Prologue
The Coming of Mercury Lamp
On this beautiful day, the yellowish sun was hanging upon the clear blue sky; the birds were chirping for the arrival of morning. In the Tendo residence, early in the dawn, Kasumi had already gotten up and was running chores for the family. She wasn't alone however, as her father was busily reading his newspaper as well. Kasumi did not mind her father's lack of contribution to the family though, afterall, it was hard for him to raise the three of them without his wife. Even since the death of her mother, the well being of her family became her pride. When she checked the mailbox today, she found a strange post card addressed to her father. The fact that this was not spam was enough to guarantee attention since they rarely had any meaningful mails. Behind the post card, a message was written in crimson ink that strangely resembled blood. "Ranma and Genma are coming..."
Meanwhile, in the southern shore of Japan, black crows were maneuvering on the dark cloudy sky in circles. The harbor was abnormally dark due to the black clouds that cover the sun, and silence as even the birds dare not disturb what was coming into being. Suddenly, a panda claw emerged from the black sea and secretly grabbed onto the supporting woods of the harbor. On its back, was a girl with long silver hair, wet from the sea water. She wore a half broken gothic long dress with a matching black hair dresser that had seen better days. She smirked as she found herself put onto land after weeks of swimming. At last, she had returned to her homeland, this familiar air, this familiar sky, everything was the same as she remembered. "Ranma Saotoma has arrived," the girl chuckled in ominous harmony with the renewed cawing of the crows, until her father smacked her on the head for making funny noises.
Several hours later...
"What did you say?" Akane the youngest daughter exclaimed.
Soun, father of Akane, responded with a serious tone, "You three girls are to be married to the son of Genma Saotome in order to unit our schools. He recently traveled across China." It was hard to believe even in this day and age, there were still arranged marriage. The daughters sighed.
"How old is he? Younger boys bored me, " Kasumi asserted, fully intending to play along in this game called family politics.
Nabiki on the other hand has something else in mind. She had learnt that money was everything in life the hard way, and she wouldn't let this opportunities ran away. Since their supposed fianncee was travelling and all that, that meant he must have money. Nabiki thought idly before asking , "Is he rich?"
Soun proclaimed proudly, "I have no idea".
"You meant you are marrying us to someone you don't know?" Nabiki remarked with a glare. Sometimes, she wondered if this man was really her father.
"I am sure he is a fine lad. After all, his father is famous for tricking people and beating up young kids to release stress... I mean, his father is very intelligent and is straight forward when he faces problems," Soun quickly corrected after he accidentally leaked unneeded information.
"..." All three of the daughter groaned in shock. Not only did their father engaged them to a random boy, but the boy's father was obviously not someone they wanted to put up with. Like father, like son, how can father treat them like that?
"Yes. I am sure he is a fine lad. Let's meet with him before we press any more judgment," Nabiki commented. After all, if he was rich, his personality problem could be fixed.
Akane however, did not take this news very well and stormed out of the room. "Count me out" she dismissed herself from this unreasonable but important meeting. The remained girls could only looked at each other in silence before they were brought back into reality by the cawing of the crows. The sun had already been covered by the dark clouds which cast shadows on their backyard.
"How strange? This morning seems like such a good weather," Kasumi broke the silence. Perhaps, a storm was coming.
"Knock" "Knock"
"I will answer the door," Kasumi hurried out of their meeting room to the front door, wearing a jacket on the way out as it was getting cold and windy.
When she opened the door, she was greeted with a girl about the same height as her. Her long silver hair, wet from the rain, hid her facal features. Her half broken gothic Mediterranean clothing gave Kasumi a feeling that she had been throught a lot. Kasumi eyed the reversed white crosses on the girl's dark dress and thought, "Is she a heretic?" Then, she finally became aware that this person came with an intention. Behind her, was a wild animal commonly known as a panda. She must be looking for shelter and a place to take care of her panda.
"It is nice to see you are catching on, but can I met with a Tendo Soun?" the silver haired girl interrupted, her patience seemed to be running low.
"Oh my. Yes, please come this way."
As they entered the main house into the hallway, Soun greeted the guest and her panda. "Hi young lady, how may I help you?"
The girl's eyebrows twitched for half a second before saying with a smirk, "Would you happen to have a glass of hot water?"
Taking this odd request, Kasumi handed the girl the water. But instead of drinking it, she dumped it onto the panda behind her rather rudely, and it transforms into a fat bald man wearing a dirty white gi with glasses. A magic show? I think not.
Soun was too shocked to see his old friend in this state. He hurried before his friend and shoke his hands gently, "Saotome! Saotome! Is that really you?"
Genma's eyes slowly regains intellgence by Soun's gesture. He stared into Soun's eyes that is full of geniuine concern. "Yes, I am Genma, my dear Soun. You are a life saver." Genma hugged Soun and cried with tears of happiness.
Kasumi, who recovered from the shocking revelation, was to the to ask, "Oh my, what is going on?"
Steps that walked on a dirt path, with backpack larger than a person, a young boy entered a foggy valley with his father. Both of them were breathing heavily from days after days of continuous travelling. But at last, they had reached their last trainning ground. In the valley lied hundreds of pools, each one of them was stabbed by a bamboo stick into their very depth. This is the legendary training ground, Jyusenkyo.
"Greeting honoured sirs, you have arrived the legendary training ground, Jyusenkyo," He greeted the newcomers but neither of them paid him any attention. Instead, they jumped onto the bombo poles in the pole with a silence awknowledgement. "What are you doing sirs? It is dangerous," the valley guide exclaimed out of concerns, but it was of no use.
"Come, my boy. Or are you too scared of those bamboo sticks?" the fat man gloated his son.
"Let see who will emerge unharmed, old man," the young boy with a ponytail, responded.
Without a second notice, boy and the middle aged man jumped from the poles to the mid air, exchanging blows with blows, kicks and kicks, the warning of the guide was completely dismissed as background noises. The two eyed each other again silently after they regained footings, looking for any opportunities and openings on the other's defense. Within several seconds, the older man took the initiative to dash out, attempting to catch his prey by surprise. Unfortunate for him, his attack was anticipated and the boy jumped toward him for a counterattack, sending a kick that knocked the older man into one of the medium sized pool.
"Oh no sir, you feel into the spring of drowned panda. 700 years ago, a panda drowned itself in this spring. Now whoever fall into the spring get the body of panda," the guide cited with a claim expression despise the absurdity of his claim.
Indeed, from the spring emerged a panda, wearing the clothing and glasses of the former fallen mister. The boy opened his mouth in shocked, "You didn't tell us anything of the..."
His speech was interrupted by a swift swing from the panda, who was way too fast for its size. The pony tailed boy being distracted by both the guide's speech and the surreal curse had his air knocked out by the panda and fell toward one of the smallest pool with a splash.
"Oh no. That is one of the virgin spring. I am so sorry about that. Young mister will probably be take by the magic of the spring and become drowned," the guide shoke his head at the tragedy.
The cursed panda looked on in shock as the spring calmed down, as the last of the bubbles resurfaced. Ten years of trainnings, his only son, will he be forever lost, like the dissolving bubbles. Just when the panda was about to dive into the spring to save his only son, the spring took on a reddish grow. It wasn't blood, it was something much sinister. Is this the activation of a new cursed spring? The light intensified, and the guide saw something at the centre of the light, while hundred of black feather flew out of the source as if they are alive. A pair of huge black wings opened before it transformed into the shape of a woman. Black hair flew from her head and her eyes was glowing in pink light.
The guide whispered, "No way, it couldn't be..." His whisper was drowned by the swarm of black feathers, and the sun was hidden by the cloud as the figure stepped out of the spring.
"Who am I?" the young woman spoke, her body was covered by black feathers that saved her from modesty. She crocked her head and looked at the panda and the Chinese guide, before chuckling a low malice melody, "I am who I am".
Bling "Great Grandmother," A girl with purple hair rushed forward to see what happened. The bowl of rice splattered on the ground and the old woman looked on with awe. "This is a bad omin, very bad indeed." Drips of blood from the old woman were soaking the white rice on the ground. "Something wicked this way come, Xian Pu. Tomorrow is your final tournaments. Be very careful and avoid conflicts at all costs."
"Let me get this straight, you fell into the spring that isn't supposed to be cursed, but you still got cursed anyway and become what you are right now?" Akane questioned the girl.
"Seems like it," the silver haired girl confirmed with a bitter smile. "But who cares."
"Oh?" Nabiki voiced her curiosity. She supposed it wasn't a big deal for man to be cursed as a girl. Probably.
The two men who had finished crying joined the discussion. The man, who is known to be Genma looks to the ceiling with tears, "Oh, to see my manly son cursed to be a girl! How tragedy!" But he quickly retreated behind Soun when his son-turned-daughter made a look at his direction.
Soun coughed and slided behind his daughter. "Well, your problem isn't so bad after all. Ranma, this is Akane, age sixteen. Nabiki, age seventeen. And Kasumi age nineteen. Pick whoever you want and they will be yours."
The three daughter began to protest, but they were saved the trouble when Ranma declined the offer, "I am not interested in women." Everyone looked at Ranma in shock.
"I only come to drop by. I should take my leave right now," Ranma elaborated.
Everyone had different thought about what Ranma had suggested. The Tendos thought he must be gay, only Genma understood what he meant exactly, he was his son afterall, and he had no interest in people, male or female. Maybe he should have stayed with his wife instead, years of training had turned his son into a martial art machine.
However, Soun wasn't one to give up so easily, especially when his hope of future lies before him. So, he stressed, "It is a matter of family honour. Your father and I have made a promise that one day, a Saotome and a Tendo will be married to unit the school."
"That's none of my business."
"Now son, you need to be responsible, as a heir to the Saotome School of Martial Art, it is your duty to unit the schools," Genma tried to convince him. This is the last chance for Genma to settle down, after the curse, he couldn't return to his wife.
"If you so desire, why don't you marry them yourself?" Ranma remarked offhandedly.
Genma could only fume at his son-turned daugther for such immoral suggestion. That witch, what happened to my obident son.
"No way!" the three sisters voiced simultaneously.
Throughout all the conversations, Nabiki had noticed that Ranma was wearing a very fine dress. Perhaps, he had quite a few money despite his father's appearance. She could deal with him first and then left him to her sisters after she was done with him.
"I have a question Ranma, " Nabiki coughed, gaining attention from her father and sisters, "How did you afford the travelling across China?"
"Afford? What do you mean? I can travel wherever I want, if only Pop isn't here to pull my legs."
Anyone she want? Nabiki had finally found the chicken that laid golden eggs. Who knows, maybe she could finally ditched mentally troubled Kuno for someone who wasn't obsessed with her sister. Nabiki took that as a clue to accept the engagement, "Ok. I will be his fianc?if I get to travel with him."
Akane nudged her middle sister and whispered, "Are you sure? We are not sure if they are telling the truth."
"Don't worry. I will take care of it elegantly," Nabiki whispered back with a gleam in her eyes.
Soun chirped happily, "It is decided then. Nabiki will be your fianc?"
Ranma was getting annoyed. Didn't she just told them she wasn't interested? But no. They had to decide on their own.
Akane began to worry. It was obvious that Nabiki was trying to do something. She already felt sorry for Ranma. Who knows what she will had to be through. Akane looked at Ranma in an apologetic glance. Somehow, Akane had already decided that Ranma was girl since she wasn't a believer of magic. A panda suit wasn't going to change her world-view.
"Oh yeah, Ranma. You practice kempo right? It has been so long since I got a decent work out. Let's become friend." Akane offered. Ranma was obviously very upset about the engagement. Looking at the so called romantic-love from various literatures, Akane could only sigh in distaste. At time like this, working out was always her best friend.
"Friend? Sorry, I don't play with children." Ranma crossed her arm, leaning against the wall.
"What?" Akane told herself that she was not bothered by her remark, even though her eyebrows wouldn't stop twitching. "Come on, at least take a look at the dojo."
"Fine," Ranma wondered why she bothered to play with those kids.
The dojo wasn't small, but it wasn't huge either. The smell of the wood and the decolouring of the wood indicates its age. It was a nice place. Perhaps, it wasn't such a bad idea to stay here for a while, things can get interesting. Beside, she never had a home before...
Akane eyed the girl. No matter how she looked at her, she cannot believe that she is a cursed boy. From her posure, to the way she looked at people. Maybe... maybe uncle Saotome was confused and this is really a girl?
"It is a nice place isn't it?" The tree rustled against the wind outside the dojo as the sun finally shown itself from behind the cloud.
Ranma touched the wall of the dojo and closed her eyes in deep thought, "Perhaps."
"Really? I promise that I will go easy on you," Akane smiled, it had been age since she had a decent sparrings. Even though she was the best, it was still good to know how good was this girl compared to her.
"Fine by me," Ranma looked onto the shrine without eyeing Akane.
And with that, the two girl walked to the centre of the dojo and bowed to each other. Akane was in a stance, preparing for incoming attack. But Ranma just stood there with her arms crossed.
"Come on, I don't have all day," Ranma beckoned Akane.
Akane took that clue to attack. Perhaps that girl does not even know martial arts. She threw a slow punch to the silver haired one, but she vanished before her eyes. Where is she?
Her question was answered by a punch to her stomach. Akane almost doubled over in pain, but she wasn't so lame, she could stand a little punching.
"Well? Come on," Ranma beckoned again.
Apparently, Ranma wasn't as unskilled as Akane thought. Akane began to take a more aggressive stance. She had no choice; she must fight with her seriously because her family's pride was at stake.
Akane charged her again with a low kick followed by a quick jab with her right hand, but once again, Ranma vanished before she made contact. All she saw was blackness after Ranma delivered a blow to her neck afterward.
Nabiki was reconsidering her situation. Even though she knew there was better fighters then Akane, this Ranma obviously wasn't human. From her position outside of the dojo, she could see the fight clearly. Ranma could fly.
End of Chapter 1
Author Note: I am rewriting this story from the start since the flow is getting problematic. This Ranma resembles her male form, including hair colour and height so that it makes more sense. Clothings are all up to personal taste, and I don't think Ranma has the money to afford anything fine. But that could change after she settled down and have income. And hair colour just don't change for no reasons.
Special thanks to SoulCry for proofreading this chapter.