Balance of Order
By: CynicalSpirit
Disclaimer: All characters, and such are the copyrights and property of their respective owners. I claim no ownership of any character and such in any way.
"": Spoken words
: Thoughts
(): Alternate Languages
-
-Prologue: Heritage-
-
The cats...
The screaming...
Please make it stop...
I don't want it to hurt anymore...
"Please make it stop..." The boy whispered to himself. The cat's clawed at the boy's flesh, tearing and grinding away as the fish sausages stench steadily decreased till the cats urges to hunt and collect was satisfied.
-Don't be afraid little one.- whispered a soothing voice. The boy shed tears from the pain, looking around frantically for the kind voice. It came from all around him, giving him an odd sense of peace and calm.
-W- Who... Are you- he thought to himself as he curled into a fetal position. He just wanted the cats to stop... the pain at his flesh was too much to bear.
-I'll always be here with you, little one.- whispered the voice in his mind once again. -You must be strong and fight the fear.-
"I don't want it to hurt anymore... Please make it stop..." The boy said vainly to himself. He knew the cats clawing at his flesh were also affecting his state of conscious thought. The cats narrowly dispersed, loosing interest in the boy whispering quiet nothing's to himself.
"The cats..." He whispered to himself. A soft black glow surrounded the boy quietly. It felt comforting, to him, he embraced it, hoping to make the pain and the cats go away. That's all he wanted.
The physical representation of subconscious fears isn't all that difficult to understand. Many people shy away their fears to the dark recesses of their subconscious thought to move away from the fear.
When this trauma becomes heavies too much strain on an individual, the 'other' personality takes over while the main one sleeps, widdling away at the immense fear till the 'main' personality is ready to take hold again.
One such technique is the Neko-ken... the embrace of the cats.
-
The boy, Ranma Saotome, soon reappeared in his subconscious while the Neko-ken took over possession. He wiped away the remaining tears he had, leaving his own eyes red and puffy, while twin tear tracks cascaded down his face. He tried vainly to wipe them away.
-Hello, little one.- whispered the gentle voice.
"W- Where are you?" He said quietly to himself. While he was in here, he felt at peace with himself. An odd sense of serene came over him.
-I'm always here.- the voice whispered reassuringly.
"Can I see you?" He asked quietly. He never felt this at peace with himself. Not ever since his mother had held him as a babe and whispered soothing words when nightmares over took him. Now, he cried himself out all night as the nightmares ravaged his mind. His father always told him to be a man.
-I wish I could see you as well.- The voice said sadly in its thoughts.
Please don't cry..." Ranma said to the vast expanse of darkness. He didn't want the woman to be sad because of him. -Please don't be sad.-
-Don't worry little one.- The voice seemed wistful and happy. -Just remember. I am here, always watching over you. You will never be alone.- She reassured the young Ranma.
"R- Really...?" Ranma whispered, obviously happy that someone else wanted to be his friend. The only person he could ever get close to was Ucchan, but he had to leave his only friend behind while riding ontop of her father's yatti.
-I see what you see little one. I feel your pain, your sadness, your joy.- She thought to the boy. -Just remember to be strong and nothing can hurt you.- She reminded him again. Ranma gave in impectible nod.
"I- I will lady." Ranma smiled to himself as she chuckled softly to herself.
-Thank you, little one.- She whispered gently. A soft black glow encased the boy as he looked around frantically, trying to find the source. He felt himself slowly vanish from the plane of existence, whisking him away to another time, another place.
"Where am I going?" Ranma said frightened.
-Your going back.- She said gently.
"T- To the cats...?" He whispered fearfully. He didn't like the cats.
-No little one. The cats are gone. Don't worry, your safe now.- she whispered softly. Ranma screamed out as the black glow took him from his subconscious and back into the conscious world.
Another black glow appeared, this time taking on the form of a black panther. It was slim with mid-night black fur that smoothed down unnaturally as it walked. It's mouth crooked into a smile, showing off the canines. It felt an energy it hadn't felt in many millennia.
-Tsunami.- The panther whispered
quietly. A blue glow formed in front of the panther as it streached
outwards in ten directions as wings sprouted outwards.
The glow and wings receded as it was replaced by a woman with silver blue hair and strange robes.
-Hello Bsat.- She said. The panther's smile grew slightly, but dropped all the same as yellow slitted eyes peered back at the Jurian Goddess.
-It seems this boy is connected to Jurai.- Bsat said to no-one in particular. The visage of Tsunami shook her head and smiled slightly.
-He is one of my children. His mother is of Jurain descent. It was luck in his generation that the gene's found there way to him.- Tsunami said to the panther. -The Wings of the Light hawk are reawakened.- The panther smiled widely at this.
-Can he summon them- Bsat asked curiously. It had been sometime since it had seen the use of the wings. Tsunami shook her head sadly.
-No. He cannot. There was no-one who was there to embrace his Jurain heritage and aid him in the use.- Tsunami said sadly.
-I see.- Bsat said quietly. Tsunami peered curiously at the panther.
-So. You gave him the embrace of the cats.- The panther gave a nod. -What's the reason for this action? You usually only impart part of your soul into a being who you deem worthy-
The panther shook its head and smiled at the goddess. -The boy as much potential as it is. Seeing it wasted on the damned Neko-ken training would be a waste. I just hope the young Ranma has the potential to embrace the cats and overcome his fear.-
Tsunami shook her head in wonder. -So you have your own plans Bsat- The panther only grinned to the goddess. -I am glad thought. I didn't want to see my own son insane or dead. For that I thank you.- The panther gave a nod and stretched its back.
-It's my way for seeing the boy alive because of his 'father's' stupidity.- The panther said 'father' with as much venom as it could muster. -And the boy is your child too. I still had a debt to repay.- The panther gave a throaty laugh. -Think of this as debt repayment.- The panther stretched and slowly walked off into the dark ventures of the boy's mind.
-For that, I thank you again.- Tsunami said as she disappeared. -Remember little one, be your own person. Don't let your father control you or anyone else.- She said as the glow faded, leaving nothing but the dark expanse of Ranma's subconscious.
-
Ranma woke up with a start. He had had the dream of the panther, Bsat, and the goddess, Tsunami, again. It all seemed so real to him. Every time he had visions and dreams of them, they all revolved around this power called the Wings of the Light hawk.
In his dreams, the wings each held a tremendous power upon themselves. Power enough to protect anyone from harm as long as they held the beliefs that one would protect all dear to them. Ranma always wanted to see the wings for himself and not in the dreams and visions he had.
He now grew farther and farther independent from his father figure, embracing his own path, seeking out a way to solve his own problems without the help of his only guardian. The dreams and visions seemed so real now and somehow, on some level of his subconscious, he knew the dreams and visions were more then that - somehow he felt as if they had some significance in his life, something he couldn't feel how to explain, yet he knew it was true.
He had been trying to find some way to "embrace the cats" as Bsat had told him in his dreams. Every time they'd stop at a shrine or monastery, he'd tell them of his dreams - of the panther and the woman - but would maintain a semi-balance, telling them only the parts that evolved the Neko-ken and nothing of the Jurian Light hawk Wings.
Many of these afomented shrines only told them tales of the Neko-ken - how the child had become insane and dangerous to all those around it - and of how the Goddess Bsat had created the true version, but with time, it was lost with the tides of time.
They also told of how the Neko-ken gave great power to the user - the power to protect the ones they cherish and hold dear, to protect the ones they loved. Most he'd heard of ancient's using the power of the Neko-ken to gain the power they wanted for selfish reasons - reason of greed, of power, of malice and hate. He knew these were some of the worst tales of the Neko-ken he had ever heard.
Very few had the person embrace the insanity of the Neko-ken to protect someone they loved and cherished, enough to sacrifice their own sanity. He admired these people. He wished he could gain the true Neko-ken to protect someone he found dear. Maybe someday he could use the power he gained as a martial artist to do just that. To overcome the Neko-ken and to protect people.
He had also talked to many dojo's and shrines about the belief's his father instilled into his brain. The latter said that his father was a pompous fool; he had to agree with them, he was very ignorant. He was glad he never became like his father. He had also told the dojo's of many of his father's motto's about how girl were "weak" and "stupid" and various others. All the sensei's he talked to always called him and idiot for believing those words and that people could only be as strong or as weak as they wanted to be.
He had been steadily leaning away from his father's beliefs and developing his own code of honor - one that doesn't rely on petty theft and cheating to get their way.
"C'mon boy!" cried Genma. "This is our last stop before we return home!" -Oyaji sounds truly happy.- Ranma thought. What could be so special about this new training ground that had his father all worked up; even he sounded happy about this place.
"Sure Oyaji. Gimme a sec." Ranma replied to his father. He flipped out of his sleeping bag and into a worn gi that had seen better days. He fastened the belt to his waist and started rolling up his sleeping bag. He really hoped this new training ground could test his skills better then some of the other 'training' his father had developed. He still had scars from the Neko-ken training.
He shucked the sleeping bag
into his pack and eased aside the tent flap. The morning sun greeted
his waking eyes as he held out a hand to block the glare,
pupils
growing and then shrinking to adjust to the sudden sunlight. The
purple, blue and orange's danced across the sky, illuminating the
beautiful landscape of China.
"Come on boy!" yelled Genma as he finished rolling up his tent. Ranma finished with his tent also and stamped out the fire, using a combination of dirt and fresh water, making sure the red hot coals were completely doused to avoid any unwanted fires.
-What a beautiful day.- Ranma thought. -What could have Oyaji so worked up-
Little did Ranma know what this training ground would do.
-
"Here sir's is legendary training ground of cursed springs, Jusenkyo, 'Pools of Sorrow'!" The guide exclaimed while making a sweeping gesture with his hand. The training ground Jusenkyo was covered with a thin mist, hundreds of pools with different sizes of bamboo pools protruding from them as the noon sun set the mood with a brilliant shine.
"What's so special 'bout this place, Oyagi?" inquired Ranma. From the looks of it, it just seemed like a normal training ground with bamboo poles for balance practice. He'd been to many through his 10 year journey.
"You strange one, no?" The guide asked while taking a drag on his pipe. He blew out the smoke and stared at the cursed Jusenkyo.
"Come on boy!" Genma yelled as he shrugged of his pack and leapt on a pole. Ranma shrugged off his pack also and lept to the adjoining pole, his arms and palms extended. The wind shifted their clothing and hair, blowing gently across them, giving it a sense of dramatics' as the pools gleamed in the noon sun.
With that, Genma and Ranma lept at each other in a blur of motion, reappearing between the two poles they were balancing on. Their arms and legs became of blur of flesh and clothing, the sounds of flesh on flesh ringing throughout Jusenkyo valley. Ranma and Genma reappeared for a moment before jumping at each other again. This time, Ranma saw an opening in his father's defense.
"KYAA!" Ranma cried out, launching a straight kick to Genma's mid-section. He twisted trying to regain his balance, but faltered and instead went crashing in the pool directly across from where Genma landed. He watched evenly as the pool slowly bubbled, wondering where his pops was. Soon enough, a giant panda hopped out of the pool, wearing Genma's gi and loop glasses.
"W- What the HELL is that?" Ranma yelled, pointing at Genma-panda. Genma-panda gave him an ludicrous stare as the Guide put away his pipe and pulled out a sign with 'Spring of Drowned Giant Panda' etched in Mandarin.
"Is Spring of Drowned Panda. Tale of Panda who drown there 2000 year ago. Now whoever fall in pool take body of panda, if they born as one." The guide said lightly, as if it was an everyday occurrence; it was sometimes, but usually the customers show up about two or three times a week.
-
Meanwhile, a purple haired girl wearing a pink pantsuit and wielding twin bonbori balanced carefully on top of a pole on Jusenkyo. She knew that she wasn't supposed to be here, but she felt a tug at the back of her mind. It was telling her to be here, telling her she needed to come her and see for herself.
Shampoo quickly leaped from pole to pole, doing Amazon kata's in mid-air while carefully maintaining her balance at the incredible speeds she was going. She was the best fighter of her generation after all. She landed lightly on a pole and looked outwards towards Jusenkyo. She saw the young pig-tailed boy kick his over-zealous father into a cursed spring.
Suddenly, what Jusenkyo was all about, its very being, its manipulative chaos magic's, came rushing back to her in a euphoria of memory, of painful stories her great-grandmother told her. She cursed to herself in Mandarin and started to jump across Jusenkyo's cursed valley and towards the pig-tailed martial artist.
"(Wait!)" she cried out towards Ranma.
-
"H- Huh...ARGHH!" Ranma cried as he turned to see Shampoo quickly leaping toward her position, only to be kick off his pole - unawares - by Genma-panda. He flew head-first into a spring while Shampoo tried to hurry, only to jump onto a pole that was loose. Losing her balance and footing, the pool raced up towards her in an instant.
Both youth's looked towards each other, stormy-blue meeting forest green. Both blinked as they headed towards sister pools. The pools connected closely to the victims. The cursed pool of Nyannichuan - the Spring of Drowned Girl - and the Nannichuan - the Spring of Drowned Boy. The both splashed at the exact same moment, their destinies becoming intertwined as the chaos magic of Jusenkyo worked its ways.
-
Over in the Nannichuan pool, Shampoo struggled as a tingling feeling washed over her body. She felt the air rushing out of her lungs as her limbs steadily grew in length, the body becoming heavier, her hair darkening and her height increasing slowly as the Jusenkyo magic worked is course, turning her from beautiful Chinese Amazon to a handsome male Chinese Amazon. Slowly and after the feeling receded, Shampoo struggled with his new, longed limbs to reach the edge of the pool.
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Over
in the Nyannichuan, Ranma struggled as a tingling feeling washed over
his body. He felt the air rushing out of his lungs as his limbs visible
shrunk in
length, muscle mass was lost and added, his body becoming lighter, his
hair brightening and his height slowly decreasing as Jusenkyo magic
worked is course,
turning
him from a handsome Japanese boy to a well-endowed Japanese female.
Slowly and after the feeling receded, Ranma struggled with her new,
shortened
limbs to reach the edge of the pool.
-
Unnoticed by Ranma or Shampoo as they broke the surface simultaneously, breathing and gasping for air, the newest red head's eyes and body glowed a soft blue for a moment before receding to whence it came.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the Jusenkyo chaos magic widdled away at the barriers set by Ranma's Jurain heritage. A drop of the mystic power of Light hawk flowed into Ranma's body. The absolute insanity of the Neko-ken was diminished ever so slightly, barely noticeable towards the user, but noticeable enough that the fear never came so quickly again. If one looked into Ranma's eyes, the irises slitted for a moment before settling back. Her hair flashed for a moment as silver-blue streaks appeared on the length of her hair.
Ranma was the first to recover as she rocked back and lay still for a moment, breathing and gasping for air. She took another deep breath before looked over at Shampoo, who was in a similar state.
"W- What..." Ranma clutched her throat hurriedly, as if its venom. She slowly moved her hands away and looked at her gi. She slowly lifted it, peeking beneath the material before releasing it quickly, causing the material to flutter, the new sensations of her body getting to her, causing the nipple to involuntary harden against the material and the cold of the wind.
Ranma sighed and took deep, calming breaths. She slowly stood up, but almost tripped over her own feet, her center of balance skewered.
"You ok?" Ranma asked in a quiet voice towards her companion, who seemed to be taking the change quite well. Shampoo, with no knowledge of Japanese, but took on the tone of voice, let out a sigh and turned to his companion.
"(Yes.)" Shampoo sighed again and struggled to her feet, but feel down, slipping on the watered down grass.
"(Sorry. You Chinese?)" Ranma asked as she moved towards Shampoo, holding out a hand to him. Shampoo smiled up at Ranma and took her offered hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, only wobbling slightly.
"So sorry. You fall in Nyannichuan; Spring of Drowned Girl. Very tragic legend about girl who fall in spring 1500 year ago. Now you take on body of girl when splashed with cold water. Hot water reverse change." The guide said to Ranma. He then pointed to Shampoo. "(Honored Amazon fall into Nannichuan; Spring of Drowned Boy. Very tragic legend of a boy who fall in spring 1500 year ago. Now you take on body of boy. Cold water change you into boy while hot water changes back.)" The guide said in one breath.
Ranma blinked at the guide, as did Shampoo. Ranma felt a lingering question.
"(Guide.
Why we fall in same time?)" Ranma asked in broken Chinese. Shampoo
rolled his eyes at Ranma's Chinese, although he would sound much better
either;
in Japanese.
The guide took a drag on his pipe and thought about it for a moment. "(There was a legend that said both the Spring of Drowned Boy and Girl were created at the same time. It's said that both had feelings for each other.)" Both of the guides listeners glanced at each other, staring directly into each other's eyes before quickly turning away, blushing. "(Of course its just legends. Amazon village might have more information.)" The guide said pointedly.
"(Oh and Guide)" Shampoo said after a moment. The guide peered at her curiously. "(is there anyway you can cure the curse by jumping in the other pool?)" He asked cautiously.
"(Sorry Honored Amazon. Curse's mix with each other. Better to just live with it and move on.)" Both his companions let out a sad sigh. The guide placed his pipe in his jacket before pulling out a kettle from somewhere and handing it off.
"(Is this hot water?)" When the guide nodded, Shampoo uplifted it over his head and felt the same feeling as he did when he feel in Nannichuan. Shampoo, now female, sighed in relief. Shampoo wordlessly handed the kettle to Ranma, who in turn upended it over her head, changing back to her male form, with red streaks.
"(That better.)" Ranma said as he grinned. Shampoo smiled and blushed.
-He's cute.- Shampoo thought.
"(Where's my deadbeat father?)" Ranma asked the guide. The guide stopped smoking his pipe and peered at Ranma.
"(Other Honored customer ran away shortly after you appeared out of the pool.)" The guide said. "(In his panic, he left all his belongings, as well as yours.)" He said with a wave, indicating the two backpacks. Ranma sighed and smiled sadly while gazing at the two backpacks.
"(What's wrong...)" Shampoo started quietly.
"(Ranma.)" Ranma said sadly.
"(...Ranma?)" Shampoo hadn't seen his father around anywhere nearby.
"(It's my father.)" Ranma started dejectedly. "(He thief, lair, cheater and overall idiot, but he father.)" Ranma said as he moved towards Genma and his backpacks, Shampoo following closely behind. While she had never felt a father or mother's love, she at least had her great-grandmother. It seemed that this boy's father ran out on him.
"(I...see.)" Shampoo said quietly. She settled down next to Ranma as he began to remove all the useful items out of Genma's pack and transfer them to his own.
"(What's this?)" Shampoo asked as she pointed towards a picture of a auburn-haired woman who looked much like Ranma's female form holding a chibi-Ranma with a young Genma standing off to the side, grinning.
"(No idea...)" Ranma mused as he peered closer. Suddenly, realization dawned over his features as he stared at the picture sadly. "(Mother...)" Ranma whispered while his eyes shinned with unshed tears. Shampoo moved over and awkwardly embraced Ranma in a hug as he clutched the picture and tears poured from his eyes. Shampoo whispered soothing words in his ear as she rubbed his back comfortingly. She wasn't experienced in the act of comforting someone, but she'd seen it done enough times.
"(S- Sorry...)" Ranma whispered as he moved out of the embrace.
"(Shampoo. Don't worry about it.)" She said as she smiled at him. Ranma smiled back at her, abit sadly. Ranma turned back around and continued shifting items into his pack as Shampoo gazed at his back.