Things Can Only Get Worse
'Honor. A thing I hold most dear to me. Above even my sweet Akane? Ahhh…Akane, my angel worshiped from afar, but now within my grasp, the means to keep you in my arms. Alas honor, that of a man and a martial artist, will not allow such a thing. My heart tells me to seize the moment and carry you away in my arms to love you forever. My mind tells me your heart is not something I can take by force. I shall probably regret this decision my entire life, but at least I will live my life as a man of integrity.'
"Are you OK Ryoga?" Akane asked her sweet voice waking Ryoga from his catatonic state of staring at the campfire and crumbling rocks with his bare hands.
"Oh yeah, fine Akane. Hehe." He suddenly became animated, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "What are you doing up, you were sound a sleep a moment ago."
Of course, sound asleep for Akane was thrashing around like a mad woman.
"I dunno, something just seemed to wake me up." She shrugged her shoulders looking down at the rubble surrounding him.
"Oh ah, I'll try to be more quiet."
"That's ok, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?" She held his hands in concern, looking them over for injuries.
"Ahh…" His face flushed feeling the softness of her skin. Akane's face softened as she looked over the rough texture of his skin, she seemed so small and fragile in his large hands.
"Your hands are so rough Ryoga. Probably from all that training, huh?"
"Oh sorry, they probably don't seem very gentle." He tried to take his hands away, but she held them firmly.
"No, I think you are a very gentle man Ryoga." She said seriously.
"You really think so?" He moved in close to her a hopeful look on his face. She nodded up at him shyly. 'Oh Akane, if only…' Their eyes remained locked, they inched closer together. Akane raised her head, Ryoga responded by bringing his head down closer to her, making their faces only inches apart. Akane's eyelids began to flutter and Ryoga's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. Akane held her breath opening her eyes, her brow furrowing in confusion as she looked at the face before her.
"Huh?" Ranma emerged from behind the trees, a bundle of wood in his arms. His entire face flushed red, he dropped the wood, and stormed over to the two. Akane turned to see Ranma approaching. Ryoga was frozen, waiting, the sound of his heartbeat blocking out the rest of the world.
"Oh, Ranma." Akane blushed and started to twiddle her fingers.
"Take a hike Romeo!" Ranma harshly bunted Ryoga well into the lower atmosphere.
"Ranma!" She turned from watching Ryoga sore through the air to give him an annoyed look, to which he just glared right back at.
"I can't believe you!"
"What?!"
"You are the most faithless, sexless, uncute girl I have ever met!"
"Faithless! That's a laugh coming from you!"
"Hey, I never instigate anything!"
"No, Shampoo just always seems to be bathing or sleeping with you!"
"Like I can help that! You can't be trusted with some guy you barely become attracted to! I pity the poor sap that marries you!"
"Excuse me, you are the one who said you understood!"
"Sure, I understand. Is this the way you are going to act every time you are attracted to someone? Faithless like I said, you'll kiss anyone!"
"Ha! You have the gall to say that after I kissed you!"
"Faithless and Easy!"
"So, that's what you think of me! I guess that is why you didn't kiss me back?"
"Is that what you have been all upset about, if you wanted me to kiss you why didn't you just say so?"
"Jeez Ranma, I don't want to make you do something with someone you find so unattractive!" She swung and punched him face first into a tree, a move she felt was long overdue, and walked away furious.
Ranma slowly slid down the bark of the tree. "Th-that's not what I meant."
"Hachoo! Bewee." The small, black piglet slowly pulled himself and his clothes from the cold water. He cursed Ranma to himself and wondered how long it would take him to find his way back to camp. It was not long till he found a hot spring to restore his manhood. He placed his clothes on a large boulder behind him and waded in.
"Damn that Ranma, I'll probably end up in Okinawa before I find my way back to Akane" He closed his eyes, even saying her name made the vise around his heart tighten.
"Oh Akane." He whispered to himself, sinking into the hot water, all tension leaving his muscles. "Ahh…"
He let himself indulge in a fantasy about what life would be like with an Akane that was infatuated with him. He suddenly became aware of an odd scratching noise coming from behind him. As he turned, a blinding flash of fur flew in front of him and into the pool of hot water.
"What the-?" As if an answer to his question a mountain of water splashed into his face and a naked Shampoo clung to him. He was very aware that her naked body was touching his and a stream of blood flowed from his nostril.
"Ugh, Shampoo! What do you think you're doing!"
"Shampoo want to spend quality time with future husband." She said in her bubbly high-pitched voice. He pried himself from her grip and turned his back to her, his hand on his nose.
"Um Shampoo. I really don't think…" He said in a very nasally voice. She responded by hugging him from behind, throwing her arms around his neck and down his chest.
"Eek!" He flew around detaching himself and started to back away toward the other side of the pool. "Listen Shampoo, you don't really want to do this, it is just that stupid potion talking."
He held his arm up trying to dissuade her.
"Shampoo so happy Ryoga worry so much about her feelings."
"Ugh. I don't care about your feelings!" This didn't faze her in the slightest she had a hungry look in her eyes that made Ryoga gulp loudly. "Shampoo, I don't want to hurt you so don't make me."
His back finally found the rocks that indicated the water's edge and the end of the line. "Shampoo?" He said pathetically. She stopped, lowered herself a bit in the water, and then lunged forward at him. He made a loud whimper and closed his eyes.
CLANG!
The sound of someone hitting something metal rather harshly was enough to open Ryoga's eyes. A large combat spatula was two inches from his face. Startled he looked up at Ukyo who was shaking her head at him.
"I fall asleep for a few minutes and look what you do." She flexed her biceps and sent the amazon on the other side of her spatula into the air. A splash and the sounds of a very perturbed feline could be heard in the distance. Ryoga slumped over relieved.
"Well quite an exciting evening for you, huh?"
"Hmph. You could say that." He half smiled at the girl in front of him. She raised an eyebrow then began to look him up and down. He flushed and submerged himself in the water barely leaving his eyes and nose above the surface.
"Awful bashful aren't we sugar?" Ukyo giggled.
"Um, can you turn around while I get dressed." He said, making bubbles in the water. She laughed again and turned around.
"You know, I went to an all boys junior high school, you don't have anything I haven't seen."
"Ahh!" She swiveled around on her toes to find Ryoga at the edge of the water holding a pile of shredded clothing, tears streaming down his face. She walked over and kneeled down in front of him.
"Problem sugar?"
"Of course, there is a problem she shredded my clothes!"
"Hmph." She stood up, looking a bit hurt by his rudeness.
"Now what am I going to do?"
"Well then," she said walking away from him, "I guess it's a good thing I brought this then isn't it. Ranma told me to bring it."
She flung his backpack over her shoulder, hitting him in the face, and knocking him back into the water. He lay back in the water, his clothes floating by him.
"Hachoo. Hachoo. HACHOO!"
Akane looked up from the fire, a feeling of relief passing through her body. Ukyo walked out from behind the trees, a crooked smile on her face.
"Found him before he reached China." She giggled and turned around to see her companion emerge from the trees. He was shivering terribly dressed only in a pair of extremely wet boxers dragging his drenched pack beside him.
"Hachoo!" Ranma fell over laughing, until he saw Akane's worried face. She ran over and hugged him, while he continued to shiver. Ranma could feel the heat rising to his face.
"Oh Ryoga! Are you ok?" He nodded his teeth chattering. She detached herself blushing furiously. Ranma was suddenly at her side.
"What happened P-chan, did you get wet?" Ranma said sarcastically.
"Look real cold." He said doing a mock shiver, passing Ryoga a look inquiring as to when his curse would be activated. He quickly received a punch in the face from Akane.
"Ranma stop picking on Ryoga, this is your fault. Give him your clothes."
"What! Why my clothes?" It was a stupid question, but he was annoyed.
"Well who else's clothes is he going to wear, and if you hadn't kicked him out of camp he wouldn't need any!"
"I'm wearing my clothes. Why don't you give him yours, you never look like a girl in them." Akane immediately sent him flying face first into another tree, walked over to his pack, and opened it. She soon decided she'd rather not riffle through any personal items and brought the pack over to Ryoga.
"Here you go, don't want you catching a cold." She smiled at him sweetly and he accepted the package. Unfortunately, Ranma and Ryoga were not the exact same size, Ryoga being slightly broader. The boxers fit rather snuggly, but the shirt didn't make it. Ryoga shrugged his shoulders, silk shirts weren't really his style, besides who would want to run around looking like Ranma. He resigned himself to just the boxers, while he waited for his own clothes to dry. It was uncomfortable, Akane averting her eyes and Ukyo giggling, but they finally settled in for the night. Ryoga silently prayed that the rest of the trip would go more smoothly then it started.
The sun scorched down on the five travelers, the air bare of all moisture. The wind swirled through the barren valley of rock, raising the dirt into small funnels twisting across the ground to sting the flesh and burn the eyes. The sun rose high in the sky chasing the clouds form the horizon.
Silently, the band entered the path engraved in the rock, two corridors of cliffs looming over them on each side. Their tension filled the air around them as they started their journey. Ranma was the first to break the silence.
"So Shampoo, what happened to Mousse. I can't imagine he would leave you alone with the stud here." Ryoga turned slightly to give Ranma a silent stare and then continued to face forward, as it appeared Ranma ignored him completely.
"Oh he get tied up."
"Literally I bet." Ukyo said as she and Akane giggled.
"This so stupid why we need do this anyway. Shampoo think potion no work."
"What are you talking about? You have been throwing yourself at Ryoga since yesterday! And look at Akane!" Everyone paused in mid-stride to look at a meek Akane. "Um, well ok, so she is acting like normal, but she can't sleep at night dreamin' bout Pigboy."
Akane and Ryoga both turned and hit Ranma.
"I was not!"
"Don't call me that!"
A sound from above caught the travelers' attention. Something seemed to be stirring at the top of the cliff, a few stones bounced their way down the rock face to land near Ryoga's foot. He looked up from pummeling Ranma, still holding him by the collar.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, sounds like somebody's watching us from above." Ranma said, joining Ryoga in his upward gaze. Silently they all stood searching with their senses for any signs of their mysterious voyeur.
"Alright, who are you?!" Akane shouted getting frustrated.
"Yeah that'll do it Akane." Ranma received a quick punch to the face by Akane.
"Hahahahaha." The sounds of laughter echoed down to them, but still no sign of who, or where, it was coming from. "Well you finally noticed me and you call yourselves martial artists."
"Oh jeez, its Sumatra." Ukyo hung her head, as the others scanned the rocks for his position.
"Come down here and fight like a man." Ryoga yelled up to the descending voice.
"It seems that now you too will feel my wrath bandana boy. Take this!" Suddenly from nowhere water flood over the rocks and unto the party below.
"Ah Cold!" Female voices screamed in unison.
Ranma shook the water his hair and then a horrible thought flashed through his mind. "Oh no, Ryoga!" He immediately looked down at his side, hoping to find the little black piglet before anyone would notice. 'The poor sap what'll I-' His thoughts were interrupted as he found himself staring at a large pair of barely covered breasts.
"Huh?" He looked up at the brown eyes meeting her at her own level. He whipped his head to see THREE wet girls, looking at him shocked. Three girls, Shampoo hadn't changed into a c-cat. It was then he noticed, it wasn't him that they were staring at it was the girl next to him. The girl, that only seconds ago had a boy's body, much like himself. He turned back to her.
"Ryoga?"
"Ranma, when did you get so tall?" He looked at the other girls dazed, briefly noticing a change in his voice, a husky yet feminine change. "When did all of you get taller? Or am I just shorter?"
He looked from Akane to Shampoo to Ukyo back to Ranma, swallowed loudly, and then looked down at himself.
"Ahhhhhh!" A few drops of blood escaped his nostril as he fainted.
"Jeez, the only person in history to faint from looking at their own female body." Ranma said, catching his head before it hit the ground. "Hey Ryoga, you ok buddy?"
"Oh I so happy Shampoo cured!" Shampoo jumped around.
"Yeah, but look at poor Ryoga, he's a SHE." Akane rebutted.
"It ok he turn back with hot water."
"You're right, I'll go boil some up." Akane ran over to the pack with all the food supplies and started to make a fire.
"I think he's coming around." Ranma said as Ryoga's eyelids slowly started to flutter.
"Ranma? What happened?" He gradually sat up and felt his chest. "Oh my god, I have breasts!"
He started to swoon again, but a slap to the face from Ranma brought him out of it. "Get a hold of yourself Ryoga."
"That's easy for you to say, you turn into a girl all the time!"
"Hahahaha!" The sound of laughter floated down once more to the valley below. "Let me introduce you to Instant Spring of Drowned Girl. Just add water and presto instant curse. Think of this as your penance boy, or should I say girl. Hahahahaha!"
The figure in white looked down on them from above laughing maniacally.
"Why you!" Ryoga sprang to his feet and ran toward the rock face.
"Here Ryoga catch!" Akane yelled from behind him, throwing a kettle full of hot water in his direction.
"Oh no you don't, not yet." The boy through several blades cutting the kettle to bits before it could reach Ryoga. Quickly Ryoga started to climb the rock face toward the boy.
"I'm going to make you pay!" Ryoga froze as more water was splashed on him. He looked down relieved to see he was still human, although not too relieved to find two plump breasts staring up at him.
"I guess I never told you my grandmother was from China. They have all sorts of things there."
"Urg! You little runt get down here. Bakesitenketsu!" He extended his finger and struck the rock face causing the entire side to explode. Dust filled the valley, leaving no visibility. The sounds of faint coughing echoed off the rocks on either side.
"Ryoga!" Akane yelled between coughs. All four ran over to the rubble searching for some sign of him,
"Where Ryoga go?" Shampoo looked around worriedly.
"Hey Ryoga!" Ranma yelled.
"Alright I'm coming!" The husky female voice yelled down from above. The young girl bounced down the remains of the cliff's landing gracefully in front of them. He swept his hair out of his eyes with one hand and kept a grip on his pants with the other. Putting his arm down to his side, his shirt slipped off his shoulder, his clothes hung off his small frame.
"The little bugger got away from me in the smoke. It's a good thing you guys were yelling or I might have gotten lost." He smiled sheepishly, putting his arm behind his head. He looked at the four girls in front of him, all studying his new body with such interest. "What? It's definitely different."
"Ryoga built just like Ranma." Shampoo walked over and poked her well-formed chest giggling. Ryoga jumped at the touch and inched away from her toward Akane and Ukyo.
"She's right sugar. You make a real sexy girl." Feeling unsafe with them as well, Ryoga retreated to Ranma's side, even he seemed to be looking him up and down.
"It looks like you took more damage then usual." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, this body doesn't seem to have as high endurance to the breaking point. It's all soft and squishy, plus my clothes keep falling off. They don't seem to fit my girl form as well as yours do."
"Well you can wear some of our clothes if you like." Akane said smiling.
"Like they'll fit, he's got a larger chest then all three of you." All three towered over them angrily.
"He said it not me. I don't suppose we have anymore hot water?"
"Nope, he destroyed the only kettle we had."
"With this group we didn't bring more than one?" Ranma exclaimed.
"Well let's go back to the hot springs."
"And loose over a day of traveling, no way." Ranma pulled out the map to the temple. "Look we'll be passing by another bunch of hot springs soon if we keep going. So just cope with it."
"It won't be too bad Ryoga at least it was only Instant Nyannichuan. After you turn back you'll never change again." Akane beamed at him.
"Into a girl that is." Ranma added, while Ukyo and Akane looked confused.
"Shut up, Ranma." He punched him in the face, but he recovered quickly.
"Wow, you definitely lost your monstrous strength as a girl."
"Quiet Ranma! I can still kill you." He started to chase after Ranma, his oversized pants slowly him down. Finally, cornering him against the rock, he swung and Ranma ducked, the force of the blow splitting the rock in two.
"She don't seem weak." Shampoo commented.
"This is nothing compared to his usual strength."
"Ranma come back here and take your punishment like a man!" He finally shed his pants and ran after him in his boxers.
"Sure Ryoga as soon as you can dish it out as a man." He stuck his tongue out at the other girl and bounced from hiding behind each of the girls.
"Ugh! Stop hiding like a coward!"
"Still a slow poke give it up Ryoga."
"Will you two quit it we are wasting time." Akane was instantly between the two doing her famous breast clamp attack. Both girls fell to their knees. "Now Ryoga, you can't run around like that."
He looked down and noticed his shirt didn't leave much to the imagination. He adjusted it to the appropriate modesty level then secured it with a tight knot in the front. He also rolled up the waistband on his boxers to ensure they wouldn't fall down while he walked.
"There that should do, right?"
"Don't you think you should wear some undergarments?" Akane looked down at her sternly.
"I'd rather not if that's ok." Ryoga looked scared.
Ranma leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Welcome to my world bud." He gave him an evil smile.
"Ah come on Ryoga-chan we can dress you up in all sorts of frilly things." Ukyo laughed, watching the girl turn bright red before her eyes. Shampoo was suddenly attached to Ryoga, her chest pressed against his back.
"If Ryoga no want to wear bra is ok. Shampoo no wear." She smiled as a full stream of blood began to flow from his nose and he fell over passed out. Ranma squatted down next to him a look of amusement on his face.
"I don't think he's going to live through this."
"Nothing could surpass the patheticness of life at this very moment." Ryoga sat hunched over on a large boulder, his face resting in the palm of his hand.
"Now now Ryoga-chan don't get all moody." Ukyo giggled, looking at the attractive brunette before her.
"Ha ha ha, very funny. I am going to start calling you Ucchan if you don't stop making fun of me." There wasn't much bite left in him and his new voice, although it had a sultry deepness to it, just didn't sound the same when he was angry. Ryoga sneaked a glance over at Akane and Ranma, setting up camp for the night, purposely not speaking to each other.
"Is it all that bad being a girl Ryoga?" She said putting her hands on her hips.
"Yes, of course it is. All this fleshy roundness and I'm short. I mean, I wasn't that tall as a guy, now I get to be a short girl. Plus I am a lot weaker in this body."
"Well at least you stayed human when you changed." Ryoga straightened and thanked the powers that were watching over him for that.
"OK, Shampoo find two springs close by each other a few minutes from here. Is perfect no?" She skipped over and hugged Ryoga; it still bothered him even in his current form. "Soon Ryoga back to being man."
Ukyo was looking over at the two giving the amazon a cold stare. "Well let him go and we'll have him back to himself."
Shampoo got up and led the group into the forest until they came to a less dense patch of trees that seemed to split into two paths. Ranma and Ryoga started in one direction together. Shampoo bounced up behind the two crushing them in a hug.
"Shampoo miss you, don't have too much fun." Ranma and Ryoga eyed each other, faces pressed together. "Why can't we just all bath together, it not like we no see each other naked before and we all girls now."
Tension filled the air. Ranma and Ryoga violently wiggled out of Shampoo's chokehold.
"When have you seen him naked!" Akane shouted looking furiously from Shampoo to Ryoga.
"Yeah Ryoga, how is it that you and Shampoo have seen each other naked." Ranma gloated over the brunette. Before Ryoga could reply their reverie was interrupted by a revelation from Shampoo.
"Like pervert girl never see Ranma naked!"
"It's not like I WANTED to see him!"
"Ha! Like looking at you was anything to get excited over!" Before Akane could retaliate Ryoga grabbed Ranma by the throat.
"RANMA, how dare you defile Akane's innocence!"
"What are you more upset about that she saw me or that I saw her?" Ranma choked out barely audible.
"Come on girls they are both men, well they will be, I think we can leave them alone together to bath." Ukyo dragged the two reluctant women over to the other hot spring.
"Ah…" Ranma stepped in the pool of hot water and grew in size. He relaxed as he always did when changing into his true form. He wadded into his chest and looked back to his companion disrobing on dry land. Ryoga untied the knot in his shirt and lifted it over his head. He realized that the others were correct, Ryoga had a similar build to his female side; slender, muscular, and well endowed. Although the feminine curves said otherwise, the mannerisms were wholly male. Ryoga kicked off his boxers and turned toward the spring to find himself under Ranma's scrutiny. He looked down at his body and fought back the threatening nosebleed.
"I guess you're the last person I have to tell how weird this is." He awkwardly shifted on his heals with a hand behind his head. A smile slowly crept across his face. "Now back to being normal!"
He sprung through the air landing in the pool creating a tidal wave of water. Ryoga emerged from the water and looked up at Ranma. Looked UP? Both Ranma and Ryoga looked down to find two breasts slightly submerged in the water.
"AHHHHH!!"
"What was that?" Akane said, each of the girls turning from their pleasant soak to the direction of the commotion, then back to each other and continued to soak.
Revised 7/15/00
Disclaimer - All that legal mumbo-jumbo. This isn't mine it's
somebody else's and they get all the money.
Oh yeah - Any comments, compliments, "you suck" emails to JLee011@sprintmail.com
Lin Lee