I don't own any of Rumiko Takahashi's or Jack Chalker's works. They are just borrowed.

Ranma of the Dancing Gods

Chapter 2.3: Love from the ashes part two

"Kasumi, what's goin' on?" She couldn't understand why she was in the center of what she assumed was a very hot fire and felt as comfortable as if she were in a hammock in the shade on a summer's day. She made as if to get up and out.

Kasumi shouted over the roar of the fire, "Ranma-kun, please stay where you are for two more hours. Your form is locked again, just for a time. The fire is temporarily abating the evil and perversity that you absorbed from grandfather Happosai. Please do as I ask because I couldn't bear to lose you."

Nabiki and Akane brought more buckets of charcoal and dumped them over the wall. "Glad to see you're still with us Saotome," called out Nabiki. Akane spoke, a little irritably, "I hope that you appreciate what we're doing for you. You made Kasumi cry, you know." Kasumi looked down and, blushing, went for another bucket of charcoal.

Ranma stared intently at Kasumi and Nabiki swore that she saw puffs of steam around the pigtailed fairy's eyes. 'I guess I know who has been chosen, even if she doesn't know it yet.' Thought the shorthaired mercenary. She began to tell Ranma the events that had happened since Happosai's attack.

Cologne watched and wondered at the antics going on in the yard from her perch on the light pole overlooking the compound wall. 'So. Son in law, what have you gotten into this time? I think that this would bear watching and very careful handling.' She chuckled to herself quietly, 'Xian Pu, what am I to do with you? The Tendo girls are not raising a demon from the pits of hell to possess…Ranma. She now has more in common with Saffron's people than normal people. Well, Ranma would you want to be friends?' Her thoughts continued. Cologne watched and wondered at the antics going on.
Ranma sat back and contemplated what Nabiki had told her. At least Jusenkyo still would allow her to be male, but what of her humanity, or the were curse? Kasumi seemed to know what to do and she got her knowledge from Nodoka. Her mother knew and still loved her. Several puffs of steam blurred her vision. At least two people, and maybe Nabiki, cared for her as a person. Her heart swelled to overflowing and the future looked brighter, no matter what might happen. She watched Kasumi, heavily clothed against the heat, toss the last bucket of charcoal beside her and smiled at the larger girl as she backed off and removed the heavy outer clothing. Kasumi smiled back, but Ranma could see longing hidden behind the eyes and wrinkles of strain around them. 'Can I picture Kasumi as the center of my universe…? Damn straight!' came back from his unconscious. 'Well, how do I get the courage to tell her?…' No answer was immediately forthcoming, so she assumed the lotus position and waited for the time to come for getting out of the flames. The frown she wore only came across as a cute pout.
Ukyo watched and wondered at the activities and conversations being loudly passed over the flames. What had happened to her Ranchan? This was getting beyond weird. She didn't miss what was going on between Ranma and Kasumi. 'Ranma's decided and it looks like Akane's okay with it. If I told dad about everything that has happened to Ranma, there's no way he'd want me to marry her. It's time to help my buddy Ranchan.' She leapt to the ground beside Kasumi and her sisters.

"Hi there…want to tell me what's going on?" Akane's hand twitched until she remembered that Ranma wasn't hers. "Ranchan, that IS you, isn't it?"

"Yeah Ucchan, its me."

"So what happened?"

"I got another curse and thanks to Happosai, I'm stuck again."

"Ranma needs to get to a certain spot on Mount Asama within the next three days or she may be lost to us, Ukyo." Added the eldest Tendo.

"Well, Ranchan's always been my best friend, in spite of the way I acted. I'll help my friend."

Kasumi responded with misty eyes, "Thank you, Ukyo, Ranma needs every friend right now."

"Okay, so how do we get this jackass to Mount Asama?" Plans were finished and supplies gathered, to be ready within minutes of Ranma's exit from the fire. Kasumi prepared a feast. It wouldn't do for Ranma to start out hungry.

The time came that Kasumi declared was "long enough" and Ranma stepped out of the fire and went to be hugged by all of the girls present. Unspoken was the hope that she would continue to be available. "Ranma, you don't feel hot at all and you smell of cinnamon." Said Kasumi as she released her hug, taking time to caress Ranma's cheek with the back of her hand. "Let's go to the dining room."

"Yeah! Kasumi, ya know that I can always eat my weight in 'your' food!" Followed by her tinkling laughter. Then everyone else gently laughed with Ranma, though Akane's was a little forced.

Just then, everyone cringed as they heard, "Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho! So the scarlet harpy shows her true self." Kodachi stood on the wall, left forearm still in a cast from her last attack on Ranma. "The Black Rose shall kill this demoness and free my Ranma-sama so that we may live in marital bliss!" She leapt to the ground and dodged Ukyo's swing of her giant battle spatula. Flying in a leap at Ranma, with her electrified clubs ready, Kodachi was amazed to see Kasumi in front of her. Kasumi executed a tai chi throw that redirected her to a wall.

Kasumi was upon her in a flash, pressing several shiatsu points until, with a smile of satisfaction, she went to the others, saying, "Well, let's eat."

Ranma re-hinged her jaw, "Kasumi that was amazing…" "…"

"Well, Ranma, don't expect me to sit by as someone I care about is threatened. You aren't in any shape to defend yourself until after your purification."

"What did you do to her?" asked Akane.

"I merely pressed her ultra laxative point and a combination of points that will enable the laxative point every time she speaks for the next week."

Out in the yard they heard, "Ho Ho Ho…OH NO!" along with some wet, flatulent sounds. Kodachi scrambled through the gate to get home.

Who knew that Kasumi, Kasumi the angel could be so…vicious? Or so good at martial arts?

In the dining room there were six places set out and four of the girls knelt at the table and tucked into the food that was laid out. Kasumi walked out into the yard and looked up with her welcoming smile and spoke, "Honored elder Cologne, why don't you join us for our meal? It must be rather warm to be setting in the bright sunlight for so long."

"How can I refuse when I'm asked so graciously." She wondered how Kasumi had known that she had been watching when she was hiding her chi completely. It couldn't have been that she stuck out like a sore thumb on top of the light pole, could it?

Now five girls and one Amazon elder were eating their meals around the table. Ranma was silent throughout the meal. After her sixth bowl of rice and chicken, she stretched her wings out, touching the ceiling and walls, and tucked her loincloth under her tummy, which was also stretching. She asked for another refill, grinning cutely. Akane mumbled something like, "Now I know where she puts it."

Finally, Cologne's curiosity became too much for her. "Ranma?" Said person riveted her attention on the matriarch at the lack of 'son in law'. "Ranma, can you tell me what happened to bring such a change? I have 'never' seen or heard of such a creature as you have become."

Nabiki spoke quickly, "Ranma? Kasumi? Let me explain , please. I won't tell you everything, but I'll tell you the truth. Right now, Ranma is a kauri. A kauri is a fairy, similar to the western tradition of fairies, but from a different universe. Because of Jusenkyo, we know that she can become a male fairy, but not much else. You see, a kauri has powers over men and feeds on their sexual energy and purges their nightmares and evil tendencies to bring happiness and content. Of course, Ranma has the will of Adamant or is still just clueless."

"Hey!"

"Sorry Ranma, but I've seen how you fight those 'urges'. Anyway, a male kauri is the same, just opposite gender. Last night, our safeguards failed and grandfather Happosai grabbed Ranma's Kauri form. We saw her pull every bit of evil and perversity from the old lecher, but there was too much and it is slowly killing her. She has to purify herself after absorbing a certain amount of evil or perversity or she dies. The only place to do that is in a volcano with bubbling lava."

"So I gotta swim in Lava?"

"Yes Ranma-kun, according to your mother, it's the only way." Said Kasumi.

Cologne spoke up, "Will this purification restore Ranma's humanity?"

Nabiki answered, "We don't know, Auntie Nodoka just said that she wanted her child to live."

After a few moments, Nabiki continued. "Father should remain sleeping until tonight. Auntie is distracting Genma. Ranma, you and whoever is going with you need to leave quickly before someone else shows up."

Kasumi came in, wearing a backpack and carrying a small hooded cloak. "Here Ranma, put this on and let's go."

Cologne said, "Ranma, don't worry about great-granddaughter. I feel that the kisses are no longer relevant. However, can I ask for your friendship and willingness to work out our past troubles in a peaceful manner?"

"Yes old…yes elder Cologne, that's all I could want. Thanks."

"Well, I'll have you know, you have done more to keep this old woman interested in living than anything I've seen or done in the last fifty years. Good luck child, come see me when you return." With that, she left.

After she left, Nabiki spoke, "Kasumi, Ranma, please don't talk about any other effects of 'this' curse yet. Akane and Ukyo, please understand that we'll probably tell you the rest later, but I feel that we need to get a handle on this for all our sakes."

"Okay, for now." said Ukyo. "Ranchan, friends?"

"Yeah. Friends."

"Friends don't let friends go into danger alone."

"You're not leaving me behind, either." Said Akane.

Nabiki handed Kasumi some flashlights. "Sis, the blue ones are polarized, the red are ultraviolet, you do what you must. Take good care of Ranma."

Three girls and one seeming child went to the train station to head southwest. An hour and a half later they got off at a stop in sight of the mountain during a particularly good show of pyrotechnics at the summit. The ash cloud was thankfully passing to the west of their location. Most people were boarding the train to leave the area and there were barricades blocking access to the mountain. The sun was just dipping below the western peaks and Kasumi began to be nervous. She said, let's see if we can find a campground away from this madness. Ranma grabbed Kasumi and raised her eyebrow at Ukyo and looked meaningfully at Akane and jumped to the nearest roof. Ukyo followed shortly with a ranting Akane. In five minutes they were away from any people and looking at the small glade.

Ranma said, "This stream doesn't feed from the mountain and the ridge there should shield you from any pyroclastic flows. Let's get our tents set up."

"Kasumi looked at the setting sun and went over to Ranma where she was setting up a tent. "Ranma, there is something I have to do. Its connected to what we're here for. Let's go over there for privacy. The larger girl then checked Ranma's pulse and tapped her knees and elbows. She looked in her ears and then said "Look up and say aahh." Kasumi put her finger in Ranma's mouth under a canine and dragged it roughly out, cutting a small gash in the finger.

Ranma jumped back and said "Wadja do that for? Do ya want my curse?" She looked at Kasumi's bleeding finger and began to shake. She lunged for the bigger girl and just said "Why?"

Kasumi looked at Ranma with tears in her eyes, "Ranma-kun, Nabiki and I had a long conversation about this and decided that the only way for anyone helping you to come back alive themselves was for them to be as fireproof as you. I can't ask Akane to make the sacrifice and I doubt Ukyo would be willing either. They can wait here for us while we just fly to the lava tube. It will be done just that much quicker and there were no warnings about being too soon, just too late."

Their hug lasted several minutes until, "Kasumi-chan I'll make it up to you somehow."

"Don't worry, I do it out of love. That's why this is going to work…dear…dear Ranma-chan. Now let's find out if my gamble worked."

Ranma was hoping that it had failed. Kasumi got into a tree's darker shadow and turned the polarized light on her face, which became that of a Kasumiesque kauri. Her clothes had vanished and she was garbed in the same manner as Ranma, barely sufficient top and loincloths. 'Damn, even as a kauri, I'm short,' thought Ranma. Under the flash, her wings might have been a more pink shade of red in her markings. She then took the u/v flashlight and transformed back into human Kasumi. Ranma breathed an enormous sigh of relief.

Kasumi went to Ranma and hugged her, whispering, "Let's tell Akane and Ukyo." Ranma shuddered, thinking about mallets and spatulas. "Don't worry, it was my decision, they'll have to respect that."

At the campsite Akane and Ukyo were seated at Ukyo's grill. There were several completed okonomiyaki in a basket by the grill. "So Akane, you gave up on Ranchan?"

"Its not that, I never was interested, much. Our fathers were forcing us together and I was too jealous. It wasn't fair to her. I would rather have her as a friend or sister or brother, there is just too much chaos following her around."

Ukyo said, "Yep, that's my Ranchan. I won't likely be marrying him, but the jackass is the best friend you could ever ask for…and I love him for it." A pause. "Are we friends?"

Akane looked thoughtful, "I'd like to think so, Ukyo, do you want to be friends?"

"Sure do sugar." The two hugged, and began to giggle. That was when Ranma and Kasumi returned.

"Ranma and I have a change of plans to announce." The two girls looked up questioningly. "In a bit, when it is fully dark, Ranma and I are going on, you should wait here no more than two days, though I expect us to be back tomorrow night."

"Now hold on big sis, I thought we were all going because it was so dangerous."

"I made a decision that will reduce the hazard and will keep you two safe." She brought out the wereflash, as Ranma called it, and turned it on to her face. Two gasps followed her transformation.

"RRRAAANNNMAA!" in unison.

"STOP you two! It. Wasn't. Ranma's. Decision! It was my own, with plenty of forethought. Now SIT!" She turned the dayflash on herself and returned to her housewife form. Kasumi then took Akane's hand and said "I trust you two to keep this secret, please." Akane and Ukyo both nodded. "Here is the reason it must be a secret." She turned the wereflash on herself again and there were two Akanes. Akane's eyes turned up in her head and she fainted, looking at herself.

Ukyo banged herself on the head with her spatula and looked at the two Akanes and said "Sugar, that's some trick," and fainted beside Akane.

Ranma said, "They took that better than I would."

Akane came around first and looked at herself…Kasumi and a lightbulb went off and she said angrily, "Ranma that was you licking yourself, not Yoshi!"

"I'm sorry, but everything else was him!" She curled up into a ball, expecting a mallet.

Akane suddenly realized that she had been conditioning her to expect the abuse. "Ranma, I'm sorry about the mallets, I promise. Haven't I calmed down since the engagement was removed from me?"

Ranma looked up, tentatively, and made a small nod.

Akane went to hug Ranma and started bawling. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. That's not the way I should have treated you." She looked at her sister with beseeching eyes, "Sis, please treat Ranma the way I should have. She deserves better than she got from me."

Ukyo began to wake up and confirmed the evidence of her eyes and looked thoughtfully at Ranma and Kasumi. "If I think about it for a while, do you think one of you might be convinced to give me a bite?"

"Ya'd better think long and hard about it Ucchan. If your reason's good enough, I'll think about it too. Kasumi, we better get ready ta go." With that, Kasumi dayflashed herself and then used the wereflash to become kauri again.

This time she shuddered. "Ranchan…Ranma, this form feels good, wanton. I can see where it requires a lot of strength to restrain oneself."

"Sorry about that, Kasumi. Maybe this purification will help with that." The four of them said their good-byes. Akane and Ukyo watched the other two fly into the night. Akane prayed to her mother for their safekeeping.

06-11-05

Trugeta: Well Kodachi proved to be a threat and I wanted Kasumi to prove herself capable. Cologne is now on Ranma's side and as a friend. Asking for an alliance would be too much now. The Amazons will have to prove themselves and Cologne knows it. She also suspects kami influence much higher on the food chain than Saffron. I hope the process is becoming clearer for Ranma's eventual ascension to kamihood.

GODDess: It may be slow at times, but I hope to finish at least one arc. So far, nothing can compete with Kasumi, but what are those wanton feelings going to do to her?

Ranko: see the previous comment.

p kbat: Kasumi has and Ukyo's seeing benefits, Nabiki has plans, definitely.

John Tannius: Yes, it is sad. Go to his official website and read his children's blogs. :(

Maybe I can find his first wellworld trilogy in a used book store, have never read any of them. Did you ever read that series that had "The Pirates of the Thunder"? was that by Jack Chalker? Don't be surprised if I diverge mightily from RotDG as I am going on fifteen year old memories and Vengeance of the Dancing Gods.

Jerry Unipeg: Short comments, but any encouragement is good.

Ron: Ditto Jerry's answer above

Dragon Man 180:This chapter will probably answer some of your questions. It was Kodachi, and I feel her punishment was just.