Blessed with a Curse
Chapter One - Visitor at Tendo Training Hall
The day had not gone well for Ranma. Since they had stopped to converse with the unusual Miss Neko Kusanagi, Ranma and Akane were late for school. They ended up standing in the hall with the buckets of water until Shampoo showed up with a homemade lunch for Ranma and dragged him outside to have a nice picnic lunch in the grass, though it was barely nine thirty.
When real lunchtime rolled around, Ranma was challenged to a fight by Kuno. As it may be imagined, he trampled the poor fool. After he finished though, Ryoga showed up. The two started talking, talking led to verbal arguments, and words quickly turned to punches. Ranma faced more of a challenge from Ryoga and so the bell rang long before the fight was over. For this, Ranma was sent out to stand in the hall again. When he was allowed into class again, he and Akane got into an argument about how Ranma picked on Ryoga. Soon enough, the two were ushered out into the hall again as punishment for talking in class.
"Screw this. I'm going home," Ranma dropped his bucket and left. Akane soon followed.
On the way home, Ranma got splashed with cold water. Akane had a thermos of hot water prepared in advance and so she emptied it over Ranma's head. After about two more blocks, Ranma was splashed again. On the way to Doctor Tofu's (Akane had no more hot water and it was the closest place where she knew she could get some), Ranma was splashed two more times. At Tofu's clinic, Ranma changed back with the use of a kettle full of hot water. Then he and Akane quickly left. He was splashed with cold water another five times before they got home, making it a record of nine times he was splashed between school and home.
As Ranma and Akane walked in the door, Kasumi called out to them, "Oh Ranma, you have a visitor!"
"Visitor?" Ranma blinked.
"Hello Ranma Saotome," Neko winked, seeming to appear out of nowhere. "I told you we'd meet again."
"How did you know to come here!?" Ranma demanded.
"It wasn't particularly hard. I just followed your trail from where we met this morning back here."
"What trail? There's gotta be way too many footprints for you to follow that sort of trail."
"Your scent trail," Neko tapped her nose.
"Scent trail? What the hell are you? A blood hound?"
"I am Neko Kusanagi!" she smiled.
"I know. You introduced yourself this morning. So why did you track me down anyway?"
"Just… wanted to meet my fellow accursed, I suppose," she shrugged.
"Yeah? Well, let's sit down," Ranma led her to the table and took a seat.
"So, Miss Kusanagi… what cursed spring did you have the misfortune of falling into?" Akane asked.
"I… prefer not to talk about it," Neko responded shyly.
"That bad, huh?" Ranma blinked.
"Not at all. The Jusenkyo is a blessing, not a curse," Neko responded.
"Blessing? Are you sure you fell in the same springs?"
"Quite sure and I still say I am blessed not cursed."
"Well, okay. Whatever you say," Ranma shrugged. "Wanna go for a walk?"
"Yeah, sure, I'd like that," Neko smiled.
"Ranma you idiot!" Akane picked up the table and started hitting him over the head with it. "You insensitive jerk! How can you make a move on a girl when I'm right here! You're such a pervert!"
"Akane, when are you going to learn that when I say a walk I mean a walk not some sort of romantic date?! God, you are so uncute!"
"Maybe, I'd better go," Neko got up and headed for the door.
"Miss Neko, please let me walk you home," Akane insisted as she followed her. "Miss Neko, it's raining outside!" By this point, Neko was already outside in the rain, still walking, still human. She hadn't even heard Akane call. Akane reached out and let the rain fall on her hand. "It's cold alright," Akane said as Neko disappeared into the distance.
"She left already?" Ranma asked as he came up behind Akane.
"Yes. And Ranma?"
"Yeah?"
"She was already transformed when we met her."
"What!?"
"She carries the same curse as you."
"Does that mean she's a guy!?"
"I don't know. All I know is she went out in the rain and she still looked the same."
"Knew there was something strange about her."