Author notes:
_____________

This was originally my response to the 'One Hour Challenge' and the
Revengefic which had been posted to the FFML a long time ago. However, some
readers had recommended that it would do wonderfully well as a stand alone
fic and therefore, here it is ^_^ I couldn't believe how little I wrote in
a space of one hour though. Looking at all the other authors' work made me
wince ;) Oh well, anyway, any C&C's or flames welcome. It would be nice to
hear from any of you what you think on this venture. However, could you
please send them to my private email, though you could also post them to
FFML. It's easier for the comments to reach me that way, though of course,
the FFML would be used to allow any debates that might arise. Thanks, guys.

Disclaimers :- All other characters, including the Ranma World belongs to
Takahashi Rumiko except for any new characters, which in this case, would
belong to me.

---------------------
Some Background relevant to fic
--------------------------------

Some of you might ask that since Su Ling had reached Jyusenkyo, why don't
don't she ask the guide to show her to the pool of Nannichuan and splash
herself twice or even just get a male curse? Weeelll... splashing herself
twice seems too easy a solution that way, and Su Ling would unconciously
wanted to keep the curse she had as long as possible to allow her to go
through a journey to find an answer to her soul. Getting a male curse would
be rather problematic in the real world; since cursed people are cold water
magnets. Su Ling's society, culture and tradition demands that she is one
sex or the other, and a mix would be deemed as very suspicious and probably
abhored. Therefore, I use the idea that some author had done, ie, that to
splash herself twice or once would have unpredictable results, as the curse
would mix or fight with the curse she had already had. Having a
half-man/woman's body is not very wanted ^_^ The Jyusenkyo guide knows of
this and that is why he said that he doesn't know what he could do.
_______________________________________________________

Keys				Terms
____				_____

<?> = Speech in Mandarin	Zao Aann = Good Morning
*?* = Thoughts			Siao Jie    = Miss

_______________________________________________________

Heart's Desire - Part 1
_______________________

China. A country that was vast in terms of geographical size and population
and a source of all her deepest desires, problems, and troubles moulded
into one. Su Ling looked around from where she was standing. To the left of
her, stretch an impossible length of greenery, as far as the eyes can see.
To the front, the place where the source of her curse and desire came true;
the pools of Jyusenkyo. Of course, she hadn't decided to get herself cursed
in the first place. It was forced upon her, or used to be him, by the one
person that she had always liked; Saotome Ranma. Ranma, who everybody she
knew said that he was nothing but trouble. Ranma, a supposed to be
fictional character that came one day to her dwellings and splashed her
TWICE with the Nyannichuan. 

She knew then that life for her had just been tossed out of the window.
Granted, deep within her heart, she had wished that she was born female but
there still was a majority of her psyche that was shocked at what had
happened to her. After all, she had been a he for twenty years of her life.
Such deep upbringing(?) could not be shook off easily. Fortunately, to her
point of view, she was beginning to adjust and accept what it was like to
be a woman. Su Ling lifted her slender hand slightly, her eyes still
slightly wide in awe at the smoothness and delicate sight of her slim
fingers, all tapering off to a slender point at the end. 

Sighing, she looked up and carefully walked down the cliff's path; her
destination, the hut where the guide lived. Her family had not took the
news well. She was very nearly disowned by her own father but her mother
had, thank Kuan Yin, dissuaded him. Despite that, her father had from that
day refused to acknowledge her presence as if she doesn't exist. Su Ling,
needless to say, was heartbroken. She could stand almost anything;
humiliation, pain, death but her family's rejection. They were one of the
most important people in her life. Without them... she doesn't want to go
there just yet. That was why she was here. In a desperate hope that there
was a cure. 

Su Ling suddenly found herself at the door. Hesitating, but finally
gathering enough courage, she knocked once, twice, thrice in quick
succession. A sound of scuttling can be heard from the inside. Going back a
step, she waited for the door to open. A face soon poked out from the
sudden rectangular space where the door used to be.

	<Excuse me, good host. My name is Su Ling and I humbly request knowledge
which could be important to me>, Su Ling said, in Mandarin as she bowed.

The guide, blinked, once, twice and stopped himself.

	<Ohhh....I am sorry for my apparent rudeness. You remind me of someone.
Please come in>, he replied as he stepped out of the way for her to enter.

Su Ling complied and stepped into his threshold. A sparse but homely
surrounding greeted her eyes.

	<Please seat down> the guide pulled out a seat for her <Would you like
some tea?>

	<Oh yes!!! Ooops....I am sorry for my outburst. It is just that I haven't
drink fresh tea for a long time. I missed it.>

The guide chuckled, knowing full well the feeling. He went to a room to the
left of where she was and came out a while later with two hot cups of tea.

	<The tea is 'Tieh Kuan Yin'. I hope you like it>, the guide said and
handed Su Ling the cup.

Su Ling on her part, nodded her head vigorously. Blowing the tea gently to
cool the hot liquid, she tentatively brought it up to her lips and sipped
it slowly.

	<Mmmmmm.....>

The guide chuckled again at her vocal expression and proceed to drink his
tea in the same manner. They sat in silence for a few moments, tradition
requiring this to be so. Finally, Su Ling set down the cup on the table and
looked hopefully at the guide. Seeing this, the guide also set his cup down
and looked back at her curiously.

	<Miss, what possess you to come out to this far remote to ask a humble
human like me when it could possibly be answered by one more educated?>

	<I would agree with you, sir, but this is a special case. You see, I am
cursed.>

	<Cursed?> he arched his eyebrow <Please, pray tell.>

Su Ling took a few moments to gather herself. Feeling less nervous, she
proceed to tell that she was originally a boy. She had been cursed nearly a
year ago by another boy named Ranma, permanently. The guide arched his
other eyebrow at this. She continued to explain that she was not from this
reality. Where she was, anything in this reality was actually the work of a
famous author. How she came here was actually by luck. When Ranma finally
left, he forgot to pick up a shard of the Nanban mirror that had been part
of a whole. It had resulted from the struggle between Ranma and her. She
finally finished by telling the guide her journey in the Ranma world until
now. The guide sat in silence for a few moments more, digesting the news.
Finally he looked up at her.

	<I am really sorry to hear such misfortune. More so, as I am also a
bringer of bad tidings. You must be searching for a cure to this curse.
Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do>

	<B-b-but you must know who can help me. You must! You are my last
hope...my last hope...I am too tired to search anymore....too tired...>

Unable to bear anymore, Su Ling finally broke and cried, hugging herself
tightly. Through her jumbled mind, she felt a pair of arms holding her.
Looking for the source through her tear-filled eyes, she found the guide
looking down at her with sympathy. Suddenly angry at the guide, she thought
of slapping him in the face. She doesn't need his sympathy!! But...she
needed comfort. She hadn't had comfort for so long.... With another cry Su
Ling flung herself  at his chest and clung tightly. The guide responded and
gently wrapped his arms around her. Holding her to him, he rocked from side
to side and softly sang a lullaby in Mandarin. The sobbing slowly subsided
and finally stopped. Stopping his singing, the guide looked at the fragile
girl in his arms and shook his head sadly. Her breathing had finally evened
out and her eyes was closed. She had fallen asleep. Gently cradling the
girl to his chest, the guide carried her to his bedroom. There MUST be
something he can do..... 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning brings mists to the Jyusenkyo valleys, covering everything
in opaqueness as if daring adventurers into folly. Su Ling woke up
suddenly, shivering with cold from the damp air and blinked wearily,
wondering for the moment where she was. Turning her head, a barely
furnished but tidy room talked to her senses.  She sleepily looked around
as she searched for a familiar sight to remind her where she is. As the
rising sun outside gradually pierce the mists and drove them away, her mind
cleared and yesterday's event came flooding back. Disheartened, Su Ling
slumped back onto the bed, the silence reflecting her mood.

Soon, she began to review her motive of coming here, as she had many times
before on her journey and no doubt will continue into the future. Hadn't
her wish come true, even though it was not the way she expected? True, but
she hadn't counted on the reactions of her family. Yes... but isn't her
happiness with herself more important? Yes again... but is it worth all the
rejection and hurt it had caused? Unable to answer that, she sighed softly
and attempted to dispel them from her mind.

Su Ling started concentrating on her breathing, feeling the rise and fall
of her chest and blushed slightly at the now familiar small tingle around
her breasts. She still marvelled at how sensitive her body had become. She
was acutely aware of her cloth fabric caressing her skin, tantalising her
senses. Su Ling slipped her fingers under the thin blanket covering her and
found her stomach, stopping as she carrassed its flat smooth surface with
her fingertips in a wide circle, gradually moving closer and closer to the
centre of her belly. She shivered and squirmed slightly before sighing in
pleasure, content to let the warm feeling from her touch brought her away
from reality for a while.

A sudden rustle followed by the parting of the curtain revealed the
pleasant face of the Jyusenkyo guide. Su Ling was shocked out of her
pleasant revive and gave a small 'Eeeeek!!', reaching for the hard pillow
block behind her as her mind went into instinctive mode. She stopped when
her fingers touched it and blushed madly when she realised the guide
wouldn't had been aware of what she was doing recently. Su Ling demurely
looked at him, wondering what he was thinking right now.

The guide on his part, had a warding Takahashi pose in motion and stopped
as he noticed that no object was going to travel at high velocity straight
for his face. Laughing nervously, he bowed.

<Zao Aann, Siao Jie. Did you sleep well?>

Su Ling blushed again in embarrassment at the near incident and smiled
meekly back at him, <Yes, Sir. I slept well. Thank you so much for your
hospitality>

The guide smiled warmly back and stepped fully inside. 

<You are welcome. It is so nice to meet a polite countrywoman like
yourself. I have prepared some breakfast. Would you like some?>

Su Ling can feel her stomach quietly growling 'yes, yes, yes!!' to her and
blushed again as she nodded. 

<I am really sorry to impose on you so, honoured Sir. Please let me repay
you for your kindness with what money I have left.>

The guide blinked in surprise and smiled softly at the girl on the bed.
<Please, Miss. It is quite all right.> He indicated politely to a adjacent
room <The bathroom and washroom is over there if you need to clean up, Miss.>

Su Ling nodded happily back and watched the guide brushed the curtain back
as he stepped out. She then turned to look for her backpack and finally saw
it underneath the table at the centre of the room. Resting her hands on the
bed, she swung her hips and let her feet touched the foot stand before
standing up and slipped her shoes on. She looked around curiously at the
spartan room as she walked towards her backpack and finally reached it,
leaning forward and snagging it on her fingers before lifting it up and
rested it on the table in front of her. 

**Sigh* What am I going to do?* Su Ling pouted unconsciously as she untied
the cloth pack and brought out various sanitary items *I dearly hope the
Jyusenkyo guide has an idea.* Saying that, she turned again and walked
towards the bathroom with the items in hand to prepare herself for the new
day.

To be continued....


@->VT-----
martin.tie@virgin.net