For a disclaimer see prologue.
[ ... ]- Indicates Genma panda signs
Chapter 01:
Death Moves in Mysterious Ways
(In a remote valley deep in the heart of China)
Ranma sighed as he continued to follow his father to yet another training ground. Why they were going there Ranma had no clue. After all Ranma was now able to beat his father seven out of ten matches. The legendary 'Training Grounds of Cursed Springs' Jusenkyo.
"Remind me again pops as to why we ain't gone home yet?"
"Foolish boy we must go to Jusenkyo, if we train there we will become nearly invincible."
"How do you know that old man?"
Genma merely held up a book that had the words 'Martial Arts Training Grounds: Guidebook and Map' scribbled onto it. While Ranma didn't really buy it there wasn't much he could do to prove his father's claim wrong. So like the boy Genma had raised him to be so far he shut his mouth and kept walking, completely unaware of the dangers ahead.
They hadn't gone much farther before they happened upon a fog-covered area. Wading into the thick fog eventually both martial artist stopped to look at the sight that appeared before them. Bamboo pole popping up randomly as far as they could make out in the haze, the poles jutted from the surface of various pool of water. Their observations were interrupted by a fairly short pudgy Chinese man wearing a Chinese Republic Army uniform.
"Greetings Mr. Customers. Here sir, is legendary 'Training Grounds of Accursed Springs.' You very strange one, no, sir? This place very dangerous nobody use now."
As the guide spoke, Ranma and Genma had already begun setting their packs down.
"Ready boy?"
Ranma shrugged as he adjusted the belt on his training gi.
"This place don't look so great."
The guide regarded the strange martial artists before continuing with is description.
"More than one hundred spring here, each have it own tragic legend."
Ignoring the guide for the most part both Genma and Ranma jumped up and alit facing each other on different poles.
"Ahhh what sirs doing? Very bad if fall in spring."
"I won't go easy on you boy."
"That's the way I like it old man."
With that and a battle cry from Genma they launched at each other and began trading blows, only to separate, land then reengage. Several times they both leapt from pole to pole till finally Ranma managed to find an opening in his father's defense and exploited it sending Genma plummeting into a pool.
"Is that it pops? We all done?"
Right as the guide began to explain the legend of that specific pool, Ranma happened to glance skyward and saw something unexpected. Clouds began to swirl darkening along with the very sky. Lighting bolts flashed horizontally across the blackened heavens. At the focal point of the cloud swirl, a hole begins to form. Ranma had a very logical reaction to all of this.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
As if to answer his question a disembodied voice echoes across the valley.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY GUESS IS AS GOOD AS YOURS!?!"
With that the hole spews forth a figure with a pack attached to his back, although it could have been a hump, 'kinda like that bell ringing guy from a while back.' Ranma thought.
As Ranma follows the figure's descent he is suddenly interrupted by of all things a wooden board.
[An opening!]
With that said board smacked into his face and sent Ranma plummeting into a spring **take a wild guess at which one**. Before the man turned panda could properly berate his son on his poor technique, the falling figure made friends with a cursed spring. A huge pillar of water flew out of the spring, raining into nearby springs. It was at this point Ranma came up from his dip and immediately noticed the added weight on his chest. Looking down and seeing some things that were out of place, Ranma was about to chalk it up to having water clouding his vision. Only to hear the guide speak.
"That Spring of Drowned Girl, spring home to very tragic legend of young girl who drown in spring one thousand five hundred-year ago. Now anyone who fall in spring take body of young girl."
Ranma was shocked and pissed as he observed the mounds of flesh on his chest. His entire training trip his father had always told him that if he failed he was nothing more than a weak girl. And now... he was one of them. Ranma calmly climbed out of the pool her eyes nearly vacant. Luckily for himself his spirit didn't give in and rage began to replace grief and shock. His eyes focused on the furry carcass of his father turned panda as a small glow enveloped his body. Genma began sweating a bit as Ranma approached cracking his knuckles.
After a severe panda beating and several attempts at skinning his father (while keeping him alive) Ranma carefully followed the guide through the maze of springs to where the mysterious figure had landed. Halfway out they were interrupted, as a flash shower began not that this bothered Ranma (since the guide had yet to explain that there was a temporary cure). Finally they both arrived; lying in one of the pools was a dark haired figure. Somehow the figure's pack had been removed and was resting on the side just out of the pool. Thought returned to Yume with all the subtlety of a train meeting a gas tanker head on. 'I forgot the knife effect'.
"You ok sir?"
Yume didn't even open his eyes and continued to float where he was.
"Just gimme a few minutes."
"Sir fall in spring of Drowned Man Holding Monkey. Very tragic story of man who drown carrying monkey long time before records kept."
At that comment Yume tilted his head to actually look at who was talking to him. 'Hmm, short stocky guy in green uniform, red head looking depressed, water, and bamboo.' It finally sunk in just where he had landed. 'This is a Ranma universe and I've just been cursed. I think there was an expression that God taught humans for just such an occasion, yes I believe that it was...'
"SON OF A BITCH!"
Both Ranma and the guide jumped back from the sudden outburst, and watched as Yume climbed out of the pool. Once he was free of the pool's embrace he hunched over and began looking around wildly.
"Mirror, give me a mirror."
The guide reaches into one of his pockets and removes a decent sized mirror, which was snatched away by Yume, who begins to examine himself. 'Hmm, almost how I pictured myself as an Anime character. Although I do have to say the thinner eyes do make me look quite sinister.' Finally Ranma spoke up.
"What makes you think it was the pool of the drowned man holding monkey?"
The guide looked at Ranma strangely.
"Young sir now has tail."
That comment caught Yume's attention.
"Tail?"
With that he reaches back and finds a rather lively black tail protruding from the back of his jeans. 'Uh oh... A heh heh heh, ma-maybe it really was just a man holding a monkey... yeah right.' Yume just sighed as he handed the mirror back to the guide.
"Anyways is there a cure or anything?"
"Oh yes sir, cure is hot water but only last till next time splashed with cold water."
Yume nodded as he gathered the pack he had been given before being dropped here. Ranma had become positively giddy upon hearing that there was a cure for the curse, not having bothered to listen to the rest of what the guide said.
"So is there someplace where I can get hot water?" Yume turned to Ranma, "hey man what's up?"
Ranma stared for a minutes before replying.
"The sky? And how did you know that I wasn't really a girl?"
Both Ranma and the guide looked at Yume as he tried to think of a good enough excuse. Finally it came to him.
"Uh... er... that is to say, I'm a traveling... Martial arts... magician. Yeah that's it."
'God... er... Kami or whoever let them buy this."
"I could sense the underlying male aura about you."
Ranma swallowed it hook line swivel and sinker; the guide however looked a bit skeptical. With that they all turned and began weaving their way back to the guides hut. Yume pauses to look up at the cliff-side as some rocks came loose splashing into the pools below.
"This is gonna be just great." he deadpanned. Proceeding to follow Ranma and the guide careful not to fall into another pool.
(Guide's hut some time later)
Yume finally managed to attach the blade to the snath, and held up his finished weapon. The long curving black handle had two grips located on it, while the blade that attached to it seemed to be bathed in endless midnight refracting the light strangely, almost like it was absorbing the light. Ranma merely snorted at the thing.
"Weapons are nothing more than a crutch for the weak."
"Oh yes I agree, however, I do prefer the added reach a weapon gives you."
Ranma stared at Yume not expecting his reaction. Most of the times when he insulted a weapons user they would get all pissed off and defensive, challenging him to a match which he normally won. Still Ranma continued.
"I could take you easy. Especially if I got that scythe away from you."
"I'm not so sure about that. I do have a few 'tricks' up my sleeve; after-all I am a magician."
Ranma bristled at that.
"I could take you any time."
"I'm sure you could, if I wasn't going full out."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Yume replied after he put his, now dry, shirt on and handed Ranma his.
"It simply means that I know magic, and seeing as that is something you probably haven't come across all that often I'm willing to bet I could win."
"You still trust magic even after you've been cursed?"
"I had magic before I was cursed." 'Yeah for about three seconds.'
And so it went they continued debating Yume somehow managing to keep them from coming to blows over their arguments. That was at least until a large fat panda walked into the hut carrying a struggling piglet.
"Great the idiot panda and P-chan." Yume mumbled.
Yume grabbed his bag and moved towards the door as Genma and the guide began joking about the pig actually being a curse victim.
"I'm going to step outside for some fresh air."
After setting his pack against a tree Yume moved back to the hut and reached in to pull the guide out.
"Ah why sir pull away from pig dinner? Panda customer eat all of piglet."
Yume looked at him and smiled.
"That is no piglet it's a curse victim."
The guide wasn't buying it that is until there was a splash sound followed quickly by very human screaming. Yume just smiled as he sat down leaning against the hut holding his newly acquired scythe across his lap. After a couple minutes of no explosions he began thinking it was safe to go back inside. As soon as he leaned away from the wall of the hut he heard Ryouga scream.
"Ranma because of you I've seen hell, prepare to die!"
With that the wall behind him exploded covering him in rubble and debris.
Ranma jumped through the wall Ryouga had smashed in his attempt to hit Ranma.
"C'mon pig boy come and get me."
"Ranma this is all your fault!"
Ryouga jumped out after Ranma and they began trading blows. It continued this way for a few minutes (the pile of rubble shifting occasionally) till Ryouga managed to get spun around and lost track of Ranma. Charging headlong into the forest Ryouga's voice began to fade away all the while screaming about Ranma and cowards. Ranma calmed down after Ryouga's voice disappeared. He began to relax, it was then the pile of rubble mumbled something and a quick breeze later, a line formed down the center of the pile letting debris fall to either side revealing a peeved Yume, who had introduced himself as Bill. After all Jon was too obvious, and Jonathan was even more so.
"Ranma next time you decide to blow up a wall I'm leaning on."
He began slowly as the blade of his scythe grazed Ranma's neck.
"Allow me the chance of knowing about it before you cover me in rubble. K?"
"Ah no sir what you do? You destroyed my house."
Ranma looked at the devastation and had the decency to look sheepish.
"Sorry about that but I wasn't expecting Ryouga to attack me like that."
Sighing and shaking his head Yume (now Bill) took stock of himself and was not pleased, his T-shirt and jeans were ripped and tattered barely worth keeping.
"Damn it these were the last pair of normal clothes I own." 'In fact I think they were the only normal pair I own.' With that and a sigh, he grabbed his pack and walked into the remains of the hut. He stopped only to properly threaten Genma with his scythe. As soon as Yume stepped inside, the heavens opened up and poured down upon the unsuspecting Ranma. Ranma could do nothing more than scowl at the sky.
A bit later Yume re-emerged clothed in one of his cloaks, carrying his scythe on his back. From the tattered remains of his belt he managed to fashion a decent strap to put the scythe on his back with. Currently the tail of his cursed form was acting as a sash around his waist. The cloak its self was the strange finisher of this ensemble. While it didn't look black, it in a way did, it seemed to made of nothing more than darkness much like the blade of his weapon. The hood was down letting his head be seen.
"I guess this is a bit better, although I look like a monk or something."
Ranma shrugged showing his lack of concern. Yume smiled at the tattered remains of Ranma's training gi, after all that loose top wouldn't be very good for very long once Ranma realized the hazard of it in his cursed form. Yume pulled away from his sinister musings via the sight of the quietly weeping guide.
"Hey guide, do you know of somewhere nearby that we can stay. At least till someone else's friends decide to come and try to destroy it."
"Hey what are you blaming me for?"
Yume managed to put up a convincing puzzled look.
"I never blamed you, I blamed the company that you keep."
Ranma stopped and nodded appeased at 'Bill's' answer. The guide then piped in.
"Oh yes honored sir, there is village of Amazons. Many powerful warrior there."
Before Ranma could express his (or her) eagerness to go she was hit from behind by one of Genma's signs.
[Boy we will go there and see what] [types of techniques we can learn off them.]
Yume piped in looking at Genma.
"Where do you get those signs?
The panda ignored him, in favor of gathering his things much like his son was doing.
----------
The gates looked just like Yume expected them to look. The fallen timber of many trees strung together holding outside invaders at bay. The gates however were wide open, and for that matter unguarded. The guide remarked about something in Mandarin, then turned to his little tour group as he led them towards the village's center.
"We lucky sirs, is day of big village tournament, big honor for winner."
The now hooded Yume nodded as he looked over the events. Then his mind kicked into overdrive as he saw who was on the Challenge Log. However the bullet train was derailed and exploded in a fantastic fireball in Yume's mind. The scents of the food began to mess with his senses and he was soon following Ranma and Genma as they gravitated towards the table, all their mouths watering. After all no one would mind him eating... right? After feasting and calming the new savage beast of a stomach he had re-acquired (sort to speak), his question was answered in the form of a heavy bon-bori smashing into the table in front of Ranma. 'Shit this is bad.' luckily for him no one had bothered to notice the dark robed figure sitting next to the girl who was arguing with the village champion via the guide. Yume, rather than risk being blamed along with Ranma, stayed silent, much like Genma. As Ranma headed towards the Challenge Log in order to win the feast, or at least so he thought, Yume's ingenious escape plan (which consisted of using a distraction and running like hell) was foiled.
"Hello young one," and aged voice behind him spoke, "I couldn't help but admire the fine workmanship on the weapon you are carrying. Might I inquire as to where you came across this item?"
"You might."
Yume had by this time turned around and was facing what he assumed to be a member of the village elders, the fact that she looked like Cologne really helped in that regard. The hood-shrouded face of Yume stared at the wrinkled face of the woman for a few minutes till the Elder sighed.
"Could you tell me where you got that from?"
"No."
The elder nodded and stepped back her wisdom filled eyes taking on a dangerous appearance.
"Very well, then I'll just have to assume you stole it from us, and therefore will have to retrieve it from you, or kill you then retrieve it."
The elder snapped her fingers. A moment later the space between Yume and herself had become decidedly more shapely. Yume stared at the sight before him. A girl about his age if not older stood before him glaring at him with dangerous purple-blue eyes. The girl stood about a head and a half shorter than Yume, had dark green hair, and a body that could kill. In her hands however she held a wicked looking naginata, which could literally kill.
"For stealing from the Amazon Village, and insulting Elder Lotion, I Perfume will make you suffer."
Yume's response was to begin reaching back for his weapon, he only hoped those lessons that Death had told him about were really good.
Ranma dusted his hands off after having dispensed of Shampoo, and winning the match. However before he could go congratulate her on a good fight after having already fought all day, Yume's body slammed heavily into the log just below him. Ranma looked down as his recently acquired traveling companion used his own scythe to help himself to his feet.
"You okay?"
Yume's response was to spit out a mouthful of blood from under his cloak.
"Oh, *cough* I'm just peachy."
With that he took a more aggressive looking stance with his scythe held at ready.
"Oh yeah don't let that Shampoo girl kiss you."
Ranma stared at 'Bill' and wondered, 'Who's Shampoo?' however it came out a bit differently.
"Huh?"
Just then a green headed blur moved to attack Yume. Yume responded quickly and jumped back swinging his scythe with a practiced ease as his training kicked in. 'Let's see just how good this training is.' Perfume swung her naginata, but was parried by one of the grips of her opponent's weapon. Yume spun his weapon and knocked her own weapon off balance before swinging the bladed end at her feet, which she managed to flip away from just before it carved a small trench into the ground. Landing softly with the naginata held across her chest she looked at her opponent differently. While his aura was weaker when compared to a fighter of her caliber, his skill seemed to be just the opposite. As the two warily circled one another, Lotion had been joined by Cologne in her observation of the fight. Ranma and his father having long since fled not having heeded Yume's hastily dispensed advice. Thus leaving Yume to fend for himself against the green haired Amazon, and quite possibly the rest of the village. Again the two combatants collided weapon clashing against farm tool styled weapon. Yume managed to hook the handle of Perfume's naginata between the blade and a grip and thus forced her to let the weapon go or risk loosing a hand. As her weapon clattered to the ground, she quickly put some distance between her and the robed scythe wielder, and took up an unarmed stance. However rather than attacking her as she had expected, Yume moved to her naginata and picked it up in his left hand. Swinging it a few times as if to get a feel for it Yume smiled and them threw it back to her. She caught it with no difficulty what so ever, her suspicious gaze was met by Yume's mostly hidden face as he spoke.
"I won't fight you without a weapon. Now then this time first to submit or get knocked out wins right?"
She nodded at the challenge this was personal now, he had challenged her and she was going to beat him. Yume stood back a relaxed grip on his scythe, however mentally he was partly congratulating himself on the save, while kicking himself for it.
'There would be no way I can beat her without a weapon. She's stronger than I am.'
Perfumed charged again spinning around as she reached Yume, before she got close enough to jab him in the stomach with the butt of her weapon he swung and hooked one of her legs with the lower grip, tripping her. She rolled away from his follow-up Dragon Stomp.
It continued like this for almost ten minutes each attacking, and the other managing to buy time with a counter-attack. However Yume soon realized that he was in trouble. He was breathing heavily and sporting a few bruises, however Perfume was sporting bruises as well as cuts. 'Dammit I can't keep this up for long, she's got more training than I do so she's got better endurance and more strength. My skill is no good to me if I can't hold the weapon to use it. Stupid 'Breaking Point Technique' training.'
Of which Perfume had given Yume a first hand demonstration. His mind worked fast trying to come up with a way to beat her.
'The only way I'll be able to beat her is through magic.'
Yume almost lost his head at his startling realization. Before elaborating n the idea he managed to do a back flip (surprising himself) and escape the Amazon warrior. After getting a good distance between them he came up with a plan. Thinking of the spells he now knew (pretty basic ones) he came up with one that would work if he pulled it off just right. Rearing his scythe back far behind him he began to cast a fireball spell, channeling it through his snath and into the blade. With a mighty swing, a mental release of the spell, and a shout of, "Blazing Blade" he fired his attack. It worked like he hoped it would the fire took on the shape of a blade and flew towards his opponent.
"You think you can fool me with an illusion? HA!"
With that said Perfume stood her ground having not sensed any chi or ki (and not knowing of magical attacks) from the thing streaking towards her. Yume's eyes widened in shock as she stood there leaving herself completely open to the 'Blazing Blade'. Her eyes widened in shock and pain as the 'illusion' struck her dead in the chest. Her pained scream echoed off the walls of the buildings around them. She hit the ground hard and wasn't moving; the stench of charred flesh permeating from her fallen form.
'Oh SHIT, I know what happens to me if I beat her, but I have no clue what would happen if I killed her.'
As all the things he thought that they could do to him the one thing he knew wouldn't be his punishment, was death, by snou snou. And so not being able to sense the lifelines that bound a person's soul to their body, he quickly panicked and rushed to try and revive her. His scythe fell as its owner released his grip on it, the blade cleaving into the ground. Yume's thoughts were basically along these lines.
'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, FUCKING Shit.'
Yume's arms almost moved of their own accord as he began trying to heal her. Arcane symbols glowed in the air above the fallen form of Perfume. Eventually the symbol became complete and flashed brightly before it seemed to get sucked into Perfume's chest. Lotion and Cologne both simply stared at the display of magical power that Yume had just performed. Yume looked at the freshly healed body of Perfume, however there was something severely out of place. Namely the lack of the rise and fall of her chest indicating that she was breathing. However before he could ponder ideas of performing artificial respiration, (or at least trying to) Perfume's eye shot open and her gaze instantly focused on him. Not having expected the sudden movement he froze like a dead caught in the headlights of a speeding semi. Her hand shot out and grabbed the fabric of his hood; he was further surprised as she pulled him into a deep, knee-liquefying, kiss. Yume wasn't sure how long it was till their lips parted, but as they did and he saw that rather heated look in her eyes he could do nothing more than silently lip-synch as she spoke.
"Wo ai ni." (You I love)
Before he could begin his rather Ranma- esque escape, a sharp pain on the side of his neck stopped him. He reached up and pulled a rather elaborate looking dart from his neck and stared at it.
"What the hell is this for?"
Before he received his answer he was tapped on his right shoulder. Turning back and facing Perfume, he was made intimate acquaintance which the knuckles of her right fist.
His head tilted back and the rest of him followed till he was lying on the ground, out like a light. Miraculously his hood remained up and continued to shroud his face.
"For such a skilled fighter husband, you have little endurance and strength, with almost no danger sense."
Yume was unavailable for comment however.
(TBC)
Omake:
Two elderly men sat back to back near a stream.
"So is it over?"
"Not till Ranma and Genma run by being chased by Shampoo."
They continued to sit there neither doing anything. A fish jumped from the stream.
"Why couldn't that have been the cue?'
The other man shrugged. Still they sat there. A tree fell with a thunderous crash, still nothing. A huge sea-monster like tentacle shot from the steam and grabbed a screaming man into the steam as he clawed at the ground, still nothing.
Several hours later however.
"C'mon pops pick up the pace I have no problem leaving you to get skinned."
[Oh my son is willing to let his] [Father be skinned so he can] [Save his own, the SHAME!]
However said panda did begin to move faster as a bon bori smashed into the ground inches behind him.
"Now?"
"Not yet."
Then an enraged Amazon streaked past.
"Now?"
"Yes, now it's over."
{End}