Author: essenceofthedark
Author's note: I humbly apologise for the delay in updating this story and the only thing I have to say in my defence is: being in senior high is HARD! I've been so exhausted that I haven't really had energy enough to continue my fanfictions lately… damn school! Thanks to someone who complained about me not updating the story I actually became aware that 'wow, some people actually like this story, it's not just something they're saying!' so yeah I sat down and forced myself to write this chapter even though I was really tired at the time… and wow, I had forgotten how refreshing it is when you write something and there is no damn writer's block there to hinder you…
Anyway, I need to update my profile (sweatdrops) and oh yeah, this chapter is dedicated to Davinci, as he/she called him/herself (because of what I wrote above) and whomever it was that gave me the link to the page with the English manga (without her/his tip this chapter wouldn't be possible).
Music I listened to while writing this fic: HIM (Dark Light) and Disturbed (Ten Thousand Fists)
Chapter four: Searching for a cure
:In some temple close to nowhere:
"A… a cure…? For… for the…" a voice came from one of the traditional Japanese houses one early morning "…the ultimate weakness moxibustion?" a monk screeched as he held his face between both of his hands, making him resemble "Skrik" by Edvard Munch(1).His three visitors watched him a bit freaked out by his behaviour
"Um…" one of the girls started "We heard there might be an ancient chart that shows the location of the pressure point used in the ultimate… you know" she said as the only boy jumped eagerly to the monk's side and exclaimed eagerly:
"And it's here, isn't it? Isn't it?" the pig-tailed boy were almost jumping in anticipation of getting his hands on the chart. His joy soon faded as he realised that the monk wasn't listening to them, in fact, he was… asleep. Snapping his fingers to wake the old man the boy uttered "hey!" quite impatiently, waiting for the monk to tell them whether the chart was there or not.
"Tragically… tragically…" the monk sobbed as tears fell from his gigantic bloodshot eyes "the chart is here no longer!" "What?" the young people gasped in surprise, disbelief and disappointment. "A hundred years ago," the monk continued "a thief broke into this temple and stole it" The air was heavy with frustration and disappointment as the three youths let these news sink in.
"No… it cannot be…" the young boy fisted his hand in anger over these news. "Then I'll… I'll never… I'll never be strong again…" he was shaking with frustration as he bitterly uttered the last sentence.
"No!" the monk interrupted just before they all lost hope completely "Do not loose hope! There is yet a way!" he held up a piece of paper in a very dramatic way. "Take a look at this! A clue to chart's location!" He exclaimed as he showed them the paper.
"Th-this!" the pig-tailed boy snapped the paper out of the monk's hands and started to read as the two girls sat peeking over his shoulders.
"Oh my darling monk," they started to read out loud "I do so look forward to our next rendezvous?" they stopped reading and looked sceptically at the monk who squealed embarrassed and brought his hands up to his face again.
"No no no no! Wrong letter, wrong letter, heh heh heh!" he ripped the indecent letter out of their hands and showed them another piece of paper. This time the right one.
"Th-this is--" they started as they looked at the document in astonishment. "The villain who stole the chart!" the monk finished for them as they stood staring at the painted picture. It showed a small person with a huge round head with thinning black hair. The eyes were huge and round with an unmistakable lecherous look in them. He also had black moustaches that looked very familiar. The girl with short hair was the first to voice their suspicions.
"Am I seeing things… or is that Happosai?" she asked in disbelief as the pig-tailed boy crumbled the paper in his hands.
"Then that means… I just have to take it from that freak…" he stood up victoriously and with renewed spirit "and I can be strong again!"
:A few days later:
"Grandpa Happosai, if you have any trash, I can burn it with the rest of this pile" a young woman stood burning a pile of paper-rubbish and other things that would burn easily as she watched a little old man search through his belongings in search for trash in case he had any.
"I need this…" he mumbled to himself as he scrutinized the heap that was made of his belongings. "I need this too…"His brow wrinkled as he discovered a piece of paper he couldn't remember. "Hmm? What's this?" he mumbled more loudly as he picked up the paper to examine it closer. For a second or two he just looked at it before he started to fold it.
"Well, if I don't even remember…." He held up the paper which was now a neatly folded plane "… I must not need it!" and with those final words he threw it towards the fire, but before the paper could catch fire a boy with long black hair that was pulled back in a pig-tail jumped out of thin air and grabbed the paper as if his life depended on it.
Looking at the paper he exclaimed loudly "This is it! The moxibustion chart!" before he could do anything more his head met the pipe of the older man and then he was flying through the air and crashed into a tree that stood conveniently nearby. The old man swirled his pipe with his left hand as he looked more closely at the paper, not even bothering to check if his "pupil" was okay after his meeting with the tree.
"Oh, that's right. The chart that shows where the ultimate weakness moxibustion point was. I forgot all about it" he said as the memories came back to him.
"Hand it over!" the boy, who had by now recovered from the collision with the tree, threw himself after the older man, who dodged his attacks with ease. "Take it-- if you can!" he teased as he stuck out his tongue. And thus their argument/fight continued…
…
"Blast it…" the girl version of the boy lay on the ground panting and grinding her teeth together in pain and anger after having been thrown into a thick wall. There was a huge mark in the wall where she had crashed into it and the old man now stood watching her with an annoyed and serious expression.
"Feh. The once-great Ranma" the old man inhaled some smoke through his pipe before pointing evilly at the girl. "Now all you have left are your girlish charms! You're too weak even to fend off my little hot hands…" he jumped into the air cackling maniacally. "Let alone get this chart!" he continued "Enjoy your life… weakling!" and then he was gone.
The girl closed her eyes in defeat, trying to stop her tears from falling.
:Akane's view:
'Ranma…?' I watched her bowing her head in defeat. This was nothing like her; she was so out of character. Normally she would have gotten up and run after the damn bastard, cursing him in a very unladylike manner. As I watched her defeat I felt so sorry for her, or him, more correctly. I had to do something to cheer her up.
"Don't sulk about it! Cheer up!" I smiled as genki(o) as I could as I lightly smacked her back (in a friendly manner of course), hoping to cheer her up. Instead of taking it as usual it sent her reeling into the nearest sculpture(2) with a loud 'kong'. Not really believing my own eyes I sweatdropped and started to feel really embarrassed. Of course she couldn't take even a smack when they were done with my strength and she was as weak as she was now. Watashi wa baka(o).
"Um…" I watched as she tried to steady herself from the impact, still wobbling a little. "You fool! Snap out of it!" I exclaimed a bit angrily at her. Seeing her behave this subdued and defeated really made me frustrated. It made me feel like strangling someone.
"Stop it…" she said in a low cowed voice, still with her back towards me and with her head downcast "I don't want your pity…" she mumbled before she started to slowly walk home.
:Next morning:
"Father! Come quick! Ranma and Mr. Saotome, they're—" Kasumi came running into our kitchen seemingly distressed for once. "Gone"
:Ranma's view:
"Aaargh! Hot! Heavy! Hot!" I ground out as I lay on the ground with a huge moxa rock on top of me. All of this was, of course, my father's fault, or at least part of it was. Itai(o), I thought, this was worse than about anything I had survived through 'til now. It was heavy, it was hot, my whole body hurt and I was too weak to get the damn rock off of me. As I tried desperately to throw the rock off of me my father stood around 5 feet away, watching me unmercifully; oh how I hated him in that moment.
"If you want to be strong again, Ranma, you must endure" my dad started talking "The 'moxa rocks' found here are geothermally heated and convey the same benefits as moxibustion. They are said to cure all ailments. Especially monkeys' backaches, bears' sprained ankles…" I was getting annoyed, what the hell was the point of telling me of bears' sprained ankles and whatnot? I. DIDN'T. CARE! "…deers' childbirth troubles…" having had enough of his babbling I rose, lifting the rock over my head.
"What the hell are you babbling about?" I shouted angrily, fed up with my dad's eccentric and somewhat crazy behaviour and logic. Immediately I felt my legs starting to wobble under the weight of the damn rock, it… was… damn…
"Heavy!" I ground out load as I fell to the ground with the rock on top of me leaving my dad watching me disappointedly and shaking his head.
"Time to eat!" my 'cute' fiancée called and I felt relieved, now I could get rid of this damn rock. My back ached and I was feeling sweaty and dirty but most of all I was hungry. FOOD. My stomach agreed loudly with me with a loud rumble.
To Be Continued
(1)Skrik by Edvard Munch is probably known as screech or the screech by some of you… skrik is the original, Norwegian name of the painting. Just thought you ought to know… by the way, I'm not all that sure of what the English calls the painting (or if they have heard of it at all… sweatdrops) and I would like to know, can anyone enlighten me? (If you have heard of it you know what I'm talking about…)
(2) Is it a sculpture? I have no idea whether it has any function at all or if it's just a sculpture… does anyone has a clue to what it is he is reeling into? Until I get to know what the fuck it is I'm gonna call it a sculpture!
(o) Wordlist: Genki – energetic/happy etc, watashi wa baka – I'm such a fool/I'm an idiot, itai – ouch.
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Winged Golden Tiger: Thank you :D I'm glad you enjoy reading my story
Phorcys: Upadated:) I'm glad you likey
Ales::hides behind a black fluffy teddy-bear: don't hurt me, please? And whether Ranma is getting rid of the moxibustion… well we'll see ;) I'm glad you like it
JJ CJ: aaaaah I'm being poked… nuuuuh lol anyway… it's updated, so you can stop poking me now, right? And thankies :hugs:
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Sigh… boring chapter, I know, I know… but it HAD to be written… I couldn't just skip everything that happened in the manga (even though it was darn tempting!) but I felt that I just couldn't do it… any opinions? Is it unnecessary? Or did I manage to make it a little interesting after all? Even though I was only repeating what happened in the manga?
Please review… Pretty Please?