Hello all, Luna Sealeaf here! Just wanted to say one little thing. I love
the series, and I've read most of the manga, including the last one,
however it's been awhile and I don't remember all the details, and I don't
have access to read them again. So please, forgive me if I make a mistake
in the story or if I have forgotten something. To avoid this I've tried to
stay away from the details of the end of the manga, however it's entirely
possible I've done something unintentional. I'd also like to add that,
these are most definitely not my characters! They were created by Rumiko
Takahashi, who is a genius in my opinion, and she and maybe some sort of
anime company are the only ones with rights to it. So please do not sue
me! I have no money anyway! However, the plot is entirely mine, and I'd
be very annoyed if someone stole it. If this resembles someone else's
idea, I apologize, but I haven't read any that have this plot, so I can
honestly say that this has spawned from my own imagination, for better or
for worse. While trying to stay true to the characters and the
overall..atmosphere..of the manga, it is impossible to write as well as Ms.
Takahashi, and of course I cannot draw to save my life..so please just
enjoy the story! I wish the real thing could have gone on and on, but
since it ended, we diehard fans have to continue it in our imaginations.so,
enough prattle.enjoy!
The Cure to Ranma's Curse
Part 1
She was in the middle of a clearing in a forest; a dense forest filled with tall, green trees. Why am I here?, she wondered. Suddenly, a crashing noise from behind her made her jump, turning around quickly. "Who's there?" She called out loud, body ready to fend off an unfriendly visitor. A man appeared in the small clearing. His clothes were strange, but glancing down she realized her clothes were of a similar fashion, adding to her confusion. The man's long black hair was tied back in a knot, and he smiled in a manner that made her want to run. As he took a step forward, an arm extended towards her, that's just what she did. Turning, she ran into the thick forest, breath catching in her throat as she struggled to scream for help.
"Jun!" The man called after her. Strangely, she realized it was her name, and this only increased her panic. She could hear him catching up to her, turning she found herself in another clearing, this one had many small pools of water everywhere that she could see. Still running, she weaved her way through them, some instinct telling her to keep out of the waters. Suddenly she fell onto the ground, and before she knew what was happening, she felt someone grab onto her arms tightly. I must have tripped, she thought vaguely as she struggled against him, crying out in words she did not understand. When he spoke to her however, she could understand him perfectly.
"How could you do this to me, Jun? I loved you!" The man said angrily, shoving her face into the water. This can't be happening! She thought frantically, as she struggled against him, holding her breath as long as she could; but finally she sank into darkness.
"No!" Bathed in sweat, Ranma Saotome sat up on his futon, gasping for breath. His father, in the form of a panda, held up a sign saying 'Quiet!' and promptly kicked him out of the room. Still feeling shaky, Ranma made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water. Must have been a dream, he thought as he gulped it down. Yet it seemed so real! He shivered as he remembered the feeling of the man holding him in the water until he drowned, and wondered if it was some sort of omen. And who the heck was Jun? He didn't know anyone named Jun; it didn't even sound Japanese. Still feeling troubled, he wondered if Akane would mind if he woke her up. Nah, she shouldn't lose sleep over a stupid dream. With that decision made, he walked outside and jumped up to the roof. It was a warm summer night, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to fall back asleep; in any case he didn't feel like going back to his room. So instead he occupied his mind with happier things; such as his upcoming wedding. It had been almost eight months since his first failed wedding with Akane. Looking back, they both had agreed that it was a bit rushed; their gladness at being alive had spurred them to hurry things. Although they had been mad at everyone at first for ruining it, they couldn't help but forgive them. After all, how could they understand that Akane and Ranma wanted this when it had happened so suddenly? Since when had anything in their lives gone smoothly? So it had been rescheduled until next year. Now, it was only three months away, and Ranma was both nervous and excited. These past few months had been almost sheer bliss; he had a terrible feeling that it couldn't possibly last. Akane and he had rarely fought; and when they did, they were both confident enough to make up without worrying that the other didn't feel the same. Ryoga had disappeared for awhile, but when he had finally returned, he had wished his two friends the best and had settled in as their mutual friend. When they asked about Akari, he only blushed and muttered, so they only hoped it was going well for them. Shampoo and Mousse seemed to be getting along better, she and Cologne seemed to be taking the news of Ranma's future wedding surprisingly well, which left Ranma slightly suspicious, but he figured things were better left alone. Kuno, Kodachi, and Happosai were the same as ever, of course, and Ranma's only regret was Ukyo. She had accepted their explanation of their love, and they hadn't spoken much since. Busy with the restaurant, the last they had heard was that she was planning on attending a university course to become a better chef and small business owner. His only real friend from childhood, Ranma had bitterly missed his 'Ucchan'. Even though she had been one of his fiancées, there had been times when she had put aside her jealousy and love to be simply his friend, and he missed that.
Hearing footsteps, he turned and his face broke into a smile when he saw Akane climbing up to the roof in her pajamas. She grinned back at him, spreading a blanket over them as she sat down, despite it being a mild summer night.
"What're you doing up?" He asked, staring up at the star-filled sky.
"I heard someone moving around downstairs and I figured it must be you. Then I heard you up here and decided you might want some company." She blushed slightly as she added, "If you'd rather be alone though." quickly, Ranma shook his head.
"Nah, it's nice to have some company, but I didn't mean to wake you up." Nodding, but saying nothing else, she wrapped her arms around her legs and followed his gaze to the sky.
They had talked about the situations with their friends; and Akane had even understood Ranma's sadness about Ukyo without being jealous. She had plenty of friends, while Ranma had either fiancées or rivals. Ryoga and he were becoming better friends, but he had a history with Ukyo. Other than that, Akane assumed nothing else was wrong. There was still something bothering him though, and he hadn't told anyone, not even Akane. For the past few months, his curse had started feeling different. At first, he hadn't noticed it, since he hadn't spent long periods of time as a girl. When the heater broke a month after they returned, he was stuck as a female, and he started to notice that he felt different. Not the obvious difference of being a girl; he felt like a different person. He had become moody, his thoughts drifted, and the names of those around him had escaped him a few times. It had scared him, but when he returned to his normal form, he had forgotten about it, until he started having the dreams, such as the one that night. They were so vivid, they felt like memories, but Ranma was sure they couldn't be. He had considered talking to Dr. Tofu about it, but felt silly. They were only dreams, after all.
"What're you thinking about, Ranma?" Akane asked, leaning her head against his shoulder, already starting to fall asleep again.
"Uh-about our wedding I guess," He replied, shaken out of his thoughts by her voice. Smiling wistfully, Akane sighed.
"Yeah, I can't wait. Can you?" This time it was his turn to become red, and he stammered his reply.
"N-no, I can't." She laughed softly again, but rather than get angry as he would have done a year ago, Ranma only grinned ruefully.
They sat on the roof for awhile, before Ranma returned a sleeping Akane to her bed and he went back to his room. Neither were worried about others watching; even Nabiki had become bored with trying to sneak up on them and then blackmailing them; Akane had made it perfectly clear that their relationship was not a secret, and had convinced Ranma as much too. Although Ranma had his own house with his mother and father; Genma liked to visit his friend, and Nodoka had encouraged Ranma and Akane to spend time together. Of course, there were still a few minor details Ranma had yet to clean up. He had had a talk with Ryoga, well, it had involved a few half-hearted kicks and punches, but Ryoga had agreed that he had to stop sleeping in Akane's bed, despite the fact he was a pig when he did so. Ranma had promised (again) to not tell Akane about his curse, so long as Ryoga promised to do so at the right time, whenever that would be. For now, he was just enjoying the happy moments he was having with Akane. The only times they ever were awkward around each other was when Saffron was brought up. Everyone tended to avoid the topic, but it still hung over Ranma like a dark cloud that he had only been saved from becoming a killer by the fact that Saffron had been reborn. While he would have done anything to save Akane, and not regret it for a moment, he still sometimes had trouble coming to terms with how willing he had become to kill, if only to save someone he loved.
The next morning dawned another bright sunny day, and the Tendo house was filled with the sense of peace everyone was enjoying, but knew couldn't last long. The day began as normal enough; after breakfast, Soun and Genma were playing their usual game, and Kasumi was (yet again) trying to teach Akane how to cook. To Ranma's surprise, and relief, it seemed that part of Akane's cooking trouble might have been self-consciousness; she could successfully make an edible bowl of soup, as long as she didn't try and add any of her 'spices' to it. Kasumi was now trying to teach Akane the western meal 'macaroni and cheese', since it was fairly simple.
As for Ranma, he was performing his daily exercises, and hoping he wouldn't be asked to sample Akane's cooking. Before long, Ryoga showed up, looking bewildered until he saw the house.
"Yo Ryoga," Ranma calmly replied as he continued his movements. Tossing down his back pack and umbrella, Ryoga nodded back.
"You're getting lazy Ranma; if I recall you used to be able to do those much faster," He said, with a cocky smile, referring to Ranma's routine. Grinning and cracking his knuckles, Ranma paused to turn to Ryoga.
"You think so? How bout I prove you wrong?" He replied, getting into his usual fighting stance. Ryoga smiled again, turning to face him as well.
"As if you could," With that, they ran at each other and began sparring. After nearly an hour of it, Akane came running into the yard, carrying a plate laden with what looked like orange gook, to put it nicely.
"Ranma! Ranma! Come try these noodles! Don't they look delicious?" She frowned, not seeing them. "I know I heard him out here." She said, turning around just as she heard a cry of-
"Akane! Look out!" Ranma was flying towards her, too fast for her to move. To keep from hitting her, he spun and twisted in the air, only this ruined his landing form. Luckily, he hit the koi pond with a painfully loud crack and sent mini waves over the side of it.
"Ranma!" Akane cried, forgetting her plate of food and running over to the pond.
"Oh come on Ranma, don't tell me you're out of it with a little hit like that-." Ryoga said as he followed Akane to the pond. As they got closer they looked in, seeing Ranma, in his girl form, sitting in the middle of the pond with a dazed look on her face.
"Here Ranma," Akane said, reframing from laughing as she held out her hand to help him out. To her utter surprise, instead of looking abashed, or even just brushing her hand away, a stream of incomprehensible words came out of Ranma's mouth and he looked around wide eyed. Catching sight of Ryoga, he sprang out of the pond and ran out of the yard.
Completely at a loss for words, Akane turned and looked at Ryoga.
"What on earth did you do to him?" Ryoga shrugged helplessly.
"I'm not surprised at him running away from a fight, but that was unusual even for him." Despite his rough words, he had a slightly worried look in his eye.
"Do you think we should go after him?" Akane wondered aloud, shielding her eyes as she stared in the direction Ranma had run. Ryoga only shrugged again.
Farther in Nerima, Ranma was running blindly through the streets. Slamming into another person, he was knocked to the ground. A bright cheery voice exclaimed,
"Ranma! You come to see Shampoo?" The smiling Amazon was sitting on her bicycle, having just finished her deliveries. Ignoring Ranma's puzzled look, she pulled him into the Cat Café, calling out happily. "Great- Grandmother, look who come to visit!" Cologne came into the room, hopping on her staff and even Mousse came in. Although no longer as threatened by Ranma now that he was officially engaged to Akane, Mousse still didn't like Shampoo's fondness of him.
"Greetings boy," Cologne replied, and Mousse nodded stiffly.
"Ranma hungry?" Shampoo asked, fetching a bowl of ramen from behind the counter. The three of them watched Ranma expectantly, but he just looked back with a wild-eyed appearance. He tried to answer them, but only a strange language came out, causing Cologne to gasp, while Shampoo and Mousse simultaneously asked, "What?" Ranma repeated his stream of babble, and suddenly Cologne threw the bowl of ramen over Ranma.
"Waah! Hot, it's hot!" He exclaimed. Looking up, he stared at the others and his surroundings with a dazed expression on his face. "Hey, how'd I get here?"
"Ranma no remember?" Shampoo asked incredulously. Cologne explained to Ranma how Shampoo had found him, in his girl form, running through the streets, and how he had spoken in a strange language.
"In fact, it almost sounded like ancient Chinese." Cologne said calmly.
"How is that possible?" Mousse asked, sounding as surprised as Shampoo and Ranma looked. "Ranma doesn't even know modern Chinese, do you Ranma?" He turned to him anxiously, and Ranma shook his head.
"The last thing I remember was sparring with Ryoga, then falling towards the pond, and that's it." The three Amazons stared at him in surprise.
"Shampoo, you'd better go tell Akane and her family where Ranma is. Mousse come to the back and help me. Ranma, stay right where you are." Shampoo ran outside, Ranma nodded, standing up and sitting at an empty table, while Mousse followed Cologne into the back room.
Breathless, Akane and Ryoga returned with Shampoo after a few minutes. Quickly, Ranma explained what had happened. Just as he had finished, Cologne and Mousse returned.
"What's wrong with Ranma?" Akane asked in a concerned voice, sitting down next to him.
"I'm afraid I'm not sure. However, I think it is obvious that whatever it is, it has to do with Ranma's curse. Ranma, have you noticed any changes in your cursed form recently?" She asked. They all turned to look at Ranma, and he felt himself blush, stammering as he began to tell about the dreams and his sense of detachment when he was in girl-form. Akane placed her hand comfortingly on Ranma's arm.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked. Not meeting her eyes, he mumbled a reply.
"I didn't want to worry you over nothing." Fighting the ache he still got when he saw them together, Ryoga took a deep breath before turning away from the couple and voicing his worries.
"Have you or Shampoo noticed changes in your cursed forms? I mean, is it just Ranma?" They both shook their heads, but before they felt relieved, Cologne spoke up again.
"Ranma's curse is unique in that it is a human being. Mousse and Shampoo's are animal. I'm not sure what's wrong with Ranma's curse, however there have been reports of," She hesitated. Standing up, Ranma asked firmly.
"What do you know?" Sighing, she shook her head slowly.
"Not much I'm afraid. Only that there were rumors of others whose cursed form was a human. Some, after a long time with theirs, started complaining that they felt like they were developing split personalities. They began to lose control over their cursed half when in its form." "So how'd they stop it?" Ranma finally asked. Cologne shook her head slowly.
"They didn't." Akane closed her eyes, her hand sliding into his. Swallowing hard, Ranma looked around at the others, only Ryoga nodded back and met his gaze.
"Well, how do I stop it then? I don't intend on dying or going mad." He turned his gaze defiantly towards Cologne. She studied him for a moment before answering.
"I am afraid I do not have all the answers Ranma. My suggestion would be to return to China, to the ground of accursed pools, and to question the guide. His family has watched over the grounds for a long time, it may be that he will be able to answer your questions." Ranma nodded once, then grinned, saying nonchalantly,
"Guess I'm taking a trip to China. Don't worry Akane, I'll be back in no time." Smiling with deceptive sweetness at his grinning face, she replied,
"Of course I won't worry, Ranma. I'm going with you." At this Ranma's grin faded even as Akane's expression steeled.
"Akane, you have to stay here! I don't know if I'll be able to protect you! What if I get turned into a girl and go psycho?" Akane frowned back at him.
"I can take care of myself Ranma, you can't stop me from following you." Silence fell as the couple studied each other, the Amazons and Ryoga. "Don't worry about her Ranma. I'll come too, like I'd trust you to be able to take care of Akane! Hah! Besides, you're likely going to bungle things up as usual unless someone's there to stop you." Smiling wryly as Akane stood up and hugged a now furiously blushing Ryoga, Ranma shook his head, standing as well.
"Gee thanks Ryoga, that's so incredibly selfless of you." Ignoring their jibes, Akane, eyes filled with tears, nevertheless smiled as she turned back to Ranma.
"Aren't you glad now that you're not going all the way to China by yourself Ranma?" Observing his fiancée and his, if he dared to describe him as such, friend, Ranma shrugged, then smiled also, surprising even himself at his answer.
"Yeah, guess I am."
End of Part 1
So what do you think of it? Please send all thoughts, comments, or ideas to Runicprincess@aol.com, if you don't want to write a review. Thanks again for reading it! (I know I rated it PG, and this chapter seems all happy and bubbly, but it's going to get more serious, if not darker, in the later chapters.) Thanks again, happy reading!
-Luna Sealeaf.
The Cure to Ranma's Curse
Part 1
She was in the middle of a clearing in a forest; a dense forest filled with tall, green trees. Why am I here?, she wondered. Suddenly, a crashing noise from behind her made her jump, turning around quickly. "Who's there?" She called out loud, body ready to fend off an unfriendly visitor. A man appeared in the small clearing. His clothes were strange, but glancing down she realized her clothes were of a similar fashion, adding to her confusion. The man's long black hair was tied back in a knot, and he smiled in a manner that made her want to run. As he took a step forward, an arm extended towards her, that's just what she did. Turning, she ran into the thick forest, breath catching in her throat as she struggled to scream for help.
"Jun!" The man called after her. Strangely, she realized it was her name, and this only increased her panic. She could hear him catching up to her, turning she found herself in another clearing, this one had many small pools of water everywhere that she could see. Still running, she weaved her way through them, some instinct telling her to keep out of the waters. Suddenly she fell onto the ground, and before she knew what was happening, she felt someone grab onto her arms tightly. I must have tripped, she thought vaguely as she struggled against him, crying out in words she did not understand. When he spoke to her however, she could understand him perfectly.
"How could you do this to me, Jun? I loved you!" The man said angrily, shoving her face into the water. This can't be happening! She thought frantically, as she struggled against him, holding her breath as long as she could; but finally she sank into darkness.
"No!" Bathed in sweat, Ranma Saotome sat up on his futon, gasping for breath. His father, in the form of a panda, held up a sign saying 'Quiet!' and promptly kicked him out of the room. Still feeling shaky, Ranma made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water. Must have been a dream, he thought as he gulped it down. Yet it seemed so real! He shivered as he remembered the feeling of the man holding him in the water until he drowned, and wondered if it was some sort of omen. And who the heck was Jun? He didn't know anyone named Jun; it didn't even sound Japanese. Still feeling troubled, he wondered if Akane would mind if he woke her up. Nah, she shouldn't lose sleep over a stupid dream. With that decision made, he walked outside and jumped up to the roof. It was a warm summer night, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to fall back asleep; in any case he didn't feel like going back to his room. So instead he occupied his mind with happier things; such as his upcoming wedding. It had been almost eight months since his first failed wedding with Akane. Looking back, they both had agreed that it was a bit rushed; their gladness at being alive had spurred them to hurry things. Although they had been mad at everyone at first for ruining it, they couldn't help but forgive them. After all, how could they understand that Akane and Ranma wanted this when it had happened so suddenly? Since when had anything in their lives gone smoothly? So it had been rescheduled until next year. Now, it was only three months away, and Ranma was both nervous and excited. These past few months had been almost sheer bliss; he had a terrible feeling that it couldn't possibly last. Akane and he had rarely fought; and when they did, they were both confident enough to make up without worrying that the other didn't feel the same. Ryoga had disappeared for awhile, but when he had finally returned, he had wished his two friends the best and had settled in as their mutual friend. When they asked about Akari, he only blushed and muttered, so they only hoped it was going well for them. Shampoo and Mousse seemed to be getting along better, she and Cologne seemed to be taking the news of Ranma's future wedding surprisingly well, which left Ranma slightly suspicious, but he figured things were better left alone. Kuno, Kodachi, and Happosai were the same as ever, of course, and Ranma's only regret was Ukyo. She had accepted their explanation of their love, and they hadn't spoken much since. Busy with the restaurant, the last they had heard was that she was planning on attending a university course to become a better chef and small business owner. His only real friend from childhood, Ranma had bitterly missed his 'Ucchan'. Even though she had been one of his fiancées, there had been times when she had put aside her jealousy and love to be simply his friend, and he missed that.
Hearing footsteps, he turned and his face broke into a smile when he saw Akane climbing up to the roof in her pajamas. She grinned back at him, spreading a blanket over them as she sat down, despite it being a mild summer night.
"What're you doing up?" He asked, staring up at the star-filled sky.
"I heard someone moving around downstairs and I figured it must be you. Then I heard you up here and decided you might want some company." She blushed slightly as she added, "If you'd rather be alone though." quickly, Ranma shook his head.
"Nah, it's nice to have some company, but I didn't mean to wake you up." Nodding, but saying nothing else, she wrapped her arms around her legs and followed his gaze to the sky.
They had talked about the situations with their friends; and Akane had even understood Ranma's sadness about Ukyo without being jealous. She had plenty of friends, while Ranma had either fiancées or rivals. Ryoga and he were becoming better friends, but he had a history with Ukyo. Other than that, Akane assumed nothing else was wrong. There was still something bothering him though, and he hadn't told anyone, not even Akane. For the past few months, his curse had started feeling different. At first, he hadn't noticed it, since he hadn't spent long periods of time as a girl. When the heater broke a month after they returned, he was stuck as a female, and he started to notice that he felt different. Not the obvious difference of being a girl; he felt like a different person. He had become moody, his thoughts drifted, and the names of those around him had escaped him a few times. It had scared him, but when he returned to his normal form, he had forgotten about it, until he started having the dreams, such as the one that night. They were so vivid, they felt like memories, but Ranma was sure they couldn't be. He had considered talking to Dr. Tofu about it, but felt silly. They were only dreams, after all.
"What're you thinking about, Ranma?" Akane asked, leaning her head against his shoulder, already starting to fall asleep again.
"Uh-about our wedding I guess," He replied, shaken out of his thoughts by her voice. Smiling wistfully, Akane sighed.
"Yeah, I can't wait. Can you?" This time it was his turn to become red, and he stammered his reply.
"N-no, I can't." She laughed softly again, but rather than get angry as he would have done a year ago, Ranma only grinned ruefully.
They sat on the roof for awhile, before Ranma returned a sleeping Akane to her bed and he went back to his room. Neither were worried about others watching; even Nabiki had become bored with trying to sneak up on them and then blackmailing them; Akane had made it perfectly clear that their relationship was not a secret, and had convinced Ranma as much too. Although Ranma had his own house with his mother and father; Genma liked to visit his friend, and Nodoka had encouraged Ranma and Akane to spend time together. Of course, there were still a few minor details Ranma had yet to clean up. He had had a talk with Ryoga, well, it had involved a few half-hearted kicks and punches, but Ryoga had agreed that he had to stop sleeping in Akane's bed, despite the fact he was a pig when he did so. Ranma had promised (again) to not tell Akane about his curse, so long as Ryoga promised to do so at the right time, whenever that would be. For now, he was just enjoying the happy moments he was having with Akane. The only times they ever were awkward around each other was when Saffron was brought up. Everyone tended to avoid the topic, but it still hung over Ranma like a dark cloud that he had only been saved from becoming a killer by the fact that Saffron had been reborn. While he would have done anything to save Akane, and not regret it for a moment, he still sometimes had trouble coming to terms with how willing he had become to kill, if only to save someone he loved.
The next morning dawned another bright sunny day, and the Tendo house was filled with the sense of peace everyone was enjoying, but knew couldn't last long. The day began as normal enough; after breakfast, Soun and Genma were playing their usual game, and Kasumi was (yet again) trying to teach Akane how to cook. To Ranma's surprise, and relief, it seemed that part of Akane's cooking trouble might have been self-consciousness; she could successfully make an edible bowl of soup, as long as she didn't try and add any of her 'spices' to it. Kasumi was now trying to teach Akane the western meal 'macaroni and cheese', since it was fairly simple.
As for Ranma, he was performing his daily exercises, and hoping he wouldn't be asked to sample Akane's cooking. Before long, Ryoga showed up, looking bewildered until he saw the house.
"Yo Ryoga," Ranma calmly replied as he continued his movements. Tossing down his back pack and umbrella, Ryoga nodded back.
"You're getting lazy Ranma; if I recall you used to be able to do those much faster," He said, with a cocky smile, referring to Ranma's routine. Grinning and cracking his knuckles, Ranma paused to turn to Ryoga.
"You think so? How bout I prove you wrong?" He replied, getting into his usual fighting stance. Ryoga smiled again, turning to face him as well.
"As if you could," With that, they ran at each other and began sparring. After nearly an hour of it, Akane came running into the yard, carrying a plate laden with what looked like orange gook, to put it nicely.
"Ranma! Ranma! Come try these noodles! Don't they look delicious?" She frowned, not seeing them. "I know I heard him out here." She said, turning around just as she heard a cry of-
"Akane! Look out!" Ranma was flying towards her, too fast for her to move. To keep from hitting her, he spun and twisted in the air, only this ruined his landing form. Luckily, he hit the koi pond with a painfully loud crack and sent mini waves over the side of it.
"Ranma!" Akane cried, forgetting her plate of food and running over to the pond.
"Oh come on Ranma, don't tell me you're out of it with a little hit like that-." Ryoga said as he followed Akane to the pond. As they got closer they looked in, seeing Ranma, in his girl form, sitting in the middle of the pond with a dazed look on her face.
"Here Ranma," Akane said, reframing from laughing as she held out her hand to help him out. To her utter surprise, instead of looking abashed, or even just brushing her hand away, a stream of incomprehensible words came out of Ranma's mouth and he looked around wide eyed. Catching sight of Ryoga, he sprang out of the pond and ran out of the yard.
Completely at a loss for words, Akane turned and looked at Ryoga.
"What on earth did you do to him?" Ryoga shrugged helplessly.
"I'm not surprised at him running away from a fight, but that was unusual even for him." Despite his rough words, he had a slightly worried look in his eye.
"Do you think we should go after him?" Akane wondered aloud, shielding her eyes as she stared in the direction Ranma had run. Ryoga only shrugged again.
Farther in Nerima, Ranma was running blindly through the streets. Slamming into another person, he was knocked to the ground. A bright cheery voice exclaimed,
"Ranma! You come to see Shampoo?" The smiling Amazon was sitting on her bicycle, having just finished her deliveries. Ignoring Ranma's puzzled look, she pulled him into the Cat Café, calling out happily. "Great- Grandmother, look who come to visit!" Cologne came into the room, hopping on her staff and even Mousse came in. Although no longer as threatened by Ranma now that he was officially engaged to Akane, Mousse still didn't like Shampoo's fondness of him.
"Greetings boy," Cologne replied, and Mousse nodded stiffly.
"Ranma hungry?" Shampoo asked, fetching a bowl of ramen from behind the counter. The three of them watched Ranma expectantly, but he just looked back with a wild-eyed appearance. He tried to answer them, but only a strange language came out, causing Cologne to gasp, while Shampoo and Mousse simultaneously asked, "What?" Ranma repeated his stream of babble, and suddenly Cologne threw the bowl of ramen over Ranma.
"Waah! Hot, it's hot!" He exclaimed. Looking up, he stared at the others and his surroundings with a dazed expression on his face. "Hey, how'd I get here?"
"Ranma no remember?" Shampoo asked incredulously. Cologne explained to Ranma how Shampoo had found him, in his girl form, running through the streets, and how he had spoken in a strange language.
"In fact, it almost sounded like ancient Chinese." Cologne said calmly.
"How is that possible?" Mousse asked, sounding as surprised as Shampoo and Ranma looked. "Ranma doesn't even know modern Chinese, do you Ranma?" He turned to him anxiously, and Ranma shook his head.
"The last thing I remember was sparring with Ryoga, then falling towards the pond, and that's it." The three Amazons stared at him in surprise.
"Shampoo, you'd better go tell Akane and her family where Ranma is. Mousse come to the back and help me. Ranma, stay right where you are." Shampoo ran outside, Ranma nodded, standing up and sitting at an empty table, while Mousse followed Cologne into the back room.
Breathless, Akane and Ryoga returned with Shampoo after a few minutes. Quickly, Ranma explained what had happened. Just as he had finished, Cologne and Mousse returned.
"What's wrong with Ranma?" Akane asked in a concerned voice, sitting down next to him.
"I'm afraid I'm not sure. However, I think it is obvious that whatever it is, it has to do with Ranma's curse. Ranma, have you noticed any changes in your cursed form recently?" She asked. They all turned to look at Ranma, and he felt himself blush, stammering as he began to tell about the dreams and his sense of detachment when he was in girl-form. Akane placed her hand comfortingly on Ranma's arm.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked. Not meeting her eyes, he mumbled a reply.
"I didn't want to worry you over nothing." Fighting the ache he still got when he saw them together, Ryoga took a deep breath before turning away from the couple and voicing his worries.
"Have you or Shampoo noticed changes in your cursed forms? I mean, is it just Ranma?" They both shook their heads, but before they felt relieved, Cologne spoke up again.
"Ranma's curse is unique in that it is a human being. Mousse and Shampoo's are animal. I'm not sure what's wrong with Ranma's curse, however there have been reports of," She hesitated. Standing up, Ranma asked firmly.
"What do you know?" Sighing, she shook her head slowly.
"Not much I'm afraid. Only that there were rumors of others whose cursed form was a human. Some, after a long time with theirs, started complaining that they felt like they were developing split personalities. They began to lose control over their cursed half when in its form." "So how'd they stop it?" Ranma finally asked. Cologne shook her head slowly.
"They didn't." Akane closed her eyes, her hand sliding into his. Swallowing hard, Ranma looked around at the others, only Ryoga nodded back and met his gaze.
"Well, how do I stop it then? I don't intend on dying or going mad." He turned his gaze defiantly towards Cologne. She studied him for a moment before answering.
"I am afraid I do not have all the answers Ranma. My suggestion would be to return to China, to the ground of accursed pools, and to question the guide. His family has watched over the grounds for a long time, it may be that he will be able to answer your questions." Ranma nodded once, then grinned, saying nonchalantly,
"Guess I'm taking a trip to China. Don't worry Akane, I'll be back in no time." Smiling with deceptive sweetness at his grinning face, she replied,
"Of course I won't worry, Ranma. I'm going with you." At this Ranma's grin faded even as Akane's expression steeled.
"Akane, you have to stay here! I don't know if I'll be able to protect you! What if I get turned into a girl and go psycho?" Akane frowned back at him.
"I can take care of myself Ranma, you can't stop me from following you." Silence fell as the couple studied each other, the Amazons and Ryoga. "Don't worry about her Ranma. I'll come too, like I'd trust you to be able to take care of Akane! Hah! Besides, you're likely going to bungle things up as usual unless someone's there to stop you." Smiling wryly as Akane stood up and hugged a now furiously blushing Ryoga, Ranma shook his head, standing as well.
"Gee thanks Ryoga, that's so incredibly selfless of you." Ignoring their jibes, Akane, eyes filled with tears, nevertheless smiled as she turned back to Ranma.
"Aren't you glad now that you're not going all the way to China by yourself Ranma?" Observing his fiancée and his, if he dared to describe him as such, friend, Ranma shrugged, then smiled also, surprising even himself at his answer.
"Yeah, guess I am."
End of Part 1
So what do you think of it? Please send all thoughts, comments, or ideas to Runicprincess@aol.com, if you don't want to write a review. Thanks again for reading it! (I know I rated it PG, and this chapter seems all happy and bubbly, but it's going to get more serious, if not darker, in the later chapters.) Thanks again, happy reading!
-Luna Sealeaf.