Embracing Curse
Chapter Two:
Ranma Saotome's journal, August 25th:
When Oyaji handed me these scrolls, along with that dull lecture of how a martial artist must record every event in his life, no matter how small, I never thought it would become an enjoyable habit. I don't write down absolutely everything, of course, only the truly outstanding events, which aren't as often as most people believe.
Take yesterday for example, all I did was accompany Akane-chan to the airport to pick up Nabiki-san. I should point out one detail, her pale appearance. I guess she spent her entire holiday going to dance clubs and sleeping late, because other than that, she was quite healthy. Still, Kasumi-san told her to visit Dr. Tofu as soon as possible.
We all enjoyed the gifts, the souvenirs were nice and the food was delicious. It's a good thing Oyaji hasn't come back yet, this gives me time to find a good hiding spot; otherwise these goodies will be gone in a flash. I only wish Nabiki-san hadn't raised money for them by selling snapshots of my female form, and I could've lived without the 'they were a huge hit' comment.
I'd like to know what the old goat got. After going to his room to open his present, he came back in a flash and leapt for Nabiki-san. Luckily, she had a tray ready for him to crash into.
Hai, yesterday didn't have much to tell. But today was different, at least I've got the feeling it heralds something big.
The sun was setting as Akane-chan and I headed home after running some errands. As usual, I was walking on the fence while she went below me. Mine is quite advantageous position, it allows me to look upon her without being noticed. Of course, there's a slight drawback to this habit, I don't pay attention to where I'm going, so I shouldn't have been surprised when I stepped on a weak part of the fence. I tried to jump off and Akane-chan reached out to catch me, but when it comes to me getting wet, nothing can stop it. We both fell to the canal, I switched to my female form, but at least I caught Akane-chan, keeping her from getting soaked as well. We got up and heard someone calling, I looked up and saw a guy about our age. He wore worn out jeans, a black leather jacket and hiking boots. His rowdy, shoulder-length hair was silver-colored with a black streak running down the middle.
"Are you two alright? That's quite a way down," he said, "Give me your hand, I'll help you up." I noticed two things as he spoke: the first was his accent, rather peculiar, even for a foreigner; second, were his teeth, his canines were like Ryoga's, slightly sharper, I felt a little creeped out by looking at those. Then, after I got closer, I found that his eyes were an eerie yellow.
He reached down to help us, I sent Akane-chan up first then took his hand myself. The guy was strong! He pulled me up with great ease, even considering my female form is lighter than the male.
"Arigato," Akane-chan said, "You don't find many courteous strangers in Nerima." I was going to say something myself when we heard a familiar, and annoying, voice.
"Halt knave! Step away from the precious Tendo Akane and the Fire-haired girl." It was Kuno displaying his usual stupidity. "Insolent gaijin, taking advantage of two helpless females. Have at thee!" Our helper just blinked curiously.
"Is this a friend of yours?" he asked.
"More like an undesired acquaintance," I told him. I moved forward to block Kuno's assault, but the stranger pushed me out of the way. I crossed my arms and huffed, he thought that because I was female, I needed protection. I decided to let him have his way, a few whacks from Kuno's sword would teach him to recognize and give a martial artist the proper respect. Boy was I in for a surprise! He taught me not to judge people by their looks.
Akane Tendo's diary, August 25th:
I called out to Kuno-sempai, telling him to stop. But once that baka gets an idea into his one-track mind, there's no stopping him. Our silver-haired friend proved to be as skillful as he was strong though. He grabbed Kuno-sempai's arm with one hand and shoved him away with the other. Kuno-sempai must've gotten up again about five times, throwing curses and insults, before he was finally out for the count.
"Gomen nasai," I told our new friend once it was over, "Kuno-sempai can be so difficult."
"No problem," he replied with a friendly grin.
"Look, we've already caused you a lot of trouble," Ranko-chan said (using that name sure saves a lot of trouble), "If there's anything we can do to make it up to you, don't hesitate to ask."
"All I need is some orientation," he replied, "Could you tell me how to get to the Tendo dojo?" Ranko-chan and I looked at each other and sighed. Sometimes I believe we're all cursed, in more than one way. There was no way of avoiding this, so we introduced ourselves.
"Well, this is a coincidence!" he exclaimed in amusement, "My name is Aelfred by the way."
"Pleased to meet you Aelfred-san," I said as we shook hands. It struck me odd that he gave only one name, but I decided not to ask. "I assume you're looking for Saotome Ranma."
"I'm looking for the Saotome clan," Aelfred-san answered, "I never had a first name until now."
Clan, I've heard that word before in movies, it's used for large families. I think it indicates he's from Ireland.
Once we got home, I showed Aelfred-san to the table while Ranko-chan went upstairs 'to get' Ranma-kun. Kasumi-chan brought tea and cookies, which Aelfred-san politely refused, though he did compliment on the way they smelled. Nabiki-chan came into the room as well, she's looking much better now, after spending all day out in the yard catching some rays. Ranma-kun arrived a moment later. I noticed that Aelfred-san sniffed and raised an eyebrow the moment he saw my fiancé, maybe because of the steam coming from him.
Nabiki's voice journal, August 25th:
Woo-hoo! One day and already there's money coming my way! Sometimes I could just kiss Ranma-kun, if I didn't know his shyness would petrify him. Of course, this Aelfred fellow deserves some credit as well, he's quite an interesting person, and so was the conversation he had with Ranma-kun.
"Saotome Ranma, it's a pleasure to meet you," Aelfred-san greeted as he stood up and bowed.
"Likewise, Aelfred-san," Ranma-kun replied warily. The tone in his voice wasn't very nice, Akane-chan gave him a scolding glare for it. I can't blame him, not with the experiences he's had. "Ranko-chan told me that you were looking for someone named Saotome." Ranma-kun sighed in resignation. "Let's get this over with, what did Oyaji do this time?" Aelfred-san tilted his head.
"I'm afraid we might be talking about completely different things. Let me start at the beginning."
The story Aelfred-san gave us is definitely for keeps. He said that he came from England, of Scottish descent. One of his ancestors, from about 500 years ago worked as a sailor, not a seaman exactly, just a nobody looking for a job. The ship he boarded came to Japan, and Aelfred's ancestor met, guess who… (giggles) A Saotome! The look on Ranma-kun's face!
I've got to admit, the first thing that crossed my mind was: 'This guy's holding a 500-year-old grudge?'. But the continuation of the story cleared everything out.
The two became fast friends. The Scottish sailor returned home without the riches he'd expected, but, according to Aelfred, brought something much more valuable: anything-goes martial arts. (Sigh) Personally, I would've preferred cash.
Aelfred-san's ancestor turned martial arts into a family tradition, and since the Europe-jin were too shortsighted to see beyond their cannons and gunpowder, it came down in relative secrecy.
Now, five centuries later, Aelfred-san wishes to compare western and eastern styles, in other words, he challenged Ranma-kun to a match.
Ooh, there's that warm feeling going through my body again. The encounter will take place the day after tomorrow, more than enough time for word to spread. Just imagine: two martial artists from the same school, meeting after so long, add this to the magnitude rumors reach in these parts, and the stakes are going to be sky-high. I'm expecting most people to bet on Ranma-kun, they'll probably think a gaijin doesn't stand a chance. That will be a grave mistake, I could tell right away that Aelfred-san takes fighting seriously, and has great confidence in his own abilities.
I better go to sleep now so I can get up early tomorrow and start getting organized. Good night (recorder stops).
Ukyo Kuonji's diary, August 26th:
I ran into Shampoo today while I was out buying some spices, she was going back home after making some deliveries. It was strange to see her walking instead of riding her bike, so I decided to stop her and ask.
"Shampoo's bicycle no work," she told me, "Stupid redhead girl wreck it."
"Ran-chan wrecked your bike?" I asked incredulously, "Are you sure you didn't land on his head too hard?"
"Shampoo not talking about Ranma-airen," she corrected, "Shampoo talking about another girl with red hair." I snapped my fingers in understanding, recalling my own nasty encounter with that redhead a few days ago. I'm telling you, she is one bad seed. I told Shampoo about it, and we started talking, trying to figure out what she had against us. Then we realized exactly what we had in common.
"Ranma-airen!" Shampoo shouted, "Redhead girl must like Ranma-airen and must be trying to get Shampoo and Ukyo out of picture."
"That's right," I said, "What other explanation could there be?" Obviously, that bully met Ran-chan and was smitten by his great strength (typical). So she dyed her hair red and fixed it into a pigtail to show her admiration. Ugh, what a creep, I just hope we don't find any boiled rabbits.
"We have to protect Ran-chan," I told Shampoo, "Both of us know that he'd never raise a finger against a girl." At least not when he knows for sure it's a girl.
We made some hasty planning to keep our eye on Ran-chan and each went our own way. I'm not quite sure of what I'm getting myself into, making a deal with my most scheming rival. But I've seen a sample of what that redhead can do, so I need all the help I can get.
Nabiki's voice journal, August 26th:
I spent most of the day with Akane-chan, she put me up to date with what's been going on here. We chatted as we strolled all day and into the night, all over Nerima and the neighboring districts.
She told me about the people that were found at alleys and parks, the incidents had ceased a couple of days ago. The symptoms she described reminded me of what I had back at Florence. I never did go to Dr Tofu's office, I felt much better rather quickly, so getting my savings account to rise retook its place as top priority.
To be honest, my main reason for walking all over town was gathering the wages on the upcoming battle, something she didn't enjoy. As I predicted, Ranma-kun's the favorite and Aelfred-san was getting crumbs, so I decided to give him a more enticing image. Akane-chan calls it lying, I say it's advertising.
"Just be grateful people don't think Aelfred-san is after you," I told her.
(Sigh) I should've been expecting it, Akane-chan asked me about Guiseppe-san. I felt a little torn, I didn't feel like talking about him yet, but I also wanted to share my experience with my little sister. I decided for the latter, after all, there isn't that much to say. Obviously, I omitted our first encounter.
Hmm… You know? Now that I think about it, I don't feel so enchanted by Guiseppe-san anymore, it's like coming out of a sort of trance. But he couldn't have just charmed me with his looks, or money, I'm not that easy to impress. Maybe I feel this way because all I was looking for was a good time, not a serious relationship. Oh well, might as well get over him, I'm sure he's looking for a new girl by now.
That's funny, now I'm thinking about Kuno-chan. It's an odd sensation, like something in my head telling me to stick by him, it's a choice that's going to determine the rest of my life… very weird.
Let's see, where was I? Hai, Akane-chan and I were chatting and we went into a mall to get something to eat. As soon as we entered, two guys came up and tried to hit on us. I had seen them coming and asked Akane-chan to give me a chance to do some business, otherwise she would've sent them flying in a flash. I tried telling them about the fight and how they could make some easy money, but all they were interested in was getting something from us, so I gave Akane-chan's uppercut a green light. That's when a little girl appeared, standing right between us and the guys. She had black hair done in two ponytails, wore a yellow dress and a collar with a cross on it.
"Leave these two alone," she ordered. I was surprised by the amount of authority in her voice, she must've been no more than thirteen-years-old. "Go away and leave these girls alone," she repeated in a harsher tone.
"Mind your own business squirt," one of the guys retorted, "this is a grown-up matter."
"Which obviously excludes you," Akane-chan butted in, "Leave us alone, and don't you dare do anything to this child."
"We're asking nicely, baka," I warned, "Keep it up and you'll see what Onee-chan is capable of." Stupidity being their calling card, they stepped forward trying to threaten us, but the little girl took a step towards them!
"Leave," she commanded as she snapped her fingers. I still feel chills running down my spine as I recall how intimidating her voice sounded, not what you'd expect from someone so young. I didn't see it, since her back was towards me, but I'm sure the look in her eyes was quite scary as well, since the guys obeyed immediately. "Are you two okay?" she asked us once it was over, "Two pretty girls like you should be wary of mascalzonne like those." Her voice had become so sweet, almost as if she was someone else.
"Arigato," I told her, "I'm Tendo Nabiki, by the way, and this is my little sister, Akane."
"Pleased to meet you both," she replied with a big smile, "I'm Isabella Cuore." A fitting name, given it means 'heart' in Italian, as I later told Akane-chan. Isabella-chan then gestured for me to come down and she took a leaf off my hair. "In spite of it all," she said as she fixed me up delicately, "a girl must be very careful about her appearance." I thanked her again, rather amused by what she had done.
"You should head on home, Isabella-chan," Akane-chan said, "it's getting too late for someone like you to be outside." The little girl gave her a surprised look, as if Akane-chan had said something out of place. Then her expression turned back to cheerful.
"Right, and you two better take care of yourselves as well." Isabella-chan waved goodbye as she ran off, while Akane-chan and I went back to our own business.
"Queer girl," I said, "but nice, and quite mature for her age."
"Hai," Akane-chan agreed, "She reminds me of Hinako-sensei, only this one does act like an adult." We wondered whether she'd used some technique against those guys, but I was too hungry to talk about it. Plus, (chuckle) I had spotted a couple of pigeons and didn't want them to get away.
Now, as Isabella said goodbye, I heard her call a wrong name and then correct herself, she called me 'Catherine'. I think I can explain it, you see, while she straightened my hair, I caught the gleam from her green eyes; I could tell that I reminded her of someone very dear to her. I'm sure I'll run into her again, too bad I don't have time to be friends with her, she's too young and I have business to take care of. She'll have better luck with Akane-chan, my little sister gets along with children much better than I. (Recorder stops)
The day of the match finally arrived. Aelfred had requested they meet at a sandlot near Furinkhan at sunset. Akane, Ranma and Nabiki were heading there right now.
"Hurry up you two," the moneymaker said as she took the lead, "I may still collect a few bets before the fight starts."
"Calm down, Nabiki-chan, there's plenty of time," the pigtailed martial artist replied.
"Do you really need any more money, Onee-chan?" Akane asked disapprovingly, "You told me last night that you were already clear from the red numbers."
"Hai," the brown-haired girl said, "but you also know I'm not one to settle for acceptable, I require excellence."
"Che, that guy you met better be aware you've got ice crawling through your veins," Ranma quipped. He caught sight of a little, black dot coming down the street, "Say, isn't that-?"
"P-Chan!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed joyfully. The black piglet rushed to her arms, squealing happily. "Where have you been, you naughty thing? I've missed you so much."
"Where was he indeed?" the dark-haired boy chuckled, "There's a wager with very high odds."
They arrived at the sandlot, and sure enough, everyone they knew was already there, plus several more. Nabiki hurried off to business, while the other two headed for the spot Ukyo, Shampoo and Mousse were waiting at.
"Yo, Ucchan, fellas!" Ranma greeted, "Everyone came to root for me?"
"Ranma-airen so silly! You know Shampoo always cheer for you," the Amazon said as she gave him a sudden embrace. His fiancée, of course, reacted by kicking him on the back of the head.
"Did you come here to fight or to play Casanova?" she growled
"I came as a mere observer, Saotome," Mousse commented harshly, "Your performance in this battle against a western man shall determine whether or not you are worthy of my Shampoo's affection."
"Umm, I think you should be looking at that guy," the stranger the long-haired boy was talking to corrected.
"Ran-chan, I hope you trained for this," Ukyo said, "I have a victory meal all set and waiting. By the way, has that creepy redhead given you any trouble?"
"Nani? What are you talking about?"
"Ranma-airen know, redhead girl who is after him." Shampoo turned to the short-haired girl, "Akane must have met her, she going after all girl involved with Ranma-airen." Akane narrowed her eyes.
"Shampoo, I think the fumes from all those potions are getting to your brain. Ranma-kun and the redhead are the same person."
"Shampoo not talking about Ranma-airen!" the Chinese girl huffed, "Shampoo talking about-"
"Hey Akane!" someone called. The betrothed couple sighed in relief for this interruption; later on they would clear this out. Akane turned and was pleased to see Isabella running up to them.
"Isabella-chan, what are you doing here?"
"I heard about this big event about to take place and I got curious. Is Catherine around?"
"Catherine?" Ukyo asked puzzled.
"I mean Nabiki," the Italian girl corrected, "I don't know why I keep coming up with that name."
"Don't worry about it," Akane assured, "She's taking care of a little business. In the meantime, you can meet the rest of the group." The short-haired girl introduced the petit child to everyone, Shampoo drew her immediate attention.
"Whoa, great hair! That's a style I could definitely go for."
"Thank you. You very nice girl, Shampoo show you how to put it up."
"What's everyone talking about?" Nabiki asked as she showed up, "Look alive, Ranma-kun, Aelfred-san's already here."
"Aelfred?" Isabella peered past Ukyo and saw the silver-haired boy. "I don't believe it, it's him! I'll talk with you later, Catherine," she said as she left. They all looked at how the girl rushed over and embraced him, the look on his face was one of equal surprise and recognition.
"It seems that those two have known each other for a while," the long-haired chef commented.
"All I can say is that it's quite a coincidence," Ranma said, "Well, better not keep our guest waiting any longer.
The dark-haired boy came to the center of the lot as Isabella left, carrying Aelfred's jacket.
"Are you sure you gave this thing enough publicity?" the Scotsman quipped, "I see a few vacant spots at that corner."
"I'm surprised as well, most people seem to have nothing better to do around here." He took a fighting stance, "Don't expect me to hold back, so give me all you've got."
"Precisely my plan." Both opponents took a second to size each other up and charged.
The battle had a shocking start, they met right in the middle and began throwing and blocking each other's attacks, not a single punch or kick was able to score.
"It's amazing," Mousse said, "they're evenly matched."
"Stupid Mousse," Shampoo scolded as she slapped him on the shoulder, "You know Ranma-airen is better than that, he just biding strength."
"Don't be so sure, China doll," Isabella warned, "Aelfred is one of the best fighters Europe has to offer, not to mention he must've been all over the world since we last saw each other. However, I must admit this Ranma fellow is quite good. I never thought all those karate and kung-fu stories were for real. Check it out, even the piglet seems to be paying attention."
"He's a bright one, aren't you P-Chan?" Akane giggled, "Keep watching, it looks like the warm-up's over."
Aelfred stepped away and took a new position, he was hunched over and his legs were a bit farther apart. Ranma guessed that the rowdy-haired boy was about to perform a leaping attack, and he was right, though it looked more like a pounce. Aelfred tried to land a downwards punch, which was avoided, following with a left hook to the stomach, which ended up with his arm being caught. Ranma didn't waste the opportunity, he kicked his opponent then used a special technique.
"Kachu tenshin amaguriken!" The pigtailed martial artist threw about thirty blows in a few seconds, Aelfred reeled back and Ranma shook his hand. "Chikuso, that stings! What's that shirt made out of, stone?"
"Hey, don't think I'm not hurt," the yellow-eyed boy panted. He then chuckled, "So you've been to the amazon village," his tone evoked times long gone, "this will be even better than I thought."
"He moves like an animal," Akane observed, referring to Aelfred, "paces like a wolf, and leaps onto his prey like a great cat."
"Of course he does," Isabella said, "after all he's from the clan-" She clamped her own mouth. "Darn it! I gotta learn to watch what I say."
"You know Aelfred-san's last name?" Nabiki asked.
"Umm, kind of. I promise to tell you when the time is right."
"I agree with Akane-chan," Ukyo said, "not only in his movements, but his appearance is quite animalistic. Do you think he's from that Musk dynasty?"
"He not," the purple-haired girl answered, "otherwise he be gawking all over Shampoo."
"Besides," Mousse added, "they wouldn't share their secrets with a western man." He pushed his glasses into place, "Whatever training he underwent we should definitely study it."
"Kuee," the piglet squealed in agreement.
Aelfred took a moment to concentrate then tried to tackle Ranma. He was fast, but not enough to keep the pigtailed martial artist from blocking. Ranma back-flipped away and devised a new strategy.
"Your leaps have power," he smirked, "now let's see if they carry you the distance." Ranma leapt high into the air. Aelfred wasn't impressed, for he too jumped and easily gained upon his opponent. Again, punches were traded as they came down, once they landed they leapt again.
"Nani!?" The silver-haired boy had been tricked, Ranma had purposely moved slower. The dark-haired one grabbed his ankle, pulled him down and took a firm hold of his arm.
"Kachu tenshin amaguriken!" This time, the attack was at pointblank range and given at greater speed. Aelfred roared in pain as his shirt was shred, he managed to grab Ranma by the waist and held him over his head. The moment they landed, the Scotsman slammed Ranma's back on the ground. It took the martial artist a few seconds, but he countered with two kicks and an uppercut. He got up and popped his bones into place. "You tired yet? I could go on for hours no end."
"Ha! You'll be surprised at how long I can keep a battle going," Aelfred retorted. He rubbed his aching chest and suddenly gave a shocked expression. He looked all over and started to move around frantically."
"What's the matter?" Ranma asked in confusion.
"It's gone!"
Xian-Pu's diary, August 27th:
It was a weird scenario indeed, the fierce battle we were watching was over just like that. The man named Aelfred began pacing about then got down on his knees. Our curiosity was raised so we went over to find out what was the matter.
"Why did you stop? What's the matter?" I asked Aelfred. He pulled something from his neck and gave it to me, a gold chain.
"There was a ring hanging from this," he said, "I have to find it!" He sounded so desperate that we all decided to help, even Ryoga sniffed around. The spectators left complaining, angered by the outcome; Nabiki was upset too of course, since it meant no money was made.
The search took several hours, it was very difficult since it was night and the lamps didn't give enough light. Ukyo suggested that we should wait until morning to continue, this angered Aelfred even more.
"You can all quit if you want to but I won't! I'll keep looking even if the dawn catches me!" The volume with which he said that, plus the sight of his sharp canines scared me quite a bit. Still, I chose to stay and help, I know how desperate I would become if I lost something dear to me.
A half-hour later, the ring was found, by Mu-Su of all people! Aelfred sprinted towards him and took his prize. He put his hand on Mu-Su's shoulder, saying that he would forever be in his debt. I just hope Mu-Su doesn't take that promise too seriously.
Akane asked Aelfred to let her see the ring, and all of us girls gathered round to take a peek, we were awed. It was a gold ring, with the relief of wolves running among roses, very detailed in spite of the small surface. Inside were letters in an unknown language, but I do know it is a message of love. Nabiki was the last to have it, and true to her nature, appraised it coldly.
"I'd say it's worth a few thousands, I guess stopping the fight was worthwhile." The little girl, Isabella, smacked her in the back of her head.
"Catherine, don't be so crude! That ring was crafted by someone very important to Aelfred."
Isabella, she's a very intriguing girl, I have to find out more about her. Her voice is most sweet-sounding when she talks to the Tendo girls, especially Nabiki. And there's that habit of calling her Catherine. Where did it come from?
It seems Nabiki is the focus of the little one's attention. Maybe Isabella wants to be rich when she grows up and took Nabiki as a role model, but apparently, she wants to influence her as well. Isabella had to order Nabiki to stay and help, and then that scolding. I suspect Isabella actually believes herself to be older than us.
Anyway, Aelfred took back the ring and Ukyo asked who had made it.
"You could say she was my wife," he answered, "passed away long ago," he added as he pressed it against his chest. In respect, we all stood there quietly.
"If you," Ranma-airen stuttered, "If you wish to suspend our match, I'll understand." Aelfred chuckled kindly as he put his prize in his pocket.
"Yes, I do believe I've lost my will to go on. Nonetheless, I'm satisfied, even if it was just a sample, I can confirm the Saotome clan has grown stronger over the ages." He held out his hand, "You are a sublime contender, Ranma."
I agree wholeheartedly, my Ranma-airen always gives everything he has, no matter the situation; he faces each task with full power and passion, and never backs away. Definitely a man worthy of an amazon's love.
Ranma-airen grinned and shook Aelfred's hand; it was an odd salute since the latter had them hold each other by the wrist.
It was an unusual encounter with a more unusual outcome, a good one at that. Great-grandmother will enjoy this tale. Aelfred left after taking his jacket back from Isabella and each of us went home, the little girl left with Ranma-airen and the Tendo sisters, and Ukyo walked with Mu-Su and I for a while. We agreed to tell Akane about the redhead.
I don't know why I'm adding this last part, since it was probably an illusion. While we looked, I glimpsed towards Aelfred and thought I saw a red gleam coming from his face. But like I said, I surely just imagined it.
The pigtailed redhead was tossed into a dark, damp pit. Despite the bruises, burns and pain all over her body, she turned and bared her fangs towards her torturer.
"Now," a man's voice said from the shadows, "what have we learnt from this experience?" The girl's growling ceased and she hung her head in defeat.
"Discretion…Sir."
"Correct. Feeding every night and leaving your victims all over, can you think of more irresponsible behavior? Be grateful that I arrived when I did. More of these happenings and I wouldn't have been so lenient."
"Hmph! I appreciate it, Sir."
"Good." She heard him step away. "I brought a few kine with me, you may use them to recover and create some allies. For you will remain here until I give you new orders," the voice became more terrifying, "To bring the woman who will be my childe."