Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Takahashi Rumiko. No profit is gained from this work.
"..." Speech.
Persona
By
Dark Master Ryo
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Chapter 1: The Key to Disaster.
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Saotome
I don't know how I got myself into this, but I somehow did. Thanks to that, I am really annoyed right now, as I always am when my old man and that pesky old goat are involved.
For some reason, Happosai decided to go on a training trip, and naturally forced pops to go with him, who in turn used me as his mule the whole way.
So here I am now, walking down an old road, carrying three packs along with those idiots.
"Are we there yet?" I ask in annoyance. I've actually lost count of how many times I've repeated this line.
"Be patient, Ranma." The old fart hums happily as he walks. Why he's so happy is anyone's guess. I'm pretty sure there is an ulterior motive behind this whole "training" trip of his. "We'll be there in a few minutes."
"You've been saying this for a damn hour now!" I snap in frustration. "Just how far is this temple?"
Pop slaps me on the back of my head. "Calm down, boy. We will get there when we do. Just be quiet and walk."
"Easy for you to say, old man." I glare at him. If it weren't for all the weight I was being forced to carry, I'd have pounded his face in by now. At times like these, I wish I had Ryouga's retarded strength and stamina.
"We're here!" Happosai declares in his usual happy tone.
"Really?" I ask, relieved. Rising my head upwards, I spot an ancient-looking building a few meters away. The place was so rundown, it seemed abandoned. Any excitement I had over this trip instantly vanishes. "We came all the way here for this dump?" I feel my tired legs buckling at the sight before me.
"I never said we came here for the temple." Happosai states simply.
"What?" I look at Happosai in mild surprise; is there some kind of super secret, more awesome temple hidden behind the dump that I can't see?
"Don't be silly, my boy!" He joyfully smiles at me. "We came here for the onsen nearby!"
I stare at him as if he just grew horns, a second head, and a third arm, all at the same time. "Damn it, pops! I thought you said this was a training trip?"
"Foolish boy! This is the master's idea of a training trip!" Pops sure is good at pointing out the obvious. Doesn't make me feel any better for being dragged along, though.
"That's right!" The old goat jumps around like a child going to an amusement park. His antics are just making me even more annoyed than I already am.
"Damn old goat, dragging us out here for nothing!" Finding newfound strength, I charge at him with a punch containing all the strength I could muster. Too bad the old bastard is just as fast as always. All I manage to do is hit an afterimage and the dirt.
Before I could react, a harsh blow to my head sends sprawled into the hard earth. "Umph!"
"Ranma, my boy." Sitting on my head, the old goat taps it with what I assume is that that damn pipe of his. "Don't you see? With onsens come hot naked young girls! What's not to like?"
"I shoulda known this woulda happened." I groan. The old goat always pulls stuff like this.
"Come now, Genma!" He bounces off my head. "We must get ready."
"Yes, master." Pops tells him obediently. "I'm right behind you."
Right through the corner of my eye, I look at pop follow him like a loyal slave. "Damn perverts..." I mutter as I get up.
"Aren't you coming, Ranma? The ladies are waiting." Happosai stops to look at me.
"Gee. I think I'll pass, gramps." I refuse instantly.
"Your loss." He turns back to my old man and orders him around. "Let's carry on, Genma."
"Yes, master." If pop were a dog, I bet he'd be waging his tail right about now.
I get rid of the awful load off my back as they disappear from my sight. Sighing from relief, I move my stiff body around and get myself comfortable again. "Stupid morons. Makin' me walk all the way here for some damn perverted fantasy..."
I think I'll exercise a bit to kill some time. There isn't anything else I could do, to be quite honest. Doing this under direct sunlight is a bad idea, though.
I look at the old temple and smirk. That dump will have to do for now, I think and barge in. I search for a good open spot and start out with a light kata.
Hours pass, and I notice that it's getting dark, but I don't mind. I'm used to practicing at night. There's something pretty exhilarating about going through the movements in darkness. I strike at the shadows as I go through the kata, alone in this decrepit temple. I don't know where pops is, and the old goat is probably harassing the local women by now. If there are any people living in this temple, they sure don't like to make themselves known. I haven't seen any signs of another human in hours.
"Man, it's really getting dark in here." I mutter to myself, wiping the sweat off my brow. It is getting to the point that I could barely see my hand when I extended my arm in a full punch. If it isn't for the moonlight creeping in through the archways, it'd be pitch black in here.
"I think I've warmed up enough." I say. I'm not sure why I'm speaking at all. There's no one here but me and the shadows. With a light bow to an invisible opponent, I begin my practice. I move in swiftly, visualizing my opponent as I strike at a shadow. The darkness moves away from my blow and I quickly duck a kick that wasn't there. I go into a sweeping kick, which my opponent leaps over. The shadow retaliates with another kick, which I lift my arm to block. And so, my exercise continues, shadowboxing with an invisible opponent, completely unable to see my own movements unless I cross the moonlight.
'I have you now!' I think to myself. I am visualizing my opponent; he's getting tired from the constant dodging. A thick sweat had already built up on my body, so I too start feeling the fatigue of this fight. It's all over though. I leap in for a final blow, twisting in mid air to deliver an axe kick my enemy would not see coming.
"Impressive." My leg hits something. I connect with a figure that had been standing in the darkness. I'm too surprised to react when a punch comes, nailing me in the mid section and hurling me into the wall, and breaks under the impact.
"Who the hell..." I mutter, disoriented and confused. How long had that guy been there? Maybe I was fighting him all along, and just didn't notice it? The figure steps into the moonlight and I see that it's a man in a brown robe, likely the keeper of the temple.
"You are indeed a skilled martial artist, though I am quite curious what you are doing in this temple. This is not a place for warriors." He says to me, looking genuinely curious. At least, I think it's curiosity.
"For a guy who's not a warrior, you sure hit hard." I say. That blow had really hurt. I grab by chest a little, wincing from the touch. Yeah, that's going to turn into a bruise.
"Heh, indeed." He chuckles. "Anyhow, I do believe it is time you went on your way. And do try not to break anything else on your way out." I can tell he means the wall, even though that was totally his fault. Before I can say as such though, he disappears into the temple.
"Lousy mysterious monks appearing out of nowhere..." I grumble to myself. As I start to get up out of the hole in the wall, my fingers touch something unexpected on the floor. "Eh?" Grasping the object, I stand up and wander into the moonlight, seeing I had an old, tattered scroll in my hand.
"What's a scroll doing hidden in the wall?" My curiosity gets the better of me. I quickly open the scroll, careful not to tear the paper that looks like it's starting to fall apart. The text was old and worn, making it hard to read even in the moonlight. I was squinting at it and holding it a few centimeters from my face, trying to see the characters written there.
"Let's see... 'Contained within'...'this'...I'll just assume that's supposed to say 'scroll.' Man, this thing is hard to read..." the scroll is practically illegible. At least, it looks that way. It's way too dark to properly read the thing.
"Wait...doesn't that say 'cure?' 'Cure to...' what the hell is that supposed to say? 'the...Shape-shifting...curse.'" My heart feels like it had stopped. Does this mean what I think it means? A cure to a shape-shifting curse. "It's a cure!" I exclaim, suddenly much more excited about this trip. I can hardly believe my eyes. Who would have thought I'd find something like this?
I rush outside in hopes in finding a better source of light. However, looks like my plans will have to wait.
"What a haul! What a haul!" The old goat's words echo to my ears.
"Oh, crap." I quickly stash the scroll in my pack, before either of them notices anything.
"Hey, Ranma!" The old fart exclaims behind my back. It's amazing how he managed to get so close to me in such a short time.
"What's up, gramps?" I casually turn to him, as if nothing has happened. I'm having a hard time keeping a straight face.
"You missed the fun!" He shakes the large bag of cloth tied to his back. "Look what I just got! Isn't this one a beauty?" The old pervert shows me a colourful bra.
I roll my eyes at the display. "I'm sure I have." I say sarcastically. Looking behind him, I see pops with a similar bag tied to his back, but he looks extremely tired and... Well, beat up. "What the heck happened to you, old man?"
Pop collapses after a few steps. "Long story."
"Hmph." Happosai harshly glares at pop. "If that's the extent of your abilities, you'll never match me one day."
As if anyone would want to, I sarcastically think.
"I'm sorry, master!" Pop quickly sits up and bows apologetically. "I'll try harder next time, master!"
"That's the spirit." He jumps on his back. "Now get up. We're going home."
I smile at his words. Best news I heard all day. Well, other than the news of my cure of course.
Pops groans and starts walking again, all the while carrying that old goat.
"Don't forget our luggage, Ranma, m'boy."
"Oh... yeah." I look at our packs and groan. At least knowing that pop is suffering too along the way makes me feel better.
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Hibiki
I sulk as I walk aimlessly around town. As much as I'd want to believe I know where I'm going, I face reality and accept that I am not. I'm not even sure what town I'm in right now, but I think it's Nerima... At least, I hope it is.
Walking around under the hot sun for a few more minutes, someone decides to stop me.
"Hey, Ryouga, sonny!"
Recognizing the voice, I suddenly stop and turn around. "Hey, gramps." I greet the old man as he bounces towards me, ever so cheerfully.
"What's up?" He curiously asks me.
"Not much. Just trying to find my way around." I answer him. What luck, maybe I could use him to get to the dojo...
"Say, sonny, could you do this poor little old man a favor?" Happosai sweetly asks me.
"Err. What is it?" I inquire, expecting him to ask for something perverted.
Happosai simply points behind him with his thumb.
Taking a peak behind his large bag, I spot two figures sprawled on the ground. "Saotome-san?" I see Ranma's father lying on his stomach, motionless. "And... Ranma?" Also, Ranma is on top of him. Both appear to be completely out of it, seemingly exhausted. I'm pretty curious as to what made them so damn tired to render them unconscious.
"Could you help me carry them back home, sonny?" The old man makes his request clear. Though, I'm wondering as to why he didn't just leave them. I seriously doubt he cared about their well-being. "Just be careful with the bag Genma's carrying." I blink for a moment at it, figuring out the reason. How typical.
"All right. I'll help." I agree to help the old man. If it means I'll finally get to reach my destination, I'm willing to do anything.
I walk over towards them and lift each one of them to one of my shoulders, including all the crap they're carrying. "There we go." I balance myself normally.
"Good, good. Now follow me." Happosai immediately starts jumping over the roof tops.
"Oh, jeez." I exclaim before following him.
The old man is merciless. Completely disregarding the fact of my load, he picks up more speed and jumps around into difficult routes without hesitation.
On the other hand, I'm hardly affected by the weight, so I shouldn't complain too much. It is kind of annoying, though. It's pretty hard to keep up with the old goat when carrying two people and six bags.
"You sure this is the right way, gramps? I thought the dojo was in the other direction." I say, gesturing in the other direction with my head. I can't really move my arms without risking dropping something.
"Exactly, my boy! If you think it's the other way, then it has to be this way!"
"Hey!" Even Happosai knows about my direction sense? That stupid Ranma must have told him about it. I should just drop the bastard for that.
"Eh, wha? What's going on?" Speak of the devil. Looks like he is waking up.
"Good, you're awake." I say, rolling him off my shoulder and letting him hit the roof. "Carry your own stuff!"
"Damn it, Ryoga!" He shouts at me. I turn around to respond, but he starts fiddling around in his pack.
"Oh thank god, the cure didn't get damaged." My heart practically stops. Genma, the packs and Happosai's precious stash go flying off my shoulder as I stop at high speed. Cure? Ranma has a cure!
"Damn it, Ranma! When were you planning to tell me you found a cure!" I turn and run back towards him. If Ranma thinks he's going to cure himself like the selfish bastard he is, then he's dead wrong!
"Eh? Hey! This is my cure! Get yer own!" He shouts back. He quickly stashes the scroll he was looking at back in his pack before picking it up and making a run for it.
"Get back here, Ranma!" I yell, following after him and completely forgetting about my previous task.
"Stop following me, damn it!" Ranma yells without bothering to stop. "It's mine!"
"Like hell I will!" I stubbornly run after him. Somehow, I manage to catch up to him, but that bastard is quick on his feet as usual and starts gaining more ground. Before he could get any further away, I lunge at his feet, causing him to lose his balance and fall down.
"Ryouga, get the hell offa me!" Ranma tries kicking me off, but I hold his legs firmly within my grasp.
"Give me that damn cure, Saotome!" I start pulling his pack off using one arm.
"Ryouga, you dirty snake!" Ranma manages to slip one leg away and kicks me in face, causing me to let go of his pack. However, I still firmly hold his other leg, so he can't run away just yet.
"Damn you, Saotome..." I growl under his foot. "If you think I'll let you get cured by yourself, think again!" I grab his ankle with my free hand, and together with the other, swat him in the opposite direction.
"Ack!" Ranma panics, but not because of the pain; his pack acted as cushion to my attack. "Ryouga, you idiot! You'll break it!"
"Then you'd better share it!" I attempt to do it again, but before I could slap him on the ground again, Ranma kicks me in the face once more.
"Oh, jeez! Fine, I'll share it with you! Just put me down!" Ranma finally submits to me. Though, that's more due to fearing the cure would vanish rather than getting a beating from me.
"Really?" I drop him from my excitement.
"Ow. My poor butt." Ranma rubs his ass like a baby.
"So what's the cure, Saotome?" I ask with interest.
"I dunno." Ranma shrugs. "Didn't read it yet." Ranma starts messing with his pack.
Shifting my weight from one foot to another every few seconds, I watch Ranma intently, wishing he would hurry the hell up. I can hardly stop myself from jumping around in utmost glee. The thought of getting rid of the pig sends thrill down my spine. I feel so close to becoming a full man again.
"Ah, here it is!" Grinning like a hyena, Ranma finally pulls out a worn out scroll from his pack.
Edging closer to Ranma, I can almost feel my heart jumping to my throat. "Well? Open it!"
"Yeah, I'm on it!" Ranma tells me with similar excitement. Ranma carefully opens the scroll, as if it was his own soul. With the way it looks, I can't really blame him. That thing seems like it might break to little pieces at the tiniest bit of force. Makes me feel a little bad for smashing Ranma into the ground a second ago. Ranma scans over the scroll for a few seconds. The suspense is killing me, but that bastard won't read out loud.
"Ah, shit." Ah shit? What the hell was that supposed to mean! People don't just say 'ah, shit' when something good happens.
"What? What's the problem?" I swear, if that thing really isn't a cure, I'm gonna break Ranma in two!
"It says we can't use it until midnight. I wanted to get cured right now." Ranma responds. That's a relief. That bastard Ranma, making me worry.
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Saotome
Ryoga and I moved to the park to go over the spell until midnight. We ended up spending most of that time fighting over who got cured first. It's now 20 minutes before midnight, and Ryoga is still glaring at me for winning the argument.
"So now what?" Ryoga asks. I'm starting to get really tired of his constant questions. If he was so bored, he could at least help out. I finish the final character and stand back, looking at my handiwork. I had to take my time to keep it from being sloppy, but the spell circle is finally complete. Now for the next part.
"Alright, Ryoga, come here for a second." I say, gesturing for him to come closer. He looks at me suspiciously, but he comes over anyway. I wait for him to get close enough to touch before I move.
"Ouch! Hey!" A few drops of Ryoga's blood fall into the center of the spell circle from the jagged piece of plastic I just used to cut his cheek. He punches me in the face in response. Can't say I expected him not to.
"What'd you do that for!" We both say simultaneously.
"You cut me, what'd you expect?" Ryoga shouts at me, obviously angry.
"It's part of the spell! It says I need someone else's blood." I answer. It's true; the scroll is pretty straight forward about that part. You need blood, and it can't be your own blood. I don't know why, but then again I don't know how magic works. As long as I'm cured, I don't care what it takes.
"Let me see that." Ryoga grabs the scroll and carefully opens it. We're standing under a lamp, so the fact that midnight is in less than 10 minutes doesn't hinder his ability to read it.
"Hair of the cursed, the blood of another, and the midnight light of the moon." Ryoga reads off the ingredients necessary to perform the spell, just like I did earlier. I've already put my own hair into the circle, and now I just have to wait until midnight. Ryoga looks at me for a second, and I can tell he's worried. I'm not sure why though.
"I'm not so sure about this cure anymore, Ranma. I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Ryoga says. I look at him like he's grown a second head. It is a cure! What is he complaining about?
"Come on, Ryoga. This is a chance to be free of our curses. What's the problem?" He looks spooked. It's only a few minutes to midnight and Ryoga is chickening out?
"Ever since you put my blood in that circle I've been getting chills, Ranma. This doesn't feel right. Why would the spell require someone else's blood? Blood I can understand, but why specify that it can't be your own blood?" Ryoga opens the scroll again, but he pulls a bit harder this time. I hear the old paper creaking and breaking and cringe a little at the sound of it. However, rather than seeing the scroll break into multiple pieces, it instead unrolls a lot further than it had earlier. It seems the scroll had been partially stuck together. Ryoga looks at me for a second and I can see the concern on his face. He seems really spooked. As he starts to read, I look over his shoulder to read too.
"Remember, under no circumstances should you break the circle during the ritual. Be sure to keep the live... sacrifice... restrained...so that...their struggling won't break the...circle..." Ryoga turns as white as a sheet. "Live sacrifice?" I really don't like the sound of that.
"Ranma, we're not doing this spell." Ryoga insists.
"You don't have to tell me twice." We both head towards the circle, ready to wipe the spell away and just go home. That was when a loud, repeated beating started sounding. Ryoga's watch. He had set it to midnight.
"Ranma, isn't there some kind of spell we're supposed to recite?" Ryoga asks me. The street lamp suddenly goes out. Then another, and another. Pretty soon every light in the park is suddenly shut off without warning. Even Ryoga's watch dies.
"Uh...no. There isn't..." The scroll doesn't say anything about any chants or anything. All it has in it is a diagram of the spell circle and how to draw it, a few sentences saying that it cured shape-shifting curses and that it needs those ingredients. Thunder suddenly sounds in the sky. That's funny; there weren't any clouds a second ago. Now the sky is covered.
"So...We don't have to say anything. There's nothing to do?" Ryoga is clearly nervous. To be honest, I'm getting pretty nervous myself. There's a weird sound coming from somewhere. It sounds like a humming. A single note, rapidly getting louder.
"No...There's none of that in the scroll..." I answer, looking around. The sound is getting louder. If I'm not mistaken, it's coming from the circle.
"So... this spell..." Ryoga starts, but stops as a glow erupts from the circle. "Just...casts...itself?" I'm speechless. There are no words that will come to my mouth. I just stare wordlessly as a ghostly figure climbs out of the ground from the center of the spell circle. The thing is huge. It looks like some kind of wolf that had been mauled by a larger animal. Its skin is all torn and bloody, and its fur was only growing in certain parts of it. Most importantly, it has no eyes. Just two empty sockets with an eerie red glow seeping out of them.
"What the hell is that thing!" Ryoga shouts.
"How the hell am I supposed to know!" I respond.
"Cursed one." The wolf thing says in half a growl and half a whisper. It points right at me with a bloody claw as it speaks. I just stand my ground. I'm not afraid of some rotting dog corpse.
"Sacrifice." It whisper-growls, pointing at Ryoga with its other claw.
"If you think I'm going to let you sacrifice me, you've got another thing coming!" Ryoga shouts. He jumps at the thing with his arm cocked back, intent to punch the zombie ghost wolf thing. Just as Ryoga gets close to the thing, a ray of light erupts out of its palm and strikes Ryoga dead in the chest. Ryoga starts screaming. It isn't just a scream though. He was screaming. Truly screaming. He lets loose a scream that will haunt my dreams until the day I die. It is simply indescribable. It is the sound of absolute suffering.
"RYOGA!" I yell. It's the only thing I can think of doing. That's when it hits me. The ray of light suddenly erupts out of Ryoga's back and strikes me right in the solar plexus. I'm expecting to feel a level of pain beyond anything I had ever experienced, but instead all I feel is slight warmth. It's actually a refreshing feeling, as if all the fatigue and pain is leaving my body. Ryoga's still screaming, and I'm being re-energized by the experience. I can't let this continue. I have to stop this! Ryoga is dying, damn it!
'I have to break that damn circle...' I think to myself. But I'm stuck in place. It's as if the ray of light is a solid block of metal that's fused to my torso. I can't move out of it at all, and the circle is completely out of my reach.
"Mouku..." I start building up my aura. If I can't reach the circle normally, I'll just blast it out of existence! A golden orange aura starts forming around my body as I concentrate on all my confidence, trying desperately to gather the energy I need to form this blast. Blue green energy begins to mix in with the golden orange, forming a swirling mass of contrasting colors between my fingertips. "...TAKABISHA!"
Ryoga stops screaming. The humming stops as well. Everything just stops. The wind isn't even blowing anymore. A silence falls on the area. It's almost unnatural. I can't hear anything. For a few seconds, I suspect I've gone deaf. The wolf ghost just hangs in mid air for a few moments and glares at me before vanishing completely. Everything comes back. The wind starts flowing again and the street lights come back on. Ryoga falls out of the sky. He hits the ground like a rag doll. Lifeless.
"Ryoga." I can hardly believe my eyes. Ryoga's just laying there. He fell inside the circle and is now just laying there. He's not moving. I'm not sure if he's even breathing. "Ryoga!" This can't be happening. I rush over to Ryoga and turn him over, flinching when I see his eyes. Oh god... his eyes are empty. They're just...empty.
"Ryoga..." He's not breathing. Oh god, he's not breathing. Move! Move, damn it! This can't be happening!
"NO!" I scream. I want to scream, cry, and yell. I start clenching my fists before I even realize it. "DAMN IT! Not like this! I didn't want to be cured like this!" I start punching the ground beneath me, far too angry to care about it. Why did I let this happen? Why wasn't I more careful? I should have read that damn scroll more thoroughly! I should have known!
"No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" every time I cry out, I strike at the asphalt as hard as I can. I'm already putting a large hole in the ground, but I don't care. Ryoga is dead. I killed him. He's dead because of my own stupidity. I hear the rumble of thunder, but I don't really pay any attention. I'm too deep in self loathing to give a fuck about rain. Just as the rain drops start to fall, I feel a deep pain in my chest. Something's not right.
"What the hell..." I mutter, getting to my feet and wandering away from Ryoga's corpse. The rain picks up and my vision suddenly tunnels. Before I know it, I black out.
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Hibiki
Pain. So much pain. I don't know what the fuck that wolf thing hit me with, but it had hurt like hell. It was a pain I can't even begin to describe. It was like my soul was being torn in half. I groan a bit as I start coming to. My whole body feels off. I feel numb, groggy. My body feels so heavy. I don't know why. I can barely open my eyes. Struggling to even lift my eyelids, I gaze skyward to see nothing but rain clouds. It's raining, but my body feels so off I don't even notice.
"It's...raining..." I manage to say. I can barely speak above a whisper, though. I don't know why. I can't even raise my head up. I've never felt so weak in my life. What the hell happened to me?
"Ranma..." I get out. It's still faint. I almost don't hear my own words. "Ranma...Help me up...I can't move..." Silence. The only answer I get is more rain fall. Where the hell is Ranma?
"Ranma?" I ask again. I still don't get a response. Where is he? Did that bastard really just leave me here in the rain?
Wait a minute...
It's raining.
Why haven't I turned into a pig?
"Ranma." I try to say it loudly, but my voice still fails me. Why can't I shout? Why can't I speak any louder than this?
Why do I feel like I'm paralyzed? A rough wind blows in from my side and my head rolls over. I blink a few times to get the water out of my eyes and spot something nearby. It's a body... Oh god, is that Ranma? Had the spell failed? Was he... killed?
The numbness is beginning to fade, but I still feel remarkably weak. I manage to move my arms a bit, then my legs. Soon, I'm able to get back to my feet, my eyes never leaving the body. I have to know. I have to see with my own eyes. I can't believe that Ranma is really dead.
As I get closer, I can't help but feel that something isn't right. This just isn't right.
"That's..." I mutter, close enough to the body to see it for what it was. "That's not Ranma." I state the obvious.
"That's me." I look down, for the first time acknowledging the weight on my chest I had been ignoring until now. Two mounds of flesh stick out of my chest, with a blue silk shirt plastered to them by the rain. There is no denying what they were with the way the wet shirt clung to them. There is also no denying that it is Ranma's shirt I am wearing.
"That's why I didn't turn into a pig..." I mutter aloud. It's the first time I speak above a whisper. I also notice my voice completely lacks the male sound I'm used to. I fall to my knees, the weight on my chest shifting as I look down into a puddle of water collecting on the street. The reflective surface only confirmed what I had already suspected.
"I am... Ranma." The spell went horribly wrong.
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To be continued...
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Author's Notes:
I just want to say that I am very disappointed in my fellow readers. I have killed so many kittens, it's not even funny.
Please don't make me do this again. ;-;