nodded. “Exactly.”
“Huh?” came the unanimous response.
Cologne pointed at her book. I contained an almost exact copy of the scroll that contained the Cat-Fist training that Genma had used. “Look. Genma started the training, but he didn’t finish it.”
“What do you mean!” Genma protested. “The second page read “A technique only a fool would use!”
“Ah, but did you read the third page!”
“Third what?”
Cologne smacked her forehead. “I’m surprised the boy lived this long. The third page says “...Without the rest of the manual, hidden in this cave!” she shouted, pointing to the words in one of her tomes. “The Cat-Fist is only one factor in a training method known as the “Phobos Technique”. The technique was named, when it was finally named, for the Greek god of Fear.”
“But... why would anyone WANT someone to be afraid of cats?” asked Nabiki.
“Not just cats, child,” she replied, “The cats are only a means to an end. Genma would have known that, had he bothered to go and get the rest of the training manual!”
Genma was nowhere to be seen. On an only slightly related note a large Panda in a fez was seen carrying a sign that said “New York or Bust” and trying to hitch a ride on the highway.
“Look,” Cologne explained, “The fear that builds up inside the student of the Cat-Fist, or any of the related training techniques, causes them to engage in a blind berserker rage if the fear stimulus is in their presence long enough.”
“Which is why Ranma wacks out when a cat’s nearby,” interjected Akane.
Cologne nodded. “What Genma failed to do to complete the training was introduce the Second Trigger.”
“Second what?”
“Second trigger,” replied Cologne, pointing at her book. “Look, the cats are the Primary trigger. The student engages in a full berserk mode as a sort of “release valve” to ease the over-production of adrenaline.”
“What has that got to do with Ranma going psycho on us?”
“Let me explain the rest of the Phobos Technique, and then you’ll understand.”
***
Ranma, meanwhile, was stumbling down an alley, wondering what the heck was going on. “Ahh, why can’t I remember what I was doing!” he shouts to no one in particular. He is particularly surprised when No-One answers.
|You were attacking Girls.|
“No, I didn’t... I mean I almost...”
|Face it,| mutters the voice |You attacked two girls and threatened another one. How does that look for such a manly man as yourself, hmmm.|
“Shut up!” Ranma yelled, “It ain’t like that!”
|Oh yes it is,| the voice hissed, slithering inside Ranma’s head. |You attacked girls. You beat up people that can’t possibly hope to fight you, you just string them along so that you can keep beating them up to boost your morale.|
“No,” Ranma almost sobbed, “That’s not it. I don’t want to hurt them... I mean Kuno maybe, but Ryoga...”
|Tsk, tsk, tsk. Taking sides. What would your father say.|
“But... I mean... He’s Akane’s friend...”
|And he want’s to be more. He want’s to take her!|
“So... let ‘em have each other. I don’t care.”
|Please don’t lie. It’s disgusting. If you really felt that way, why didn’t you ditch her long ago and take up with another fiancee, hmmm.|
“No... don’t... I like her but...”
|You’re too chicken to try to make it work. You can’t talk to girls, just beat them up. Maybe that’s how you show you love her, eh? Beat her on the head till she says she loves you too? How third grade.|
“No!” Ranma shouted, slamming a fist into the wall, “I ain’t violent.” The he takes a look at the hole he left.
|Not violent, eh? I suppose you just persuaded that concrete to make a hole in its self.|
“You’re twisting my words!” shouted a desperate Ranma, trying to escape the voice. “Trying to confuse me, make me weak.”
|No. I’m trying to make you strong! You would never think of just killing Ryoga to get him out of the way, would you?|
“No... never...!”
|I said don’t lie. I know you want to. Just kill him... no more surprise fights, no more of him making moves on Akane, and no more freaking’ P-Chan!|
“No... no... I won’t... he... Akane... friends...”
|He’s no friend of yours, any more than that blow-hard Kuno or the nearsighted fool Mousse. They deserve to be punished... and punished severely.|
“But.. I can’t just...”
|Sure you can.| the voice sighed, slipping around him, wrapping in a thin, cold blanket of hate and cruelty, |Just let me help you...|
***
“So you meant that Ranma is going to go psycho the minute he gets near a cat?”
“No, listen. The primary trigger, cats in Ranma’s case, causes the total berserker mode, but the second trigger only causes a partial berserking.”
“Just what is this second trigger?” asked Akane.
“The second trigger.” replied Cologne, “is something introduced after the subject displays the proper beserker-fear mode. The primary trigger is used along with something, anything, else. A coin, a hand gesture, a food, anything that the subject can see and experience along with the primary trigger.” As Cologne explained this, the remaining people crowded forward. “You see, the second trigger, by association with the primary, causes the subject to enter a partial berserker mode.” Cologne looked out into a sea of blank faces.
“But, why Great-grandmother!”
Cologne sighed. “Have you ever heard the saying ‘Fear is the best teacher’?”
Still blank.
“I take it that means you haven’t. Look,” she said, pointing back to the book. “When a subject has acclimated to the second trigger, then whenever that subject is exposed a “semi-berserk” falls over him or her. Then, anything said or done to them is memorized. They have a totally edict memory of their entire lives, and even the most complicated martial arts techniques can be taught in a matter of hours. They have almost boundless energy, thanks to the fear reaction, and they fight with almost no acknowledgment of pain. “
This got a chorus of ‘Ooohs’ and ‘Ahhhs’ from the gallery, as well as one question. “Just what is Ranma’s second trigger, and how did he get it if he hasn’t finished the training.”
“I was wondering when you were going to get around to that point, Akane.” replied Cologne. “It’s simple, because of my great-granddaughter’s Jusenkyo curse, she is a cat when she gets wet. Ranma knows this, and subconsciously he associates Shampoo with his primary trigger.”
“Meaning that Shampoo is his second trigger,” Akane finished, hopping she had found a way to keep that amazonian hussy away from the dojo. Shampoo, meanwhile, looked crushed. She knew what Akane was thinking, and that she might not be able to see Ranma again, but Cologne interrupted them.
“No, Shampoo is not his true second trigger,” remarked Cologne.
“Then, what...”
“You see, by dragging this process out like this Ranma has most likely gotten multiple triggers, by multipule stimuli being around him while he imprinted the second.”
“How many.” asked Shampoo.
“Probably three, knowing you all and Ranma like I do.”
“Oh my.”
“You can say that again, Kasumi,” chimed Nabiki.
“What are they!”
“If I had to guess, I’d say they were being glomped, being attacked, and fiancés in general.”
“Oh my,” echoed Akane, Nabiki, and Shampoo.
“That’s okay,” replied Nabiki, recovering quickly. “All we have to do is keep Ranma from being glomped, attacked or accosted by a fiancé until this thing wears off...” Nabiki’s idea ran out of steam as she realized just what it was she said.
“Shampoo think we in it deep this time.”
“You can say that again.”
“Shampoo think we in.. oww,” she said, rubbing her head where Cologne had smacked her, “what that for Great-grandmother.”
“We don’t have time for old jokes,” replied Cologne. “We have to find Ranma and get him back here.”
“But how are we gonna get Ranma back here if he goes psycho if one of us gets near him?” asked Akane.
Cologne shook here head. “No, he doesn’t go psycho. The fear learning reacts to whatever is closest and takes it into himself to use. If it’s a maneuver, he learns it. If it’s a text, he memorizes it. If it’s emotions or actions, he makes them a part of his normal reactions.”
“Wait a minute,” interrupted Nabiki. “That means that right now Ranma, if Ranma gets glomped, attacked, or fiancéd he’s gonna act like the person that... whatevered him?!”
Cologne shook her head no.
“Oh good.”
“He will simply take the most useful or predominant thing, so long as it doesn’t ill effect him. “
“Oh boy,” Nabiki continued. “That means that right now, assuming his trigger went off in the dojo, he’s going to be as stubborn as Shampoo and as violent as Akane?”
“Hey!” came the twin response.
Cologne nodded, but added a qualifier. “Since Shampoo also has the possibility of being his primary trigger, Ranma will be more under the control of the berserker nature than he normally would be. That also means,” she continued, “that he will probably have more strength and raw energy to use.”
“Wait just a minute!” Akane interjected. “You mean that one of the worlds top martial artists is wandering around Nerima right now, twice as strong, twice as stubborn, and twice as violent as usual?”
Cologne nodded gravely.
“We’d better find him fast.”
***
Meanwhile, Ranma was still trying to make sense of what was happening. “Who are you! Why can’t I see you.”
|Why, I’m you.|
“No... you can’t be... I mean.. I’m me!”
|No... WE’RE me!| shouted the voice.
“What do you want...” Ranma whimpered.
|What you want...| replied the voice. Suddenly, Ranma’s mind was flooded with images...
Ranma dressed all in black, defeating foe after foe.
Ranma standing over a pile of fallen enemies.
Ranma as the greatest martial artist on the planet.
Ranma standing over the fallen form of Kuno...
Ranma standing over the fallen form of Mousse...
Ranma standing over the fallen form of Ryoga...
Ranma sweeping Shampoo into his arms, kissing her...
Ranma sweeping Ukyo into his arms, kissing her...
Ranma sweeping Kodachi into his arms, kissing her....
Ranma sweeping Akane into his arms, kissing her...
Ranma sweeping all of them into his arms...
“NOOOOOOOOO!” Ranma shouted, slamming his fists into the wall, smashing a huge hole.
***
“This way!” shouted Akane, Nabiki, and Shampoo, pointing in different directions.
“Let’s split up. I’ll go this way, Nabiki and Kasumi, you two that way, Shampoo you go that way. We’ll meet back here either with Ranma or in 3 hours, whichever happens first.”
As she said this, they all heard a bloodcurdling scream followed by the sound of shattering bricks.
“Ok... this way!” Akane shouted, point in the direction of the sound, and running toward it. The rest of them followed her.
***
Kodachi, meanwhile, was contemplating this new change in Ranma. “You know,” she said to herself, “I don’t think he’s coming back.”
As she thought this, the Cat-Fist brigade came running up, and saw Kodachi tied to a tree. While this didn’t seem that out of place, the still stopped and questioned her.
“Have you seen Ranma?” asked Nabiki.
“Who do you think is good enough to do this to me against my will?!?!”
Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi, and Shampoo all looked at each other. Now Ranma was at least twice as malicious as he normally was...
“Now will one of you disgusting people GET ME DOWN!”
“Come on, we’ve got to find Ranma!” Akane shouted, and the rest followed her.
“Oh..... Humph” Kodachi spat, and set about trying to un-attach herself before someone found her like this.
***
|Still afraid to face the truth. You’ll see... I’ll make you see!| suddenly, a black cloud wrapped around him, choking him.
“What are you doing!”
|I’ll make you see the truth!|
“No.. don’t...”
|Oh yes...| the voice cried, morphing into a jet-black imitation of Ranma |Now we sha|”ll be One!” Ranma finished, as he the hallucination melded with him.
Now he understood.
And he smiled.
[End Chapter 1]
What will happen next?
Will Ranma go totally berserk?
Is he free of his fear of cats?
Will Kodachi get down?
Will the ‘Cat-Fist Hunters’ find him in time?
Will he miss school?
and if so
Will Hinako-sensei let him make up his work?
Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Cat-Fist Fervor!
Chapter 2: School of Hard Knocks
Same Cat time,
Same Cat channel...
[An SD Neko-Shampoo waves with a paw as the caption “Bai Bai” scrolls across under her.]
