"Speech"
'Thought'
(Language the current character does not know or is not fluent) \
For canon information on the series Gargoyles please visit my profile page where I've posted a link. I will be slowly building up the world as I go along.
There is a story with a similar title in the Gargoyle section, but I came up with this before seeing that and it fits on a few levels.
X x x x x x
In a flash of green light, the gargoyle Demona now sat on a tall ancient chair in her home. Free from the chains that bound her, she looked crossly at Titania's Mirror in front of her. With her long wings draped around her shoulders like a cloak, she tapped her tail listlessly against the leg of the chair.
"That was a romp indeed!" Puck said with satisfaction, clearly pleased with his night of mischief, as he landed in a crouch on a large globe to her right. The trickster being dressed in brightly colored clothes, possibly something a court jester would wear during the human dark ages. She had never had an eye for human fashion but the bright red, blue, and gold ensemble was almost harsh to look at.
"Spare me your gloating." She said exhausted and placed her head in her hands. "Just go."
This plan had held so much potential, only to be ruined for the amusement of Puck. And it had been so simple, steal the mirror, summon Puck, and use him to get rid of the humans. Except, any command she had given was twisted to the opposite of what she wanted. First he had given that insufferable pet human of Goliath, Elisa Maza, the gift of being a gargoyle. To expound his sin he gave the rest of Manhattan the same gift. The only thing he had done right was turn her former clan into humans, and even that had backfired. This night was beyond any redemption.
"Without giving you something in return for all this merriment?" Puck asked flying around to appear at her left from behind the chair. "Puck is many things, but never a poor guest." The member of the Third Race shook a finger and looked far too pleased with himself.
"Please, leave." Waving a taloned hand, she shifted to her right, and put her face in her hand. There was a small jingling noise and she could no longer smell the nuisance next to her.
"You want to be your gargoyle self at night, but not stone by day?" She sat up straight and looked around, before finding him floating in the air high above her. "Well Puck has just the thing to make your wish come your way. Fearsome creature you may stay, the light of day however still holds sway, cold water will free you from your plight, but beware for hot shall return you right!"
Puck held up his hands and green energy shot from them to ricochet off the mirror and strike her. There was a moment of disorientation before she found herself outside above the ground, and in a brightly lit area. 'THE SUN!' She hissed and felt herself turning to stone. 'NO!' If she fell while stone she might shatter and die! Trying to curl up to protect her body, something impacted heavily at her side just before she crashed into some water.
X x x x x x
Ranma wasn't really listening as the portly Chinese man explained some useless trivia about this training area. Blah blah blah, he'd heard it all before, usually some mystical mumbo jumbo about how the place was special. A year of training now in China and the years before in Japan had gotten him used to all the strange stories and occasionally strange items that dotted the landscape.
"You very strange ones, no, Sir?" The Guide stopped talking about the place to talk to them directly. "Is more than one hundred springs, and everyone has own tragic story."
"Ranma follow me!" His old man shouted and leapt up on to a bamboo pole. Rolling his eyes he jumped up to land lightly on his own. Preparing from an attack he wondered what dirty trick the old man would have up his sleeve this time. Ranma's balance had always been the superior, which meant the old man would fall off the pole first. But there was no way his old man would let that happen without trying something underhanded. "I won't take it easy on you."
"Just how I want it." He called back and in time with Genma jumped off the pole to meet in mid air. The bald martial artist was attempting a simple kick, planting his feet down on top of the leg he tumbled up and over Genma. Once behind, he kicked his father in the back of the head, sending him crashing into a large pool below.
"Gotcha." Landing on another pole he looked down at the water. "Hey Pop, you done already?" The water down below exploded and a huge black and white form rose up to land on a pole, a small voice in his head asked why the bamboo didn't splinter from the giant panda that now balanced on it in a martial arts stance.
"Wha－ wha－ wha－ What is that!" He all be screamed.
"Oh Sir fall in spring of drowned panda. There, very tragic legend of panda that drown in spring two thousand year ago." The Guide supplied helpfully from below. "Now whoever fall in spring take body of panda."
"Huh?" He asked and had to avoid a paw from the attacking panda. "Wait a second!" Dodging two more he put some distance between himself and that panda pool. "You never said anything about－" His distraction cost him as the panda got a solid hit in and sent him shooting towards a spring on the edge. Flailing his arms and legs wildly in a futile hope to stop himself, the air just above the pool wavered and then a strange azure feminine tengu popped into existence directly in front of him.
"Hey watch out!" He called at the last second before his head impacted with the other falling body. Ranma really hadn't been expecting to hit something that felt like it was made out of stone. "Gurk."
X x x x x x
"Oh no! Not spring of drowned girl!" He cried out trying to figure out why that winged creature had appeared in mid air to intercept the young mister customer. Scratching his chin he tried to remember what would happen if two creatures entered into a spring at the same time.
He had no time to come up with the answer before a blue shape burst from the water and landed hunched over on the ground. Almost instantly it turned into dark tan and froze in it's position. Blinking repeatedly he noticed that it was the young man who had fallen into the spring, if the torn gi, and shape was any indication.
The next thing that happened was a bright red haired Asian woman burst from the spring and took a deep breath. This one was clearly not the young customer, the clothing was completely different, from what he could see her top was just a simple piece of cloth to cover her breasts that hung down from a single shoulder strap.
"Oh so that what happen when two different people fall in spring." Nodding to himself he thought it interesting how their species had switched. Young mister customer most likely had remained male even though falling in the spring of drowned girl because it went to the easiest target.
(Ugh that Puck, the next time I see him I'm going to tear out his insides.) The red head growled and hauled herself from the spring. (Why is it so warm?) She asked and look skyward. (The sun!) She cried out happily and closed her eyes as if basking in the light for the first time. (He did it! That insufferable imp actually did it!)
"Uh excuse me Miss Customer but where you come from?" He asked hoping she spoke some Chinese or Japanese, it was a good bet she knew at least one but one never knew, especially if they simply appeared out of thin air. The pair of baleful green eyes that turned to glare hatefully at him, gave him the sudden desire to find a place to hide.
(Pathetic human.) The woman sneered disdainfully while looking at him in disgust. (Keep your mouth shut or I'll make it so permanently.) Not understanding the words, but clearly understanding the tone, he nodded rapidly. (Don't you touch that!) She yelled after noticing the panda poking at the petrified form of the young mister customer.
"Mr. Customer!" He yelled and ran over and started pulling the panda towards his hut. "You change back now." If the angry woman didn't want to know how, he'd explain later, and then he would have to figure out if hot water worked on stone.
"Growf?" The panda tried to talk.
"Uh, not sure what you say, but hot water change you back."
"Growf, growfgrowf." Glancing back as he pulled the panda away he found the red haired woman was inspecting the stone cursed form of young mister customer. She seemed more curious than hostile about the form. He hadn't gotten a good look at her before falling in the spring but judging by the similarities she may be more knowledgeable on the subject than him.
Finally he was able to get the panda into his small hut, which served as his temporary residence while acting as the Guide. Inside was a kettle he had been preparing to use for tea. Now it would be used as a convenient tool to revert the newest member of the Jusenkyo cursed family. "You see Sir, hot water return you to normal." He said and upended the kettle over the panda's head, just enough to change him back to human form.
Immediately the man started to dance a little happy jig. Sighing at the antics of the most recent victim of the springs, he was surprised when his kettle was snatched from his hands, the gi clad man running out the door, shouting. "Woman! Get away from my son!"
X x x x x x
Demona was surprised, damp, and somewhat confused over meeting another gargoyle out in the wilderness. Getting on to all fours she bent down to see that it was a male, hunched over with his wings pulled in protect him in vain from the sunlight. Another oddity was that the shirt he was wearing was shredded in the back, and his pants, an even stranger sight for a gargoyle, were falling off his legs where he had torn them in two from moving with them around his ankles.
Freezing, she finally realized that something felt very wrong. She could see her arms, but there was something horrible about them. Instead of the normal azure color, they were a very human shade of pink. Falling backwards she brought her hands up and noticed that instead of the normal dangerous talons, they were the delicate hands of a human.
(Woman! Get away from my son!") Clenching her now human hands and biting down so hard that her human teeth were close to breaking, she stood up and punched the glasses wearing human hard enough to send him bouncing across the dirt. Next she turned her glowing red eyes to the short portly human in the green communist suit.
(This fix! This fix!) He repeated several times, in his strange language, and ran up to grab the kettle that the other human had dropped. Not caring what he wanted, she prepared to break this human as well. Except he took off the kettle lid and splashed her with it. Almost instantly she gained several inches in height, and she had only a moment to realize the return to her birth form before the stone sleep overtook her.
X x x x x x
Ranma awoke to the strange feeling of being constricted from something around his body. Not like a rope or tight clothing, but literally something surrounding him in every way possible. At first he didn't struggle, instead trying to understand what the covering around his body could be? When no answers came, panic started to set in, remembering vividly his father jumping from a pool as a giant panda. What had he become?
Moving, whatever it was gave way slightly with a strange stone like crackling. His ears picked up an animalistic roar somewhere nearby. Was he going to be attacked by some big horrific feline? Locked in some strange stone?
(What are you doing?) A female voice asked in English. (Hurry up.) The woman demanded impatiently and he tried to figure out what she had said. Finding his prison loosening, he struggled and suddenly he was free. Rising up into a standing position, something flared behind him, and he was suddenly forced to flail his arms wildly before falling flat on his back.
(What a pathetic excuse for a gargoyle.) Staring upwards at the night sky, some light from the sun still illuminating the sky. He found that he felt normal and weird at the same time. Moving his fingers and toes, all six sets felt normal. 'Wait a minute－ six?' Blinking he looked above his head and found a pair of small three fingered hands attached to a second pair of arms, and some material stretched out like a bats wing.
"That's different." He noted, realizing that the skin color of the arms was a pale blue. Trying to sit up he found that it didn't work right. In fact when he looked downwards he found a long reptilian tail that tapered to a point, was stopping him from sitting up normally. Analyzing his legs they were also different, his lower leg had shortened and to make up for it and then some his feet had elongated, ending in a trio of thick clawed toes.
"What am I?" He asked shifting to try and stand, nearly stepping on some wing material in the process. His expectations had ranged from some kind of animal to even another human, but this was way different from anything he had ever heard about. If anything he looked like some weird mix of creatures, and the oddity of it was overriding his urge to panic.
(Wonderful, the only other gargoyle for miles and he doesn't know English. And he appears to be mentally deficient.)
Blinking and still crouching unsteadily on tiptoes, he looked over and found the tengu woman from earlier standing with her arms crossed, a dark blue cape spread over her body. Visible underneath was a muscled form, covered only by a long loin cloth with a wide belt at the top, and something hanging off one shoulder to cover her chest. On her forehead was a gold tiara with four spikes rising from the corners. And on top of her head was bright red hair in a wild spiky mane.
"I know－ little." He said in English. Unlike his old man he actually knew some Chinese and English. Genma being far too lazy to do so himself, instead depending on his limit grasp to get by.
(Good, come with me, we must leave before those wretched humans realize that we no longer slumber.) It took him a moment to work through that sentence. There was something about leaving, and that's as far as he got.
"Uh－ no, I no go－ must find Pop." He said slowly, finding the small hut he had seen earlier with a light on inside, and the smell of a fire entering his nose. Standing up he stumbled a bit to find his balance. He was thrown heavily off balance by the wings and long tail, making him bend his knees more than usual. Narrowing his eyes he finally realized the similarities between this form and the tengu woman in front of him. Did that mean he was a tengu now?
Taking a step on his tip toes and faltering, his ankle or what he thought was his ankle, refusing to go down and meet the ground. Growing more and more sure with each step, he was able to make it to the hut, the demon woman following, a curious expression on her face. "Yo! Hey! Pop you in there?" He knocked on the door before staring at his hand, now containing only four fingers with menacing talons on each digit. 'Wow these things look pretty dangerous.'
The door opened and before he could say anything hot water was poured on to his head. "Here ya go boy." Genma announced and continued to pour the steaming liquid on him until Ranma punched his old man up side the head.
"Idiot! What are you trying to do? Boil me?" He yelled and shook Genma by his gi top. Catching sight of his hands he found that they were once again human. "Hey I'm back to normal!" Releasing his father he patted himself down just to be sure.
"Yes young Mr. Customer, hot water reverse curse but cold water will activate it again." Stoking the fire was the Guide. "Have some food left over, invite in demon lady if want." Remembering said woman, he turned and saw her staring at him no long curiously, but not exactly hostile.
"Food?" He asked in English. Maybe she had fallen into the spring of drowned whatever too? She snorted and spun around, before storming off into the dark woods. "What's her problem?" Shrugging he headed inside to get some food and to replace his wrecked clothing.
X x x x x x
Finishing off her food, formerly a small black piglet, Demona was crouched just outside the small human dwelling. She had been watching the conversation inside, and was able to make sense of this curse. Puck had once again screwed everything up. The trickster's parting words rang back to her about hot and cold water, and the ramifications of such a thing were not sitting well with her.
Simply flying during a storm was now impossible, she would return to that wretched human form, which would no doubt cause her to fall to her death. Vulnerable, that's what she was now, the chance to walk around during the day was not worth such a price. For this, Puck would definitely die, after he fixed his mistake, but die none the less.
Licking her lips clean, she watched the pair of humans fight. They were both incredibly skilled, being faster and stronger than most humans she had encountered in her long life. The one she had seen as a gargoyle was chasing the older, he seemed nearly as distraught over this water based affliction as her. Demona's eyes narrowed, growing angry that another human was allowed to become a gargoyle.
Killing him would be easy, he was ignorant of the stone sleep that would overtake him in the morning as a gargoyle, and if she could stand being a human for the time she could smash him. Simple, easy, and the human would be no more. That didn't sit well with her though. No, if she was going to kill him, it would have to be with her own talons.
Narrowing her eyes at the expanse of small pools, she pondered the nature of them. There was little doubt that they had both fallen into the same one, at relatively the same time. The result was that she became a human and he a gargoyle. Puck's exploits the night prior had shown he could freely change the shape of mortals. So what was the reason he had instead sent her to this place and to come into contact with this human?
'HOW DARE HE!' Snarling she took a hand and ran it down the side of the hut, ripping through the flimsy wooden wall like tissue paper. 'I am bound to another human!' That imp had used some magical vortex to take half of her gargoyle essence and give it to human! And just as unforgivably, she had been forced to take his paltry human essence in exchange. Death was too good for Puck, she would take her time and enjoy pulling him apart piece from piece.
X x x x x x
"GET BACK HERE OLD MAN AND TAKE YOUR BEATING LIKE A MAN!" Ranma yelled and bounded after his father.
It was dark and hard to see, but his panda father, an accident on the way out of the Guide's hut, was easy to track with how much noise he was making. Exiting a small patch of bamboo trees he slowed to a halt after suddenly finding himself on a cliff overlooking the valley of springs. Glancing from side to side, he tried to figure out where his old man had run off too.
Hearing a loud thump, he spun around and prepared to attack, only to stop at the sight of that strange woman rising up from the ground, her eyes glowing a brilliant shade of red. Now he could see that she had wings, since they were spread out behind her briefly before they relaxed to fold over her shoulders like a cape.
(Human, you will come with me.) She spoke in English and he frowned trying to figure out what she had said.
"No thank." He replied and prepared to move around her.
(Let me explain something, I do not like humans, but if you're needed to cure me then you will be coming with me.) The word cure stopped him in his tracks.
"Cure?" He asked and licked his lips nervously.
(Good, you understand about as much as a human could.) Looking crossly at the blue woman, he felt like he should be insulted. (I want you to find out where the nearest airport is, immediately.)
"What?" She gave him an exasperated look before using her tail to draw a picture in the dirt.
(This.) Coming closer he saw that it was a simple drawing of an airplane.
"Oh so－ fly somewhere?" He asked for confirmation and she nodded. "Where?"
(New York City, I am assuming this is somewhere in China.)
"America? I not have money for that." And looking her up and down, he didn't think she carried cash at all.
(I have plenty of money to simply buy an airline.) She waved a hand dismissively. (Now go find where the nearest airport is. We leave immediately.)
"Why should believe you?" He asked.
(Because I was sent here by a soon to be dead imp, near as I can tell, he did it to bind us together in some way. It seems he has stolen half of me and exchanged it with half of you. So I require you to make me whole again.)
"I no under－stand." She was talking too fast and with words he didn't know.
Giving him an irritated look, she switched over to a pensive one. Once again with her tail, she started to draw in the dirt, this time of two figures. One was of a human shape figure while the other appeared to be human but with wings. She then drew a line, cutting both in half vertically, and then repeated drawing the figured only this time each was visibly half and half. Half human and half whatever she was.
'She thinks we switched something? Makes more sense than that crap the Guide told me. Drowned animals making you take their body? Probably just brought out the old mans inner fat oaf.'
"Then you know some one fix?"
(Yes.)
"O-kay, if cure me I go you."
(I'll wait for you here, now go, I do not like to be kept waiting.)
X x x x x x
Arms crossed, Demona watched the human boy run off, hopefully he would be able to get the required information or else they would have to simply travel to the nearest populated area. She had seen the direction the panda had gone, could even track the smelly creature with her nose if needed, but she didn't want any excess baggage than what she already had to deal with. At the very least this human was now half gargoyle, so long as he performed the tasks she assigned to him, she could halfway tolerate him.
Crouching on the cliff overlooking the valley, she scanned the magical pools. They were definitely coated in the same magic that Puck used. That meant this place had been created by someone from the Third race. This only cemented in her head that this was the tricksters latest plan to toy with her. Either by his hand in creating this place or using another's work to his own benefit. Even the great distance from Manhattan was probably premeditated.
Snarling, her patience had worn out and she leapt from the cliff, wings spreading outwards to let her glide down to the ground next to the small hut. "What is taking you so long?" She demanded and stormed into the human domicile. Inside the boy was digging through a backpack and shoving a couple things into another.
"Just see—ing if anything good here." The boy said in his broken English. So the boy wasn't completely incompetent. Her eyes caught sight of the short fat human trying to look inconspicuous, that was fine with her, humans should know their place. Seeing a glass of water sitting on the table she decided to experiment, and upended it's contents on the boy.
There was a moment of hesitation before the change occurred. Wings tore through the back of his white shirt creating rips from midway up his back to his collar as they did. His legs were tied up when the white pants he wore were pushed downwards due to his growing tail. The pair of black slippers he wore were shredded thanks to his now digitigrade feet, complete with three sharp talons on his toes, and a single one facing backwards on each ankle.
(WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?) He roared and tried to stand up and face her, only to end up tied up by his pants and falling down.
"Interesting." She ignored the new gargoyle who was trying to fix his pants. Whatever powered this transformation was very powerful. No incantation, no conduit, and it was done in only a few seconds. "Besides you're more useful like this." Putting her chin between her thumb and first talon, she wondered to what extent his physical abilities as a human carried over.
"What you name anyway?" The temporary gargoyle asked, finally shredding the back of his human pants allowing him to pull them up into place.
"Demona." She answered and watched him awkwardly fold his new wings over his shoulder. But her eyes widened when he bound them in place by putting his backpack over them. "What are you doing you fool?" She demanded angrily.
"What?"
"Ignorant human, don't bind your wings." She growled and tore the pack off of him. "Even if you're too stupid to know how to fly, you can at least look like a proper gargoyle, clothing not withstanding." The male simply stared at her uncomprehending. Growing irritated she realized that if she wanted him to truly be useful until such time that she could be rid of him. It would mean playing mother to some human turned gargoyle. 'I'll end up killing him before I ever get back to Puck.'
"What problem?" He asked as she shoved the pack into his hands.
"I'm leaving now." Giving the small human a dark look, she left the building, and waited impatiently for her new burden. Her eyes however, spotted the other annoyance as it disappeared behind a tree large enough to hide it's bulk.
"I Saotome Ranma by way." The new gargoyle said appearing at her side. "And Guide say south west－ which is that way." Her perpetual frown deepened at that. That direction held no high points, which would make flying impossible, meaning lots of walking. 'Oh yes, Puck will pay.'
X x x x x x
"Achoo!" The immaculately dressed Owen Burnett sneezed while waiting to act on an order, his employer David Xanatos, was considering. He had been doing that a lot in the past hour.
"You're not coming down with a cold, are you Owen?" His boss asked casually.
"No Mr. Xanatos." He answered and checked to make sure his business suit was still straight. 'Someone must be thinking of me.' If it wouldn't have wrecked his Owen Burnett image, Puck would have smirked.
X x x x x x
Genma snuck sneakily behind his cursed son and that strange monster woman. His poor son was even in a form similar to hers, even had the same coloring, though in a darker shade of blue. The fact that he was a panda right now wasn't a concern. Nothing a little hot water wouldn't fix, just like it would put Ranma back in proper form. He couldn't be more thankful that the boy hadn't become a girl. At least this way he could be a manly, whatever, but what he couldn't understand was what she had said to get him to go along with her.
He had seen the crude drawings in the dirt, she had left, after he had doubled back to wonder why the boy had given up so quickly. Making sense of them was beyond him, but he could take an educated guess, and that guess lead him to believe that she might have a cure. How to get her to share it though? Or worse, maybe she was trying to turn his son into one of whatever she was, permanently.
'But that would ruin the joining of the schools!' Which while not his most serious promise ever, was one that he planned to fulfill. Looking at the woman and Ranma, he didn't think that any daughter of Soun's would want anything to do with him. Not that they had much choice in the matter, but the boy could be difficult.
The only course he could see, that would allow him to keep his pact with Soun, would be to stop these two from traveling together. As soon as they stopped for the night, he'd just take the boy and high tail it back to Jusenkyo and retrieve his pack. After that, they could find a cure, then head back to Japan. Surely they wouldn't travel long at night, who did that?
X x x x x x
Ranma was getting annoyed with his new traveling companions general attitude. He couldn't really understand her all that well. Maybe if she was slower when talking, but whenever she spoke it was way too fast, and she never really repeated. Not that he had tried to make much small talk, he was too engrossed in trying to figure out this new body.
Walking wasn't that difficult, for someone with impeccable balance like him, it was child's play to balance up on his toes. It was probably better that Demona had splashed him with cold water, this way he was getting used to this form. He definitely felt stronger and his senses had jumped in intensity, but he felt bulky and uncoordinated. This form turned out to be noticeably muscled, where in his real body he was slim.
"Um－ why go night?" He asked, not that he was complaining since he was wide awake and likely couldn't have gotten to sleep, but it was weird.
Demona snorted at his question. (Gargoyles turn to stone during the day, and I will not be traveling during the day as a human, if I can help it.)
"What?" Scratching the back of his head, he really wished he had tried harder at English.
(Gargoyles.) Demona pointed to herself. (Turn to.) Now she picked up a rock from the ground. (This in sunlight.)
"That why－ went to sleep－ after fall in- spring?"
(Yes.) Grimacing, that just made this curse that much worse. Shifting his pack from one arm to the other, he suddenly saw the benefits of moving at night. One little splash of cold water and he'd be stuck somewhere till nightfall.
"Are you－ have you－ all ways be gar-goyle?"
(Always, and when I find that Puck, I'll be a full one again.)
Allowing her to walk a bit farther in front he studied the woman. The Guide had said he had fallen into the spring of drowned girl. Only because she had fallen in at the same time, it had done this weird mix thing. Which begged the question of what was worse, turning into some strange monster thing, or turning into a girl. Well so long as this woman knew of a cure, which she said she did, then it wouldn't really matter.
Thankfully they had finally come to an end to the plain, unfortunately it then went directly up in a vertical stone face. 'Man it didn't look this bad from far out.' Glancing around for hand holds or areas to jump up to, he found few and far between. He was about to suggest heading off to his right where it looked like there might be some way up, when he noticed Demona walk up and plunge her hands directly into the rock.
Staring in shock, she repeated the act with her other hand and both feet, and continued to climb. (What are you waiting for?) She asked and looked down at him. Glancing down at his new hands, he heard her start climbing again, her movement marked by the heavy crunch of stone. (Do not make me come down there and drag you up!) She called down to him from nearly halfway up.
Feeling challenged, he threw a hand forward and with a heavy crunch his talons ripped into the stone with little resistance. "Whoa! I better be careful with these things." Raising the opposite foot he tried again with the same results. Shifting his pack to hang off one shoulder, he was soon climbing up the wall, and enjoying the feeling of breaking rock underneath his new fingertips.
At the top he found Demona sitting on a fallen log, looking very impatient. But he wasn't going to let her foul mood ruin the fun he had just had scaling a wall that normally would require specialized equipment. Without a word she jumped up into a tree to a large branch, then up into a higher one. Analyzing the area he had come up into showed that it was a forest of large trees. Similar to how he had earlier nearly run out and off a cliff, almost taking another trip into the springs.
(Do try and keep up human!) Demona taunted from up in the tree, and he raised his head to see her launch herself off of it, and open up her wings to glide out over the ledge. Gracefully curving backwards something gave her an updraft and she rose up to fly over the trees.
"Hey no fair!" He yelled in Japanese before running off in the direction she was flying.
X x x x x x
Genma stared up the sheer cliff face, wondering just how his son could climb it. Trailing a paw along the rock, he found several sets of holes driven directly into the rock. 'Maybe I won't try and fight the boy when he's in that blue tengu form.' He thought and looked up, hearing someone shout, and saw the woman had actually taken flight. She circled back towards the cliff and flew over, once again disappearing from sight.
'Maybe the boy will be harder to find than I thought, if he can do that.'
X x x x x x
"No good, red haired." His ramblings devolved into inarticulate growls. Seated on the ground in a small clearing, he had started a fire to warm some water, he was waiting impatiently to be able to turn back into a human. He had lost track of Demona fairly quickly and now could literally feel dawn approaching. Not quickly enough, the water started to steam, and he poured some over his head. Several seconds later he was back to his real body and was able to change into some non-ripped clothing.
Demona dropping into the clearing from above, only made him pause to watch her land, before going back to making himself some food. After realizing that he had lost her, he had slowed down, and come across a rabbit, which he had caught easily. Cooking on a small skillet was the meat he had cleaned from the small mammal and in another tin, some rice was cooking. It wasn't much, but he'd have to get by till they reached a place to get supplies. After all, he and Genma had been set to move on after just one day.
She didn't say anything, instead she walked over to the small stream that he had gotten water from. The gargoyle splashed herself with the water and gave him his first look at her human form. Losing some of her bulky muscle and height, she still kept an athletic build, and the bright red hair. He had assumed she was American or European, but instead she looked Japanese, and around thirty years old.
"Food?" He asked and shifted some of the meat, trying not to notice how little clothing she had on.
(What is it?)
"Rabbit, rice, no have much more." Shrugging, if she was expecting gourmet, she could go jump in the stream.
(I need clothing, this human body doesn't seem capable of handling cold.)
"Uh sure." Dragging his pack over to him, he rummaged around for something, they were approximately the same height, so they should fit. Throwing her a pair of black pants and black shirt, he would have to get some more clothes or find a way not to rip them when he changed. Especially if she was going to be mooching clothes off of him. His last pair of shoes were destroyed, so he'd have to go around barefoot until he could get more.
Checking the food, it was almost ready to eat, so he separated the tin cooking the rice into two and split it by about half. Dividing up the meat, he gave her one tin and some the pair of chopstick he had lifted from Genma's pack. Demona stared at the two eating utensils before tossing them to the side and using her hands to shovel the food into her mouth. Unconcerned with her manners, he ate as well, shoveling the food into his mouth with nearly as much speed.
(What do you call these little white things?) She asked licking her hand clean.
"Rice."
(You have more?)
"Not much, maybe one more meal. Will need go to town today."
(And that means dealing with more humans.) Demona growled and picked at the pants he had given her.
"What problem with people any way?" He asked curious over her venom, and she raised her green eyes to bore into him, sizing him up in some strange way. If he wanted to be honest, those eyes were scary, they looked like they had seen more than someone Demona's age should have seen. Then again he didn't know how old she was or how old gargoyles got.
(Humans are disgusting creatures who have hunted and destroyed my kind to extinction!) She said with enough hatred to make him want to back away. (I am tolerating you because I need you for my cure, if not I would gladly leave you to your fate at their hands.)
"Oh, I take your word for it." Actually he wanted to ask her to repeat it slowly so he could work through it easier. All he had got was that humans did something, and she needed him for a cure. But with how worked up she got, starting a fight might screw up his chances for a cure.
Standing, Demona started to pace, testing the range of motion she had with pants on. However when the sun started to slowly come up, she immediately stopped and looked in the direction of it. He did likewise, worried that whatever strange magic did that stone thing, would still affect him as a human. Feeling the rays of sunlight that filtered through the trees, Ranma felt only warmth, and not whatever feeling turning to stone felt like.
"Go blind stare at sun." He joked as she found the biggest sunbeam to bask in.
(Shut up! This almost makes this horrible body tolerable.) She hissed. Rolling his eyes he started to clean up and was about to start washing the skillet and rice tin when he stopped, realizing that it was cold water and to touch it meant spending the day as a statue.
"You clean? Is cold water." He asked embarrassed.
(If it's a burden, leave it, we'll hunt at night. We're moving too slow as it is.) She didn't make any move to help, instead she sat inspecting her hands. Sighing he carefully started to rinse them out, he would have to do a better job later.
X x x x x x
"Ouch, damn human feet." Demona snarled and pulled out the small stone that felt like a knife had cut into her foot. And in reality, it hadn't even broken the skin. Glaring at the dark haired boy, she really wanted to attack him, just to satisfy her urge to hurt something. Her mood wasn't helped by the fact that she had easily covered this same distance last night before doubling back to find this annoying human.
She couldn't wait for the sun to set, no matter how nice the sun felt, she had to resume her real form. Which also unfortunately meant helping Ranma learn to fly. Him being restricted to the ground was slowing her down far too much. As far as she could tell he was fully formed and not crippled in anyway, other than his birth, which meant he should be capable.
They had been moving for several hours now along a well worn dirt path, and the sun now hung high in the sky. Thanks to her flight last night she knew that there was a village that they would be coming into contact with soon. In fact the path curved and went directly into a small group of houses nestled in, and hidden by the trees.
The path lead up into a small clearing, that she knew housed a circular group of houses. Spread out through this area were several more clearings, and then a large, more permanent structure was midway up the small mountain. Avoiding this place had been her first though, but after she needed clothing that fit this form, and she needed at the least, something to cover her sensitive human feet.
Immediately she slowed down to asses the humans that were busying themselves. She noticed right away that they were all male, and as soon as they had seen her stopped to gawk. Demona was long used to the stares and hateful glares from humans, so when she received looks on the far opposite end of the spectrum, she was noticeably confused.
(Uh hey, do you know anybody that speaks Japanese?) Ranma asked sternly built older man, he stood nearly seven feet tall and was decked out in bear fur clothing, and had a heavily bearded face.
(I speak it. We don't get many visitors around here. What brings you travelers here?)
As Ranma and the hairy man conversed, she grew progressively more agitated. Many of the younger humans were crowding in, their eyes never looking away from her. Being painfully aware of the human nature to her body, she had no clue what was driving their interest, and the uncertainty was driving her agitation.
"Hey." Ranma's voice snapped her out of the endless cycle. "They say we go meet Prince."
"Fine." She had dealt with Princes before, and anything to get away from these stupid males. Unfortunately fighting them all right now was out of the question. The small sea of humanity, barely thirty strong, felt like nothing more than a plague to her. Humans were an infestation to be eliminated.
Her original guess was proven correct, the most important person was living in the building up on the mountain. Keeping a wary eye on the humans, she allowed herself to be lead up into the building. 'This body does work as a good disguise.' Some of the items in the throne room appeared to be magical and it would be nothing for her to come back and inspect them at night. This Prince didn't appear to worry about anyone who could fly trying to get in through the open terrace, what with the sheer cliff face and height above the ground.
Shutting a large steel door at least ten inches thick, was a hunched over old man with twin pheasant tails coming vertically out of the top of his head. In his free arm was a large book and he gave them both a surprised look before hurrying off to stand next to the throne. On the throne was a young man with dragon scale armor on his arms and shoulders. His hair was an odd mix of blue, pink, and white. She held off on calling him a full human, as far as she knew, humans did not have red reptilian eyes.
(This is Prince Herb, eldest son of our King Thyme, and future ruler of the Musk.) A man in gorilla themed armor announced. Though it was lost on her since she didn't understand their language.
(Greetings travelers.) The dragon themed boy said cordially. (What brings you to our lands?)
(Just passing through, I'm Saotome Ranma and this is－ Demona.) Ranma answered. (We're trying to get to the nearest airport. Somethings come up and we have to travel quickly.)
(Is there a reason you wear no shoes?)
(Ah, well it wasn't planned.) Ranma said nervously and she was mildly interesting in hearing what this conversation had been about later. But for now she amused herself by trying to pick out the items she would look at later. Patience was one of many things she had learned in her long life.
(We rarely get visitors here, and definitely not women.) His red eyes quickly went from Ranma to her. (It is our way to separate men and women from birth. While I can offer you a protected spot in the village for the night, the local woods are willed with dangerous beasts, I would have to ask that she remain sequestered until you leave.)
(I don't think you'd have to worry about her going around. And thanks I guess but as soon as it gets dark we'll be leaving. Though it'd be nice to get a nap in before then.)
(Travel by night? Strange but not unheard of. Allium, please show them to the Southern quarter.)
X x x x x x
"Hey these are pretty nice." Flexing his toes inside the leather shoes Herb had donated, Ranma was surprised over their quality. He had setup his tent in a clear area off the side of a circle of houses. Something he had thought was out of the way, except the Musk didn't seem interested in going about their daily business. Instead there was a large amount of them milling about the area, some being very forward.
(Why do these humans stare at me?) Laying down on the floor of his tent and trying to get some sleep, Ranma wasn't sure why he had given Demona his sleeping bag. But he'd let the angry woman have it if it would make her more pleasant. After being up all night and now most of the day, he really just wanted to get some sleep.
"Uh." Getting into a sitting position he looked over at the red haired woman. "It cause you－ good looking. And men, women, live separate here. Guess they no see girl that much."
(They find me attractive?) Demona asked disgusted. (I think I'm going to be sick.) Rolling his eyes, he laid back down and turned away from her. Not only was he physically tired but Demona's attitude was grating against his general good nature. (These humans, why do they try and make themselves like animals?)
"Weird to me too." Every person in this village did seem to have an animal theme, usually with some features that matched their it. Really he couldn't fault her for finding them creepy. Nearly everyone of them who was around his age could not tear their eyes off of her.
(How can you wear these things?) Raising his head up again, he saw that she was complaining about the shoes. (I can barely move my toes and couldn't possibly grip anything with them.)
"Would rather walk around bare foot? I sleep now, if want to travel at night you should do same."
(You do not fear these strange humans?)
"Nah, why should I? They kind of weird but you not exactly normal either." Shifting to get more comfortable, he wondered if he could be considered normal now.
Which only made him angry at his father. Genma was the one who wanted to come all the way out into rural China to go to Jusenkyo. Genma was the idiot who didn't realize that he had become a giant panda. Genma was the one who knocked him into the spring and got him cursed. Well he would get cured, track down the old man and rub it in his face.
X x x x x x
Blinking his eyes several times, Ranma sat up, realizing that he had fallen asleep without realizing it. Demona wasn't in the tent and the clothes he had loaned her were piled haphazardly on the bed roll. Opening up the flap on his tent, he found that it was shortly after sun down. On the far side of the circle of houses was a large bonfire with a group of the Musk talking animatedly in Chinese.
Quickly packing up his things, he had a sneaking suspicion that it would be time to leave soon. The only things he left out where the clothes he had worn last night, so as not to ruin one of his last remaining sets. The sound of a tree branch snapping made him look up and see Demona, in her real body, waiting at the tree line with a bucket in her hand.
When he got over to her, she immediately reared back to splash him. "Hey! Let change clothes first." He held his pack protectively in front of him and she snorted before putting the bucket on the ground.
(Hurry, we have things to do.) Spinning she stalked off in the direction of the cliff. Changing his clothes, he used the bucket of cool water to change forms. Taking a moment to get used to the changes, he headed off after Demona. When he found her, she was already climbing up the cliff face. This time though, she was finding holds between the rocks, and making considerably less noise.
"Why go up there? We need head other way." He asked up to her.
(Don't be stupid, they have magical artifacts in that vault, and I'm not leaving without checking to see if any of them might be useful.)
"Oh." He must be getting better at English, since that actually made sense, and so he started the climb himself. Hauling himself over top the marble railing of the throne room, Demona was already inspecting the big steel door that was off to the side. It was setup like a bank vault, with a large combination lock on the front. Placing her ear against the steel, she started to try and figure out the combination.
He wasn't the best thief, well he was actually great at it, but he just didn't have the mindset to pilfer people out of their belongings. So instead of helping, he leaned on the railing and looked out at the vast expanse of trees leading into the valley of Jusenkyo, and past that was a large spire like mountain. The night was clear with a light wind, and feeling it blow against his face brought up a strange desire to do something.
'Hmm.' Unfolding his new wings, he flapped them experimentally.
Similar to bat wings, except with a small three fingered hand at the middle pivot point. They certainly didn't look big enough to fly with. For that matter, Demona's didn't look all that much bigger for her frame and she had been able too. Speaking of the gargoyle, she suddenly laughed and swung the large door open easily. Then, like a kid in a toy store, dove in to start looking around. Also curious over the contents, he went over and looked inside.
Gold and other metallic jewelry as well as larger items lined some of the shelves, but the vast majority of the contents were scrolls and books. Picking up a book, he tried to turn some of the pages, but found it difficult with this forms claws. Small dexterous motions were not possible, a trade off for their extreme strength. Unfortunately, it was all written in Chinese characters.
(Nothing worth my time.) Demona growled after trying to read the scrolls, throwing it away in disgust, she started to dig through the artifacts hastily. Setting his book down, he did as well, finding a two centimeter wide band of gold catching his eye. Brushing off the thick coating of dust, he wondered how long it had sat unused on the shelf. On it were raised ridges forming an interlocking circular patterns. Printed along the rim of one side were several Chinese characters.
'Nobody will miss this.' It soon found a place in his pack, and just as he was straightening up the entrance into the throne room opened.
(I'm telling you I heard something.)
(If this will shut you up.) In the doorway were two guys, he didn't have time to take in details before the shorter of the two turned and yelled back down the hall. (INTRUDER IN THE THRONE ROOM! A MONSTER HAS BROKEN INTO THE VAULT!)
(You idiot what did you do?) Demona demanded running from the vault. Seeing the two Musk standing at the doorway brandishing a sword and spear respectively, she gave off a cat like snarl and ran towards the terrace. (Let's go.) Without hesitation, she leapt over the ledge and took off flying.
"Oh come on I don't know how to do that!" He yelled after her in Japanese, forgetting to speak in English. The sounds of rapid footsteps make him glance back and see more Musk appear in the door. "Damn it!" Taking his pack, he strapped it to his front, and hopped up to perch on the railing.
Looking down he was overcome by a sudden feeling of vertigo and nearly slipped off the railing. Unfurling his wings, he stared down at the over fifty meters drop, he wouldn't be able to land a fall like that without breaking something. Probably many somethings.
(Stop it from leaving!) Taking one last look back he saw a small group of guards running into the room towards him. 'Guess it's sink or swim.' Taking a deep breath, he jumped out into the void. For years he had been jumping to great heights, and his leap carried him some distance before he hit his apex. Shutting his eyes tight and opening his wings fully, he waited for the feeling of gravity kicking in, plunging him to his doom.
Except it didn't happen, his new limbs acted on instinct, spreading and angling themselves correctly to take advantage of invisible currents of air. Opening his eyes he found himself looking down at the trees far below as they passed by.
(You took long enough.) Demona remarked snidely, appearing in the air to his right.
"I'm flying." He couldn't be bothered to try and speak in English.
(Congratulations, you're now a five year old, you're use has gone up.) He faltered for a moment after getting hit but a sudden bout of turbulence, but was able to recover, if a little shakily. (Come, we'll use that updraft to get above these mountains.)
"Up-draft?" Demona suddenly veered away. Moving with far less grace, he followed, trying to mimic and memorize her movements.
X x x x x x
Demona's perpetually bad demeanor diminished slightly at the cursed human's exuberance. He had started out flying like a shaky child, and she couldn't be sure if it was the part of her that had been transferred to him, or just natural aptitude. But he had quickly become good enough to where she no longer believed he would fall form the sky like a stone.
It had been hundreds of years since she had last seen a gargoyles' first flight. Seeing this cursed human do so gave her mixed feelings. To what extent did she want to cultivate him to use his better form? It wouldn't do for him to decide to keep half of her. But she couldn't let him slow her down, or drag her into petty human concerns.
In the distance, she could see the lights of a small city, and estimated that it would take an hour or two before they reached it. Judging by how light the sky was, it would be dawn soon. "We must land." She called out to Ranma who gave her a funny look, clearly not comprehending the danger they were in to stay in the air much longer. She quickly scanned the range of mountains they had been following for a place to stay.
Folding her wings and dropping, Ranma followed a moment later, flaring them just above the rock she skimmed the surface before landing on a small rocky outcropping. She had chosen this for it's inaccessible location and overhang. Draping her wings around her shoulders, Demona turned to watch the boy falter and then face plant into the stone. Grinding to a halt, he laid on the ground moaning, and she smirked. 'All the luck at flying in the world doesn't save you from a bad landing.'
"Why stop?" He asked, getting into a kneeling position.
"If you haven't noticed, it's nearly morning."
"Oh, right, let me find water."
"I think not, traveling like humans only slows us down, and I would rather sleep than spend more time as one."
"Hey now, I do not want to do that stone thing, it creepy."
"And where are you planning to get water in time?" Feeling the first rays of sun peek over the horizon, Ranma didn't have time to form a retort before they were both stone.
X x x x x x
"Prince Herb." Looking into the vault, in his throne room, Herb shook his head before turning to his advisor. "We've finished cataloging everything in the vault. Only one thing is missing."
"What?" He asked and turned to go sit on his throne. His father's throne actually, but soon enough it would be his.
"An older magical artifact, my Prince, the bracelet of staying."
"I don't remember being instructed upon it."
"It was used before the chisuiton was developed, and only has the power to lock a creature in human form while being worn."
"Is there any spring for the creatures the guards described?" From the description of the guards, they were slightly above human height, with blue skin, and bat like wings. His first thought was the Phoenix, but they wouldn't risk breaking their treaty for a single unimportant bracelet. Should they be responsible, they would have went after the secret vault with the really valuable items in it.
"No Sir."
"And what of our two visitors?"
"Disappeared shortly after sun down and our trackers found something strange."
"Oh?"
"Yes, the tracks changed shape in two places."
"So they were shape shifters, or a hidden spring."
"I've taken the liberty of assembling a hunting party to find their whereabouts."
"No, it's been far too long and they have the advantage of flight. Keep everyone silent, I don't want my father to know about this."
"Yes Sir."
X x x x x x
When Ranma next awoke, he was once again surrounded by stone, however unlike the last time he acted instantly and burst from it with a bestial roar. He still wasn't prepared to associate the sounds he could make with that of big cats though. The release from stone came just in time to be hit by a spray of cold water. Pouting, he wiped some of the liquid from his face. In front of him stood Demona in human form, with a look of annoyance on her face.
"Serves you right." He commented and took his backpack off.
(Shut up.) She snarled.
Taking a moment to survey the storm that was raging outside, he was temporarily blinded by a flash of lightning, and then deafened by the accompanying thunder. Blinking away the spots, he didn't think he would be traveling tonight. Being buffeted by another spray of water, cemented in his mind that he should setup his tent.
(Give me some of your clothes.) Demona demanded.
"Yes yes." He agreed and took his time digging out his tent and a towel. "Here dry off." Tossing the towel to her she wrapped up in it. Strangely, he was merely uncomfortable, while Demona looked like she was hypothermic. While not one to hold a grudge, he was still going to get back at her for tricking him. Turning to stone was not, in his opinion, a good idea.
Setting up his tent didn't take long, it folded away neatly, and only took putting two poles across each other to form it. The floor was rock so he couldn't put the stakes down, however it wouldn't be going anywhere. No, the real problem was that it wasn't really big enough for two people, it could house two, but it was a tight fit.
(If you're done.) Demona seemed determined to try his patience. If she didn't lose some of her animosity he might have to go look for a cure on his own. Then again, flying was a big bonus, though it did not overcome having to take this form to do so. Digging in his pack, he grabbed some clothes, and threw them and the pack in the tent.
"I go get some firewood." Demona didn't seem interested in whatever he was going to do, instead she jumped in the tent.
Leaning over the edge, he was happy to note that there was only about a four meter drop before turning into a gentle slope to some trees. Dropping down, he flared his wings about halfway and slowly came to a rest on the ground. Digging into the loose gravel, he nearly lost his footing before recovering and starting off down the hill.
Claws, he found, tore through trees like they were wet paper. Throwing another small log up to the ledge, he had gone for broke, and had torn apart a large tree in an attempt to test exactly how strong he had become. Before he had been strong enough to, with some effort, tear a tree apart. Now it was laughably easy, and if the effect his claws had on stone was any indication, he might be able to tear through steel. Not that he had any reason to do so.
Jumping up on to the ledge, he dropped some more wood that he had been carrying, and started pushing them deeper, to be fully under the overhang. Finding the driest spot he could, he started to create tinder by rubbing his claws down a log, and making shavings.
"Hey, can I come in?" He knocked on the tent. "Need lighter for fire."
(Make it quick.) Opening the flap, he found Demona inside curled up in the towel he had given her, and if the clothes on the floor were any indication, nothing else. Gulping he slipped in and started to dig through his backpack pockets for the small lighter. Finding it, he grabbed some food and his kettle before sealing up the tent, purposely keeping his eyes off the naked female in it.
The tinder he had created, went up quickly, and within a few minutes he had a decent sized fire going. Opening the lid of his kettle he place it outside the overhang to collect water. Now with some free time, he noticed the small pieces of stone that littered the cave floor. Picking up one, it crumbled to dust almost instantly.
(The stone skin of a gargoyle disintegrates shortly after it is shed.) Demona explained while exiting the tent. Now fully clothed with the shoes the Musk had given them, and if he was right both non torn sets of clothing. Finding a dry spot close to the first, she sat down, and held out her hands to warm them.
"Why turn stone though?" Retrieving the kettle, he put some of the water in the rice tin, before putting it back to fill up. It would be pointless to try changing back with the mist that would occasionally move through the area. He may not know how much water was required to activate the change, but this would certainly do it.
(It has always been like that, we just do.) Rubbing her hands together, the red heads green eyes stared at the tin. (You are making more rice?)
"Yup." Checking the tin, it would be a few more minutes before the rice was done. "Who said you get any though?" He teased, hoping to use it to get back at her.
(You would eat in front of me?)
"You are one who trick me to stay like this during day." He gave her a baleful look and now put the kettle on to warm up. "Lot of good that do."
(Oh yes, we could be a couple miles away by now. However can I live with myself?) She shot back.
"Least you can be human."
(Least you can be a gargoyle!) She hissed.
"What so great about that?" He snarled.
(I suppose it was too much to expect you to understand, what with your real form being that of a human.) Bristling, they entered into a staring contest.
"You are happy enough to wear human cloth, eat my food, steal from us. I no see how you can act so su-su-superior."
(You think I need these things? I don't need anything from a human!) Standing up she pushed her pants down to the ground and then pulled the shirt up and over her head before throwing it to the ground at her feet. Now only in her halter top and loincloth she kicked the clothes into the fire.
"AHH MY CLOTHES!" He yelled in Japanese and dived forward to try and grab them from the fire. Retrieving the last two sets of good clothing, he quickly threw them on some of the wet floor and patted the flames out. Holding them up, his lower lip quivered, they were ruined, and that meant all he had was the clothes on his back.
Using the now hot water in the kettle to change back into human, he stalked off to the tent and got inside. Immediately he noticed that Demona had made a mess of his pack in order to get his other set of clothes. Repacking everything away, he laid out his sleeping bag and got inside. She could sleep outside and freeze for all he cared.
'She's even more annoying than the old man!' Staring up at the top of the tent, the wind outside picked up and tried to move it, but his weight kept it in place. The light from the fire was keeping everything brightly lit. Unfortunately he was also wide awake, completely, utterly, totally awake.
Rain started to patter heavily against the side of the tent as the wind picked up, and stayed up. He had to roll over to the upwind side of the tent to stop it from rolling over on top of him. As he laid there being buffeted by the side of the tent, the light outside started to dim, until finally it went out. There was an angry cry from Demona and then the clattering of wood.
Resigning himself, he opened up the tent flap, and was instantly hit by enough water to send him back into cursed form. "If you do not want freeze to death, get in here." He called to Demona who was still sitting next to the last dying embers of the fire.
(I don't need your help human.) She got out through clattering teeth and trying to shield the fire from going completely out.
"You are one who complained about being slowed down. How much use will you be if you frozen solid." She gave him a glare that caused her eyes to glow a pale red, but she relented in the end, and came to slip into the tent. "Here." Slipping the rest of himself out of the sleeping bag, he pushed it towards her. "Need more than me."
(Do not think this endears you to me human. I only came in here because I would be weak if I remained outside.)
"Whatever." Laying down on his side with his back to Demona, he figured this might be a long night.
X x x x x x x
Author Notes:
I don't have much to say. Well I suppose I can explain that the pair used each other as templates. So Ranma looks similar to Demona in gargoyle form, and the opposite is true for Demona in human form.
While I know this will cut into my writing time for other stories, some of the possibilities this one hold, as well as the fact that it won't get out of my head, means I'll be working on this a lot in the next couple weeks.