Chapter XI
Brimstone lay unconscious on the ground as Akane collapsed to her knees, hands over her face. She began to sob and cry. "This isn't fair!" her muffled voice sounded.
Ranma stood over her. He didn't know what to do. When he first arrived at the Tendo Dojo, he didn't know how to break the news of his curse, until the ice was broken unintentionally when they both saw the other naked in the bath. After that, he had tell the family everything. And over time, Akane came to accept his curse, and even helped him conceal it when necessary.
Ranma put a hand on her shoulder. "Akane, don't cry," he said gently, but unsure. He didn't know if she would snap at him or accept his sympathy. "It's not the end of the world. Just look at me? I'm cursed. We're both the same now. See?"
He smiled broadly, trying to cheer Akane up.
Akane looked back at him, and for a moment, he saw his life flash before his eyes. And for a split moment, he thought his life was about to end, when she grabbed him, and brought Ranma down, and face-to-face. "I don't need you to tell me this is okay, Ranma. We'll find a cure!"
Ranma produced a nervous smile. "That's the spirit, Akane," he said. "We'll find a cure together. We'll pack some gear and head to Jusenkyo together." He then turned to Shampoo. "Or, Shampoo can get us some water to fix this. You can do that, right, Shampoo?"
Shampoo shook her head. "Small bottle, took long long time to get here from Amazon sisters," she said. "Afraid Akane curse permanent if no change back, soon."
Ranma snapped his fingers. "Or, the cream!" he said. "Shampoo, you still have it, right? We can use it to cure Akane of the curse."
Shampoo held the tube of cream in her hand, taken from Akane during a moment when Ranma chased Ryoga through the house.
Akane's mood appeared to brighten. "Will it work?"
Shampoo shook her head. "No, will try on self for Ranma first, so no change into cat," she said.
Ranma got up, straightened, and opened a palm. "Gimme it, Shampoo," he said. "This is important."
"More important that Shampoo?"
Ranma paused for a moment, then said, "Don't put words in my mouth," he said. "This was an accident and it needs to be fixed. If the cream can do that, then I'll apply it."
Akane looked at Ranma, Ranma looked at her. "You'd do that for me, Ranma?" she asked.
Ranma felt his face blush. The implications of what he had just said was obvious.
Akane began to cry with happiness. She threw herself into his arms and Ranma hugged her back, it was only natural. He cared for her more than anyone knew.
"I like you, as-as a girl," Ranma stuttered. "And I…I…" He had said it before, but he had an audience now, and the words he had once said to her couldn't come out.
I love you, Akane, he thought it instead.
He leaned back and took her chin in his hand and stared deeply into her eyes, her body was male, but her eyes were still the same. It was said the eyes were the window to the soul, and Ranma saw Akane's soul within them—beautiful, despite some of her shortcomings. At the moment, they sparkled with tears. He wiped them from her eyes.
"We'll do this, together, Akane," he said softly. "And I do what's necessary as your fiancee."
"No!" suddenly came Ryoga's voice.
Ranma and Akane turned.
He jumped up and snatched the tube of cream from Shampoo. "I'll do it. I got Akane into this mess, I should be the one to get her out. Now, what do I do with this?"
Ryoga looked at the instructions written on the side.
Shampoo sighed. "To make work, spread all over person's body. Must be placed everywhere to work. Anywhere where water get in."
Ryoga gulped, his face blushed. "Everywhere?"
"Over my dead body!" Ranma threatened. He placed Akane aside, and then kicked the cream out of Ryoga's hand. It soared high into the sky. "I'm her fiancee! And it's my obligation to do that. Besides, it comes with the territory, right?"
"I'm not your property, Ranma," Akane corrected.
Shampoo jumped up and caught the cream, then landed. "You stupid, Ranma, Ryoga," she said. "Fight, fight, always fight, you two…Shampoo will give compromise."
Shampoo then grabbed Akane by the wrist. "Come! Shampoo will do. Girl with girl, better than Akane with Ranma, or Akane with Ryoga. Boys will only be frightened."
"W-wait!" Akane said, protesting, but then Shampoo lead her into the house.
Ranma and Ryoga just looked each other stunned.
Just then, Cologne hoped up onto the enclosure fence of the Tendo property, holding her walking stick.
Ranma immediately noticed her. "What are you doin' ere, Old Ghoul?"
"I was looking for Shampoo," Cologne said. "She's been gone a long time. She said she was coming here to trade you the Jusenkyo water for the cream."
"Yea, 'bout that," Ranma said miffed. "Sumthin' happened you should know."
"But before we explain," Ryoga said. He took a bucket of water and splashed it over Brimstone. The priest changed, his body altered by a curse. He was some sort of small animal.
"Just as I thought," Ranma thought.
Ranma quickly found a box, trapping Brimstone inside, with only a small hole to see out of.
"This way, the guy won't be bothering us anymore," Ranma said.
"Good call, Ranma," Ryoga agreed.
"Mmm, the boy," —according to her perspective— "changes into a Marmoset," she said. "On my way here, I met up with his uncle, who told he the whole story. He's coming here, but I wanted to get here first. This must be young Brimstone."
As if on cue, Brimstone's uncle arrived in the backyard. He was a middle-aged man with grey hair. "I'm sorry, I let myself in," he said, to Soun Tendo. "The gate was open, and I heard voices coming from the back. No one answered when I asked for permission to enter."
"If you're a friend of Cologne, then you're welcome," Soun said. "We have a bit of situation, as you can see," and then he started to cry, face to a sleeve, "in more ways then one."
The Marmoset/Brimstone then began to jump up and down excitedly after seeing his uncle.
"Told ya he was alive," Ranma said. "So, all yer violence was for nuthin!, you erotic whatchamacallit!" He turned to Brimstone's uncle. "Your nephew's caused us a lot of trouble."
"I'm sorry for that. He's notorious for jumping to conclusions and asking questions later."
"Kinda like someone else we know," Ranma said, thumbing at Ryoga.
"Shut up," was all Ryoga said.
"My name is Dr. Yanic Brimstone," he said. "As I told Cologne, my nephew travelled to the cursed springs of Jusenkyo in China, and accidentally fell into a spring a couple of years ago on a journey of self-reflection, as he entered the priesthood. He might have told you another story, or not, but he often misdirects his anger towards others for his own failings. That's why he entered the priesthood in the hope to tame his inner demons."
"He said I killed you," Ryoga said.
"He did? Well, as you can see, I'm very much alive," Dr. Brimstone said. "I might know why he made up that story, but only in his twisted mind would it make sense."
"Brimstone got in his mind that you taught Ryoga the Hellfire Technique," Ranma said, "only for Ryoga to turn around and attack you because you wouldn't teach him how to forge it into a weapon, leaving you for dead on the floor of your clinic after some sort of argument."
"Jumping to conclusions, again, huh, boy?" The junior Brimstone whimpered and shied away after his uncle scolded him. "And you didn't bother to see if I was alright? You immediately went after Ryoga, instead?" Brimstone's uncle sighed disappointed. "I must've used up too much of my Ki when performing the Hellfire Technique on someone in healing them, and being as old as I am, it finally caught up to me, and I collapsed. My nephew thought I was dead."
"You looked fine when I left you, doctor," Ryoga said. "Why didn't you tell me you felt tired? I wouldn't have left and this whole episode with Brimstone could've been avoided." Ryoga waved a hand. "I'm sorry, this isn't your fault. I didn't mean to say that."
Dr. Brimstone nodded. "You may have a point, Ryoga. Alas, fate is a fickle mistress. Now you know my technique, and someday you may use it to save one of yours friends' lives."
"He already has," Ranma said with a smile. He then told Dr. Brimstone how events unfolded with his nephew, and Ryoga's use of the technique to save him from certain death. "We're rivals, but I owe Ryoga big time for this. And I will pay him back someday."
"You could've let me jump into the pond," Ryoga commented, folding his arms.
"Water under the bridge, Ryoga," Ranma said.
Dr. Brimstone said, "You see, the Hellfire Technique drains its host of a lot of Ki. When used in another way, it can also draw out poisons from the body, rendering such poison inert. I performed such a feat on a patient who had stumbled into a field of poison ivy just before Ryoga departed. That's what must have drained me."
"The Hellfire Technique can render poisons useless?" Ryoga's brow rose. Then said, "Your nephew tried to use it as a weapon against me and Ranma. It's very dangerous."
"He'll be punished for that," Dr. Brimstone said, with hard eyes at his nephew. "I use it only for healing. It was once used as a weapon, but I swore never to use it as such. Neither should you, Ryoga. Ever! Use it only as I showed you back in the village, to heal. You're part if a very elite club now, my boy. We, others like myself who can use the techique, are a gifted few. You are now a member of the 'The Hellfire Club'. Use it wisely."
Ryoga nodded. "Of course," he said. "I won't dishonour the wonderful technique you've given me." Then Ryoga gasped, and said, "Doctor, you said the technique can eliminate poisons from the body, with a skillful doctor as yourself, could it be used to eliminate other things, too?"
"What do you mean?" Dr. Brimstone asked.
And Ryoga explained the current situation with Akane.
Ranma looked at Ryoga with a look of revelation and awe, and smiled.
END
