A/N: Here's my second chapter! Sorry if I took so long! As always, read and review please!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½.

Lycanthrope ½: The Other Curse

Chapter 2: Explanations, explanations...

"Unhhhh..." Ranma awoke to the smell of something cooking. His vision was still fuzzy, and his head was pounding at a furious pace. He became aware of a stinging sensation when he tried to move his feet. The pain intensified as he tried to wriggle his toes. He looked at his feet and saw that they were bound up. Realizing that he could not stand, Ranma sat up and observed his surroundings. He was in a room. The walls were made out of wood and had animal skins on them. There were also skins on the floor; he was lying on one. The door opened and a well-built man with silver hair and a scar across his eye walked in, carrying an apple. He was wearing pants made out of something Ranma could not identify, and leather sandals. He wasn't wearing a shirt though.

"Here, have an apple. I take it that you are feeling better now?" The man asked.

"Uhh, yeah... thanks. With the exception of a headache, I feel fine. Kobold, right?" said Ranma as he wolfed (Hehehe...) down the apple.

"Yeah. So you recognize me in human form, eh?" said Kobold, grinning. "Not many people can do that, you know. It's not easy to spot a werewolf when he looks just like any ordinary guy. You amaze me, boy. By the way, how are your feet doing? I believe you cracked your feet jumping off that tree. Not a very high tree, though. So... "

"So what?" asked Ranma.

"So, there must have been something that caused your bones in your feet to weaken to such a point that a mere 20-foot jump can fracture them. I believe it was something you ate." Kobold looked at Ranma questioningly. "Think, kid. Was there anything you ate before you landed here that could have done such a thing? Witchcraft? Sorcery? A poisonous concoction perhaps?"

"Ugh... Last thing I remember eating was that sludge Akane cooked up..." answered Ranma.

"Akane? Would you mind telling me who this Akane girl is? Is she part witch? Does she possess any knowledge pertaining to sorcery?" asked Kobold eagerly.

"Uh.... No. She's an uncute, slow-moving, clumsy, so-called martial artist, who can't fight to save her life. She's also a terrible cook. God, the crap she creates... You know, she tried to make dinner for us just last month. The "beef stew's" smell alone was so disgusting that I nearly barfed. So, I pick up the bowl with the stew and pour the contents into a potted plant..."

"And then what?" said Kobold, grinning.

"And the damn plant suddenly burst into flame! I tried to put out the fire with some juice that she made. The "juice" not just put out the fire..."

"W-what else did it do?" Kobold was now chuckling.

"Damned juice melted the pot that contained the plant..."

"Melted the pot! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Kobold was now laughing out loud.

"And burned a hole into the floor... Akane was so shocked that she spilled some juice, and it began to eat away at the table. Her dad panicked, and squeezed the egg roll he was about to eat with his chopsticks a bit too tightly... The egg roll exploded. Gave Mr. Tendo second-degree burns all over his face and hands."

"He got burned by an egg roll?" Kobold by this time was already rolling on the floor, hands clutching his sides.

"So Mr. Tendo reels back, screaming that his face was burning. By doing so, he tipped over the half-melted table. The food clattered onto the floor and started doing weird stuff. The sushi started crawling away, while the buns began to release a powerful stench, something like rotten egg mixed with cow turd. I tell Akane, Kami, what cookbook have you been using, The Mad Scientist's Culinary Delights? This, of course, pisses her off, and she pulls out that damned mallet and punts me sky-high. Lucky for me, I landed at Ucchan's restaurant."

"Ucchan?" Kobold asked.

"She's a great friend, and also the world's best okonomiyaki chef! Well, maybe next to her dad.... She's also one of my fiancées." Answered Ranma.

"Fiancées? As in more than one girl? Kid, your life's starting to get more and more confusing. Hell, next thing I know you'll be telling me you've got a Jusenkyo curse." Said Kobold jokingly.

"HUH??? How do you know about the Jusenkyo training grounds?" Ranma asked, surprise in his voice.

"Oy. You mean you DO have a curse? What do you turn into? A sumo wrestler? A samurai warrior? You're not a vampire, are you? Cause if you are, I'm going to have to kill you by cutting of all your limbs, Kobold questioned "No, wait, let me gues...Muscular, very gentlemanly... You turn into a girl, right?"

"Yeah. Hey! How'd you know? Do you have a curse too?" inquired Ranma.

"I have a curse, kid. But my curse is different than yours. Very different. You see, kid, I'm afflicted with lycanthropy." Kobold said, as a more serious look came over his face.

"Lycanthro-what?" Ranma asked.

"Lycanthropy, boy." Answered Kobold. "That means I'm a werewolf. Course, you already knew that, didn't you? And you've probably figured out that I'm no ordinary werewolf. Actually, kid, I'm a Brother-Wolf."

"A Brother-Wolf?" asked Ranma.

"Yeah. A Brother-Wolf is different from your ordinary werewolf. See, we have special skills that only we can do, like being able to transform from wolf to werewolf to human by will, and being able to control ourselves and not go wild and attack people. We are also capable of focusing our essence, or as you Japanese call it, our ki, into different kinds of attacks. There are millions of werewolves worldwide, but only a handful of Brother-Wolves. Cause the training to become a Brother-Wolf is long, hard, and rigorous. Very few werewolves are prepared to take the risk. Many of those who undergo the training don't survive. And the few who do become Brother-Wolves scatter the globe, continuing their training." Explained Kobold.

"You mean, it's like martial arts?" asked Ranma.

"Uhh... sure. I guess in a way it is kind of like martial arts. Why do you ask?" said Kobold.

"If it's martial arts, then, I've gotta know how it works! Then, maybe I can incorporate it into the Saotome style of Anything-Goes Martial Arts! Just think of the moves I could pull off! It'll be unbelievable!!!" said Ranma enthusiastically."

"You wanna learn Wolf-Style Martial Arts?" Kobold raised an eyebrow. "With your knack for the Art, you should be able to learn quickly. But...."

"But what? Is there a catch?" asked Ranma.

"See, thing is, we don't teach Wolf-Style to humans. You must be a werewolf to be able to go under training. And since you ain't a werewolf, I doubt it'll work out." Suddenly, Kobold's face brightened. "Oh, I just remembered! You don't like your curse, right?" Ranma nodded in agreement. "Well, you see, the curse of the Wolf, it sort of... nullifies any other curse you may have."

"You mean... no more turning into a girl?" asked Ranma.

"Yup. Of course, there will be a few reminders of your former curse. For example, what's your hair color when you turn into a girl?" Kobold asked.

"Red." Ranma replied.

"Then your wolf form will have reddish fur. It will also be slightly smaller, seeing as a girl, you're shorter than when you're a boy. Hey! You'll look like a red fox!" Kobold laughed.

"So what you're saying is, I won't turn into a girl anymore if I'm hit with cold water, but every full moon I'll turn into a werewolf and start attacking people?" said Ranma.

"Not if you become a Brother-Wolf. You'll have full control of your curse then. Still, I don't want you to be forced to turn into a werewolf... so I'll give you till tomorrow to give me your answer. You're gonna stay in bed the whole day." When Ranma started to object, Kobold held up his hand. "No excuses. You've got a concussion and you're staying in bed. Hell, you aren't even able to walk. So just lie there and think about my offer."

As Kobold started to walk out of the room, Ranma called him back.

"Hey, Kobold!" said Ranma.

"Yeah, what is it?" asked Kobold.

"In case I don't want to be a werewolf, what're you going to do to me?" asked Ranma.

Kobold chuckled. "We're gonna send you back home without any memory of what happened, or of anything you've seen or heard."

'Oh. And one other thing. Where exactly in the world am I? Doesn't look like I'm in Japan anymore." Said Ranma.

"You're in Russia. Guess that Akane girl is stronger than you thought. Oh, by the way, your food is coming along after a couple of minutes. Think about my offer, kid. We could use someone like you."

Kobold closed the door behind him, leaving Ranma with his thoughts....

A/N: Whew! Finally finished the second chapter. I'll be working on the third one soon enough, though it will take some time since a Teen Titans story idea has been flitting in and out of my thoughts, and I'm thinking if writing it... It's gonna be a horror/humor fic... Ah, well. We shall see. What happens, happens. This is Mr. Mushroom, good bye for now...