The ½ Life
Title: The Dream
A.N. I seem to be working on this one more than my Inu-Yasha crossover. So don't expect any changes to A Hidden Secret Revealed:A New Adventure! too soon. I might not update until this story has at least 7 chapters.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Ranma ½
"talking"
~thoughts~
(author notes)
(~words on a sign~)
*something happening*
_italic_
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Last time:
Using the last of her energy, and still in the air, ESM decided to use the new attack she made from watching the Starlights battle. She extended her hand and concentrated really hard and shouted, "Star Shower Eliminate!"
She saw, with satisfaction, that her attack worked. Millions of tiny, sharp stars shot from the palm of her hand and hit the monster. It cried out in pain (ESM grimaced at this) and exploded into a pile of moon dust that blew away in the wind.
"Dusted," ESM whispered as she felt water surround her and went unconscious from the lack of energy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ranma bent down and scooped up the rabbit that once had been a girl. The golden rabbit stirred slightly but did not wake up. Seeing that it was still bleeding, Ranma ran toward the guide's hut and burst in.
"Oi!" he shouted at the guide. "A girl fell into one of the springs and turned into a rabbit, but it's still bleeding!"
"Aiyah!" the guide said. "I get maid before she leave!" he left the hut and returned a few minutes later with a woman in a blue flowered kimono.
"Gae woa tah," she said in Chinese.
"She say give me her," the guide translated when he saw Ranma's blank face.
Ranma hesitantly handed her the rabbit and she went behind a curtain. She came back out to grab a kettle full of hot water from the stove. Making sure that it wasn't too hot she poured it onto the rabbit. When the rabbit transformed back into a girl, the maid cleaned her wounds and wrapped them. She brought out a pink kimono with crescent moons from the bag she brought and dressed the girl.
As she came out from behind the curtains, she took them down and bowed to the guide and said, "Jy jien" then left.
Ranma turned and got a good look at the girl and immediately thought, ~She's beautiful.~ He blushed. ~I don't even know her!~ He thought angrily.
"We let her rest," the guide said. Ranma turned toward his father to say something and sweat dropped.
"Pop, do you _like_ bein' a panda?!" he shouted.
The panda held up a sign. (~Hai~)
Ranma fell over. "You're hopeless," he muttered.
There was a knock at the door. "Excuse me," a voice said. They turned toward the door. There were three people standing in the entrance. One was a blue haired woman, a brown haired man, and a brown haired boy, most likely their child. The boy spoke up.
"Um, we were wondering if you found a blonde girl with her hair in odan--" he spotted the girl. "Usagi!" he cried out and ran to her.
"Is that your daughter?" Ranma asked, facing them.
The mother nodded. "My name's Ikuko Tsukino and this is my husband, Kenji," she motioned to the man standing next to her. She began to fidget. "Did you happen to see anything strange happening when you found--"
"Don't worry," Ranma interrupted. "Her secret's safe with us." They didn't seem too sure about that. Suddenly a bucket of cold water hit Ranma and got him wet.
"What'd ya do _that_ for?!" a red haired girl in Ranma's spot shrieked at the panda who whistled and pretended to look surprised. (~Do what?~)
Usagi's parents just stood there and blinked.
"Duh-did you just--?" Kenji began.
The red head sighed. "Yeah, I turned into a girl." They stood there, shocked. "Ya see, when my Pop and I came to Jusenkyo we fell into the cursed springs. I fell into the spring of the Drowned Girl and my Pop fell into the spring of the Drowned Panda. Now when we're splashed with cold water we turn into our cursed forms, and splashed with hot water turns us back until the next time we're spl--ACK!" Ranma yelled as she felt a boiling sensation on her head.
"Whoa," Shingo said, pulling back the kettle. "You're _right_!"
Ranma, now a boy, turned to him with his eyes bulging slightly. "It doesn't need to be _that_ hot!" he calmed down a little. "Unfortunately, your daughter happened to fall into one of the springs while she was battling that monster."
Ikuko gasped while Kenji looked shocked. Shingo said nothing. Then, suddenly he asked, "What does Usagi turn into?"
"Usagi turns into a golden rabbit with silver ears and paws." Seeing Mr. Tsukino start to head toward Usagi, Ranma said, "I think you should let her stay here for the night. She needs the rest."
Seeing her husband open his mouth to argue Ikuko quickly said, "That should be fine. When she wakes up please tell her to come back to the hotel we're staying at." Motioning for Shingo to come, she grasped Kenji's arm and they left. A few seconds after they left they could hear Kenji's shouts.
"But she's with a _boy_!" he shouted.
"But you're lucky dad!" Shingo's voice could also be heard. "He's half _girl_!"
They continued to argue for a few more minutes until they left Jusenkyo.
Ranma sweat dropped.
"I'm gonna go ta sleep now," he said. The guide had kindly told them that they could spend the night at his hut and had brought out two futons. Ranma climbed into his futon and heard a splash of water, then heard his father climb into his futon. He slowly fell asleep and had a strange dream.
~*Dream*~
Ranma walked around in a fog and looked down on himself. He was wearing a strange armor. It consisted of a gold chest plate that had a silver star with a circle in the middle, a golden cape with the same silver sign, silver boots with a golden version of the sign, and a sword with a golden handle. ~What the heck am I wearin'?!~ Ranma thought.
He walked through the mist and soon saw a massive building up ahead. As some of the fog cleared he saw a figure up ahead. It seemed to be a girl because it had a petite body. The fog cleared but the face stayed blurred.
She had golden hair and a white dress. But, the most distinguishing feature about her was the crescent mark that glowed brightly on her forehead. She began to speak.
"Please, you must help me. The person whom I thought was my soul mate has deceived me. If I don't do something, he will turn my protectors against me," she said, just above a whisper.
Ranma was alarmed. "Help you? How? How do I help you?" he yelled. But she began to fade away.
"Please, help me," she whispered.
"Wait! How do I help you?!" Ranma shouted, but she had disappeared. Suddenly she reappeared again. "Hey!" he shouted, but it seemed that she did not hear him. Ranma ran up to her and grabbed her arm, only to have it go through her. "Wha--?" he started to say when a cold voice spoke from the shadows.
"Serenity, have you been hanging around that Sunarian again?" it said in a harsh way.
"Why does it matter to you?" the girl, Serenity said. Ranma concluded that they couldn't see him and watched.
"Because you're betrothed to _me_!" a man stepped out from the shadows. He wore the same kind of armor Ranma was wearing except where there was gold it was black and where it was silver it was blood red. His sign was a rose.
"I can always convince mother to change the betrothal," Serenity said, coolly. "After all, I'm only betrothed to you because mother wants Earth to become part of the Silver Alliance. If we happen to go to war, mother can defeat you easily without _any_ deaths. I _know_ what you're after for," she narrowed her eyes. "You're only after power. Once we get married you'll do as you like, whether or not I agree with it, Endymion."
"You're right!" Endymion cackled. "I _am_ only after power! But, your mother won't know that, and you _will_ marry me willingly," he said and then his eyes glowed.
"Run!" Ranma shouted, but remembered that they couldn't hear him.
Serenity looked frozen as she glanced into his eyes, it was as if she was paralyzed and couldn't look away. Her eyes began to dull.
"You'll marry me," Endymion said, taking a step toward her. "You'll marry me and forget all about the damn Sunarian, what's-his-name, Tamashi," Endymion sneered at the name.
"I will marry you," Serenity began in a lifeless tone. "And forget," she blinked and shook her head. Her eyes shined again and she glared at Endymion. "What are you doing?!" she shouted.
His eyes narrowed and he grabbed her face. His eyes glowed again.
Serenity's eyes turned dull again. "I will marry you and forget about Tamashi," she finally said. Endymion smirked.
"You belong to me now," he said. "Now, time to get _rid_ of that Sunarian, to make _sure_ that you'll never regain your memory," he whispered and the scene began to fade away.
"Serenity!" Ranma shouted, somehow her knew her! Everything went black, and Ranma slowly blinked his eyes. ~It was just a dream?~
Ranma slowly sat up and smelled something delicious, as he looked toward the front of his futon he found a two trays full of delicious looking food. Immediately he forgot about the dream and dug in.
***
~*While Ranma was having his dream (early morning)*~
Usagi slowly blinked as she woke up. "Ugh," she muttered, "I feel like I've been hit by a truck." She looked at the kimono she was wearing. "When did I get _this_? Although, I _do_ like it," she giggled.
Seeing the bandages wrapped around her she healed her wounds and took them off. ~I need to train, but I can't ruin this kimono!~ Usagi thought. She took her Gi from her sub-space pocket and changed into it, putting the kimono into the 'pocket' when she was done.
She got up and looked around. She was in a hut. She heard a noise and looked toward it. There was a man and a _very_ hot guy sleeping. She giggled when she saw the teenage guy. His futon was kicked aside and his legs were tangled into it. She saw a door and looked in.
There was another man inside it sleeping.
~I guess they were the ones who took care of me,~ Usagi thought. ~I should do something nice for them!~ she looked around. There was another entrance that led to the kitchen. ~I know! I can make them breakfast!~
She got to work and took out the rice (I don't know what Japanese people eat for breakfast), some eggs, bacon, and got to work. When she was finished, half an hour later, Usagi had made enough food to feed two armies. "If that guy and his dad eats as much food as I do, this should make them full until tomorrow," Usagi said. Each person got two trays of food and Usagi placed them at the front part of each of their futons.
She also put two cups of tea next to the trays. After she finished her breakfast, Usagi headed outside to train. At just about that same time Ranma woke up and ate his food.
Usagi set to work training. She started out by tying some heavy rocks to her arms and legs and started to run. She ran five miles around Jusenkyo when she stopped to do the next part of her training.
Tying on more rocks she started to punch and kick at the trees near the hut.
Ranma finished eating and patted his stomach. "That was the best meal I've ever had!" he said. This woke up his father.
"Food!" he cried out and attacked his food. The guide walked out of his room.
"Thank you for food," he said, bowing.
"Huh?" Ranma said, confused. "I thought _you_ made the food."
The guide shook his head. "I no make food." He looked around. "Where girl go to?"
At that Ranma too looked toward the spot where Usagi had slept. She wasn't there. Then his ears perked to the sound of thumps. He got up and poked his head outside. His eyes widened as he saw Usagi training.
~But, she looks so fragile!~ he thought. ~How can she be training?~
Not noticing Ranma Usagi continued to punch and kick. She pretended that the tree was her opponent and jumped into the air. Usagi stuck both of her hands above her head and said, "Silver Moon Comet!" A silver ball of energy formed above her hands. As if it were a baseball she threw it toward the tree.
It gained speed as it came closer. When it came in contact with the tree a bright silver light came from it and when it died down nothing was left of the tree.
An "Ahem" made Usagi's head snap up. She looked toward the hut and saw the guy staring at her. She blushed. "Hello," Usagi said shyly.
~She looks cute when she blushes,~ Ranma thought and almost blushed himself. "My name's Ranma Saotome," he said, sticking out his hand.
Usagi took his hand and shook it. "My name's Usagi Tsukino. Um, did you happen to be the person who brought me here?" she indicated to the hut. Ranma nodded, then looked toward the ground.
"But, when I got you, you fell into one of the springs," he said. Usagi looked unconcerned.
She blinked. "So?"
Ranma found it hard to look her in the face. "Well, ya see, these springs are cursed, and if you fall into one of them you take the form of whatever drowned there when splashed with cold water. Hot water changes you back until the next time."
Usagi's eyes widened. "Wuh-what do I chuh-change into?" she stuttered.
Ranma looked into her eyes and said, "You fell into the spring of the Drowned Rabbit."
Silence. Then....
"At least it's not a rat. You fell into one too, didn't you?" Usagi said quietly. Ranma nodded.
"I fell into the spring of the Drowned Girl and my Pop fell into the spring of the Drowned Panda."
Usagi sighed.
"Oh well. That makes _two_ curses," she muttered.
Ranma looked surprised. "Two?"
Usagi nodded. "Two. I'm guessing you saw that I battled that monster yesterday?" he nodded. "Well that's one of my curses." She sat down and sighed. Ranma sat down beside her. "It's because of something that happened along time ago that I'm cursed with having to battle monsters," she left out the part about being reborn from a princess a thousand years ago. "Having the fate of the world on your shoulders, that's worse than turning into a rabbit. Knowing that a mistake you make, that could mean the end of the world, is unbearable," Usagi said, tears starting to form in her eyes. They slowly fell down her face.
Ranma felt sad for her. She was right. Having a curse that changes you into something is nothing compared to saving the world. She was correct to call that a curse.
"The worst part of this," she continued. "is that I dragged my friends into it. They too have to carry the burden."
Ranma uncomfortably wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Soon her cries slowed down and stopped completely.
"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "I'm sure that you didn't want to hear about my problems."
"It's okay," Ranma said. "I didn't mind."
Usagi turned red as she saw that his arms were still around her. Ranma seemed to have noticed, too because he turned red and let go. Usagi immediately missed the warmth. Their eyes met and they slowly leaned closer until....
"RANMA!"
He jumped into the air and blushed. Usagi also blushed.
"Um, that was my Pop." He muttered.
"Ranma!" his Pop said again, coming outside. "We have to go now, the guide is going to show us a tournament nearby."
Ranma started to say something when Usagi stood up and said, "I guess I should go now, my parents are probably worried." He nodded and watched her walk away. She turned around. "I hope I see you again soon Ranma!," She called out. "Until next time! Sayonara!"
"Sayonara, Usagi!" Ranma called after her retreating figure. Genma eyed his son. He blushed. "What?! Are we going to see some tournament or not?" and he started into the hut to get the guide.
Genma stayed outside and grinned. So, his son liked that girl? ~Hadn't I seen her before? In a picture or something?~ Genma thought. He shrugged and went back inside.
~Silver Moon Princess~ Heheheh. I hope all Usagi and Ranma lovers liked this chapter! No Japanese translations this time. My head hurts. But just in case you're wondering, Tamashi means life, I think.
Title: The Dream
A.N. I seem to be working on this one more than my Inu-Yasha crossover. So don't expect any changes to A Hidden Secret Revealed:A New Adventure! too soon. I might not update until this story has at least 7 chapters.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Ranma ½
"talking"
~thoughts~
(author notes)
(~words on a sign~)
*something happening*
_italic_
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Last time:
Using the last of her energy, and still in the air, ESM decided to use the new attack she made from watching the Starlights battle. She extended her hand and concentrated really hard and shouted, "Star Shower Eliminate!"
She saw, with satisfaction, that her attack worked. Millions of tiny, sharp stars shot from the palm of her hand and hit the monster. It cried out in pain (ESM grimaced at this) and exploded into a pile of moon dust that blew away in the wind.
"Dusted," ESM whispered as she felt water surround her and went unconscious from the lack of energy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ranma bent down and scooped up the rabbit that once had been a girl. The golden rabbit stirred slightly but did not wake up. Seeing that it was still bleeding, Ranma ran toward the guide's hut and burst in.
"Oi!" he shouted at the guide. "A girl fell into one of the springs and turned into a rabbit, but it's still bleeding!"
"Aiyah!" the guide said. "I get maid before she leave!" he left the hut and returned a few minutes later with a woman in a blue flowered kimono.
"Gae woa tah," she said in Chinese.
"She say give me her," the guide translated when he saw Ranma's blank face.
Ranma hesitantly handed her the rabbit and she went behind a curtain. She came back out to grab a kettle full of hot water from the stove. Making sure that it wasn't too hot she poured it onto the rabbit. When the rabbit transformed back into a girl, the maid cleaned her wounds and wrapped them. She brought out a pink kimono with crescent moons from the bag she brought and dressed the girl.
As she came out from behind the curtains, she took them down and bowed to the guide and said, "Jy jien" then left.
Ranma turned and got a good look at the girl and immediately thought, ~She's beautiful.~ He blushed. ~I don't even know her!~ He thought angrily.
"We let her rest," the guide said. Ranma turned toward his father to say something and sweat dropped.
"Pop, do you _like_ bein' a panda?!" he shouted.
The panda held up a sign. (~Hai~)
Ranma fell over. "You're hopeless," he muttered.
There was a knock at the door. "Excuse me," a voice said. They turned toward the door. There were three people standing in the entrance. One was a blue haired woman, a brown haired man, and a brown haired boy, most likely their child. The boy spoke up.
"Um, we were wondering if you found a blonde girl with her hair in odan--" he spotted the girl. "Usagi!" he cried out and ran to her.
"Is that your daughter?" Ranma asked, facing them.
The mother nodded. "My name's Ikuko Tsukino and this is my husband, Kenji," she motioned to the man standing next to her. She began to fidget. "Did you happen to see anything strange happening when you found--"
"Don't worry," Ranma interrupted. "Her secret's safe with us." They didn't seem too sure about that. Suddenly a bucket of cold water hit Ranma and got him wet.
"What'd ya do _that_ for?!" a red haired girl in Ranma's spot shrieked at the panda who whistled and pretended to look surprised. (~Do what?~)
Usagi's parents just stood there and blinked.
"Duh-did you just--?" Kenji began.
The red head sighed. "Yeah, I turned into a girl." They stood there, shocked. "Ya see, when my Pop and I came to Jusenkyo we fell into the cursed springs. I fell into the spring of the Drowned Girl and my Pop fell into the spring of the Drowned Panda. Now when we're splashed with cold water we turn into our cursed forms, and splashed with hot water turns us back until the next time we're spl--ACK!" Ranma yelled as she felt a boiling sensation on her head.
"Whoa," Shingo said, pulling back the kettle. "You're _right_!"
Ranma, now a boy, turned to him with his eyes bulging slightly. "It doesn't need to be _that_ hot!" he calmed down a little. "Unfortunately, your daughter happened to fall into one of the springs while she was battling that monster."
Ikuko gasped while Kenji looked shocked. Shingo said nothing. Then, suddenly he asked, "What does Usagi turn into?"
"Usagi turns into a golden rabbit with silver ears and paws." Seeing Mr. Tsukino start to head toward Usagi, Ranma said, "I think you should let her stay here for the night. She needs the rest."
Seeing her husband open his mouth to argue Ikuko quickly said, "That should be fine. When she wakes up please tell her to come back to the hotel we're staying at." Motioning for Shingo to come, she grasped Kenji's arm and they left. A few seconds after they left they could hear Kenji's shouts.
"But she's with a _boy_!" he shouted.
"But you're lucky dad!" Shingo's voice could also be heard. "He's half _girl_!"
They continued to argue for a few more minutes until they left Jusenkyo.
Ranma sweat dropped.
"I'm gonna go ta sleep now," he said. The guide had kindly told them that they could spend the night at his hut and had brought out two futons. Ranma climbed into his futon and heard a splash of water, then heard his father climb into his futon. He slowly fell asleep and had a strange dream.
~*Dream*~
Ranma walked around in a fog and looked down on himself. He was wearing a strange armor. It consisted of a gold chest plate that had a silver star with a circle in the middle, a golden cape with the same silver sign, silver boots with a golden version of the sign, and a sword with a golden handle. ~What the heck am I wearin'?!~ Ranma thought.
He walked through the mist and soon saw a massive building up ahead. As some of the fog cleared he saw a figure up ahead. It seemed to be a girl because it had a petite body. The fog cleared but the face stayed blurred.
She had golden hair and a white dress. But, the most distinguishing feature about her was the crescent mark that glowed brightly on her forehead. She began to speak.
"Please, you must help me. The person whom I thought was my soul mate has deceived me. If I don't do something, he will turn my protectors against me," she said, just above a whisper.
Ranma was alarmed. "Help you? How? How do I help you?" he yelled. But she began to fade away.
"Please, help me," she whispered.
"Wait! How do I help you?!" Ranma shouted, but she had disappeared. Suddenly she reappeared again. "Hey!" he shouted, but it seemed that she did not hear him. Ranma ran up to her and grabbed her arm, only to have it go through her. "Wha--?" he started to say when a cold voice spoke from the shadows.
"Serenity, have you been hanging around that Sunarian again?" it said in a harsh way.
"Why does it matter to you?" the girl, Serenity said. Ranma concluded that they couldn't see him and watched.
"Because you're betrothed to _me_!" a man stepped out from the shadows. He wore the same kind of armor Ranma was wearing except where there was gold it was black and where it was silver it was blood red. His sign was a rose.
"I can always convince mother to change the betrothal," Serenity said, coolly. "After all, I'm only betrothed to you because mother wants Earth to become part of the Silver Alliance. If we happen to go to war, mother can defeat you easily without _any_ deaths. I _know_ what you're after for," she narrowed her eyes. "You're only after power. Once we get married you'll do as you like, whether or not I agree with it, Endymion."
"You're right!" Endymion cackled. "I _am_ only after power! But, your mother won't know that, and you _will_ marry me willingly," he said and then his eyes glowed.
"Run!" Ranma shouted, but remembered that they couldn't hear him.
Serenity looked frozen as she glanced into his eyes, it was as if she was paralyzed and couldn't look away. Her eyes began to dull.
"You'll marry me," Endymion said, taking a step toward her. "You'll marry me and forget all about the damn Sunarian, what's-his-name, Tamashi," Endymion sneered at the name.
"I will marry you," Serenity began in a lifeless tone. "And forget," she blinked and shook her head. Her eyes shined again and she glared at Endymion. "What are you doing?!" she shouted.
His eyes narrowed and he grabbed her face. His eyes glowed again.
Serenity's eyes turned dull again. "I will marry you and forget about Tamashi," she finally said. Endymion smirked.
"You belong to me now," he said. "Now, time to get _rid_ of that Sunarian, to make _sure_ that you'll never regain your memory," he whispered and the scene began to fade away.
"Serenity!" Ranma shouted, somehow her knew her! Everything went black, and Ranma slowly blinked his eyes. ~It was just a dream?~
Ranma slowly sat up and smelled something delicious, as he looked toward the front of his futon he found a two trays full of delicious looking food. Immediately he forgot about the dream and dug in.
***
~*While Ranma was having his dream (early morning)*~
Usagi slowly blinked as she woke up. "Ugh," she muttered, "I feel like I've been hit by a truck." She looked at the kimono she was wearing. "When did I get _this_? Although, I _do_ like it," she giggled.
Seeing the bandages wrapped around her she healed her wounds and took them off. ~I need to train, but I can't ruin this kimono!~ Usagi thought. She took her Gi from her sub-space pocket and changed into it, putting the kimono into the 'pocket' when she was done.
She got up and looked around. She was in a hut. She heard a noise and looked toward it. There was a man and a _very_ hot guy sleeping. She giggled when she saw the teenage guy. His futon was kicked aside and his legs were tangled into it. She saw a door and looked in.
There was another man inside it sleeping.
~I guess they were the ones who took care of me,~ Usagi thought. ~I should do something nice for them!~ she looked around. There was another entrance that led to the kitchen. ~I know! I can make them breakfast!~
She got to work and took out the rice (I don't know what Japanese people eat for breakfast), some eggs, bacon, and got to work. When she was finished, half an hour later, Usagi had made enough food to feed two armies. "If that guy and his dad eats as much food as I do, this should make them full until tomorrow," Usagi said. Each person got two trays of food and Usagi placed them at the front part of each of their futons.
She also put two cups of tea next to the trays. After she finished her breakfast, Usagi headed outside to train. At just about that same time Ranma woke up and ate his food.
Usagi set to work training. She started out by tying some heavy rocks to her arms and legs and started to run. She ran five miles around Jusenkyo when she stopped to do the next part of her training.
Tying on more rocks she started to punch and kick at the trees near the hut.
Ranma finished eating and patted his stomach. "That was the best meal I've ever had!" he said. This woke up his father.
"Food!" he cried out and attacked his food. The guide walked out of his room.
"Thank you for food," he said, bowing.
"Huh?" Ranma said, confused. "I thought _you_ made the food."
The guide shook his head. "I no make food." He looked around. "Where girl go to?"
At that Ranma too looked toward the spot where Usagi had slept. She wasn't there. Then his ears perked to the sound of thumps. He got up and poked his head outside. His eyes widened as he saw Usagi training.
~But, she looks so fragile!~ he thought. ~How can she be training?~
Not noticing Ranma Usagi continued to punch and kick. She pretended that the tree was her opponent and jumped into the air. Usagi stuck both of her hands above her head and said, "Silver Moon Comet!" A silver ball of energy formed above her hands. As if it were a baseball she threw it toward the tree.
It gained speed as it came closer. When it came in contact with the tree a bright silver light came from it and when it died down nothing was left of the tree.
An "Ahem" made Usagi's head snap up. She looked toward the hut and saw the guy staring at her. She blushed. "Hello," Usagi said shyly.
~She looks cute when she blushes,~ Ranma thought and almost blushed himself. "My name's Ranma Saotome," he said, sticking out his hand.
Usagi took his hand and shook it. "My name's Usagi Tsukino. Um, did you happen to be the person who brought me here?" she indicated to the hut. Ranma nodded, then looked toward the ground.
"But, when I got you, you fell into one of the springs," he said. Usagi looked unconcerned.
She blinked. "So?"
Ranma found it hard to look her in the face. "Well, ya see, these springs are cursed, and if you fall into one of them you take the form of whatever drowned there when splashed with cold water. Hot water changes you back until the next time."
Usagi's eyes widened. "Wuh-what do I chuh-change into?" she stuttered.
Ranma looked into her eyes and said, "You fell into the spring of the Drowned Rabbit."
Silence. Then....
"At least it's not a rat. You fell into one too, didn't you?" Usagi said quietly. Ranma nodded.
"I fell into the spring of the Drowned Girl and my Pop fell into the spring of the Drowned Panda."
Usagi sighed.
"Oh well. That makes _two_ curses," she muttered.
Ranma looked surprised. "Two?"
Usagi nodded. "Two. I'm guessing you saw that I battled that monster yesterday?" he nodded. "Well that's one of my curses." She sat down and sighed. Ranma sat down beside her. "It's because of something that happened along time ago that I'm cursed with having to battle monsters," she left out the part about being reborn from a princess a thousand years ago. "Having the fate of the world on your shoulders, that's worse than turning into a rabbit. Knowing that a mistake you make, that could mean the end of the world, is unbearable," Usagi said, tears starting to form in her eyes. They slowly fell down her face.
Ranma felt sad for her. She was right. Having a curse that changes you into something is nothing compared to saving the world. She was correct to call that a curse.
"The worst part of this," she continued. "is that I dragged my friends into it. They too have to carry the burden."
Ranma uncomfortably wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Soon her cries slowed down and stopped completely.
"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "I'm sure that you didn't want to hear about my problems."
"It's okay," Ranma said. "I didn't mind."
Usagi turned red as she saw that his arms were still around her. Ranma seemed to have noticed, too because he turned red and let go. Usagi immediately missed the warmth. Their eyes met and they slowly leaned closer until....
"RANMA!"
He jumped into the air and blushed. Usagi also blushed.
"Um, that was my Pop." He muttered.
"Ranma!" his Pop said again, coming outside. "We have to go now, the guide is going to show us a tournament nearby."
Ranma started to say something when Usagi stood up and said, "I guess I should go now, my parents are probably worried." He nodded and watched her walk away. She turned around. "I hope I see you again soon Ranma!," She called out. "Until next time! Sayonara!"
"Sayonara, Usagi!" Ranma called after her retreating figure. Genma eyed his son. He blushed. "What?! Are we going to see some tournament or not?" and he started into the hut to get the guide.
Genma stayed outside and grinned. So, his son liked that girl? ~Hadn't I seen her before? In a picture or something?~ Genma thought. He shrugged and went back inside.
~Silver Moon Princess~ Heheheh. I hope all Usagi and Ranma lovers liked this chapter! No Japanese translations this time. My head hurts. But just in case you're wondering, Tamashi means life, I think.
