Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and it's characters are the product and property of rumiko takahashi and viz video.
A Bengal Tale
Part Nine
By Michael Fetter
"This is a nice place." Genma stated as they walked through gold plated streets crowded with expensively dressed people. The buildings around them were many stories taller than most found in Nerima and sported various pictures of famous actors.
Soun nodded in agreement as he looked up from another gold star on the sidewalk. The name was in English he thought, but it must have been someone very famous. Too bad it was ruined by someone's handprint.
"Excuse me?"
Genma and Soun both looked up at the same time to see a young man in brown trousers, yellow shirt, and a bandanna wrapped about his head. He seemed familiar, but just then they were happy to meet anyone that spoke Japanese. Perhaps this young man could point them in the direction of Nerima.
"Could you tell me how to get to Furinkan High?"
Soun blinked and looked back at his companion who blinked in response. "Well, that was where we came from so I guess if you go that way," he pointed in the direction they had come from, "you should get there."
Nodding, the young man strolled of, with his heavy bamboo umbrella over one shoulder, to Soun's left.
"Weren't you going to ask him how to get to Nerima?" Genma asked a step behind Soun.
Shaking his head, Soun turned to consider the strange young man, who was quickly lost in the crowd. "Are you kidding? We're just looking for Nerima. That kid's trying to find Furinkan High. He's more lost than we are."
The weekend was such a glorious thing after five long days of listening to people prattle on about the things you never wanted to know in the first place. It was much more enjoyable to lie in bed for the couple of extra hours just holding onto Ranma as they slept.
In Akane's arm, she held a large medical journal covering the many soothing techniques for injuries. Ranma was up on the fence again, jumping about as she always did, except now . . . She hoped there was something Dr. Toufuu could do.
Turning up a small walkway, Akane patted her thigh. "Pussycat."
Ranma jumped from the fence to land beside Akane and rub up against her leg, purring. "Aka-rowr-ne."
It started up this morning, the feline growling. It was a terrible thing to hear at first light. Ranma's voice was soft and sweet still, but her mind was slipping further and further with every passing day. It almost seemed like a chore for Ranma to speak at all.
She tried to make Ranma stand up again, but the redhead only went to her haunches or would jump in her arms.
Depressed, Akane walked into the clinic to be instantly greeted by the doctor.
"Well, good morning, Akane." Toufuu smiled pleasantly as he stepped through the exam room door.
"Good morning, Toufuu-sensei." Akane bowed then offered the book for his to take. "Kasumi says thank you."
"K-K-K-K-Kasumi! Oh of course! Hahahaha! No problem at all!"
Ranma cocked her head to one side as the cool and collected doctor's glasses started to fog up. He moved about the room, bouncing into objects, and picking up his skeleton. This was very amusing. The new man Akane was talking to must be a playmate, she surmised with a grin.
Bounding into the little twister of mayhem the doctor was creating, Ranma circled then planted her hands on his chest while she licked him across the face.
The action shocked Toufuu from his love hysteria and he looked down at the redhead who was still holding herself up against his chest. She smiled and pushed to get him back into action, but he only blinked.
"Ranma!" Jumping forward, Akane grabbed the smaller girl about the waist and held her back from the doctor. "I'm very sorry, Toufuu-sensei. She only does that to remember her friends by. It doesn't mean-"
"It's alright, Akane." Toufuu waved away the apology. "This must be the visitor your sister told me about."
"Sister?"
"Nabiki." Toufuu nodded. "She wanted to know what sort of sedatives could be used if Ranma got excited."
Akane frowned; she was going to talk to her sister about this later. "Ranma has a small problem because of his martial arts training and this curse, or curses."
". . ."
Akane watched as the doctor stooped down to pet Ranma behind the ears as she walked about him again. "Do you want to see it?"
Considering for a moment, Toufuu finally nodded. "It might help me. Do you need anything for the change?"
"A glass of hot and cold water and somewhere to change."
Dr. Toufuu finished checking over Ranma where she sat, in human form, on his table. He barely blinked as he watched the change. Taking everything very professionally, he took a look into her ki and how it differed between forms.
Ranma had gotten bored quickly and tried a few times to leave, but Akane reprimanded her so she sighed and waited. This wasn't any fun at all.
"Alright." Toufuu stepped away to let Ranma jump off the table.
"Is there anything you can do for her Toufuu-sensei?"
"I'm sorry, but no." He tried to lift the girl's spirits with a smile and a reassuring hand on her arm. "Ranma is healthy, happy, and young. There is still the possibility that she could come out of this on her own. From what I can see, something traumatic occurred and when she got the second curse, Ranma began to protect herself by letting the insanity consume her. She may not be here at all if it weren't for you, Akane."
Akane blushed slightly as Toufuu held her arm. He didn't see it with her face down, but Ranma did.
"Rowr." Ranma's hand came up to knock Toufuu's away.
"Ha!" Toufuu smiled, smacking his hand down on the table. "Cats can be so territorial."
Blushing more, Akane was being pushed out of the clinic by a slightly more upset Ranma. The redhead glared at Toufuu for a second then continued nudging Akane by the hip. "Bye, Toufuu-sensei."
"Goodbye, Akane, Ranma."
Mutely, Akane walked through the open air market, a basket in hand. Kasumi had given her a list of things to buy, but she barely registered the weight of her filling basket. Akane's thoughts kept returning to Toufuu-sensei and what he told her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Akane could see a flash of light and her reflection. She turned to the mirror and gazed upon its image. What was it like to see a person in the mirror and not know who they are? Ranma had become such an important part of her life, a shared pain when one was hurt. Akane ached for them both since Ranma could not even understand what was happening.
She had to be strong. Akane could see the toned muscle and lean figure staring back at her with determination. So strong, and yet, on the inside she shook like a leaf in the wind, waiting for a breeze to sweep her away.
Why did this have to happen? Where was it written that love required such a painful journey to attain?
"Hey you! Come back here!"
A blur of red. Akane watched through the mirror as Ranma hopped over other pedestrians to land on all fours and continue her sprint. Without thinking much about it, Akane reached out, snatching Ranma by the pigtail.
Ranma jerked backwards immediately, not wanting to pull on her red hair. The fish in her mouth was dribbling juices along her chin and jaw. She mumbled something inarticulate in protest, but did not remove herself from Akane's grasp.
"Caught you, huh?! Little thief!" A little old man with a white smock around his waist stumbled through the crowd. He looked slightly winded, offering a quick smile to Akane.
"Pussycat. I told you to behave while we were in the market." Said Akane with a disapproving tone.
Ranma slumped a little and grabbed the tail of the salmon from her mouth to hold out for the old man. "Raowr . . Pussycat sor-rowr-ry."
Sighing, Akane patted the little girl on the head then offered the vendor some money for the fish. He accepted it grudgingly, leaving with a shake of his finger at Ranma.
Ranma smiled as Akane handed the fish back to her, clamping her mouth over the meaty part and began to munch. It did bother Akane a little that Ranma was eating a whole raw salmon in human form, but it contented the redhead.
"I suppose that puts an end to our shopping." Akane noted the few items she had yet to purchase. Kasumi would likely shrug and say it was alright. It was better than Ranma stealing.
"Pussycat? Are you sure you can handle the demon?" Akane asked, though she never looked back at her lover. The conversation would likely be one-sided the way things were going anyway. It was just comfortable to hear something being said. "If you beat him, the Amazons will probably just return to their village peacefully. I don't think they even know what they're doing."
Since the incident in the school locker room, Akane had been thinking of what Shampoo had told them. The Amazons were very kind and generous while they were visiting. It was a possibility that the demon came looking for them later, took over the tribe, and was using them to track Ranma down. She wondered how they could have been controlled so easily though? Magic was certainly possible, thank the curses for that insight, but people still have a will. The demon must have perverted their thoughts.
"Pussycat," Akane reached down to pet the redhead, "do you think that-" she reached further without making contact. Stopped in her tracks, Akane scanned the crowd for the missing redhead. A leash would certainly come in handy.
There.
Akane worked her way through the crowd and around other vendors to the opposite sidewalk where Ranma stood. The redhead seemed curious about something and was staring, unmoving, at the person.
Katana in her right hand, the older woman stared back at Ranma. She was maybe in her mid fourties, only a few wisps of gray in her hair. Certainly a beautiful woman, but her posture was straight in the pressed kimono she wore. Authoritative and stately, a woman bearing a silk-wrapped katana was not to be disturbed.
"Pussycat, don't run off like that." Akane tried to pull the little girl along, but she wouldn't budge.
Ranma was caught in mid-chew, staring at the tall woman. She reminded her of someone. So familiar. Her brow scrunched up in confusion as she tried to search her memories for this woman.
"Young lady, I told you it is impolite to keep someone like this. Now please step aside." The woman's voice was slightly harsh. Ranma only cocked her head, examining the woman from a different angle.
"I'm sorry." Akane apologized for Ranma. "I think she's just curious about the katana. Please excuse us." Akane pulled again, this time Ranma followed slowly, her eyes remaining on the older woman.
"Honestly, you can be quite a handful when you want to be." She scolded the redhead. After seeing the katana, Akane had been a little concerned that the woman would draw the blade on Ranma. It was a stupid thought, though. Who does things like that anymore?
Ranma seemed lost for a few minutes after seeing the woman in the market. She walked calmly beside Akane, an introspective look on her face. For a time, Akane was hopeful that Ranma was beginning to see her way back to sanity.
That woman, Akane reflected, must have triggered a memory from Ranma's childhood, before the curse. Maybe, if she was lucky, Akane could find more of those memories and bring the martial artist back completely.
Ranma is happy, healthy, and young. That's what Dr. Toufuu said. The memories Akane would likely have to search for were anything but happy, she believed. A traumatic event in her past.
Akane stared at the silent redhead. Where should she begin? The Neko-ken was traumatic, but that would have driven Ranma insane long before she met the boy. Boy.
"Of course!" Akane smacked her hands together. "His curse. HIS." So long she had seen the redhead, it was easy to forget what Ranma truly was. Akane could remember how violently Ranma reacted the first time he discovered the curse. He would have beaten her unconscious if it weren't for their fathers.
Gritting her teeth, Akane saw Genma in her mind. It must have been that bastard who messed Ranma up so badly. He went mad when he first realized his curse and it didn't take much to set him off into the berserker in the beginning, just call him a girl. Akane had done much the same at the springs and then in the Amazon village. Both times Ranma had become a force of nature, his power growing as he learned to control the berserker.
Ranma was so against being a woman, his last few, real, thoughts were too walk to the bathroom and change into his worst fear to escape wearing girl's clothing.
Smirking, Akane hastened her pace a little. She needed to find something from Ranma's childhood; remind his he was still a boy despite his appearances.
Something tugged at her sleeve.
Stopping, Akane followed an excited Ranma's gaze across the street. "What is it Pussycat?"
Ranma pointed and hopped up and down. Happy yelps and growls, she stared at a new restaurant opening up on the outside of the market district. There was no sign out yet, but the lights were on and someone was moving around inside.
"We don't have time Pussycat and you already ate." Ranma shifted in indecision, looking between Akane and the restaurant.
Akane considered Ranma's reaction again. Perhaps the building was triggering another memory. Sniffing the air, it was a wonderful aroma, egg and meat. Something they were both able to recognize.
Biting her lip, Ranma tried tugging on Akane's arm for a moment. She didn't want Akane mad, but it smelled so nice over there. It made her mouth salivate and stomach growl.
Akane let herself be guided across the street by the ecstatic redhead. They were at the front door to the restaurant in a few seconds. "Hello?"
The door was open and the sound of something sizzling on a grill could be heard. New chairs were stacked on top of recently installed tables. Everything was clean, not a smear of dust anywhere.
"Not open yet." Came the tired voice from the kitchen.
"Ukyou-san?"
Ukyou Kounji, chef's outfit smudged with a mornings cleaning job, poked his head out of the kitchen to see the front door. "Do I know you, Miss? Oh, hi Pussycat."
"Do you mind if we come in for a moment?" Akane asked, though Ranma had already hopped into the restaurant and over to the stools at the counter.
"No, make yourselves at home." Ukyou smiled at the redhead, spinning on top of the first stool. "Do you go to school with Pussycat?"
Blushing, Akane bowed. "I'm sorry. My name is Akane Tendou."
Ukyou blinked. "Like the cat?"
"Excuse me?"
Gesturing to Ranma, "She brought a tiger to school the day I met her, named Akane."
Understanding, Akane nodded, sitting beside Ranma. It was then she noticed the mess on the redhead's hands and face. "Do you mind if we use a bathroom to clean Pussycat up?"
"Uhm . . yeah, up those stairs and on the right. You two want anything to eat?" It was strange that Pussycat hadn't said anything. She just sat there, looking around the kitchen and making little purring sounds.
Akane was about to decline when Ranma's stomach rumbled in time with her own. It was a little after lunch, and unlike Ranma, she hadn't eaten since early this morning. "Yes please."
Winking, Ukyou headed back into the kitchen. "Two Ukyou okonomiyaki specials coming up."
Mixing up some batter, Ukyou heard the two girls head for the bathroom, running water from the sink. What was wrong with Pussycat? Could this be the Akane, the redhead had been talking about in school? The names were still very odd. Ukyou guessed that Ranma named the tiger after meeting the real Akane. That would make some sense.
Footsteps from the stairs alerted Ukyou to the two girls' return. Akane sat down at one of the stools, pulling Pussycat onto her lap, whispering into the redhead's ear. Staring a moment, Ukyou's eyes wandered down to where the girls' arms intertwined. Pussycat was rubbing Akane's skin as she was held about the waist.
"Why did you take off Pussycat's shirt?" It was hard not to notice the misbuttoning as it left Pussycat's shirt crooked, showing off her flat stomach and bellybutton.
"It took time for the water to heat up."
"What?" What did cold water have to do with Pussycat's shirt?
Akane blinked then realized what she said. "I mean, she, uh, got salmon juice all over."
It took Ukyou a moment, but he finally nodded, hoping they hadn't done anything else. He had nothing against those kinds of relationships, but not in his bathroom. "Well, lunch is served."
Setting down three plates of food, Ukyou decided to join the girls for lunch. He watched Akane eat slowly, savoring the taste like someone who knew what to expect. Pussycat was different. She jumped right into her okonomiyaki, finishing half of it before pausing to taste what was in her mouth.
"So this is your restaurant?" Akane asked.
Ukyou nodded. "I was going to have my grand opening next week sometime."
"You just got here too. Must be hard to work in a restaurant and go to school." She noted.
"Well," Ukyou looked about the kitchen, "I probably won't be going to school now that the place is ready to open."
"Oh." School was boring, but Akane understood it was a very important thing to do. She couldn't tell Ukyou that, though. The young man had to support himself and he couldn't do that in school. "What are you going to call the place?"
Finishing her okonomiyaki, Ranma smiled and clapped her hands. Looking about the room, she fixed gazes with the young man. "Ucchan!"
Ukyou smiled. "Sounds good, sugar."
Missing the conversation while she was eating, Ranma hopped out of Akane's lap, over to Ukyou, and picked the boy up, hugging him tightly. "Ucchan! Ucchan! Ucchan!"
Ukyou blushed at the redhead's affectionate nature, attempting to extricate herself from the firm grasp. "That's nice, sugar, but I think you better let me-"
He was cut off as Ranma suddenly dropped him to the ground. Akane, who was about to protest the redhead's actions, started searching the room for what caught Ranma's attention; it could mean trouble.
Ranma continued to sniff the area while Ukyou stood up, rubbing his posterior and frowning slightly. "What was-"
He was cut off again as Ranma stared straight into his eyes. Ukyou looked ready to argue, but Ranma pulled him down, sniffing about his collar then further along his waist. Finished, she stood back up and stared questioningly at Ukyou then let her hand-
"Hey!" Ukyou nearly latched onto the ceiling to prevent Pussycat's probing fingers.
"Ranma!" Akane fumed, readying her charge on the little girl.
Ukyou landed on the counter, knocking over one of the glasses of water. "Ouch."
Splash.
Rip.
"Growl."
Smack.
Akane let her hand drop from her forehead and stared at another set of Ranma's clothing gone to ribbons. Why did this always seem to happen to her so often? "Ranma come here." Akane demanded, she was still plenty upset at what the redhead had done. "Are you alright, Ukyou-san?"
He wasn't. In fact, he was sitting rigidly, staring at the tiger that had suddenly appeared in his restaurant.
"Ukyou-san?" Akane stepped up to the boy and shook him by the arm. "Snap out of it! Pussycat isn't going to hurt you."
Finally, Ukyou blinked. "Pussycat?"
Akane nodded, motioning for the tiger to come closer. "It's a curse we picked up while in China."
"You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?"
Frowning, Akane looked at Ranma then Ukyou.
Ukyou swallowed and grinned sheepishly. "Good point." Getting into a kneeling position, he got closer to the Bengal tiger, extending his hand slowly. Ranma let his head drop into Ukyou's hand, rubbing his fur against Ukyou's palm. "Poor thing. This is it, isn't it?"
"What?" Akane arched an eyebrow.
"Why she acts like a cat. Ranma isn't handling the curse very well."
A nod. "You could say that, Ukyou-san."
"You called her Ranma before. Is that her real name?"
Another nod.
"Strange name for a girl." Ukyou continued to rub the tiger's fur. "I knew a boy named Ranma once."
Akane gasped in excitement. "Really?!" Could this be why Ranma got so excited? Was Ukyou a childhood friend or something! This could be just what Ranma needs to get better!
Ukyou nodded. "My fiancee."
Blinking, Akane looked at Ranma. "He was gay?"
Ukyou almost choked then blushed as she recalled how Pussyca-Ranma discovered her little secret. "N-No, I'm a girl."
"WHAT?!"
End Chapter Nine
Man, this little series got popular quick. Good thing I have the thing well in mind. For those wondering, I'm planning on finishing A Bengal Tale in about thirteen chapters the way I have it planned.
Anyway, send C&C to jehtek@hotmail.com
And visit my website at www.geocities.com/jehtek/
Ja ne.