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Its been a while since I last posted the "Misery Loves Company"
teaser, and, no, I haven't been slacking off in my writing. To prove
it, here's the revision of "A New Life." I broke it up into three
sections, the Prelude and Part 1 are basically the same, Part 2 is
brand new, and Part 3 is just about completely rewritten with added
scenes and other revisions.
If you have read this fanfiction already, you might want to skip this
first section. Without any further useless chatter on my part...
Most of the characters within the story are from the Anime Series,
Ranma 1/2 and are property of Rumiko Takahashi, and whoever else may
own the rights. I write this without permission and do so with no
attempt to profit off of the marvelous works. Rather, I do so for
everyone's benefit. Please enjoy and tell me what you think.
Warning: This fanfiction has adult themes and situations which may be
offensive to some parties. Viewer discretion is advised.
"Dreamers may die, but the dream is immortal."
In the end, there is often times said to be a bright light at the end
of a narrow tunnel, beckoning the bodiless souls to the afterlife.
For Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial
Arts, that is true, but he is not headed towards the afterlife. A
darker, more sinister, fate lies in store for him, one filled with
false promises and double meanings. Everything comes with a price,
and life bears the greatest of them all.
************************************
*A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: A New Life*
************************************
-Second Fanfiction, following "Vengeance."
by Ryan Erik
------------Key------------
---------<English>---------
--------"Japanese"---------
--------'Thoughts'---------
-*Radio/Intercom messages*-
---------------------------
_____________________________________________________________________
Begin Prelude: Awakenings
3/98
With a glazed donut held delicately in his mouth and a cup of
coffee in his left hand, Officer Joseph Martinez shifted through his
pocket for his keys. Upon finding them, he unlocked the door to his
patrol car and sat down in it, setting his cup on the dash board. He
took a large bite out of his donut and placed it next to his coffee.
Martinez sighed in contentment. There was no place better in all
of California to be a Highway Patrol Officer, than Big Sur. Between
the beautiful scenery, the fresh air and the friendly people, he
definitely did not take working here for granted. There was rarely
ever much going on, especially where he patrolled. There was nothing
but mountains, forests and animals in the area.
He was still thanking God for his seniority, which allowed him to
pick Big Sur as his place of work. This enabled him to work out of
his house, with only one other officer under him. He, his wife and
his two kids all loved it out here. It seemed like it was an escape
from reality, compared to where he used to work. Los Angeles was not
a forgiving place for rookie police officers, and he had seen enough
of its violence.
*27-14, Monterey,* his car radio sounded just as he was about to
take a sip of his coffee.
He lifted his car radio's microphone and responded, "Monterey,
27-14."
*We have an RP Reporting a possible explosion in the area of
Andrew Molera State Park.*
<10-4. I'm responding from the River Inn code 3.> He rolled his
eyes, and stuffed the entire donut into his mouth, trying to finish
it as fast as possible. He took a large sip of his coffee, started
the engine and turned on his car's siren.
He backed out of the River Inn's parking lot and started in the
direction of the state park. It was camping season, but so few times
did anyone actually call for the police, let alone for an explosion,
that it startled him to receive one. <Something to do, I guess,> he
muttered.
Martinez arrived in the area of the reported explosion, and after
questioning a few of the campers who were nearby, he walked towards
the location where it had taken place. His jaw dropped open in
surprise when he saw that a fairly decent sized area had been cleared
of trees and was now smoking harmlessly. He came closer and examined
the area, seeing that there was a large indentation in the ground,
appearing to have been struck by a meteor.
Martinez went back to his patrol car and picked up the
microphone, <Monterey, 27-14. I'm 10-97.>
*27-14, Monterey,* dispatch returned.
<I see smoke and a large area of trees have been leveled. There
could be a possible fire hazard. Roll fire,> he told dispatch,
requesting the fire department. The last thing he wanted was to see
part of Big Sur go up in flames. Martinez hoped that the smoke was
just the remains of the blast, and not smoke caused by fire.
The State Park Rangers, Big Sur Volunteer Fire Department, and
Monterey County Sheriff's Deputy all arrived at the scene within a
few minute's time of each other. Martinez led them to the site of the
explosion and the firefighters started hosing down the area that had
been affected. They all began to search the area and its surroundings
for a possible cause of the explosion.
<Hey, Joseph!> Officer Daniel Stevenson, his partner (and friend)
who also worked as the only other Highway Patrol Officer for all of
Big Sur, called out in hello. Martinez turned and greeted his friend,
and he explained the situation briefly. <Let's get closer to the
cliff.>
The two went to the edge of the cliff and gaped at the huge area
of the ledge that had been torn apart. <Wonder what kind of bomb did
this...> Martinez cautiously made his way to the edge, gazing down
over towards the bottom. <This looks like where the bomb made its
greatest impact.>
They searched the area below with their eyes, and Martinez spoke
up, <It looks like some of the rocks fell down over there. We should
probably go check it out.> Stevenson nodded and the two went around
the cliffs and split up, combing the ground in search.
Martinez's heartbeat quickened when he saw a prone figure on the
floor, face down. He picked up the receiver on his collar and spoke
over the radio. <Monterey, 27-14. I've located a possible victim of
the explosion. I'm northwest of the site. Can you respond fire and
ambulance to my location?>
*27-14, Monterey. 10-4,* the dispatcher replied.
Stevenson rushed over to partner and looked at his finding.
Martinez knelt to the floor, and put his fingers over the girl's
neck, checking for a pulse and finding a very slow one. Within a few
moments some of the firefighters came down and checked the victim,
turning her over very carefully. After a few moments of examination,
they spoke to the officer. <She's alive but in critical condition.
Can you call for an air lift?> Martinez nodded.
<Monterey, 27-14. Can you respond Calstar, per fire, to our
location?>
The Highway Patrol dispatcher then replied, *27-14, Monterey.
10-4.*
After about ten minutes, the Calstar helicopter arrived, taking
the victim to the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.
* * *
Beep. Beep.
Claws and teeth met him as he was lowered into the pit. His
screams of terror were met by reassurances that went unheard. The
smell of fish sausage filled his lungs, which were pumping furiously.
He violently tugged against his bonds, but his strength was that of a
child. Nothing he could do would save him from his fate.
Pain seethed through his body as he felt, not the bottom of the
pit, but steel that cut him like fire. His whole existence was
threatened by the agony of his skin being sliced. He dared not open
his eyes to look at the miserable beasts that now attacked him, but
he kept his lids shut tightly, protecting them.
Beep. Beep.
The attacks stopped, but the pain lingered on. He drew in ragged
breaths of relief believing that his father decided that today's
session was complete. The cold surface that his wounds were pressed
up against told him otherwise, and he dared to open his eyes.
His vision was met with darkness, and he looked around, trying to
see if the c...c...to see where the terrible creatures went. He
thought he saw his father and called out, "Papa?"
Terrible laughter, followed by an approaching figure, were what
he knew next. Who was this person? Walking towards the boy, he spoke,
"Not your father, Ranma. I am definitely not your father."
Beep. Beep.
Who could this man be? He tried to look at the shaded man's face,
but there was not enough light to see it clearly. The laughter
resumed, terrorizing the child even more. "You put me through hell,
Ranma! Now you are here forever!" The person walked into the light,
but Ranma failed to recognize him, though he did seem familiar. The
yellow and black spotted bandanna tied around the man's head stuck
out in Ranma's mind.
"Now, face your worst fear!" To Ranma's pure horror, the figure's
clothes fell off as if they had been completely shredded, replaced by
fur. Hair protruded from his face, and the man's teeth grew jagged
and long. Ranma screamed again. Eyes wide open, the little boy
watched as the man turned into a very large feline bearing the
familiar yellow bandanna.
Beep. Beep.
Ranma was on the verge of unconsciousness when someone's yell
took the cat-man's attention. A blur of a figure jump kicked the
cat-man, turning into a mist and fading out of existence. Ranma's
stunned expression refused to change as a girl with long black hair
walked over to him, kneeling down. She untied him and picked him up,
leaping out of the pit that he had originally been tossed down. "It's
going to be okay, love." His pain slowly died down, and he tried to
figure out what had just happened. "Don't worry. I won't let them
hurt you ever again." Young Ranma smiled at his savior's beautiful
face as she reassured him. He believed her. "I'll make everything
okay."
He felt himself being lowered down and placed on a very soft bed.
Beep. Beep.
He felt her warm lips kiss his forehead.
"No one will ever hurt you again." Never to be hurt again. Never
to be thrown into a pit of c...no, never again. "I promise you.
Together we will make things right." He felt her warm hand press
against his cheek softly. "My Ranma-chan."
* * *
Beep. Beep.
Ranma's eyes slowly opened and she still felt the warm hand
against her cheek. "Never again," she muttered, barely audible to
even those with the best hearing. She drew in a breath slowly, taking
in the odd, cold air.
Beep. Beep.
She looked over to the source of the beeping noise, a machine. It
looked like one of those things that they had in hospitals on TV.
There was not much light in the room, but what little there hurt her
eyes. A dull ache formed in her head and she faced the ceiling before
closing her lids once again. "Never again."
"Never again." The voice of her savior was deeper, much deeper. A
hand pressed up against her head, relieving some of her tension.
"Never again will anyone hurt you. I will not allow it." The silky
smooth hands that her savior possessed were now a little rougher and
stronger, but they still felt gentle, lovingly gentle.
She let herself drift off into unconsciousness once again, but
this time she dreamt pleasantly. Her nightmares were far from
finished with her, but for the moment they were replaced with restful
sleep.
Beep. Beep.
* * *
<Amazing.> Doctor Michael Chang looked at the charts that he held
in his hands. <Simply amazing.> He walked into room 24 that had two
occupants, not counting the patient who slumbered as she had the last
time he had seen her.
<Hello, Doctor.> The nurse beamed a broad smile at him. Her eyes,
sparkling at him, were a light green and she had her blonde hair back
in a ponytail.
'What was her name? Oh yeah, Connie.' <Hello, Connie,> He said,
causing her to giggle at her recognition and walk out of the room,
closing the door behind her. He glanced over the charts on more time
and then looked up at the young man that was seated on the edge of
the bed on which his patient lay. The man didn't seem to notice the
Doctor's presence as his eyes never left the girl's face.
<Hello, Mr. Nishiyama?> Dr. Chang looked at the young man not
wanting to bother him, but he approached him anyway. <You're Kiyoshi
Nishiyama, correct?>
Without moving in the slightest, the young man responded, <Yes, I
am he.> His voice had a very slight Japanese accent, but it was so
slight that if one were not listening for it wouldn't be noticed.
<You're Doctor Chang, I presume?>
<Yes, I am.> Dr. Chang looked over the charts again, and
addressed Mr. Nishiyama again. <So you're Miss Kimiko's brother?> Dr.
Chang received a nod for his question and he continued. <Well, as you
know, your sister has been in coma for quite a long time. When she
finally comes to long enough to talk to anyone, her memory could be
fragmented or she could be suffering from amnesia. It is often common
with cases such as these.> If Mr. Nishiyama heard, he did not
respond. <We're very lucky that she has woken up at all. Six years is
a long time.>
For the first time the man looked Dr. Chang's way, staring at
him, unblinking. His eyes were of a steel-gray, and his hair was
long, down past his shoulders a foot, and very black. His handsome
features seemed godlike, with the sun's light shining in from the
window's, seemingly glowing. His skin was perfect, not a flaw
visible, and his gaze was unnerving. <It can be a very long time,
especially when waiting for loved ones to regain consciousness.>
<Yes, that it can be,> he agreed. <Strangely enough, her muscles
are still in good condition, considering the amount of time she has
remained motionless.> Dr. Chang set down the girl's charts on a table
and was about to speak again when the girl shifted in her sleep. They
both turned to her, the doctor walking over to the unoccupied side of
her bed. <Miss Nishiyama?>
Her eyes opened. They were of the bluest of blues, resembling two
beautiful sapphires sparking in the sun's light. Her face was pale,
but flawless, like her brother's. She was much shorter than him and
greatly resembled her age of fifteen. While she didn't quite look
much like her brother, she definitely shared his good looks. Her red
hair was very long, and it would probably stretched to her knees if
she were to stand up.
She sat up slowly, putting her right hand to her head with her
eyes closed. "Can you please close the window?" Dr. Chang, not
knowing Japanese, looked at her quizzically.
"Of course, Ranma-chan." Mr. Nishiyama stood up and walked over
to the window, drawing the shades, before returning to his seat at
his sister's side. She looked at him, then at the doctor and back
again. She looked confused, and it was justified.
He smiled at the girl and picked up one of her hands in his. <She
probably will not understand much English. If you wish to ask her
something, I'll translate.> The doctor nodded. He spoke to the
confused girl once more, "What do you remember?"
Tears started to well up in her eyes as she looked like she was
fighting back a torrent of emotions. "The pit... fish sausage..." She
started bawling into her hands causing the two men to look down at
her sympathetically. She looked up at Mr. Nishiyama and asked, "Who
are you?"
"I'm a friend, Ranma-chan." The child-like innocence expressed on
her face as she looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes, made him
wonder if she remembered anything at all. But her mention of a pit
and fish sausage pointed out that she remembered the Neko-ken
training that her father imposed on her when she was a child. Being
one of the more traumatic experiences in her young life, it was too
bad that she had remembered that before her fonder memories.
<Can you ask her if she is feeling well?> the doctor asked him
after the girl stopped sobbing. He nodded and asked her how she was
feeling in Japanese.
"My head hurts," she answered. "Where's my papa?" She sounded
like a child. Her voice was soft and was no louder than a whisper. He
could tell that she was still trying to keep hold of herself, but was
slowly losing her control to tears again.
"Your papa isn't anywhere near here. It's just me." That seemed
to make her a bit more comfortable. "You do not want to see your
father, do you?" She shook her head. <She says she's okay, but her
head hurts a little. She seems to recollect her childhood, but very
little.>
The doctor looked a little relieved and spoke, <That is a good
sign. She probably does not have amnesia, so there's a good chance
that she'll remember everything in due time.> He was about to say
something else, when his beeper went off. <If you'll excuse me, I'll
be back to check on her later.> He then left the room, closing the
door behind himself.
There was a brief silence, which was cut off by Mr. Nishiyama's
question. "Do you remember anything besides the pit and the fish
sausage?" She winced, and closed her eyes. Her face contorted in fear
and her eyes fluttered open again.
"Where am I?" She strained, pulling herself into a sitting
position and yawned. After a few blinks, she looked over at him
again, meeting his stare. As if reading his eyes, she looked into
them thoughtfully.
"You are in a hospital."
She looked thoughtful, and yet still confused. "Why?"
"That is not important at the moment. Let's just say that you had
a nasty accident." He considered what he would tell her and what he
would let her remember on her own. A few things, such as Jusenkyo and
her near-marriage to Akane, she would have to remember on her own.
Hopefully they would come slowly, after she remembered other more
pleasant things. "Do you remember your name?"
"My name is..." The redhead stopped and looked down at herself
for a second. 'Who am I?' The harder she tried to remember, the
further the answers hid from her. Then it hit her. Memories of her
early childhood flooded into her mind. She recalled her father's face
and how he looked down at his son. He was so very proud. 'Proud of
me.' With her right hand she felt her chest, finding the size of her
breasts quite startling. "I'm...a girl." It wasn't a question;
rather, she was trying to convince herself.
"So you remember who you are now?" the man asked after a minute
of silence. She looked at him. He was so unfamiliar, but his presence
felt reassuring. The look on his face expressed genuine concern, yet
she didn't recall meeting him.
Memories of being a youth, traveling around with her father,
running from the police and other things, came back to her in clear
detail. She remembered clearly that she was a boy when she was a
child, but obvious anatomy differences in her current physique
clashed with her memories. She even remembered acting like a man, not
hitting girls, and her father's promise to her mother about making
their son a 'man amongst men.'
Images of her mother appeared in her mind, of when she was a
small child and from recent times. This sparked other memories.
"Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."
The man beamed at her, and she grinned back. "Can I have a mirror?"
Looking around, the young man found a mirror on a nearby table
and handed it to her. She held it up with her left hand and looked at
the face in the mirror. It was a stranger, with a beautiful face,
long bright red hair, and a cute smile. Something about her face
seemed very strange, but she disregarded it since she had more
important things to deal with at the moment. The smile turned to a
frown and she looked up at the man. He looked back at her with no
visible emotion.
"Oh, God! Akane! How long have I been here, and where's Akane?!"
Images of the beautiful, raven-haired girl, hitting and kissing her,
suddenly made her nervous. Ranma thought that if anyone would have
waited for her to wake up, it would be Akane, not a strange man.
With eyes cast upon the floor, the man lowered his head. "I
assume you remember everything then?" She nodded and waited for him
to answer, suddenly thinking that she wouldn't like what he had to
say. "You've been in a coma for nearly seventeen years, and Akane is
safe at Tendo Training Hall."
Denial saved her from going into complete shock. She looked at
the mirror in her left hand, gazing at her youthful face. She put her
hand through her hair, which was a little bit knotted but still
seemed as if it had been brushed and cleaned recently. Seventeen
years would have made her thirty-five years old. How could she be
thirty-five and still not look any older? "You're lying! You couldn't
have been more than two when I fell into the coma!" She tried to keep
her voice down, to not attract unwanted attention. This was getting
strange. What she needed was some hot water, her clothes and a hot
meal.
"I'm afraid it's true. There's a lot more that you need to know
about, which I will tell you later. For now, I want you to rest." He
put his left hand on her forehead, his right pressing a point between
her breasts. For an instant, a wave of unnatural heat coursed through
her body, relieving all of her tension. Moments later, she was fast
asleep.
* * *
After hitting Ranma's sleeping pressure point, Mr. Nishiyama knew
that she would be out for the rest of the day, so he left the
hospital. He would have to conclude his business very quickly to make
it back before she woke up. Finding his car, he turned on the engine
and listened to it hum for a few seconds.
He was still a new driver; though, he quickly mastered it like
everything else in his life. He drove for a quarter of an hour, and
found himself near a gorgeous bay. His eyes never left the street,
nor did his concentration ever leave the task of driving safely. It
did not matter much, as he had seen the beautiful bay many times in
this chapter of his life. When he had first arrived here, he was
amazed at how beautiful nature could be. The smell of the sea and of
fish, drifted in the air making it pleasing just to breathe.
Arriving at his destination, he found a parking space large
enough for his car and parked. He walked down the street and entered
the Monterey Bay Aquarium, finding the shark exhibit quickly due to
his familiarity with the building. He arrived there perfectly on
time, and walked up behind his associate.
Theodore McArthur glanced at his wrist watch with mild
impatience. Quarter passed ten. He was expecting his boss at any
moment. Though he now stood in a place that could be called very
peaceful, his anxiety seemed to be getting the better of him.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium was an excellent spot for business
meetings of nearly any kind due to its accessibility and quiet
atmosphere. Taking a deep breath, Tedd watched a rather large tiger
shark swim along the glass in its tank. Its black spots were easily
visible as they rubbed across the Plexiglas window.
A little over a year ago, his old employer, Mr. Nobukazu
Nishiyama, died of natural causes leaving his estate and little over
a billion dollars in assets to his adopted son, Kiyoshi. There was no
dispute to the claim, for Kiyoshi was a very able businessman and
investor who had worked up the ranks of Nishiyama Inc. over the past
five years. Tedd worked under the young man for nearly as long.
There was only one problem; Kiyoshi Nishiyama almost never had
private meetings with anyone, preferring nothing to be secret.
Exactly why Tedd was called to this private meeting they were about
to have, he had no idea. Mr. Nishiyama's lifestyle was a blank. No
one knew much about him, where he came from, or anything else that
would help one understand another. All of this made Tedd overly
anxious to get this meeting over with.
<Tedd?>
His eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets, Tedd turned around
to stare face to face with his boss. <Good day, Mr. Nishiyama,> he
greeted and they shook hands.
Standing nearly a foot under his boss, Tedd looked up at his
friend and colleague. Something was the matter with him, and Tedd
knew it. He had never seen him so tense.
<I want you to take over the operations for a while,> Mr.
Nishiyama said, eyes looking over towards the tank. <I have some
personal business to take care of that will consume most of my time.>
<Understood, sir. Take all the time you need.> So that's what
this was about. Mr. Nishiyama actually had a life. Though it
surprised him, he figured Kiyoshi would need time off sooner or later
with the hours that he had been pulling off.
<Very good, Tedd. I'll be expecting your best as always.> Mr.
Nishiyama then turned and left.
<Of course, sir.> Tedd said as he watched his boss' departing
figure. It was time to prove his loyalty and worth. He would not let
his boss down.
* * *
Young Ranma looked at his savior as she carried him, cradled in
her arms. Her long black hair swayed as she gracefully jumped out of
the pit, landing on the edge. Daring not to open his eyes to risk
catching a glimpse of his father or any of the other terrors that
might jump out at them, he clutched at her tightly as she walked with
him. Her fragrance smelled like flowers in full bloom, and her soft
touch soothed his nerves. He started to feel drowsy, but would not
fall asleep.
"Who are you?" he whispered into his savior's ear. He opened his
eyes, looking at her once more, a pure white light encompassing her
figure. A smile came to her lips and she looked down, shushing him.
"Don't worry, little one. You are safe now." Her steady pace
lulled him into the gentle grasp of sleep.
His eyes opened slowly, beholding his savior's magical features.
The smile that touched her lips reassured him that he was safe, and
wouldn't be troubled by anything wanting to cause him harm. "Good to
see you awaken, little one."
"I'm not little. I'm ten!"
"Of course, you're not, Ranma-chan. Of course, you're not." She
leaned over his prone form and kissed his forehead, the warmth from
her lips spreading over his body. "No one can hurt you here as long
as you let me help you. You do want my help, right Ranma-chan?"
His eyes wide with innocence, he looked at her with full trust.
He nodded silently to her, and she pulled him up into a hug, kissing
his cheek. "Are you my mommy? Poppa said that she had was really
pretty like you."
She let him lay back down looking at him, consideration in her
eyes. "No, Ranma-chan. I'm not your mommy, but I'm closer to you than
her. I will never let you get hurt. Your mommy let you go with your
Poppa a long time ago. She loved you, but not as much as I do." Ranma
looked into her sparkling green eyes gazing down upon him.
"I love you too!" He sat up and hugged her as tightly as he
could. He felt her hands stroke his hair fondly before they let each
other go. An ache in his head caused him to moan in pain. "My head
hurts," he complained.
"Don't worry, hon. You're starting to remember. It will be over
very soon." She rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. Suddenly, it hit
him. Nearly ten years of memories cascaded into his conscious memory
causing him to scream in pain. She hugged him close again, but he did
not notice through his agony.
His life played out before him, but he was just a spectator this
time. Memories, fond and horrible alike, resurfaced from his
subconscious tearing his very existence. Though it seemed like an
eternity, it was over in a few seconds, the pain dying down. Fresh
tears covering his face, he looked at the girl who still held him
tight.
"Who are you?" His memories had returned to him; he was no longer
a child. Feeling very conscious of how close he held a beautiful
young girl, he gently pushed her back.
"I am a lost soul who has found a home after nearly fifteen
hundred years of waiting." Her familiarity startling him, he intently
stared at her in an attempt to realize who she was. As if reaching
into his subconscious, he recalled seeing her before. It was no more
than a flash at the time, but the instant he touched Nyanniichuan's
cold waters, he saw her.
"I saw you in Jusenkyo! You were near me when I..." Ranma looked
at the girl again. "...fell in Nyanniichuan," he finished slowly.
"Are you cursed too?" Her mood changed from amused to solemn with his
final words.
She nodded her head slowly looking into his eyes. "I was, but not
in the same manner as you were." She sat down next to him on the bed
and laid back, putting her arm around him. "You're going to wake up
soon now, Ranma-chan. The man out there is going to help you. Trust
him; I promise he will not hurt you." She kissed his cheek again.
"Close your eyes now."
* * *
Ranma opened her eyes, remembering the dream clearly. It had
seemed so real. She actually remembered the smell of the girl's hair
and her smooth, soft skin. She was beautiful and strange, yet very
familiar. She appeared to be protective, as if she were her mother,
yet there seemed to be a deeper love there than a motherly one.
Ranma tried to make out anything in the dark room where she had
been sleeping, but no single ray of light found its way into her
room. She heard soft, slow breathing of someone who was sitting near
her, and a heart beat slowly. She slid the blanket of her bed off of
herself and swung her legs over onto the floor, sitting up. Testing
her legs she tried to get up, but her muscles were very tight and
refused to answer her.
After stretching her muscles a bit, she stood up wavering a bit
before she stabilized herself. Walking over to the edge of the room,
she felt the wall for a door or light switch, and after bumping into
almost everything in the room she flicked the lights on.
She stood in a hospital room, filled with a bed, a few machines
and a sleeping young man sitting in a chair. Memories of her last
awakening flashed before her. "Seventeen years? Hah!" She turned,
found a door, and opened it, but was stopped by a hand which softly
grabbed her left shoulder.
Dropping her shoulder, she reached her right hand over her head,
grabbing the hand and quickly pulling the assailant into an arm bar.
She looked at the person, revealing him to be the young man who slept
moments ago. To her surprise, the man threw her off balance a bit
pulling out of her grasp.
"Please wait, Ranma-chan." The man made no move to touch her
again, but now blocked her exit. "Let me explain what is going on
before you do anything, okay?"
Ranma prepared to attack him when she heard the familiar voice of
her savior tell her, "Let him help you. I promise he won't hurt you."
The shock of hearing the voice outside a dream caused her to feel
very faint.
Mr. Nishiyama stood poised for Ranma's attack, but it never came.
Instead, her legs wobbled, toppling her over. Reacting on pure
instinct, he caught her in his arms, walking back over to her bed and
placing her in it.
He hated, more than anything else to ever happen in his life, to
have to explain his and her situation to the girl. He shared so much
in common with the girl before him that he was scared to tell her.
This was one of the few times in his life that he had ever actually
feared to do something. He had to break the news to her very softly.
"What I told you about being in a coma was true." Carefully
forming his words in his head, he had to do his best to soften the
blow. "There are a lot of things you need to know, and that I don't
want you to find out on your own."
Ranma propped herself up in a sitting position taking in her
current situation. Besides hearing a voice from a person who existed
only in her dreams, she was now in a hospital talking to a complete
stranger who apparently had horrible news for her. If things could
get any worse, she wondered how it could possibly be so.
As if to prove that it could be done, she heard what was possibly
the worst from him. "Please do your best to stay calm, ne? Listen to
all I have to say before you jump to conclusions." Considering he
probably wouldn't tell her otherwise, she nodded her approval.
"You are stuck in your cursed form permanently."
The complete shock that prepared to consume her had yet to sink
in. She just sat there, staring dumbly at the young man. His words
floated in her mind, slowly being pieced together. She was stuck in
her cursed form permanently. Taking a deep breath she looked down at
herself then closed her eyes. Permanently. She could now no longer
turn back into a male with a douse of hot water.
In one of her rare moments, Ranma fainted into unconsciousness.
Waking to piercing steel-gray eyes, she pulled herself into a
sitting position again. Remembering every word that had been spoken
before her faint, she calmly started breathing deeply. Removing all
conscious thought, she went into deep meditation. 'I am a warrior. I
can find a way to change back, no matter what he says.' This repeated
in her mind, nothing else.
Opening her eyes, she saw him sitting on the bed, arms around
her. Though she felt slightly comforted by his warm treatment of her,
she pushed out of his grasp.
"Tell me who you are. Now." This was not a question; it was a
command.
"You probably don't recognize me, do you?" She shook her head at
his question. "You may remember me by the name I discarded over ten
years ago." An unearthly silence loomed over them as Mr. Nishiyama
prepared to finish his statement.
"I was called Happosai."
End Prelude: Awakenings
_____________________________________________________________________
Part One: Changes Life Brings Us
6/15
An eerie silence permeated the room as a shocked Ranma stared at
the young man with disbelief written in her eyes. No matter how much
she wanted to disregard his words as a lie, she could not. He had
told her his name with a great deal of shame in his voice, but his
honest tone erased some of her doubt of his truthfulness. She wanted
to say something, but nothing intelligent came to her mind.
"You did this to me!" Preparing to attack, she tried to jump out
of the bed, but her legs disagreed. "I'm gonna kill you!" Her words,
though rash, were a promise.
"Please! You promised that you would listen first! I did nothing
of the sort!" He backed up to the edge of the room. "Please, listen
to my whole story before you jump to conclusions." Full of hatred,
her eyes narrowed at him. "Please?"
She turned her head in disgust and snorted. "Okay," she conceded.
Happosai turned back around facing her, his expression sad. "Explain
now, old man." She didn't know what was going on, but he had better
give her a good explanation.
As he was about to answer, her stomach grumbled angrily
expressing its hunger. Warding off the feeling of unease within
herself, she stared at him icily. He took a moment to compose himself
before answering, "There is one word that completely explains my
situation. Jusenkyo."
A mixture of anger and confusion seeped through Ranma at the
realization. Before she had a chance to say anything, Happosai
continued. "I drank the water at your wedding, believing it was
sake." More anger coursed through Ranma. "The change was slow, but
after a while it was quite obvious, though it worked like yours did
before your coma. Shortly after, I was thrown out of the Tendo
Training Hall with good reason."
"Pops and Tendo-san finally worked up enough courage to toss you
out?" She never thought that of her father and Tendo-san as nothing
more than cowards, but she could have been wrong about them.
"It was not Genma or Soun who did so, but someone else."
Steel-gray eyes regarded her curiously before continuing. "I had
caused them a great wrong, and between Ryouga and my two students,
they managed to kick me out and have me jailed."
Ranma almost burst out into laughter but motioned for him to
continue. "In a fit of anger, I decided that I'd go and teach them a
lesson, but I never got a chance."
"What do you mean?" Slightly intrigued by the story, Ranma swung
her feet over the bed, and rested her head on her hand in an attempt
to get more comfortable. "Did they stop you?"
"No, they did not." Happosai returned to his seat and scratched
his head. "I stopped myself." She looked at him incredulously. "It
was a side effect of the curse that forced me to see the error of my
ways. Whether you believe it or not, I am a changed man. When I first
realized the curse was affecting me in more then one way, I
immediately went to Jusenkyo."
Absorbed in what he was saying, she moved in a little closer. He
continued, "I talked with the guide, but he had little to tell me
about the psychological side effects of the water that he sent to
you. He could only tell me that all of the water in Jusenkyo caused
its victim to change in more ways than one. The spring of the drowned
young man, apparently, can make its victim thoughtful, kind and very
honorable."
Starting to giggle, she could hold back no longer. "You - hehe -
honorable?"
After her giggles subsided he continued where he stopped. "I felt
guilt over my actions for the first time in many years. The curse
made me realize so many things, which I will not get into at this
time. I decided that my best punishment would be being cursed
permanently as to experience the guilt in full, so I jumped in a
second time." The mood in the room suddenly became somber.
"For three years I lived in China making atonement for my sins. I
have forgiven myself since then, and have tried to become a better
person, which leads to my finding you." He took a while before
returning to the story causing an uncomfortable silence. "It has been
seventeen years since your disappearance from Nerima. I only found
you six years ago. I created an identity for you and placed you here
soon after, with a fresh medical history. That is why the doctors
only believe you to have been in a coma for six years, rather than
seventeen."
Not knowing what to say, Ranma slid off the bed and stood. "If
expect me to swallow that, don't hold your breath." She glared at him
again. "Now, *my* curse is permanent? Do you know for a fact?"
His head hung low, he nodded slowly. "I tried to change you back
shortly after I found you. That, pieced together with your altered
aura, shows that the curse is now permanent."
"Can't I just jump into the drowned man spring like you?"
He shook his head, still looking at the floor. "Once a person
jumps into a pool for a second time, they are no longer affected by
Jusenkyo's waters."
Quizzically, she asked, "What did ya mean by that change in my
aura bit?"
"Ever since I have known you, you have had a brilliant blue aura.
As you know, the color and shade of each person's aura tells us a
little bit about their nature. Your aura's color probably came from
your remarkable confidence and pride, and it was definitely
unmistakable from any other. While it has not lost its color
completely, it is now shaded pink in some of its areas. Pink, as you
know, is a mixture of red and white. Normally white is a sort of
purity and red is anger, being long lasting emotions."
Blinking in confusion, the meaning obviously escaping her, she
said, "Huh?"
"Think of it this way, Ranma-chan. Our aura is like a signature.
While it may be slightly different every time we see it, it is never
completely different. The shade of pink was *never* there before."
"What does this have to do with you knowing the curse is
permanent now?" This was just too much to swallow. She knew that she
had a blue aura, and she has seen Ryouga's dark green one, but never
had she thought of it in that way.
Taking a deep breath, he finished, "It happened to mine also,
Ranma. My aura has changed. While it was once a dark grayish-blue
lined with white, look at it now." After speaking, he closed his eyes
drawing his chi energy around him.
Ranma's jaw dropped in astonishment. He was right. His aura was
now unmistakably purple. "H-h-how?"
"I'll do my best to explain this. In every pool in Jusenkyo, a
victim drowned. While it passes on its physical form, it also passes
on a piece of its soul. The alien soul inside of us sometimes is
strong enough to influence changes within us. I allowed the spirit of
the drowned young man in, and I merged with him. While I am still
myself, his influence is obvious." Eyes full of pity, he looked at
Ranma and sighed.
"Yeah, you haven't tried to glomp me once!" The grin on her face
was slightly forced, but they both laughed anyway. "So you're sayin'
this drowned girl is inside me or something?"
He nodded.
Deciding that she had better change the subject, she asked, "Can
you get my clothes?" She saw a look of curiosity erase his outward
shame so she explained, "I don't know where they are, and this blue
thingy," she motioned to her hospital apron by tugging her sleeve a
bit, "isn't appropriate to wear outside." He nodded and lifted a bag,
hidden behind a chair. From it, he pulled out a pair of black jeans
and a red long-sleeved shirt. Ranma eyed him curiously before saying,
"Those aren't mine. Where's my Chinese clothes? And what about my
boxers?"
Fishing through the bag, Happosai procured a square piece of
clothing wrapped in clear plastic and tossed it to her. Holding it up
before her, she looked at the package of blue panties.
"Gimme a break," she said dryly. "You don't really expect me to
wear these?"
"Ranma..." he started, but did not finish. "I have no idea where
the clothes you came in here with are, but these are now yours. As to
the underwear, if you don't like them, you are welcome to try wearing
tight jeans without them."
Looking at the tight black jeans lying in her arms, she rolled
her eyes in disgust. "Guess old Happi ain't completely gone," she
muttered, her eyes flashing.
"Think whatever you will of me," he said, guilt still sounding
deeply in his voice. "I purchased those because they were the least
feminine ones that I could find."
"Oh, thank you for being so considerate!" she said, her tones
acidic.
"Please wear this also. I know you'll disagree, but unless you
wear them, it will be very obvious that you are not. It might bring
unwanted attention. Let me stress the unwanted part again." Pulling
from the bag another package, Ranma carefully took it.
"Argh!" The package contained a few bras in it. "I may have to
wear the panties, but there is no way that I'm going to fulfill your
little hentai fantasies." She paled noticeably just thinking about
not only wearing panties, but a bra too.
"Suit yourself."
"Turn your back." Ranma wasn't about to make the mistake of
disrobing before Happosai, or anyone else for that matter. After he
did so, she ripped off the blue apron and put her legs through a pair
of blue cloth panties. Though they probably looked horrible, she had
to admit they fit very well.
"If I even catch you looking, I'm going to hit you with so many
Chestnut fists that there'll be nothin' left!" She pushed her arms
through the red shirt's sleeves and worked it over her head. "This
won't fit me *when* I turn into a guy, ya know."
Her jeans were a little more difficult to put on, this being the
first pair she had ever owned, and she noted that they fit her
tightly. "These definitely won't fit me when I change back. You can
turn around."
Turning around, he coughed, "Ahem," and promptly turned back
around.
"What?"
"You really, really should wear the bra. Look in the hand
mirror."
"Huh?" Grabbing up the small mirror from the table beside her
bed, she looked at her chest. Though the shirt may have been on her
thin frame, it might as well not have been. Her nipples were very
visible through it.
Her face flushed bright red and she quickly removed the red shirt
and applied the bra, much to her disgust. "You probably did that on
purpose." She then put the red shirt one once more. "I should deck
you for that." She finished dressing and adjusted her clothing.
"Okay, I'm done."
Sighing in relief that he didn't need to press his point any
further, Happosai turned back around and faced her. "I'm very sorry
about that. I forgot how...busty you are."
Indignantly, she walked to the door and opened it. "Are ya coming
or what?" She heard him obediently get up and follow.
* * *
Blue eyes widened in surprise when they took in the surroundings.
Lush green trees dominated the scenery as she looked out the window
of Happosai's car. "Where the hell are we?" She rolled down her
window and partially stuck her head out breathing in the sweet air.
There were very few people out, due to the time of day. The houses in
the area had a strange design, looking like something he'd seen in an
architecture magazine that she idly read while at Dr. Tofu's.
"Welcome to Monterey." Happosai turned to look over at her for a
second.
Ranma thought for a moment, but did not remember ever hearing of
a city named "Monterey" in Japan. It didn't sound Japanese at all.
"Where the hell is Monterey?"
"In California."
"California?! How in God's name did I get here?!"
"I don't know."
"That doesn't help, ya know." She stuck her right hand out the
window directing some of the cold air inside to rush by her. A smile
blessed her face and she turned to him. "Is this some suburb or
somethin'?"
"Actually, all of Monterey is like this. Some places are nicer."
"That's why you live here?"
"Hai."
Pressing her head against the right side of the car, the air
refreshed her. It reminded her of the breezes that would pick up in
the mountains. Traveling through China showed her the beauty that
nature itself offered, but now she had the chance to see what beauty
man offered.
Her mind shifted back to what Happosai had told her earlier. She
could not change back to a guy. Biting her lip, she knew she had to
take this calm and rationally, but it was too damn hard! All of her
life, her father drilled into her head ideas that women were weak and
emotional, something that Ranma should never be. Now, physically, she
was a woman, and *if* this curse was permanent, would she began to
think like one?
'No!' her mind screamed. 'I will always be me!' The thought of
losing herself to the curse was more frightening than losing her
manhood. She had to admit though, not being a man was going to be
challenge, one she did not want know to know if she could handle.
"You're taking this very well, Ranma." Happosai said without
turning to her.
"That's because I still don't believe you." She glared at him.
"I'm still getting over you being Happosai." She looked him over
again. He had a nice profile, looked quite strong, very healthy and
was very handsome. Definitely not Happosai.
"Where did that come from?" Ranma could not believe she thought
THAT about HIM!
"Nani?" Happosai asked in obvious confusion.
"Nothing," Ranma replied quickly, having not intended to say that
out loud. Pushing her last thoughts into her subconscious she tried
to change her train of thought.
"What am I supposed to call you? You got an alias or somethin'?"
She grimly smiled to herself. One thing about this whole mess that
seemed promising was that it reminded her of something from a spy
flick she saw once. Though the guy in it wasn't much of a martial
artist, he was really cool. He had all kinds of disguises that would
allow him to do all sorts of spy things.
"My name here is Kiyoshi Nishiyama." He then turned his head to
look at her after he stopped for a red light. "You're Kimiko
Nishiyama, my sister."
Ranma considered this. "Wait a minute here! Don't I getta choose
my own name?" The thought of being someone's sister, while
'undercover' didn't bother her as much as the fact that she did not
get to choose her own alias.
"This is not a game, Ranma-chan." His face expressed no emotion
while he talked. "This is your new identity. Ranma Saotome is
officially dead in Japan."
"D-d-dead?" she managed to squeak.
"Hai."
Shock finally set in as it washed away nearly all of her
remaining denial. All of the cold hard realities that Happosai had
laid out before her seemed to finally be taking effect. Ranma Saotome
of the Anything Goes School of martial arts was dead. Seventeen years
had passed and she was far away from her home in Japan.
After two years of living with the Tendos, she had matured
greatly and she knew it too. She fell in love with a girl who, after
a few years, accepted her cursed form. Her life was beginning to make
sense after so many years of fleeing from all of the troubles that
she, and her father had brought about. She had overcome her paranoia
of her curse, now no longer thinking that others saw her differently
because of it. She had friends, family, and Akane.
Now everything was gone, everything she had worked so hard to
achieve. Ranma Saotome was dead. He was dead.
"It wasn't an accident, was it?" The beautiful light, that made
Happosai love Ranma for who she was, had extinguished. She had always
been so carefree and full of life, much like he was in his early
years.
"No." He wasn't happy about telling her the whole truth, but it
was better this way. He had to tell her everything; keeping things
from her would only made things worse in the end. He lost far to many
friends and loved ones to secrets and lies to repeat the past.
"Whoever did this to me is going to pay."
He looked at her again. Her face caught the sun, eyes shining
bright but lacking life.
"I know."
* * *
Amanda Childs worked, tirelessly cooking one of the finest meals
she had ever attempted, in her opinion. Though many people
complimented that her meals were fabulous, she was always to modest
to consider herself a good cook, but today she cooked her best.
Everything had to be just right for Kiyoshi's little sister, Kimiko
who was coming home for the first time after six years of
hospitalization. She always liked to give the best first impressions
possible, and today would be no different.
The happiness written on her face was undeniable. Today she would
have someone new to care of. If she wasn't mistaken, Kimiko was about
nine when she went into a coma and would need more than just
tutoring. Her first joy was children, and this was a job she looked
forward to.
Stretching her arms above her head, she hummed happily while
waiting for the food to finish. A few minutes later, the timer went
off and she pulled her creation from the oven, carefully avoiding
burning herself.
Having visited Kimiko a month ago, Amanda was startled at how
beautiful the young girl was, looking to be a few years older than
fifteen. With proper make-up and clothing, little Kimiko would be
radiantly beautiful. A smile blossomed on Amanda's face realizing
that the two of them would have to go shopping tomorrow.
Right after watching and taking care of children, came shopping.
Kiyoshi was very generous and basically allowed her to buy herself
whatever she desired. Though she did enjoy shopping for herself a
great deal, shopping for others delighted her even more. Since little
Miss Kimiko would need a full wardrobe, it might take several days
for them to complete the task.
Having prepared dinner for the Nishiyamas, she made her way to
the large living room and flicked on the television. Surfing through
over two hundred channels gave her a wide variety of options.
After concluding that nothing was on television, Amanda decided
to take a nap, but was quickly awoken by the sound of car doors
slamming shut. They had finally arrived!
* * *
The remainder of the car ride was spent in silence. Ranma kept
herself busy looking at the scenery while Happosai concentrated on
driving. The silence ended when they neared their destination.
"Remember, I am Kiyoshi and you are Kimiko. I cannot have anyone
asking questions about why we would call each other anything else."
Breaking the car until it reached gated housing section, Happosai
lowered the driver's side window and leaned out far enough to reach a
metal panel. He pressed a combination of buttons opening the gate.
"Hai," Ranma replied unenthusiastically.
"Would you mind if I called you Kimchan?" Ranma only replied to
his question shrugging. "Kimchan it is."
Slowly driving his car through the gates, Happosai cast a
concerned glance at his companion. The life seemed to have been
drained out of her, with good reason. She lost her whole existence
and now had to settle for an old man in a young man's body, one whom
she had previously hated with a passion. He was surprised that she
was holding up this well.
Driving into his housing complexes, which was composed mainly of
rich families, he returned the waves of his female neighbors. The
women around him were very friendly, and he enjoyed every second of
their attention. After nearly a hundred years of being shunned by
every woman in the world, he grew accustomed to being without female
companionship. Now it seemed he could get nearly any woman he wanted,
and he did not want to take it for granted, nor would he take
advantage of his gift.
"As I told you earlier, we are meeting a young lady, named Amanda
Childs." Glancing over at her again, he went over what they had
earlier again. "She will help you with whatever you need while I am
unable. She also likes to cook for me when I eat in. Her cooking is
the American equivalent of Kasumi's."
Ranma turned her head to face forward, still seeming not to pay
attention. Her pale skin glowed in the light of day, making her seem
fragile. Long, fiery red bangs blew to and fro as the cool air
circulated through the car.
"Are you doing okay, Kimchan?" Happosai said, emphasizing her new
name.
"Hai."
He nodded and turned, driving up to a house and stopping.
Removing the keys from the ignition and opening the door, he looked
at Ranma again before exiting the vehicle and closing the door behind
him.
Walking around to the other side of the car, he opened the
passenger side door, allowing Ranma to exit. She did so without
second thought and she followed him up a narrow pathway which led to
the door of a very large, three-story house.
"You live here?" Ranma asked curiously.
"Hai," he answered. "The man, who adopted both of us and left me
this house, liked the neighborhood, and decided that he wouldn't move
no matter how much money he earned." He watched as she looked at the
house in awe.
"Someone adopted me?" She raised an eyebrow in disbelief and
confusion. "Someone adopted *you*?"
"Hai, Nobukazu Nishiyama adopted me, then you, after I discovered
you still lived. Unfortunately, he passed away last year and was
unable to be here when you woke up. He left me his estate, business
and accounts. I will tell you the whole story another time."
Before he could even get close enough to the door to reach the
knob, it swung open revealing a beautiful, blonde-haired woman who
looked to be in her mid-twenties. Ranma jumped back a little, but
Kiyoshi, used to such behavior from the blonde, only smiled.
"Kiyo-kun!" her melodic voice rang out in Japanese with a mild
American accent. "And you must be young Kimiko-san. It is so good to
finally meet you. I am Amanda Childs." She bowed to the both of them.
"Hello, Amanda-san." Kiyoshi could tell that the blonde was
desperately restraining herself from grabbing Ranma up in a bear hug.
"It's good to meet you, Amanda-san." Ranma greeted with a bow.
"Oh, both of you, come in before you catch a chill!"
Ushering the two into the house, Amanda closed the door behind
them.
* * *
Ranma's eyes opened wide when she witnessed the interior of
Happosai's house. The hall itself was a square room which lead up to
the next floor by a broad stairway and to both her left and right.
Exotic paintings covered the walls creating a museum-like atmosphere.
Laying across the floor, a red carpet led straight up the stairs from
the doorway. A blue ceramic vase with odd, coiled designs,
accompanied by a lamp, sat atop a small wooden table to the left of
the stairway.
Following Happosai and the blonde woman upstairs, Ranma walked
slowly looking at each painting that they passed closely. The first
couple did not really catch her attention, but the third most
certainly did. A large dragon lay motionless in mid-flight, breathing
orange-red flames. Below it, helpless victims of the dragon's wrath
ran from their burning homes. The detail of the painting itself was
very elaborate. She would have to ask Kiyoshi about it sometime.
Arriving at a door, Amanda turned the knob and allowed her two
companions to enter before she walked in. After following Kiyoshi
into the room, Ranma figured out the meaning of their visitation of
this particular one. The light green pastel paint covering the walls
created a serene environment. It was only complimented by the dark
green covers of the bed that lay centered in the room, the head of
the bed up against the far wall. A vanity mirror lay to one side of
the bed with an empty desk to the other.
"This will be your room, Kimchan," 'Kiyoshi' told her. "Though
the closet and dresser are empty, Amanda will take you to fill them
tomorrow after breakfast." He patted her shoulder and left the two
girls, saying before he left, "I will see you at dinner."
When the door shut behind Kiyoshi, Amanda motioned for Kimiko to
sit on her bed and did likewise after the younger girl. She looked at
the redhead. Her beautiful fiery hair sat tangled on her shoulders.
Her skin was very pale and her features were gaunt, but that did not
detract much from her beauty. Amanda figured that Kimiko could easily
be a model with the proper diet and grooming, not to mention
clothing.
"I hope you like your room," Amanda said trying to spark a
conversation. She wanted to learn all she could about her; they would
be spending quite a lot of time together. Since Kimiko missed the
last six years, she would probably have only been nine years of age
when she went into her coma; therefore, she would most likely have
missed the mother to daughter talks of puberty, boys and everything
in those areas of conversation. This excited Amanda quite a bit,
because she always wanted to have a daughter, and Kimiko would almost
constitute as one, considering her brother was her only living
relative.
"It's more than I'm used to," Kimiko said weakly not really
paying attention to anything in particular. She looked up and met
Amanda's eyes. "Is dinner almost ready? I'm starving."
Seeing Kimiko's startling blue eyes, Amanda smiled at the girl.
"It should be ready in less than a half an hour. You're welcome to
explore the house until then." After receiving the girl's nod, she
stood up and began to walk out. "If you need someone to talk to about
anything, I'm here for you. I hope we can be friends." She smiled
broadly at the girl and left the room.
After the blonde left, Ranma fell back on the bed given to her.
So many things had happened in the last few hours and she was having
difficulty sorting through it all. If she thought her life before was
strange, this certainly made an ironic ending.
Fighting every martial artist from Japan to China, she never
thought that she would be defeated like this. She had figured that
someone would eventually defeat her in the heat of combat, but to not
even know what had happened to her...how could this be real?
It felt like only yesterday she was holding Akane in her arms and
smelling the fragrance of soap in her hair while watching the stars.
They made a promise together that night, that they would love each
other forever no matter what happened.
Pressing her hand to her chest, her heart ached with loneliness.
If what Kiyoshi told her was true, Akane could be lost to her forever
with an ocean between them. Trying to hold back sobs, she closed her
eyes envisioning Akane's beautiful face in their last night together.
Ranma would love Akane forever as she had promised.
Hearing Amanda call from downstairs, she realized that she failed
in not crying, tears streaking down her face. Wiping her cheeks with
the sleeve of her shirt, she sat up and took a close look at her
room. It was very empty, but it still contained more furniture than
the one she had shared with her father. Her reflection, from the
mirror hung to her right of her bed, stared back at her. She looked
at herself noticing the puffy rings around her eyes caused from
crying.
"Are you well, Kimchan?" Kiyoshi said, startling her.
"Hai," she turned to face him, his eyes regarding her sadly. "I
wasn't crying. S-something was in my eye." Closing her eyes and
inwardly shouting at herself for such a stupid excuse, knowing he saw
through that one.
"Of course not. Dinner's ready. I'll show you to the dining
room."
* * *
After they had dinner, Kiyoshi showed Ranma to the backyard. As
large as the house was, the backyard nearly doubled its size. Neatly
trimmed grass covered most of the ground besides a fenced off area
near the door to the house. What caught her eye the most, though, was
the pond in the center.
Ranma approached the pool cautiously looking over into its
waters. Just as she suspected, koi swam in its depths. Tracing her
finger in the water, she smiled. This reminded her of the Tendo's koi
pond, down to the rocks surrounding it and to the type of fish
inside.
"I had that put in two years ago," Kiyoshi told her. "Gives you
fond memories of home, ne?"
She nodded and went back to staring at the koi. "I'm going to
hang out here for a while and think," she said to him and he returned
to the house.
Sitting on a rock, she wrapped her arms around herself, staring
intently at the pond. There were so many memories linked with the
Tendo's, since he had been thrown in it almost every day for two
years. A smile worked its way to her face after a few of them
surfaced.
She held out a hand before her, looking closely at her palm.
Tracing a finger down the largest line on her hand, she remembered
what an old fortune teller had told her about it. The length of that
particular line was supposed to be her lifeline. The old woman had
told her that she had one of the longest that she had ever seen, and
considering the age of the woman, that must have covered many people.
Closing her eyes and breathing in the fresh air one more time,
she decided it was time to go indoors. Crossing the way to the door,
the cool grass tickled her toes. Before she could open the door, it
slid open.
"Hello, Kimiko," Amanda greeted, her smile never leaving her
lips. "I thought you'd like to take a bath, so I prepared one for
you."
"Hai, I'd like that very much."
* * *
Ranma followed Amanda upstairs and into the bathroom where she
was handed a towel.
"If you need anything, just yell." She turned to leave and added
before closing the door, "My room is down the hall."
After the door clicked shut, Ranma looked around the large,
spacious bathroom. Unlike the Tendo's bathroom, this one was made up
of only one large room. The floral patterns on the tile screamed in
neon pinks and yellows. Equally pink towels hung from the rack on the
painted yellow wall.
Filled to the top with hot water, the tub beckoned her.
Shrugging, she tugged her clothes off and tossed them onto the floor.
Not wanting to see herself in the mirror, she averted her eyes from
its direction. Finding soap, she entered the shower and quickly
scrubbed herself down. After rinsing with the cold water, she entered
the tub.
Sighing in contentment, she lowered herself into the tub,
enjoying the warmth the water offered. A strange feeling crept up her
spine causing her to look at her shape. Kiyoshi had told her the
truth.
As she realized that the rest of what he had told her was
probably true, her body shook with sobs. Her last shred of denial was
forcefully ripped from her. Shutting her eyes tight, her crying
stopped as abruptly as they begin as a calm aura crept over her.
"Everything will be okay, Ranma-chan," the familiar voice said to
her softly as if whispering into her ear.
Eyes opening wide, she sat up straight, looking for the source of
the voice. "Who's there?" she whispered, fearing the answer. The
unoccupied bath water in front of her threatened to spill over the
edge of tub.
"I am, my love."
Knowing that no one was around, Ranma closed her eyes, a single
tear spilling down her cheek. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt a
warm hand wipe it off.
"Who are you?" Ranma asked, already guessing the answer.
A picture of a girl of about twenty years of age formed in her
head. Her raven-black hair spilled into her face and down onto her
shoulders. Her face was very pale as if death had already taken her,
but beautiful. Her finely chiseled features would have made any woman
jealous and any man envious. Her clothing seemed to have seen better
days and she recognized that, at one time, must have been quite
expensive. What took all of Ranma's attention, though, were her eyes.
Like emeralds sparkling in the sunlight of a new day, her eyes shined
with life and vitality that her body did not seem to possess. Her
outstretched hand retreated from Ranma's face.
"I was once called Lillith a very long time ago," the girl
answered with her sweet musical voice. "You can call me Lilly if you
wish."
Unable to say anything more, Ranma opened her eyes and was
shocked once more seeing the girl sitting in the tub in front of her.
Her clothes were completely wet and torn and a faint white aura was
visible around her. She raised her hand again, wiping Ranma's cheek
clean of fresh tears.
"Don't cry, Ranma-chan. I can't stand seeing you cry."
Letting out a breath she had held for a good amount of time,
Ranma's sobs started anew. Her vision blurred and she put her hands
to her face. The warm embrace that followed caused her to relax some,
and she rested her chin on her Lilly's shoulder.
"Hush, hush, love. Everything will be okay."
From the door to the bathroom, she heard a knock. "Are you okay
in there, Kimiko-san?" Amanda's voice asked from outside. "I thought
I heard talking."
"I'm fine!" Ranma called back gently pushing Lilly out of their
embrace. "You drowned in Jusenkyo," she stated.
"Hai, fifteen hundred years ago."
Sapphire met emerald as they stared at each other. Ranma felt the
warmth in Lilly's eyes and the true, deep sorrow in her words. This
was the one whose body she took even now wore...whose body she stole
upon falling in the dark waters of Jusenkyo.
"Oh no, love!" Lilly said with a tone that almost implied humor.
"Your body was merely changed in my waters, but it is still your
own." Her smile sent waves of warmth up Ranma's spine.
"But... how come you're here?" Pulling together her wits, Ranma
sniffed a few times before wiping her wet face with her wrist, only
spreading the water. "I don't understand."
"You released me from my ethereal bonds when you fell into
Nyanniichuan. I felt a kindred soul and drew myself towards it,
towards you. I was trapped there, and now I am free."
"That doesn't make any sense. If you're free, shouldn't you be in
heaven or something?"
"Heaven lies within us all, and to find it one must be ready. I
am far from being ready enough to make that journey, love. To be
prepared, I must first repay my debt to you, my liberator. It is a
debt that I wish to repay with all of my soul."
Taking Ranma's head in her hands, Lillith kissed the redhead on
her cheek and released her. "I am always here for you, love. If you
need someone to comfort you, just call my name."
"When you are ready, I will come again." Her physical form fading
from existence, Lilly waved her hand slowly, smiling.
After her soak, Ranma pulled herself from the tub and grabbed the
disgustingly pink towel from its place on the rack. After she dried
each foot before placing them on the floor, she quickly dried herself
off and walked up to the sink. Staring at the slightly fogged mirror,
something bothered her about her reflection.
Using her towel to make a circular hole in the layer of steamed
on the mirror, Ranma looked at her own startled face, eyes wide with
shock. Her features were somehow different. Where as before they
seemed roughly the same age as her male form, at eighteen years of
age, now she could swear that she looked approximately as old as she
did when she first received her curse at sixteen years of age. This
was the face that she saw back in the hospital without realizing the
semi-startling difference from her old female self's appearance.
Not wanting to explore this new development any further, she
quickly dressed and exited the bathroom into the cool air of the rest
of the house.
* * *
Morning light shed into her room through the dark green blinds on
the window in Ranma's room. Shifting restlessly, her eyes slowly
opened and she yawned deeply, putting a hand over her mouth. Her
sleep had been strangely pleasant and she felt completely refreshed,
physically at least.
She weakly stood up and limped over to the blinds, opening them
wide to look out the window. The streets were empty but for a few
children playing on the lawn of the house in front of Kiyoshi's.
Sliding the window open, the cool sweet air gently blew into her
room.
She knelt down and rested her elbow on the window seal watching
the children play with mild interest. They were all dressed in
loose-fitting, bright clothing and played with a ball roughly the
size of a soccer ball, kicking it in between each other. The ball had
a surprising amount of energy behind it as it soared from child to
child.
Hearing a knock on the door, Ranma slowly walked over and opened
it revealing Amanda's cheery figure.
"Good morning, Kimiko-san. Breakfast is ready."
Needing no more reason to get ready, Ranma threw on her clothes
and rushed down the stairs as quickly as she could, though her legs
seemed strangely tired.
After the strange, but surprisingly good, breakfast of pancakes
and fruit, Ranma excused herself and left to the backyard. The
brightness of the sun hurt her eyes, but she quickly adjusted and
began stretching.
Though her body protested, Ranma began a simple kata that only
included some fairly basic blocks, punches and kicks. A cool breeze
kept her from breaking out into a sweat, but she tired quickly after
flowing into a few other basic katas.
Gritting her teeth and keeping her breathing controlled, she
continued into a more difficult one, which she normally could have
completed a hundred times without breaking a sweat, but unable to
finish it. Between her frustration and perseverance, she refused to
give up until she fell over in exhaustion.
After a few minutes of laying in the grass panting, she got up
and entered the house.
Teeth chattering, Ranma endured the freezing cold water of the
shower as she rinsed off. Fortunately, Amanda lent her an outfit that
she could wear when the went out shopping. She had been told that the
grass stains on her jeans and red shirt made that one not suitable
enough.
Wondering why anyone, or she for that matter, cared, caused her
to roll her eyes more than once, but she did not press the point
since she was a guest in the house. She slipped on a clean pair of
panties then grimaced at the uncomfortable bra that had been provided
for her. She would not wear it with her baggy apparel. The white
T-shirt wasn't tight enough to show off her rather obvious, overly
large anatomy.
Amanda waited patiently at the front door for Kimiko to get
dressed. She had offered the redhead quite a few pieces of clothing,
but she refused a lot of them and only accepted one of her old white
T-shirts and a pair of baggy blue jeans. It mattered little though,
because they would soon remedy the problem with many more outfits
that would make the redhead look so cute!
"Amanda-san?"
Waking from her thoughts, Amanda looked at the glum-looking
little redhead. "Okay, let's go!" she said, obviously much happier
than her companion.
They entered one of Kiyoshi's cars, a silver convertible
Corvette. The look on the redhead's face showed that she had not seen
one of its like before.
"Nice, ne?" Amanda asked with a grin on her face.
"Wow," she said as she sat in the passenger seat, the leather
squeaking. "I've never been in, much less seen such an
expensive-looking car before. Is it yours?"
"Oh Lord, no! This is Kiyo-kun's. He lets me drive whichever of
his cars that I want to."
"Oh."
Amanda flashed a smile at the girl and started the engine. Th
purr the car made always sounded so sweet to her ears. Backing the
car out carefully, she left the driveway and then the neighborhood.
"So," Amanda began. "What type of music do you like?"
"I dunno," Kimiko said, a look of deep thought on her face. "Rock
I guess?" The redhead smiled when they drove onto the highway and the
winds blew her hair and Amanda was amazed at how long it was.
"We'll get you a haircut and a make-over while we're there." The
expression on the girl's face looked as if she was offended or hated
the idea. Disregarding the second reason as pure silliness, she
quickly spoke again, "Not that you need it, but it would make a major
improvement. It'll make you look so much cuter!"
'How could this get any worse?' Ranma wondered as they continued
on the highway. She did concede that she needed a haircut pretty bad,
but she doubted that she would have little choice as to how it would
be styled. What bothered her was the make-over. She did not know
exactly what one was, but it sounded extremely girlish!
"I don't know if we'll have enough time for all of that!" she
exclaimed, desperately trying to think of something to get her out of
doing at least the second activity. It was simply bad enough that she
was going to end up having to wear a 'cute' hair style and 'cute'
clothing, but make-up to go along with it?
"Oh, of course we will, silly! Kiyo-kun won't get back until late
tonight, and he did say to have fun."
Sighing in defeat, Ranma closed her eyes. Was it her fate to be
treated like a little girl by a near-complete stranger and Happosai
in a young body? Should she even care now that Akane was forever out
of her reach?
Not allowing tears to stain her face once more, she decided to
look at the brighter side of things. It was nice to be pampered and
treated as a human for once, even though it was in a slightly
different manner than she preferred. Next to no one ever really
considered 'her' feelings or treated her like someone special. Most
of the time she had been a trophy or an object of jealousy with
almost no friends to show for her efforts, no matter how hard she
tried.
Until her most recent memories, she really did not enjoy living
too much. Travels with her father were little more than a trial to be
endured. Life at the Tendo Training Hall was hectic, to say the
least. Near the end of her life as Ranma, she was finally getting a
life to live her own way.
'Hah! The brighter side...' she mentally cursed. It was obvious
that Amanda did care for her, even though they only met the day
before. Kiyoshi seemed to care for her too, but she did wonder how
much of it was an act, considering he still was Happosai. Maybe he
would teach her some of his techniques and she could learn how to at
least act like a girl from Amanda. She knew she could never really be
a girl, though her anatomy showed otherwise.
"Kimchan?"
Ranma came out of her reverie and looked at Amanda who opened the
passenger side door.
"Are you okay?"
Ranma nodded and cautiously pulled herself out of the
convertible.
"You don't mind if I call you that, do you?"
Ranma shook her head and the duo walked towards an outdoor mall.
"Welcome to the Del Monty Shopping Center," Amanda said, smiling
sweetly. If Ranma could appreciate one thing from her, it would be
her Kasumi-like nature. Amanda's mood almost rubbed off on the
redhead. Almost.
"Oh, let's go in here too!" the blonde cried out for nearly the
dozenth time, dragging an unwilling Ranma behind her. They had
entered more types stores than Ranma knew existed. First they entered
a beauty salon where Ranma was forced to sit still for nearly three
quarters of an hour while the hair 'stylist' butchered her hair. It
was now styled so cute that Ranma felt like vomiting the contents of
her stomach. Her bangs were trimmed a little above eyes and the
length of her hair was now half way down her back styled into a
ponytail - roughly like Akane's when they first met, only she had to
admit that the style did look ten times better on herself, much to
her disgust.
After that, they had entered clothing store after clothing
storewhere they had purchased many outfits, including the one Ranma
wore at the moment, a red mini-skirt, a white blouse and a matching
red vest - the color of her hair. It was no worse than the shoes she
now wore though, which matched her outfit and were extremely
comfortable but unconditionally feminine.
Ranma's mouth dropped in horror as she realized which store they
were walking into this time, a lingerie shop. She tried to backpedal
but was once again dragged against her will. She could have easily
broke out of her grasp, but it probably would have hurt the blonde
and that was the last thing that she wanted to do. Ranma could only
accepted her impending doom with what little dignity she had left and
take it like a man...or whatever.
A blast of cool air and a woman dressed in a blue mini-skirt and
a sky blue blouse greeted them as they walked in. The two women
talked to each other in English for a little under a minute before
the store attendant turned to Ranma.
"She's going to help us find things that'll look *so* cute on
you, Kimchan!" Amanda informed the sulking redhead. She then ushered
her into a changing booth. "Wait right here while we pick you out
some underwear."
Emerging from the dreaded lingerie shop, the duo carried an extra
bag in their possession, putting their tally at six. The broad smile
on Amanda's face showed her enjoyment of this event and Ranma could
only help but feel a little bit of her enthusiasm.
"Wasn't that just so much fun?" Amanda asked as they finally made
their way back to the Corvette.
Feigning enjoyment, Ranma nodded with a fake smile.
"What's wrong?" she asked, concern prominent in her voice.
How she saw through this facade and not during their shopping
trip completely baffled the redhead. "Nothing," Ranma mumbled.
"Ah, come on," the blonde said, pulling Ranma into a hug. "You
can't tell me you didn't enjoy countless people slaving over your
appearance!"
The sad part was that Ranma did enjoy the attention, somewhat.
Giggling, Ranma wondered what everyone back in Nerima would think of
her now. She could imagine them yelling, "Ranma's cross-dressing,
what a pervert!"
While the two girls had their 'fun', Kiyoshi spent the day in his
office putting up with the kiss asses. His bountiful patience running
short, he decided it was time to call it a day. No matter how much he
enjoyed living the life of a normal person, there were so many downs
that he pondered becoming a traveling martial artist again, even if
just for a few days.
His life changed so dramatically after his exposure to the
Jusenkyo water. Before, life was a gigantic game and he was an
observer who only took part when it suited him. Now, he made
decisions on a daily basis that effected nearly six thousand others.
The increased responsibility made him feel needed, but after years of
doing it, it grew old. He still enjoyed it for the most part, but his
life was now centered around a lively teenage girl.
He definitely had his work cut out for him. Ranma was not taking
the whole situation well, as he expected, but Kiyoshi had little or
no idea of how to handle the situation. He figured that he would at
least continue her training and show her that, besides a few strength
and speed differences, she was still herself. Unfortunately, with her
loss of identity and family, that would be very tough to do. She
would probably be severely depressed for a while.
Making his way to his car, Kiyoshi wondered how Ranma was doing
now. The thought of taking care of her made him smile inwardly,
getting to have the little sister he never had in natural life. Ranma
was in the same position he was years ago, even though she had yet to
realize the gravity of it.
"Don't expect her to accept her situation overnight, my friend,"
sounded the familiar voice that only he could hear.
"I know, Seiichi," he replied. "You haven't talked to me in a
while. What made you speak up now?"
"You seem to need my guidance," the voice returned. "Now more
than ever."
Retrieving his keys from his pocket, he unlocked his car and sat
down in the driver's seat. "That I do, friend." He put the keys in
the ignition and started the car. "I just don't know what to do about
her."
"Just be there when she needs a friend," Seiichi said,
materializing next to Kiyoshi. "She must face reality herself, but
you can help comfort her. That is all I can offer in the way of
advice."
Kiyoshi spared the dead samurai a glance, wondering if Seiichi
ever appeared anything but serious. His youthful appearance was just
that, an appearance, for the wisdom this spirit possessed was nearly
as infinite as the possibilities life held, a contradiction to the
brashness of youth. Though simple, his advice always proved to work
more effectively than anything he could have thought of himself.
"How much easier life was when my day consisted of snatching
underwear from unsuspecting women," Kiyoshi mumbled to himself.
"And how much emptier?" quipped Seiichi.
"Touch�."
Arriving at after a few stops in town, Kiyoshi parked his car and
walked up to the front door, once again having it opened before he
had the chance to do it himself. Instead of Amanda's ever-cheerful
greeting, though, he received a very disapproving glare from Ranma.
The clothes Ranma wore, made him take a step back. Between her hair,
clothes and make-up, he hardly recognized her. She was absolutely
stunning for a girl who looked almost fifteen and appeared nothing
like the tomboy he had seen but a day before.
"We *have* to talk."
He simply nodded and followed her up to her room after slipping
out of his shoes. She shut the door after he followed her in. He sat
after she motioned for him to do so.
"What is it?" he asked, almost knowing the answer.
"What is it?" Ranma mimicked, nearly yelling. "What is it?!" she
asked again, but with less volume. "I spent the whole entire day..."
she shrugged her shoulders unable to finish. "You knew what she would
do. I've never been so humiliated in my life!"
"Why should you be humiliated?" he asked simply.
"Don't play dumb with me!" she said, folding her arms. "Look at
me!"
He stared at her, one eyebrow rising. "What's wrong with you? You
look beautiful."
Nearly growling, Ranma tried to keep under control. "I look like
a girl! I'm dressed like a girl! I even *smell* like a girl!!"
Confused by her answer, he regarded her curiously. "You are a
girl."
"NO, I'M NOT!!!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "I'M A
GUY!!" She lashed out at him violently.
Rolling out of the way of her kick, he fell off the bed and
quickly sprang himself upright, dodging her next assault. In between
blocking punches he tried to calm her, "Please stop, Kimchan! I
didn't mean any offense. Please tell me what's wrong!"
"What's wrong?!" Ranma screamed, falling to her knees. "What the
fuck do you think is wrong?!" Her upper torso fell over and she began
to cry into her lap. "I'm dead," she managed to say between sobs.
Walking towards her cautiously, he slowly put his hand on her
shoulder. He realized, too late, what she meant. He knew that being a
man meant so much to her, but considering herself dead because of
losing it? Could that be it?
She did not shrug off his hand; rather, she looked up at him with
puffy-red eyes, her sobs slowing. "Why are you trying to be so nice
to me? We were enemies back in Nerima." She looked at his hand,
considering.
Ranma held back her sobs as best as she could, but a few escaped
past her defenses as she awaited Kiyoshi's answer. The amount of
changes she had suffered through in such a short period of time was
taking its toll on her. She wasn't used to anything she was being put
through.
"I never thought of you as an enemy, Ranma-chan," he said. When
she stared back at him, unbelieving, he continued. "I knew you hated
me, but I've always been so proud of you. My foolish student, Genma,
may have screwed up royally with his life, but his greatest
achievement was you. He never knew quite what he had until he lost
it."
"You mean it?" Ranma asked him, her voice full of self pity.
"Definitely," she heard him say as he crouched down to bring
himself at eye-level with her. "What would you say if I trained you
personally, every day until you find something better to do?"
Her eyes opened wide in consideration. Though she remembered him
foremost as the most notorious pervert who ever walked the earth, she
also considered him one of its greatest martial artists too. Being
trained every day by him would enhance her skill tenfold, if not
more. Cologne had done the same by help her learn the Chestnut Fist.
She nodded, dumbfounded by his proposition. If she still had one
thing, it was the art. When life was there to try to kill her, she
always had it to strengthen her heart.
"Great, we will begin in ten minutes," Kiyoshi announced. "I have
something in my car that you might like."
"If it's a bra, I'm going to rip your head off," she said with a
half smile.
Followed by Ranma to his car, Kiyoshi unlocked the trunk and
removed a large canvas bag from it. He then closed the trunk and
carried the bag into the back.
"Everything that's in there is yours," he said putting it down on
the grass. He backed up and motioned for her to examine it.
Kneeling down, she unzipped the bag and began to remove its
contents. The look on her face expressed genuine joy. A nunchaku was
the first item she procured from it, followed by a baton and a small
gi top.
"Hey, that's my size," she mused. Not caring about the present
company, she removed her vest and blouse, revealing her bountiful
chest in a white bra. Kiyoshi tried to turn his head, but she quickly
put on the gi top, tying it shut. "Fits perfect!"
Removing the gi bottom from the bag caused him to turn around
quickly. After he figured she was done changing, he turned to see her
standing holding the baton in one hand, twirling it in her right hand
like a master. The smile on her face made all the difference in the
world.
"I'll go change into mine and we can get started. I have more
weapons in my study that we can use later on, if your interested." He
turned to leave but was stopped by her hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks, Kiyoshi," she said, putting emphasis on the name. "You
didn't have to do this for me." She looked at him with her
crystalline blue eyes.
"Yes I did, Kimchan," he returned. "Who else would have?" Patting
her on the shoulder, he turned and left to get ready for their work
out.
End Part One: Changes Life Brings Us