Ranma poured the water over his head, and whipped his head around to look around the park. He felt like he was being watched, but couldn't pinpoint from where. Maybe he was just imagining it... Akane's gasp brought him back to the task at hand.
Akane simply stared and made unintelligible sounds.
"Can you keep a secret?"
The girl only nodded, not trusting herself to make a sound.
"Jusenkyo is this place in China..." Ranma spent the next hour and a half explaining about the curse. He also explained that Herb and Konatsu both had curses, and that all three were working to control them. The feeling of being watched never when away, though.
Happosai stayed lodged in the tree above where Ranma had explained his curse long after the pair had left. Happosai immediately understood why Ranma had gotten so good so quickly – he'd been sparring with Happosai at least twice a day for the last several months. Happosai began to think about all the various methods he could pay the little whelp back, discarding most options as soon as they popped into his mind. He pulled out his pipe, and began to light up when it hit him. He grinned wickedly. That would do perfectly.
Ranma dropped his books off and flopped to the mats exhausted. He closed his eyes as he listened to the wind rustle the trees in the back of the temple. In the background he could hear Shinran chanting for some service. Ranma allowed his mind to drift, playing the day's events across his mind.
School had been a disaster today. The chemistry club had 'accidentally' created some sort of high grade explosive that blew the lab apart. Ranma hadn't been in the building at the time, but had rushed in to help evacuate the structure. Nobody was seriously injured, but there were a few students that required medical attention.
His acts of 'heroism' had encouraged yet more attempts from the love sick girls of Furinkan to corner him and ask for dates. He had politely refused all the invitations, begging off with prior commitments. By the end of the day, he had actively taken to fleeing from approaching women.
Ranma took a deep breath, and cleared his mind. He was a little tired to train, but he could meditate. He sat up and assumed a lotus position as he slowly worked his way into his mind. The cat was waiting for him by the time he arrived. It was lashing its tail, stalking back and forth in the confines of his mind.
"You feel it too, huh?" Ranma watched as the cat walked around him in circles, carefully keeping one eye on the boy. "So, what do you want to do today?" The cat's body posture seemed to suggest, 'same thing we do everyday.'
Ranma sighed as the cat continued to circle. He carefully kept his eyes on the animal, trying to decipher its emotions. It didn't look to be promising today.
The cat's tail began to whip back and forth rapidly. With out warning, it roared and pounced. As the cat impacted Ranma's body, he was jolted away from his meditative state. His eyes snapped open, and he frowned. That had never happened before. He attempted to slip once more into a meditate trance, but for some reason it eluded him today. Annoyed, Ranma rose from his seat and headed out to the entrance hall. Putting on his shoes, he reached for the door only to have it open before his hands made contact. He blinked a few times, his mind failing to register the sight before him.
"KONATSU! HERB!"
Konatsu winced at the volume of Ranma's shout. Herb raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you miss us?"
The three sat in the tea room, sharing a cup of tea as Ranma listened to the married couple recount what had happened over the past two weeks. It seemed to involve a lot of sex, but the interesting part was what had happened when they finally arrived at Konatsu's old home.
"So, you found them with out a problem?" Ranma grabbed a rice cracker, munching on it as he waited for Konatsu to answer.
"Yeah, they were still living in the same house. My step mother had turned it into some sort of erotic teahouse."
Ranma shuddered. "That must have been pretty disturbing." He noted with interest that Herb blanched. "Something happen to you Herb? You look like your about to lose your lunch."
Herb nodded. "I had the unfortunate experience of being kissed by one of those harridans." He shuddered. "If I hadn't been so distraught I lost control of my ki, I would have killed her on the spot." He had an unpleasant grin on his face.
Most of the memories Ranma had from the time spent at Konatsu's house long ago involved sparring with Konatsu and being forced to do menial labor by Konatsu's step mother. He distinctly remembered how ugly the woman and her children had been. Ranma was sure that the last eight years had not been kind, either.
"What did you end up doing?" Ranma took a sip of tea, studying the pair closely for clues.
Konatsu looked at Herb, who looked back at the ninja. Herb shrugged. Konatsu nodded slightly, and then turned to Ranma. "We ended up just beating them up after they became a little too friendly. Then, we torched the house. I decided that they were pathetic enough that I need not take revenge. Killing them would have been mercy, and I would rather they suffer."
Ranma frowned, but said nothing. Konatsu continued, "Afterwards, we found my father's grave, and Herb and me paid our respects. Then we just took our time getting home, stopping at various resorts and hot springs along the way."
"Sounds nice." Ranma lifted his cup to his lips, inhaling the aroma of the tea, using the motion to cover his frown.
"It was." Konatsu took a sip of tea as well, eyes carefully examining Ranma.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
The topic changed to Ranma's two weeks alone. The pair laughed about his Ranma's newest motivational techniques for Akane, namely the ritual morning dunking. Happosai's exploits were recounted, and Ranma related some of the general craziness that seemed to occur at Furinkan.
"Akane knows about our curses."
Both Herb and Konatsu stared for a second, and then gave an almost imperceptible nod. "It had to come out eventually," was all that Herb said.
Ranma looked Konatsu in the eye, then turned and stared at Herb. "Happosai will find out soon."
Again, the pair nodded.
"It won't be pleasant."
"What," asked Konatsu, "is the worst he could do?"
Ranma was on pervert patrol, hopping around the roofs of Nerima in female form looking to quell any trouble Happosai might cause. So far he had ventured to all the likely hotspots, but there had been no sign of the pervert as of yet. This was third night in a row when Happosai hadn't engaged in any of his usual activities. Happosai was devious and petty, and something about his absence during the pervert raids was really making Ranma unsettled.
Training with Happosai had weird as well. Instead of his usual no holds barred antagonism and sparring, the old man had at first wanted to play go. Ranma had improved considerably from all his games with Shinran, and so was quite pleased to find that he was capable of beating the pervert. After losing nearly every game, Happosai had given up, and retreated to his room, muttering about retirement and old age. Everyday was a different game, and yet Ranma continued to win, and Happosai would retreat to his room, shuffling and muttering the whole way.
Doing a quick scan around the public bath house, Ranma could not detect the presence of the old man. Frustrated, Ranma decided to head home for the night. She still had homework to do, and this was boring.
Happosai smirked as he watched Ranma bound away. He counted to fifty before coming out of concealment, and walked back towards the Tendo dojo.
The next day at school, Herb, Ranma, and Konatsu sat on the fence as they watched Akane take down Kuno once again. They watched as Akane carefully dissected her opponent, feinting and counterattacking just enough to force the kendoist to commit to a blow and be punished.
Konatsu frowned. "Skill wise, they are still pretty equal, but Kuno is too set into Kendo patterns. He isn't adaptable enough to challenge her anymore unless he can learn some new styles." Ranma nodded silently in agreement.
"Akane has come far in a short time. She might even be a challenge for some of the amazons in a year or two." Herb smiled as he watched Akane disarm her opponent. She quickly capitalized, ending the match in short order. The three continued to watch as she offered Kuno a helping hand up. He accepted gracefully, bowing to Akane as she handed his bokken back to him.
Herb and Ranma leapt from the fence to the third story windows of their classroom. Konatsu stayed behind and walked towards Kuno. "Kuno-san. A word with you, if I may?"
"Ah Konatsu-san. Your visage is most welcome this morning. The school rejoices that you have returned."
Konatsu only shook his head for a second before his spoke. "You have gotten considerably better since last I have observed your fights."
"I am glad you noticed. I find these morning spars with the fair Akane Tendo to do wonders for my technique and stamina."
"About that..." Kuno listened with interest as Konatsu detailed what he had observed in this morning's fight. When he was done, Konatsu entered the school, leaving Kuno contemplating his words in the courtyard.
Since the weather was nice out, Akane decided to follow the exchange students outside to eat. Lunch turned into a war council as Herb, Ranma, and Konatsu began to pump Akane for information about Happosai's behavior. Akane was at a lost to explain it as well. He hadn't stolen a single panty or groped any of the girls in the house now for three and a half days, and it was definitely beginning to strain the nerves of everyone in the house.
They began discussing contingency plans incase this was simply an aberration. After that, Akane began to ask questions about the journey that Herb and Konatsu had taken, and then about China and Jusenkyo. Herb was happy to talk about China, as well as his kingdom. Konatsu participated somewhat, but was content to allow Herb to do most of the talking.
"So, you guys are really married?" Akane pointed back and forth between the pair.
Herb smiled. "Yes. It took some convincing to get me to do it, but I am happy I did."
"But... I mean..."
"Yes?"
Akane blushed. "Isn't that perverted?"
Konatsu smirked. Herb chuckled a little as well, before answering. "I have discovered love has little to do with physical form. But since both of us have curses..." Herbs grin grew lecherous as he trailed off. Akane 'eeped' before burying her face into her bento. When she finally had enough composure to talk again, she turned on Ranma.
"This doesn't bother you at all?"
"Should it? I'm a little jealous, personally. Hell, I've never even had a girlfriend, even though I've had a few boys ask me out back in China."
"Oh... I didn't know that."
"Interested?" Ranma laughed out loud as Akane choked on her food, sending her into a coughing fit. By the time she finally regained control, the bell ending the lunch period rang. The three just grinned as Akane bolted towards the school.
Konatsu mock scolded, "Now, that wasn't very nice, Ranma."
Ranma looked sheepishly over at the ninja. "Yeah, but it's so easy. That poor girl is so cute when she's flustered. She has some serious issues about dating."
"That's funny, coming from you. Considering that you've never even been kissed, and all."
Ranma just shrugged, not embarrassed in the least.
The night's pervert hunt looked to be a bust as well. Ranma landed silently on the ground next to Konatsu, and the two only shook their heads before bounding away in opposite directions, heading towards the next checkpoint, hoping Happosai might be there.
Nearly two weeks went by, and still Happosai refused to do more than play board games. Frustrated and worried, Ranma spent time practicing with Herb and Konatsu, pushing until he was exhausted. Herb forced them to increasing the amount of time they spent practicing ki techniques, perfecting abilities like limited flight and ki manipulation. When Ranma wasn't training with his friends or training Akane, he meditated and ran through the Neko-ken kata, and his frustration emerged into the kata, deteriorating his form. Ranma was forced to spend increasing amounts of time to center himself through meditation.
The upside of this whole event was that Ranma actually had more free time than previously. He spent more time with Shinran, debating theological points and playing game after game of go. He also began a search for his mother, enlisting the aid of Soun and Nabiki. Nabiki had forgiven the three boys for their initial involvement with Akane's morning fights after it became clear that they really did have her interests at heart. Still, getting her to help had been costly.
"I'll get it." Ranma hopped up from latest game of go with Shinran to run into the temple's office to pick up the phone. "Hello, how can I help you?"
"Ranma?"
"Speaking."
"This is Nabiki. I think we've found her."
Ranma ran over to the Tendo dojo. Kicking off his shoes in the entrance hall, he didn't bother to arrange them as he ran towards the tea room, where Nabiki was waiting. "Yo, Saotome."
"Where is she?" Ranma quickly
Nabiki slid a piece of paper across the table. "A word of caution, Saotome. We have no way of knowing if indeed this is your mother, so I suggest you send a letter before running over there. It might take a few days to confirm, but I think it might be worth it."
Ranma looked at the address, quickly memorizing it before reaching into his pocket to pull out a wallet. He quickly stuffed the slip of paper inside, and made to pocket the billfold.
"By the way, here is the bill for my work." Nabiki slid a second piece of paper his way. Ranma briefly glanced at it. Seeing nothing amiss, he simply opened his wallet and placed the required sum on the table.
"One more request, Nabiki?"
"What?"
"Help me write the letter?"
After the two decided what to say, Ranma requested some paper and a brush set. He wrote a draft, and then handed it to Nabiki to check. Seeing her nod in approval, Ranma wrote one more copy, paying careful attention to the calligraphy. When he was finished, Ranma got up from the table, only to find Happosai standing in front of him.
"Well, isn't that good news, Ranma. Feel like celebrating?" Something about the tone in Happosai's voice set Ranma on edge.
The celebration turned out to be a very brutal sparring match. Happosai wasn't pulling his punches. Ranma hadn't been slacking for two weeks, but he was alone and hard pressed to keep up with the pervert. Happosai landed another blow. Ranma rolled with the strike to help minimize the damage. With a growl, Ranma leapt to his feet and back into the battle.
The tide of the battle was slowly turning to favor Ranma. For what ever reason, Happosai began to steadily give ground as holes opened up in his defenses. Ranma was wary, but tried to capitalize on as many of the openings as possible. Ranma saw another opening and went for it. What he didn't expect was for Happosai to pull out a squirt gun.
Happosai grinned as Ranma blinked at the sudden change. It was all the opening Happosai needed. He pulled out his pipe and delivered a savage blow that stunned the girl. Happosai took his time and lit his pipe, taking a few good draws before walking over to the downed girl. He kicked her once in the ribs to flip her onto her belly. He reached into his gi to pull out a slip of paper. After a brief consultation, nodded and methodically pulled her shirt up to expose her lower back. With a deft motion, he plucked the pipe from his mouth and deposited a glowing hot ember on the exposed spot.
Ranma screamed as a searing pain expanded from her lower back. She lashed out, catching Happosai in the chin and sending him skywards. Ranma rolled onto her back, squirming and grinding her body into the dirt to try and quell the pain.
Ranma crawled to Tofu's clinic, her back still a searing mass of pain. Ranma briefly used some ki to shift forms so that he could enter as a male, and immediately regretted doing so. The pain became unbearable, bringing him to his knees. He sometimes forgot that his female form endured pain better. Gritting his teeth, he slid the door to the clinic open, puzzled at how much effort it took.
"Excuse me, Dr. Tofu?"
Tofu's face was grim as he examined the mark on the back of Ranma's back. The character meant 'poor,' but could also be interpreted as 'feeble'. He consulted some texts and sighed.
"Ranma, I've got real bad news. Looks like Happosai hit you with the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion."
"What does that do?"
Tofu sat down and adjusted his glasses. He motioned for Ranma to put his shirt back on. He waited until the boy had done so before speaking. "Basically, it makes you as weak as a baby, regardless of your level of mastery of martial arts. It means you can never win another fight, or even hurt anybody again until you have this reversed."
"Do you know how to do that, Dr. Tofu?"
"No. I don't think anyone does anymore, Ranma."
"Will it wear off?"
Tofu only shook his head. "I don't know. I'm sorry, Ranma. I'll look into it, but I can't promise anything."
Ranma looked grim as he digested the information.
Ranma wasn't the only one looking grim at the dinner table. Herb's left eye was twitching slowly, and Konatsu simply stared at his food. Shinran was quiet as well.
Shiran put his rice bowl down on the table. "There is no cure?"
"Tofu doesn't know of one, but he is looking into it."
"I will write to the Joketsuzoku and the Musk. They will surely know a cure." Ranma nodded to Herb, feeling slightly relieved.
"Ranma."
"Yes, Shinran?"
"You are always welcome here. I'd be happy to offer you a place in the registry."
Ranma bowed to the monk, using the motion as a cover for his tears.
The next morning Ranma sat in Tofu's office with his Herb and Konatsu. Akane had shown up as well, concerned when Ranma had not come to train with her this morning. Tofu told them of the map protected by a temple in the far north. He provided them with directions and a telephone number. With out any further words, they departed, taking the first train they could find.
The train ride was long and tense, with no one speaking very much. The hike to the temple was also tense, but being active had helped take the edge off a little bit. When they finally arrived, they were greeted by a monk of very advanced age. They quickly explained their reason for the visit as Ranma asked, "Do you have the map?"
The monk simply shook his head. "It was stolen some hundred years ago. But fear not! I have a picture of the person responsible." The old monk produced a letter and handed it to the assembled visitors.
Konatsu took the letter and read out loud, "My dearly beloved Jyushoku-sama..." He paused and handed it back to the monk. "I think that's a love letter."
The monk blushed and snatched the letter back. Rifling around in his robe, he produced another parchment, and examined it before handing it over. Ranma and the others looked at it and all spoke simultaneously.
"Happosai."
It was a perfect autumn day, clear and crisp but not cold, with nary a cloud in the sky. Kasumi was burning rubbish in the back yard. "Do you have anything else you'd like to get rid of, Grandfather?"
Happosai was going through his various possessions, trying to sort out what he could safely dispose of. He pulled out a map of the human body, briefly puzzled.
"I might as well get rid of this." He folded it up into an airplane, and threw it to the fire. Before it could reach, Ranma leapt over the back wall and snagged it out of the air, unfolding it and examining it. Herb and Konatsu landed as well, and together they examined the parchment.
"This is the map, guys. Let's get to Tofu's."
Happosai leapt forward and grabbed the map. "Nearly forgot what that was for." He jumped back to stand by the fire. "It is nice of you to bring your friends along to play, Ranma." He smiled at Herb and Konatsu, grinning as the pair glared at him. "I owe you three a lot of pain. If you want this map, you have to come get it."
Konatsu stepped forward, taking up a ready stance. Herb jumped to the left and mirrored his stance. Ranma shot around to the right, effectively trapping Happosai in the middle of a triangle.
Happosai took in his opponents, and held the map out over the flames behind him. "One at a time or this map gets destroyed." Ranma hesitated, glancing over at Herb and Konatsu. The look in their eyes mirrored his. If they gave into Happosai's demands, they'd never get the map.
"Who's going to be first, hmm?" Happosai brought the map closer to the flames. "Is it going to be you?" He pointed at Herb. "Or you, ninja-boy?" Happosai started to laugh but was cut short by a sudden rustling sound from behind. Turning to his head to look, he saw the map had caught fire.
"Oops."
The three boys reacted instantly, diving in to attempt to salvage the piece of paper. Happosai dodged for all he was worth, clutching the burning map in his hand as the boys frantically clawed at the paper. The flames became too hot for Happosai, and he dropped the remnants to the ground. All three boys immediately dove for the paper, struggling to put out the flames. Happosai escaped, using their attention on the paper as an opportunity to leap over the garden wall.
Tofu examined the remnants of the map and sighed. He placed one hand on Ranma's shoulder, and gently squeezed. "I'm sorry, Ranma." He gingerly placed the charred remains on the table. Less than a quarter remained, and most of that was heavily damaged. There important parts had been completely destroyed.
"Do you know of any other cure, Doctor?"
Tofu shook his head. Ranma just stared dejectedly at the paper. Herb and Konatsu stood behind him, both dumbstruck. Akane hesitantly approached the Ranma from behind, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I'm sorry." She squeezed him softly. Her actions seemed to startle Konatsu, who gave himself a little shake. He wrapped Ranma in a hug as well. Herb joined, and together they held Ranma as he began to cry.
Happosai carefully landed in a tree in the backyard of the Tendo compound. Carefully examining the grounds, he saw no sign of anyone but Soun and Kasumi. He was pretty sure he had managed to shake any tails he might have acquired, but you could never be too careful. He dropped to the ground as silently as possible and dashed to the wall of the dojo, scanning his surroundings in search of pursuers. He began to work his way along the outside walls of the dojo, until he reached the window of his room. He jumped up and landed lightly on the sill, looking for anything out of place on the interior. Satisfied, he opened the window and dropped inside.
He began to frantically pull his various belongings out of the closets and dresser, shoving important articles into a backpack. Fully packed, he turned to leave only to have a pair of hands land firmly on his shoulders.
"Going somewhere?" Happosai shuddered at the look on Herb's face. Konatsu stood right behind, along with Ranma and Akane.
Happosai groaned as he gained consciousness. He did a quick inventory of his injuries and realized he was in serious trouble. Bruises and cuts were fine, but he wouldn't be going anywhere with both his legs and arms broken. He struggled to open his eyes. He was in a small room with concrete floors, hands tied and feet bound. He could hear Ranma's voice from the other side of the door.
"You can't KILL him, Herb. I don't care what he did to me."
"Why not?"
"Because that would be showing too much mercy, Husband."
"Ahh, your are right, Konatsu. Forgive me."
"NO!!! I don't care about revenge. I mean, I do, but don't torture him. It isn't right. A marital artist doesn't take advantage of the weak!"
"How about if we..." Was that Akane's voice? Happosai shook his head. He must be hallucinating.
"NO!!!! You're as bad as they are, Akane. I don't care how much of a pervert he is, I am not going to cut anything off!"
Happosai blanched. So he hadn't been hallucinating, after all. The pain began to overwhelm him, but the voices continued long after he blacked out.
He awoke to pain. Ranma was standing over him, asking him some questions. It took a moment for Happosai to realize the boy was inquiring about his health. After struggling for a few moments to get his throat to work, Happosai finally managed to croak out, "Water."
Ranma nodded, and moved away. Happosai finally got a view of his surroundings. He noticed the paneled Formica ceiling tiles and curtain surrounding the surface he was on. He realized he was either in a clinic or a hospital, and his suspicions were confirmed when the curtain was drawn back to reveal Dr. Tofu.
"Ah. You are awake." The Doctor pulled up a stool and sat down. "Besides being in pain, how do you feel?"
"I've felt worse."
"I seriously doubt that."
Happosai shrugged, and then grinned. He stopped though, because it hurt too much to smile. "You got me there."
"Why did you do it, Happosai?"
The old man didn't answer. He just looked away, studying the various charts on the walls of the clinic. Tofu sighed and looked at Ranma. The boy just shrugged, as if to say, 'I told you so.'
"Well, I've already set all the broken bones and such. You should thank Ranma. Even after what you've done to him, he wouldn't allow his friends to kill you. If I had been in his situation, I certainly would have let them." Tofu held up a small plastic cup with a couple of pills in it.
"I want you to take these. They will help with the pain somewhat." Happosai nodded. Tofu placed the pills in his mouth, and then carefully held a glass of water to the old man's lips, helping him drink. Satisfied that he had swallowed the pills, the doctor got up and went to his office, leaving Ranma alone with Happosai.
Ranma just stared at the man for a few minutes. The silence became uncomfortable, and Happosai spoke first to relieve the tension. "Why didn't you let them do it?"
"Forgive and forget. I didn't want your blood on their hands. I believe it was the best thing for all involved."
"You know there isn't any other cure, right?"
"We'll see."
"Ranma?"
"Yes?"
"You were good. I'm..."
"You don't have to say anything." Ranma cut him off. With that, he got up and walked out.
Konatsu watched from concealment as Ranma left. Making sure Tofu was still in his office, he crept over to where Happosai was starting to drift to sleep. He clapped a hand over Happosai's mouth to stifle any noise, and then leaned over to whisper in Happosai's ear, "Ranma may forgive and forget, but Herb and I want you to suffer." With that, he rolled the old man over, and quickly struck his desired target. Happosai thrashed, forcing Konatsu to hit a pressure point to subdue him. Satisfied with his handiwork, he returned Happosai to his original position and disappeared right as Tofu returned to check on the noise.
"Strange... I thought for sure I had heard something." With a shrug, Tofu returned to his office to finish the reports.
The two weeks since the fight had been strange for Ranma. He hadn't heard a reply from his mother yet, and that was weighing heavily on his mind. He still practiced the Art, but he had no strength. Training with Herb and Konatsu was difficult to bear. Ranma's control of ki was still the same as ever, and the strength of purely ki based maneuvers hadn't suffered. However, he was forced to use misdirection and moves which used an opponent's force against them. It was frustrating. Anything that required even the smallest amount of strength had become impossible.
With nothing better to do, Ranma had spent a good deal of time meditating, trying to pinpoint the weakness in his body. He had found the source of the weakness, but no amount of manipulation could change it. The cat had come out as well, lashing its tail and howling in fury. Ranma spent a good deal of time practicing the neko-ken katas. The rage inside of him had allowed for a good deal of control over the animal, but it wasn't healthy. In the long run, he had to find a better way, but for now the catharsis helped Ranma deal with the loss.
The other change had been Akane. She had always been very nice to him, but since this incident had become strangely protective of Ranma. She went out of her way to comfort the boy, even if he didn't need or want it. It was weird. He liked her and all, but he didn't quite know what to make of it, so he just kept pretending like nothing had changed. He still trained her in the morning, albeit with significantly less force than previously. Konatsu and Herb had resumed their training with her to make up for it.
The two of them were acting strangely. Herb was withdrawn, and Konatsu openly raged. Ranma had never seen the ninja openly angry before, and this new side of Konatsu was disturbing. The two sought solace in each other, judging from the sounds emanating from their quarters, when they weren't comforting Ranma.
Happosai was still in the hospital, but he refused to see anyone but Ranma after the initial visit. With all his limbs in casts, the old man wasn't going anywhere soon, but he and Ranma would sit and talk when the boy came to visit. He would occasionally rage against Konatsu, but refused to tell Ranma why. Even though Happosai might be the world's greatest letch, he was still one hell of a martial artist, and Ranma respected him for that. Ranma's reasons for going were simple – he hoped to jog Happosai's memory in case a possible cure came up.
Tofu took part in the discussions sometimes because he knew what kind of questions to ask. However, the doctor was becoming discouraged, because all his efforts had so far only confirmed his initial observation. There was no other known cure.
Akane was sparring with Konastu this morning, but it was apparent he was not concentrating. Konatsu withdrew in the middle of the battle, quietly scrutinizing the girl.
"Can I ask you a personal question, Akane?" She nodded her head. "How do you feel about Ranma?" Konatsu continued. "I know you like him, but what will you do about it?"
This question brought the girl up short. How was she supposed to answer that? Wait; did he just say what she thought he said? "What do you mean, I like him?"
"Well, it's pretty obvious. I'm married, you know. I catch Herb looking at me in the exact same way when he thinks I'm not looking."
Akane blushed. Was it that obvious?
"He likes you too, you know. I've never seen him look at a woman the way he looks at you. Except that okonomiyaki chef..." Konatsu trailed off. He waved away Akane's attempted questions, "Anyway, my question is - what are you going to do about it?" She had no answer. "Can I give you a few suggestions?"
She nodded. Konatsu began to explain how things were done back in the Amazon village. She couldn't do that, could she?
Herb carefully noted the return address of the package before opening it. He pulled out a thick wad of parchment and a map. Briefly scanning the map, he read the letter from Ku Lon first, and then the letter from his father. He looked at the map once again before re-reading both letters carefully. He felt something he hadn't in a while. Hope. As slim as it was, there just might be a chance.
"What are you doing after school, Ranma?" The boy in question turned to look at Akane. There was something in her voice...
"Nothing much. Why do you ask."
"Can I take you out for ice cream? My treat."
"Yeah, sure." Ranma was puzzled. Akane seemed... nervous.
The ice cream was consumed in silence. Ranma kept looking at the girl in front of him as she became increasingly more nervous as time wore on. "Yo, Akane. You okay? What's up?"
The girl fidgeted. "Do you trust me?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"Put this on, then?"
Ranma looked dubiously at the blindfold the girl held out. "Ahh... Why?"
"I want to take you somewhere, but I don't want you to know where until we get there. Okay?"
"Um... sure?"
"Just put it on, before I lose my nerve." Ranma complied.
"So, where exactly are you taking me?"
"Shh. Consider it training."
"Right. What kind of training?"
The girl didn't answer.
Ranma extended his senses as much as he could. Only thing he knew was that they had just entered a quite building on the far edge of the district, judging by the train ride. He felt Akane take his hand and gently guide him up some stairs. He stumbled a bit on the last stair, expecting one more at the top. After making sure he was okay, he heard her messing with some keys, and then heard a door open. She led him inside, closing the door behind her.
He was surprised when she picked him up and threw him, face up, on a soft surface. What surprised him even more, however, was the feeling of her weight on top of him.
"What are you do... mmm?" He felt something warm and soft pressing against his lips. He attempted to rip off his blind fold, only to have Akane grab both of his hands and force them above his head.
"Konatsu told me about it. He said it's a game that the Amazons play. I think he called it 'learning to fall.'" With her free hand, she took off his blindfold, her face only inches from his. She slowly closed her eyes, and lowered her lips to his, kissing him once more. He didn't resist, but the shock was evident on his face.
"Should we be doing this?"
"Should we not?"
Sometime later, Ranma lay back, staring at the ceiling. Akane was curled up at his side, her head on his shoulder and an arm around his stomach. As much as he enjoyed it, things hadn't become any easier for him.
"What did we just do?"
"Sure, kill me if you want. It won't help you what you want." Happosai stared at his attacker. "I'll help you if you help me." Happosai could see that he had the attention of his assailant. "There are these two people that I want dead..."
"Where have you been, you guys? Come on, grab your stuff. We got to head out."
Ranma looked at Herb with a faintly puzzled air. He tried to grab the pack that was thrown at him, but the weight of it knocked him down. He hated how weak he had become. He could barely carry his own school books.
"Oh, sorry Ranma." Herb picked up the pack and slung it over his own shoulders. "Akane, can you meet us in 45 minutes? Be packed, for at least a week of camping."
"Why?"
"We're going to find a cure."
Akane raced out the door of the Tendo Dojo, pack loaded and heart pounding. She nearly ran over a stately woman in a Kimono, bearing a silk wrapped bundle in her arms. She apologized quickly, and headed out to catch the train, the woman already forgotten.
For all you Akane haters out there, deal. Why should it matter as long as a story is well written? Don't worry, I fully intend on writing other pairings as well, but since this is my first fiction attempt, I am going to write what I want. I enjoyed writing that little interaction, and plus, as someone pointed out earlier, Ranma needs to experience life a little more to make his ultimate decision. I do hope you enjoy this story. I have enjoyed writing it thus far.