A/N: Oh hello! I'm back! For now... my apologies for the long absence. Life just sometimes catches up with you and sweeps you away from things you used to love, y'know? Anyway, just wanted to let any previous readers of this story (and if there are any of you, thanks for still following after all this time!) that I rewrote the previous chapters a bit to expand on a few plot points, so it might be worth a reread. Other than that, hope you all enjoy this latest installment!
Chapter Two: Curse
"Honored guest, welcome to legendary hot spring Jusenkyo!" the guide announced with a respectful bow, "Please must be careful, very dangerous now. Nobody use, so you very strange for wanting come here!"
"Tch," Ranma surveyed the area with disinterest, "This place doesn't seem so impressive. Why'd you even wanna come here, pop?"
"If you want to be strong enough to protect Nerima, then it's necessary for you to train here," Genma set his pack down and began stretching.
He had heard tales of Jusenkyo before. It was once a legendary, sacred place that many spirits used to cleanse and purify themselves during their journeys. All sorts of spirits came from far and wide to bask in its invigorating waters, until something strange happened hundreds of years ago… The waters suddenly turned dark and deadly, drowning all the poor, unsuspecting spirits bathing in its pools. Their souls then became trapped and tainted, cursing the grounds for all of eternity. From then on a dark miasma surrounded the area covering it with all the negative energy of the spirits who had been drowned by the curse. Nobody knew who or what caused this sudden change, but all knew to stay clear of it.
Well, almost all.
All the dark energy made it a very appealing place to train. If Ranma wanted to someday protect Nerima then he needed to be well versed in what it was like to deal with dark energy.
"Are you prepared, Ranma?" Genma leapt onto one of the bamboo poles, "I won't go easy on you!"
"That's how I want it!" Ranma smirked and followed suit.
"AIEE! Honored guest, what you doing?!" the guide became very flustered, "Careful! Is no good if you fall in spring!"
But both men ignored his warnings and launched their attacks. Genma was relentless, shooting blast after blast, incantation after incantation, but despite the barrage of attacks Ranma had no trouble keeping up.
"Is that all you got, pop?!"
"I'm just getting started, boy!"
Despite all the warnings from their guide, Ranma found that the allegedly "cursed" hot springs weren't nearly as terrible as people had said they would be. Sure the air felt a bit thicker and heavier, but that was about it. He couldn't believe people were actually afraid of the place! Were spirits in China really that weak? What was so scary about a bunch of water anyways?
"Gotcha!" Ranma yelled, landing a kick on his unsuspecting father's backside.
The force knocked Genma from his bamboo pole and into one of the springs below. Ranma watched smugly as his father flailed and garbled beneath the water. But then, the bubbles stopped.
"Pop?" Ranma didn't know why, but a sense of dread overcame him. It was brief, but he felt a surge of dark energy coming from the pool. What was the matter?
"Oh no!" the guide panted as he arrived on the scene, barely managing to have caught up to the spirits, "Is very bad! Very bad! That spring of cursed panda spirit!"
The younger man quirked his brows in confusion, "So what does that mea- GAH!"
A loud rumbling emanated from the pool as a large, dark, and hairy figure suddenly erupted from its depths. Its gaze was murderous, and its aura vengeful.
"P-P-PANDA?"
Ranma could only sputter in disbelief, flabbergasted at the enormous creature in front of him. Where did this thing come from?! Where was his pop? Wait, it couldn't be…
"I tell you springs are cursed!" the guide shook his head very matter-of-factly, "If fall in, then take body of drowned spirit!"
"You didn't tell us that part!" Ranma yelped and leapt away as the angry panda roared and swiped at him. No way, it couldn't be true could it? So then, if he were to fall too… oh, CRAP!
Taking advantage of the boy's momentary pause, the panda lunged forward and swiped again, this time successfully managing to topple Ranma from the pole.
"GAH! N-NOOOO!"
The water was cold and prickly upon his skin. His chest suddenly felt incredibly heavy as if inundated by some unforeseen weight. Despite how clear the pools had seemed on the surface, everything was dark and murky underneath. He couldn't see a thing.
Ugh! His body… why did it suddenly feel so heavy and painful? He could feel his chi struggling with itself, grappling with some unidentifiable force. He struggled and gasped desperately for breath.
The guide was waiting for him at the edge of the pool when he resurfaced. Glancing around wildly, Ranma checked himself. Surprisingly everything looked in place: two legs, two arms, two hands, two… wait, what the…
"W-WHAT?"
"The legendary grounds of Jusenkyo cursed hot springs," Soun shook his head sadly, "Its true horror has always been shrouded in mystery, until now…"
"Feh!" Ranma huffed through grit teeth, "True horror doesn't even begin to describe it…"
Nabiki sipped her tea quietly as she listened to the story with much intrigue. When they had discovered Ranma and Akane in their rather complicated predicament, her father nearly turned into a demon spirit until Genma ran in and doused the boy in pond water, turning him back into the redheaded girl from before. Then he was doused again with purified water, turning her back into his normal form.
Nodoka had fainted again from all the confusion. She was finally able to see her son again, only to see him turn into a female the very next second (she still hadn't been told about the curse). So Kasumi was once again tending to her in the other room, leaving Nabiki and a very irate Akane the only other occupants. Her younger sister had not said a single word since the incident, but Nabiki could tell Akane was beyond mad. She was still upset a man had nearly seen her naked body – and that she hadn't been told of Ranma's true nature.
"What was the big idea of bringing me there without knowing what it was, anyways?!" Ranma shouted, gripping his father by the collar.
"Part of being guardian means to sacrifice everything for your position!" Genma snapped back, "Were you not prepared to give your life?!"
"My manhood is a different story!"
Genma grabbed Ranma's wrist and threw him into the pond in the garden. He resurfaced in his female form, sputtering and sufficiently enraged.
"What he heck was that for, old man?!"
"Look at yourself!" he exclaimed, wiping away the tears of shame that formed, "It hurts me to see you this way, my unfortunate son!"
"Whose fault is that?!"
She stormed back into the room, grumbling curses under her breath. As she opened her mouth to protest further, she felt a different kind of water poured over her head. Ranma blinked and looked up to meet a very serious looking Akane. In her hand she held an empty cup with a purifying talisman affixed to it.
"A-Ah," he muttered meekly, "Thanks."
But Akane turned away and went back to her seat next to Nabiki. Ranma stared at her with a raised eyebrow. So she was still giving him the cold shoulder, huh? Hadn't he explained it was a misunderstanding? How was he supposed to know she was going to suddenly undress? And besides, why did his being male make her attitude change so drastically? Did she really hate guys that much? He didn't ask for this form nor did he deserve such treatment. He was still the same person, after all!
He thought back to only a few hours prior, when she had welcomed him with a warm smile. Her aura had been warm and comforting before. Why couldn't she be more like that again? It was nice, and she looked rather cut-
"Oh!" the eldest Tendo daughter appeared at the entryway accompanied by a dazed but conscious Nodoka, "Did we miss it?"
"Ah, Nodoka! Are you feeling better n-" Soun found himself suddenly cut off by a panda paw over his mouth.
"S-Saotome?" he blurted as best he could through the muffling.
The panda shook his head violently.
"Why are you so afraid of seeing your wife, Mr. Saotome?" Nabiki poked curiously at the sign.
Genma's fur stood on end as he hurriedly scribbled, "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"
Nodoka? Ranma's ears perked up. Right, wasn't that...
"Pop, is that woman my mom?"
"NO, NEVER SEEN THAT WOMAN IN MY LIFE."
"LIAR!"
Kasumi pursed her lips at the flailing panda, "Mr. Saotome, how can you deny her? She has waited dutifully for you and Ranma to return these past 15 years!"
"My son! Is that really you?"
Nodoka could not stop her tears as she rushed towards the young man with arms outstretched.
"Mom?" hesitantly, Ranma reached towards the strange woman. Was this really his mother? The woman he had missing these 15 long years?
"STOP!" the sign read as panda Genma hurled a smoke bomb at the scene. He flashed another sign as he began dragging them away, "I'LL EXPLAIN LATER. AKANE, RANMA, COME WITH ME. WE MUST LEAVE AND BEGIN YOUR TRAINING IMMEDIATELY-"
"STOP IT!" Ranma elbow slammed his father to the floor, "Change back like a normal being! Now tell me what's going on!"
Genma sputtered as Akane doused him with a cup of purified water. "N-Nothing, there's nothing to tell! I was just saying words! Now forget what just happened and get back to training-"
"Why do you keep avoiding her?" Ranma demanded, "Is that woman really my mother?"
"W-Well, she is, but-"
"I'm going to meet my mom."
"You can't!"
"Get off me, old man! Why the hell not?"
Genma grasped his son by the shoulders and looked at him with a serious face Ranma had never seen before.
"You see, when you were just a little boy I made a vow to her. I promised you would be the strongest guardian Nerima has ever seen. For that reason, I took you away to explore all those different places in the mortal and ethereal realms for these past 15 years. But if for any reason you failed to become the purest of spirits, then I… I…"
"You would what, pop?" Ranma's tone grew more irate.
"T-Then... I'd commit seppuku…"
…
"I'm going to meet my mom!"
"RANMA!" Genma wailed, "How could you be so cruel to your own father! You don't care I'll have to kill myself?! Have you no respect for me!"
"It's your own fault for making all these dumb vows to begin with!" Ranma spat back.
As he went to tear himself free of his father's death grip, the smoke began to clear and once more Nodoka made her way forward, followed by the rest of the Tendo family.
"Is it really you," she whispered, "My goodness, it is! After all this time!"
"Mom!"
Nodoka cried at finally being able to embrace her son. He had grown so tall! And so handsome! She took a step back to admire his appearance. His build was strong and healthy, yet his blue eyes were the same bright and clear color she remembered from his childhood. He towered above her with a confident aura full of conviction. There was something else swirling about him, too. Some strange presence she did not entirely recognize.
"STOP!" Genma huffed as he separated them, "Ranma, if she finds out, then you too will have to commit seppu-!"
"I already heard everything," Nodoka interrupted.
"Y... You did?" Genma stammered.
His wife nodded, "I could hear the story from the other room when Kasumi was tending to me."
The older man allowed some of the tension to leave his body. Well, since she seemed rather unperturbed, then perhaps she forgot about the vow after all.
Father and son let out identical high-pitched yelps when Nodoka unsheathed a katana from her kimono.
But instead of raising it to strike at them, Nodoka instead pointed it at her husband alone.
"Genma Saotome," she announced, "For breaking your vow to me and failing to protect our son I will be taking you back to the spirit world, where you will repent for what you have done."
A flurry of leaves rose to encircle Genma in a protective cage, sharpening their edges to resemble many little razor blades. It would be impossible for him to try to escape, and even if he did then he risked grievously injuring himself.
"N-Nodoka, please-"
But she would have none of his excuses.
Akane was taken aback at how serious Nodoka's voice was. She had never seen the kind-hearted woman act in such a way before. Her aura at the moment was incredibly formidable. Maybe this is where Ranma got his, she mused.
Ranma stared mouth agape at the scene, unsure of what to make of it. What about him? Was she not going to punish him either? As if she had been able to read his mind, Nodoka turned and gave him a soft smile.
"My dear, you have grown into such a strong spirit," she placed a hand affectionately upon her son's cheek, "You fulfilled your promise to me, so there is nothing to fault you for. The curse that befell you was your father's doing by casting you into that pool. Nobody could blame you for that."
"Mom..."
"Now, please pardon me, but I must return at once before Genma manages to sneak away from me again. Soun, Kasumi, Nabiki, thank you for all your hospitality," she bowed deeply and respectfully, "And Akane, I will be seeing you again soon, dear."
She gave the younger girl a playful wink before whispering a series of incantations. A golden light bathed her and a trembling Genma before disappearing them both in a flash. A few leaves fluttered to the ground where they had been standing.
What on earth just happened, Nabiki and Akane thought in unison. Could this morning get any weirder? Kasumi went to go sweep up the leaves as Soun scratched his head in confusion. Well, it was good to have his old friend visit, but he doubted he would be seeing Genma again any time soon. A certain pig-tailed spirit shuffled awkwardly behind them, unsure of what to do next.
Oh, that was right. There was still that whole priestess thing they had to deal with.
Soun cleared his throat clasped his hand on Ranma's shoulder heartily, "Well, my boy, that was quite a family reunion wasn't it?"
Ranma scarce had the good humor to laugh back.
"Luckily it seems at least your problem isn't so bad after all," Soun continued, "You still retain all your abilities in your female form, right? And there's a relatively simple way to change back. Purifying water is a task that Akane can do very easily!"
Ranma spirit snuck a glance at the aforementioned girl, who still refused to meet his gaze. For some reason that made his blood boil. Well, if she was going to act that way then there was no way this was going to work.
What the heck was this total change in attitude? Soun must have been blind or something because from the looks of it that girl would rather be dead than become his priestess. Maybe that was a good thing, then.
"At least he's only half male, ne?" Nabiki prodded her sister playfully, but Akane was not amused.
"It doesn't matter to me," she said rather flatly.
Ranma rubbed his brows in exasperation, "Look girlie, you don't have to go through with this if you don't want to, OK? Forget what our dads said, we both have to agree to this so it's not too late to call it off."
"Besides," he continued, lowering his tone seriously, "You've lived your whole life in the mortal world. You wouldn't be able to last a day in the spirit realm."
In all honesty it was the safest option for her to remain here. He was just trying to be a good person and look out for her best interests, especially with his cursed condition. He was a spirit infected by another, two chis fighting for one body. Nobody he knew or consulted had ever encountered such a condition before, so nobody quite knew what to make of his predicament. There was a darkness that had begun to build slowly around him ever since the incidence, no doubt caused by the imbalance of his curse. What did this mean for him? Was the darkness going to continue manifesting and eventually turn into something dangerous? Or something else entirely? He did not know, but he at least had a feeling it would not be safe for anyone around him.
Akane stood abruptly, chin held high and eyes alight with determination. Her aura had returned to its full, fiery crimson, and Ranma found himself momentarily drawn to how powerful it was. His own aura began to come alive as well, incensed and entranced by the challenge.
How dare he. She was not some weak, pathetic thing deserving of his pity! And who was he to talk, anyway? He couldn't have been more than a year older than her.
"I'm perfectly capable of holding my own, thanks! Who would want to serve such a perverted spirit anyway."
"P-Pervert?!" he couldn't believe his ears. She was the one who was undressing before someone she barely even knew! "Call me a pervert, but at least I'm not a dense blockhead!"
"They argue like they're already familiars," Nabiki whispered to Kasumi.
The red knot wrapped around Akane's little finger slowly came into focus, this time much brighter than ever before. It glimmered a path from her hand straight to Ranma's. Again, she was reminded of the promise.
She hated this so much. She wanted so badly to run from this madhouse or convince herself that this was just a terrible dream. But she had too much respect for the laws of nature to subvert the arrangement, especially since she quite literally owed her life to this.
Ranma opened his mouth to protest once more but was taken aback when Akane rose and regarded him with a fierce expression. Was she looking to fight some more? Bring it on, he could take it!
But she did not. Instead she turned away and went into the garden. With a deep breath, Akane took a dagger and pierced her pinky, allowing the blood to drip onto the earth below. She felt her surroundings reverberate around her.
"I, Akane Tendo, make this vow respectfully before the guardian of Nerima forest. I accept my duties as divine priestess to Ranma Saotome and swear to serve him from now until the end of my days."
"What're you doing?!" Ranma yelled in disbelief, "Didn't you hear a word I just said?!"
"I heard all of it," Akane snapped back defiantly, "I was born and raised into the Tendo tradition of Anything Goes Worship. We always honor our vows, no matter what. My father swore to yours that I would come into your service when I became of age, and while I had no say in that decision, a promise is a promise. I am now fulfilling my duty."
"Look, I'm serious! The spirit world ain't just any old place for little girls! I'm serious, stay here and be with your family!"
"Rrraaanmaaa! Are you insulting my daughter?"
Ranma yelped and skittered away from the monstrous, hissing demon head that had materialized before him.
"F-Fine! But don't come crying to me later on, ya hear? I warned you!"
"I won't," Akane crossed her arms resolutely.
Ranma shook his head. He couldn't believe he was doing this. Forgoing the same delicacy Akane had exhibited, Ranma bit the tip of his thumb and let the blood drip onto the earth.
"I, Ranma Saotome, guardian of Nerima forest, hereby accept Akane Tendo as my divine priestess."
The thread around his pinky began to glow brightly too as the light from each of their hands connected. A jolt surged between them and dissipated as quickly as it had come. The thread between them had also disappeared but the knots around their pinkies were now fully visible and materialized as silken, red cords tied like rings. The vows were complete.
No going back now, Ranma grumbled.
Akane glanced at her body and then to her surroundings. Well, she didn't really feel any different, aside from the jolt that had come and pass. Was this all there was to it?
"Alright, get your stuff," Ranma's voice snapped her from her reverie, "We should head back to the forest before sundown."
What? Already? But what about her family?
"You'll be residing in the forest from now on, so get whatever you wanna bring with you."
The forest, like every other holy site in this world, existed in both the ethereal and mortal realms. In fact, most of the spiritual world existed right on top of the mortal world, but for whatever reason spirits and humans could not always see or communicate with each other. He had heard from someone that mortals and spirits descended from the same ancestors, which explained why they held so many similarities and why some humans could still access spiritual energy. But for whatever reason many years ago, there was a split where many humans lost their ability to freely enter the ethereal realm. But at holy sites at least, both mortals and spirits could be synced.
"Leaving so soon?" Kasumi wondered with a slight tinge of sadness.
"She's going to be able to come and visit right?"
"Well..."
"RRAAANMAAA!" demon Soun screeched, "Do not keep my youngest daughter from her family!"
"OKAY, OKAY," Ranma blurted, "Geez, we'll come back."
The mood lightened as each Tendo family member let out a sigh of relief, save for Akane. She cast her gaze downward, allowing her bangs to shadow her expression. This was it. From this day forth, her life would be totally different from anything she had known before. It was a strange and bittersweet feeling, but she took comfort in knowing she could still visit between the ethereal and mortal realms to check up on her family. She lifted her chin again with resolution. She would be strong and persevere, for the sake of her family.
Akane scarcely ever said any prayers for herself, but this time she allowed herself a small concession.
Please, she whispered, if there were any benevolent forces listening to her right now, at least... at least allow her and Ranma to get along. That's all she wished for.
"Remember you have to come back tomorrow, you hear?" Nabiki shouted at her sister's retreating figure, "Kuno summoned you to his estate!"
Akane rolled her eyes. That darn Kuno. Yes he was the son of the village leader, but that didn't give him any right to just order people around as he pleased. He was probably summoning her to try and ambush her with another one of those marriage proposals. She wondered how he would react to hearing that she was now officially unavailable forever.
She glanced back at her family. Kasumi was consoling their father, who was weeping into handkerchief after handkerchief. He had always been so dramatic like that. Kasumi's expression held some sadness while Nabiki just waved cheerfully at her. Nabiki wasn't any bit sad about this arrangement because she knew Akane would find a way to see her family again no matter what. Her little sister had always been a fighter like that.
Akane's heart was heavy as she trudged down the hill to where Ranma was waiting. Thankfully she did not have many possessions worth bringing: just some clothes, talismans, ritual supplies, and a couple mementos from her family.
"Who's Kuno?" Ranma cocked a brow at her.
"Some jerk," Akane huffed, "Nobody worth anyone's concern."
"If he's so unimportant then why are you bothering to go back tomorrow?"
"He's the son of the village leader, so I have to pay him some small amount of attention to keep my family in good status with his father. Besides, I've dealt with him hundreds of times before. It'll be a quick meeting and probably over with for good after tomorrow."
"Feh! Who cares about a guy like that? You're better off staying in the forest and getting started on your training."
"Are you jealous? Trying to keep me to yourself so soon?" she teased.
Ranma nearly fell over as his face flushed red with indignation, "W-What!"
"Don't worry," Akane stuck her tongue out at him, "I know you don't think that way. I have to go back because I have to at least wrap up the obligations I had before I found out about this arrangement. You don't have to come along, you know."
"Yeah, well, don't take too long," Ranma turned away and tried to shake off his earlier embarrassment, "We have a lot to go over, especially since you don't know the first thing about being a priestess."
"I've been training in the spiritual arts my whole life! What do you mean don't know the first thing?"
"Purifying water hardly counts!"
"GAhh!"
As the bickering duo entered the forest, a gentle breeze began to swirl around them. The loose foliage scattered about the ground glowed with a soft, golden hue as the wind swept it into a path, welcoming Nerima's newest priestess and her guardian.