----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald Lee Granberry" <noharness@mac.com>
To: "FFML" <ffml@anifics.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 11:20 AM
Subject: [FFML] [fanfic][Ranma]Comes the Cold Dragon: Part XV Rev 1
Ranma Saotome woke in the wee hours of the morning, or
at least, he thought he had wakened. After looking around at
his surroundings, he realized that he was still asleep, but
in that odd dream-space his girly half loved so much. He was
sitting upon the ground with his back resting on the steep
sides of Tengu Rock. Much to his relief, he was male. Much to
his embarrassment, his female side was swimming in the slow
burbling current of the nearby stream, being very female and
very naked. The waters of the stream were wonderfully clear.
"Would you at least dream up a thong?" Ranma shouted
angrily.
Heh. Who sez he don't have no feminine modesty?
Were it me in his slippers, I'd be yelling at her about it, too. Remember
how embarrassed Ranma got when he found out the copy of his girl side
remained female when doused with hot water?
"Why?" Ranko asked. "You, me and Scales am the only one
here."
"You and me am...." Ranma said in a puzzled tone before
giving up and allowing his voice to trail off into silence.
<snip>!
A house cat, or rather, a Ranma-sized house cat, a
little over two-and-a-half shaku tall at the shoulder, came
trotting out of the dense under-story that defined the
clearing around Tengu Rock. It had a reddish-brown coat of
hair with black brindled stripes. Muscles rippled beneath the
creature's fur, muscles that Ranma had not realized that cats
possessed. The terrible thing stretched its forelegs out well
forward; then clawed at the grass of the clearing. Ranma
gasped aloud as Ranko buried her face in the hollow of his
right shoulder.
"Oh, my Goddess!" Scales exclaimed.
I was wondering when this facet of his psyche might show up. Tobe honest, I
figured it had been integrated into Scales, but I see I was wrong...
I've been trying to figure out how to handle it.
<snip>
"Niyago!" Ranma cried out aloud as he began thrashing
beneath his blankets.
Ranma's disturbed thrashing woke Akane. She sat up on
the futon, throwing their covers back as she did so.
"What is it, Ranma?" Akane asked.
"Meeower!" The noise Ranma had just made sounded
plaintive.
"Poor baby!" Akane said, stroking his head. "At least
you haven't liquefied the air in our room this time."
"Meow! Oof! Oof! Rumble-buzz!"
Hahaha! You have a cat or cats, too, then? Rumble-buzz indeed...
Oh, yeah!
<snip>
Captain Kiima, formerly of the Hououzan Royal Guard,
took to wing just as the soft grey light of early morn began
to turn golden. Her life as a winged being had become
complicated after her visit to Jusenkyou. A light sprinkle of
rain, which had once been a mere nuisance, now held
disastrous consequences for her. Her cursed form lacked wings
as well as the ability to fly. Worse yet, no matter how often
she tried, swimming in her cursed form required exhausting
effort. The Tendo girl's body seemed to have been made of
iron. On the positive side, Kiima's cursed form was
enormously strong. As Tendo-Kiima, she could tie a bowline in
a cold piece of one-inch pipe, but she did not allow this
blessing of strength to mislead her into believing that her
cursed form could withstand a fall from more than about
twelve meters. Kiima had become very cautious when flying,
making certain to never get caught very far from the ground
whenever the sky threatened rain--or even a faint whiff of it.
While this makes an interesting (and fascinating) point, didn't Kiima,
Koruma and Masara have curses before the S.O.D.A. was created? Just the
standard human curse, I recall... (It has been over a year since I last read
the Phoenix Mountain story, so I may be misremembering) I'd think Kiima
would be used to the problems by now, if that's the case. BTW, I _do_ enjoy
the Akane-specific traits she seems to be struggling with; makes a nice
distinction between the S.O.D.A. and the ordinary S.O.D.G.
I'll have to go back and check. I think the two men were the only ones with
curses. Kiima did not have one until she took advantage of the Spring of
Drowned Akane.
<snip>
"The farm seems large enough to accommodate our entire
party for a day or two," Kiima answered as she accepted the
proffered tea. She took a sip. The hot liquid seemed
wonderfully rich to her. It spread rapidly through her system,
warming her to the very bone. "There is a sizeable barn, as
well as another, smaller out-building. Judging from the
freshly made trail between the smaller building and the house,
I'd say that it has seen quite a bit of use, here of late."
"Is it a jake?" Haabu asked.
I know what you mean, here, but I'm thinking a less-western idiom might be
better... Although I can't think of one off the top of my head. Maybe
"Latrine", if you don't find it's connotations too martial?
I don't know. It's an old term little used for the purpose in English
anymore and I figure Haabu's Chinese and Japanese are both going to be a bit
dated.
<snip!>
"Will you not do _that_?" Akane shouted.
"Hey! Haabu's on his way here. I gotta be prepared for
the worst just in case."
"By flashing your boobs at him? What are you planning
to do to him, Ranma?"
Special training! Saotome School of Anything-Goes martial arts secret
technique! Boobs of the Buxom Redhead!
Hey! It's anything goes, remember? Cole Porter, eat your heart out. You
couldn't have gotten away with it in your day.
Kasumi's smile broadened when she heard Nabiki cackle.
She had to admit, while Ranma seemed understand little about
actually being a girl, he certainly knew how to do the things
that would distract or fluster other men while in his female
form.
"Hey, the guy can't handle it. Every time he sees a
pair of breasts, he turns into a complete boob, even when the
breasts are his. How da ya think I whipped him the last
time?"
<snip!>
"How well do you know the Joketsuzoku, Cousin?" Haabu
asked.
(Hah! What don't I know?)
(Hang on a minute, Saotome. How much do we know about
Soun Tendo?)
(Huh? Oh, I gotcha. There's prob'ly lots of stuff we
don't know, about 'em, huh?)
"Beyond their rather curious laws concerning marriage
and one or two of their fighting techniques, very little,"
Ranma answered. "I do know that Ko Lon is a cunning and
highly skilled opponent."
Akane gravely nodded her head in agreement.
"I somehow doubt she regards you as an opponent,
Cousin," Haabu said, giving Ranma one of his rare smiles. "It
is far more likely that she thinks of you as a valuable
asset."
"Asset is right!" Ranma said. "She thinks of me as
being little more than a stud horse. That's why I think of
her as an opponent."
Prince Haabu laughed out loud, causing both Kiima and
Akane to shiver. Ranma ruefully grinned.
"Is that such a bad thing?" Haabu asked. "From what I
have seen of her great-grand daughter, I would have expected
you to take her up on the offer."
A question I myself have asked, many times.
Hence my reason for having Ranma's girl half chide his guy half for being a
prude.
Akane audibly ground her teeth. Kiima was doing the
same.
(Huh? What's Kiima gettin' jealous about?)
(Yeah, that is weird, Saotome. I didn't think she liked
me at all. Something really weird is goin' on.)
Typical Saotome egocentrism. I like it.
(Where's Nabiki when I really need her?)
(Just out of reach, Saotome. Just out of reach.)
"There is a lot more to Xian Pu than her beauty,
Cousin," Ranma rumbled. "Don't be fooled by the bait."
"Ranma is an expert on bait!" Akane exclaimed.
"Yes, I know! I found that out the hard way," Haabu
said as he burst out laughing. The sound of it gave even
Ranma a case of the gooseflesh. Even so, Akane rolled her
eyes and joined Haabu in his mirth.
(So why does he think that's so funny? He could do the
same thing after ya splash him with water.)
(He isn't as flexible as I am, Saotome. He's Chinese,
remember? They're bigger prudes than you are. Let's try to
stay cool about this.)
Now, this may be true (I have no idea of the sexual mores of real mainland
Chinese persons and how they compare to Japanese ones) but why would Ranma
think this? All of the Chinese characters he meets over the course of the
series are pretty wacky individuals, and those he has most frequent contact
with (Shamps, Mousse and the Old Ghoul) could hardly be described as
prudish. Perhaps rephrase to "He's Musk, remember? They're bigger prudes
than you are"., etc.
Check out Chinese law.
(Yeah, okay. Scales? Don't say nothin' too smart. We
don't want a brawl.)
"You have my humblest apologies, for that, Cousin,"
Ranma said. "You are too formidable an opponent to fight in a
strictly conventional manner."
(Ya didn't hafta go that far, Scales!)
"There is no need for apology, Cousin," Haabu said,
suddenly sobering. "You taught me an invaluable lesson at the
conclusion of that affair. A lesson I shall never forget."
"And you taught me not to bite off more than I can
chew," Ranma said.
Anything-Goes martial arts humility contest!
Not quite as rough as the Anything Goes Martial Arts Cowardice Contest, but
close.
Akane gave Ranma a questioning stare. Kiima covered her
mouth with one hand as she giggled. Ranma and Haabu glanced
at the two women, then each other. They both laughed. Prince
Haabu offered Ranma his hand. Ranma reached across the
intervening space between them and gripped Haabu's forearm.
Haabu responded in kind.
<snip>
"Truly," Kasumi said. "I can feel a great harmony
building between Ranma and Haabu."
"Well, that's good news," Nabiki said without blinking
an eye. She had long known about Kasumi's empathetic talent.
Most Japanese had such a skill to one degree or another. It
was a product of culture and nurture. Kasumi, though, was
talented. "What about Akane?"
Kasumi closed her eyes as she took a deep breath.
After a moment's hesitation, she opened her eyes and said,
sounding surprised, "She's frightened half out of her wits!"
That's verging on counselor Troi-level projective empathy. Not sure if I
agree with that vision of Kasumi, but <shrugs> your call.
We'll see if there are many objections to it. If there are, I may change
it.
<snip>
(Whoa! It's made from a Hinako tree, Saotome!)
Somehow, I don't think she'd be flattered by the comparison...
Who knows? She might think it funny.
Ranma snatched his tingling hand away from the staff,
looking up at Haabu in surprise.
"It absorbs ki!" Ranma exclaimed. "It's like Hinako-
sensei's Happou-Go-En Satsu. What kind of wood is that?"
"It is a variety of boxwood which is only known to grow
in a few places at very high elevations," Haabu said. "This
staff was made from the trunk of a tree almost three
centuries old."
Aha! *That* was a few chapters back... I had almost forgotten that scene.
Yep. I started aiming at this point in the story from the very beginning.
<snip>
"M'Lord Prince Haabu, I give you the Lady Tendo
Nabiki!"
Much to Nabiki's delight, Haabu froze up. He was so
mesmerized by her appearance that he forgot to bow. Nabiki
was careful to hold her smirk inside and not let it show on
her icy face. Ignoring the pain in her half-healed ankle, she
downshifted her derriere and strolled towards the mind-locked
Prince of the Musk. The gait Nabiki was using was one she had
practiced for hours until she had it down to absolute
perfection. It was sexy, but not of the streetwalker's style.
This was a walk that said, "I'm female. I'm beautiful. I am
the Queen. And I own you, your ass and all its fittings.
Don't you forget it!" Marlene Dietrich would have been proud
of her.
Bwahahahahahah! I LOVE it! Go Nabs! If all goes well, you'll never need
Purple-dong-san again!
I gotta go back and re-write that chapter. Don't get too fond of it.
Ranma, Nabiki noticed, gave Haabu a sidelong glance and
very nearly burst out laughing. Nabiki was grateful to him
for maintaining his self-control. Prince Haabu, for his part,
remained completely mesmerized. Nabiki offered him her right
hand. That seemed to get Haabu's brain going again. He gently
took Nabiki's hand in his own, then carefully bowed over it.
He did not, Nabiki was pleased to note, actually touch her
hand with his lips. He only pretended to kiss her hand, which
was the proper thing to do on formal occasions.
Nabiki very nearly lost her bearing at the touch of
Haabu's hand. The cold power of the man was palpable, and he
smelled good. Clearly, Haabu was not given to overindulgence
in anything, not even tea. He certainly did not smoke or
drink much alcohol. A man who takes good care of himself,
will likely take good care of others, some part of Nabiki's
mind silently noted.
A common (if understandable) misconception. Perhaps not much of one at all,
in Herb's case.
It's the way to bet.
"Thank you for honoring us with your presence, Lady
Tendo," Prince Haabu said in a faint voice.
Gotcha! Nabiki said silently to herself.
Woo-hoo! Go Nabsy!
<snip>
The Joketsuzoku began serving the first course, prawn
and scallop yaki-ebi,
First time I read this, this scanned as "yak-ebi" and all I could think of
was "Oh my god, they're eating Pantyhose!" Heh. Not your fault, just my own
twisted mentality...
Oh, man!
with fresh cut mint and a light soup of
clear chicken broth with freshly diced spring onions. The
portions were suitably small for a multi-course meal, with
only two prawns and a scallop on each skewer. The prawns and
scallops were done to a delicate turn. Most chefs tended to
overcook prawns, making them just a wee bit too tough for
Nabiki's liking, but these were just right and had been
cooked over an open fire.
Aargh!<wipes drool from chin> should've eaten dinner before reading this.
Now I'm all hungry-like.
You should have tried writing it. I went through a whole bag of sesame
sticks during this scene.
<snip>
"I suppose that there is every reason for a person to
expect me to have studied sword making, but that was not the
thrust of what he taught me," Haabu said as he scratched at
the back of his neck. "I learned only enough of that to know
what I might reasonably expect of my smiths."
"What did he teach you then?" Nabiki asked.
"He taught me how to fashion jewelry," Haabu answered
as his eyes seemed to catch fire. "You are wearing my
masterpiece. It disappeared before I could set its stones."
Oro? Isn't this a prequel to Spreading Wings? Oh, well, I suppose there's
nothing that says Nabs can't have a fling before meeting her Nisei hunk o'
destiny...
Well...
Nabiki's blood roared in her ears, but she met Haabu's
crimson gaze head on as she extended her right arm toward him.
<snip>
All through her reverie, Kiima had been picking at her
dessert. It was a surprisingly simple dish when compared with
the rest of the meal, being a baked apple stuffed with honey-
dipped raisins and seasoned with freshly ground cinnamon.
Where the chef had found the apples was a mystery to Kiima.
They would have been unbearably tart as table fruit and their
skins were remarkably thin and fragile. The sweetness of the
honey and raisins along with the butter and cinnamon
moderated their tartness so that it puckered the mouth to
just the right degree.
AARGH! Must... Go... Eat!!!! <leaves keyboard> <returns> Ahh... Yummy prose,
Don.
<snip>
I pulled this one out of my hat one time out of sheer desperation. Much to
my surprise, everyone liked it, or at least, they said they did.
(You might ask the Elder Tendo that question.)
(Oh, no! Not this again! Why do you choose times like
this to speak up? Can you not see that I have enough on my
hands as it is?)
(It is at times like this you need me the most, Haabu
darling.)
(Don't call me that!)
Hah! Okay, *this* was unexpected! I figured Ranma's fractured psyche was the
result of his "Thousand-yard stare", but here you go and give Haabu the same
dilemma! A feature of the "curse", then, I take it? Nice. Also cute the way
Haabu-chan (from her speech pattern) seems to sound like a real "dragon
lady".
I was hoping that would come across.
(Why not? If one is to like anyone, she must start by
liking herself. Is this not true?)
(I am not a her and you are nothing to do with me! You
are that ... that damned curse!)
(You still do not understand, do you? Or, perhaps, you
are simply refusing to see. We are one and the same person.)
(I am _not_ a female! I am a man among men!)
Snort! It's deja-vu all over again!
<snip>
(You would expect less from a weapon worthy of a
dragon?)
(No, I would not.)
(Then we are meet with the true face of fear,
Draconian! Who shall be the master? Fear or dragon-spawn?)
Dragon's pawn might be more apropos at times, it seems...
(Oh, what is this power a woman so easily holds over
me?)
<snip>
"I will tell you now a story so old and fragmented that
it is considered to be nothing more than legend by most, and
little wonder, for it is a strange story, and few know the
secrets guarded by the Musk. For that is how the Musk came to
be. We were born and bred to become the defenders of ancient
secrets. And we have been successful. Very few people know of
us, and not even we Musk are fully knowledgeable of that we
are sworn to keep secret. This is as it must be. On the face
of it, we are a fierce dynasty whose antecedents appear to be
lost in the mists of time, but in truth we began as company
of elite soldiers. Many years passed before we became a
society of our own."
I must mention here that I really enjoy your take on the Musk's origins in
this continuity. I've my own ideas on the subject that I plan on elucidating
in a future chapter of "Scarlet", but yours are as artfully-constructed as
any I've read. (Ack! Seems I've been reading Herb too long, I'm starting to
sound like him...)
Thank you. I was afraid it would read as dull as the the back of a cereal
box.
<snip>
"Cretan Minoa!" Tofu exclaimed.
Cretin Minotaur? Where's Pantyhose? Oh, oh, wait, that's not what you
wrote...
<snip>
"The first Queen Atalanta, according to the ancient
records, was the daughter of Hera by Prince Girugameshi, who
Hera is also known as Ishtar, then? Very Een-teresting...
Yes, the "Triple Goddess" was called by many names, but she shows up in very
nearly every culture known at one time or another in history.
later became a the founding Monarch of another nation. After
the Great Flood, Atalanta hired a ship built and crewed it
with the bravest women and strongest men she could find,
setting out in search of a new land for her people."
Haabu nodded at Tofu's startled grunt, and sipped at
his coffee again before continuing.
"After many trials and adventures, they at last came
upon the island they named Karurisute.
A sort-of-homonym for Ararat or Crete? Or am I missing a Takahashian
tri-lingual pun?
Actually, it's "Kalliste", the ancient name of the Greek island now
officially named Thera. It is most often called "Santorin" because that is
what sailors have called since sometime in the nineteenth century.
<snip>
As blessed as Karurisute was, settling the island and
those that surrounded it was not accomplished without great
struggle, and our ancestors suffered more than a few
heartbreaking setbacks. The soils of Karurisute did not take
kindly to mismanagement. The records contain an enormous body
of law concerning how plowing was to be done and when. There
were strict rules governing flocks and herds. For instance,
no living goat was allowed on Karurisute. They were always
slain aboard ship, or on barges designated for the purpose,
and only their meat was ever brought ashore."
Hasidic Musk?
Actually, it is an important ecological precaution. Greece suffered from two
major problems throughout its history--too many goats and too many people.
They were harder on the people than they were on the goats.
<snip>
"Hence there have been no bodies found on what is left
of Thera, correct?" Tofu asked.
Hmm. I'm not up on my mediterranean archeology. Perhaps an informative note
or link at the end of the chapter might be a good idea?
Okay. I'll quote the Critias and everything. I may as well do something with
all those notes.
<snip>
Atalanta ordered the fleets westward, and so they
proceeded, passing through the place known then as Hera's
Slot,
<snort> that sounds suggestive. Is that deliberate?
Is the "Pillars of Heracles" suggestive?
<snip>
"Sou Pa," Haabu announced, "is a very talented man. Not
only is he a renowned blacksmith, who studied under the
venerable Tetsugo Ichiro, he is also our celebrated chef.
Take a bow, Sou Pa."
"Oh, my!" an overjoyed Kasumi exclaimed. "An iron chef!
Mint must have been tonight's theme!"
Gyaah! <picks self up from facefault> The pun would have worked even better
had Mint been assisting him in the kitchen.
I didn't want those two guys involved. It would have been impossible for
Haabu to get anything done with them along.
<snip>
Nabiki allowed her grin to turn into an unabashed smile
as she said, "You and Ranma are so much alike it's
frightening."
Haabu's eyes widened with shock.
"You do realized that it is at this point you are
supposed to sweep the lady off her feet, cover her with your
warm cape and fly away with her so that the two of you can
have a romantic interlude in the moonlight, do you not?"
Channelling Margot Kidder, is she?
Which movie? I don't remember doing anything like this, but it wouldn't
surprise me if she did and I saw it.
<snip>
"It is a long, strange story," Haabu said. "I am not
sure that even I understand it fully."
"That's all right, Haabu-chan," Nabiki said. "I like
strange stories and I don't have a pumpkin to catch."
Aha! Got her hooks in him, and his in her, to be sure. The 'chan' suffix is
a dead giveaway.
<snip>
"Do you think Safuron's defeat is the cause?"
"Nah, there has to be more to it than that, Akane.
Haabu coulda taken Safuron down anytime he wanted to."
That's a statement that'll cause some controversy, although I can see why
Ranma would think so.
Safuron could not take a punch. Haabu on the other hand, was rather like
beating on an anvil. He seems made for it. I cannot now recall right off the
top of my head, but I think Haabu beat Ranma in six different fights before
they finally settled things. The only reason Ranma survived some of them was
because someone else intervened.
<snip>
Very nice chapter, and well worth the wait. I must admit that if you *have*
decided to divorce this tale from "Spreading Wings", I approve. Prequels can
be tricky that way, they have a tendency to get away from the writer and go
off in directions the original never touched. Love the Herb-Nabs
interplay... What is it about aquatranssexuals that attracts all the
interesting women?
Looking forward to more!
Dave Menard
No, I haven't divorced from _Spreading Wings_. I simply decided to make
further changes to _Spreading Wings_. There were many, many problems with
the Westerlake character. It seems, he was universally disliked, or nearly
so. I got about as much hate mail concerning him as I did over my treatment
of Shampoo in the beginning of _Comes the Cold Dragon_. Haabu makes a better
fit because he is already part of the cast. The overall story will work out
about the same.
Don.
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