It's out! The sequel to The Curse of Jusenkyo! If you haven't read it yet please do if you'd like to continue with this story. For those who have, I made little adjustments to the final chapter so you might want to read it again. I'm still trying to improve on how I end things because frankly it's kind of hard so bear with me on that. I hope the wait wasn't too long. A year's not too bad right?
So the story of Jusenkyo continues on as we pick up from where CoJ left off. I hope that you'll enjoy this journey I'll be taking you on.
Without much ado, let's get started!
Disclaimer: (Haven't done this in a while) Ranma 1/2 is not my property, not even any of its related merchandise.
The Darkness of Jusenkyo
Part 1
Four Months On
It was remarkable that he managed to stay in one place for more than a few days. He should have ended up somewhere halfway across the country by now. Nearly three months had passed and he was still rooted to the same location and he was proud to have achieved such a feat. The very long rope Akari tied around his waist was helpful too.
Not wanting to throw away this gifted time, Ryoga got busy with whatever he could do around the Unryu Sumo Pig Dojo. He was however confined to how far the rope stretched and under Akari's orders – which he did not mind at all – he was to never untie it without her supervision. That troubled him though whenever Akari needed to travel to the nearest town herself. He insisted that he should be the one going for groceries, equipments and other needs but Akari, although flattered, was not going to risk him getting lost along the way. So Ryoga would stay behind while Akari went out with Katsunishiki.
He would be restless the whole time Akari was away and to make matters worse Ryoga was still uncomfortable being around Akari's friendly pigs. They were even treating him like one of their own. It was as though they could sense his locked away pig curse. On his first week he woke up during the nights to snoring pigs sprawled out around him. He would shoo them, roll them or carry them out of his room until he became too tired to even keep his eyes open. He tried repeatedly to get them to stay away but they kept on crawling back to his sides. He eventually gave up and soon realized that having them as company was not so bad.
Contention began to grow among the pigs though – the males in particular. It started when they saw Ryoga going through his morning routines. Akari had warned that being sumo pigs, they were very competitive. They would glare at Ryoga, pulling pranks and setting traps and some even fought him. Akari needed to constantly break up those fights and calm the pigs down but found it all amusing at the same time.
Besides learning to bond with the pigs – eventually – Akari taught Ryoga about their style of sumo wrestling. He was amazed that the sweet and gentle Akari was a martial artist. She wasn't anywhere near his level but she could definitely hold her own. After all, who else trained those pigs?
She showed Ryoga her art and then let him learn with Katsunishiki. Despite having defeated the oversized pig once, Ryoga humbled himself and only used the techniques specific to the styles practiced by Katsunishiki and Akari. It has now become part of his daily routine in Akari's dojo and an added value to his skills.
Right now he was just finishing another session with Katsunishiki under the watchful eyes of the master herself. The last time they trained in the dojo the two nearly broke the place down. Neither of them could keep their strengths and competitiveness in check so Akari had them train in the empty lot behind the house. Even then she watched over them in case the two started getting really serious. After three months of intense sparring the training ground was littered with marks of battle, so much that the soil had become loose and dead with little green left.
"Nice workout today Katsu," said Ryoga.
The large pig gave out a snort of agreement. He was the only one Ryoga felt comfortable interacting with – after persistent encouragements from Akari of course. In the beginning Katsunishiki made it clear that he did not like the idea of Ryoga staying with them, treating the boy like a pest. He would often get on Ryoga's nerve and it would quickly turn into a brawl where Akari had to step in. It was not long before the two got tired of hating each other. There needed to be some reconciliation if they were going to live under the same roof so their martial arts sessions became a medium to help improve their relationship.
"Looks like he's okay with you calling him that now," said Akari.
"Not exactly," said Ryoga just as Katsunishiki took a swing at him which he managed to dodge. Ryoga made a face at Katsunishiki.
"Don't tease him Ryoga," said Akari.
"Sorry," said Ryoga.
Akari handed a glass of water as Ryoga came near her. He thanked her and gulped down his drink in one go.
"Slow down," said Akari but Ryoga had already finished.
"What time is it?" said Ryoga, handing back the empty glass to her.
"Nine-thirty," Akari answered.
"Alright. I'll go freshen up and then we'll head to town," said Ryoga.
"Okay," said Akari.
He went back into the house and headed upstairs to get a fresh change of clothes. He chose one among the many choices Akari had bought for him. It adds more color to his life she had said.
He entered the bathroom on the lower floor, finding Akari already inside preparing the tub for him.
"There you go," said Akari, finishing up before walking out.
"I'll come later to wash your back," said Akari.
Ryoga only nodded. He was already living with her for three months but it was still awkward to have her do this every now and then. In fact anything he did with her still felt a bit strange – in a nice sort of way.
"Oh, almost forgot," said Akari before untying the rope around Ryoga's waist and then dropping it to the floor outside the bathroom.
Maybe it was because they were not married which was a topic Ryoga did not like to talk about. Akari brought it up a while ago. They briefly exchanged opinions but never took it further. The idea never left his mind though. He wanted to be married to Akari more than anything. It was a chance for the happiness he had always searched for. That opportunity had come but, even to his surprise, he was beginning to doubt his wishes.
Dating Akane had been his dream ever since he saw her. He would imagine their conversations over lunch, her smile and laughter as they went through the day together while holding each other's hands. He even saw as far as them having a family, complete with kids running around chasing Shirokuro and her offspring. It had all been wishful thinking but in truth their relationship was never more than just friends. As his hopes started to fade a new face emerged, lighting up his life again. This time he felt there was a chance that this could be the moment he was waiting for. To think that someone could accept him for who he was, curse and all. He and Akari started to write to each other afterwards, learning more about each other, eventually succeeding in meeting up again some time after.
Those were the simple steps. The seed they planted had grown, showing some healthy roots and green leaves. It was beyond the playful stuff now and into a stage where serious decisions were to be made. They were admittedly scared upon agreeing to live together because they knew at that point, without needing to say a word, they were closing in on the big play.
Looking back, Ryoga was afraid they might be going too fast with this. The more he thought about it, the more he realized his image of a happy family was not one close to reality. Akari's parents left her while she was a child and the responsibility to raise and care for her was shouldered by her grandfather. Ryoga's parents, like him, were at most times not around, lost somewhere in the wide world. Neither had their parents around as role models to prepare them for that stage in life. Instead of the perfect family he envisioned, his fantasies were occupied with all the things that could go wrong.
The biggest problem was the curse. Sure it was sealed now but there could still be side effects from the ancient magic. Who knows what kind of mutations or curses their children could suffer from. Or worse. He couldn't do that to them.
He left out the death curse part when he told Akari though, only explaining how his pig body was now sealed. He couldn't tell her about that. There was no need to worry her. At least, not now. His girlfriend still sulked for a few days after realizing she wouldn't be seeing his cute pig form ever again. She got over it eventually. She still loved him after all, cursed or not.
Ryoga doused some cold water onto himself. He was reluctant to admit it but he missed his pig form too. It was strange to now find himself still standing on two legs after getting soaked with cold water. He remembered all the times he needed struggle to get out of his massive clothes then dragging them around in his smaller body. Living with Akari and her pigs constantly reminded him of it too. So did the faint humming beneath his skin whenever he comes in contact with cold water.
He then climbed into the tub and sighed with delight as the hot water coated his skin. Autumn was nearing its end and the air was getting colder as winter approached. Having a warm place to live in was much nicer than bracing the harshness of the wilds. He barely remembered a time he managed to keep himself in his house long enough against the heat and cold. He always ended up lost somewhere vulnerable to the beating of nature. The warmth of Akari's house felt alien to him and he wondered if he could ever get used to such comfort as for a long time he believed he belonged out there.
As he sat in the tub, he thought of how much time had passed. It had been four months since their trip to Jusenkyo. It was blissfully strange to not change forms every now and then. On one hand he did not need to worry about larger animals chasing him or being crushed by his own things as well as preparing hot water to change back. But ever since, the days seemed to pass by in a blur. He would barely remember anything from the day before because nothing about it was strange enough to be memorable. Life was normal.
But something did happen amidst the mediocrity. The budding friendship that found its spark around a campfire that night in China had become stronger. Whenever luck was on his side, he would bump into members of the 'Return to Jusenkyo Expedition' team. He could not help but smile upon meeting familiar faces and found their conversations to be delightfully engaging. They would talk about what has been happening around town while he would talk about the things he had seen. He never knew such a relationship and it was one that he would never want to let go of.
Akari knocked on the bathroom door and he took it as his cue to climb out of the tub. He reached for a small towel to cover the lower parts of his body and grabbed a stool to sit on. He called for Akari to come in. She had changed her clothes to the ones she always wore whenever she came to wash Ryoga's back; a yellow sleeveless t-shirt that looked like his and a pair of shorts that covered only half her thighs. And with her hair tied up high, she looked incredibly sexy.
"Come," she said.
He turned around to let her wash him. She pulled up another stool and sat just behind him. His body tensed momentarily at her touch but then eased in as she worked the soap all over his back. They were quiet, just like any other time she did this. He would sit there, trying to steel himself and not faint at their proximity while she ran her fingers all over his skin wondering what was on his mind.
"Ryoga," said Akari.
But today seemed like it would not be another quiet session between them.
Her voice was soft as she went on.
"How long will you be gone?"
"A month maybe," said Ryoga.
He had gotten a letter from Akane three days ago in which she said his mother had returned home, bringing news about his father. It said he would be in Nerima in a few days' time carrying a cure to their directional curse. Ryoga decided to head to Nerima then and there. Akari was a bit sad that he had to leave but Ryoga assured her that he would come back. "And you wouldn't need to tie that freakishly long rope around me anymore," he had joked.
She wanted to come along but Ryoga insisted that she stayed. The next sumo wrestling tournament was in winter and she needed to train the pigs for that. He promised that he would make it to the tournament all curse free.
There was a pause before Akari continued speaking.
"Ryoga, about us. I think that … we … –"
"A-About marriage?"
"Yes," said Akari. "Would you … consider it while you're away? I-I know you're worried. It's a big thing after all. We wouldn't just be two people living together in one house. We'd be husband and wife. Parents to future children." She chuckled a little there. "I know there's that possibility of them having the curse too and getting lost all the time. I could imagine myself worrying so much about them but then you'd come comfort me before going off to find them but end up getting lost yourself."
"Well, if this cure works we don't need to worry about that anymore right?" said Ryoga.
"Right!" Akari cheered up a bit, hearing a hint of agreement in Ryoga's words. "But what I'm saying is that, we can overcome all that together. And marriage would tie us to each other stronger. Don't you think so? I mean, don't you think about having a family of your own?"
"I do, Akari," said Ryoga. Akari smiled at that.
"Then, you'll think about it? It doesn't have to be so soon. I get it. Just, at least consider it while you're away. Okay?" said Akari.
He really did want to make it official between them. But other things were coming in the way. The sealed curse, the bad sense of direction which apparently is a curse too. Then again, he could just be worrying too much. Maybe everything would be fine. Maybe their kids would grow up without it. Sure there was a risk but if that happened they could find a way around it. He would make sure of it. This was his chance for happiness, one that he had been looking for in a long time and it would be foolish to let it slip away.
"Okay," said Ryoga.
He was caught by surprise when Akari touched the back of his head with her forehead. She breathed in the scent of Ryoga's hair mixed with the fragrance of the soap. They stayed like that for a bit, listening to each other's heartbeats.
"I love you," said Akari.
Ryoga smiled and reached for her right hand on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. Even after moving in with Akari he found it hard to say the same words back to her. Was it was fear or doubt that held him back? He thought of saying them but somehow he felt the words were not real. What if she could hear the doubt in them? But it also hurt to not say it back.
Akari gently pulled her hand away and leaned back to sit up straight.
He wondered if he ever was hurting her. He hoped not. She was his spring he called it and he did not want to screw it up. But he was afraid to ask her, to find out for sure.
"Well, I'm all done. Don't take too long now. It's best to be at the market before noon," said Akari.
"Okay," said Ryoga.
She walked out of the bathroom and Ryoga continued washing himself. He was done after five minutes and then went to put on his clothes, afterwards going back upstairs for his travelling pack. He came down to find Akari already at the door with a large basket in hand. The plan was to first follow Akari and Katsunishiki to the town and help her out with the groceries before going off to Nerima. Akari had also given the boy a set of detailed maps and detailed instructions on how to get there, hoping to cut some time and prevent him from getting lost.
That should be more than enough to help Ryoga find his way to Nerima. But then it is Ryoga.
His journey took him nearly two weeks.
It was not an often occurrence for the Nekohanten to be so full on a Saturday afternoon. There were other lunch spots around after all but today it was as though they were the only open joint on the block. Then again it did look like there were more people than usual out today. Not that Cologne was complaining even though it meant more work for them. It was a welcomed change of pace as the past four months had been rather quiet since their return from Jusenkyo.
Life was very normal now. The usual craziness seemed to have gone away with their curses. A lot of what happened in the past had something to do with them one way or another after all. With those curses now gone, their days felt a lot slower, so much that it was disorientating for a while.
Shampoo and Mousse at least had their work in the Nekohanten to fill their days. They groaned at the extra load and shifts Cologne gave them ever since they returned. "Think of it as a homecoming celebration," Cologne had said.
They really did have one though. There had been a huge crowd on the re-opening day and the customers were presented with a number of new items but not of course forgetting long time favorites. The Tendos and Ukyo were among the swarming customers too and together they had their own celebration. Ever since then, the restaurant became their place where they met and kept up with whatever progress everyone was going through.
Imagine their surprise when they found out that Mousse and Shampoo were going out together. Shampoo insisted that there was nothing serious going on and that they were just giving it a try. Mousse did not seem to agree and saw it as a real thing. He tried to hide that though but it was not difficult for the others to catch on. "Just give it some time Mousse," Akane had encouraged him.
The three Chinese amazons, being the only staff in the restaurant, were constantly coming in and out of the kitchen to serve the packed hall. Amazingly they carried this out with maximum efficiency. Everything flowing as smooth as a calm river. Mousse had so far been able to stay out of trouble, no longer tripping over his feet or screwing up the orders. Shampoo suspected it to be his attempt at impressing her but at least he was not creating so much problems anymore.
"Say, Shampoo," said Mousse, pausing on his way to deliver an order as Shampoo walked towards him with a tray of empty bowls. "How about tonight we go out and –"
"Oh, come on Mousse. We went out last week. And the week before," said Shampoo.
"B-But we're … I mean –"
"Look, I just don't feel like it. Just for a while okay. Now, you have a table to get to."
"Okay," said Mousse. He walked past Shampoo as she gave way to him, his head lowered and his eyes turned away, feeling embarrassed. He knew that Shampoo did not want anything serious between them but that was hard for him to accept. Not after all they had been through since that rainy night.
He had watched her crumble under the weight of losing Ranma, starting down a dark road of anger and obsession. Moving on was difficult for all of them but his paled in comparison to what that night did to Shampoo. He could not imagine what would have happened if they gave up on trying to pull her out from the beginning.
She seemed alright now but there were still wounds deep inside. Just like everyone else. And he promised to be there for her, to hold her hand if she ever faltered.
The front door bell rang just as Mousse finished placing a family's meal on their table. They were a modest one having ordered a simple set. They thanked him and he bowed back before heading towards the door. Akane had come in and she was looking around for familiar faces when she spotted him and waved. He smiled back.
"Hey Mousse. I see you've got a full house today," said Akane as Mousse walked up to her.
"Yeah. Kind of unusual actually. You happen to know why?" said Mousse.
"Oh, I think it's because Mr. Nishimura's store's closed. Just a little up the street remember? He's taking his family on a trip. Hm, thought he would've told you guys," said Akane.
"Ah, right. He did actually," said Mousse.
Akane leaned back a little and looked at him questioningly.
"Are you alright? You seem troubled," said Akane.
"I'm fine," said Mousse.
"Let me guess. She turned you down?" said Akane.
"N-No … yes," said Mousse.
"Look, if you're bored I'd be glad to fill your moments of loneliness," she said.
Mousse glared at Akane but she only laughed in response.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Look, you're coming onto her a little too hard. Give her some space. She doesn't need you hovering over her all the time. You should know that by now."
"Huh, dating advice coming from you," said Mousse.
"Dating advice? No, just a general one. I am a girl after all," said Akane.
Mousse sighed in defeat.
"Can't believe I'm listening to you," he said.
"You're lucky I'm not like Ukyo. You wouldn't hear the end of it," said Akane.
Akane leaned a little to her right and then to the left, looking around at the people.
"By the way, shouldn't you be running around taking orders or something?" she said.
"Mousse!" came a call from the kitchen. The two turned to look as Shampoo came out to the front carrying a tray with hot food ready for another table.
"Right, coming!" said Mousse. He walked quickly over to Shampoo.
"Hi Akane!" said Shampoo. She handed the tray to Mousse. "Here and don't slow the line down okay," said Shampoo.
"Of course," said Mousse. With nothing else said he turned to deliver it to the table on the far side of the dining hall. Akane walked forward as Mousse left.
"Sorry Akane, you caught us at a busy time," said Shampoo.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I can wait, don't worry," said Akane.
"There's one order I need to finish up and then maybe we could talk," said Shampoo.
"Okay, that's good," said Akane. "Oh, wait," she said just as Shampoo was about to go back into the kitchen. "While you're at it, I'd like four sets of ramen to go please."
Shampoo glared at Akane.
"Okay, okay, sorry," said Akane. "But seriously though."
Just then Cologne came out to the front.
"Oh good, Akane's here. We could use another hand," said Cologne.
"Was that on purpose?" Akane turned her narrowed eyes to the old woman.
"I need Mousse to go on a delivery so in his place you handle the people here," said Cologne.
"B-But I've only got one hand," said Akane.
"And it's still useful," said Cologne. She then turned to Mousse who had just finished serving a recent set for two. "Come boy, you need to go on a delivery," she said, already retreating into the kitchen. Mousse groaned but followed Cologne anyway.
Mousse walked past the kitchen all the way to the back where they stashed their supplies. It was also where they prepared the food for deliveries. There were already several packets arranged on the table. Cologne was just putting the last one into the delivery box that went onto the bicycle.
"Here's the address," said Cologne as she handed Mousse a piece of paper.
"This is like an hour away," he said.
"He doesn't seem to mind apparently. Now go on and make sure you arrive at the correct place," said Cologne.
Mousse sighed but was not going to argue. He folded the piece of paper and kept it safe in one of the many pockets on his robe. He grabbed the delivery box on the table and went out the back door to his bicycle. After making sure that the box was mounted securely, he was off.
Akane heaved a big sigh as she slumped down into a chair and let her head crash onto the table.
"Oh come now Akane. You need more training if this tires you," said Cologne.
"It was exhausting though," said Shampoo empathetically before walking back to the kitchen.
"I don't know how you keep up with all that," said Akane.
"Well, to be fair you are a little bit at a disadvantage," said Cologne. Akane glared at her and then stood up straight.
"Hmph, I think I did just fine," she said.
"And you did. Consider it as an exercise," said Cologne.
"Yeah. I have been getting better at using only my left hand for things," said Akane. She brought her lone hand up, thankful for still having one.
She looked around. She was surprised at how the day passed by so quickly. It was now not as busy as it was an hour ago. There were still a number of customers left but all of them had their orders already served so Akane could take a break.
"So what brings you here?" said Shampoo as she came out of the kitchen.
"Oh right," said Akane and then stood up. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a card. "An invitation. Remember that Christmas party we did in the dojo last time? We thought that maybe we could have that again this year."
"Wow, that's great Akane," said Shampoo.
"That would be very nice," said Cologne.
Shampoo took the card from Akane and then opened it. Her expression changed when she saw a photo attached to one side of the card. She looked at all the familiar faces and smiled. One person in that crowd stood out to her, a face that she could now only see from photos like these.
"It was the one he gave to me. Just thought that I should share it you know," said Akane.
Shampoo smiled at her.
"Sure, we'd love to come," said Shampoo.
"And no fighting this time," said Akane. Shampoo laughed at that.
Their nostalgia sharply ended when the backdoor slammed open and they heard something hitting the ground in the back room. The three rushed through the kitchen to see what it was.
"Mousse!"
He had fallen face first to the ground but what shocked them were the bruises covering him and blood over his clothes. They hurried over to his side and rolled him over onto his back. Parts of his clothes were torn and there were more bruises on his face. He was breathing weakly and losing consciousness.
Akane rushed outside and scanned the area in case the person who did that to Mousse came back to finish the job. He was a formidable martial artist so whoever beat him up that badly must have not been a typical fighter. Strangely but luckily enough the person had not killed him considering the damage done to Mousse. She waited though in case the assailant came for him.
"Akane, come inside. We'll be ready if he comes," said Cologne.
Akane looked around one more time before retreating into the room. She hoped that this would just pass by, like a sudden gust breaking the calm, but she knew that trouble was on its way.
Well how'd it go for a start? I'm working up a way to break procrastination by drafting two chapters at a time before publishing them one by one. So right now I have the second chapter's draft up on the site. Just need to go through it and at the same time draft out the next chapter. It won't be long till the next one. And I'm going to try my best at keeping the program up. Thanks for reading and write a comment if you'd like.