Disclaimer- See first part.
Warning- Nothing new, really.
Author's Notes- I chose to cut part of this episode because I wanted to have the introduction of Nuriko be all one episode. Plus, it's after that I plan to diverge from Fushigi Yuugi's original plot anyway.
For anyone in the world who DIDN'T know, Suzaku no Miko means Priestess of Suzaku. Sorry, I just prefer to use that term.
Lyrics from Fushigi Yuugi's "For My Loved One" are quoted in this chapter, taken from the translation on the Fushigi Yuugi box sets. Again, thanks.
Shi shi hokodan- the attack is used for dramatic effect. I know Ryouga sure didn't have that attack back then. For those who didn't know it's Ryouga's most powerful attack, which he finds later in the show, allowing him to channel all his depression into a huge blast of energy.
Sorry about the 'Last Time On...' and 'Next Time On...' segments. Suzaku no Miko ½ isn't actually that silly or random, so I needed a chance to unleash that. -sweatdrops-
And finally, something I realized while writing this chapter- Ranma and Miaka are alike in a few ways after all, aren't they?
***
Opening Theme- Winner
Suzaku no Miko ½
by Starbrigid
Last Time on Suzaku no Miko ½!
Saotome Ranma WAS just an ordinary schoolgirl in Japan. But then-
Okay, cut. Maybe we CAN'T exactly say THAT.
She's hardly ordinary- she's a martial artist.
She wasn't in Japan at the moment, she was in China.
And she... isn't actually a girl.
She has a curse that turns her into one temporarily.
But she's really a boy.
Weird?
Yeah, we know.
Long story.
Well, anyway, she got sucked into this weird book.
And this guy named Hibiki Ryouga showed up and started reading it after she was gone.
You know?
Ryouga?
He's this rival of his- hers now?
With freaky strength and bad direction sense?
Yeah.
You know Ryouga.
So anyway, when she was sucked in, she kept getting repeatedly rescued by Tamahome.
He's this guy with the character for ogre on his forehead.
He really annoyed her.
Saving her and all.
She made Tamahome, who really loves money, agree to help her find her father for free.
Let's just say her fist did a bit of talking.
Ranma's not known for diplomacy.
And Ryouga, while reading all this, had issues.
Not that he doesn't usually.
Things seemed okay.
But nothing went go exactly as planned for Saotome Ranma, as always...
Episode 2- Suzaku no Miko
Ranma dreamed.
In his dream, Ryouga sat on the ground before him, unusually docile, his large, rough hands holding a book. Ranma ran towards where his rival waited for him, a sense of urgency filling his now male body.
"Ryouga? Ryouga, man, what the hell were you doing at Jusenkyo? Why couldn't you hear me when I called to you?"
Ryouga turned and looked up at him, face brimming with overwhelming emotion- Ryouga had always had trouble hiding any of what he felt. Indeed, the teenage boy's large brown eyes were filled with angry, accusing tears, and his mouth was poised in a snarl, fangs flashing sharp and deadly.
"WHY did you run from our man to man fight?" Ryouga yelled, ignoring Ranma's stream of questions. "From the moment I met you, you've been making my life MISERABLE, Ranma! Stealing my bread, beating me up, not fulfilling your promises, making me run all the way to CHINA-"
WEAK.
Ranma felt an nonchalant, ugly smile crawl across his face. "No one ever told you to follow me here, if that's what you did. I never wanted to be part of your life- who'd want to be around someone as pathetic as you? Why are you so OBSESSED with me? It's really sickening." He smiled wider, satisfied- then stopped, grin fading when he saw the shocked, destroyed expression on Ryouga's face, realizing what he'd done. He hadn't meant- hadn't meant to- he WASN'T-
Ryouga stood there, stunned, then looked up to the sky, resigned sadness and acceptance in his every movement, true tears running down his cheeks as his hands slowly forming the position for an attack. Ranma heard him yell three unfamiliar words- "Shi... shi... HOKODAN!" A huge light burst from Ryouga, then slammed down into the ground. The place Ranma and Ryouga stood on crumbled to pieces beneath them, and they both fell-
"RYOUGA!"
***
"Who's Ryouga?"
Ranma's eyes opened and took in her unfamiliar surroundings. She was lying on the floor of what looked vaguely like a jail cell. Tamahome was leaning over her, giving her an assessing look.
"Who's Ryouga, Ranma?"
Ranma blinked, disoriented. "What's- where am I-"
Tamahome snorted. "SUZAKU. Here we are, stuck in prison, and you just lie there sleeping like a baby, then now you don't even remember how we got here? This IS all your fault, you know..."
Ranma winced as she DID remember just why they were in jail. "Oh, yeah. We got captured by the Konan soldiers-"
"Because of YOU," Tamahome growled. "You just HAD to pick a fight with me in front of the imperial caravan, THEN insult all the guards, THEN start glowing and disappear and reappear like some weirdo- Well, aren't you going to say anything? An explanation? Why you can glow? Maybe just who the hell the Ryouga guy you were yelling about before is?"
Ranma's fists clenched. "It wasn't my fault, you idiot. You were being a jerk. The guards had it coming, too. And I didn't mean to start GLOWING. If YOU had defended us against the guards after I came back and was still disoriented, we wouldn't be here."
Tamahome glared at her. "You think I can take on the emperor and his forces? If I'd tried, we'd be a whole lot worse off than we are now. We'd be DEAD. And you still didn't say who Ryouga is." Ranma remained silent. Tamahome looked ready to throttle the arrogant girl who seemed intent on remorselessly ruining his life- then sighed, moved away from the arrogant girl, and lay back down on the ground. "This is stupid. We shouldn't fight all the time. I guess it wasn't ALL your fault what happened."
"Yeah," Ranma said, not moving an inch.
Tamahome rolled his eyes. "You sure don't give a guy much, do you?"
Ranma was quiet. She remembered Ryouga. From the moment I met you, you've been making my life MISERABLE-
"Thanks," she said uncomfortably, looking down so she wouldn't meet Tamahome's eyes. "For helping me. And putting up with- stuff."
"Don't worry," Tamahome grinned. "You're a pain in the ass, but somehow, I like you. I'll help you find your father. Because you're a strong, brave person, and I want to protect that. I want to protect YOU."
This time, Ranma yell that she didn't need protection like she had last time. She knew that she didn't need to be PROTECTED by Tamahome, but like it or not, she did need HIM.
"Hm. On top of everything, Tamahome, I'm really hungry," Ranma remarked to her companion a bit later. "Bet you are, too."
Tamahome sighed. "Think the guard could get us some food? Unless you have an idea for how to break out..."
Ranma eyed the wooden bars- WOOD? What had she been thinking? She had been able to blow up wood since she was nine! She grinned. She had never been the type to think things through, so why not just do it? "Watch this, Tama-chan!" she yelled, ignoring the guard. Without any more warning, she drew her fist back and drove it through the wood easily, shattering their prison.
The guard took one look at her determined expression and the destruction she had caused, then screamed, "MONSTER!" and ran for it. Ranma snickered.
Tamahome stared at her, dumbfounded. "How did you do that?" Ranma smiled, full of self-satisfaction. "And..." he facefaulted, scratching his head and turning to glare at her, "Why didn't you do that before?"
Ranma shrugged. "No reason. And I've been telling you I'm no damsel in distress, you just haven't been listening. Now let's go, neh, Tama-chan?"
"I guess not," Tamahome marveled. Then he turned with a dour expression. "DON'T call me Tama-chan."
The two of them snuck up the hall, dodging from side to side.
"This makes me feel stupid," Ranma complained.
Tamahome opened his mouth to say something, no doubt rebuking- then blanched, hearing footsteps.
"Someone's coming," Ranma hissed. She and Tamahome both ran off in opposite directions- then ran back and smacked right into each other.
"What are you DOING?" she cried, incensed.
"What about you?" he retorted.
The two of them glared at each other for a second- it seemed they could never stop fighting- then both ran off in the same direction. They ended up running into a dark room.
To Ranma, the place screamed FOREBODING. She rolled her eyes. "Great choice of a place to run to, huh?" she said sarcastically, then stopped.
"Ranma," Tamahome said in a monotone.
"Huh?"
"Look at that."
"Huh?" She turned around- and gaped. A huge golden statue stood proudly in the center of the room, depicting a beautiful bird- a phoenix. "What's that?" she wondered out loud, marveling. Ranma, was at heart, a bit of a simpleton.
"It's Suzaku," Tamahome explained, a sudden, unusual reverence in his voice and posture. "Suzaku the Phoenix is a god. There's one god each for the north, south, east, and west. The god who protects the east is..."
This bored Ranma, who had tuned him out after the third sentence. Gods, gods, blah, blah, who cared. Far more interesting was that delicious smell drifting in- it was- FOOD!
And Ranma was gone.
"Well, enough talking, we should just see about getting out of here, right, Ranma?" Tamahome turned.
No Ranma!
"Aw, man, she ran off? Typical. RANMA!"
***
Ranma snuck into the kitchen and plopped herself in front of a tray of food. She inspected the spread of gourmet delicacies before her, barely containing her drool. To someone who hadn't eaten anything in days- this was-
After one look, she attacked.
***
She snuck out after she'd had her fill- okay, not her FILL, Ranma was ALWAYS hungry, but when she was mostly full. "Okay, Tama-chan, let's get outta this dump-"
No Tamahome!
"Aw, man," Ranma groaned. She'd left Tamahome behind when she'd gone in search of food, and she couldn't find her father without him! What was she supposed to DO?
She heard low laughter from behind her and spun around- then nearly fell over in shock, struck speechless. Before her sat the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Long, silky honey brown hair spilled down over his shoulders and poured down his back. His body was shrouded by a long lavender robe, but his stance and careless movement as he pointed out her way belied grace and sophistication. His bronze skin shone like a jewel, flawless. His face was sharply, perfectly carved, as if by the hands of the gods Tamahome had been speaking of. Skillfully defined high cheekbones rose gently next to newly opened eyes that shone with amusement and kindness.
"You're lost, aren't you? The gate's over there. You can get out," he spoke, voice low and sweet.
Ranma stared, spellbound. She- whoa. "I... wasn't actually looking to get out, I was looking for a friend of mine, but thanks," she whispered, unconsciously straightening her hair and clothes.
"You're the girl they captured before, aren't you?" he said, rising to his feet slowly. Ranma's eyes narrowed. Was he- dangerous? Could anyone so beautiful be a fighter?
"It seems you ARE," he said, voice full of deceptive intelligence.
Ranma, eyes still fixed on the stunning figure before her, shook her head. "I- you shouldn't bother with me. I'm no one you know here anyway. And as you can see, I didn't stay captured for long." Ranma's eyes narrowed. "I can't take the chance of you squealing on me." She looked reluctantly at the mysterious man. She didn't really want to pick a fight with this guy for some reason. "You gonna tell?"
He smiled beautifully. "Don't worry, I'm on your side." He took a step forward, practically gliding, an apparition before her. "You can put your fists down. You and your friend won't need to fight here."
Ranma looked at him. There was something about him- despite his beauty and gentleness, she could feel strength and power emanating from him, from his tall form, his aura, which in truth were part of that beauty, fed its masculine strength. Ranma's senses, honed from years of martial arts training, said the man was not all he appeared to be. "Can you fight?" Ranma asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
He looked startled, and she could see a bit of the facade he'd put up slip away. "Why do you ask that?"
Ranma smirked. "I can tell from your movement and your aura that you're a fighter. A sword-fighter, I'd guess. Sword-fighters are kinda rare these days, but I guess since this is ANCIENT China-"
He glided even closer to her, Ranma's body uncomfortably registering the tall man's proximity. He was just as perfect up close. "Why do you say 'ancient China?' This is Konan."
Shit. Open mouth, insert foot the size of Jusenkyo. "I'm not- from around here-" Ranma said uncomfortably. She could feel her face reddening. "I'm from far away. Really far away. A-another world, in fact," she blurted out, then winced. That was even worse! He was gonna think she was completely crazy!
To her surprise, his gold eyes glinted, excitement and something else entirely filling his slender but powerful frame. "That's amazing..." Then Ranma could feel soft, graceful hands sliding to cup her face and pull it closer. She let out a little gasp and didn't resist, for once quiet.
"Relax," he said, absently fingering a strand of Ranma's bright red hair that had come loose. "My name is Hotohori..."
"Saotome Ranma desu," she whispered. She had no idea how to introduce herself formally to some classy person- who woulda taught her etiquette? POP? But it didn't really matter. Hotohori still sparkled before her in the shining sun. "Say, who are you, anyway, Hotohori?"
Hotohori's hand slid down her cheek slowly. "Does it... matter?" he whispered. Ranma's body, trained for fighting and rudeness, was unused to such gentleness. She shivered. It was a MAN... and...
"Come on, walk, let's go!" a harsh voice disrupted the movement.
Hotohori pulled away quickly. Footsteps sounded in their- palace guards were coming up the walkway. Ranma tensed. She didn't want to get Hotohori caught up in a fight. But to her surprise, her companion seemed calm, and he even tried to draw her off to the side to protect HER. "Quickly! Hide!" he hissed, but Ranma batted his hand away, peaceful mood gone, shaken out of her trance and pulling herself together.
"L-Like- Like hell I'd hide, Hotohori," she scowled, looked. The guards had an unresisting Tamahome with them, his hands bound before him. His eyes widened when he caught sight of her, and he tried to signal for her to run, but the guards had spotted her.
"It's the girl!" they cried, and advanced forward. Ranma fell into a fighting stance, but- Tamahome was unsure- COULD she really defend herself- he had never seen- she WAS just a GIRL, a girl who cried for someone named Ryouga while she dreamed in his arms-
You're a strong, brave girl, Ranma, and I want to protect that. I want to protect you. Because I- I-
Tamahome seemed frantic at first, then angry beyond belief. Ranma watched, amazed, as, ogre symbol flaring, his bonds suddenly snapped. Tamahome threw himself at the bulky soldiers, launching himself into them with a beautiful, fluid savagery, cutting down one after another. Ranma grinned, impressed (go TAMA-chan!) and made to help him.
"STOP!" a voice cried to the guards. Hotohori stood before them, robe wrapped around him, looking very different how he had before- a regal aura now surrounded him like a crown. "This two are under my protection. If you hurt them, I won't let you live!"
Tamahome looked floored. "Who- who are you?" Ranma snickered, forgetting her dismay at Hotohori's audacity when she saw Tamahome's reaction to his appearance- then stopped DEAD when she heard the guards gasp as well- and WHAT they said-
"It- it's the Emperor!"
And all the guards bowed down low before Hotohori. Tamahome was the first of the two to speak. "S-seriously? You're the EMPEROR? Of KONAN?" Hotohori nodded, silky hair falling in his face as he inclined his head down gracefully.
With a surprisingly high-pitched squeal, Tamahome hurled himself onto the ground. Then he noticed Ranma wasn't bowing, just staring at Hotohori, shocked. Tamahome looked up, elbowed her. "Bow," he hissed.
Ranma scowled. "Look, I don't care 'bout emperors or nothing, I ain't bowing to NOBODY. I'm Saotome Ranma, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, and the 'Emperor' said we were friends." Her bravado faltered a bit as her eyes locked on Hotohori's noble form. "Right, H-Hotohori?"
The guards gasped at her impudence, and even Hotohori looked a bit taken aback. Tamahome nearly fell over, and backpedaled with his arms. "RanMAAAAA! You're gonna get us KILLED!"
Hotohori smiled. "I would be honored to be your friend, Saotome-san."
***
Ranma and Tamahome stood before Hotohori at his throne- well, at least RANMA stood. Tamahome half-stood, half-kneeled, still in awe, like everyone else in the vast room. Hotohori was now dressed in the full regalia of an emperor, hair bound up in a hat, making him look much older. Ranma personally thought he looked much better with his hair down, and almost somehow regretted that it no longer flowed freely down in a cloud of chocolate strands, although she would never admit to herself why.
"I'm sorry to have deceived you, Saotome-san," Hotohori said, high on his throne, distant and intimidating- or at least to anyone not as self-possessed and confident as Ranma.
Ranma shrugged, and wished she didn't have to be so damn far away from Hotohori. How was she expected to be able to carry on a conversation like this? "Aw, it's a good strategy. I don't care. And don't call me Saotome-san, okay? I ain't some official old guy."
"Very well, then- Ranma. I won't harm you, Ranma," Hotohori continued. "You and your companion, Tamahome I believe it is, will be safe in Konan. However, I do have a favor to ask of you."
Ranma's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What?" she said slowly, prepared to fight her way out if necessary.
"Will you save Konan for me, Ranma?"
Ranma drew back. "Whoa- what the- what the hell- s-save KONAN- ME?"
Hotohori's expression was impossible to see while he remained on his throne. "There's an ancient legend that says when the empire faces destruction, a single girl will appear from another world, and she will gain the power of Suzaku and save our empire."
Ranma's eyebrows shot to her forehead. "No, Hotohori, think you're talking to the WRONG person here. Just cause I'm a martial artist doesn't mean I wanna or have the time t' go off on some quest- for a random country I don't even CARE about. I'm just here by some fluke, anyway!"
"Well, don't you want the power of Suzaku?" Hotohori asked, voice rising. "Isn't there anything you wish for, Ranma? Don't you have any wishes for Suzaku to fulfill?"
"Wishes?" Ranma repeated. Suzaku... gave wishes? "Then... if I become the hero of this book, and save Hotohori's country... I can get back home!" Her mind raced with the possibilities. "I can become the strongest martial artist in the world! Heh, I'll be able to beat Pop up easy! And... I can get rid of this stupid CURSE! All I'd have to do would be save some third-rate empire, and I'd get all that?"
There was an odd, intense look in Hotohori's eyes, and Tamahome and all the servants around him and Ranma were forgotten as the two locked gazes. "You could have the entire world if you so wanted, Ranma. I'd give it to you."
"I'll do it!" Ranma yelled, excitement soaring. "Count me in, mister! I, Saotome Ranma, will save Konan from- from- whatever the hell is threatening it! YEAH!"
"You'll become Suzaku no Miko?"
"Sure!" Ranma cried, then blanched. Wait. Suzaku no MIKO? PriestESS? "Eh, Hotohori, maybe on second thought, there's something you might wanna take into consideration first- something you don't know about me-" she began.
But it was too late. Hotohori stood, an emperor fully. "Listen to me, all of you!" he shouted. "This girl is the one who shall gain the power of Suzaku! She who shall save our empire, Suzaku no Miko, has appeared!"
"Aw, man," Ranma moaned. "Wait..."
But row by row of courtiers were bowing down low before her, bright sunshine beating down onto her new face. She couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh at the sudden wonderfulness of life, all her problems forgotten.
*Soar high, Suzaku...
Miracle La...*
***
"The girl took upon herself the role of Suzaku no Miko. Hundreds of courtiers formed ranks before her and bowed low..."
*The legend begins to unfold...*
Ryouga whistled lowly, a sense of worry growing in him. "Ranma... could get that power?"
What would Ranma do with it?
And- why HAD he felt something calling to him before? It had felt like the one person his life was formed around now- Ranma- but when he'd turned around, there had been no one there.
He'd 'felt' Ranma when he was lost before, anyway.
*And the real me inside unfurls.*
"The girl had become Suzaku no Miko. She then fell asleep in the Konan palace and dreamed..."
***
*The distant whisper of (wo ai ni)*
Ranma was dreaming again.
*leads me to you.*
Ryouga was once again there. They stood, facing each as if about to fight, in the rubble that there had been after the last dream, destroyed by Ranma's callous words and Ryouga's vulnerability and accompanying strength.
Ranma sighed, and decided to apologize.
*My awakening soul shines-*
"Ryouga, I-I-I- I'm-" Why couldn't he say it? Because- his pride wouldn't allow him to. Hell, he WAS Saotome Ranma, man among men. He was never wrong. Well, maybe he was sometimes. But he'd never admit that to RYOUGA.
The music stopped.
"Shut up!" Ryouga screamed. "Nothing you say will change how I feel!" He ran forward, charging with a yell of raw animal fury. Ranma tensed, fell into a stance. Screw apology, Ryouga was going down anyway. When Ryouga thrust forward, Ranma jumped up high above him-
"You'll NEVER be better than ME, Ryouga! Keep on trying, you'll always be SECOND BEST!"
He slammed his fist into Ryouga's back, HARD, and rewarded with a cry of pain-
***
"What was that for, Ranma?!"
"What do you think it was for?" Ranma retorted hotly, full of irrational anger and hurt from what she had seen and heard, not recognizing the voice speaking to her, not recognizing that she HAD been dreaming. "Ryouga, you just don't understand anything, do you!"
"I'm not this Ryouga, whoever he is."
"Wha-" Ranma opened her eyes. Tamahome stood before her, clearly just punched in the face. Ranma winced. "Uh, sorry about that. I was-"
"Who's Ryouga?" Tamahome interrupted her, just as he had before, clearly not caring about having been hit for no reason. People like them bounced back quick. "This Ryouga's from your world, right?" He sighed, sat down on Ranma's bed. A girl would have been mad at him for his careless intrusion into her room, much less sitting on her bed, but Ranma did have the modesty of a boy along with all the rest. "You know, you've never told me anything about what your life was like before you came here, or why you keep having these dreams about this guy. I mean, we agreed we were friends, right?"
Ranma rolled her eyes, trying to compensate. "As if you've told me anything about yourself. All I know about you is that you can do martial arts and you love money."
Tamahome shrugged. He didn't seem to think revealing his past was that big a deal. "Fine, I'll tell you. My birth name isn't Tamahome, it's Sou Kishuku. I come from a large, poor family in one of the smaller towns of Konan. My-" He looked a bit hesitant to continue. "My mother died, and my father's too sick to do much. All my brothers and sisters are too young, too. So I went out traveling in search of money to bring back to them. That's what I was doing when I met you."
Ranma stared at Tamahome, her ideas about him changing. Tamahome tried to look nonchalant, uncomfortable with telling about his past after all. "Well, what about you?"
"I-" After Tamahome had told her all that on faith, she could only reciprocate. "I only have a father- I don't know where my mother is, and I don't have any siblings. Pop and I haven't stayed in any place in our world that long, cuz he's the master of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, and he's training me to be his heir. That's what both our lives are pretty much dedicated to and focused around. I got to this world by opening a book which was a portal here, which I found on a training ground."
"Your life's focused around martial arts?" Tamahome asked slowly, honing in on that part of what she'd said. He shook his head. "No wonder you were always so mad when I 'saved' you. And... what about Ryouga?"
Ranma raised her arms up above her head, yawning loudly. "Oh, he's not really anybody important to me. He went to my old school and was a fellow martial artist. That's pretty much it."
Tamahome looked a bit skeptical, but said nothing about Ryouga- there seemed to be something even bigger Ranma wasn't telling him. "What else is there?"
Ranma's fists clenched. She knew she'd have to change into a boy sooner or later and tell him her REAL secret- she wanted to be herself again, in truth. But what would Tamahome say- what would Hotohori say-
Why should she care? She was Saotome Ranma, now Suzaku no Miko, and she DIDN'T care what anyone thought. If they were disgusted with her curse and her kind-of-intentional deception- well, she'd just kick their sorry asses.
"Tamahome?" she began. "Take me to Hotohori. I have something I need to tell him. You too."
Tamahome's eyes swept over her form- Ranma hadn't bothered to change for the night, but had simply rolled up her pant legs and loosened the top few buttons of her shirt to fight the heat. She hadn't bothered to take down her hair, either, just left it in its now rather haphazard ponytail and slept on it. "You should... probably freshen up before seeing the EMPEROR."
Ranma looked down at herself, then yawned again. "Aw, I'll do it later, Tamahome. Hotohori won't care anyway."
***
Ranma and Tamahome ran down the hall. When they were almost to Hotohori's location, Ranma doubled back and grabbed a thermos of hot water from a kitchen. Tamahome looked puzzled but didn't comment.
They ran right into the room without even announcing themselves. Tamahome looked as though he was about to get formal and reverent, so Ranma elbowed him in the gut. He doubled over, wheezing. "Hey, Hotohori," Ranma called. "What's up?"
Hotohori turned. Ranma was pleased to see his hair was down once again- somehow Hotohori even felt easier to TALK to with his hair loose- it was the way it had been when they first met, after all. Hotohori was now bent over some scroll, but abandoned it without a thought when he saw her.
"It's nice to see you, Ranma. I'm sorry I haven't visited you easier. I've been busy with-"
Ranma waved a hand. "Aw, cut the pleasantries, Hotohori, they're wasted on me. Listen, I was thinking that you and Tamahome should know something about me, since it might interfere with me being Suzaku no Miko."
Hotohori got to his feet, looking worried. "Yes?" he asked.
"Why didn't you tell me you were gonna do this?" Tamahome hissed to her.
"Cause I DIDN'T," Ranma retorted, then turned back to Hotohori. "Now, neither of you freak out, okay? There's an explanation for this."
Ranma reached for the kettle she had placed on the ground. "Just watch." She poured the hot water over her head slowly. Tamahome and Hotohori watched as they had been told, completely uncomprehending, as her shoulders broadened, muscles expanded, chest flattened, legs lengthened, waist and hips straightened and became lean, hair turned from red to black, and Saotome Ranma, Suzaku no Miko, became a boy.
Ranma announced, in case the two men hadn't realized it, "I'm really a guy."
Tamahome and Hotohori stared at her, open-mouthed. Tamahome fell over. Hotohori was the first to speak. "H-how?" he breathed.
Ranma shifted, embarrassed, then just decided to blurt the whole thing out. "In my world, my pop and I were always visiting training grounds for martial arts, like I told Tamahome before. We went to this one REALLY weird one, and I fell in a spring there called Spring of Drowned Girl, which gave me a curse. Whenever cold water's poured on me, I turn into a girl- the girl you first met me as. Whenever hot water's poured on me, I turn back into a guy. Me. I hate it, but I don't know any cure for it That's part of why I chose to be Suzaku no Miko, so I could get rid of my curse."
Tamahome and Hotohori kept staring at her. Finally Hotohori spoke again, expression somehow full of desperation. "But you're still Saotome Ranma? You're still Suzaku no Miko? The girl I met before? You're still... that person?"
Ranma blinked. "Yeah..." she breathed, staring at Hotohori.
To her surprise, he looked up smiling, simple happiness filling his gentle face. "Then it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all."
***
Ryouga was silent. He'd fallen asleep.
***
Ending Theme- I Wish
***
Next Time on Suzaku no Miko ½!
Today, the way to summon Suzaku and save Konan is revealed.
A beautiful young woman appears.
One with strength that surpasses even Ryouga's.
The said Ryouga sleeps some more.
And Tamahome is... well... KIND of a jerk.
Don't worry, Tamahome, we still love you just as much as all the others!
Well... not ALL the others.
We confess partiality towards Nuriko.
Yeah, I know.
We're strange.
SO... join us for the next time on Suzaku no Miko ½,
"We're going as fast as we can."