I had planned to repost entire acts only, but when I realized that the
first four chapters alone were going to be a fairly large post, I decided
to post in half-acts. So, here's the first half of act one. More to come
soon...
C&C welcome from first-time readers and those who've read the fic before.
There's been a few changes and improvements, and I'd like to know what
everyone thinks.
The thin, cool mist he'd encountered at every step of his journey so far
thickened as he descended further down the trail. He had to tread more
carefully as visibility was reduced to nil. Ahead of him, he heard the
sound of water dripping. He continued onward.
A little farther down the trail, he heard faint voices. Straining to hear,
he could make out two: one was laughing cruelly. The other was...a girl
crying?
*Tasukete...*
Gritting his teeth, he strode down the trail, unmindful of the blinding
fog. The mist began to part, and a spectacle from hell unfolded before him.
The valley was filled with small, shallow pools, their surfaces pristine,
unperturbed by the atrocities being committed only meters away.
At the opposite end of the valley, tied with double sets of bonds to a
splintered, uneven bamboo crucifix was a young girl, perhaps fifteen at
most, with matted, tangled red hair. She was filthy, naked, covered with
welts and bruises, and crying. Dark rings circled her watery crimson eyes.
One set of the bonds lashing her slim wrists to the rough bamboo were dull
copper, and looked to be somewhat frayed, strands straying from the
braiding. A somewhat burnt ribbon was tied to one of them.
*Tasukete...*
Her tormentor stood before her, his posture arrogant and his laughter cold
and mocking. Beside the tormentor lay a pile of sundry torture implements.
If the ruddy stains on them were any indication, all had seen recent use.
Suddenly, he found himself no longer able to move. Rooted to his spot on
the trail, he could only watch in horror as the cruel man raped his young
prisoner. Her screams rent deep gashes in his soul. He struggled to no
avail against the paralysis which forced him to stand by helplessly. Angry
tears streamed from his eyes in tandem with the blood and fluids trickling
down her bruised thighs.
*TASUKETE!!*
Her tormentor then turned to face him. An arrogant sneer darkened the all
too familiar features...the ones he saw in the mirror every day.
Saotome Ranma awoke screaming.
"*TASUKETE...!!*"
Ranma 1/2
"ONNA"
Red
Side
Disclaimers:
Ranma 1/2 property of Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, VIZ Communications.
Magic Knight RayEarth property of CLAMP, Kodansha.
Characters and situations borrowed from or mirroring other series copyright
the respective owners and used without permission.
ACT ONE: The Mysterious, Fiery Pigtailed Girl
Chapter 1: Into cruel dreams
The overstuffed panda that was Ranma's father lazily whapped Ranma over the
head with a sign that read "Shut up, boy!" before rolling over and going
back to sleep. The Tendou family came charging into the room, Akane at the
head of the pack. "Ranma!"
Ranma rubbed his head. His hand came away drenched in sweat. "Chikushou..."
he swore. He took several ragged, shuddering breaths in rapid succession.
"Ranma-kun, are you alright?" Kasumi knelt beside his futon. Akane knelt on
the other side, concern evident on her face.
Ranma took a moment to compose himself, then softly said, "Yeah...I'm okay.
Just...just a bad dream." Assuming his usual cavalier demeanor, he said, in
a still somewhat shaky voice, "Ah, it ain't nothin'. I musta just ate too
much of Akane's cookin' last night."
Akane's expression went from concerned, to embarrassed, to outraged.
"BAKA!" she screamed, and stalked out of the room.
"Ara..." Kasumi said. Then she started. "Oh, dear, I need to finish making
breakfast!" With that, she hurried daintily from the room.
Nabiki clucked her tongue at Ranma. "Good one Saotome," she snickered, and
made her way back to her own room. Soun bawled for a few minutes, lamenting
the quarrel between the two iinazuke. Genma slept on, thoroughly
unperturbed.
******
A few minutes later, Ranma staggered into the bathroom. "Oh man...I feel
like hell..." Stepping in front of the mirror, he groaned. His reflection
revealed a respectable amount of stubble, bleary eyes, dissheveled hair,
and bags under his eyes. "Che...I look like hell too," he muttered.
Stripping off his tank top, but leaving his boxers on, he picked up a
washbucket, and filled it with cold water. Bracing himself, he dumped it
over his head. "Brrrr....cold..." Shaking off the excess droplets, Ranma
was about to commence with the morning toilette, when her gaze locked on
her reflection.
Slowly, the image in the mirror changed. No longer was she looking at her
drowsy, damp, bleary visage. She was now staring into watery auburn eyes
which gazed back at her from a bruised, bleeding, tear-streaked face. The
girl in the mirror was covered in welts and bruises and grime. Her eyes
held pleading and agony. Ranma could do little more than stare back at her.
*Tasukete...onegai, tasukete! TASUKETE!*
The girl's voice rang inside Ranma's head like a gong. In the mirror, her
lips were moving, out of sync with the desperate pleas for help. Ranma
screamed and scrambled away from the mirror.
Once again, the rest of the household tore into the room. Akane looked
worried again, but slightly annoyed. Kasumi looked genuinely concerned.
Soun was bawling again. Genma wore no expression. Nabiki smirked.
"Really, Ranma. Twice in one morning?" Nabiki chided.
"That...the mirror...girl...my dream..." Ranma gasped, on the verge of
hyperventilating.
Akane frowned. "Ranma...what are you talking about?"
Ranma pointed at the mirror...and froze. All it revealed was her own
panicked visage.
She blinked. "What in the...?"
Kasumi prompted, "Ranma? Are you alright?"
Ranma stepped back shakily from the mirror. "Ah...yeah. I think so. Yeah."
With that, the Tendous and Genma retreated from the bathroom. Akane glanced
back at Ranma with worry evident on her face, before closing the door
behind her.
Completing her morning activities in silence, Ranma contemplated the dream,
the vision in the mirror. *What the hell's goin' on here?*
Returned to male form, Ranma made his way downstairs, hoping to put the
strange visions out of his mind with a good breakfast.
He decided to ignore the ghostly image of a long, scarlet braid in the
mirror as he edged past it.
******
:Be careful down there, daughter. It's dangerous.:
:I'm alright, Father. Don't worry about me.:
Plum searched the small crevice at the base of the cliff overlooking the
west side of Jyusenkyou. Her father had spotted something down there, and
she was the only one small enough to check it out.
:There doesn't seem to be anything down here, Father...:
Suddenly, a bright red light flared from the corner of the crevice. Plum
frowned, and made her way over to it.
:How odd...:
Wedged between two rocks was a dingy white gauntlet with a red jewel set
into the back of the handguard. As she examined it, the jewel began
strobing, nearly blinding her with its pulsing crimson glow. With a shriek,
Plum dropped it.
:Daughter! Are you alright?:
:Yes, Father. It just startled me. What is it?:
:I don't know, Daughter. I have seen nothing of this sort before.:
The jewel abruptly stopped flashing. Plum picked up the gauntlet and
examined it more closely, frowning. She could have sworn it was dirty a
minute ago; now, it was pristine white. It also seemed a slight bit larger.
:This thing is too strange,: Plum commented. Tucking it into the knapsack
slung over her shoulder, she made her way out of the crevice.
Chapter 2: Osage-no-honou
"Ranma? Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
Ranma was walking, not on the fence as usual, but on the sidewalk. He was
gazing down at the ground, and there seemed to be a tangible aura of unease
about him. "I'm fine Akane."
"No, Ranma...you're not. Has it got something to do with that dream?"
Ranma's head snapped up, and he glared at Akane. "Che... what would YOU
know about it? Just...forget it. Don't bring it up again, alright?"
Akane scowled. "Fine then, Ranma! See if I care!"
Ranma sighed. After a moment, he murmured softly, "Akane...I'm sorry."
Akane did a double take. Ranma? Apologizing? "Ranma...?"
Ranma sighed, and began, "It's just....you got no idea..."
Akane stopped walking, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ranma...tell
me."
Ranma took a deep breath. "Well, it's like this," he began...
...when Benshou-san, a local who had a bad habit of dumping water out of
his window, chose that moment to do exactly that. Right on Ranma's head.
"Sorry about that!" he called, before shutting his window.
Akane watched Ranma expectantly. She wasn't sure if the slight redhead
would tell her story or grumble about the unfairness of it all. Ranma just
sighed, and said, "We're gonna be late to class."
******
Ryouga grunted. This wasn't one of his worst days. Not one of the best, but
it could be worse. At least he was back in Nerima. He knew that for a fact;
he'd just seen Ukyou leave her shop, and was following her to the school.
Of course, things weren't incredibly good either. At the moment he was
stuck in pig form, and he'd somehow managed to misplace his spotted
bandana. How the thing came off, he had no idea. At least he had his spare,
the solid yellow one he'd worn the day IT happened.
Up ahead, he saw Akane and Ranma. Akane was a plus. Ranma was a definite
minus.
Oh well, he'd come this far. Might as well reunite with his beloved...
******
"Buii! Bukii!"
Akane turned to the source of the sound, and her eyes lit up with joy.
"Look Ranma! It's P-chan! P-chan, c'mere baby!"
P-chan trotted happily up to Akane. Ranma looked on with mild amusement. As
Akane swept P-chan into her arms, she noticed something different. "Ranma,
look! P-chan's got a new bandana! I wonder where he got it?"
Ranma noticed this, and for a moment, her eyes lit up as well. "Oh,
kawaii!" she enthused in a rather bubbly voice. P-chan blinked. Akane
glanced at Ranma in mild shock. "Uhh...Ranma? Are you sure you're feeling
okay?"
Whatever it was, it had passed. "Yeah, why?"
"Well...it's just, you were acting kinda weird there for a second."
Ranma blinked, then shrugged. "Eh, let's forget about it and get to school.
I don't wanna have another run-in with Hinako-sensei this mornin'."
P-chan continued to eye Ranma warily as they continued onward. The morning
sun could be playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn... *I never
noticed Ranma's eyes are red in girl mode...*
******
As the group approached the gates of Fuurinkan, they were greeted by Kunou.
As usual, he was strutting around with his bokken slung over his shoulder.
Upon seeing them, his eyes sparkled, and he launched into one of his
trademark speeches.
"Ah, on this beautiful and clear day, fortune doth indeed favor the noble
scion of the house of Kunou..."
"Well, y'know what they say...fortune favors the foolish," Ranma
interjected. Akane snickered.
Kunou paused, and shot a somewhat amused glance at Ranma before continuing.
"And so the fiery pigtailed one indeed doth make jest at her love. From the
lips of any other, the taunt would garner a severe thrashing. However, fair
goddess, from thine lips it is not a barb, but an invitation to do
honorable battle for the pleasure of DATING with me!" With that, Kunou
launched himself at Ranma, bokken slicing the air before him.
Ranma did a series of backflips, placing herself out of the range of
Kunou's striking pattern. Akane expected this to be the moment in which
Ranma downed Kunou with one kick. However, something most unexpected
happened.
Ranma's eyes glazed over. When she came back into focus,
she shrieked as Kunou's bokken almost tore her gut open. Diving wildly to
the side, she sprang back to her feet. She seemed to be concentrating on
something. Then, after a moment, she looked down at her left hand, as if
something were missing. As Kunou's sword began raking towards her again,
she rolled several feet to the side. Springing up once again, she raised
her right hand over her head, palm up.
"What's that idiot doing?" Akane wondered quietly. P-chan, from his vantage
point in her arms, was wondering the same thing. As much as he disliked
Ranma, he knew this fight should have been over before it started.
Suddenly, something FLARED above Ranma's right hand. Expression fierce, she
shouted, "HONOU NO...YAAAAAAA!!!" and brought the raised arm down, pointing
straight at Kunou.
Several narrow streaks of bright flame erupted from Ranma's hand. Kunou's
eyes widened, and he frantically tried to parry the fire with his bokken.
The wooden sword was immediately incinerated by the burning projectiles.
The flames slammed into Kunou and knocked him across the courtyard, into
the wall of the building.
Akane and P-chan stared at this spectacle with wide eyes. "What on
earth...?" Akane wondered aloud. P-chan bweed softly. If Ranma had a new
attack like that...
Suddenly, Ranma began blinking rapidly. She stared at her hand, then at the
pile of smoldering ashes marking what once had been Kunou's bokken. Then
her gaze traveled to the slightly blackened Kunou himself.
Akane rushed over to her. "Ranma?"
Ranma blinked a few times, then said, in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Yeah?"
"What....what did you just do?"
Ranma shook her head. "I...I don't know. I...can't remember."
******
Nabiki grumbled irritably as she trailed Sasuke, who hauled Kunou's carcass
to Tofuu-sensei's clinic. "Idiot...both this one and Ranma...what the hell
was that all about anyway?"
Kunou groaned once in response.
Dragging Kunou through the entrance, the small group was greeted by a
rather concerned Tofuu. "What happened to him?" Tofuu-sensei asked, nodding
at the unconscious kendoist.
"Ranma happened to him, what else?" Nabiki smirked. "But this was different
than usual."
Tofuu-sensei raised an eyebrow. "How so?" As they talked, Sasuke lifted
Kunou onto an examination table, and quietly slipped out of the clinic.
"Well," Nabiki frowned thoughtfully, "Ranma hit him with some kind of fire
blast."
"You mean a chi attack," Tofuu-sensei corrected as he examined the burns on
Kunou's chest.
Nabiki shook her head. "No, sensei. I've seen Ranma's chi attacks. This was
*fire*."
Tofuu-sensei frowned, and began probing the burns. "Well, these burns will
heal...but you're right. A chi strike wouldn't leave burns like these."
Frowning, he picked up the phone.
"Who are you calling, sensei?" Nabiki asked.
Without responding, Tofuu began speaking into the phone. "Shampoo? This is
Ono Tofuu. Could you please ask your great-grandmother to come over to my
clinic? It's urgent. Thanks."
Nabiki stared incredulously at the doctor. "What on earth do you want with
that old crone?"
Tofuu frowned, and sighed. "There's something about these burns...I'm not
sure what to make of them."
That took Nabiki by surprise. "A problem you can't fix?"
Tofuu reached into a cabinet and extracted a few jars of balm. "No...I just
want to get her to see this. Cologne is over four times as old as I
am...and experienced with magic."
Nabiki's eyes widened. "You're saying that what happened to Kunou was
magic?"
Tofuu looked pensive. "I'm not sure. That's why I want to get her opinion
on it."
******
Ranma was unusually quiet at lunch. Akane was worried, as was Ryouga; he
was watching Ranma closely from his porcine vantage point.
Ukyou walked over and sat down with them. "Ranchan? I heard about what
happened with Kunou this morning."
"I don't wanna talk about it," Ranma said.
Ukyou shot a glance at Akane, who sighed. "He's been like this all day."
Suddenly, water rained down on the group, and a lecherous old voice called
out, "Ranma-chan! Come let an old man console you in your time of need!"
Happousai attempted to glomp Ranma, only to be flattened by a spatula.
"Leave Ranchan alone. He's had a rough day."
"But...but I only wanted to comfort the sweet young thing!" Happousai
protested. Evading another swat from Ukyou's spatula, the withered pervert
launched himself at Ranma, clinging to her bosom like a barnacle.
Suddenly, Ranma stood. Hatred smouldered in her eyes. In a dead quiet
voice, she said, "Why can't you sick, evil people just leave me alone?"
Everyone stared at her in shock. A nonexistant wind stirred her clothing
and her pigtail. Akane and Ukyou backed away nervously. Happousai examined
her curiously.
"But Ranma-chan...I only wanted..." Happousai's protests were cut short as
he was pried none too gently from Ranma's chest and flung to the ground.
"I've had it with you people treating me like...doing...doing..." she
shuddered visibly. Everyone was staring at her strangely now. With a scowl,
and with undisguised hatred burning in her eyes, which seemed to have
turned a dark shade of crimson, she snarled, "NO MORE! I'm not taking ANY
MORE!" She extended her cupped hands in front of her, and a small, angry
red nexus of energy formed between them.
Ukyou gaped in shock. Akane yelled, "EVERYONE GET DOWN!"
Happousai could only stare like a deer caught in the headlights.
*Masaka...what on earth is...this...power?*
Sparks danced along Ranma's hands, fueling the energy between her palms,
expanding it, making it brighter. Then she pulled her hands back to her
side, and with a shout of "AKAI INAZUMA!", she pushed forward, releasing a
white-hot ball of energy, surrounded by an angry red corona. It tore into
Happousai before the old pervert could react.
Happousai was slammed across the courtyard and through the fence. He lay
out in the street, clothing and what little hair he had left on fire. A
long, scorched trench in the earth marked the passage of the fire blast,
grass still smoldering in places. Ranma trembled, then slumped to the
ground. Ukyou and Akane rushed over to her, while everyone else present
milled about, blinking in confusion and murmuring quietly among themselves.
"Ranma!"
"Ranchan!"
Ranma was unconscious.
******
:It lasted much longer this time, Father.:
The Guide and Plum were standing over a small table, on which rested the
white gauntlet. The gem in the handguard pulsed one last time, then went
dark again.
:What do you suppose this thing is, Father?:
:I have no idea. I've asked one of the elder Joketsuzoku to take a look at
it.:
There was a knock on the door. Plum opened the door, and a tall, leathery
old woman with dark cobalt hair stepped into the cottage.
:Show me this item.:
The Guide presented the gauntlet to her. She examined it thoughtfully,
frowning.
:This object...has tremendous magical power.:
:Elder, what is it?:
The woman shook her head. :I do not know.: After a pause, during which she
continued to examine the gauntlet, she nodded decisively. :Keeper of the
cursed springs...I would ask of you to send this object to Japan.:
:Japan?: The Guide was puzzled thoroughly.
The elder nodded, her expression impatient, as though it should be obvious.
:I would have the eldest of our tribe examine this artifact. She will more
be able to discern its origin and its purpose than I or any other in the
village would.:
The Guide nodded. :Very well then. It shall be done.:
The elder removed a few gold coins from the sash around her waist. :Use
these coins to insure that the package will be delivered immediately. To
the modern world, they are worth enough to buy many luxuries. You will be
able to have the object delivered very swiftly.:
The Guide nodded and took both the coins and the item. :As you wish, Elder.
Thank you for coming.:
:It is I who would thank you for bringing this object to our attention.
Such powerful magic as this is not something I would care to have lying
around without knowing what its purpose is.:
With that, the Elder departed for her village, and the Guide and Plum
departed for the nearest town with delivery services.
Chapter 3: The Awakening
Cologne studied Kunou's chest with curiosity. Kunou, who by now was awake,
frowned. "Honored old troll, might I ask what you find so interesting upon
my person?"
Cologne whacked him with her staff. "Quiet, boy. I'm trying to figure out
what happened to you."
"That is most obvious. The pigtailed goddess, in her anxious desire to date
with me, tore the bounds of nature themselves to produce heavenly fire
which she..."
*THUNK*
"That's more than enough out of you," Cologne muttered, as Kunou fell
unconscious again.
Tofuu peeked into the room. "So, have you discovered anything yet?"
Cologne shook her head, and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "It's definitely
magic. I'd say whoever did this has at least medium-level skill with fire
spells."
Tofuu shook his head, incredulous. "I know all the myths and legends of
black magic, the elements, and all that. But don't you find it
inconceivable that someone would actually be able to use it in this day and
age?"
Cologne shrugged. "Anything's possible. At any rate, the question is moot.
This was definitely a mid-level fire spell."
Tofuu grimaced.
"Tell me, young healer. Who did this again?"
"According to Nabiki, Ranma did it."
Cologne shook her head. "Not possible." She pointed at the burns with her
staff. A magenta aura sprung up around them. Tofuu blinked. "Surprised?"
Cologne chuckled. "Relax, only healers such as you and I can see that. I'll
teach you how to do it if you like. Anyway, back to what I was saying...see
this aura?"
Tofuu nodded. "What is that?"
"That's the aura of the spellcaster. When a spell is cast, two forces are
released: magic and chi. This aura reflects the chi of the spellcaster."
"Ah, I see," Tofuu said. "So, casting a spell is like performing a chi
technique but incorporating magic into it."
"In a sense," Cologne nodded. "This aura...is definitely not Ranma's."
Tofuu frowned. "Well, there aren't too many girls with red hair and
pigtails that could do something like this to Kunou."
Suddenly, there was a call from the main room of the clinic. "Tofuu-sensei!
Come here quick!"
Tofuu ran out to the main room. "What is it?"
Daisuke and Hiroshi, two of Ranma's friends, carried a small stretcher in
between them. On it lay a blackened Happousai. Tofuu blinked. "Happousai's
injured? How did this happen?"
Immediately Cologne was in the room. "Did you say Happi is injured?" She
took a look at the body the two youths had placed on an examination table,
and gasped. "Who on earth could..."
As Tofuu watched, a red aura begin to shimmer around the burns on the
withered pervert's torso. Cologne frowned. "Whoever got Kunou this morning,
did this too." Turning to the two boys, she said, "Tell me, did you see who
did this?"
Hiroshi nodded. "Yes ma'am. It was Ranma."
Cologne shook her head. "Are you absolutely sure?"
Daisuke nodded. "Yeah. The old lech splashed Ranma and glomped her. Then
she stood up, and said a bunch of stuff that didn't make any sense, then
blasted him."
Tofuu and Cologne exchanged a glance. "I think we need to talk to Ranma,"
Tofuu said. Cologne nodded.
At that particular moment, Akane, Ukyou, and Ryouga, now human, strode into
the clinic. Ranma was wrapped in a blanket, and Ryouga was carrying her on
his back. Cologne's eyes widened. Tofuu blinked.
"Sorry about this, sensei." Ryouga placed Ranma on one of the two remaining
tables. "Ranma fainted on us..."
Cologne's eyes narrowed as she studied Ranma. "There's an unfamiliar aura
about him...the same one on those burns..."
At that moment, Ranma groaned, and awoke. Visible only to Cologne and
Tofuu, a flickering magenta shadow which had been swirling around Ranma's
bright yellow aura slowly faded away.
Cologne pogoed over to the redhead. "Have you been studying black magic,
son-in-law?" Cologne asked.
"Huh? Old ghoul? What're you talkin' about?"
"What do you mean 'black magic', granny?" Ryouga asked.
Cologne pointed in the direction of the two burn patients. "Kunou and Happi
are both here. We know all about what happened to them, and we know Ranma
did it."
"Did...wha?" Ranma asked.
"Apparently, you've been casting some fairly strong fire magic today,
Ranma," Tofuu-sensei commented. Everyone except Cologne turned to stare at
him.
"Is that what happened?" Akane asked. "Both times...magic?'
"You sure about that sensei?" Ukyou asked.
Both Tofuu and Cologne nodded. Ranma sighed. "Oh man, what next?"
******
A new day dawned bright and clear over the bustling city. The buzz of
laughter and conversation filled the air at the local high schools as
students rushed to prepare for their morning classes.
At one school in Minato-ku, two girls with somber expressions stood off to
the side in one of the less crowded hallways, speaking quietly. One had
waist-length sky blue hair and was quite beautiful. The other girl, whose
simply cut light brown locks fell shoulder length, removed her glasses for
a moment, wiping at her eyes.
"Have...have you talked to them?" the girl with blue hair asked.
The sandy-haired girl nodded. "Hai, I spoke with Masaru-san yesterday."
Replacing her glasses, she continued, "They're not doing well. The
family...they've fallen apart. Masaru-san says he hasn't even seen either
of his brothers in several months. And...and Hikari...the poor thing just
isn't the same, he says."
The blue-haired girl sighed sadly. "How horrible. I still...I still can't
believe it..." Growling, she slammed a fist into her open palm. "And all
for *nothing* too!"
The brown-haired girl rested a hand on her friend's shoulder, and smiled
sadly. "It's alright. It was something she believed in. It doesn't matter
if things weren't what they seemed..."
"Yes, it DOES matter! Dammit, Fuu..." Ryuuzaki Umi sighed, closing her
eyes.
"Umi-chan..." Their discussion was interrupted by the approach of one of
Fuu's friends, a pretty girl with short dark hair. "Ohayou, Fuu-chan," the
girl greeted.
Fuu smiled slightly. "Ohayou, Atsuko-chan," she returned the greeting.
Atsuko picked up on her mood immediately. "Anou...what's wrong? You both
seem to be a little upset..."
Before Umi could comment on just how upset she was, Fuu replied,
"Atsuko-chan...today is a very sad day for us. Two years ago we..." Her
voice caught in her throat, but she eventually continued, "...two years ago
today, a friend of ours was taken from us."
Atsuko's expression paled. "Oh, no...gomen nasai...I had no idea..."
"It's not something we like to talk about," Umi noted. "Not something we
like to talk about at all."
Atsuko nodded. "I understand. I'll leave you to yourselves now. If you need
to talk, I'll be here to listen."
"Thank you, Atsuko-chan." Fuu smiled briefly at her, and then moved to
stare out the window.
******
Ranma had refused a request to stay home from school today. While he had no
particular desire to go to school, he didn't want to be coddled like some
sick little kid. He was disturbed by what had been happening to him lately,
but he didn't think it was serious enough to let it disrupt his life--hell,
his life was already disrupted enough as it was.
As he and Akane walked to school, Ranma noticed a delivery truck moving at
high speed toward the restaurant district. "Huh. Wonder what that was all
about," Ranma mused. "They ain't usually in that much of a hurry."
Akane shrugged. "Probably somebody made some kind of rush overnight order
or something."
The incident was promptly forgotten about and the walk to Fuurinkan
continued.
Meanwhile, the same truck pulled up to the service entrance at the
Nekohanten, and a rather frazzled-looking delivery boy pounded on the door,
holding a parcel beneath his arm.
A groggy Shampoo opened the door and irritably snapped, "Make delivery when
note on door say make delivery. No wake up sleeping Amazon womans."
The nervous delivery man bowed. "S--sorry...I had instructions that this
package had to get here as quickly as possible, and to ignore all
schedules, or I'd lose my job."
Slighly less angry given the poor man was just doing what he'd been told,
and curious about what could be so important, Shampoo said, "Alright, you
make delivery now. This only time. Happen again, Shampoo make hood ornament
out of man parts."
The young man gulped nervously. "I'll...remember that. This package is for
a...Cologne?"
The elder Amazon pogoed up to the boy. "That would be me."
The boy pulled out a clipboard. "Sign here, please." Cologne signed, and
took the package. The young man left as quickly as he arrived.
"Great-grandmother, who package is from?"
Cologne examined the parcel carefully. Something didn't feel right about
it. She read the return address, and frowned. "This came from Jyusenkyou,"
she mused.
"Aiyah! What they send?"
Cologne opened the box, and gasped. "Goddess..."
Shampoo rushed to her side, and peered into the box. "Is funny glove. What
so important about funny glove?"
Cologne carefully lifted the object from the box, and studied it.
Meanwhile, Shampoo dug a letter out of the box and began reading it.
:Eldest of the Amazons, this object was found in the cliffs surrounding the
valley of cursed springs. The eldest available Amazon was baffled by the
object, and requested I send it to you.:
Cologne nodded. "Yes, yes, I can see why. This gauntlet...its magic isn't
the most powerful I've ever encountered, but it is very strong...very alien
magic. I've never experienced any force quite like what's coming from this
thing."
Shampoo frowned. "So it not Amazon thing?"
Cologne shook her head. "It's not anything from this world." *But its aura
is very familiar,* Cologne added mentally.
Suddenly, the jewel on the gauntlet began to pulse with scarlet light...
******
A bucket of water had made its way onto Ranma's head once again. When Ranma
changed, she dropped to the ground, clutching at her head, groaning
painfully.
Akane knelt beside the redhead, somewhat alarmed. "Ranma?" she questioned,
worriedly.
Ranma looked up, looked around, and blinked. "This...this is Tokyo..."
Akane frowned. "Yeah, of course. Where else would it be?"
"It's...it's not Cephiro..."
Akane blinked. "Huh?"
"...not...not...China..."
Akane was extremely confused. "Ranma...why would you think you're in
China?"
"It's...home..." Ranma grasped Akane's shoulders. "How? How...did I get
here?"
"You walked, baka," Akane snapped, trying to extract herself from the
girl's hold. Something was very wrong with Ranma's eyes...
Suddenly, Ranma collapsed. Akane caught her before she could hit the
ground. "Ranma!!"
Ranma blinked several times, and focused on Akane. "Akane? What...I don't
feel so great..."
"Ranma, we're going home. You need rest."
Ranma nodded. "Yeah...rest..." Then she shook her head. "No."
Akane frowned. "Baka, you can't go to school like this!"
Ranma shook her head. "Not school. Nekohanten."
Akane's eyes narrowed. "I see. This is all a game so you can see that
Amazon bimbo..."
Ranma groaned in frustration. "No, baka! I want to talk to the old ghoul.
See if she knows what's happening to me."
"Oh," Akane replied quietly, and the two changed course for the restaurant
district.
******
"Ranma! You come to see Shampoo!" As usual, the lavender-haired Amazon teen
bounced towards her currently female marriage prospect. However, for the
first time anyone could remember, her progress was blocked by Cologne's
staff.
"We don't have time for that right now, child," Cologne barked.
"Son-in-law, what seems to be the trouble?"
Ranma sighed. "I'm not sure. I keep feeling weak, and blacking out..."
"This morning after he got splashed on the way to school, he was asking
where he was. He said something about--" Akane paused, frowning. "--China,"
she finished.
Cologne raised an eyebrow. *She's hiding something.* "And you remember none
of this, son-in-law?"
Ranma shook her head. "Nuh-uh."
"Hmmmm..." Cologne rubbed her chin. She examined Ranma's aura, and found,
alarmingly, that the pure yellow was beginning to tint red over a large
area. *I might as well find out what the connection with that glove is,*
Cologne decided. "Son-in-law. An item was sent to me this morning which was
found near Jyusenkyou. I want you to take a look at it. It might have
something to do with your current condition."
"You ain't tryin' to pull nothin' funny, are ya old ghoul?" Ranma looked
skeptical.
Cologne narrowed her eyes. "If you want my help, you'll look at this
object. Otherwise, there's nothing I can do for you."
Ranma sighed. "Okay, okay."
Just then, Ukyou entered the restaurant, followed by Ryouga. "Hey, Ucchan,
Ryouga...what're you guys doin' here?"
"Well, I saw you two headed this way, and I wondered what was up," Ukyou
said. "And this idiot--" she jerked her thumb at Ryouga--"Somehow wound up
*IN* *MY* *BATHROOM* this morning...so I brought him along." Ryouga had the
good grace to look sheepish.
Cologne snorted. "Well, now that the gang's all *here*, I'll go get the
object."
Cologne returned a few moments later, carrying what appeared to be a white
glove of some sort, with a crimson gem set into the handguard. She handed
it to Ranma.
Ranma looked at it for a moment. "Well? Anything?" Cologne asked.
Ranma shook her head. Then suddenly, her eyes went blank. Examining the
gauntlet with care and reverence, she slowly slid it onto her left hand.
There was a bright pulse of crimson light. Everyone shielded their eyes.
When the light receded, they all gaped at Ranma. Her normally sapphire eyes
were now as red as rubies. Instead of her usual clothing, she wore
something resembling a red school uniform, with knee-length white boots,
some sort of white armor, white shoulderguards, a white bracer on her right
wrist, and the gauntlet on her left hand. She looked around the restaurant
in wonder, confusion, and a little bit of fright, then looked down at
herself, at her hands, then at the faces of the people around her. she
began to listen to them.
"What in the--?"
"What's going on here?"
"Aiyah..."
"R...Ranma?"
Cologne hopped in front of the girl, eyes narrowed. "You're not Ranma, are
you?"
The girl, confusion clear on her face, shook her head. "No," she said
shakily.
"Who are you?" Cologne asked softly.
The girl swallowed once, very nervous as she looked at the expectant faces
of the small crowd before her. "Atashi...atashi Shidou Hikaru," she said.
******
Standing at the memorial to their fallen friend, Umi and Fuu shared silent
tears of grief. "I still can't believe..." Umi said.
Fuu nodded, reaching over to squeeze her friend's hand. "Hikaru-chan was a
unique girl. We were lucky to have known her."
Suddenly, both felt a flash of *something*, and gasped.
"What--what was that?" Umi asked.
Fuu frowned. "I'm not sure. It didn't feel like the call to return to
Cephiro..."
Umi shook her head. "No, it didn't. I don't understand...something is odd
here."
Chapter 4: Hikaru's Tragedy
"Ranma, is you alright?"
The girl standing before them blinked in confusion. Cologne sighed.
"Shampoo...pay attention. This..." she pointed at Hikaru, "Is not Ranma."
Shampoo frowned. "Shampoo no understand. That Ranma. But why Ranma eyes red
all of sudden?"
Ukyou groaned. "Stupid bimbo. She's trying to tell you that this person
just LOOKS like Ranma."
"Who you call stupid bimbo, spatula girl?"
"Ladies?"
"You stay out this, stupid pig boy."
"Hey! Watch it, you...!"
"Excuse me...."
The argument which almost turned nasty abruptly ground to a halt as the
confused pigtailed girl spoke. "Can someone please tell me what's going on
here?"
Cologne frowned. "That, child, is a very good question." Gesturing for
everyone to sit down, Cologne asked, "Who's hungry? I can whip up some
ramen."
Murmurs of assent rippled around the table, including from their "new"
guest. "Thank you, thank you! I can't remember the last time I ate and I'm
starving!"
A few moments later, the entire group, plus Tofuu-sensei, Genma, Soun, and
Nabiki, who had arrived after a call from Cologne, sat around a cluster of
pushed-together tables in the temporarily closed for business Nekohanten,
each slurping noodles somberly. Everyone had been cautioned that Ranma
was...not quite himself.
"So, child...Hikaru, you said?" The girl nodded, and Cologne continued.
"Can you tell us who you are?"
Hikaru looked nervous. "I'm...well, I used to be just a schoolgirl from
Tokyo...a lot of terrible things have happened to me..."
Nabiki was typing furiously on a laptop, when suddenly she stopped, looked
up at Hikaru, and frowned. "You said your name is...Shidou Hikaru?"
Hikaru nodded. "Hai, that's right."
Nabiki frowned, and typed a bit more, then announced, "You're deceased."
Everyone blinked. "Huh?" Hikaru said.
"According to this," she said, tapping her laptop, "You died two years ago
on this very day. At Tokyo Tower."
Akane looked up. "Hey! I remember something about that..."
Soun nodded. "So do I. There was some kind of occurence there. Everyone saw
a bright light, and when it was over there were two girls standing on the
observation deck crying."
"And," added Nabiki, "One of the girls from one of the three schools that
had been on a field trip to the Tower that day...disappeared. She was never
found, and after several months she was presumed dead." Looking up, Nabiki
finished, "That girl...was you. Shidou Hikaru."
Hikaru's crimson eyes widened. "You said...two other girls were there,
crying? After the flash of light?"
Nabiki nodded, looking back down at her screen. "Yes. Umm...Ryuuzaki Umi,
and Hououji Fuu."
Hikaru gasped. "They're...they made it back...they did it..."
Everyone was looking at her strangely. She sighed. "But...they think I'm
dead."
Cologne frowned. "I hate to say this, dear child, but if my suspicions are
right...you are."
Everyone looked at the elder Amazon. She looked at Hikaru, and said, "Why
don't you tell us everything, starting with the bright light at Tokyo
Tower."
Hikaru swallowed nervously, taking a sip of her tea, and began:
"Well, my school and two others were on a field trip to the Tower that day.
There was this light, and then the three of us...me, Fuu, and Umi, all from
different schools, were falling, and we landed on this fish..."
******
Things were going well for the three young Magic Knights. They'd gotten the
Escudo, and Umi had awakened the first Mashin, Selece. They'd been on their
way to the mountain in the sky, home of the Mashin Windam, when suddenly,
Zagato himself appeared in the sky before them.
"My mistake has been allowing you to remain in this world," the priest
intoned. "So, now I must remove you from it."
The Knights exchanged nervous glances, not sure if they were ready to
handle the evil priest. Then, defiantly, Hikaru stood and shouted, "We will
not be defeated! We will rescue Princess Emeraude!"
Zagato laughed. "Fools."
Hikaru prepared her spell, and released it. "AKAI INAZUMA!"
Zagato raised a shield spell, harmlessly deflecting the blast. He sneered
at the redheaded Knight. "Foolish girl. You've sealed your fate. You shall
be the first to go..."
With that, a black mist began swirling around Hikaru. She shrieked, unable
to clear it from her skin. Fuu used the Imashime no Kaze spell, but it
couldn't penetrate the mist. Umi attacked Zagato, to no avail.
In her imprisonment, Emeraude sensed what Zagato was doing.
"Beloved...no," she whispered, and concentrated on changing the effect of
the dark spell he'd cast, but couldn't be sure if she succeeded...
"Die, foolish Knight!" Zagato roared. The black mist completely engulfed
Hikaru, and a blast of lightning erupted from it. When the mist finally
subsided, Hikaru was nowhere to be found.
Zagato laughed triumphantly. "Without her, you'll never win. Give up now."
With that, he disappeared.
Umi and Fuu stared in horror at the spot where Hikaru had been slain.
"Hikaru-san...no..." Fuu breathed.
Umi gave a strangled cry of anguish, and screamed into the sky,
"HIKARU-CHAN!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
******
"But...I didn't die. Zagato's spell didn't kill me," Hikaru finished.
Sipping the broth from her ramen, she continued, "Instead, it sent
me...someplace else."
Everyone stared at her, in varying degrees of incredulity. Nabiki, for her
part, looked like she was watching a shoujo anime that didn't interest her
very much. Akane's eyes were misting slightly. Shampoo looked confused.
Ryouga seemed to be paying rapt attention to the story. Ukyou appeared to
be shocked. Tofuu-sensei had a thoughtful expression on his face. Genma was
just staring at Hikaru. Soun appeared stern and stoic, as he often did when
listening to such tales. Cologne's expression was unreadable. "So," Cologne
said after a moment, "Where did you end up?"
Hikaru looked down into her bowl, and her eyes shimmered. "Hell."
******
Hikaru looked around, blinking. Her armor was gone, as was her sword. She
still felt her magic, but it felt somewhat weaker. She was surrounded by
tall mountains. The air smelled sharp and clean. Birds chirped in the sky,
and small animals romped through the grass nearby. Normal animals, the kind
she was familiar with.
"I'm...I'm not in Cephiro anymore," she mused.
Brow furrowing, she sighed, "I hope Umi-chan and Fuu-chan are alright. That
Zagato...there's no telling what he's done to them." Looking around, she
became thoughtful. "I wonder where I am?"
A group of people passed on a trail near her. She walked near them, and
shouted, "Excuse me! I'm lost, can you tell me where I am?"
A couple of them looked strangely at her. Then, they turned away and
resumed their journey. Hikaru sighed. "That wasn't nice," she decided.
She figured following the group might help. Eventually, the road led to a
large palace, with many servants and performers and people milling around
in the courtyard. Some kind of festival was happening.
Taking a closer look, she happened to overhear a conversation going on near
her. She didn't understand the language but she did recognize it. *Chinese?
Am I in China?*
A strange, handsome man in silver armor, with a golden dragon emblazoned on
the breastplate, descended from the palace. His blue-white hair shone in
the afternoon sunlight. Hikaru watched for a bit, occassionally stopping
the odd passerby, trying to find someone who understood Japanese.
"Excuse me...anou...can you help me?"
After a while of this, two young men in animal hides approached her. :You
must leave. You do not belong here and you are disturbing the citizens of
the Musk Dynasty. Leave peacefully or we will remove you.:
Hikaru frowned. "I'm sorry...I'm afraid I don't understand you..."
The two young men exchanged a glance, and grasped her by the arms. :You're
coming with us.:
"Hey! Ouch! That hurts! Let me go!"
:Stop babbling in that foreign tongue.:
:This is a young one. Do you think his Highness will let us...you know?:
asked the one dressed like a wolf.
The one wearing tiger skins looked at her and grinned. :Maybe.:
******
"They threw me in this cold, wet cell. They fed me badly, and what little
they did feed me, I ended up sharing with the rats. I was occassionally
beaten. They left me there for several weeks. Then, one day..."
******
Hikaru cried. She'd been crying a lot lately. She'd never dreamed human
beings could be this cruel. She was starving, and she stank, and she felt
somewhat ill.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise, a lot of shouting. She thought she heard
the clashing of weapons.
Then, with a loud crash, one wall of her cell became a pile of rubble. She
looked up, and a young woman with long, dark pink hair stepped through,
holding a pair of large spherical maces. "You, foreign girl. I come set you
free. You come with me to village Joketsuzoku."
As the two made their way hurriedly from the palace, Hikaru said, "Thank
you. Thank you for saving me from that horrible place."
"You is welcome. Womans should not be locked up in cells. That for men and
animals."
"Who...who are you? And where are we going?"
"My name Xiar Min. We go now Joketsuzoku, village of warrior womans."
"My name is Hikaru."
******
Cologne's eyes widened. "So you're the girl from the legend..."
Hikaru blinked. "Excuse me?"
Everyone else blinked as well. "Great-grandmother, what you talking?"
Cologne closed her eyes. "For many centuries, the Amazons and the Musk
Dynasty were enemies. Many skirmishes were fought, and sadly to say, the
Musk were gaining the upper hand. Hikaru...the people who held you prisoner
were the Musk."
Hikaru nodded. "Yes, that's right. I found that out when I got to the
village..."
Cologne held up a hand. "And the elders found out about your magic, and you
helped them battle the Musk. You were very upset, and you eliminated many
of the best soldiers in the Musk army."
Hikaru sighed, bowing her head. "I don't want to think about that. It hurt
to do that. It still hurts." Looking up with tears in her eyes, she said,
"I had to live with that from the day of the battle on..."
******
Many months later, one of the Amazon hunting parties found an odd gauntlet
on one of the mountain trails. Bringing it back to the village, they had
given it to the elder. Hikaru had seen it, and become excited. It was *her*
gauntlet, the one in which her sword was kept when not in use. When she put
it on, her armor suddenly flared back into existence, as did her sword. It
was the best thing to happen to her since she'd been rescued.
"Hikaru." This was the village elder, Tso Pu. "Have you decided?"
Hikaru sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I can fight, but...I don't like
hurting people."
Tso Pu sighed. "Then how many more like yourself, innocents, in a strange
land, will be subjected to the cruelty of the Musk?"
Hikaru blinked. "I...alright. I'll do it."
"HONOU NO YAAAA!" Hikaru scattered another wave of Musk troops with her
magic, and charged in, cutting down the stragglers with her powerful Escudo
sword.
:It's that girl! The one that escaped!:
Hikaru knew the voice, if not the language. She turned, and saw the two men
who had grabbed her and thrown her in that awful dungeon. Something snapped
inside her. She felt her rage building. With no preamble--they wouldn't
have understood her anyway--she prepared her spell. The two warriors stared
at her in fear.
"AKAI INAZUMA!"
The tiger man had the sense to dive out of the way as the angry red-white
ball of burning rage seared the very air in its wake. His partner wasn't as
lucky. Both were burned, although the tiger man fared better. One entire
side of the other's body was blackened.
******
"I stared down at their charred bodies in horror. I...I couldn't deal with
what I'd done. So, I ran."
******
Hikaru looked around. She was in a valley, with many springs, surrounded by
the mountains. She decided it was time to stop for a rest--she'd been
running for what seemed like forever. She curled up in a narrow crevice,
banished her sword and her armor back into the jewel on her glove, and
cried herself to sleep.
:Well, look at what we have here. It's the little fire bitch.:
:I think we deserve our revenge.:
When Hikaru woke up, something was wrong. Her glove was gone--along with
the rest of her clothes. She couldn't move. She looked around, and
discovered she'd been tied up at one end of the valley. She saw two figures
lying in front of a makeshift tent nearby. She made a brief struggle
against her bonds.
One of the two men looked up, and saw that she had awakened. :Well well,
the little bitch is awake. I hope you're happy with yourself, little whore.
I hope you got off on frying us. Because it's the last time you're gonna do
anything to anyone ever again.:
And with that, he removed his trousers...
******
Hikaru closed her eyes. "Gomen...I...I can't..."
Cologne placed a withered hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, child. It's
alright."
Genma looked solemn, while Soun wept. Tofuu wore an uncharacterstic scowl.
Akane looked outraged, while Ukyou looked at the girl with deep sadness.
Shampoo was crying softly. Ryouga looked like he was on the verge of
smashing something. "Those...bastards!" he snarled. "How could they do
something like that...?"
"It's the way of the Musk, at least it used to be," Cologne sighed. "That
kind of thing doesn't happen anymore, thankfully, but that is why the
Amazons fought the Musk so viciously."
Hikaru looked up, tears streaking her face. "I...I couldn't believe that
was happening to me. I mean, I never thought anything like that could
happen. I'd always had a good life, my family loved me, my brothers
protected me, I had the sweetest dog, and I had my friends...then that..."
She sobbed.
Everyone offered her a bit of support. When her sobs subsided, Cologne
asked, "I know this is painful, but...do you remember what happened next?"
Hikaru thought about it, then shook her head. "The next thing I remember
was seeing..." She frowned. "Someone. It felt like a mirror, or a
dream...it was a boy. About my age, with black hair, in a pigtail..."
"Ranma," everyone in the room said at once.
Hikaru looked around in confusion. "Who is this Ranma, anyway? I've...I've
heard that name several times..."
Suddenly, Shampoo's head snapped up. "Aiyah! Great-grandmother...she no
remember what happen, but she say many spring there...you think she the one
that drown in Nyanniichuan?"
Everyone gasped. Cologne considered this, and nodded. "It would make sense.
Everything she's described happened right around that time...and if she is
the one who drowned in that spring, then that would explain her being here,
now."
Everyone turned to Cologne, confused. Hikaru said, "Anou...what spring?
What are you talking about?"
Cologne closed her eyes. "The place where you were captured, is called
Jyusenkyou, the valley of cursed springs. Over the centuries, each spring
in Jyusenkyou has had someone or something drown in it. When this happens,
the spring becomes cursed, and whoever or whatever falls in it next takes
the body of whatever drowned there. It's a curse which is activated by cold
water, and reversed temporarily with hot water.
"Saotome Ranma, the boy you saw when you awoke, was in China about a year
ago, with his father, Genma." She pointed at Genma. "Ranma and his father
trained at Jyusenkyou, despite the warnings of the tour guide. Genma fell
into Shonmaoniichuan, a spring in which a panda once drowned." Cologne
picked up a water glass and flung the contents at Genma, who promptly
transformed into a panda. Hikaru stared, wide-eyed, at the large beast as
it raised a sign reading "Was that really neccessary?"
"Ranma himself fell into the spring known as Nyanniichuan, in which a young
girl drowned 1500 years ago." Turning to Hikaru, she said, "Being the girl
from the Amazon legend of the battle in which we defeated most of the Musk,
that places you in that area at the same time Nyanniichuan was formed."
Hikaru blinked, brow furrowed. "So...what you're saying is...after they..."
Swallowing a lump in her throat, she continued, "...then I drowned? In a
spring?"
Cologne nodded. "That's what I believe happened."
"But great-grandmother, if that true, then why she here now?"
"I have a theory about that," Tofuu said. "When Hikaru was...well, she'd
been in China for quite some time. That would make her about...sixteen when
she drowned?" Hikaru nodded.
Cologne rubbed her chin. "And Ranma was sixteen when he fell into the
spring."
"So if Hikaru's soul was still in the spring, possibly because of the magic
she possessed..."
Cologne nodded. "Of course! It makes sense. Somehow, Hikaru's soul has been
preserved, dormant, in that spring, for fifteen centuries. And when Ranma,
the same age as Hikaru, and similar in appearance to her, fell into the
spring, not only did he take her body...he also freed her soul from the
spring."
"So what you're saying," Genma said, "Is my son's carrying around the soul
of the girl who disappeared at Tokyo Tower two years ago?"
Cologne nodded. "That's pretty much it."
Hikaru stood. "Excuse me...I need to go for a walk." Without another word,
she left the restaurant.
Akane, Ukyou, and Shampoo exchanged glances. "We should follow her," they
decided.
Cologne shook her head. "No, it's best to give her some space for now. She
can take care of herself, and if Ranma's spirit wakes up again, he can take
care of himself as well."
Nobody was happy about that, but they decided it was best to go along with
it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Come to think of it, you haven't named your
Pokemon yet, have you?"
"I have too! Meet Jean Luc Pikachu!"
"Pii!"
"How 'engaging'."
******
The Eternal Lost Lurker
Purveyor of fine fanfickshuns. Onna stick.
White Knight of the Knightly Order of Mihoshi Enthusiasts
Necessity is a mother.
Spare the rod. Boil the child.
The lie is out there.
lurkerdrome@worldnet.att.net
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