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#( )#: Panda signs
Somewhere in the Bayankala mountains, in a small valley dotted with around a hundred springs a short, fat Chinese man cowered in his hut shaking in fear. He had looked around the corner of his hut after hearing the commotion and opened his mouth to shout a warning when a stray energy blast had created a crater two feet to his left.
After that he hadn't dared to attempt to warn the two people fighting above the springs of the dangers of doing so. Normally, the Jusenkyo guide wouldn't hesitate to warn those foolish enough to challenge the cursed grounds (or at least try to). However, seeing what was obviously a demon woman — the glowing eyes, visible even from his position, wingless flight , and energy blasts could only be the product of a demons powers — fighting a robed man with a glowing sword had caused his self-preservation instincts to kick in.
Peeking out the window the guide watched as the man thrust his sword into the demoness' throat. As he watched her thrash about uncaring of the shaft of light impaling her, he was relieved to notice several amazon warriors and an elder approaching.
Carefully creeping out of his hut to meet the approaching elder, the guide let off a sigh of relief when the demoness finally stopped struggling. Shifting his attention, he approached the warrior as the man's ki-blade dissipated.
{"Honorable warrior, you are very fortunate that you didn't fall into one of the springs,"} the guide stated, missing the man lifting the demoness' body from the spring in which it had landed.
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't speak your language," responded the man before the amazon elder approached, addressing him.
"Ah. So you are from the land of Wa, young man. I am Elder Lo Xian of the Joketsuzoku Amazon tribe. I must say that I am impressed by your skill, that you were able to use that item to form a ki-blade speaks highly of your abilities. There are very few people who are willing to fight a demoness in close combat. Your sword style is not one I'm familiar with, I'm curious as to where you learned it."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Elder Lo Xian. I am Yosho of the house Masaki. I'm sorry but I can't stay to talk. I must take Ryoko's body to a location where she can be contained. Farewell," Yosho stated calmly with a bow before he began walking east, back towards the Japanese islands. I need to see if any part of Funaho can be salvaged and set up a containment field to hold Ryoko until she is completely free of the mind control placed on her. At least Funaho survived the attack, even if I am stranded on this planet now.
Lo Xian considered trying to bring Yosho into the tribe but decided to allow him to finish dealing with the demoness first. While I must allow him to seal up that demon, I can't let such a prize get away so easily. "Soa Pu and Yas Min shall see you safely to the coast. I hope you will consider visiting our village after you have dealt with the demoness."
"I shall remember your invitation Lo Xian of the Joketsuzoku."
"Here sirs we come to Legendary Training Grounds, Jusenkyo," stated the pudgy Chinese man in a People's Liberation Army uniform.
"Are you prepared, Ranma?" asked the portly martial artist known as Saotome Genma.
"Heh, this place ain't so impressive," was the response from his son.
"You very strange ones, no, sirs?" the guide asked of the pair. "This place very dangerous. Nobody use now."
"Ranma, Follow me!" Genma shouted while leaping onto one of the poles dotting the various springs in the valley.
"Right behind ya, Oyaji."
"Ah sirs! What you doing?" the guide asked in panic.
"I won't go easy on you, boy," Genma stated, ignoring the guides nervous shouts.
"That's just how I like it," Ranma responded as he took up a stance on his own pole.
"Please sirs, very bad you fall in springs!" the guide yelled vainly.
Genma and Ranma leapt toward each other from their respective perches. Genma shifted into a flying kick which Ranma promptly pushed off of, flipping over his father. Ranma then proceeded to twist his body around in mid-air to deliver a kick to Genma's backside sending him plummeting into the spring below.
"What's up Oyaji, we done already?" he asked of the bubbling spring after landing on another pole.
A few seconds later a large panda wearing the remains of Genma's gi with his glasses hanging off of one ear jumped out of the spring. It then took a stance on another of the bamboo poles.
"W-w-what?" Ranma stuttered in shock. "What is that?"
"That Shonmaoniichuan, Spring of Drowned Panda. Tragic story of Panda what drown there two thousand year ago."
"Hey! Ya never said anythin' about that," shouted Ranma, before the large panda leapt forward without warning, striking the shocked boy into another one of the springs.
"Aiyah, not that spring. That spring no have anything drown in it yet. Young mister customer just make Spring of Drown Martial Artist," stated the guide, going from panicked to solemn as he spoke.
Having just noticed his new form, the panda that was Genma stared in horror at the guide and then the spring. NO, my retirement! was the first thought that went through his head, followed shortly by, Nodoka is going to kill me! The panda began to rub his neck nervously while thinking of his lovely wife's katana and what she would do with it if she ever found him.
While the panda stared ahead, frozen in panic, the spring began to bubble. The guide and Genma watched as Ranma broke the surface of the spring, taking a deep breath when his mouth was clear of the water. Ranma then began studying his body, relieved that he was still human. Calming down and letting out a sigh of relief, Ranma looked down at his reflection and froze. Looking up at him was a being that looked like him, except it had slitted pupils and slightly pointed ears.
"W-w-what happened ta me? What am I?" Ranma asked, an edge of panic creeping into his voice.
"Aiyah, me no understand. There no record of anything drown in that spring since it created over seven hundred year ago," the guide stated with confusion. "Mister customers come to hut and I explain about curse."
After walking to the hut, the guide explained how hot water would reverse the curse until they were splashed with cold water again. He then poured water from a kettle over Genma-panda's head, restoring him to the fat, bald man in a dingy, stretched-out gi. He then turned to do the same for Ranma.
"Is there a permanent cure?" Genma asked while watching the guide restore his son...
...except when Ranma opened his eyes, a pair of slitted pupils met the guide's expectant gaze, and the ears Ranma pulled his soggy hair away from remained inhumanly pointed.
"This most strange. Curse should be reversed with hot water. This no happen before," the guide said in nervous confusion. "Tomorrow we go to nearby amazon village and ask elder there about young mister customer's curse."
Ranma woke up flying through the air as Genma began another of their morning sparing sessions. Coming to his senses quickly, Ranma flipped around kicking off the ground to meet his father head on. Stupid Oyaji getting me cursed. I ain't gonna pull my punches as much this mornin'. The baka deserves a bit of a beating for this. The match continued normally until Genma got splashed, turning into a panda once more.
Genma let off a few growfs as he waddled over to get some hot water, he idly rubbed his left shoulder. When did the boy get so strong? Noticing the guide handing Ranma some food Genma's thoughts shifted. Food now, worry about the boy later.
On a particular street in the Nerima ward of Tokyo a young girl by the name Sasaki Yumi stood waiting impatiently. Where is Oniichan? I've been waiting over half an hour! He's probably off with Hiroshi again. Oooh, when I get my hands on you Daisuke... her thought trailed off as she, and several other people, stopped what they were doing as a rather unusual scene occurred.
Many of the people had just exited nearby buildings after taking shelter from a sudden rain storm. This was nothing unusual; however, the sight of a large panda carrying a pack being followed by a rather handsome young man was far from normal.
What a hunk! Yumi thought as the two passed by. She and several other girls considered approaching the teenager when he suddenly spoke.
"Where exactly are we goin' Oyaji? I want ta go see Okasan."
Several of the girls sighed, thinking that the hunk wasn't completely sane if he thought that the panda was his father. Well I could do worse, Yumi thought as she began walking toward the pair. She stared in shock when the panda held up a sign with a response.
#(We're going to see an old friend of mine.)# The sign was replaced by a second one. #(I need to speak to him about a matter of family honor.)#
The teenager snorted at that. "Like *you* know anythin' 'bout honor." He quickly dodged a third sign with #(Respect your elders, boy)# written on it.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." As he continued following the panda he muttered, "I have a bad feelin' about this."
The crowd stood stunned as they watched the pair continue on their way oblivious to the looks they were receiving. Yumi idly noted that the boy had slightly pointed ears before shrugging it off as a trick of the light. I'm seeing things.
"Hey Imouto-chan you alright?"
"Huh?" Yumi turned to see her brother and his friend aproaching. "Yeah, Oniichan, just saw something wierd."