Ni Hao!

Okay, for those who asked about it, here's the much-long awaited teaser to
the equally long awaited story.  And you're gonna hafta wait a little longer
for the full fic, but you know it's coming, now.   ^_^    But just to be
nice, I made it a little longer than the usual TOS teaser.  This has the
Prologue *and* the first Chapter.

Enjoy!

Mata ne,
Rob
primary: calicatcafe@megami.net  secondary: ashita@cchono.com
AIM: CaliCatCaf
Califonia Cat Cafe Online: http://calicatcafe.megami.net

When the face you fear most is your own:
The Tales of Shampoo, Volume 3: Akaneniichuan


Prologue: Girl Who Nearly Drown Ten Years Ago
"Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground..."
--David Byrne

April 1991:

    It was a beautiful moonlit night, Plum thought to herself as she gazed
amongst the stars on a cliff near the cabin that she called home.  Setting
up the telescope her father bought her during their last vacation, she felt
a shiver of excitement, this was her first chance to actually use the item,
to see what could be seen through the magic of the array of lenses and
reflectors encased in a tube that not only held them, but was also a gateway
to other worlds, perhaps the mind's eye itself.  After all, with it, she
could be amongst the stars that she always desired to study, possibly
someday in a big town like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Hong Kong.
 She certainly deserved the chance tonight.  The last few days had been hard
on the young girl, but very worthy; as the old saying went, there cannot be
a reward without a prior challenge.  Thus, this was the first day that she'd
had a chance to take a break from her astronomy studies and just relax,
enjoying the moonlight as it glistened amongst the stars, bathing the nearby
Bayan-Kala Mountains, and reflecting in the radiant pools...
...all 100 of them.
 The moon gives the pools a blessed beauty, hiding their true forms, she
mused, as the light continued to shine on the supernatural formation of
pools known as Chochuanshan, known to the outside world--though blessedly
few in that outside world--by a Japanese name...
...Jusenkyo.


    The place had healed remarkably well, with no trace of what had occurred
to it four years ago.  Back in 1987, the whole area had been demolished in
the aftermath of a showdown between the creature called Saffron and a
Japanese kenpo master named Saotome Ranma.  It had nearly ended in the
deaths of his fianc�e, another martial artist named Tendo Akane; and his
sister, a third martial artist named Saotome Ranko.  It *did* end with the
virtual annihilation of the whole area, as the wellspring of the whole area,
the Chochuan--the Jusendo--had been obliterated and thus the pools destroyed
and with it, the hopes of a cure for the curses that Ranma and many of his
friends has borne for the longest time.
    But even Ranma could not totally undo what the ancients had created, and
as a result, time healed many of the wounds done four years ago.  Ranma and
his compatriots had been cured of their curses somewhere along the line.
Ranma and Akane finally admitted their love for each other and married--in
fact, Plum and her father had only returned from the wedding two weeks ago.
It was said that one of Ranma's former fianc�es, the Amazon princess Lao
Shan Fu, was so heartbroken by the ordeal, that she left Japan for a
destination unknown, never to return to Asia, much less China or Japan, ever
again.

    *SPLASH*

    Plum heard the sound, clear as a bell, of some unlucky soul falling into
one of the pools. Looking at the myriad of watery shapes before her, she
noticed a furry paw sinking into the depths of one of the -
    ((Oh no!  Not *that* one!))  Immediately the young woman snatched her
telescope and made a beeline to the pool, yelling to her father assistance
in the hopes that they could get to the pools in time.  She saw the lights
in the cabin burst to life, even as she heard a voice screaming in
incoherent tones, as though the voice's owner wasn't used to words or
languages.
    As she reached the pool, she reached out and grabbed the latest victim
of Jusenkyo, a being that was now cursed with the challenge of a new form
brought on by immersion in one of the pools.  At once, her father was at her
side with a blanket and a long knife, easing his daughter away from the new
life form who was lying in a fetal position on the bank of the pool.  The
blanket was for his child.  The knife, well....
    The old man, the man named Guang Chen Xi, known only to outsiders as
"the Guide", turned to his daughter.  "Human or not?" he asked her,
brandishing the knife with an ease that showed it had been used before, but
at the same time, a nervousness that showed he was uncomfortable with its
use, despite the familiarity.
    Plum looked at the creature that was no longer what it once was.  "An
animal, but I'm not sure as to what kind."
    The Guide approached the new form slowly, brandishing his knife.  "Well,
you know what we have to do."  Despite his demeanor, there was a level of
discomfort to it, as though he was actually taking the life of a human, of a
sentient being.
    "But father," Plum said, easing the blade out of his hand, "she needs
our help."
    "Daughter, the Guide commented, "How do you even know it's a she?"  He
took off his hat, scratching his head in consternation.  "For all you know,
this animal could be dangerous, as well."
    "Look at her, father!  She's a 'she' now!  Besides, I think she's a
little too afraid to be any danger to anyone but herself.  Look at the shock
and horror in her eyes."  Plum pleaded with all the melodrama that her
16-year-old heart could muster.  "Besides, you know that she--"
    "Daughter, you know the rule about--"
    "Father, she needs you.  Whatever she was, she'll never be the same way
again, and you know it.  Please.  For me."


    The Guide thought about it, then tried to ignore it, then thought about
it once more, then sighed, giving in.  He could never refuse his daughter
anything, especially since his beloved wife died so long ago.  "Very well.
Let's get her home, then decide what to do next."  He handed the blanket to
Plum, who slipped it around the newest--if involuntary--member of the human
race.
    Plum took the new person by the hand, speaking as calmly, gently, and
softly as she could.  "I know you can't understand me, but I'm Plum and this
is my father.  We're going to help you adjust to your new life."  Plum then
led the girl, steering her in the direction of the cabin, totally forgetting
about the telescope she had dropped on the ground in her haste.
    The Guide picked up the item, and noticed the spiderwebbed lens; it had
cracked upon impact with a rock near the pool they were standing at.
Looking at the ruined instrument, he spoke aloud, "This is an omen,
assuredly.  I feel something very tragic is about to happen tonight."
    With that note, he began to make his way back towards the cabin that he
and his daughter shared, and their newest visitor.

* * *

    An hour later, a young man stood on the grounds of the cliff where plum
had been doing her stargazing, standing around as though he were waiting for
someone or something.  His very stance and demeanor dripped pure impatience,
with a healthy dose of arrogance. His dusty-rose colored hair, shoulder
length and tied in a ponytail, drooped over his right shoulder, clearly
accenting the smoky color of his gray eyes.  He had the aquiline features of
a European, and the tanned skin of the southern countries.  Between his
arrogance and his features, a well-traveled person would easily be able to
figure out the archetype, which for the most part was correct: Spanish
nobleman.
    But Maria Alejandro De La Vega -Munoz was no ordinary Spanish citizen.
Sure, he had the obligatory "Maria" first name that any good Catholic
Spaniard--male or female--would have, thus making his distinguishable by his
middle name, and he had his mother's maiden name attached after his own
surname, as any good Spaniard would, but that's where the common ties ended.
Well-behaved Spanishmen would never be found in a remote corner of China on
a dark night wearing tight, dark, clothing.  Good Spaniards were usually
good with a sword of the finest Toledo steel; Alejo was good with that--and
other types of weapons, befitting his unparalleled training in the martial
arts.  But most of all was the fact that most honest Spanish nobility didn't
find themselves on INTERPOL's most wanted list as the most notorious cat
burglar of all time.
    That was why Alejo was in this far-flung section of the Peoples'
Republic: someone was willing to pay his exorbitant fees to have him remove
something...or in this case, place something in.  He didn't care one way or
the other, so long as he was well compensated for this woman's cause.
    ((This woman's cause.  Santa Maria, is *this* a foolish notion,)) he
thought, the disdain clear in his mind.  ((Why did this mujer decide to have
me meet her here of all places?  The locals say that this place is cursed.
Probably some weak, idiotic mindset to be sure, but that also means that
there could be something hidden here that no one wishes to deal with.  In
any event, I really could care less--I simply wish to get this over with so
that I can get back to my lovely little Maria Luz, waiting for me in
Beijing.  She's patient, malleable, and demure, just as a woman should
be--and as my current employer is *not*.
    ((Still, there is something to be said about that woman.  As much as the
enchanting raven-haired beauty that Maria Luz is, my employer is a true
spectacle of the Orient, a woman whose inner fire and flaming soul would
make very manhood rise for her.  She is definitely a woman that I would not
mind taking a tumble with.))


    With no warning, there was a barely audible rustle in the nearby bushes,
and Alejo reacted immediately, his training coming to the forefront.
Spinning nimbly on his heels, he dropped into a low crouch and pulled out a
small yet deadly crossbow, ready to fire its bolt at the opponent coming
towards him.
    "Stay your hand," a woman's voice called out, silky and dripping with
menace.  "I made the noise on purpose.  If I actually intended to kill, you
never would have heard me."  A second later, a figure emerged from the
shadows, stepping forth into the light-soaked landscape.  She had hair as
white as the moon, cut in a bobbed style that accented and brought out the
color in her turquoise eyes.  Her skin was the fair gold tone of a Chinese
woman, and her sculptured body spoke of a highly athletic lifestyle, to say
the very least.  She wore a white one-piece bodysuit with blue and black
accents; a pair of short swords was strapped across her back, matching the
nunchaku bound to each forearm, the bandoleer of shuriken she wore across
her front, and the utility belt and pistol she had at her side.  She would
have been absolutely perfect, if it weren't for the white scar that ran from
her left temple, down her face and past her neckline--it gave one the
impression that she'd been seriously slashed years ago.
    Alejo bowed low, mocking and impish as always.  "Mango.  I see you're
looking well as always."
    Mango looked at him with smoldering eyes.  "Cut the crap, Munoz."
    "That's De La Vega ," he replied, his voice offering the barest hint of
a challenge.
    "Whatever."  She held the slightly disinterested tone in her voice as
she elegantly shrugged her shoulders.  "So, did you complete your task?"
    "That depends."  He flashed her a predatory smile, giving her the
once-over with his eyes.  "You wanted the package dropped off in the sixth
house on the left side of the fifth street going west, verdad?"  He yawned
as a counter to her implied attitude, then continued.  "I placed it in a
location where the occupant would easily be able to find it tomorrow
morning."
    "Good."  For a brief moment, it seemed that Mango was almost
congratulating him.  "When Chao Wei Pan finds it tomorrow morning, it will
give her the impetus to begin Lao K'o Lon's downfall, if not destroy the Lao
clan outright.  Perfect."
    "Listen, Mango--I don't care about your vendetta against that village or
whatever it was you said; as far as I'm concerned, es pan comida, and that's
that.  Now I'm going to enjoy the three million reasons you hired me for--I
trust that it's in my account in the Caymans, si, como no?"
    Mango rolled her eyes in disdain.  "Yes.  Three million US dollars
equivalent, placed in a mixture of dollars, marks, pounds, and yen, as you
asked," she grumbled.  She slowly moved over to where he was, and partook of
the view below.  "Ah, the Chochuanshan--the cursed plain of 100 springs.
Did you know that local legend says that when someone falls into one of the
springs, they are cursed to take the form of whatever died in the pool?
Supposedly, water triggers the curse while hot water negates the effect, but
only until the next splash of cold water.  It is fortunate that it's in a
remote part of the country, correct?"
    Alejo scoffed.  "Listen, Mango--I don't have time for your silly little
Chinese fairy tales.  If that is all, then I must take my leave of you.  So
with that, good evening.  Feel free to call again if you need my
services--you still have my business card."  With that, he turned and began
to walk away from the meeting place.
    "And where do you think you're going?" she said, mischievously.  She
then grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her for the most erotic and
sensuous kiss he'd had in years.  His body burst with fiery passion, desire
coming to the forefront.  It was night on this secluded cliff; he'd have to
find a way to explain the grass in the unusual places once he ran into his
Maria Luz once more, but....
    "What was that for?" he asked, breathlessly, as he broke from the kiss.
He was definitely stunned; Mango didn't strike him as interested in him--he
thought he'd have to press it into her.  Perhaps he could get away with a
girl in every port, as the sailors on the sea did; he didn't recall telling
her about Maria Luz.  ((Besides,)) he thought as he squeezed her backside,
((this could prove to be interesting.))
    "Oh, didn't you know?" she cooed.  "That was the Amazon kiss of death.
I'm sorry, but you know too much."  That revelation said, she belted Alejo
off the cliff and into the depths below.  Endless seconds passed as she
heard him cursing her towards his death, then a splash heralded the end of
him.
    ((I don't believe in the so-called curses of the springs,)) she mused
grimly, ((but I do believe that bastard's going to be cursed with an
embarrassing death, should anyone ever discover his body.  At this height,
pool or no, he shouldn't survive.  And now, I still have three million
dollars to use to find that bitch Lao.))  Mango stared for a second more at
her latest handiwork, then sighed audibly, as though it were something she'd
regretted doing.  Clenching her fist, she swore, "This is just another death
on my soul that you will eventually pay for, Shampoo.  I swear it."  She
then reentered the forest growth, disappearing as quickly as she had
arrived.


    From below, a hand raked itself out of the pool.  The hand was followed
by a second one, then the rest of the body as Alejo hauled himself out of
the pool.  He spat out some water, and looked back up at the ledge he just
plummeted from...no thanks to Mango.  It was only due to his quick thinking
and some experience in cliff diving that saved him from smashing into the
bottom of the pool.  He cursed her in his mind.  ((That damn bitch, Mango!
Es una puta estupida! I'll bet she didn't even put the money in the
accounts.  Well, I'll have to settle my account with her later.  Right now,
I have to get back to Beijing and back to my Maria Luz.))
    Alejo's eyes scanned the horizon for the area where he parked the rental
Land Rover.  He remembered parking it over by the Park Caretaker's cabin;
perhaps he could count on the Caretaker's honor to help a young man in need
of a place to dry off.  Yes, that's exactly what he'd do.  Setting off in
that direction, he began to slosh as he moved.  In doing so, however, he
felt an odd sensation that he never felt before: his clothing, when wet,
usually felt tight and clingy.  Well, the shirt felt a bit tighter than
normal, but why did the rest of it seem so baggy?

*  *  *

    "Father, Haru's asleep now. She was making some soft, mewling notes
earlier--whatever she was beforehand, she must have been an infant of her
species; remind me to look at her eyes tomorrow morning to see if I can
figure out what she was.  In any event, she's calmed down since."  Plum
poured herself and her father a couple of cup of Woolong, then handed him
his cup.
    "Haru?  Not something Chinese?" the Guide said, bemused by his
daughter's decision to name their guest.
    "I thought it was a pretty enough name.  According to my book, it means
'born in the spring'."  Of course, had Plum looked closer, she would have
noticed that spring in this case meant season, and not water, but she'd been
consulting an Japanese-English book, not a Japanese-Chinese one; her mastery
of a second language still had some kinks in it.  No matter; it was April,
after all....  "I would have asked her for her name, but she obviously
speaks no Chinese, I don't know how long it will be before she learns how to
talk."
    The Guide was perplexed; he knew that his daughter was up to something,
but he wasn't sure exactly.  Apparently the time they spent in Tokyo with
the Saotomes and Tendos had rubbed off on his only child; that Tendo Nabiki
and her boyfriend Kuno Tatewaki were two of the sneakiest people he'd ever
met.  "Why would we try to teach her to talk?"
    Here I go, she thought.  "Well, father, every parent should teach their
adopted child how to talk, and--"
    *"WHAT?!?!?!?"* the Guide spluttered, dropping his cup of tea.  "Pei
Lan, you know--"
    The young girl frowned.  ((Uh oh.  When he uses my full name, I know I'm
in for a battle.))  Plum flushed, turning away from her father as she
detailed her plan.  The fact that she tried to clean up the spill
fortunately hid her face, preventing her from staring at his grim eyes.
"Father, like I said, she's stuck in this manner.  You know the girl needs
our help, and she needs someone to guide her through life--human life.
That's you, father--that's what a parent's for.  Please?  Having another
person around the home will brighten up our lives immensely.  Please?"
    The Guide was struck by his daughter's words, but not in the manner that
she had intended.  Taking a second, the Guide realized something about his
life that he never really bothered to think about before.  It had been years
since his wife had died, and all he had left was his only child, Pei Lan.
When Plum would leave for college--a scant two years from now--who would be
left for him to talk to?  Visitors were rare to the Chochuanshan, and of
those that visited regularly, he'd seen neither the Saotomes or Amazons come
as of recent.  A new person around the home would alleviate his loneliness
once Plum went away to college.  Additionally, the government had not
considered sending a replacement for him to train so he could begin his
retirement plans.  With a second child, that would solve the problem, and
ensure that someone with experience would guard the pools long after he was
gone.  All the better if the person was a creation of the pools herself.
    He paused, then sighed.  "Okay.  We'll go to town tomorrow and I'll file
the adoption papers.  The government will not be happy about another female
in the populace, but since they haven't sent me a trainee yet, I can always
tell them that she will eventually take my place."
    Plum leapt up and hugged her father.  "Oh thank you, father, thank you!
You won't regret this.  I promise you!"  She then bolted for her bedroom,
calling out, "I'm going to check up on my younger sister, then go to bed.
We have a long day ahead of her tomorrow."  With that, Plum left the main
room.
    The Guide smiled.  ((I may not have a boy to carry on the family name,
but at least I have another person to carry on the legacy of guarding the
springs.))  He glanced at the clock on the wall, adding, ((Best go to bed
myself.  It will be a difficult day ahead for all of us.))  Walking over to
the fireplace, he placed up the fire screen and began the process of
shutting down for the evening.  He turned off the light and began to make
for his bed.


    It was at this time that there was a knock at the door.  The Guide went
to the door, calling out, "Just one minute, please!"  Wondering who it could
be at such a late hour, he turned a light back on and shuffled to the door.
Opening it he saw...
...the shape of someone familiar looking at him.  The person then spoke, and
instantly the Guide knew what had happened.  "Good evening, sir, I apologize
for the trouble," the person began, speaking in accented Chinese, "My name
is Alejandro De La Vega.  I was doing a nighttime hike, and getting ready
for some camping, when I fell of a cliff and landed in one of those pools of
water back there.  I was absolutely amazed that I survived, because I was
sure that I would not last the fall.  You think a man like me would be more
careful in strange lands, but my father always said, 'The spirit of
adventure is what makes a man a man, Alejo.'  In any event, though, I'm
completely soaked to the bone.  I was wondering if I could impose on your
kindness while I dry off my soaking clothes.  I would truly appreciate it
and be in your debt."
    The Guide held the candle up to see the face of the person he was
talking to.  When he saw the face, he blanched, knowing for certain that his
fears were correct.  Still, this man needed help, and it was his duty to
give it; he ran towards the bathrooms to grab Alejo a towel and a mirror.
"Oh, this is very bad for you, sir.  Do you know what's happened to you?"
    "No," Alejo said, a bit shaky.  The old man's words rattled in his
brain, and for the life of him, he could not figure out exactly what he
meant.  "I'm not sure, sir.  What exac--"


    He then stopped.  Something filtered into his mind, a horrible,
frightening thought: his voice was registering a few octaves higher than it
normally did.  "What the...?"
    "This is extremely bad, sir.  I'm afraid you've fallen into one of the
cursed pools."
    "The *WHAT?!?!?!?*"
    The Guide had a sorrowful look on his face.  Normally, he was impassive
about the situation, but with this, and twice in one night, no less,
well--this was personal.  "Sir, I'm afraid you've fallen into the
Akaneniichuan."
    "The Akaneniichuan?"
    "Yes.  The Spring of Drowned Akane.  It's an extremely tragic tale of a
girl who nearly drowned there four years ago.  Now, anyone who falls into
the pool is not only cursed to take the form of that girl, but--"
    *"GIRL?!?!?!  A GIRL?!??!?"* he roared.  Alejo looked down at his chest;
sure enough, there was, straining at the body-hugging shirt, a pair of
breasts.  Small, admittedly, but larger than the shirt was designed for;
more importantly, items that were not supposed to be there.
He--*she*--suddenly felt nauseous and very ill.  The curse of the pools
*was* true--he had become a girl!  Mango had just added discomforting insult
to anguishing injury, and Alejo swore that she would find the Spring of
Drowned Bug to throw the Chinese bitch in so she could crush her underfoot.
    Suddenly the woman grabbed the Guide, shouting, *"How do I get this
curse of me?!?!?!"*
    The Guide began, "Well, there is hot water, but--"
    With no further delay, Alejo looked around the room, spying the
teakettle, still steaming from its heated contents.  Obviously the liquid
was hot, and of course, water based.  Unceremoniously, she poured it over
herself.  As she felt the hot water cascade over her body, she could sense
that there was...
...absolutely no change whatsoever.  The girl still remained, now standing
in a puddle of hot tea.
    "As I was trying to say, sir," the Guide said, shaking his head in
sorrow, "the Spring of Drowned Akane is the worst pool to fall into.  It is
the only pool whose effects are permanent."
    *"PERMANENTE?!?!?"* Alejo shrieked, her voice rising several more
octaves as she lapsed back into her native language.
    "Yes, I'm afraid so," the Guide said, understanding the tone, if not the
word.  "Some people may change back to their original forms once or twice,
but eventually stay in the cursed form.  Considering that you've not changed
back after the tea you poured on yourself, I would say that it's permanent,
now.  I'm sorry, but there's nothing that could be done.  Your are now
forever a Japanese woman."  To prove his point, he handed Alejo the small
hand mirror.


    The woman who an hour ago had been the man named Maria Alejandro De La
Vega -Munoz recoiled in horror at her own new face.  She stared and stared,
unbelieving that this could be real, despite the obvious fact that there was
no lie about it; this was really who she was and would now forever be.  The
face that stared at her was a Japanese face, with a fair complexion and
smooth skin, pouty lips and soft eyelashes.  Her hair, although still the
same length, had changed from its natural ash-pink to a blue-black tone.
Her eyes remained the same color, but there were differences about those
too, now that they were encased in almond shaped eyes, instead of his
Castellean blood's.  The Chinese man was right: now and forever, she was now
a Japanese woman.
    "No...this can't be...no.  *No.  NO!!!!!!!!!!*" Alejo roared as she
bolted away from the hut and into the cruel, unforgiving night, with the
Guide calling for him to come back, that there had to be some way that they
could help her in her time of crisis.  The Guide called on, unaware that his
every word of kindness was a blade in the back of the proud man that was no
longer.


Chapter One: A Pact Is Made
"You tell me I'm a real man and try to look impressed; not very
convincing...."
--Par Wiksten

May 1996:

    Alejo had endured her life for five years now, and she'd hated every
damnable moment of it.  Since that fateful day, there had been no joy in her
life.  Her lover, Maria Luz, never took well to the shock of seeing her
Alejandro cursed so horribly; though she stayed by Alejo's side, she
eventually lost her sanity and died by her own hand.  Alejo's family wasn't
even that believing--she was accused of murdering a Spanish man--what a
cosmic joke--and pretended to be he; not that a Japanese girl had any chance
of successfully imitating a Spanish man.  Though she was eventually cleared
of the charges, she had spent six months in a jail cell in Madrid; even
after the evidence pointed to the fact that Alejandro was still alive and in
seclusion somewhere, Alejo had lost her family--save one, who she'd not seen
in a year or two.  His friends of many years abandoned her--especially that
bastard Rigoberto, who tried to have his way with her--and his many contacts
over the years she lost.
    Still, she did survive over the years.  She renamed herself Alejandra
Akane Del Munoz, garnered a few fake IDs to show the world a woman that was
half-Japanese, half-Spanish.  She relied upon a combination of her old
agility and the surprising strength afforded by this new body-((the Akane
woman must have had the strength of a bull!  How could she have
drowned?))--to come to new levels of skill in her chosen profession.  There
was also the advantage of age, thereof: when Alejo was last male, she was at
the nice age of 32; now, she estimated her body's age to be about 20 or
so--her IDs stated that she was 21.  Best of all, where Maria Alejandro De
La Vega -Munoz was an internationally suspected cat burglar that had gone
into hiding or retirement in the last five years, no one had ever heard of
Alejandra Akane Del Munoz.
    Even so, Alejo had never given up her dream of becoming male once more.
Now basing herself between Hong Kong and Macao, she scoured the Orient,
hoping that she would find something--anything---which would restore her
lost manhood.  She might have even considered turning herself in to INTERPOL
if the UN had a cure.  But if they did, they weren't forthcoming, and so
neither was she.  Even in her mind, she still felt herself to be masculine,
even though fate now dictated her to refer to herself in the feminine.  She
was still a man at heart, even if she might be a she physically--and damn
those cycles, anyway!  The thought of using one of those tampons, well...she
shivered at the thought, even though it had become a necessary evil.


    At the moment, she was in Japan, on the main island of Honshu, somewhere
between Kyoto and Hiroshima.  She was looking for a magical spring called
the Water of Life.  During the last few years, she devoted a massive amount
of her free time in studying the arcane locations of this part of the world;
during that time, she learned quite a bit about the cursed pools--and that
the Naniichuan, the Spring of Drowned Man, wouldn't cure her.  She also
learned that there were others over the years, cursed by the pools, and that
the majority of them lived in China or Japan, though they didn't live far
from Asia.  She had also discovered something about the nature of the pools
and why the Spring of Drowned Akane was different than all the others: since
the Akane woman had not died in it as opposed to the others, her essence had
not been completely absorbed by the pools; that difference was causing a
flaw in the nature of the spell.  According to her research, the only way to
cure herself would be to recreate the pool; i.e., make sure that the Akane
person died in the pool.  Once that was done, Alejo could dive into the
pool, get re-cursed, then dive into the Spring of Drowned Man for the cure.
The only problem with that was, she didn't know who this Akane person was,
other than a face, and truthfully, this Akane woman looked just like every
other Asian woman Alejandro De La Vega ever met.  She briefly toyed with the
idea of asking the old man at the springs to see if he knew her, but since
the chances of that were astronomical, she shelved the idea.
    Without that other successful path, she thus began her years of dogged
research for an alternate cure.  In those years, she'd seen more than she
ever thought she would see, and massively boosted her martial arts skills.
In those years, she'd seen Chinese wizards, Thai river fairies, and Balinese
jungle spirits.  She'd spent a year or so in Cambodia under the tutelage of
a short old man that taught her a highly adaptable version of karate; it was
a shame to see the old man go, even if he had a lingerie fetish--good thing
it gave her improvement on her cat burglary training.  In retrospect, it
almost seemed as though he might have known this Akane woman--he
occasionally looked at Alejo with a gaze of what seemed to be nostalgia--but
that chances of that were as remote as the Chochuanshan Guide knowing the
woman as well.
    In any event, she was looking for the Water of Life, in the hopes that
it would restore her to her native form.  She'd heard about its fantastic
properties, and hopefully after its use, she would be returned to normal
once more.  Walking on the outskirts of the forest, she'd heard fantastic
tales of giant creatures, magical springs, and a legendary Japanese hydra
that ruled all.  Arrogant and brave as always, she continued into the
forest, never desiring to be stopped by something as simple as giant
swallows.
    That was two days ago.  Since then, she'd been almost impressed by the
size and variety of animals that were in the area.  Many of them were not
from Japan; indeed, she'd spotted a European swallow earlier.  And wasn't
that a koala that was hanging on a nearby tree?  Or tropical fish in the
nearby lake?  She'd had to fight a squirrel that thought her backpack was an
acorn, and it was quite an odd feeling that she was able to beat a cute
fuzzy animal the size of a bear.
    But that wasn't the worst part.  No, that was the animal traps.  Some of
them were harmless, simple rock traps that she'd been able to dodge with
ease; those looked like they'd been there forever.  But there were ones that
were apparently newer, and much more lethal.  She was nearly killed by a
bunji trap, the wooden spikes missing her by mere centimeters.  Then the
tripwire blowguns that she set off nearly did her in, if it weren't for her
speed and agility; even so, one hit her, and though she pulled it out
immediately, she felt nauseous for a half-hour.  Since that time, she'd been
very careful in her search to find that damnably elusive spring.


    After a few more hours of rummaging around the forest, she finally found
the spring.  It was about the size of the hell-spawned Akaneniichuan, though
a bit shallower.  Alejo let out a sigh that was pure joy.  She could finally
have a shot at a cure, have a shot at being a man once more!  She looked at
her reflection, and to her rapture, she saw not her own face, but instead,
her true face-the face of her manly self!  She was in so much ecstasy, her
nipples hardened in pleasure from the thought of being whole once more.
    Her nipples hardened, she realized with a melancholy thought, and
immediately the sorrowful emotion returned the offending body parts back to
their normal state.  If she hadn't become this Akane clone, she would never
have had to deal with this problem.  Still, the truth of the water showed
her real state, her true self.  Undoing her pack, she pulled a canteen out
and brought it to the water, dipping it in and easily filling it with the
precious liquid treasure.  Pulling the container out of the water, she
smiled with a genuine joy that she had not felt in the longest time.
    "At last!  This water can free me!"  Alejo giggled a girlish laugh, but
she ignored it just this once, as she would never have to endure it ever
again.  Raising it to her lips, she took a swallow.  As the dihydrogen
monoxide poured down her gullet, she felt a tingling sensation run through
her body.  She felt as though her very essence were being altered in some
way.  She felt as though...
...she wasn't changed.  Not a whit.  She felt a little better inside, but
that was about it.  Looking at the reflection in the pool, she saw her man's
face, even though she knew, sure as truth, she was still trapped in her
woman's body.
    ((Hmmm...perhaps I need to immerse myself in this, as I did the other.))
The canteen went back into the spring again, ready for a second filling with
water.  Once filled again, she brought it towards her head, this time ready
to pour it over her.
    Warning bells went off in Alejo's mind.  Leaping back, she let go of the
canteen just as a longbow arrow pierced the item neatly, spilling its
contents on the forest floor.  Two more arrows followed as Alejo back
flipped to a ready pose and leapt behind a nearby tree.  Her mind reeled
from the implications: did she wander onto sacred land?  Was something
serious hidden here?  Had she inadvertently stumbled onto something?  The
questions were myriad.


    A nearby bellow of challenge from the woods answered that.
*"SAOTOME!!!!!!  I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!!"*  Another flurry of arrows ripped
through the air, much closer to Alejo; she went into a high-speed evasive
maneuver that her sensei had taught her.  A combination of air dodges and
last-second feints, she avoided every one of the lethal missiles; at one
point she was able to catch and inspect one of them.  ((Laser-cut blade,
barbed end, state of the art for this type of weapon, surely.  Definitely
meant to kill.  Not a good thing at all, but at least those new traps make
sense.))
    Tossing the arrow aside, she called out in Japanese, "You'll have to do
better than that!"  Another semi-benefit that the body gave her, she picked
up Japanese in no time flat, and now sounded like the native she appeared to
be.  Without waiting for an answer, she began a dash through the forest,
bounding off the forest floor and through tree branches, changing her course
every so often to avoid the flurry of missiles being loosed behind her.
    Every so often, Alejo could hear the woman's voice--and it had to be, no
doubt about that--screaming, *"You bitch, Saotome!  Come back here and face
true justice!  You don't know how long I've dreamed about this!"*
    ((Keep dreaming,)) Alejo answered in her mind, (('cause you don't stand
a chance in hell of catching me, woman.))  Alejo leapt over a few more
branches, then, swinging off another branch (she hoped; it looked too much
like a tail), she catapulted herself above the tree line and into the air,
amongst the giant birds and butterflies the size of bicycles.  She continued
to move forward, flipping in the air, hoping that her opponent would take
the bait.  A flurry of arrows pierced the sky, informing her that she
hadn't.
    As her body moved into the descent phase of her arc, she noticed that
her opponent had indeed joined the air battle.  She didn't really catch too
much of the other girl's face; the only visible features were that she had
an arrow nocked and ready to fire at a moment's notice.  That left Alejo
with precious seconds left to move and almost no time to react.  But in the
end, it would be her or her attacker--and Alejo much preferred to live,
thank you.
    She landed on a tip of a tree, and using the springiness of that branch,
bolted forward.  She thrust out a fist as she charged, crying out, "Aguila
del Sol!" and became bathed in a cocoon of orange ki-electricity.  She then
swept her arms back, wing-like, as the battle aura took on the appearance of
a phoenix made of a lightning bolt.

    Her opponent loosed her arrow.

    Impact was made.

    Three meters above the tree line of Ryugenzawa no mori, a bird of
lightning blasted through a razor-sharp arrow, slamming into a young woman
and knocking her senseless.  The woman spiraled down into the depths below,
as Alejo's aura faded away.  Alejo landed safely on a branch, then hastily
began to leap towards the ground, scrambling down branches with a speed born
of adrenaline and rage.  That woman tried to kill her, obviously mistaking
her for someone named Saotome.  That was a mistake that would cost that
woman dear--
    *"Aaarrgh!"*  Alejo screamed in pain as a pair of sharp objects bit into
her arm.  Shrugging off the pain momentarily, she landed on the forest
floor, shakily.  Ripping the spears out of her arm--she'd have to patch
herself up later--she inspected them, noticing just how weird they were.  A
pair of throwing spikes, they were shaped and painted to look
like...chopsticks?  Like those pieces of wood that she usually used for
utensils.  ((What the hell...?))
    A voice echoed throughout the glen: *"Just keep on running, Saotome!
It'll make my revenge just that much sweeter!"*
    Alejo momentarily thought about just screaming out that she was not this
Saotome character that her assailant was looking for; that wouldn't work,
most likely--this woman had to have seen what she looked like and wasn't
willing to listen to reason.  Alejo's path was clear: overpower the
offender, and *then* make her listen to reason.  With that choice made,
Alejo bolted forward, ready to pound her target.
    The target, she noticed, had observed that Alejo had now taken the
offensive and was moving to counter that, beginning evasive maneuvers to
counter anything that might come her way.  From what Alejo could tell, her
attacker was dressed in a pair of black leotards and a ragged, bloodstained
purple yukata top.  She could tell that her opponent had long hair, with
streaks of gray in it.  Her face appeared to be youthful, despite the signs
of age in her hair.  The way she moved was not that of one with years on
her; that could mean that the gray hairs were due to stress of some kind--
living here in this bizarre place would probably have something to do with
it, for starters.  This Saotome person she was so dead set on might be
another.
    ((Well, I'd better end it,)) she thought.  ((The sooner I end
hostilities, the sooner I can talk to her.  Maybe she knows something about
the springs that can be of use to me.))  Alejo moved into action.  She raced
forward, drawing deep within herself to summon the lowest levels of her
ki-power.  Bringing her aura to super-strength, she released it through her
body and used that force to power a high-level attack as she bellowed, "De
La Vega Attaque Fantastica!  Los Manos del Podre!"  As she rushed forward to
nail her opponent via a rushing elbow attack, she began to blur from an
orange shadowy effect.  She connected with her adversary, going into step
two of her attack.  Alejo spun, then turned her elbow attack into a flying
uppercut, rocketing towards the sky and taking her now-victim along for the
ride.  As she did, the ki-field began to electrify, sending painful jolts of
energy through the body of the woman, who was now screaming in shock and
horror.
    Pulling off from the attack, Alejo gracefully pirouetted in the air,
allowing the woman to drop back down to earth in the reverse direction in
which she had just traveled.  The electrified body that thumped to the
ground was not moving on its own; instead twitching from involuntary muscle
spasms.  Alejo landed, and dropped back into another ready stance; she'd
take no chances when it came to this girl.


    A sudden sensation of being throttled changed her thought pattern.
    She spun to see that the woman had lashed her with a whip.  And not some
normal type of whip, either, but a cat o' nine tails made out of some kind
of material that Alejo couldn't quite identify; to be honest, though, it
vaguely reminded her of pasta, though she didn't quite know why.  That
wasn't the important part.  What was is that the whip was wrapped firmly
around her neck, constricting more and more each second like a featureless
Anaconda, biting deeper into the soft, feminine flesh around her neck,
choking the life from her....
    *"You'll die now, Saotome Akane!  For what you did to my Shinnosuke,
YOU...WILL...DIE!!!!!!!!  I got you once before with my ramen whip; this
time I'll finish the job!!!!!"*  The woman smiled with a wicked grin on her
face, the gleam in her eyes somewhere between insanity and the verge of
relief.
     *That* triggered alarms in Alejo's head.  ((Saotome...*Akane*?
She...she recognizes who I look like!  She knows this Akane woman!  I have
to stop this madness now!)) Alejo screamed inwardly.  ((She may be my only
hope of salvation!))
    Something deep inside Alejo released without her really being conscious.
Maybe it was her latent need to survive.  Maybe it was her ki-force coming
to the forte.  Maybe it was even the work of the Blessed Virgin smiling down
on her.  Alejo didn't know.  What Alejo *did* know was this: somehow, she
went incandescent with her battle aura.  Somehow, she grabbed the so-termed
"ramen whip" and gave a sharp tug, breaking it at the end and allowing her
to breathe, her skin slowly returning to its (somewhat) normal fair bronze
tone.  Somehow, she pulled the whip forward, drawing the woman closer to
her.  Somehow, she launched into an attack that she never would have though
possible: she pounced on her opponent and began to rain savage blow after
blow down on her, with each blow that connected leaving an explosive burst
of energy.  After a few moments of this, the other woman finally sank into
submissive unconsciousness, leaving Alejo a bruised and battered--but
clear--victor.
    Exhausted, Alejo picked up her adversary and headed back towards the
campsite.  Something in the back of her mind, in reference to this woman,
reminded her of the old English maxim: ((Never judge a book by its
cover....))
    A few moments later, Alejo tossed a container of water onto the
unconscious girl, courtesy of one of her battered pots that she carried
around in her camping gear.  The water sprayed into a blossom on impact,
snapping the girl awake, and looking at Alejo with a glance that was purely
murderous.  The woman looked like a wolf that was chafing at the bit to tear
out the throat of its prey at a moment notice--and if given the chance, this
woman probably would.  It was fortunate that Alejo had the sense to tie down
the girl, or else she might've been a corpse.
    During this brief interlude, Alejo took the time to examine her
opponent.  She was young, maybe about her mid-twenties, if he was guessing
correctly, by the fairness and softness of her skin.  Her salt-and-pepper
hair, he now realized, was a result of abject hatred and years of some
endless suffering that was so deep-set in her eyes, Alejo blinked from the
sheer level of hatred.  This woman truly hated this Saotome Akane
woman...*no*, hatred would be too soft a term, even in this case--sheer
anathema would be more accurate; this woman stood for everything that
opposed the Saotome woman.
    As did Alejo, though she'd never met her.  The woman could be the
sweetest thing in the world, and it wouldn't matter; the very fact that
Alejo was fated to carry the body of this Akane woman made her an enemy for
life...
((...and an ally of this other woman.  Now, how to convince her....))


    The other woman spoke first.  "So, you've come to my home to finish me,
off, ne, Saotome?" she seethed, her eyes blazing with a hatred that looked
all too pitiful on such a beautiful face.  The woman's face, ideal for the
sunniest of smiles, was contorted into the most horrible of sneers.  "You've
won, then, or so you think.  You took my Ranma from me, then took the life
of my Shinnosuke, you murderous bitch!  You have no idea what hell I've been
though in the last seven years, do you?!?  Of course, you could care less,
Saotome Akane!"  The woman began to try to break the bonds, struggling
against the unusual fabric.  "This yukata I wear has his blood on it,
Akane--*his blood!  My Shinnosuke trusted you, his oh-so-loyal childhood
friend, and you sent him to his death, you whore!*"  By now, the woman had
reached a berserk rage, shrieking bloody murder like a banshee and doing her
utmost to burst the bonds that held her from her perceived objective.  *"YOU
WILL DIE, OR I, OR BOTH--BUT ONE WILL, I SWEAR IT!!!!!!!"*
    Alejo counted to ten, took a deep breath, then decided to go into her
speech.  Placing what she thought would be a becalming hand on the woman's
shoulder, she spoke in the most soothing tones possible.  "I am not this
Saotome Akane person that you hate.  This may be hard to believe, but I am
cursed to look like her.  I was not even born a woman, until--"
    The semi-Spaniard was interrupted by a head-butt from her opponent.
*"Do you think I'd believe anything you say, you murderous bitch?!?"* the
girl shouted.
    That was enough.  No longer interested in being civil about things,
Alejo dragged her opponent by the hair, shoving her towards the nearby pool.
*"Attencion, mujer estupida!"* she roared.  *"Does that look like I'm lying
to you?  Does it?!?!"*
    The woman stared at the pool, seeing the face of a gaijin male next to
hers.  She then turned and looked at the face of her greatest enemy. Then
back at the face in the pool.  Her countenance took on a cast of surprise,
for she knew what the springs of Ryugenzawa truly were and what they could
truly do; both her time with Shinnosuke and the subsequent years of solitude
had taught her the maxim of the waters.  The reflection of the pools showed
one's true self, or in this case, the real person that this Akane clone was.
    The Japanese girl looked back at Alejo.  Her countenance was grim, but
her opinion had changed.  And with her next words, she'd confirmed it:
"Ikimasho, follow me.  We'd best talk about this."  Getting back to her
feet, the young woman headed into the thickest part of the forest.  A second
later, feeling a sense of hope, Alejo joined her.

*  *  *

    A half-hour later, things were quite different.  The pair had adjourned
to her little cabin, straight in the center of the enchanted forest.  She'd
discovered that the woman's name was Daikoku Kaori, and that her feud with
Saotome Akane was just as harrowing as Alejo's...and certainly longer,
having gone on for a full decade.  If Alejo understood Kaori's story
correctly, Akane was not only responsible for stealing Kaori's first fianc�
away from her, but also for the murder of her second.  It was Kaori who,
grief-stricken, had to tell her lover's only surviving relative--his
grandfather--about his fate; the news killed the old man.  Since then, she
took over the role of forest ranger in honor of them, and worked alone for
the past seven years, fulfilling her duties and itching for a chance at
revenge.  Any chance. While she told her tale, there was something in her
eyes that made her look like a cross between a young woman who had suffered
needlessly, and a raving madwoman with the delusion of the gods.  It was
sobering, to say the least.
    Alejo then told her tale to Kaori, detailing his initial fall into the
spring, followed by her years of suffering, from the years of isolation, to
the end of Maria Luz, to her search for a cure and everything in between.
It was interesting, she thought, to note the echoed theme of suffering at
the hands of this woman, who obviously deserved to die.  Alejo ended her
tale with the various ways to be cured, and the reason why she came to
Ryugenzawa.
     "So what you're saying is then," Kaori responded after Alejo completed
her diatribe, "that if it were not for Akane, you would still be a man
today?"
    Alejo sighed.  "Yes.  The things that I have suffered, living in this
damnable body, you would not believe!  If I had the time to tell you how it
went, living in a body that is not yours, I'd...."  Her voice climbed the
crescendo ladder at a high pace, her urgency coming to the forefront.  She
leapt from the seated position that she was in, seething.  "If I ever meet
that woman, I swear that she will not be longer for this world after, yes."
    Kaori looked at her guest with a view that was both doubtful and
hopeful.  "What do you mean by that?"
    Alejo smiled.  "I was--am--the son of a Spanish nobleman.  I assure you,
acting in a *knightly* fashion--" he sneered, having placed heavy sarcasm on
the old symbol of chivalry of which she had none, "--I shall smite this
wench Saotome off the face of the earth, if I only had the chance."
    Kaori's face took on a thoughtful expression.  "Thinking back to what
you said earlier: according to the lore you learned about this Chinese
lake--if she was to drown in it, and you were to dive into it again, you'd
be cured?"
   "Well, there's a bit more to it than that, but in basics, yes."
   "Then I may just have the solution to both our problems.  We take that
bitch, drown her in the lake, and then you can jump in.  You'll be cured,
I'll be avenged, and we'll both be rid of the stain of Saotome Akane.  It'll
be just grand!"  Alejo noticed a gleeful, hopeful, cheerful, almost girlish
cast of joy in Kaori's eyes.  She also bet that it had been a while since it
had been there last.  It was odd--the girl was absolutely thrilled that
there was a chance that Saotome Akane would meet her end if Alejo so desired
it.
    Not that Alejo wasn't willing to do the deed.  It was her best hope to
return to her original form, being blood magic--traditionally considered
some of the most powerful magic around.  It was a constant throughout all
her research that a person's death carried heavy amounts of magic upon the
last escape of breath, and the power, if correctly harnessed, could be of
great potency, such as creating a magic spell...or a cursed pool...or
removing said curse from a victim.
    She thought, and with that, her choice was made. "Okay, then, it is
decided.  We will attend to this scourge for once and for all.  The question
is though, how do you intend to do that?"
    "Won't be easy," Kaori admitted.  "Saotome has many cohorts and partners
in crime.  Some are just as bad as her, some are simply delusional.  If
there were only some way of removing her support, her tower would fall in an
instant."
    "Well, how do we fix that?"  Alejo had a grim cast to her face.  "If
she's as thick as thieves with her allies, it could be a case of easier said
than done."
    Kaori, now committed to the end of Saotome Akane, smiled sweetly, as
though something in her life had gone back to a normal course.  For a
minute, she looked like a woman who had seen hope once more.  "Why, De La
Vega -san, I believe I have the perfect plan...."

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