Chapter 56 Just Add Water
Nabiki backed out of the furoba, her face pale, hoping that the occupants had not seen her intrusion.
Kasumi walked by, heading to the kitchen, and saw her sister. "Oh dear, what's the matter?" Kasumi asked, "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Nabiki closed her eyes as if to banish something and replied, "I've been scarred for life. Oh why didn't I pay attention? I was too lost in my own thoughts."
"You're starting to scare me, Nabiki. What happened?" Kasumi asked.
"It's not my fault. They didn't put the sign out saying they were in there," Nabiki muttered. Finally, she realized that Kasumi was there and asked, "Were you saying something?"
"What happened to get you so rattled? This isn't like you. You're always so calm and collected," Kasumi asked.
"Daddy and Hinako, in the furo, naked in the furo," Nabiki said, rubbing her eyes as if to rid them of the image they had seen.
Kasumi giggled, and said, "Well, they are getting married soon."
"But, they're too old to have sex!" Nabiki wailed.
"Obviously not from the way you're acting. He's not that old really, and she's still in her twenties," Kasumi said with a grin. She frowned slightly and said, "Though it really isn't proper to be in the furo while they are doing that. Oh my, I guess I'll have to chastise Daddy for his behavior."
"But," Nabiki tried to say.
Kasumi frowned slightly at her and said, "What he does isn't really any of our business, now is it? It isn't proper for them not to wait until they are wed, but they are both adults and we can't tell them not to. Just let it go."
Nabiki hung her head and said, "I know that what you are saying is true. It was just a shock to me to find out. Parents aren't supposed to do that."
"Well, if that's the case, why are you born? Or Akane? Where did you think you came from anyway?" Kasumi asked.
"Okay, you've made your point. I'm not stupid you know," Nabiki replied waspishly. She decided to quit while she was behind and asked, "So how's the mother-to-be?"
Kasumi shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I feel fine. I'm not that far along yet, but so far no morning sickness."
"That's good," Nabiki said as she let her sister lead her into the kitchen and pour them some tea.
Ranma cast a wary eye at the late afternoon sky. The wind was beginning to pick up, and she thought she saw flashes of lightning in the distance. They had not made nearly the distance that she had hoped to come when they had set out that morning. Mint and Lime were continually slowing them down, darting off any time they saw a new woman, or ogling one of the three girls, or apparent girls, traveling with them. She sighed heavily and glanced around the clearing that she had just entered. She said, "This looks about as far as we should come today. Let's make camp."
Herb stalked into the clearing, her face set in a rigid mask. She turned to her retainers and barked out, "Get my tent set up, and then stay out of my sight."
Mint and Lime paled and ran over to one end of the clearing and began setting up the large pavilion.
Ranma began setting up the tent she shared with Akane, while her fuming wife walked over to Herb.
"I'm getting pretty irritated with those two," Akane spat, her eyes flashing, "I swear, if they ask me about my breasts one more time, I'm, ARGHHHH!"
"I understand," Herb said wearily, her shoulders slumped. She wiped one hand across her face, as she said, softly, "I'm beginning to think more and more favorably about carrying out that threat I made yesterday."
Akane smirked and said, "Well, I found something interesting in my pack this morning. Apparently someone, probably Cologne since she's the only one that I know of that would have some, slipped some of her Instant Nyannichuan powder into it. Just add water, and pour. Poof, instant girls. Of course, hot water will change them back."
"Not if I use the Chiisuiton on them," Herb said, a smile appearing on her face.
The two of them shared a smile. Ranma watched from where she was setting up the tent, wondering what plot the two of them were hatching. Once she was done, she joined them and asked, "What are we going to do about those two?"
Akane rapidly explained what they had talked about. Ranma grinned and then asked, "So, how are you planning on doing it?"
Herb giggled and replied, "Well, I was just wondering if there was a way it could be a surprise."
Ranma smirked and said, "Cologne gave me a sleeping potion in case you had trouble sleeping. She was afraid that you might have trouble with your curse."
"I like the way you two think," Herb said, "So, you'll slip it in what they are drinking for dinner."
"Yeah, it takes a few minutes to act from what she said," Ranma replied, then she asked, "How are you doing? I'm sure today had to be a bit weird for you."
"I can handle a little pain," Herb replied, "But yes, I've felt just a bit moody and irritable all day."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Ranma said wryly.
Akane thought, 'This is really, really odd.'
Mint slowly opened his eyes, hearing a strange whistling sound coming from his right. He rolled over, and then wondered, 'How did I get in bed? The last thing I remember is eating dinner.' His eyes widened as he saw a strange girl, with an odd shade of green hair, sleeping on the pallet next to him. 'Why is there a girl in Lime's bed? And look at the size of those boobies!' he thought. "H-e," he began, only to clutch his throat as he realized there was something wrong about his voice. He was talking at least an octave higher than he normally did.
"Who," the girl began, only to have her clutch her throat.
The girl tried again and asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm Mint, who are you?" Mint replied.
"But, you're a g-girl," the girl stammered.
Mint sat up and glanced down, only to shriek. A pair of unfamiliar mounds was on his chest. He pushed the hair off of his face, wondering when it became dirty blonde. He pulled open his shirt to discover that those unfamiliar mounds were indeed a pair of small breasts, and then he realized from the looseness of his boxers that something was missing. Indeed, overnight, he had turned into a she. Mint turned to the girl and whispered, "Lime?"
The girl nodded her head and asked, "Am I one too?"
Mint could only nod her head, words failing her.
"What happened to us?" Lime asked, "How did it happen?"
"Do you think because we kept asking to see Master Herb's boobies that the gods cursed us?" Mint asked, a hint of panic in her voice.
Lime shrugged her shoulders, and said, "OUCH!" She rolled over onto her back and said, "These things are flopping around. How does Master Herb handle this?"
"So let me see, what do they look like? Mine are small," Mint said.
Then from outside of their small tent, they heard Master Herb call, "Mint? Lime? Are you two awake? We need to get back on the trail if we are to reach Treasure Mountain."
"Yes, Master Herb," Mint called.
"Do you have a woman in there with you?" Herb asked, a hint of something in her voice.
"No, well, yes, I mean, I don't know," Mint wailed as she crawled off of her pallet, looking for a change of clothing. She tripped over Lime who was attempting to do the same.
"That's a woman's voice if ever I heard it!" Herb exclaimed.
"That's my shirt," Lime hissed as she grabbed the garment. The two of them played tug-of-war with the shirt, until with a horrendous rip, it parted, spilling Lime to the ground, and Mint outside the tent, dressed in only her light t-shirt and boxers.
"Hello, young lady, who are you and why are you corrupting my retainers?" Herb asked, thanking whatever gods there were that she was able to keep a straight face.
"M-m-master Herb, I'm, uh, I'm Mint," Mint stammered, "But, I mean, I don't know how this happened." She scrambled to her feet, only to feel her boxers begin to hang precariously on her hips, barely maintaining a semblance of modesty.
"Mint?" Herb asked in feigned surprise, "What happened to you? Where's Lime?"
"Here, Master Herb," the green-haired girl said as she crawled out of the tent, her clothing hanging loosely on her.
Ranma and Akane walked up, holding hands. "Who are these girls?" Akane asked, her eyes dancing with mirth.
"Well, apparently, the green-haired girl is Lime, and the blonde is Mint," Herb said, just before she broke out laughing.
"I guess now you can look at breasts to your hearts content," Ranma said, her lips twitching.
"But it's not the same when their mine," Mint whined.
"Never mind that for now. You need to get dressed so we can eat and get out of here," Herb said once she caught her breath.
"But, Master Herb, I'm not sure I have any thing that will fit me," Mint wailed.
Herb merely sniffed disdainfully and said, "Find something." She turned and headed back to the fire, followed closely by the other three, while Mint dove back into her tent.
"Master Herb, this is so embarrassing, but how do you keep these things from bouncing around?" Lime asked, looking down on her impressive chest, which appeared to be even larger than Ranma's.
"Well, normally, I'd suggest a bra, but none of us are as big as you," Akane replied, with a grin.
"Lime could try one of my sport bras," Ranma suggested, "It might not be too snug." She walked over to her tent and brought out a garment that Lime had never seen before. "Okay, take your shirt off, and let's see if this will work," Ranma said, while Akane and Herb hid smiles.
Lime looked at her uncertainly and then said, "Well, it's not like you don't know what these look like." She unbuttoned the shirt, which was barely adequate to the task of concealing her chest, anyway, and took it off.
"Oh my," Ranma said as she walked over to Lime and helped her put the bra on.
"You know, this could give me a massive inferiority complex. How come you neo-girls end up being bigger than me?" Akane teased.
"I think you're perfect just the way you are," Ranma said, as she watched Lime struggle to put her shirt back on.
"Mint, quit looking at yourself and get out here!" Herb called.
A red-faced Mint crawled out of the tent, then she bent down to finish rolling up the legs of her pants so that they wouldn't drag the ground. "I'm shorter, thinner, and nothing fits," she complained as she walked over to join them.
Ranma waited at the foot of a long, wooden bridge that was spanning a chasm between the hill she was on and a misty mountain towering over the low foothill for Herb to catch up to her, a wicked smile on her face. She asked, "Are you planning on coming back to Nerima? If so, I think letting Elder Cologne train them as Amazon women for a few weeks might be fun."
Herb frowned for a moment in thought and then replied, "I think I can make the time. The three of us could train together while she runs them ragged." She soon wore a smile that matched Ranma's.
Akane caught up and asked, "What are you two smirking about?"
"Oh, just thought that maybe dumb and dumber might enjoy being taught by Cologne," Ranma replied.
The three girls looked at each other and began to giggle. "I guess that means you don't intend to unlock them when we get the Kai-sui-fu," Akane said, one eyebrow raised.
"No, I don't think so," Herb replied. She turned to Ranma and asked, "So how much farther?"
Ranma pointed to the sign affixed to the bridge which read, 'Treasure Mountain,' and replied, "We're here. We just need to cross this bridge, and find the teakettle. My guess is it's at the top somewhere, but you ought to check once we get across. But be on your guard. If I remember correctly, there are odd rumors about horrible monsters up there."
The three of them ran across the bridge, only to stop as it ended at a steep cliff. "Straight up," Ranma said.
"Yep, looks that way," Akane added.
"You two up for this?" Herb asked.
Ranma shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Sure, we can do this."
Herb landed gracefully on the top of the cliff, quickly followed by Ranma and a slightly out-of-breath Akane.
"Well, we made it," Ranma said, as she looked over the edge, "And Mint and Lime are about half-way up." She chuckled for a moment and said, "Looks like Lime is gonna regret turning into a girl. She keeps forgetting how top-heavy she is right now."
Akane looked down carefully, and winced as she watched the green-haired girl once more forget and slam chest first into the cliff face.
"I've got some of the bruise cream in my backpack," Ranma said, "Should we give it to Mint to use on Lime?"
They turned again and saw that a dense thicket covered the ground only a dozen feet from the edge of the cliff. The three girls started toward a small opening in the thicket, only to stop at a shout as first Mint and then Lime clambered to the top. "Master Herb, wait!" the still unfamiliar contralto voice cried.
"Just get over here," Herb said, "I'd like to find that kettle while there is still daylight."
Suddenly, from the bushes, they started hearing strange noises, and then noticed dozens of pairs of eyes peeking at them through the leaves. Then the bushes began to rustle.
"Could those be the monsters?" Akane asked, her eyes wide.
Ranma shrugged and replied, "Could be, but does it really matter?" She headed toward the noises, only to be rudely shoved aside by Lime, who pulled a tree out of the ground and swung it as a club, and by Mint, who had pulled a wicked looking sword and was swinging it the other way. In short order, the underbrush had been cleared, revealing a horde of monkeys, cowering in fear.
"Monkeys!" Herb spat in fury.
"Those are the monsters?" Akane asked in disbelief.
The monkeys took one look at the five females confronting them and began to edge backwards, knowing instinctively that they were no match for them.
With a glare in her eyes, Herb stepped forward and raised her left hand. She concentrated for a moment and then a blinding ball of light shot forward and struck the cowering beasts, sending many of them flying away to land with a loud thump.
"Uh, Master Herb, they were already retreating," Lime said.
"That did look unnecessarily cruel," Mint added in agreement.
Herb glared at them and snapped, "Shut up! Just seeing a monkey's face makes me sick." She stormed down the path without a backward glance.
The other four looked at each other and quickly followed until they found Herb standing in a large clearing, staring off into the distance.
Lime set her pack down on the ground, and hunted through it, finally emerging in triumph with the Chiisuiton, which appeared to be a ladle and a bucket. She set the bucket on the ground and then carefully placed the ladle on the handle. Mint wandered off a ways and began setting up a tent.
Lime shook her head and said, "Not even a twitch. There's no reaction to this vicinity."
Herb's face fell for a moment and then she sighed, "I see."
"Master Herb, your tent is ready," Mint called.
"Excellent. You two continue to search for the Kai-sui-fu while I rest. I need to save my power when I can," Herb ordered.
"We'll stay and keep you company," Ranma said. She frowned as she snuck a peak at Akane and saw that she was still a bit winded. Ranma said, "That climb took a bit more out of me than I realized."
Akane flashed a half-angry, half-grateful look at her husband.
Ranma began putting up their tent, while Herb disappeared into the pavilion, presumably to take a nap.
Mint picked up the ladle and the bucket, and then she and Lime walked off.
"Ranma, I can't decide if I should be mad at you for letting me rest, or glad that you picked up that I needed to," Akane said.
Ranma smirked at her and said, "Well, which one gets me a hug and a kiss?"
"Being glad," Akane said as she sashayed over to her, exaggerating her hip motion.
"Well then I hope your glad," Ranma said, licking her lips, as she watched Akane walk toward her.
Lime stopped suddenly and turned to glare at Mint. "What is with you?" she snapped, "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" Mint asked innocently, setting the pail down and carefully placing the ladle in its proper position.
"Don't give me that, you keep sneaking peeks at me out of the corner of your eyes when you think I'm not watching," Lime said.
"Can I touch you?" Mint asked brashly.
Lime frowned slightly and replied, "No, I'm too sore. I think I bruised them from all the falling down I did."
"Um, I never thought of that. These bodies aren't as tough as our male bodies to begin with, and well, I noticed that my breasts are very soft," Mint said.
"You pervert, you touched yourself," Lime said.
"Like you didn't when you got dressed this morning," Mint accused, her face red.
Whatever response Lime might have made to that, the world will never know, for at that moment, the ladle began to spin on top of the pail. Faster and faster it spun.
"The ladle, it's moving by itself!" Mint exclaimed.
Suddenly, the ladle stopped and a beam of blinding light shot out of the bowl, pointing straight up a steep rise and hitting an odd-shaped rock formation on the top of the hill. Looking closer, the rock looked like a teakettle.
"We found it!" Lime exclaimed, "Hurry back to Master Herb!" The two of them started running back to the campsite.
Akane jerked upright out of her husband's arms and exclaimed, "What was that?"
Herb ran out of her pavilion and exclaimed, "That is the light of awakening emitted by all treasures of the Musk Dynasty!"
Ranma finished buttoning up her shirt and sat up. "That's wonderful, Prince Herb. Now you can get your curse unlocked," she said happily.
Herb took off running toward the beam of light, leaving Ranma and Akane behind for a moment as they traded grins.
"Eager, isn't she?" Ranma quipped as they followed Herb. After several minutes they found her standing next to the Chiisuiton, staring avidly at a strange kettle-shaped rock, the spout of which was glowing brightly.
"So that is where the treasure lies," Herb said.
"I wonder where the other two are," Akane said, looking around in bewilderment.
Ranma shrugged her shoulders and said, "They probably ran back to the campsite, and we managed to miss each other somehow."
Once again, Herb raised her left hand and concentrated. With a loud cry of "Hyaaa!" she pointed her fingers at the rock and a bolt of energy flew from her and slammed into the tip of the spout with a large "CRACK!" For a moment nothing happened and then the rock began to shatter, large chunks falling down and exposing a hollow place. Once the dust and stone settled, they saw a large kettle suspended on a chain from a wooden structure.
"Behold! The secret treasure! The Kai-sui-fu!" Herb proclaimed.
Suddenly, they heard an odd sound, and felt a rumble in the ground. The hill began to shake, when suddenly water came pouring out of the spout, spilling down in a waterfall, steam rising as it hit the ground, filling up the depression between them and the hillside.
"Hot water!" Ranma exclaimed.
"Hm, no doubt the subterranean springs bottled up by the boulder boiled over because of the Kai-su-fu," Herb said slowly, "In other words, this waterfall is the mystical hot water that will nullify the form-fixing ability of the Chiisuiton."
"Then go for it," Akane breathed.
Herb stared transfixed at the waterfall, and then said, softly, "At long last, I can return to my previous form." She walked slowly forward until her figure was lost in the falling sheet of water.
Ranma and Akane held their breath, hoping that this would cure Herb. Several moments passed, and then, a much taller person walked out, as Herb once again appeared, but this time as male.
Herb rushed towards them, a huge grin on his face. "At last, I am back!" he exclaimed.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Akane asked, pointing to the Kai-sui-fu.
Herb chuckled and said, "So I did. I was just so excited about having my real body back. Now, no longer in female form, I can blast energy like a man!" He held up his hand and cried, "Flying Sword of the Dragon!" He swung his arm like an axe at the rock above
"WOW! Ki that cuts like a knife! You've got to show me how to do that!" Ranma exclaimed as the boulder was sliced neatly from the crown of the hill. They watched as it rolled down the side of the hill, coming to rest with a large crash.
Akane walked over and picked up the Chiisuiton, while Ranma ran over and retrieved the Kai-sui-fu.
The three of them started heading back to the campsite, until Herb pulled up, and grabbed his side.
"What's wrong?" Akane asked.
"Damn cramp," Herb replied.
"Uh, Prince Herb, I hate to remind you, but you are having your monthly visitor," Ranma said softly, handing him a canteen.
Herb sighed and poured the water over his head, triggering the change. Once the transformation was complete, she sighed once again, but this time in relief. "You were right, my friend, the pain is gone. I could have handled it of course, but I remember you telling me it only gets worse if I try to stay male," Herb said.
They heard the sound of two female voices bickering as they neared the campsite. With a heavy sigh, Herb walked in to separate the two women. "What are you two doing?" she roared.
"Master Herb," Mint squeaked, as she saw the Kai-sui-fu in Ranma's hand, "Did you not get cured?"
"Fool, the Kai-sui-fu only unlocks my curse, it won't remove it," Herb replied, "Now what are you two squabbling about?"
"Well, when we came to find you, you weren't here. So we were arguing about how to find you and show you where the treasure was. Mint wanted me to stay here and wait in case you had wandered off," Lime said, "And I thought that he, I mean she, should stay here while I hunted for you."
Herb's jaw dropped as Ranma and Akane broke out into a fit of giggling. "Y-you mean the two of you have been arguing about this for the last ten or so minutes?" Herb finally managed to say, her composure shot, "What are you, a pair of fishwives or warriors of the Musk Dynasty?"
Ranma looked at the position of the sun in the sky and asked, "Not to break up the fun, but what do you want to do? Try to get down that cliff or stay here for the evening?"
Herb glanced at the sky and replied, "I think we'd be better off staying up here. I don't want to get caught on that bridge at dusk."
"Works for me," Ranma replied, "Then tomorrow, we can start heading back to Nerima. You ought to talk some more with Cologne now that you've joined our happy club."
"My people know a lot about the cursed springs, Ranma," Herb said proudly.
"Not saying that you don't. She can tell you what she knows though, which if nothing else will give you the Amazon slant on things," Ranma replied, with an apologetic smile.
Ranma nudged Akane with her elbow as Mint and Lime dragged themselves out of their tent. Mint was sporting multiple bruises, not to mention a black eye, while Lime's battle aura was still glowing faintly about her body.
"What happened there?" Herb asked, one elegant eyebrow raised in enquiry.
"Stupid fool just wouldn't take no for an answer," Lime muttered angrily. She turned and spart, "This is all your fault in the first place. If you hadn't angered the gods by being so perverted about Master Herb, Master Ranma and Mistress Akane, they wouldn't have changed us into women. If you want to look at a pair of breasts, take your own shirt off and quit trying to grab mine."
"Lime, you were just as persistent as Mint," Herb said, "So you have no one but yourself to blame for what happened."
Lime looked abashed and said, "Yes, Master Herb. It's just, that Mint!" She stormed over to the small campfire and growled, "And to think I used to like Mint!" as she stamped her foot on the ground.
"Mint, if you can't keep your urges or your hands to yourself, you'll never get rid of that body," Herb warned.
"Yes Master Herb," Mint said as she bowed low to the ground. She returned to the tent and began taking it down, noticing that hers was the only tent still standing.
"Does this mean that you think I can get back to normal?" Lime asked hopefully.
Herb shrugged her shoulders and replied, "If this was indeed a punishment from the gods, then perhaps if you learn your lesson, they will relent. Beyond that, I can make no promises."
"Perhaps, this time, we should go by train back to Nerima," Akane suggested, "And let these two know what it is like to be ogled."
Herb considered that for a moment and replied, "That is an interesting suggestion. It might drive the lesson home."
Author's Notes: Thank you for all of the comments about this story. As always, constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged. Specific comments are below, though I can't reply to all of them.
Shaid: Welcome aboard. If you haven't tried my other stories, you might take a look in my profile. Nodoka and Genko will be showing up as often as I can.
Xero Reflux Strike: Well, you sort of got your wish, I guess.
Wonderbee31: They are a pair of idiots aren't they? Need to learn a lesson about looking and not touching.
Shinigami: Yep, next chapter with Cologne should be fun. And I like the idea of a biology lesson. VBG
Borg rabbit: I always pictured Genma as sort of a walking chaos engine, everywhere he went disasters occurred.
Dragon Man 180: If you can't bring the boys to the spring, bring the spring to the boys. And there should be at least one more chapter with them.