The Ties that Bind
Chapter Four
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Discliamer: I own nothing. So there.
***********************Three Years Later (Juesenkyo)************************
"Here sir is Legendary 'Training Ground of Accursed Springs.'"
"This place isn't so impressive," Ranma scoffed.
"What does he mean accursed springs?" Eriol wanted to know. Ceres shrugged.
"You very strange one no? This place very dangerous. Nobody use now."
"Dangerous?"
"Is more than one hundred spring here……and every one have own tragic legend."
"I'm really not sure about this," Eriol said glancing at the very skinny bamboo shoots in each of the springs, "I really don't want to find out what he means by accursed."
"Don't be such a chicken-yarou."
"WHAT?!?" Ceres crossed her arms.
"Alright then you two go up there."
"What's wrong Ceres? "'fraid you'll fall off?" Ranma taunted.
"If she was you wouldn't know it, boy." Genma said, "Ranma, follow me!" he added jumping up. Ranma followed suit though the guide protested. Ceres tugged his sleeve.
"Excuse me, but what exactly do you mean by accursed?" she knew the most Chinese out of all of them, and it was Ceres who found the guide.
"I'm not really supposed to tell you. Just… just don't touch the water."
"That's all you can give me?!?" the guide nodded. Eriol began biffing her shoulder.
"Ceres…Ceres," she whirled on him.
"What??" Eriol was too stunned to answer instead he merely pointed to where Ranma and Genma were. Ceres's jaw dropped. Instead of his father Ranma was now fighting a gigantic panda.
"Wha-? Wha-? Wha-?" Ranma sputtered.
"That is 'Spring of Drowned Panda'! There is tragic legend, very tragic, of Panda who drown there two thousand year ago. Now whoever fall in that spring take body of panda!" Ranma gulped
"Wait a second! You never said anything about-" before he could finish Ranma to was knocked into a spring.
"Ohhhhhh. Not 'Spring of Drowned Girl'!"
"Spring of-" Ceres began.
" Drowned Girl? Do I even need to ask?" Eriol finished.
"There is tragic legend, very tragic, of young girl who drown in spring one thousand five hundred year ago. Now whoever fall in that spring take body of young girl," Ceres looked at Ranma in shock. He had indeed turned into a young girl. One who was only slightly bustier then Ceres. She looked down and jumped a way from the edge of the spring she had been standing near. Then prodded the panda.
"Sensei?" he nodded and Ceres punched him.
"You idiot! What the hell is wrong with you anyway?!?" she shouted, "If you can't read Chinese then buy the Chinese-Japanese guide book!!!"
"I thought you speak Chinese," the guide said.
"Speak, yes. Read, not really," she punched the panda again and he covered his head in fear.
"Is there a Spring of Drowned Man?" Eriol asked.
"He can't give out information about the springs until you fall into one, right?" the guide nodded and Ceres hit Genma one more time.
"Maybe we can drop them into random springs until we find the right one."
"Eriol there are over a hundred springs here remember? Besides there might not even be a spring of drowned man. The guide can't reveal that," Ranma hadn't spoken since resurfacing from the spring. She had only stared at her new body, then, as if she didn't dare believe it, she poked one breast and then the other.
"Ranma? What exactly are you doing?" Ceres wanted to know. The girl blushed so that her face matched her fiery red-hair.
"N-nothing," she stammered, then she too hit her father adding yet another bruise, "You idiot!" she shrieked, "What the Hell were you thinking?!?"
"Ok just…just calm down," Eriol said placidly, "Shouting isn't going to help you two any," Ranma glared for a record three seconds then burst into tears.
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"It's a bad idea Ranma-Chan."
"Nah. It'll be funny and don't call me that."
"Well I can't call you Ranma-kun. And I'm telling you it isn't funny! Pushing Ceres into one of these stupid Springs? No way."
"But it'll be the same one I fell into so it's ok. She'll flip out then notice that she's a bit more curvy-"
"Then she'll kill us. You know that theory of hers about how she never wants to show emotion because it makes her weak?"
"Yeah?"
"It doesn't apply to anger!!" he shouted. The others stared at him until he blushed. Ranma clapped her hand over Eriol's mouth.
"Shhh! You wanna give us away or what? Moron. Where's your sense of fun? Trust me she'll laugh."
"After she kills us."
"Come on Eriol where's the harm?"
"Are you sure you know which spring it was?"
"Natch. I'll worry about that and getting her over to it. All you have to do is push."
"I have to push?!?"
"Uh-huh."
"Ohhhh. This isn't gonna end well. I can see it….."
"Don't be such a Chicken-yarou."
"WHAT?!?!"
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"Heeey Ceres…." Ceres looked up from her sewing, "Hey that's pretty good," Ranma said, "Where'd you get the material?" she asked, curious.
"Every town we stopped in over the past three years. Don't you notice anything? I make my own clothes. I've done so ever since I hit puberty."
"Oh yeah…. Anyway! I got somethin' to show ya!" before Ceres could do or say anything Ranma had her hand and was dragging her to a nearby spring.
"Um-hm….Ranma it's a spring of drowned….something."
"No, no, no look in the spring. There's somethin in there."
"Water?"
"Just look!" Ceres shrugged and bent over the pool of water. Meanwhile unknown to her, and muttering swears about how damn prideful he was, Eriol snuck up behind her. He was a step behind her, the closest he'd ever gotten when she jumped up and around, instinctively adopting a defensive stance. Eriol, who now figured that he must've been dropped on his head as a child, and knowing his mother that was very possible, shut his eyes and pushed her. Ceres, to her credit, managed to teeter precariously on the edge of the spring by wind milling her arms. Then, as if in a daze, and by now Eriol seriously figured that he had a death wish or something and oh boy was this the last time he would ever listen to Ranma, he put one finger on Ceres's forehead.
"Sorry 'bout this Ceres. Really," he murmured just as Ceres fell in.
It seemed like hours had passed, ten seconds actually, and Ceres still hadn't some up.
"Why you do that?" Ranma and Eriol jumped, they hadn't seen the guide standing there behind them, "That 'Spring of Drowned Rabbit'. Very tragic legend of fluffy bunny who drown there one thousand five hundred year ago."
"Dr-dr- Drowned Rabbit?" Eriol stammered. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. "Ranma said it was Drowned Girl…" the guide shook his head and pointed vaguely to the right.
"That spring over that way," Eriol looked from the water to Ranma's equally shocked face then punched her in the eye.
"IDIOT!!" meanwhile a white rabbit had crawled unseen out of the water and was hopping as fast as it's lapine legs could go into the woods so it wouldn't burst into tears.