The Princess and the Pig Boy
A Ranma 1/2 fic
by Sakura
"Tell me a story Haha (Mommy)," the little girl said refusing to sleep.
"I already told you two, Yoiko-chan," the red haired woman said, exhausted from her day with the rambunctious six year old.
"I wanna 'nother one! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase," Yoiko said in the kawaii way she knew her parents couldn't resist, complete with the dreaded puppy dog eyes.
Sighing her mother complied. "All right, squirt then it's straight to sleep or I'll make sure Auntie Akane doesn't take you to the zoo tomorrow."
The woman smiled. Her daughter was already turning out to be just like her. She had her emerald green eyes and penchant for mischief. Thank goodness she hadn't inherited the Hibiki sense of direction along with her father's black hair.
"I'm waiting Haha," Yoiko said bringing her mother out of her reverie.
She chuckled and cleared her throat then began.
The princess, upon seeing the pot, picked it up and hurled it at her father. "This is all your fault, pop!" As the pot broke and spilled its contents, the king turned from a bald man with spectacles to a panda. "Hn! Serves you right!" Ranko yelled, storming from the front hall.
Later that night, the princess now a prince, snuck from the palace taking with him a small bundle of spare page clothes and a dress in case he ever regained his true form. Tears were running down his cheeks. He knew that once he saw her, the pig boy would turn from her in disgust and never want to see her again.
So he did the only thing he could do. He left in search of a cure for the sorcerer's curse.
Everywhere he went, the prince would find girl after girl throwing themselves at him, begging to marry them. But each time, he coldly refused and was even sometimes forced to run as fast as he could to get away.
While narrowly escaping his latest 'fiancee', he came across a young girl being harrassed by a tall, young man with short black hair and a wooden sword. From the distance, it was still pretty obvious what was going on. He wanted her, but she didn't want to be bothered with him and she was trying her best to get away from the idiot.
Knowing exactly how the girl felt, the prince then decided to lend a hand. "I don't think she wants you hanging around her pal," he said tapping the man on the shoulder.
Annoyed, that a total stranger had talked to him like that, the man pointed his bokken at him. "And who might you be sir, to speak in such a manner to me? A rival for the fair princess Akane, perhaps? Then I, Prince Takewaki Kuno, shall accept your challenge!"
He then lunged at the pigtailed boy only to have him quicky sidestep out of the way. Prince Kuno turned to make another attack and met with the boy's fist which then sent him into orbit. The boy looked at his fist in shock.
"I did that?!" He was about to walk away and do some thinking, when a voice reminded him why he'd punched the other prince.
"O thank you so much for helping me. I usually can take care of him by myself, but I'm tired from all that walking I did," said a girl's voice.
He turned around and saw the girl from before. She had short black hair and a light blue dress on. "Um, sure, you're welcome," he replied.
"Would you like to stay at the castle for the night? You look tired yourself."
Thinking since he'd had nothing better to do at the moment and it was starting to get late, the prince agreed.
After a brief explanation to her father as to why Princess Akane was bringing a strange boy home, Prince Ranma, as he'd been calling himself, told his sad tale. Once King Soun had stopped crying and Akane's sister, Kasumi had gone off to get a new handkerchief for her father, he took the young man aside.
"I know of someone who can help you, but are you sure you want this? My Akane may not be exactly a lady sometimes, but she's rather cute and has a good heart."
"That's enough, Dad!! Quit trying to marry me off!" the princess in question yelled from the other room.
"I can't pay you back I have no money," Ranma said, "but I'd be extremely grateful if you could help me."
"Listen son, you saved my Akane so I'm the one who's paying you back," the king said patting his back. He then sent for the royal physician who happened to be a tiny, wizened, old woman named Cologne.
She took one look at Ranma and said, "Too bad you're actually a girl, my granddaughter Shampoo would love to have a fine looking young man like you."
"Look, ma'am I'm not marrying any one but Ryouga. Can you change me back or not?"
"Oh I can change you back all right, but you'll have to do me one tiny favor."
"Which is," the prince said, getting the feeling that it wouldn't be easy.
"Take this to that fool Happosai. He left it here when he came asking for the princess." In her gnarled hand was a small pill.
"Doesn't seem that hard," Ranma said to himself. "Okay I'll do it, now change me back."
Cologne handed him the pill, which he put in his pocket. The old woman took him to her work shop and began rummaging through the various vials, bottles, and pots until she found the right one. Dusting off one rusty looking kettle, she chuckled to herself. "Never thought I'd need this thing so soon." With that said, she then poured the contents over Ranma's head.
He was about to complain that she was a fraud and a quack when he realized that his shirt was now too tight. Looking down at himself, the prince saw that he had regained his true form. Princess Ranko had returned. "I'm a girl again!" she said with glee. "I'm me again!! Whoo-hoo!!!!!!" She then immediately glomped the old woman. "Thanks a lot 'baa-chan!"
Princess Ranko then left the castle the next day, much to the disappointment of King Soun and Princess Akane and started on her long journey back home.
Along the way, she came across a little, black pig being chased by the very same person she was to deliver the pill to. "Hey get back here! I'm hungry," yelled the sorcerer.
Upon seeing her, the little piglet let out what sounded like a joyous 'bwee!!!' and hid behind her.
"Hey where'd you go?" Happosai said bumping into the newly restored princess. "Hey get out of the way! Oh it's you Ranko!!" He then immediately glomped the girl. "Got your body back I see."
"No thanks to you, you old lech!" She then kicked him into the stratosphere. "Oh shoot! I forgot to give him that pill. Oh well." She was about to walk on when she heard a 'bwee!' and felt a tug from behind.
"You poor little guy." She picked up the piglet, who immediately began to snuggle against her. "I know someone who'd take real good care of you." She began to think of her beloved pig keeper and prayed that her father hadn't done anything to him while she was away.
When she finally arrived at her castle, she found that her father had left the kingdom on a similar search and hadn't been heard from since. Also Nabiki had been married to no other than Prince Takewaki Kuno. It seemed that he'd landed nearby one day and had been under her sister's care since he'd been suffering from amnesia.
However, there was no sign of her beloved Ryouga and she went into a deep depression, unable to take care of the affairs of state. She refused to listen to her sister's advice and settle down with one of the remaining suitors. The only one she'd let near her was the little, black pig. He seemed to be very happy to be near the princess, but she could see that he too was sad. "Poor guy, I didn't mean to make you sad too. It's just that I miss Ryo-chan so much." The piglet bwee-ed in understanding and nudged his head against her hand as she got ready for bed. "Thanks P-chan," she said smiling, "You kinda remind me of him. Strange huh?"
Later that night, 'P-chan' reluctantly jumped off the bed and out of the sleeping princess' arms. He had decided that no matter how much he loved her, he was only making her sadder by remaining as he was. As he made his way across the chamber floor, he noticed a strange packet lying on the floor.
Apparently Ranko had dropped it. Thinking he should at least put it where she'd see it, he went to retrieve it from under the chair and saw what was written on it. "Pill made from Spring of Drowned Man." Curious, the little, black pig tore open the packet and sniffed at the pill.
Seeing that it was worth a try, he carefully swallowed the pill, grimacing at the chalky taste. Moments later, he saw that he was no longer the princess' pet piggy but the handsome young man he had been before running into that strange, old man. Overjoyed, he went over to his beloved princess and kissed her on the lips.
Waking to the feel of someone kissing her, Ranko's eyes shot open in surprise and saw that the pig keeper was in her room and he was kissing her. "Ryouga!" she cried when he stopped for air. "Y-you're back! Thank the gods!" She then threw her arms around him and cried happy tears.
"I love you, my princess," he whispered before kissing her again.
The next day, the princess and pig keeper were married and they lived happily ever after.
Ranko sighed in relief as she watched her daughter's chest rise and fall in slumber. Tucking the covers around her, she gave Yoiko a gentle kiss on the cheek. "G'night, squirt," she said, turning out the light.
"That was some story you told her," her husband said startling her.
"'Bout time you got home, Ryo-chan," she chided, playfully. "It's true though. We did live happily ever after." She gave him a kiss.
Smiling, Ryouga blushed. He could never get used to having a woman loving him, especially a woman like Ranko. "I love you, 'princess,'" he said before returning the kiss.