******
Ch. 3
******

I passed your test.  Five minutes you said.

"Five minutes and two seconds you lasted.  Good enough."

Thanks, I think.  Can we talk about that other, now?  You're going to 
send me back anyways..can I be a girl at least? Please?

"Yes, well, there aren't many girls you can be born as.  None, 
actually.  The 'girl' waiting list is longer than the planet 
itself...but I can send you back, to be a girl _part_ of the time at 
least."

I...see.

"Yes, well, it took a bit of work, but we can manage it.  You will 
have a brother, by the way. And the body you will take will have no 
memories of its own, so you'll have to use your own."

I'll be a baby?

"In a way, yes. And also in a way, no.  You'll see when you get 
there."

Sure.

*****

Reality snaps around me...holding me tight.  I try to breathe...and 
end up pulling water in.  my eyes open, and I try to find 'up'.

Surging out of the water, I scramble to the edge of the pool, 
spitting that which I breathed in, out. Everything feels 
different...and yet the same somehow. I mentally take stock.  yup, 
I'm a male again.

Damn.

"Oyaji!!" I hear a female scream from off to my side.  Startled, I 
look over, and see a petite asian girl, shaking her fist at...a 
panda?  Hope rushes into me as I gaze around.  The girl takes off 
after her father, screaming things in a language I don't know much 
of. [ Author's note: I do know _some_ japanese. not much...not even 
enough to get by.  about the same as any american or canadian otaku 
you would happen to run across ]

"Excuse me?" I look up at who can only be the Guide. "Do you speak 
English?"

He nods, "A little, yes. Why sir not speak Japanese like other sir 
and father?"

I grimace, "It's a long story.  I'll tell you in a bit.  Can you tell 
me, please, if the curse is reversable?"

The Guide shakes his head. "Sir just tried way to reverse curse.  
Split sir into sir and miss."

An idea sparked in my head, "uhm...hot water reverses the curses 
normally, yes?" the Guide nods, "Well, can we get some hot water 
please?  I'm sure we'll need at least a bit fairly soon." I look 
around, "Can you tell me where the 'spring of drowned piglet' is?" 
the guide looks at me strangely, but points over towards a nearby 
cliff.  "Thanks." I grin, and then move over that way, carefully 
keeping my distance from all of the pools.

I see the girl and the panda running around on top of the cliff, and 
see a certain boy fall towards the pools.  I shudder, grab a pronged 
branch from nearby. (maybe the guide uses it to fish hapless 
travellers out?) and slide carefully towards the pool that the poor 
boy just fell into.  A tiny black piglet pops its head out, 
squealing.  I growl at the panda that is running closer...and fish 
the piglet out.  Holding the pig carefully, I again use the branch, 
this time to fish his clothes out of the pool.  I look at the 
clothes, and shudder.  carefully hiking the pig, I walk towards where 
the Guide waits patiently..somehow, with a kettle already in his 
hands.

"Oh sir, you found delicious piglet!" I shake my head, then motion 
for the kettle.  The Guide blinks and hands it over.  I pour it 
slowly on the pig...stopping when the change starts.  The Guide 
stares at me, as if I were insane or something.  I shrug, then pour 
some on myself...hoping.

Whispers of touch caress across my chest...the air swirls around 
me...I open my eyes.  Where before I had to look up slightly to see 
the Guide's eyes...now I have to look down.  My eyes fall 
further...seeing...myself.  Myself as I should be.  Tears fall from 
my eyes as I set the kettle down...then wrap my arms around myself.  
I kneel, then sit...then curl up, crying softly.

The boy reaches out, touching my shoulder.  "Luanma?" he asks, 
quietly.

I shake my head, laughing softly, "no.  Liath."

"Riasu" he tries to repeat.  I grin, and then nod.  It isn't that 
far, really.

I turn to the Guide.  "Would you happen to have any clothes for me?" 
Wide eyed, the guide could only nod.  I return to gazing at myself, 
tears tracing silently down my cheeks...

"Um, miss? Are you shrinking?"  The question tartled me out of my 
reverie. I look up at the guide.  Sure enough, he seems to be growing 
to my eyes.  I look down, in horror, but my newly gained femininity 
hasn't left me, although I do seem to be getting...younger?

Young enough that my breasts are starting to shrink slightly.  but 
only slightly.  No, wait, they are shrinking more. "No!" I scream, 
holding myself, trying to stop their shrinking to nothingness....

Finally everything stops.  I look, up now, at the Guide and the boy.  
Tears trace tiny tracks along my face.  I am young now...very young.  
But at least I am still female.

The ground catches me with its solid embrace.

*****

I estimate my age now at twelve or so years, or maybe younger.  Genma 
seems determined to leave me behind; constantly setting a gruelling 
pace, but Ranma and Ryouga both help me when it starts to get too 
difficult to keep up.

It is now Ryouga's turn to help.  I giggle as he throws me, quite 
literally, onto his shoulders.  Ryouga is still angry at my new 
brother, but he has promised to not kill him.  Fight sure, but not 
kill.  And, as I wish to stay with my new family, he uses me as a 
direction point for following...or, like now, I point the way with a 
foot-long stick that I found.

Speaking of the stick. It quivers in my hand sometimes when I play 
with it.  I remember my 'old' talent, and would dearly love to try it 
with a real focus.  But I'd rather wait until I was alone for it.  
The wellspring of energy is a _lot_ closer than I am used to.  
Sometimes, if I am not careful, I start trailing little glowing 
fireflies whenever I move...

Apparently, Ryouga knows some english.  He's not very good at 
it...but he's good enough to understand me.  Understand me...and help 
me learn more Japanese.  I'm still not very good, but I can 
understand a few phrases. I look over at my brother, watching him 
fight our 'father'.  I feel a slight tingle in the air, and look up 
to see storm clouds roiling across the sky.  I tug at Ryoga's 
umbrella...and he grins, pulling it out and flipping it open over 
us...just as the first raindrops start falling.

I giggle as I look up again, watching my brother, now _sister_ 
fighting a rotund panda.  Her grey eyes flash as she launches, to my 
eyes, devastating attacks, which the panda dodges.  I whisper in 
Ryouga's ear, "Get us a bit closer, please. I wanna try something." 
he looks at me, then walks faster...gaining slowly on the fighting 
duo.  I reach inside, tapping the wellspring...and pull it up, 
inside...pushing it out of the improvised wand. I don't give it any 
direction, I just want to see what will happen.

Tiny 'fireflies' leap from the end of the stick, and arc into the 
panda's fur.  Ryouga and I watch in silence as Ranma launches a 
kick...that the panda doesn't jump over..but ducks. right into it.  
He rolls on the ground, confusing everyone, until he starts to howl 
and scratch with his claws.  Ranma turns to glare at me. and I hold 
up my wand.  Haltingly, I say, "Is Liath turn to bug father."

'Maybe I shouldn't have done that' I reflect sadly as Ryouga's 
laughing knocks me off of his shoulder...into the rain. "Shit," I 
mutter, then smile, "At least it's only temporary."

Suddenly the guide speaks up, "Welcome, Sirs, to famous chinese 
Amazon village.  Oh! You in luck, is time for yearly tournament!  We 
go watch."

On a log in the center of the village, a tall lithe young woman is 
fighting a much larger, and also older, one.  I watch, rapt, as the 
younger woman easily defeats her opponent.  When she turns, however, 
she stares at our group.  My heart stops for an instant. 'Damn, she 
looked like..." My eyes widen.

"Stop!" I yell, turning...but it is too late.  Not only has Genma 
started eating the prize, but it is already half eaten.  I turn to 
the Guide and quickly ask, "Tell her we are sorry, please.  If she 
demands payment, offer me!"

Ryouga turns to me, "No! You won't!"

"I must!" I cry, "He violated her honour, eating her victory prize 
like that!  She'll demand _something_ for this...and better to lose 
me, than the life of a teacher!  No matter how stupid he is." I 
mutter as an aside.

"She'll kill you!" Ryouga snarls, "I won't allow that!"

"She might not," I counter, "and if she does, death holds nothing for 
me that I have not already seen.  Don't make my sacrifice one of 
vain, please!"  Grudgingly, he nods.

I turn to face the girl that now holds my life in her hands.  This 
close to her, I can feel the old pain rising steadily, burning 
through my resolve.  I pull my hands behind my back to hide my 
shivering. She walks around me, slowly...looking me over from head to 
toe.  She then leans down in front of me, and asks in halting 
Japanese, "What name?"

"Liath" I reply. I can feel the terror creeping up inside of 
me...grabbing at my heart...eating at my control. I make my hands 
grip each other tighter, knowing it's only a matter of time before my 
fear gets the better of me.

"Lii-ya" she repeats.  I nod.  Suddenly, her hand is on my chin, 
pulling my head up, to look at her.  Or at least that's what I think 
she's doing.  I feel the fear take over, pulling my hands in front of 
me...pulling, as well, on the wellspring inside of me.

"Don't!" I scream, the Fear screams  The energy surges from my hands, 
out towards Her...but thankfully not focussed.  I think that is the 
only thing that let her survive.  As I finally regain control, I curl 
up into a ball, crying...wishing I hadn't done that.  I feel Ryouga 
holding me..I think he's glaring at anyone who's coming close right 
now.  Xian Pu, I think her name is, is talking to someone else, in a 
language I don't understand.

Ryouga then snarls, "Stay away from her!"  His entire body tenses 
against me.  'he doesn't stand a chance in a fight' I think to 
myself.

"Who is this 'her' you speak of, boy?  The one you are holding is 
male."

Ryouga shakes his head, "No, she's female.  We visited Jusenkyou..."

"Jusenkyou?" the old woman's voice interrupts him.  I feel him nod, 
"Well, that changes things.  Tell me, do you know who did this to 
her?" her voice sounds...softer, somehow. Concerned.  'No,' I think, 
'she can't be.'

"It happened before I met her," he replies, pulling me closer.  I try 
to look, but my eyes are still filled with tears that still haven't 
escaped yet.

"Was it one of these two?" I hear her ask. I shake my head, trying to 
squeeze the remaining tears out, "Would they know?" Again I shake my 
head.

"She appeared in one of the springs.  She was supposed to be a copy 
of me, but something changed when the pool took hold." my brother-
turned-sister says.

"I see." the old woman walks closer to me, slowly.  "Was it your last 
life?" She asks quietly.  I shake my head slowly...then hold up my 
hand, showing three fingers.  "Three ago?" I nod. "Well then.  The 
one who did this is likely far away in time and space...but we are 
here now."  I look at her, eyes wide. 'what is she saying...?'  "You 
show some talent.  Would you like some training?"

Before I can reply, Xian Pu yells angrily at the old woman, then 
charges at her with one of her maces.  A blur of movement, and Xian 
Pu goes flying again.  The old woman relaxes, setting her staff down 
again. "Well?" she asks.

I nod, slowly.  "Please.." the word escapes my mouth, even as my eyes 
plead with her. She nods.

"Very well.  You two, return in a month," she points at the old man 
and my brother, "and you," pointing at Ryouga, "may leave...but you 
may return when you wish.  Males who _protect_ are welcome."  She 
then beckons to me, "Come, we have much to teach you."


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