Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke nor do I own Ranma 1/2. As stated before, they both belong to their respective copyright holders.
Finding a Cure
Chapter 2: Mark of the Beast
"Ugh, did anyone get the license plate of the truck that hit me?" Ranma groaned as he slowly opened his eyes only to be bombarded by painfully bright rays of sunlight streaming through gangly tree branches. "Wow, what did I drink?" he asked himself in a groggy voice as he squinted his eyes and allowed them to adjust to the light while clutching his head gently.
Sitting up slowly he felt something springy and damp move underneath his palms causing him to look down with a look of confusion in his cobalt blue eyes. "What the? Grass?" he questioned as he took a look around his current surroundings.
'What am I doing in a forest?' he thought to himself with wide eyes as he gazed upon the giant trees that surrounded him and noted that the forest seemed to be extremely dense with hardly any life growing on the ground level beside the grass.
'Okay, I remember going to the Neko Hanten cause Shampoo said the old ghoul had a cure…' Ranma thought to himself as bits and pieces of yesterdays events played through his mind.
"Un, what hit Shampoo?" the violet haired Amazon inquired as slowly awoke. The girl ended up making the same mistake Ranma did and hissed once the rays of sunlight hit her eyes. "Shampoo drink too much sake last night," she moaned as she slowly pushed herself off the ground and took in her surroundings as well as looking down at her ruined dress.
"AIYE! WHAT SHAMPOO DOING IN FOREST!?" she cried as she whipped her head around looking for anything familiar. "Shampoo drink too too much!" she exclaimed as she looked out the corner of her eye and saw Ranma staring blankly at her.
"OH! Shampoo understand now," Shampoo stated with a devious glint in her eyes as a seductive smile crept onto her lips.
'This can't be good,' Ranma thought to himself with a nervous chuckle as he started to back away from the Amazon.
"Airen bring Shampoo out to forest to have his way with her. That explain why Shampoo's dress so dirty," the Amazon said as she pounced on a sputtering Ranma and glomped him so tightly that his face started to turn blue. "Shampoo finally got Airen! Shampoo beat all other stupid girls!" Shampoo exclaimed joyously before she was forcefully pried off the gasping young man.
"No you don't and we didn't do anything! Don't you remember yesterday at all?" Ranma asked as he took several deep breaths.
Immediately shaking off the sense of rejection she felt, Shampoo then brought a finger up to her chin and looked as though she was contemplating something. "Let see, Shampoo remember going to curse springs with Airen. Remember offering, but after that all is blank," Shampoo said with a shrug of her shoulders as she pushed herself to her feet.
"Yeah…that's all I remember too," Ranma said as he took another look around. "Well either way, I'd say it's 'bout time we got outta this forest," Ranma said as he hefted his daypack over his shoulder and started heading in some random direction hopping that it would lead out of the forest.
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"Uh, Airen, Shampoo think we lost," Shampoo commented with a hint of worry in her voice as she noticed that the forest had gotten significantly denser.
"Nah, we're okay. We just gotta keep headin' straight. Me and pop used to get lost in the woods all the time. Just keep headin' straight and we'll be outta here in no time," Ranma said as he waved a hand dismissively and continued to head straight.
"Whatever Airen says," Shampoo replied with an exasperated sigh. 'I already know men don't have any sense of direction,' she thought to herself with a frown, 'It's too bad that we can't simply…!'
"Airen! Shampoo have great idea!" Shampoo exclaimed as ran up beside the young man with a grin on her face.
"Yeah? What is it?" Ranma asked as he noticed Shampoo's smile widen.
"Why we no jump on top of trees and look for way out?" Shampoo asked as she turned and started leaping up one of the giant trees.
"That is a good idea…why ain't I think of that?" Ranma thought to himself with a frown as he followed suit behind Shampoo. Upon reaching the top of the tree they scanned the surrounding area only to find themselves completely lost with no hint of civilization in sight.
"What the? Shouldn't there be a city or sumthin'?" Ranma questioned as he furrowed his brow scanned the area only to note that it was green as far as the eye could see.
"Airen look!" Shampoo exclaimed drawing Ranma's attention toward a large clearing that he seemed to have overlooked.
"What is that? It looks like a village," Ranma stated as he raised a hand to his brow in order to shield his eyes from the sun in order to get a better look. Looking at the clearing he noticed there were several large straw and wooden huts with small outpost just beyond the edge of the village. "Well it looks like we've found somewhere to at least ask for some directions," Ranma mumbled as he started to leap from tree to tree toward the village.
"Airen wait for Shampoo!" Shampoo called out as she chased after the boy who was moving at an incredible pace. Of course Ranma didn't hear her as he continued at the same pace.
'All I need to do is find out where I am and then I'm heading back to Japan,' Ranma thought to himself with a frown. 'Stupid old ghoul, there ain't no cure. She musta been planning something, but I guess Shampoo couldn't go through with it or sumthin'. Although I don't believe that for a second, so I'd better watch her,' Ranma continued to think to himself as he leapt onto tree branch only to have it shatter upon contact.
"WHOA!" he cried out in shock as he plummeted down toward the forest floor.
"Airen!" Shampoo cried out as she leapt down to the forest floor with him.
"THUD!" "Ow, ow, ow," Ranma moaned as he rubbed his sore rump. "What the hell," he hissed as he glared up at the rotting tree. For a minute he wondered why his danger sense had not picked up on anything, but then he realized nothing within the surrounding area had any ki flowing through it.
"Airen you okay?" Shampoo asked as she ran up the young man who was currently pushing himself off of the ground with a scowl on his face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he grumbled as he took a look around to see where he had landed, and if it was anywhere near the village. However, as he looked around he noticed that the tree was not the only thing rotting in this section of the forest.
"What the heck?" he questioned as he noticed the rest of the rotting trees that had either been knocked over or looked ready to snap and fall over at any moment. The grass was dead and black and there were giant pig like foot prints scorched into the ground were sections of grass were missing.
"Airen, Shampoo think it be good if we got out of here," Shampoo commented with a frown as she stared toward a long path full of decay leading toward the village they were headed to.
"Yeah, we better get going. I want to make it home in time for dinner," Ranma replied as he brushed off his pants, completely oblivious to source of Shampoo's concern as he leapt a top the trees again and started heading toward the village once again.
"Airen wait! No go that way!" Shampoo called out, but by then it was too late. Releasing an exasperated sigh Shampoo followed after the young man, leery of the path they were taking.
'Man I hope I get home by dinner. I'm starting to miss Kasumi's cooking already, and the later it gets the less chance that well be able to get an early flight back,' Ranma thought to himself as he licked his lips hungrily. After reaching the last tree at the edge of the village Ranma leapt down onto a stone wall a gazed toward the village with a smile forming on his lips.
"Well, time to get this over with and go home," he said to himself as he heard Shampoo land behind him.
"Airen, Shampoo no think it a good idea to go much further. Shampoo have a bad feeling about this," Shampoo commented as the pair walked down the stone path.
"What do you mean?" Ranma asked as he looked around noting that his danger sense was picking up a faint hint of something approaching. "Hm, you're right, but I don't think we have anything to worry about. After all I'm the best martial artist in the world!" Ranma declared boastfully as he puffed out his chest and continued walking.
"Shampoo not sure," Shampoo mumbled as she cast a worried glance toward to decaying clearing that they had just gotten away from. 'Although it is unbecoming of a warrior such as myself to show fear, somehow I have feeling that this fear is justified,' Shampoo thought to herself with a frown forming on her lips.
Meanwhile Ranma was licking his lips as he thought of what Kasumi might be cooking that night. 'I wonder, maybe she'll make something new. Knowing Kasumi it'll still be delicious no matter what she makes,' he thought to himself as he once again licked his lips. Unfortunately he was so lost in his fantasy world that he couldn't hear the cries of a warning being shouted from an elderly man with a long grey beard from atop one of the outpost leading into the village.
"You kids need to get out of the way! A demon is coming!" the man shouted in vain as he noticed that the duo couldn't hear a word he was saying. "Damn it!" he hissed as he straightened up his red and blue trimmed gi, as well as his straw hood before he grabbed a wooden long bow and quiver full of arrows.
"Gisan did you see it?" a voice called from behind the elderly man causing him to almost jump six feet off the ground. Whipping around he came face to face with a handsome young man donning a light blue gi with navy trim, a pair tan cloth pants, a pair navy blue cloth shin guards, and a pair brown straw sandals. His dark brown hair was done up in bun and his grey blue eyes were full of concern.
"Prince Ashitaka!" the Gisan exclaimed before allowing himself to calm down a bit. "Yes, whatever it is it isn't human and it's headed straight toward the village. But there is also a pair of youngsters in its path!" Gisan exclaimed as he pointed to the hapless duo walking through the tall grass toward the outpost.
"Can't they sense it coming!?" Ashitaka questioned as he noticed that they seemed to be seasoned warriors.
"I don't know, but it doesn't seem like it," Gisan stated as he prepared to aim an arrow in expectation of the creature's arrival. If nothing else he would give the teens a chance to try to out run the beast and make it to the village.
"Gisan the wise woman told everyone to get back to the village, and that's what you must do. I'll see if can aid them, but you need to get out of here," Ashitaka stated firmly as he saw pair of black tentacles appear out of a now decaying section forest and climb over the stone wall as black larva like droppings oozed off of it's skin and fell to the ground. Once the droppings hit the ground all life near the area immediately decomposed, or was burned away.
"LOOK OUT!" Ashitaka cried out trying to get the pair's attention, but to now avail. "Damn it!" he hissed as he grabbed the old man up in his arms and leapt down from the outpost. After setting Gisan down Ashitaka turned to a large elegant red elk he stood in wait.
"Yakoul we have to hurry, get me to those two as fast as you possibly can," he told the elegant beast as he slung himself onto his back. "Gisan get back to the village and tell everyone to be prepared for an attack," Ashitaka commanded as he whipped the reins on the elk and headed toward Ranma and Shampoo.
Gisan nodded as he watched the young man ride away and bellowed, "Be careful prince!"
Meanwhile Ranma had finally snapped out of his day dream when his danger sense started blaring a full blown "GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!" alert. Whipping around to see what the danger could possibly be he saw a giant spider like beast emerge from the forest that they had just come out of. Its skin seemed to move as though each piece was a living entity and its ruby red eyes seemed to glow maliciously.
"What the!?" Ranma exclaimed wide eyed causing Shampoo to whip around and face the beast as well.
"AIYE! What that!?" Shampoo cried out in horror as she quickly reached in her day pack and retrieved her long sword. Ranma absently thought, 'How the hell did she fit that in there?' but a majority of his concern was aimed at the beast stalking up to them at an alarming pace.
"If it isn't one thing it's another!" Ranma exclaimed through gritted teeth as he aimed his palms at the beast. "MOKO TAKABISHA!" Ranma bellowed as he waited for the ki blast to be emitted from his palms. After waiting almost ten seconds he realized that the ki blast was not about to come as the beast descended upon them. It was also at this time that he noticed pale green spirals forming on his hands when he tried to fire of his ki attacks.
"MOKO TAKABISHA! MOKO TAKABISHA!" Ranma cried out in vain as nothing, aside from a few sparks of ki, were emitted from his palms only serving to infuriate him more. However, he once again noticed the green spirals starting to flare up on his hands and arms again. "Damn it!" he cursed as he got into a defensive stance.
"NO AIREN! NO FIGHT DEMON, OR IT WILL CURSE YOU!" Shampoo cried out as she grabbed the raven haired boy's hand and tried to drag him away.
"I'm not done yet," Ranma muttered through gritted teeth as he yanked his hand back from the shocked Amazon. "Nothing's worse then the curse I already have!" Ranma snapped as he tried to sense the beast ki.
'Whoa, I've never felt such dark energy before, and there's so much of it! This thing might as well be made out of the Perfect Shishi Hokodan!' Ranma thought to himself horrified. 'This things even stronger than Saffron, and I can't even use any of my attacks!'
However, by the time Ranma had finally realized that he was severely outclassed there was no way for him to retreat. 'No way!' Ranma thought to himself horrified as giant tentacle shot out at him.
"AIREN!" Shampoo cried out as she pushed the boy out of the way at the last possible second. Unfortunately she was not able to evade the attack as the tentacle slapped into her side burning away her clothing and scalding her skin. As she released a blood curdling scream she was then flung several meters and slammed into the outpost Ashitaka had just left. The outpost legs exploded upon the girl's impact with it and top portion tipped over.
"SHAMPOO!" Ranma cried out in horror as he started to sprint toward the fallen young woman. Suddenly his danger sense clicked on alerting him to the tentacle about to squash him from behind. Quickly rolling to the side Ranma whipped around to face the monstrous beast.
"DAMN YOU!" he hissed as he noticed Shampoo's sword not to far from where he was.
"Get out of here! I'll hold it off! Just get to the village!" a young man riding on a red elk commanded as he aimed an arrow at the best and fired. The arrow hit the beast in what might have been the nose if it had one. "Hurry!" Ashitaka cried out as his elk circled the beast.
"Like hell I will! That thing just killed Shampoo!" Ranma hissed as he dove for the sword.
"RWAR!" the demon half cried half squealed as it charged Ashitaka.
"My Lord forgive me, I meant you no harm!" Ashitaka stated as he narrowly avoided a tentacle, "I was simply trying to detour your fury! These people have done nothing to you to earn your hate, nor has this village! Why do you attack us!?"
"Fool! All of you human's are my enemy!" the beast bellowed in dark callous voice as it charged past Ashitaka and headed straight toward the village again.
"WAIT!" Ashitaka cried out in vain as he whipped the reins on the elk and chased after the beast. After running down the hill through thick foliage Ashitaka noticed a group of girls, all donning navy blue gi's with red trim and straw hats with tools strapped to their backs within a straw carrying case, running from the beast.
'They still haven't made it to the village!?' Ashitaka thought horrified as the beast turned of its path and headed straight for the girls. "Yakoul!" the young prince snapped as he whipped the reins on the elk causing it to sprint toward the giant beast.
"Don't run from me!" someone bellowed from within the foliage Ashitaka had just left. Looking up he noticed Ranma leaping out of the trees with a long sword poised above his head ready to swipe down.
"OH NO YA' DON'T! NO MORE!" he bellowed as he brought sword down on the beast head, cutting through the black goop that composed it's skin, before doing another flip in mid-air and landing a few meters away from the beast.
The beast seemed to halt for a minute, as if hurt, but that didn't last long as it started charging the girls once again.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Ranma hissed as he stared at the beast incredulously as he raised his sword again and prepared to charge the beast again before Ashitaka ran past him aiming another arrow at the beast.
As Ashitaka aimed another arrow at the beast he noticed that some of the goop surrounding it started to peal off revealing the face of a giant red boar. 'A god!?' he thought to himself almost shocked to the core. Out of the corner of his eye he saw one of the girls trip and the other's stop to defend her.
"No!" Ashitaka cried out as he circled around to face the beast before shooting the arrow dead into its blood red eye causing it to release an unearthly howl as it stopped dead in its tracks and started squirming violently. Ashitaka started to retreat, but it seemed as if the beast would have no of it.
The squirming demon aimed all of it's tentacles at Ashitaka, who desperately tired to out run them on Yakoul. However, as soon as he was a centimeter away from safety one of the tentacles extended a bit more and caught his arm allowing the other's to catch up.
"Stay down!" Ranma snapped as leapt at the beast again only to see the face of a giant boar start to appear in front of him. 'What the heck!? A giant boar!?' Ranma thought to himself as he swiped at the boar nearly severing its snout causing it to squeal/roar in pain again. He then stabbed the beast in its remaining good eye causing it to writhe in agony.
"That'll teach ya'!" Ranma declared pompously as he back flipped away from the beast. However his danger sense activated too late to avoid the incoming tentacle aimed at him. Ranma's eyes went wide as he put up the sword to shield himself but the tentacle seared through the blade like a knife through butter.
'No!' Ranma thought to himself wide eyed as the tentacle prepared to smack into his face. Suddenly bonbori smacked into the tentacle knocking it off course and to Ranma's side allowing the raven haired teen to back flip several meters away again. The bonbori itself was dissolved into a bubbling pool of black acid which scorched through the ground.
Looking to his left he saw Shampoo hunched over using her remaining bonbori to hold herself up as she staggered forward toward the beast.
"Shampoo!?" Ranma exclaimed as he ran over to the girl's side. Upon reaching her he noticed the black larva like substance squirming over the wound on her side and that she looked considerably pale. Her breathing was also haggard and her eyes looked dilated.
"Shampoo are you okay?" Ranma asked before the Amazon looked up at him, eyes completely vacant, before tumbling into him on her good side. "Shampoo!" Ranma exclaimed once again as he caught the girl and braced her against him. "Don't worry Shampoo, will get ya' help soon enough," Ranma promised as he redirected his attention toward Ashitaka and the boar demon he was facing off against.
Yanking his arm out of the tentacle at the last possible second Ashitaka aimed another arrow at the beast as the larva like goop crawled over his arm, searing it with pain. "Forgive me," Ashitaka muttered through gritted teeth as ran around to face the giant red boar and aimed the arrow at its head. The bow snapped as he released the arrow and it hit the boar dead in the center of its head causing it to squeal and roar in agony once again.
Gaining a bit more distance between himself and the beast Ashitaka stopped Yakoul and had him turn around to face the beast once again. The sickening black goop around the beast began to dissipate and soon the beast slumped over on its side breathing haggard breaths. Ashitaka was not fairing much better as the remainder of the goop on his arm turned grey and bubbly before it dripped off his skin like acid.
Through gritted teeth Ashitaka watched as the young man from before approached with a violet haired girl in his arms. She seemed to have been struck by the beast as he had due to the fact that she had similar burn like markings on her left side like he had on his arm. However, all of this soon faded from his mind as the searing pain from his wound caused him to grow numb. He faintly heard the cries of someone calling out his name causing him to look toward one of the young women he had just saved.
"Brother!" she cried out in horror as she caught her brother from falling off his elk and slamming onto the grass. Her shoulder length dark brown hair was mess due to the fact that she lost her straw hat when running over to aid him. Soon several other elderly males arrived at her side and helped lay the young man down on the grass.
"Brother," the girl cried out as she tried to check on her brother's wound before he yanked it away before she even had a chance to touch it.
"You mustn't touch it!" he hissed in pain as he clutched his arm. "This wound is cursed," he hissed again as he began to grab clumps of dirt in an attempt to cool the burning pain surging through his arm. His sister soon joined him in applying mud to the wound as the villagers waited for the wise woman to appear.
"You! Is the girl injuired!?" one of the elderly men asked as he ran up to Ranma who started down at a whimpering Shampoo still feeling the wave of relief he had first felt when he found out she was still alive. Granted he still thought she was conniving, annoying, and that he would never marry her, but at the same time he never wished for her to die.
"The thing hit her pretty hard," Ranma responded numbly as he watched an elderly woman arrive on the back of another middle aged male with a beard carrying two giant hour glass shaped jugs in her hands.
The woman herself was donning a rather odd sleeveless red robe with yellow a symbol running down the middle, a pink long sleeve shirt with white cuffs, and tan cloth pants. Her hair was tied up in an odd style as well and kind of resembled the handles and spout on an old Greek vase.
"Everyone stand back now, don't' touch him! Here, quickly child pour this on his wound," the elder commanded as she hopped off the man's back and handed Ashitaka's sister a jug before hopping back onto the man's back and heading up toward Ranma.
"Quickly, lay her down before you become cursed as well!" she demanded and Ranma quickly complied with confusion evident in his cobalt blue eyes. After laying Shampoo down on the grass he watched as the elder uncorked the jug and poured the water on her wound causing it to hiss as steam rose up from it. The Amazon cringed slightly, but soon her pained moans stopped and she seemed to fall into a blissful slumber.
Ranma was puzzled due to the fact that the cold water had not turned her into a cat, but he decided to chalk it up to the fact that she now more than likely had an even more powerful curse placed upon her. Besides, if she had turned into a cat he would have freaked out and that would have caused more trouble then he needed right now.
"Good," the elder mumbled to herself before she slowly made her way over to the downed boar god. Bowing before the beast the elder began by saying, "Oh nameless God of rage and hate I bow before you. A mound will be raised and funeral rights preformed on this ground where you have fallen. Please, pass on in peace and bear us no ill will."
"Disgusting little creatures," the boar god began as it began to slowly decompose as a crimson liquid flowed out of its mouth past its fangs. "Soon all of you will feel my hate and suffer as I have suffered," it finished breathlessly as its eyes sunk in and its skin faded into steam and blood. Soon nothing was left but a giant skeleton of what was once a god turned demon.
For once Ranma began to ponder on whether or not they were still in the same place let alone time period. However, his questions would be answered soon enough.
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After arriving to the village the duo was separated. Shampoo was taken in the arms of a village council member toward the elders hut, and Ranma toward another hut on another side of the village. Ranma had no idea of what they were going to do with Shampoo, but since his sixth sense hadn't picked up anything he simply shrugged it off and followed along with what the villagers had planned. That just so happened to be a meal fit for a king, which Ranma greedily devoured before he was shown to a room where he could rest if he chose.
Instead he meditated and tried to determine why his chi attacks had failed him when they never had before. 'I wonder…is there something about this place that keeps me from using all of my techniques?' he thought to himself with a frown as he continued to meditate, 'Even so, I still have my full strength and my endurance hasn't dropped any…it has to have something to do with those spirals that form on my arms. Something is blocking my ki from forming outside of my body.'
After meditating some giggling girls from the village arrived, pink blushes spreading across their slightly tanned cheeks, as they dropped off some clothing for Ranma and left. He faintly heard few of them call him "cute" or "gorgeous" before they left causing Ranma to blush himself.
After a few more minutes of meditating he was guided by a man outside his hut toward the village bath area. Ranma was curious as to how to take a bath without alerting the others of his curse but once he noted that people didn't use cold water to bathe, instead using the steaming hot water of a nearby spring, he breathed a sigh of relief and had a nice relaxing soak.
After his bath he was informed that he had a meeting with the village elder later that night, and that he was expected to attend. Ranma simply nodded in acceptance as he practiced a few warm up katas before meditating once more.
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"Hello young woman," the village elder greeted as she walked into the hut Shampoo was currently laid out in.
Laying on a straw bed atop a white cloth sheet with red blanket under her head laid Shampoo, who was currently staring at the ceiling.
"I hear that you have been cursed just like our young prince, so I would like to invite you and your friend to visit me in the village council's hut tonight," the elderly woman stated as she slid a wooden chair over to Shampoo's bedside as the violet haired teen regarded her with a look of puzzlement in her eyes.
"Why you want," Shampoo began before the villager elder cut her off.
"Please child, I know you can speak proper Japanese. There is no reason for you to pretend around me," the elderly woman stated with a warm smile and a soft chuckle.
Hearing the woman's response caused memories of her great-grandmother to form in her mind, but she decided to get back to her train of thought before she forgot what she was going to say.
"For what reason should I attend the meeting. I am an outsider, am I not? I have no claim in this village, nor should I probably even be here. So why?" Shampoo asked as she cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
"Everything you said is true," the elder responded with a warm smile, "But you and the man you were with helped to save this village. For that I feel I should help you find a cure for your curse."
"Do you mean this mark on my side," Shampoo asked as she pointed to her bandaged side through the hole in her ruined dress.
"Yes, that is exactly what I mean young one. However, before we go more in depth with our conversation, like where you came from and how you got here, allow me to obtain some new cloths and a bath for you. Your lovely dress is ruined, and it is quite unbefitting for a lady to display her body so openly, even if you are with your man," the elder stated with a hearty chuckle.
Shampoo simply nodded and smiled back in response as a pair of girls walked into the room carrying a set of black cloth pants and a purple and yellow trim gi.
After taking a relaxing bath, having her wounds dressed, and getting dressed, with the village elder's aid due to the fact that he side still stung a little, Shampoo and the elderly woman began to talk about what Shampoo knew and how she and Ranma had found the village. They also discussed a few other things, and by the end of the conversation Shampoo felt slightly better about her situation.
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Later that night in the village, after Shampoo's wounds had been address and they both received some new clothing, the pair made their way up a ladder to a large hut nestled away within a nearby mountain.
"So, how's your side?" Ranma inquired nervously as he finished climbing the ladder and turned to face Shampoo who simply frowned in response. Tugging at his red gi with blue (he had forgotten to bring an extra Chinese shirt, but he still had his black kung fu pants so all was not lost) trim, Ranma felt a little worried by the Amazon's silence as she brushed past him and entered the hut.
He had to admit, however, that the purple and yellow gi she was wearing flattered her form nicely and went well with her hair. How he knew this he didn't know, all he knew was that he did. Clearing his throat he decided to finally enter the hut and took a seat next to Shampoo, who sat next to Ashitaka, with his legs folded in a similar fashion.
"Ah, our honored guest," the elder stated with a small smile creeping across her wrinkled lips as bowed to Ranma and Shampoo who returned it in kind. "I want to thank you for aiding us in preventing the boar god from destroying our village," she stated as she examined the articles placed before her.
"Young woman, it has come to my attention that you have been cursed much like our young prince. Since that is the case what I have to tell him is especially important for you as well," the elder stated as she tossed a large baby blue polished stone across a piece of tan cloth with various other items and stones on it, as well as a red triangle drawn in the center of it. The stone clicked and clacked against the items on the cloth and the elder examined the reaction thoughtfully.
"I am afraid this is very bad," she began with a small smile still on her lips as he large dark brown eyes continued to gaze down at the cloth. "The stones tell me that the boar god came from far to the west. He had some kind of a poison inside of him that twisted him and drove him mad. It was a poisonous hatred that consumed his heart and flesh and turned him into a demon monster." Pausing for a moment she looked up to face Ashitaka who's expression was very grim and then looked toward Shampoo who had a similar facial expression set into place.
"Prince Ashitaka, please show everyone your arm," the wise woman commanded as the prince nodded and undid the white bandage wrapped around his right arm.
Sticking his arm out the village council gasped in shock as they gazed upon the mauve, black, and violet cursed mark that ran across Ashitaka's forearm. Ranma was a bit unsettled as well as he stole a nervous glance toward Shampoo who simply sat looking grim and straight ahead.
'If that's what happened to his arm, then the same thing must have to happened to Shampoo's side,' Ranma thought to himself with a frown as he turned back to face the village elder who had began to speak again.
"My prince, and Xian Pu-san, are you prepared to learn what fate the stones have told me?" the elder inquired with a small smile still in place on her lips. Both nodded stiffly as they waited to hear of what fate had in store for them.
"Yes," Ashitaka stated firmly, "I was prepared the very moment I let my arrow fly."
"Very well then. Both of you, the infection will spread through out your body, bone and flesh alike, and will cause you great pain. Then…it will kill you," she finished darkly as her smile shifted to a deep frown for almost less then a second before it became a serene smile once again.
"What!?" Ranma cried indignantly as he watched Xian Pu cringe and nod in response. "There's gotta be sumthin' you can do!" he squawked as the elder chuckled lightly, but all could tell that her laughter was full of pity and sorrow.
"Yeah, their wounds by fending off that beast!" another villager, with a long rugged brown beard, added with a frown forming on his lips.
"We can't just sit here and watch them die," another added in solemn tone of voice.
"I'm sorry," the village elder began as she reached in her robe for something. "Neither of you can alter your fate. However, you can rise to meet it if you chose. Look at this," she stated as she dropped a solid ball of wrinkled dark grey iron onto the cloth.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Ranma cried out indignantly once again. "Why don't we just take them to a hospital?" he asked as he cocked an eyebrow in confusion. It was then that he noticed that half of the villagers looked at him as though he had been on the peace pipe just a little too long.
"What?" he questioned nervously as he heard the elder chuckle warmly.
"So what Xian Pu-san said is true. You really are from the future of this world," the village elder stated as she chuckled once again. "I regret to inform you, young man, that you are currently stuck in Japan's past. In fact, from what I've heard, it's several hundred years in the past for you. Not only that, but I heard that you tried to manipulate your ki in order attack the beast. I must say that is quite a feat."
Ranma could only nod dumbly in response as he was bombarded by one thing after another. It was almost too much for his mind to take but he simply listened on.
"Ranma-san, please try to demonstrate one of your ki techniques," the elder stated sagely as she watched Ranma nod dumbly in response.
Focusing his confident energy he once again tried to summon the Moko Takabisha only to have the pale green spirals form on his arms once again.
"Ah, I see," the elder said with a small nod, "It seems you have been cursed as well. However, your curse does not appear to be life threatening, but more so hampering in terms of your manipulation of ki. I would be willing to say that it is the same for Xian Pu-san as well. Whatever has cursed you both seemed to have a reason for doing so, and was far more logical than any curse you could get from a demon."
"However, as to why you were cursed I have no idea. I'm sure you will find your answers soon enough though. Now, to pick up where I left off, this iron ball was found in the boar's body. This is what hurt him so; it shattered his bones and wormed its way deep inside him. This is what turned him into a demon," she said grimly as she looked down at the cloth again.
"There is evil at work in the land to the west Prince Ashitaka. It is your fate, as well as Xian Pu-san's, to journey to lands to the west to view what is there with eyes unclouded by hate. There you may find a way to lift the curse, do you both understand?" she asked as she gazed between the two.
"Yes," the both answered in unison.
"Forgive me, for I know your loss is great as well young woman, but we are the last of the Oishi Clan. It has been five hundred years since the Emperor destroyed our tribe and drove the remnants of our people to the east. Some of us have managed to survive all of these years, but the blood of our tribe has grown thinner and thinner. And now for us to have our last prince cut his hair and leave us never to return…that is just too much. At times I feel the gods are laughing at us," an elderly man with a long white bushy beard and eyebrows commented as everyone's facial expression around him turned grim.
As the old man finished his speech Ashitaka finished severing the bun atop his head with a ceremonial knife. He then set the clump of hair in front of a shrine next to him before bowing to it and turning to face the village elder once more.
Meanwhile Shampoo's brows had furrowed due to the fact that what the elderly man had said sounded strangely familiar. 'Where do I remember hearing that…it sounds so familiar,' she thought to herself before she began to focus on what the village elder was saying.
"Our laws forbid us from watching you leave, prince. Whatever happens now, you are dead to us forever. As for you two, the stones have told me that a solution to your problems lies within the fate of our lost prince and Xian Pu-san. Journey with him and you may find a way to solve whatever it is that troubles you so," the elderly woman stated as the trio set off to leave.
"While we thank you for your assistance we must tell you never to come back as well. We have arranged elks for the both of you as well as weapons and supplies. We bid you farewell our forgotten friends," the elder stated as the group walked out of the hut and started their trek down the ladder.
'I guess the old mummy wasn't lyin' about there bein' a cure, but how the heck did well end up in the past!? Granted a lot of weird stuff's been happenin' lately, but this is a little too weird,' Ranma thought as he walked through the quite village past several darkened huts. 'I can't shake the feeling that I'm forgettin' somethin', but I don't know what it is. Plus, not being able to use my ki for whatever the reason could definitely be a problem if we have to fight anymore of those demons,' Ranma thought to himself with a frown.
Upon arriving at the base of the hut the trio then made their way over to the stable, led by Ashitaka who walked in complete silence the entire way. Shampoo was the same and Ranma decided that the curse was the major cause of their solemn behavior.
After getting Yakoul from the wooden stable Ashitaka brought over a brown and red and black and red elk with supply bags hanging off their backs. "These are yours," he said handing the red reins to the red and black elk to Ranma before handing brown and red one to Shampoo.
"Thanks, I guess," Ranma replied as he shrugged and hopped onto the elks back. It surprised him how calm the animal was and how it simply adjusted to extra weight like he wasn't there at all.
"Hoiu is the fastest elk in the village, but he tends to disobey the wishes of his rider at times when he feels his way is the right way," Ashitaka stated as he petted the large black and red elk. Turning to Shampoo who had just mounted her taught and slender elk Ashitaka said, "Juyia is the cleverest of our elks, and has the most power. However, her speed is sub-par at best."
Juyia seemed to grunt in resentment to that remark. Chuckling softly Ashitaka apologized to the elk before hopping onto Yakoul. He then grabbed a straw shawl off of the red elks back, as well as a red hood with two white ovals in the center. After putting the articles on Ashitaka prepared to leave.
"Well we should get going," he stated as he prepared to whip the reins on his elk before he heard the patter of feet fast approaching.
"Ashitaka!" the girl whispered as she approached her brother with something in her hands.
"Kaia! What are you doing here!?" Ashitaka half hissed as he stared down incredulously at his younger sister. "It is forbidden for you to be out here."
"I don't' care about that!" Kaia stated with a small sad smile, "I wanted you to have this. I want you to always remember me." Stretching out her palms she handed Ashitaka a roughly cut blue jewel in the shape of an icicle which hung off of brown string.
"Okay, here we go," Ranma muttered to himself as he rolled his eyes folded his arms over his chest preparing to watch the "mushy" exchange between brother and sister.
"Shhh," Shampoo hissed with a frown on her face before redirecting her attention back to the pair in front of her.
"Your crystal dagger," Ashitaka said with a small smile finding its way onto his lips as he pushed the base of the hood away from his lips. "Kaia I can't take this," he began before Kaia cut him off.
"Please brother, keep it with you so that you can protect yourself. You must take it with, I want you to have it," Kaia said almost pleadingly as she gazed up at her older brother. "Please so…you won't forget."
"Kaia…you know I could never forget you," Ashitaka replied with a warm smile as he accepted the gem and tucked it into his shirt before whipping the reins on Yakoul and sprinting outside of the town.
At this point Ranma was nearly gagging at the sugary sweet and sentimental moment while Shampoo simply smiled, even though her teeth felt like she might have a few cavities forming.
"Please," Kaia said turning to face Ranma and Shampoo who had recovered and were about to whip the reins on their elks. "Please take care of him," Kaia stated with a worried smile as she looked up at Ranma.
Gazing down into girls dark brown eyes Ranma simply nodded and smiled before he whipped the reins on his elk. Unfortunately he seemed that he hadn't heeded Ashitaka's warning as well as he should have because once he did so he was hanging behind his elk grasping onto the reins for dear life as the might animal speeded away at a blistering speed. "AHHHHHH!" Ranma cried out in horror as he tried to pull himself back onto the elk.
Shampoo simply shook her head with a frown on her lips as her elk made noises that resembled something like laughter before it started to sprint after the duo at a slower speed.
Meanwhile the elder was chuckling to herself as she heard Ranma's horrified cries into the night. "Wild Horse meets Wild Elk," she chuckled to herself as she prepared to turn in for the night.
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: Alrighty, Chapter 2 is done! First things first, as you can tell there will be no "God Ranma" in this fic. Yes he will still have his incredible speed, power, and incredibly large ego but it will be balanced out in such a way that he doesn't over power the other characters in the story.
As far as Shampoo sounding slightly more refined, I mean come on people. Just because she can't speak Japanese very well (which could be a ploy to fool the others with as I have suspected) doesn't mean she's stupid. She's actually incredibly clever so that must mean she has some kind of intelligence.
Anyway, tell me what you think with a review. They're always greatly appreciated!
P.S.- Some of you may have noticed that I changed a few things around, so I hope things make a little more sense. Yes I know, I'm still using the blocking of ki, but like I stated above, I don't want to have the Ranma cast overpowering the Princess Mononoke cast. If there's no strife then there's no story, or at least not a very good one.