Hello all! Sorry this has taken longer than I expected, but I had to
write a story for my English class, which I may post on fiction.net.for all
you romance/tragedy lovers out there, you might like it! Anyway, thanks so
much to all you reviewers! Here are my responses since it took me awhile to
realize you shouldn't hit the 'reply' button.
Ghost in the Machine: Thanks for taking the time to read and review! The link didn't work, unfortunately; maybe you could email me again? As for the name Jun, I checked more sites, and while it is a unisex Japanese name, it is also a unisex Chinese name, which probably means it's not an old name, but I don't know, and this is fantasy anyway. But thanks all the same!! (Once again, if anyone knows the correct spelling of Jusenkyo, I'd really appreciate it, I can't believe out of the 5 manga I have, not one mention it, they only refer to it as the 'accursed' grounds)
Jerry Unipeg: Thanks as well! I hope you liked the other chapters
Alex Ultra: Thanks, I intend to! (
Adi-chan: Thank you! I'm trying to make them longer, I'm just impatient to update, plus they appear longer on Microsoft word. The romance and drama will (hopefully) increase as the story progresses.
Thanks again, now, on to the story!
The Cure to Ranma's Curse
Part 4
Ranma awoke with a jolt, looking around confused until he remembered the events of the past day. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, and now dusk was falling. With a sigh, he stood up and studied the sun; determined his directions, and picked one. He still had no idea where he was, but with any luck he would find another village and get some directions.
Many miles away, Akane woke in her dew-drenched tent; she started to realize how much she missed her own bed.among other things. With a heavy sigh, she got dressed and helped Ryoga to pack the tents and cookware back up.
"I never thought I'd say this, but this was a lot more fun when Ranma was here," Ryoga muttered as Akane checked their map. Her eyes filled unexpectedly, so she only nodded and said nothing. They trudged through a light mist, saying few words, and both contemplating Ranma's fate.
"No-no! Ju-senk-yo!" Ranma repeated slowly to a confused elderly Chinese man. He had spent the first half of his morning wandering around, luckily not in circles, and he had finally found a hermit living in a small hut. 'If only he understood what I was saying!' Ranma thought. Surely there should be more people who had heard of the cursed springs? As the man only shook his head in confusion, Ranma got an idea. He rummaged through his pack, finding a scrap of paper and a pencil. To the best of his ability, he drew the grounds as he knew them. It took a moment, but the man seemed to understand the picture, for he nodded slowly. Taking the pencil from Ranma's hand, and struggling to hold it correctly, he drew what appeared to be a small map. Ranma studied it, and at last realized where he was. Actually, he was closer to Jusenkyo than he had thought, which was a relief. It would hopefully be only a day, baring any unexpected rain showers. As this thought occurred to him, he decided to ask for one more thing; hot water. Again, he had trouble making his wish clear, but the man finally understood his meaning and gave him a wooden canteen of warm water. It wasn't much, but Ranma didn't want to ask for more. He bowed his thanks and started walking. While he walked, he tied the canteen to his waist, upside down. Hopefully if he turned into a girl, if he ran the right way the lid would be knocked off and his legs would be doused with warm water. Feeling more confident than he had earlier, he began to whistle. The tune was one Akane had hummed when she cooked and he stopped when he thought of her. 'Damn it Ryoga, you better take care of her,' He thought, wishing he could be back with the two. Traveling had lost its fun very quickly after he had gotten separated from his companions. He missed Akane, of course, but he also missed Ryoga, strange as that seemed to him. Still, feeling sorry for himself wouldn't get him there any faster. Not that he stopped; he just walked faster.
"Oh, ugh," Akane exclaimed as she stepped yet again into ankle deep mud. They had come to a swampy area, and the traveling had been both slow and frustrating. Ryoga had offered to carry her, and while Akane had been tempted to say yes, she didn't want to add to Ryoga's trouble. She would also have had more difficulty in keeping him in the right direction. As it was, she kept having to detour to take Ryoga's arm and guide him in the right direction every once in awhile.
"How much farther do you think it is?" Ryoga asked her. She stopped walking to study the map. With a disheartened sigh, she answered him.
"Too far to walk in a day. At this rate it'll take us at least two more days." Ryoga just nodded and plodded on, Akane leading the way. She was tired of the silence though, and wanted to make conversation.
"So Ryoga, has Ranma asked you yet?" Akane said brightly. Ryoga stared at her, a confused expression on his face.
"Asked me what?"
"To be Best Man of course. We're doing things the Western way; I think it's more romantic," She explained, smiling. She had a ring also, with a small diamond in the center, but she had left it at home for safety. Ryoga still looked puzzled, so she explained, to the best of her knowledge, what a best man was.
"Wouldn't he ask his father? Or Mr. Tendo?" Ryoga asked.
"We talked about it. Ranma says you've helped him train far more than his father did. Besides, you're his best friend" She said, as if that settled anything. 'I am?' Ryoga asked silently, but he didn't say it out loud.
"Have you set a date then?" He said instead.
"Not quite, some time in spring I think. We're going to take a week off from school for the..you know.honeymoon," She said, blushing as she thought of it. Ryoga's gritted his teeth; he didn't really want to hear about this, but he also didn't want to hurt Akane's feelings by changing the subject. Akane seemed to sense his mood, for she said nothing else of the matter.
"I-I made it!" Ranma exclaimed to the sky. He was exhausted, he had practically jogged the rest of the way, but he had made it. His cure lay waiting for him at Jusenkyo. All he had to do was find the guide. It didn't take long, his small house was in the same place it always was. Breathing heavily, but smiling, he knocked on the door and waited.
"Yes? Oh, is Mr. Customer!" The guide explained, smiling as he recognized Ranma. He opened the door wider, and Ranma stepped in, looking around.
"How ya been? Where's your little girl?" He asked, not seeing her in the room.
"Daughter is at school in city, please, sit down." The guide replied, gesturing to a small table with two chairs. Ranma sat down gratefully, dropping his pack onto the floor.
"What bring Mr. Customer back to accursed grounds? To look for cure?" The guide asked. He set two cups on the table, with a small kettle of hot tea. Pouring it, he handed a cup to Ranma, who thanked him and sipped it.
"Ah! That's good! Oh, yeah, actually, I need to ask some questions, if that's ok," He added.
"Is fine sir, what you need to know?"
"Well." He explained his current dilemma to him, then listened eagerly for answers. The guide was silent, sipping his tea thoughtfully before speaking again.
"I not know for sure, but it sound like drowned girl's spirit is coming back," Ranma choked and sputtered on his tea, staring at the guide.
"What?" He asked, gasping for breath. The guide nodded regretfully.
"Some people who is cursed go through great trauma; strong emotions very quickly. Usually when this happen it.." He searched for the right word in Japanese. "Awakens spirit of original drowned body. Some time it no matter, if cursed form is animal, but when human, it can be very bad,"
"No kidding," Ranma said softly. The news wasn't as encouraging as he thought. "So how do I stop this.this.person from 'coming back'?" The guide shrugged.
"I no know. Most go mad and die." Seeing the color drain from Ranma's face, he quickly added, "But I sure you find way to stop it. You very unique," He said, and sipped his tea again. Ranma thought for a few minutes, biting his lip as ideas ran through his mind. Snapping his fingers, he exclaimed,
"I've got it! What about the Amazons? They're ancient! And the old ghoul was the first to figure out it was my curse getting weird," He smiled proudly, the guide smiled politely, not understanding what he meant, except for the part about getting help from the Amazons.
"Is good try. You may have to pass test for information though, Amazons not give help to weak or undeserving. Rest here a day, is day's walk to Amazon village, or longer," Ranma nodded, agreeing.
He stayed the night, slept in, and walked around the springs in the afternoon. Secretly, he hoped Akane and Ryoga would arrive before he left; he didn't relish the thought of another journey by foot alone. To his surprise, and joy, two mud-covered, tired looking figures arrived at the guide's doorstep the next night. Ranma had opted to stay one more day; to see how the weather faired, was his excuse. Forgetting where he was, he ran out to greet them and hugged Akane fiercely. She hugged him back until he finally let go, blushing. Turning to look at them both, his grin nearly reached his ears.
"Great to see you guys again! Took you long enough!" Akane laughed as Ryoga gave him a half hearted punch, then they trudged inside to wash up. They ate dinner together, and Ranma explained his idea of going to the Amazons for help.
"What do you think?" He asked them. Ryoga shrugged, shoveling food into his mouth, but Akane smiled encouragingly.
"I think that's a good idea Ranma. Shall we go tomorrow?" Ranma nodded and they spent a surprisingly fun night there. The guide kept calling it a 'party' but mostly they were all just relieved to have been united again. The three of them slept in, and the guide had packs of more food waiting for them when they awoke. Thanking him for everything, they once again set out.
The journey was much more pleasant than their previous, and they only had to spend one night outside. Ranma held Akane's hand unabashed, and he and Ryoga exchanged superficial insults. When they came to the edge of the village, they were met by a young woman holding a spear towards them. She spoke a long stream of Chinese at them, but they had come prepared. The guide had told them what to say in Chinese, and Ranma had memorized it. Slowly, he repeated it to the girl. She stared at them, but nodded her understanding and led them to the center of the village. A large wooden cabin was there, and she spoke to the two guards outside of it. The girl left and the two guards led them inside, Akane walking behind Ranma nervously and Ryoga trailing behind them.
Inside sat three old women all sitting on low stools, the one on the far left looked vaguely like Cologne, and she wore deep green robes. The middle had golden robes with shorter hair, and she was taller than the other one. The right woman wore blue robes, she was the only one of the three to have a streak of black in her long hair.. The middle woman said something, and the guards replied. The communication barrier was starting to annoy Ranma, who decided to learn Chinese when he returned to Japan. The three women nodded as one at the guards reply, and the green robed woman called out in a clear voice,
"So, you have come seeking help. What do you knowledge do you wish to gain from us?" She asked him. Feeling rather like a school boy being questioned by his teacher, Ranma nevertheless gave a confident reply.
"I fell in one of the springs of Jusenkyo awhile ago, the spring of the drowned girl." And he explained everything, with Akane and Ryoga adding their information as well. The three women listened silently as they explained everything, and it took nearly an hour for them to finish.
"The Amazons know much of the past; we keep records that are far older than the oldest Elder." The green robed woman said.
"We shall be happy to help with your problem, if you can prove your worth," The blue robed woman said after her. Ranma cracked his knuckles, smiling.
"No problem," He said, but the women were not looking at him. The golden robed one stared at Akane.
"Do you accept the challenge?"
"What?!" Ryoga and Ranma exclaimed together as they turned to face Akane, who looked as surprised as they did. Ranma shook his head furiously, mouthing a 'no'. Akane saw him, and felt annoyed that he didn't trust her fighting ability. Just because she wasn't as good a fighter as Shampoo didn't mean she couldn't handle an Amazon, besides, Shampoo was supposed to be the best fighter, so surely she could take on one Amazon. Besides, Ranma's life was on the line, what choice did she have? With a firm nod, she replied,
"I accept." The women stared at her gravely while Ranma cried out, "No Akane!" but they ignored him.
"How soon do you wish to begin?" The center woman asked.
"Right away," Akane said, again ignoring the two boys. The three women conversed among themselves in Chinese before switching back to Japanese.
"Very well; in three hours we shall send three warriors to fight you. If you beat them honorably, we shall tell you all we know," Akane bowed, Ranma and Ryoga copying her reluctantly.
"Thank you Grandmothers," She said solemnly. The guards ushered them outside, where Ranma turned on her angrily.
"What are you doing Akane? You don't stand a chance against one of their fighters!"
"Well what should we do then? Just hope whatever's wrong with you will just go away? I'm not going to sit and watch you go mad Ranma!" She said, her eyes filling with tears at her last words.
"Damn it! If my girl form wasn't going crazy I could fight this myself!" He turned away from them, fists clenched. Understanding his problem, Ryoga rested a hand on his shoulder.
"I know you hate to have others fight your battles for you Ranma, but Akane's right. She's a good fighter, she'll be fine," Akane beamed at his praise, but Ryoga's real message to Ranma was: We won't let her fight this by herself. Ranma turned again to look at Ryoga's face, understanding his true meaning and allowed himself a small smile.
"You're right, and it's not like it's a duel to the death or anything," He said, and they laughed, feeling more relaxed. Until one of the guards turned and said in heavily accented Japanese, smiling,
"Actually, it is,"
End of Part 4
Mwahahaha! Was that a cliffhanger? I like to think so!! Cool twist, having Akane have to fight, really fight, for Ranma, eh? Spur of the moment really.anyway, hopefully it's gotten a little more interesting, although I still haven't gotten to the real plot! I keep getting sidetracked! Argh! Still, it's better than writer's block, I guess. Well, I hope you liked it, and I'm not writing the next chapter till at least one person reads and reviews this one, so there! Thanks again, and don't forget you can send all thoughts/comments/ideas/ to Runicprincess@aol.com
-Luna Sealeaf
Ghost in the Machine: Thanks for taking the time to read and review! The link didn't work, unfortunately; maybe you could email me again? As for the name Jun, I checked more sites, and while it is a unisex Japanese name, it is also a unisex Chinese name, which probably means it's not an old name, but I don't know, and this is fantasy anyway. But thanks all the same!! (Once again, if anyone knows the correct spelling of Jusenkyo, I'd really appreciate it, I can't believe out of the 5 manga I have, not one mention it, they only refer to it as the 'accursed' grounds)
Jerry Unipeg: Thanks as well! I hope you liked the other chapters
Alex Ultra: Thanks, I intend to! (
Adi-chan: Thank you! I'm trying to make them longer, I'm just impatient to update, plus they appear longer on Microsoft word. The romance and drama will (hopefully) increase as the story progresses.
Thanks again, now, on to the story!
The Cure to Ranma's Curse
Part 4
Ranma awoke with a jolt, looking around confused until he remembered the events of the past day. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, and now dusk was falling. With a sigh, he stood up and studied the sun; determined his directions, and picked one. He still had no idea where he was, but with any luck he would find another village and get some directions.
Many miles away, Akane woke in her dew-drenched tent; she started to realize how much she missed her own bed.among other things. With a heavy sigh, she got dressed and helped Ryoga to pack the tents and cookware back up.
"I never thought I'd say this, but this was a lot more fun when Ranma was here," Ryoga muttered as Akane checked their map. Her eyes filled unexpectedly, so she only nodded and said nothing. They trudged through a light mist, saying few words, and both contemplating Ranma's fate.
"No-no! Ju-senk-yo!" Ranma repeated slowly to a confused elderly Chinese man. He had spent the first half of his morning wandering around, luckily not in circles, and he had finally found a hermit living in a small hut. 'If only he understood what I was saying!' Ranma thought. Surely there should be more people who had heard of the cursed springs? As the man only shook his head in confusion, Ranma got an idea. He rummaged through his pack, finding a scrap of paper and a pencil. To the best of his ability, he drew the grounds as he knew them. It took a moment, but the man seemed to understand the picture, for he nodded slowly. Taking the pencil from Ranma's hand, and struggling to hold it correctly, he drew what appeared to be a small map. Ranma studied it, and at last realized where he was. Actually, he was closer to Jusenkyo than he had thought, which was a relief. It would hopefully be only a day, baring any unexpected rain showers. As this thought occurred to him, he decided to ask for one more thing; hot water. Again, he had trouble making his wish clear, but the man finally understood his meaning and gave him a wooden canteen of warm water. It wasn't much, but Ranma didn't want to ask for more. He bowed his thanks and started walking. While he walked, he tied the canteen to his waist, upside down. Hopefully if he turned into a girl, if he ran the right way the lid would be knocked off and his legs would be doused with warm water. Feeling more confident than he had earlier, he began to whistle. The tune was one Akane had hummed when she cooked and he stopped when he thought of her. 'Damn it Ryoga, you better take care of her,' He thought, wishing he could be back with the two. Traveling had lost its fun very quickly after he had gotten separated from his companions. He missed Akane, of course, but he also missed Ryoga, strange as that seemed to him. Still, feeling sorry for himself wouldn't get him there any faster. Not that he stopped; he just walked faster.
"Oh, ugh," Akane exclaimed as she stepped yet again into ankle deep mud. They had come to a swampy area, and the traveling had been both slow and frustrating. Ryoga had offered to carry her, and while Akane had been tempted to say yes, she didn't want to add to Ryoga's trouble. She would also have had more difficulty in keeping him in the right direction. As it was, she kept having to detour to take Ryoga's arm and guide him in the right direction every once in awhile.
"How much farther do you think it is?" Ryoga asked her. She stopped walking to study the map. With a disheartened sigh, she answered him.
"Too far to walk in a day. At this rate it'll take us at least two more days." Ryoga just nodded and plodded on, Akane leading the way. She was tired of the silence though, and wanted to make conversation.
"So Ryoga, has Ranma asked you yet?" Akane said brightly. Ryoga stared at her, a confused expression on his face.
"Asked me what?"
"To be Best Man of course. We're doing things the Western way; I think it's more romantic," She explained, smiling. She had a ring also, with a small diamond in the center, but she had left it at home for safety. Ryoga still looked puzzled, so she explained, to the best of her knowledge, what a best man was.
"Wouldn't he ask his father? Or Mr. Tendo?" Ryoga asked.
"We talked about it. Ranma says you've helped him train far more than his father did. Besides, you're his best friend" She said, as if that settled anything. 'I am?' Ryoga asked silently, but he didn't say it out loud.
"Have you set a date then?" He said instead.
"Not quite, some time in spring I think. We're going to take a week off from school for the..you know.honeymoon," She said, blushing as she thought of it. Ryoga's gritted his teeth; he didn't really want to hear about this, but he also didn't want to hurt Akane's feelings by changing the subject. Akane seemed to sense his mood, for she said nothing else of the matter.
"I-I made it!" Ranma exclaimed to the sky. He was exhausted, he had practically jogged the rest of the way, but he had made it. His cure lay waiting for him at Jusenkyo. All he had to do was find the guide. It didn't take long, his small house was in the same place it always was. Breathing heavily, but smiling, he knocked on the door and waited.
"Yes? Oh, is Mr. Customer!" The guide explained, smiling as he recognized Ranma. He opened the door wider, and Ranma stepped in, looking around.
"How ya been? Where's your little girl?" He asked, not seeing her in the room.
"Daughter is at school in city, please, sit down." The guide replied, gesturing to a small table with two chairs. Ranma sat down gratefully, dropping his pack onto the floor.
"What bring Mr. Customer back to accursed grounds? To look for cure?" The guide asked. He set two cups on the table, with a small kettle of hot tea. Pouring it, he handed a cup to Ranma, who thanked him and sipped it.
"Ah! That's good! Oh, yeah, actually, I need to ask some questions, if that's ok," He added.
"Is fine sir, what you need to know?"
"Well." He explained his current dilemma to him, then listened eagerly for answers. The guide was silent, sipping his tea thoughtfully before speaking again.
"I not know for sure, but it sound like drowned girl's spirit is coming back," Ranma choked and sputtered on his tea, staring at the guide.
"What?" He asked, gasping for breath. The guide nodded regretfully.
"Some people who is cursed go through great trauma; strong emotions very quickly. Usually when this happen it.." He searched for the right word in Japanese. "Awakens spirit of original drowned body. Some time it no matter, if cursed form is animal, but when human, it can be very bad,"
"No kidding," Ranma said softly. The news wasn't as encouraging as he thought. "So how do I stop this.this.person from 'coming back'?" The guide shrugged.
"I no know. Most go mad and die." Seeing the color drain from Ranma's face, he quickly added, "But I sure you find way to stop it. You very unique," He said, and sipped his tea again. Ranma thought for a few minutes, biting his lip as ideas ran through his mind. Snapping his fingers, he exclaimed,
"I've got it! What about the Amazons? They're ancient! And the old ghoul was the first to figure out it was my curse getting weird," He smiled proudly, the guide smiled politely, not understanding what he meant, except for the part about getting help from the Amazons.
"Is good try. You may have to pass test for information though, Amazons not give help to weak or undeserving. Rest here a day, is day's walk to Amazon village, or longer," Ranma nodded, agreeing.
He stayed the night, slept in, and walked around the springs in the afternoon. Secretly, he hoped Akane and Ryoga would arrive before he left; he didn't relish the thought of another journey by foot alone. To his surprise, and joy, two mud-covered, tired looking figures arrived at the guide's doorstep the next night. Ranma had opted to stay one more day; to see how the weather faired, was his excuse. Forgetting where he was, he ran out to greet them and hugged Akane fiercely. She hugged him back until he finally let go, blushing. Turning to look at them both, his grin nearly reached his ears.
"Great to see you guys again! Took you long enough!" Akane laughed as Ryoga gave him a half hearted punch, then they trudged inside to wash up. They ate dinner together, and Ranma explained his idea of going to the Amazons for help.
"What do you think?" He asked them. Ryoga shrugged, shoveling food into his mouth, but Akane smiled encouragingly.
"I think that's a good idea Ranma. Shall we go tomorrow?" Ranma nodded and they spent a surprisingly fun night there. The guide kept calling it a 'party' but mostly they were all just relieved to have been united again. The three of them slept in, and the guide had packs of more food waiting for them when they awoke. Thanking him for everything, they once again set out.
The journey was much more pleasant than their previous, and they only had to spend one night outside. Ranma held Akane's hand unabashed, and he and Ryoga exchanged superficial insults. When they came to the edge of the village, they were met by a young woman holding a spear towards them. She spoke a long stream of Chinese at them, but they had come prepared. The guide had told them what to say in Chinese, and Ranma had memorized it. Slowly, he repeated it to the girl. She stared at them, but nodded her understanding and led them to the center of the village. A large wooden cabin was there, and she spoke to the two guards outside of it. The girl left and the two guards led them inside, Akane walking behind Ranma nervously and Ryoga trailing behind them.
Inside sat three old women all sitting on low stools, the one on the far left looked vaguely like Cologne, and she wore deep green robes. The middle had golden robes with shorter hair, and she was taller than the other one. The right woman wore blue robes, she was the only one of the three to have a streak of black in her long hair.. The middle woman said something, and the guards replied. The communication barrier was starting to annoy Ranma, who decided to learn Chinese when he returned to Japan. The three women nodded as one at the guards reply, and the green robed woman called out in a clear voice,
"So, you have come seeking help. What do you knowledge do you wish to gain from us?" She asked him. Feeling rather like a school boy being questioned by his teacher, Ranma nevertheless gave a confident reply.
"I fell in one of the springs of Jusenkyo awhile ago, the spring of the drowned girl." And he explained everything, with Akane and Ryoga adding their information as well. The three women listened silently as they explained everything, and it took nearly an hour for them to finish.
"The Amazons know much of the past; we keep records that are far older than the oldest Elder." The green robed woman said.
"We shall be happy to help with your problem, if you can prove your worth," The blue robed woman said after her. Ranma cracked his knuckles, smiling.
"No problem," He said, but the women were not looking at him. The golden robed one stared at Akane.
"Do you accept the challenge?"
"What?!" Ryoga and Ranma exclaimed together as they turned to face Akane, who looked as surprised as they did. Ranma shook his head furiously, mouthing a 'no'. Akane saw him, and felt annoyed that he didn't trust her fighting ability. Just because she wasn't as good a fighter as Shampoo didn't mean she couldn't handle an Amazon, besides, Shampoo was supposed to be the best fighter, so surely she could take on one Amazon. Besides, Ranma's life was on the line, what choice did she have? With a firm nod, she replied,
"I accept." The women stared at her gravely while Ranma cried out, "No Akane!" but they ignored him.
"How soon do you wish to begin?" The center woman asked.
"Right away," Akane said, again ignoring the two boys. The three women conversed among themselves in Chinese before switching back to Japanese.
"Very well; in three hours we shall send three warriors to fight you. If you beat them honorably, we shall tell you all we know," Akane bowed, Ranma and Ryoga copying her reluctantly.
"Thank you Grandmothers," She said solemnly. The guards ushered them outside, where Ranma turned on her angrily.
"What are you doing Akane? You don't stand a chance against one of their fighters!"
"Well what should we do then? Just hope whatever's wrong with you will just go away? I'm not going to sit and watch you go mad Ranma!" She said, her eyes filling with tears at her last words.
"Damn it! If my girl form wasn't going crazy I could fight this myself!" He turned away from them, fists clenched. Understanding his problem, Ryoga rested a hand on his shoulder.
"I know you hate to have others fight your battles for you Ranma, but Akane's right. She's a good fighter, she'll be fine," Akane beamed at his praise, but Ryoga's real message to Ranma was: We won't let her fight this by herself. Ranma turned again to look at Ryoga's face, understanding his true meaning and allowed himself a small smile.
"You're right, and it's not like it's a duel to the death or anything," He said, and they laughed, feeling more relaxed. Until one of the guards turned and said in heavily accented Japanese, smiling,
"Actually, it is,"
End of Part 4
Mwahahaha! Was that a cliffhanger? I like to think so!! Cool twist, having Akane have to fight, really fight, for Ranma, eh? Spur of the moment really.anyway, hopefully it's gotten a little more interesting, although I still haven't gotten to the real plot! I keep getting sidetracked! Argh! Still, it's better than writer's block, I guess. Well, I hope you liked it, and I'm not writing the next chapter till at least one person reads and reviews this one, so there! Thanks again, and don't forget you can send all thoughts/comments/ideas/ to Runicprincess@aol.com
-Luna Sealeaf