Mousse lowered himself even further down in the water as Ranma quickly and inconspicuously closed the curtain around the large bathtub. Then she walked over next to Akane as the strange man who was dressed in complete turquoise blue except for his long cape, which was slate grey, closed the door behind him. Ranma eyed the stranger suspiciously as he gazed back at the both of them with his blue-green eyes.
"Akane" Ranma began as the man brushed a few strands of his long maroon hair out of his face, "What do you mean it's you?"
"Um" Akane hesitated slightly, "Well I've seen him before."
"Where?"
The man smiled slightly.
"You're gonna think this is strange" Akane said, "But lately during amongst that weird stuff that was happening to you, this guy kept popping up in my dreams."
"Huh?" Ranma's eyes became wide.
"Just for brief moments though. As if he was never there to begin with."
"Okay I've heard enough" Ranma replied stepping a few feet forward, "Just who are you and where have you brought us?" she asked him.
"You do not need to be alarmed" the man said continuing to smile as he finally spoke, "You are both here on an invitation."
"Invitation?" Akane said surprised.
"It's hardly an invitation when you take someone against their will" Ranma replied with a frown.
"I don't understand I was under the impression that you both knew that I was coming," he said with a bit of a surprised frown himself.
"And how would we know that?"
"Didn't your fathers tell you?"
"Our fathers?" Akane replied with a raise of her eyebrows.
The man studied their confused faces and then smiled once more with a shake of his head.
"Oh I see. So they tried to weasel out of their bargain did they?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ranma said as Mousse listened in even more.
"You are Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo aren't you? The children of Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome?"
"Mhm" Akane nodded as Ranma replied "yes" at the same time, "But what does that mean?"
"How shameful. That your own fathers didn't inform you about your future husband."
"Our what!" Ranma practically screamed while Akane became pale all at once.
"Uh husband?" she said.
"That's correct."
"There must be some kind of mistake" Ranma replied, "Akane and I already have a fiancée. Not to mention" Ranma thought, "We are each other's fiancée."
"I'm aware of that" he nodded.
"Huh?"
"Your fathers told me that when we met. Just two months ago."
"Two months ago?" Akane said.
"Mhm. They were out on some sort of renewal training or something they said."
"I remember that" Ranma nodded.
"Ranma" Akane interrupted looking at her, "Isn't that the trip when they came back with hardly no information at all? In fact they both seemed very tense."
"Yea" Ranma said, "You're right. But they didn't talk about it."
"They probably wouldn't" the man spoke up, "It might have been too much of a terrible experience for them."
Ranma looked over at him directly once more while Akane clasped her hands together.
"Anyway you were saying?" Ranma replied urging him to continue.
"I came upon your fathers collapsed outside my tower. Now normally I am generous to those who need help so I offered some hospitality to them, not expecting much of course, just some kind words. However" his voice took on a much darker tone, "I have never met a more greedy, unthankful pair in my entire life. Not only did they not thank me they proceeded to want more. I am a patient man so I allowed them to stay in the comforts of my home for three more days and still I received no sign of appreciation from either of them."
"Uh" Ranma shook her head as she placed a hand to her forehead, "That sounds like my old man all right."
"But not my dad. When did he get so greedy?" Akane pondered.
"They must have been so starving they didn't even think" Ranma surmised, "Anyway what does that have to do with me and Akane?"
"I'm getting to that. After the third day I had grown quite tired of their antics so they next time they asked for a meal I said I would feed them for two more days if they could defeat me in a fight. If they couldn't they would have to forfeit their lives."
"Let me guess, they lost" Akane replied with a frown.
"Yea" Ranma nodded, "Pop and Mr. Tendo are so rusty it's not funny."
"They did lose" the man nodded, "But like I said, I am a generous sort. So I gave them one final offer. Instead of taking their lives I asked if they had anything valuable to give me in place of their pathetic existence. They racked their brains coming up with nothing,so finally I made a suggestion to them."
"What suggestion?" Ranma frowned not really liking where the conversation was going.
"I have always been alone. A bachelor if you will. I wanted someone to spend my life with. Low and behold Soun Tendo had three daughters. But I insisted since he had two older ones that I would take the youngest in exchange for his life."
"But surely my dad must have told you I had a fiancée?" Akane replied as Ranma clenched her fist angrily.
"Yes he did mention that, but he was so terrified he offered you right on the spot. And as for Genma Saotome, well he was not so lucky."
"Okay" Ranma interrupted, "Could we stop this conversation right here? I don't know what the old man told you but you've been deceived."
"I'm sorry" the man shook his head.
"I'm not really a girl. If he told you he had a daughter in order to save his sorry ass, then he lied to you."
The man chuckled and then looked directly in Ranma's eyes.
"I know."
"Huh?"
"He informed methat he had a son and not a daughter but he also told me that you can transform into a girl. So it didn't matter."
"Wait a minute! You know that I am a guy?" Ranma said astonished.
"Yes. I'm fully aware of that circumstance."
"Then why? If you know I'm really a guy then why are you," Ranma replied totally confused at this point.
"I can see that you're very conflicted at the moment Ranma, so I'll explain."
"Uh" Ranma blinked fast still trying to comprehend what she was hearing, "Okay" she said slowly.
"You see I'm what you would call a nobody or nothing. I'm neither man nor woman. I choose the form that I have."
"Choose the form?"
"Yes. Therefore it doesn't matter."
"I still don't get it."
"It's quite simple Ranma, I am in male form now so as long as you stay in your female form, it makes no difference to me whether you're male or not. I mean you'll never be male again as far as I'm concerned anyway."
"Oh really" Ranma said through gritted teeth.
"Excuse me" Akane interrupted and he turned his head in her direction, "You wouldn't be the one by any chance who was responsible for Ranma's condition for the last few weeks would you?"
"Why yes. As a matter of a fact I am. Brilliant deduction Akane. I was the one who made it possible for Ranma to receive the incense pot that caused the transformation. By sending one of my devoted servants to distract him and knock him into the river, thereby transforming him into his girl form I was able in disguise to sell the incense pot to the unknowing girl form of Ranma."
"Why you?" Ranma replied angrily.
"It started with cold sweats. Dream manifestations. High fevers and then eventually with the sweet smells that emanated the room whenever Ranma was alone, he immediately succumbed to the power of the incense and longed, no desired to be female, therefore his female half took over the male half, making it almost impossible to change back."
"Hmm" Akane frowned, "So that's what happened?" she asked as Ranma frowned even more, "It almost got to the point that Ranma couldn't change back."
"That was the whole purpose" the man nodded, "However I don't think I did it long enough. As I can see his male side still lingers quite a bit. Which I will certainly remedy soon."
Ranma grumbled.
"And what do you plan to do with me and Akane until that?"
"Your fathers have promised you to me" he replied simply.
"Huh?"
"You both shallstay with me for the remainder of your lives and become my two brides. With youAkane on one arm andyou Ranma on the other no one would be able to surpass my luck and power. People will know the name of Kinnosuke throughout the lands to which I owe my heritage."
"Kinnosuke?" Akane said.
"What do you mean luck and power?" Ranma added.
"You shall see" he replied, "But until then you both will remain here as your fathers promised. I shall leave you now" he said departing for the door, "Enjoy your stay my future brides," he added before leaving the room in a cloud of smoke.
"Wait!" Ranma called out as she and Akane coughed because of the smoke, "Oh well this is just great. I am going to so kill the old man" she clenched her fists furiously.
"Ranma. He can't be serious about this can he?" Akane replied worried.
"I don't know" Ranma shook her head, "But don't worry Akane. We'll find our way out of here. You're my fiancée after all. I'm not going to let anyone else take you as his bride."
"But Ranma he wants you for his bride too."
"And doesn't that creep you out?" Ranma said in a bit of yell, "Imagine wanting two brides? I mean how greedy is he? Not to mention he knows I'm a guy. Gross."
"What do you think he meant by not really a man and not really a woman?"
"I don't know" Ranma shook her head, "Sounds pretty creepy if you ask me. Oh" she realized when she heard some splashing, "We forgot about Mousse."
"Huh?"
Ranma rushed over and pulled back the curtain.
"Oh great" she sighed.
"What's wrong Ranma?" Akane asked.
"Take a look" Ranma pointed.
Akane walked over to the bathtub and saw that Mousse was back in his duck form quacking away hysterically.
"Great. How did that happen?"
"The water is cold" Ranma replied feeling the temperature with her hand.
"Now what?"
"We have to send Mousse back to theothers. Hear that duck boy" she replied holding him by the neck, "You have to inform Shampoo, Ukyo, and the others about what you heard. If they don't know already that is" she walked over to the window, "Go!" she threw him out the window and he wasstartled at first. But thenhe straightened his wings and flew back towards the campfire on the other side of the small patch of water that separated the tower from the land the others were waiting on, "That takes care of that."
"And what about us?" Akane said, "Do we just wait?"
"I'm afraid that's about all we can do right now Akane. Until we figure out a way to find the front door. I suggest you go back to sleep and I'll rack my brain for awhile."
"But Ranma."
"I couldn't sleep anyway. You need your rest."
"Okay" she nodded consenting and walking back over to the bed to lie down.
As soon as Akane laid her head on the pillow, Ranma moved around to the other side of the tub, pulling the curtain along. Just as she reached the back she noticed a table filled with all kinds of soaps and lotions. But the strangest thing of all was a picture frame. Ranma walked over and picked it up. But the contents of the frame immediately made her drop the frame to the floor, and she quivered slightly with fear.
"No" she whispered, "Not again. I thought this was all over. Maybe I was wrong" she glanced at Akane her mind becoming even more worried.
(Next Scene)
Mousse landing with a thud on the other side where the others had already started a fire. Ryoga, Shampoo, Ukyo, and Cologne were sitting around it while Kuno and Kodachi had drifted off to sleep exhausted from the long walk they had taken. Shampoo was the first to notice his return.
"Oh Mousse. You back" she replied with a bit of a smile.
Mousse quacked incessantly until Ryoga splashed him with a kettle of hot water.
"We can't understand you like that stupid" he scoffed.
"That was kind of hot you know" Mousse retorted adjusting his glasses which had gone askew because of the water.
"What happened? Did you find Ranma and Akane?"
"Yes" Mousse nodded.
"Are they all right?" Ukyo asked.
"Well do you want the good or bad news?"
"Just tell us what you saw Mousse" Cologne insisted.
"Okay. Here it goes" he proceeded to tell them everything Kinnosuke had said in the mysterious when he was finished Cologne nodded her head slowly as Shampoo's face took on a sad expression.
"Poor Ranma" she replied.
"So it was some kind of dark magic after all" Cologne replied.
"Mhm" Mousse nodded.
"Imagine this man intends to marry Akane and Ranma?" Ryoga said, "Even though Ranma is a guy?"
"That's right. I heard everything. Oh and Ranma's back to his old self too. I forgot to mention."
"Ranma darling" Kodachi murmured in her sleep to which Ukyo shook her head.
"Well I guess the important thing is that they're okay. But still I can't believe those two."
"Who?" Shampoo asked.
"Ranma and Akane's fathers. How could they be so selfish?"
"Speaking of which?" Mousse replied looking around them, "Where are they? Weren't you watching them?"
"They took off with Happy about a couple of hours ago" Cologne said, "We haven't seem them since."
"You're kidding. The old man is out there?"
"If I know Happy, he'll find a way into that tower. You can bet on it."
(Next Scene)
The old woman was absolutely right because at that same moment, Soun and Genma held a rope down below for their tiny master who was climbing the tower with it, determined more than ever to get to the two girls.
"Don't worry Ranma. Akane" the old letch said as he climbed, "Your Happosai is on his way!"
(Till Next Time)
Authors Note: Okay here's the next chapter. Hope this answers all your questions. There will be a more developing story line on the contents of
Ranma's dreams later on in the story, to let you know since some of you asked about that. See you guys later!
Next Chapter: Happosai My Hero
It's Happy to the rescue! But what will happen when the old man encounters the mysterious Kinnosuke? Find out next time!
