Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and all its characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and have been used without permission. This fanfiction was written for personal enjoyment, and hopefully the enjoyment of the readers.

Key:

"speech"

::thoughts::

flashback

//speech over the phone//

Carousel:

Usotsuki

by Rain

Part Nine.

Ranma pushed his way through a thicker gathering of low maple branches, scattering dead leaves in the path behind him. A little further ahead, Shampoo trudged through the underbrush, blazing along a long forgotten trail.

The absolute silence, only found in such a remote area, was sliced through with a discordant jangle.

Ranma reached into his pocket for the cell phone Nabiki had insisted he take with them, and not finding it, tried the other.

"God dammit, I hate these things!" He struggled for a good few minutes with the tiny phone until he could finally get it to answer. "What?!"

//Ranma?//

"Yeah it's me, what is it Nabiki?"

//Where are you? It's getting late.//

"Yeah, yeah, I know. We're somewhere outside of Takaragawa… Idunno, maybe about… five miles out to the north-west?" He looked further on to Shampoo questioningly, who nodded. "Why?"

//Well, like I said, it is getting late. Kasumi absolutely insisted I call and check on you, of course. She figured four and a half hours is long enough to start panicking. Really. Any sign of where you're headed?//

"Not yet, but I think we might be getting close. Shampoo's told me the path is leading straight up this mountain we're coming up to, and it should either be at the base before the steep climb, or it'll be tucked into one of the crevices. We'll find it."

//Good. I'll let everyone know. Be careful.//

"We'll be fine, Nabiki," Ranma sighed.

//Yeah, try and tell that to Kasumi. Call when you're at the station.//

"Right. Bye." Ranma snapped the small phone shut, and glanced at the surrounding landscape, frowning slightly. It was starting to get dark. He hoped they'd find the place before night fell.

::We'll find it soon:: he reassured himself, moving on again.

*           *           *

"Kasumi, relax. Everything will be just fine," Nabiki calmly told her sister for the thirteenth time in the last hour.

"I'm just worried," Kasumi said again, twisting her apron strings. Nabiki had returned home for an early dinner, and to keep Kasumi company for a while before she went back to the clinic.

"Yes, I know this, Kasumi," Nabiki sighed, exasperated. "But there isn't anything to worry about." ::Actually, there's plenty, but that's not the smartest thing to say to Kasumi:: she thought disdainfully to herself.

"I just hope we can rely on Shampoo-chan. I still can't believe she could do something so terrible."

"Apparently, neither could she," Nabiki replied squarely. "But she could very well be telling the truth. And let's face it, what other options have we got?"

Kasumi nodded wanly, looking out through the screen doors to the garden. The koi pond had been left undisturbed for days now; it felt odd, and by now even the koi seemed to miss the commotion.

*           *           *

"This shrine we need," Shampoo indicated a small, run-down Shinto gate that was hidden just behind one of the mountain's deeper fissure walls. "Scroll we need kept safe here. We bring back, read ki charm, Akane blood clean. Is simple."

"Sounds like a plan," Ranma replied, following her lead up the slowly sloping trail.

About twenty minutes later Ranma and Shampoo climbed the final stair to the entrance of the ancient shrine. It looked as though it was leisurely falling into the first stages of disrepair, but it was evident that someone lived here at least part of the year.

"Gomen kudasai…!" Ranma called into the dusty entryway.

Silence, except for the rustling of the leaves on the trees and the creaking of the foundation settling as night crept over the mountainside.

Then, all of sudden, a hunched old man, dressed in orange monk's robes, stepped out of the shadows without a sound. Shampoo jumped.

"How may I help you?" The man's tone was light and pleasant, if weathered by age, and Ranma felt oddly like he had just walked down the street to the corner market for soy sauce.

"Er… We're on a sort of quest… That is-"

Shampoo stepped forwards impatiently. ::Honestly:: she thought ::It takes a woman to do things right.:: "Excuse us. Shampoo and Ranma-" she pointed to Ranma, who smiled uneasily, "-come to your shrine look for Amazon scroll. Is ancient ki attack scroll. We need find scroll about Kire No Shi. You have, yes?" Ranma mentally gave Shampoo ten points for rapidity.

"Ah, yes, the Kire No Shi… An extremely risky and complex ki formation, for both the victim and its conjurer," he added, glancing sideways at Shampoo wisely. She looked down shamefully. "Well, let's see now…"

By now he had led the two into the depths of the old shrine, pacing among shelves upon shelves of scrolls and the like that made Toufuu's collection look like that of an amateur. Climbing a long, spindly ladder, the man rummaged around the volumes with a thin, knobby finger.

"By the way, my name is Jintsu. You said you were… Ranma?" Ranma nodded affirmatively. "And Shampoo, was it?" Shampoo did the same. "You're an Amazon yourself if I'm not mistaken, young lady." He pulled out one thin, crumbling scroll, frowned at it, replaced it, and resumed his searching.

"Yes… Shampoo is…" she suddenly stopped, and her expression changed from one of tentative pride to one of uncertainty. "Shampoo was Amazon. But no more. Shampoo… Shampoo disgrace her tribe. Shampoo no… no longer fit be Amazon warrior," she finished, looking down again.

"Now, now, that's hardly necessary. I've found the more aged laws of the Amazons, as well as their elder council members to be a morsel too harsh on the subject of proper punishment. And I am getting the distinct impression that your crime surpasses the forbidden use of such a… debatable course of action."

Ranma found himself shocked at Shampoo's past measures once again that day. Forbidden? Shampoo must really have been desperate.

"Shampoo…?" he asked cautiously. She turned to him questioningly. "What, exactly, what kind of punishment were you…?"

Shampoo's face darkened in light of the subject. "Shampoo fail fulfill Kiss of Death. Shampoo also fail marry." Ranma remembered those escapades, all right. "Shampoo… If Shampoo return to China, to her people… Shampoo be… executed."

::Executed…::

Ranma was shaken by the severity of punishment among the Amazons, although, when he thought about it, remembering some of the sinister ways Cologne seemed to pride in so well, he wasn't sure what he had been expecting.

"Ah, here we are…" Jintsu piped up again, descending from the rafters, a scroll in hand. "The Kire No Shi. All the documentation on the technique, its effects on the victim, modifications, and reversal techniques."

Ranma perked up at the words "reversal techniques." Shampoo looked extremely relieved.

"The only known reversal charm is this one," he pointed to a drawing and cluster of Chinese characters on the scroll he had laid out along a table in the center of the room. "The Te Na Dameru. There are three parts to the charm. Only one of the three is necessary to reverse the Shi attack's damage. And that is the mantra the original conjurer chants to the victim. The necessary arrangement and items of merit are illustrated here, as is the pattern of markings to be applied to the victim."

"We use Amazon sepia ink, yes?" Shampoo asked proficiently.

"Yes, naturally. You have the ink?" Jintsu continued.

"Yes, Shampoo have with her always. Not safe to leave at home." Shampoo looked unsure at the word "home" upon saying it, and Ranma put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about that right now," he offered lightly. "We'll figure it out."

Shampoo looked slightly cheered by that prospect, and turned back to Jintsu's instructions.

"Jintsu-san?" Ranma questioned, thinking back to what he had told them about the reversal charm. "You said only one of the parts was necessary, right?" Jintsu nodded. "Well, what are the other two for?"

Jintsu sighed resignedly, he had been hoping the two wouldn't ask about the remaining parts of the charm. They didn't need to worry about complications like that now. They were most likely short on time.

"The other two parts are only used if the victim doesn't respond to the mantra. In that case, the conjurer would resort to a blood pact."

"Blood pact?" Ranma and Shampoo chorused; Ranma looking curious, while Shampoo looked apprehensive.

"Yes, an exchange of a small amount of blood between victim and conjurer. The clean blood of the conjurer works to enhance the effects of the mantra, and create a bond between the two. A very powerful bond. This bond cannot be broken, and it connects the two by the honor code of the ancient blood pact. It is a very serious step to take, but as I can see, you and your intended victim are in the process of patching up the damage. Am I right in thinking so?" he eyed Shampoo with the piercing, yet calm gaze of a wizened man. Shampoo looked hesitant to reply, but Ranma nodded confidently. "Very well then. If it does come to that, then there should be no problems."

"And third part?" Shampoo asked softly.

"I was hoping you wouldn't mention that. But I suppose it would be best for you to be aware of the seriousness of the options. The third and final alternative is, as there is no other way to reverse the damage, exorcism of the tainted blood. A very risky procedure, and not one hundred percent success rate either. All in all, the worst case scenario, and even then, it is not wise."

Ranma blanched, and Shampoo made a small, squeaking noise in surprise.

"Of course, I highly advise you against that, no matter what your reasons. Whether or not it works, it is not worth the trouble it will cause you in the aftermath."

Ranma tried to erase that implication from his mind as they rolled up the scroll and quietly headed for the entrance once again.

"Domo arigatou, Jintsu-san." The two bowed deeply to their elder benefactor.

"No need, no need." Jintsu waved an impatient hand at the pair. "Any time."

"Let's hope there won't be a next time, no offense," Ranma laughed wryly.

"None taken, I understand completely. Oh, Shampoo? May I have a quick word, before you go?"

Shampoo followed him over to the side.

"I would just like to recount to you a bit of advice I think would be of some use to you. Perhaps it is best that you are no longer a part of your Amazon tribe. I know, I know, it is a matter of pride and honor-" Jintsu added hastily at the adverse look Shampoo gave him, "but all I am saying is you may be able to take this experience and learn from it. Perhaps you can use it to become all the better a person on your own for it, rather than a lesser person as a part of it. It's something to think about. I am sure you were meant for better things; you are a strong warrior, no doubt. You would have been expelled from your clan long ago if that were not the case. It just may be that, in spite of all it has taught you, it is time for you to learn what kind of person you wish to become on your own."

Shampoo looked wary of the suggestion, but seemed to agree on a certain level. To Jintsu at least, this appeared to be some kind of progress, as he smiled genuinely and patted her on the arm.

"You'd best be on your way. You have a long journey home, I take it. I would invite you to stay the night, but I know you are running low on time," he finished humbly.

"Oh, don't even think of it, Jintsu-san, we'll be just fine. Besides, we do need to be getting home, the sooner the better," Ranma agreed. "Thank you again, for all your help."

Jintsu handed the scroll to Shampoo, and waved at the two until they were lost from view.

::Good luck to you:: he mused solemnly. ::You most likely won't make use of it, but good luck to you all the same.::

End Part Nine.

All right! Flameraven told me how to change my user settings, so now people can review without having to sign in! Yay! *does the wave again*

Zeleanre, my other half: Stop that!

Rain: *pouts*

Sorry for the agonizingly long wait! I'm on part 10 as we speak.

Until my next post; next day delivery or sooner, guaranteed!

::Rain

P.S. Contact me at creepyoldmanwink@yahoo.com

I am not a creepy old man. I am a teenage girl. It's a joke with a friend. So there. ^_~