First off, let me thank all those who responded to this idea. You
have all encouraged me to give this story a shot. As always, C&C is welcome,
requested, and appreciated. Send C&C either privately or publicly, I'm not
picky. After all, beggars can't be choosers...

        Ziggy (legal mojo) sez:
Ranma 1/2 and all things related were created by Rumiko Takahashi, and are
used without permission. 

        Curse of the Ranmaniichuan, Chapter one:

                Ranma 2/3

=========================================================

        Jusenkyou. The legendary training grounds of cursed springs. It was
a place one didn't usually want to find. Of course, there are always
exceptions. Lunatics such as those were few and far between, but they were
out there, and he pitied those more than the others unfortunate enough to
find their way here.

        The plump Chinese man sat by the window, puffing on his pipe. The
rythmic sounds of the rain, not to mention the groovy smoke coming from the
pipe's bowl, conspired to put him to sleep. His eyelids were growing heavier
and heavier, his breathing deeper...deeper...dee...per.

        A blast of coughs sounded from one of the adjacent rooms, startling
him to full wakefulness. Shelving his pipe, he hefted his large frame from
the simple wood chair and made his way to the room where yet another poor
unfortunate victim of Jusenkyou was recouperating.

        The young man was in phenomenal shape. He had managed to survive the
disease this long without proper medical care, maybe he'd pull through. He
dipped a washcloth in the washbasin beside the man's bed. He then wiped the
cool, damp cloth across the bedridden man's forehead. He had an unnervingly
high fever, characteristic of pneumonia. His breathing was labored from the
liquid in his lungs. He lay there moaning in delerium. The Guide could only
imagine the fever-inspired nightmares that were racking the young man's
brain. The coughing fit finally subsided, and the man lay back. The Guide
could hear the gurgling in the sick man's chest, and hoped he'd make it. 

=========================================================

        Morning at Jusenkyou was always a beautiful sight. The sun's golden
rays burned away the early morning mist as the heavenly disc rose over the
Byankala mountains. Xiang Fao, Groundskeeper of the cursed springs for over
thirty years, stood at the rim of one of the newly cursed springs.

        It was indeed a dubious honor, reflected the guide, to have one of
these damned things named after you. Mallet in hand, he hammered the small
wooden sign into the dirt. There was no name, just a warning to steer clear.
This was one of the few springs that wasn't cursed, though that may have
changed. He wiped the sweat off his brow. Ninety-five degrees and only half
past May. Turning, he began to head back to his shed. Plum could only do so
much for their guest. Halfway between the spring and the shed, he heard
someone screaming in the woods. The words were indistinct, but the voice
sounded terrified, as though it were being chased by a demon. 

        If Xiang Fao was any judge, the voice was headed straight towards
him, which meant that whoever it was had a damn good chance of running right
into the possibly now-cursed spring. The voice got louder, the fear more
discernable, as were the words. Languages weren't his strong suit, but he
knew the words to be Japanese. Damned foreign tourists...

        He came barelling out of the woods like a bat out of hell. He wore
standard hiking gear, light-colored pants and shirt, with a hat and boots. a
large backpack and bedroll completed the ensemble. The Guide didn't notice
much else escept that he was small, wore glasses, and was headed right for
that...

        *SPLASH!* Well, that takes care of him. The Guide ambled over to the
spring, his physical condition not allowing him to sprint. Maybe he could
save the poor fool's life. The water swirled, and from it arose a man
completely unlike the one that went in. The clothes were the same, as was
the backpack. His body, though, had underwent a radical change. Before, he
was a small man, roughly five feet if an inch. He had grown at least seven
or eight inches. Where he was once thin as a rail, he sported some serious
muscletone, threatening to rip his outfit in some places. A black pigtail
peeked out from the back of the hat.

        He pulled himself the rest of the way out of the spring and rose to
his feet. He turned as the Guide approached, out of breath from the exertion.

        "What happened?" the man asked. In his broken Japanese, the Guide
answered.

        "Welcome to Jusenkyou, legendary training ground of cursed springs.
You want come into shed. Have much to tell you."

        "What...what are you talking about?" the man replied. He was
obviously confused, and still a little shaky. He hadn't yet noticed his new
body. The guide gently took his arm and began to guide him into the shed. No
matter how many times he had to break the news, it never got easier...

=========================================================

        Still in his damp clothes, the man sat on the couch, a glass of cold
water in his hand. The Guide worked in the kitchen heating a kettle of
water. He hoped the water would boil before Nakamura-san found the mirror.

        "YEEAAAAGGHHHH!" Xiang Fao's luck was really out today... He walked
out into the main room, where Nakamura-san was standing before a full-length
mirror. He stared in shock and disbelief at the man who stared back at him
from behind the looking glass. He looked down at his body, at the mirror,
back at his body, and back at the mirror. This continued for several
minutes, before he started to chuckle. The chuckling grew louder, and then
swelled into a gale of mad laughter. "This is a dream, right?" he asked.
"Just one big, wild, fucked-up dream. I'm gonna wake up now."

        Xiang Fao's first thought was that Nakamura-san had lost it. He
reached for the water glass, and upended it on his head. The Guide froze as
he stared at Nakamura's new female body. 

        "Well, that didn't work." she said. Her face had a look of
puzzlement as she considered that last sentence. Wondering what had happened
to her voice, she turned to the mirror again...

===========================================================

        Nighttime at Jusenkyou was a peaceful time. Sitting by the fire,
Xiang Fao had finished explaining to Nakamura-san just how the curses worked.

        "I've got a layered curse?"

        "Yes, honored sir. You fall in spring that already cursed man fall
in. You have his curse on top yours." It had taken two doses of hot water to
return Nakamura-san to his orignal, nerdly form. 

        "When was this spring cursed?"

        "Oh, tragic story, very tragic story..." the Guide hedged. How was
he gonna do this? "Tragic story...that..no can remember now." he finished.
Nakamura-san's head sunk to his knees in defeat. "Why you want find Jusenkyou?"

        "I was being chased by a bear in the woods." Nakamura-san replied.
The Guide just nodded. No animal would willingly come to Jusenkyou, but
Nakamura-san really didn't need to hear that. "I got lost. I was terrified,
so I just kept running, and I wound up here." Xiang Fao had heard that story
countless times before. It was how most people arrived at the pools of sorrow.

        "Yes, very tragic. You sleep now, yes?" Xiang Fao helped
Nakamura-san to his feet, and over to the couch. After seeing to him, he
went into the guest room. There, still sick almost to the point of death,
was the man whose imprint had been left on the spring......

=============================================================

        Well, that's it for this one. Oh, and just to clear up a point, this
fic branches off from the standard Ranmaverse BEFORE the fight against
Saffron, so the Akaneniichuan diesn't exist. Besides, it would have been a
bit TOO strange for Ranma to fall into the Akaneniichuan, wouldn't it?

        Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it. Remember, C&C is the author's
fuel, and I could always use some. Send it either publicly or privately,
whichever's your preference.

Jed
-MMMMMMMMMMMMMM...............spaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm........

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