(Four Reviews? Four! You gotta be kiddin me. Thank you to the few who gave reviews. And to all those who read and didn't... Your mean! Anyway. The Blessing is continued. And also! I'm creating a webpage for the Blessing. Who knows if anyone will ever see it because I can't remember how to use ftp but eh. I'm makin it so it's coming. This is the first chapter in a three part set of chapters in this series I'm going to simply name Changes)
Changes
Chapter 14: A Change of Mind
Barber shop of Earle Train. Or Train Barber Shop. It stood about half a mile from where Ranma had dropped Luc off. She walked there, enjoying the mingling crouds and small roads.
Apparently the barber shop was quite popular. Ranma sat down inside and waited.
She looked up at a television that had been mounted on the upper right wall of the room. On it was a golf show. Suddenly however it changed.
"A growing concern has arisn in the central coast region of California. Many many women's undergarments are being stolen and ransacked by a small troll like person, and almost every woman on the beach today has been violated by this creature. Police are chasing this person now but are unable to catch him. We encourage all women in any part of california to stay indoors untill this menace is captured... If anyone has seen him, please contact..."
"What the hell!? Bastard followed me!" Ranma shouted at the television.. She looked around and saw more than one set of eyes on her. The barber had forgotten his work and was now shaving the man in front of him bald without noticing.
"Heh heh... eh... sorry!... heh." Ranma muttered sitting back down and watching the television as pictures of Happosai flashed across the screen. A video of him flying by a street directly onto an innocent girl of about 14 appeared. He was yelling a word Ranma so frequently heard.... Sweeto.
Ranma decided she'd have to cut the training trip short allready. Happosai was urgent business. Far worse than the Black V could ever hope to be... well except for the fact that Happosai would never kill. However Happosai touched her in places she didn't even know existed as a girl. She of course would never tell anyone that nor would she wish the torture on her worst oponents. She would take those secrets to the grave. Still gave her nightmares.
Little bastard he may be but he was a FAST little bastard. If he was terrorising inoccent people who had no chance of defending against him....
"Gigi is going to pay!" She thought.
She waited for around another hour to get her hair cut.
"I'm amazed miss! I've never seen such long beautiful hair be-" "Save it," Ranma interupted sternly. "How much?"
"Depends on the cut." He replied.
"I want it cut here. Shoulders length, and thin." She told him.
"... I'm dissapointed. It must have taken you years to grow hair that long and now your cutting it? What a waste." He mourned.
"Actually it took me about a minute to grow. How much?" She replied more sternly.
"Seven bucks." He replied ignoring her comment.
"Jeez what a ripoff! Specially considering that guy's hair cut." Ranma cried refering to the man who had been accidentally shaved almost bald in the middle of his head.
She handed him the money and sat down.
After he finished cutting her hair she picked up her backpack and pulled out her favorite hair tie. The Dragon Whisker. Another one had been given too her after the original had been destroyed and she found that the Nekohaunten served them.
She wrapped her hair into it's familliar ponytail and now looked much like she had as a red head only taller and so blonde it was yellow.
"The horror..." The barber muttered as he watched her.
"Oh shove it!" Ranma replied.
She walked out of the barber shop.
She watched as the people below became ants. She jumped through the sky towards the top of the mountain.
At the top she saw Luc waiting.
"Ra- RANMA! What did you do to yourself!" He cried.
"Cut my hair. Whats wrong with that?" She asked confused.
"AH! But. I NO!... You... Look different!" He cried.
"I look how I normally do. Get used to it." She muttered. "Sorry Luc but I got some bad news.
"Huh? What news?" He asked.
"Remember Happosai? The lecher in my story? Ya he's here.. in California." Ranma said. "So we gotta go! Were gonna have to call this trip a little short for the greater good."
"... Your gonna hit me again arent you?" He asked. She smiled as a reply.
"Aw damn..."
And fly he did.
TIME BREAK
"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Cried Shannon as she was molested by a small troll whom she could not remove. She ran around frantically untill Leah took her book bag and began hitting the overgrown mosquito. (Inuyasha reference? Yeah.)
"Sweeto! I love California! If Ranma doesn't come back I'll stay here forever!" He cried happily bounding to another set of breasts... Leah's.
Leah had a trick up her sleave though. Or... down her shirt. Granted it was meant for Jess but the means don't justify the ends.
"YEEEOOOOWWWWW!" Happossai cried as he flew into the air holding the finger that had been snapped by a very small mouse trap.
"HAH! Serves you right!" She cried to the sky.
Unfortunantly.... He came back down. "That hurt little girl! Perhaps you'd like to see some of my.. ahem... advanced techniques?"
He began to glow.
Gulp.
Suddenly eleven police cars drove up and surrounded Happosai and shielded Leah and Shannon from him. The police were out of their cars and aiming for Happosai instantly.
"Put you hands in the air and drop the pipe!" The leader shouted.
"Well well... I suppose now you want to see something too eh? Well prepare yourselves!" He cried. With that he blew his aura out to a tremendous size.
"Feel the wrath of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts Final Attack! Happo Fire Burst!" He cried. Suddenly eleven explosions occured. Fortunantly, however no one was hurt.
Happosai stood there enjoying the looks on their faces as they backed up from him. Their guns removed from their hands. Another cry suddenly rang out.
"Oh Yeah? How bout' this!? Anything Goes School Of Martial Arts Special Attack! LUCAS SLAM!"
And Luc came shooting out of the sky and slammed Happosai directly into the ground.
When the dust cleared Happosai was dizzly walking around holding his head. "Ugh... uhuh... i feel bad." He mumbled. His eyes were swirls.
He looked up at Ranma.
"This is it! My time here is done! And the goddess of the heaven's is going to take me up to heaven with her! ... And... how likely that she would wear the outfit of my greatest and beloved pupil...! Hurray! What A Haul!"
Ranma walked up to him and beat him over the head. With that he fell unconcious. A large bump sprouted on his for head.
"Hiya!" She said to Leah and Shannon and a few other girls remaining. "Gigi is a VERY perverted old man. However, all you have to do to keep him away from you is bring a piece of underclothing with you throw it on the ground when he gets near you and hit him over the head with a blunt object when he goes for it. That should get rid of him for a while." Ranma said plainly.
Eyes bugged everywhere.
"What?" She asked.
"YOU CUT YOUR HAIR!" Leah cried.
"Eheh heh... yeah..?"
A little while later.
"You mean you know this... thing?" Leah asked.
"Yeah. I'm gonna mail him back to Japan. I think that should keep him outta my hair for a while.
"SHADDAP!"
TIMEBREAKIt was late at night. Ranma started to think. She started to wonder if, when she was cured, would she want to be? When she was cured, would she seek out ways to become a girl again? Also... did she want to go home when she was cured? It was so welcome here. The last time someone shouted prepare to die at her, she was male. Did she really want to go back to that?
If she remained a girl for the rest of her life, she would never go home. But... Akane....
'I'm forgetting you Akane... Something is making me forget you... I... love..lovedd you... don't forget me.'
No... She would be cured. She would forget all this nonsence about staying here and she would go home to Akane...
"For what? Mallets? Akane doesn't care..." She thought.
Glancing into a mirror on her wall she saw the male form of herself.
"Of course she does!" It said. "You've got to bring me back so we can go home!"
She glanced over at another mirror and saw the redheaded girl.
"No... she has never cared. All she does is hit you over the head. You are better off here. Away from all your enemies and your prize seeking fiancees. Here you have friends. People who don't try to kill you daily! People who care and risk things for you for more than just their own benifit."
"But..." She replied, not to either in particular.
"Ranma... stay here..."
"Ranma... come home..."
The male Ranma began to fade from the mirror.
"Ranma! No don't give up on me.. On her!" He cried and became more visible.
"Ranma... she doesn't love you you know. She never has. What has she ever done for you?" The girl said.
"She saved your life on Mount Pheonix by risking her own! Don't you see?" Yang yelled.
"Ranma... you must see that following her will only give you more pain. Both physically and mentally. There are better for you Ranma.... Ranma..."
Suddenly the female image became more and more clear.
"No! No your cheating!" The male shouted at the female.
"NO! Ranma!" And the male faded away to nothing.
"Ranma... your a girl now.... your place is here..."
Ranma's eyes flared with anger.
"I'll make the choice of that! Get out of my head." Ranma cried as she flared her chi into her mind and through the conection that was raising the power the girl in the mirror had over her mind.
Thousands of miles away an archbishop cried in agony.
The male form reappeared but it was very vague.
"Ranma..." He said softly.
"Go away... Both of you... I'll choose." Ranma said quietly. Both images faded away and left Ranma too his thoughts. Thoughts that did not look good for the yang.
"Akane... hates me..."
Thousands of miles away. The Archbishop smiled... "Success. I may not go to hell yet. Why didn't I think of that before? Making him think of all the time she said she hated him?" He laughed. Then cluched his head in the residing pain.
"Why should I go home if Akane hates me?" She thought. "Why should I even become a guy agian?"
"No... please..." A voice sounded from the male mirror.
"How can I choose you? You've never given my anything but anger and pain." Ranma said to the mirror.
"I've made your father proud of you! Given you... Akane..." He replied.
"Akane was never mine."
"S..she's messing with your head! She is!" The male voice shouted. He appeared and pointed to the other mirror.
"So are you." Ranma replied coldly.
"Please..." he moaned.
"No... it's over."
TIMEBREAK
"Honored Lord Saffron! What you do here?" The guide asked fearfully.
"I am looking for the where abouts of Ranma Saotome. Do you know where I can find him?" Saffron asked calmly.
"Uh...y..ye..yes sirs. He is in place called California. He has changed form though. He is girl now with yellow hair." The guide replied.
"Where is this, California?"
"Here..." The guide said as he went into his shack. "Is map to California."
He handed Saffron the map. California was circled as was Jusenkyo and Joketsuzoku.
"... Ranma has been traveling Kiima." He replied. "You are in charge of home Kiima. I have a wind to catch." Saffron jumped and flew on an eastern air current toward the pacific.
Kiima traveled home.
TIMEBREAK
"Good job archbishop." Said the messanger.
"Yes and only a concussion and a weeks worth of Spirit Tylennol to do it." The bishop replied skeptically.
"I was wondering, archbishop. Why did the blessing fail the last two time you activated it?" The messenger asked.
"The first was simple. Nothing would make her accept that form. I didn't do anything either." He replied. "The second... well. I kept her from accepting it. Also... I still wanted the springs around at that time. I don't remember why. I told the kami there was a mistake in the proccess. Either he knew I was lying or he didn't but somehow I think he knew. Perhaps he gave me one more chance... I don't know."
"Your an interesting one. Perhaps when this blows over and you get to heaven we could play a game of pool some time?" The messanger asked.
"What is pool?" He asked.
"... You need to get out more often." The messenger replied.
"Thats not funny."
TIMEBREAK
"... It... it must be my fault. Why!? Why, my Ranma-sama did you leave with that wretched pigtailed demon!? WHY?" Kodachi cried into the night.
She stopped running and curled into a ball. It was slightly colder out than usual and she shivered.
Sniffle
Suddenly Kodachi heard someone else. Crying just like she was. Or at least sniffling.
"Why my Ukyo? Why did you leave me? What have I ever done that would make you wish to simply leave and never return?"
It was a boy. Kodachi was not sure who. But he was dressed as a girl. Were it not for her keen preception she wouldn't ever have noticed.
"What is wrong?" She asked.
"DAH! Who... who are you?" The boy asked.
"I'm Kodachi the Black Rose of St. Herberek(I think?) High School. Who are you?" She asked.
"I'm Tsubasa. Master of the art of disguise." He said wiping his eyes.
"I.. I heard you crying... what... what is wrong?" She asked.
"My Ukyo left me. She left me for HIM! For that stupid stupid Idiot! And here I had thought Ranma was my enemy... But she chose HIM!" He cried angrily.
"Konatsu... the ninja girl who is actually a boy?" She asked.
"Yeah..." He replied.
"... I lost Ranma in much the same way..." She said. "That evil red-headed pigtailed tramp took him from me and is now hiding somewhere."
A sort of smile crept onto Tsubasa's face.
"... Heh heh... You think that girl is after Ranma? Heh heh..." He almost started to laugh.
"What is so funny peasant?" She asked sternly.
"I'm sorry... I suppose I should try to tell you. Kodachi right? Do you believe in curses?" He asked.
"Yes... Yes I think..." She said.
"Kodachi did you know Ranma has a curse?" He asked.
"No... my Ranma Darling? A curse? What is it?" She asked anxiously.
"It is a water related curse... Whenever He is hit by cold water he changes his form into something else. And hot water turns him back to normal." He said.
"Really. I have seen him in water plenty of... plenty of... Well... now that you mention it my Ranma always has seemed afraid of water... What... what does he turn into?" She asked.
"A red-headed girl..." He replied.
Her world was shattered. Ranma... Ranma was the tramp. The girl who was trying to steal Ranma was Ranma!? NO! She couldn't believe it.
"NO! YOUR LYING!" She shouted.
"... Believe what you want but that is the truth..." He replied calmly.
"He can't be! He can't..." She thought back about all the things he had tried to tell her. Of how she had never seen the pigtailed girl and Ranma together. How she had never seen Ranma in water.
It all fit.
"It... it would explain why... why he never returned my love. He tried to tell me... I never listened."
"...Kodachi... would you like to... get some coffee? I.. I feel alot better now but I don't know why." Tsubasa asked.
"If... if you dress as a man..." Kodachi replied. She suddenly felt better as well.
TIMEBREAK
"Great grandmother! Please let me use the year law!" Shampoo cried.
"I told you not to lose child... I can't risk that... If you lose your status will be lower than that of a man!"
"Shampoo not lose.. Shampoo win and choose not marry stupid mousse!" She said angrily.
"Shampoo. Mousse is not weak by any means. He will beat you again. He hates to hurt you. He will not fight you again. And you will be left without status!" Cologne replied.
"But... but Shampoo... Shampoo want Ranma!!!!" She cried.
The echo's of the shout were heard in Japan.
TIMEBREAK!
"Delivery!" Shouted a mail carrier.
A brown package with no return address sat on the porch of the Tendo dojo.
"Oh my what could this be?" Kasumi thought as she bent down to open it.
Inside she found a tied up Happosai with an apple stuck in his mouth.
"Ranma!" She cried
Akane came bounding out.
"Ranma where!" She cried.
"Look Akane." Kasumi said and pointed into the box.
Behind the tied up Happosai there was a little bundle well wrapped with a sticker that said. "Nabiki's Money."
TIMEBREAK
Two Days after the package arrived, a letter arrived in the mail for Kasumi.
Dear Kasumi.
Hi Kasumi. I have some bad news... Well... I've given up Kasumi. I'm not going to come home. I've decided to stay here where I am. It's.. comforting... welcome. It's more home then there at the Dojo. I'll still look for a cure, but even if I find one... I still don't think I would come home. I did what you said Kasumi. I tried being a girl. And it worked. And just like I thought. I'm starting to like it more. Here I can start my own dojo and get a few of my friends to help me with money stuff. When I get enough money I suppose I could buy one of those computer things and talk to you. Also, something wierd happened. Do you remember that little dragon thing that was on my forehead? Well... the eye on that dragon kept changing color. And now it is blue. My hair changed color and so did my eyes agian. Also... I well... there are little wings on my... ugh... just look at the picture. Kasumi... please burn this letter.
Thank you for everything Kasumi.
Signed Ranko Ayumi
P.S. Tell Akane... I loved her once...
"Poor Ranma..." Kasumi thought.
TIMEBREAK
"Ryoga?" Akane asked.
"Akane... I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean to come here. I was just... asking for directions... I'll go..." He said quietly.
"Ryoga... I got your letter. " She said.
"What letter?" He replied.
She pulled it out of a pocket.
His eyes went wide.
"I... I didn't mean for you to actually get that! I... I'm sorry." He said.
"Don't be. Any luck finding him?" She asked.
"No... But one day I'll find him... one day..." He replied.
(This my friends, is called forshadowing! How'd you like the chapter? Very serious undertones. I thought so anyway. This is the first part of the three chapter set called Changes. P.S. Did you notice something? DID YOU! I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE THESE!)