Dreamscape
"Um…" Ranma said as he looked over the featureless gray landscape. The last thing he remembered was changing, again, knowing Chinese for some reason, then passing out… err, no. He didn't pass-out, rather he strategically retreated from reality.
"I'm really getting sick of this." Ranma commented to himself, before noticing something was wrong with his voice. The tone and inflections were the same, but the pitch was different, it sounded more smooth. Ranma crossed his eyes and looked for his nose. Yeap. Big black nose sticking way out in front of my face… I don't think I can handle any more of this. He was still a fox-...thing. That he could sorta handle. If I didn't turn into a girl at the same time, it would beat the heck out of a being a Cat-thing (Even if I do have a friend that's like that.) Well, whatever happened, he was here again. Wherever here was. He was still iffy on the concept. Last time he was here had something to do with him having too many curses at once. Stupid curses. The only real question was how he got back here.
"If you keep yourr eyes crrossed like that there going to stick that way."
"WAAA!" Ranma jumped back clutching his chest. "Don't do that!" was Ranma automatic reply before he saw who was talking. Tio was standing in front of him in her hybrid form.
"Sorrry." Tio said. "I was trrying to get your attention earlier, but you didn't rrrespond. Anyways, you shouldn't be in this arrea."
"Huh? What do you mean Tio?" Ranma asked.
"This is a rreserved area, I don't know how you even got in herre. How do you know my name?" Tio said.
"What? Don't you recognize me?" Ranma said.
"No, I'm quite surre I don't know any Kitsune." Tio said.
"Kitsune? Oh, right, the body. It's me Tio, Ranma."
"No, Rranma is, numberr one a were-pantherr, and numberr two, is male. You are a thrree tailed, female, Kitsune. Now if we could just move along…" Tio said, making shooing motions.
"But, but, Tio, I really am Ranma, please, you gotta believe me!" Ranma pleaded. Tio took a good look at Ranma, seeming to think about something. Stepping forward she grabbed Ranma's shoulders and took a long look into Ranma's eyes.
"R-ranma, is that rreally you?" Tio asked, slightly scared.
"Yes, that is indeed Ranma." Tio's answer came from an unexpected source. Turning, both Tio and Ranma looked at the speaker. She was standing there covered in light tan fur and bearing a feline face. She wore a flowing white robe that didn't cover that much leaving her arms and enough leg exposed that Ranma thought for the first time in his life he might be getting a nosebleed. Golden bands of various designs circled her arms and legs, and Ranma could see that the tail gently swaying behind the woman also bore a golden band. Golden eyes looked back at Ranma, bracketed by tattoos half hidden under her facial fur. There was something just plain different about her, but Ranma couldn't put his finger on what it was.
"My lady." Tio bowed. Ranma just stood there gapping a little.
"Tio…" The figure said with a small growl in her voice.
"Yes Bastet-sa…" Tio started, but was cut off by a glare from the figure. "…err, -chan?"
"Much better Tio. I like the sound of that, 'Bastet-chan' has a nice ring to it. Now come here and give grandma a hug." Bastet said, sweeping Tio into a big bear-hug. Tio could only give Ranma a helpless look. Ranma looked back, at a loss for what to do. Finally, after it looked like Tio was going to pass out from asphyxiation, or embarrassment, Bastet let go and turned to Ranma.
"Um, Hi." Ranma said meekly.
"Hello Ranma, I must say, you look good in fur. I'm Bastet, Goddess First Class Unlimited." She said.
"Goddess? Really?" Ranma said meekly. "Umm, should I be on my knees, or err, something?" He could feal the authority and power radiating from the being before him and didn't doubt her claim.
"Yes, I am a real Goddess. Don't worry about it dear; just treat me like a normal person. I insist. Come here and have a seat, we have a lot to talk about." Gesturing to a spot on the ground, several pillows popped into existence. Bastet sat down and patted a pillow next to her. "You too Tio dear, have a seat. You know most of this already, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again." Ranma, at a loss for what to do, sat. Ranma yelped and had to sit up a bit to pull one of her tails out from under herself.
Once they were all sitting comfortably, Bastet made a small gesture in the air before her and shapes and images began to appear in a cloud. "This first part is mainly for Ranma." she explained to Tio. " I know you are frightened about what's happened to you Ranma." She ignored his comment about 'not being faid-o-nothing.' "I'm not aloud to tell you much, but hopefully I can give you some answers.
"Things in the past were actually different than what most of your historians believe. Well, to a certain point; they have most of the last of thousand years correct. But I digress; things were different. Humans weren't the only intelligent species by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, around this time humans were really a minority." As Bastet continued to talk she closed her eyes images appeared in the cloud. " There were hundreds of different races. Some were good, some evil, and some neutral. They came in all different shapes and sizes." At this point Ranma saw sever different beings in the cloud; most could be characterized as monsters. What caught his eye, besides the dragon, were the furry people. They looked normal compared to the other creatures he saw. "One of the most numerous set of people were the 'Weres.' They really weren't one people, more of a group title that all the other races referred to them as. All the different types of Weres had many things in common. They were in most ways the most similar races to humans as well. They could take a human form, or a fully animal one, but their natural one was somewhere in-between the two. Each type of Were could only change into one kind of animal, but they could still interbreed with each other."
Bastet shifted her seat a little and continued. "Things were good for a while. Most peoples got along well with each other, and there was little conflict. But there was a problem. Space was starting to run out. With so many different races and peoples covering the face of the planet, elbows were starting to rub. Tensions grew, and conflicts started to rise. It was only a matter of time, we feared. Then one day, after generations had passed, it did happen. War. It started small, like all the big ones do. Slowly it escalated, and grew and grew. Legions of people marching on each other, killing, maiming. It was a bad time. Powerful people came to the forefront to combat each other. Some used their natural abilities inherent to themselves, some created powerful devices, and others used pure magic. But a few used all of the above; they created fantastical devices with their abilities and powered them with magic. It was hoped by their creators that such devices would never be used, but as with your atomic bombs, they were. It only had to happen once.
"When the device was used, the forces involved were so powerful they pulled the world in two. The loss of life was tragic. I will never forget the day Terra screamed as she was ripped in two. When the dust settled, many, many peoples were dead, just simply gone. The rest were spread across two worlds, separated from their brothers and sisters, struggling to survive on ravaged terrain. Eventually over time, the planets recovered, and reestablished contact with each other. That is a story in and of itself.
"On the planet that would eventually become known as Earth, humans had come through with the strongest single force, and eventually spread across most of the remaining land masses. Most of the other races had either fallen below the point of being able to maintain themselves by reproduction, or found somewhere 'Else' to go. This 'Else' eventually became known as The Retreat. The flows of magic on the Earth were weak, unable to support many of the beings that needed them to survive. Years later, in an attempt to bring back the magic that had disappeared from the planet, another –weaker- device was used. It was not enough to bring magic back to the world as strong as it had been; in fact it remained but a shadow of its former glory. What it did do was open passable portals all around Earth to the other planet. By this time, most of the non human races were being crowded out by humans, who while could use magic, did not depend or require magic at all, and so were not weakened. It was decided that they would cross over to the other world, or go to the retreat, both of which had enough magic inherently in them to support their survival. The Weres, who had found a sort of peace with humanity, were reluctant to leave, but the chaotic expansion of the human race finally convinced them that life would be better on the new planet, the one called Jade.
"Not everyone left. Weres were the most common that stayed, but others stayed as well. As improbable as it sounds, it is possible, though difficult to interbreed almost any other race with a human. They stayed behind on earth with their families." Bastet opened her eyes and the illusion dispersed. "Then what you know of history more or less happened. And that brings us to you Ranma."
"M-Me?" Ranma thought he got the gist of what was being said, but was so busy trying to follow what Bastet was saying he was startled when she started talking to him directly.
"Yes, you might be surprised to know that you have received Were genetic material from both your parents. Normally this wouldn't mean anything, but the trait was so strong that certain features started to appear in you, such as your speed, grace, and quick healing, and a few other abilities." Bastet explained.
"But, that means… I'm not really human? And what do you mean by abilities?" Ranma asked.
"Don't be silly dear, of course you're human. Well, as human as the next person. The genetic material from the various species that had interbred with humanity so long ago is so spread out now that nearly every human has it. In fact nearly half your chromosomes contain nothing but that information." She explained.
"Chroma-What's-it?" Ranma said
"Never mind dear. Abilities like your ability to jump as high as you do untrained, and your ability to talk with cats. And don't claim you can't talk with cats." Bastet said.
"But I can't." Ranma said.
"Yes you can, remember Pamiu? Anyway," Ranma was going to ask her exactly what she meant about Pamiu, but she continued to talk. "I had taken notice of you when you were young. You caught my eye, you could say. I was interested in a human with so much cat in him. You would have had a normal life regardless of your differences if it weren't for him."
"Who?" Tio asked, while Ranma had a sinking feeling.
"That no-good lout Genma. I'm sorry to say that he is indeed Ranma's biological father. Him and that stupid training manual. I thought all those had been destroyed long ago."
"You mean the Neko-ken training manual?" Ranma asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry Ranma, I must apologize. If it wasn't for me, those manuals wouldn't exist. A few thousand years ago, people in Egypt worshiped me. In an effort to become more catlike, they developed a technique for bringing those qualities to the surface. The more Cat-Were in the persons ancestry, the more catlike they became, but it did horrible things to all parties minds. As soon as I found out about the practice, I personally banned it and commanded all manuals destroyed. But if I wasn't so visible in the first place, they would have never made the technique. If I did a better job in making sure all the manuals were destroyed, or did something more, you could have had a normal life. I am sorry." Upon saying that the goddess bowed low before Ranma.
Ranma was at a loss for what to do. He had never had anyone, let alone a Goddess apologize to him before. "Um, it's alright, really. If it wasn't the Neko-ken pops would have found something else. Please get up, ya didn't do anything that ya need to apologize to me for."
Bastet righted herself and gave Ranma a thankful look. "Thank you Ranma, you don't know what it means to have your forgiveness."
"Ah, it's OK. Sides, the fear seems to be gone now, I don't got any problems with you or Tio being here."
"I'm sorry to tell you this Ranma, but your fear really isn't gone." Bastet said.
"What do ya mean?" he asked. "I'm not gonna become afraid of you an Tio, am I?."
"No. You will never be afraid of me, unless you do something stupid, and because of your special, ah… situation with Tio, you won't ever be afraid of her."
"You mean because I'm his guardian, right?" Tio asked.
"No, that normally wouldn't help with his fear… its something else." Bastet said. Ranma and Tio looked at Bastet with curiosity in their expressions. Tio was curled up in a ball like a kitten getting told a fairy tail and Ranma was sitting cross-legged, head tilted to the side and ears forward. Bastet sighed. "I'm not really supposed to tell either of you this, but I just can't let it hang there, not with the looks you two are giving me. You both believe in reincarnation, correct?" Bastet saw both Ranma and Tio nod. "Well, the truth of the matter is, you were both twins in a previous life. Close ones at that." She paused long enough to see their eyes start to widen in realization, but continued before they could say anything. "You both died, together, in an … tragic fashion. I can't really tell you anything more about that, you'll have to discover the details on your own if you want to find out. Your souls passed on, and eventually reincarnated. Tio, you were reborn on a different plane, as you are now. For refrence Ranma, Tio has been alive for several thousand years. Ranma, your soul apparently waited a little longer to be reincarnated; you are currently in your next life after that one." Bastet stopped there to gauge their reactions.
Ranma was sitting with a sort of shell-shocked expression on her face. Tio was doing a good job of copying Ranma's expressions, but found her voice after a moment of floundering. "Me and Ranma are twins? I've never had any brothers or sisters before." Tio asked with a hint of wonder.
"No. Well, not really. In both your lives, you've been born as single children and are regesterd as such in Yggdrasil. However, the bond between your souls from your previous life was so strong that it seems a portion of it has survived reincarnation; A very rare occurrence." Bastet made a note to herself about seeing if she could do something about appending their files in the World Tree. "The bond is a large part of the reason that Ranma is not afraid of you, despite his training. He can feel you're feelings in his subconscious, and vice-a-versa." She said.
"Oh…" Tio responded.
Ranma, displaying a marked lack of the dreaded 'Saotome foot-in-mouth technique' picked up on the dejected tone in Tio's voice. Thinking for a second, Ranma spoke. "W-well, ya-know… I've never had any brothers or sisters either, and ya-know… well, um…" Ranma mumbled something that neither of the others could hear.
"What was that Ranma?" Tio questioned.
"Ah, … I was saying, that I like your company, and you're nice to me, and well, that if you, ya-know, you wanted ta be my sister, I wouldn't mind bein you're brother…" Ranma said, twiddling his fingers and cringing. This was the part where he always got hit or screamed at. Pops said it was weak to show emotion, or to get attached to anyone. They would only distract you from the art. But he felt something about Tio, a sort of connection. She was the first friend that he'd had in a while, and she seemed to care for him. He meant that about liking the idea of being Tio's brother; even if he never saw her again, there would be someone out there.
Ranma sat there, and for a few seconds, nothing happened, no one said anything. He was caught totally off guard when the flying form of Tio latched on to him with a hug that felt like a boa constrictor. "Of course! I would love to be your sister! I've watched you growing up from a distance for so long, and never had any siblings myself, and now your going to be a great brother, and…" Ranma could only hold the babbling cat-girl in his lap while Bastet stifled giggles behind her hand.
After a few minutes Tio wound down and adjust herself so she was sitting next to Ranma, and not on her. "I'm glad for you two. I will talk to the contact guild and see what I can do about letting you two see each other more often. It wouldn't be too good if the only time you could see each other is when Ranma bangs his head. But we've got to move on, we don't have much time left right now." Bastet said.
"Why not?"
"Ranma is due to wake up in a little bit, and that wouldn't be good if his mind wasn't there as well. I need to explain why you're a were-panther and a Kitsune, and not just a human holding the DNA. You see, you fell in the Jusenkyo springs, which were created at the end of the war by one of the minor artifacts, and draws on the magic flows of the Earth. Because it is younger magic and fairly weak, it can be manipulated, to an extent. So-"
"What exactly does Jusenkyo do?" Ranma interrupted. "I don't think anyone has explained it to me."
"There are hundreds of springs, each having its own form-changing enchantment that it places on those that get touched by its waters. Back when it was created, there was a way of assigning the forms that a person received from a spring by a simple spell and a drop of the desired forms blood. With the downfall of magic, the way to assign forms to the springs was lost. Unfortunately, the magic twisted over the years to accept the form of anything that drowned in the spring. You Ranma, touched the waters from several springs, before coming to a rest in an un-cursed spring. Fortunately you didn't drown in that spring, but you were still exposed to its magic for a long period of time. I noticed your plight, and did what I could to make your life easier, but I could only shift the magic, and not remove it. And before you ask, no, you don't want to know what you would have been changed into if I hadn't interfered.
"I used the magic of the springs to bring about your ancestry, turning you into a 'true-born' were-panther, but I had to cut some deals with others to do it. Part of the deal was with Inari, he helped to uh, push the paperwork through, as it were, so I could do something in time."
"Paperwork? And who is Inari?" Ranma asked.
"Inari is the god of rice, and for the most part Kitsune's. He wanted something in return, and I couldn't completely remove Jusenkyo effect, so there came that fox form you're currently in. The first spring you hit had an especially strong grip on you, that's why you're female. For all intents and purposes, you're also a natural born female Kitsune. This means that you also have innate magical abilities. As a female, there also a bit stronger then they would be otherwise, but you're going to need to get someone to train you to use them. Don't worry about being stuck in that form either, hot water will change you back, and cold will change you to this form. Eventually, maybe in a few hundred years, you will probably learn to control it yourself."
"Even with Inari's help, why would the council allow this? Not that I'm really complaining." Tio said as she rested her head on Ranma's shoulder. Ranma's expression also indicated he would also like to know, despite his grumbling that he did, in fact, mind.
"The council thinks that magic might be on the rise again on the earth, and would like to re-expose humanity to other races, to gauge their reactions if magic continues on this trend. Ranma is sort of a test run, although there are some others..." Bastet looked off to the side. "Oops, looks like were running out of time. Ranma, you're going to wake up in a minute. Just a couple more things I need to say; please don't tell anyone about what we've talked about, it wouldn't do to have word get around." Ranma nodded. "Also you still have to work through your fear of cats. Especially if you meet others of your kind, and just so you know, there are others that are on earth like you. You may want to seek them out at some point. " Ranma could see everything getting hazy and starting to fade out. He gave Tio's hand a quick squeeze "Oh, and Ranma, do me a favor?"
"Um, sure?" Ranma said. His voice sounded transparent even to him.
"Don't bite anyone!" Ranma though he heard before everything went dark again.
A.N. Yea I know, not a lot of action going on in this one. I'll do better next time. I wanted to get some history out there so it made a little more sense. Ranma's taking all this a little to well perhaps? Nah, its just shell-shock, wait till it really starts to sink in. Better chapters moving the story along to follow, stay tuned. Comments, Critiques, and Criticisms are welcome and appreciated.
Special thanks to my pre-reader Zoaxevy.
