Over the Jusenkyo Spring
Chapter 3: Anything Goes Food Stealing
"What are you guys doing here?"
RJ turned around and saw a squirrel. This one had more reddish fur than Hammy, and he was apparently not a hyperactive maniac.
"Who are you?" RJ asked a bit warily.
"My name is Ranma," the squirrel, Ranma, told him. "What are you doing here?"
RJ regarded him for a second before deciding to tell him the truth, "My name is RJ, and we are stealing some food."
Ranma looked puzzled at this, "Why aren't you looking for some in the forest?"
"The forest ground is just not big enough to feed the whole family during hibernation," RJ explained.
Family. This was the one forbidden word around Ranma. The only family he knew was his father, and he took him away from his mother torturing him for ten years. Alas, he new he couldn't blame him.
"Who is it down there, RJ?" Ozzie asked from inside the fridge.
"It's a new one; his name is Ranma," the raccoon told the possum.
Ozzie came down from the refrigerator and greeted Ranma.
"Hello Ranma, my name is Ozzie," the possum, Ozzie, introduced himself. "Say, where do you come from?"
"Hello," Ranma said. "I'm from Japan."
"Where is Japan?" Ozzie asked, curious. He had never heard of the place before.
"Oh, it's very far away," Ranma told him. "On the other side of the world."
"Wow. I bet you came with the human who lives here."
Ranma smiled and thought to himself, 'If he just knew.'
"Yes, that's the way I came here," Ranma said nodding his head convincingly.
Ranma suddenly remembered that he had guests.
"Well, I have to go," Ranma told the two woodland creatures. "Please tell me where you live, and then we can talk, okay?"
RJ and Ozzie looked at each other for a moment speaking to one another with their eyes. They both nodded having come to an agreement to trust their newfound friend.
"Well then, my friend, we live behind the hedge in the garden. You can't really miss us," RJ told Ranma before adding in, "It's not like the humans left us much space."
Ozzie seems to be serious looking at that last sentence, but RJ kept a carefree smile. Ranma concluded that RJ might not always have been a member of this family.
Ranma gave his friends a quick smile and nod before he darted off to another room. He looked around the room before spotting his emergency thermos. Pouring it over his head he turned back into his human form and noticed that he still had his clothes on.
"Strange," Ranma murmured. "Normally, I have to hide some clothes in the rooms."
Then it hit him. This was the first time he changed in red clothes. All the other times he had his white training Gi or a green jacket on.
'So, I just have to wear something that's the same color as my fur when I'm a squirrel, and there'll be no problems!" Ranma thought with a smile. He went back to the living room to his guests.
"Sorry that it took me so long," Ranma apologized. "Now, let's get something to eat."
Ranma had said the last part a bit louder than he needed to so he could warn his new friends. He felt how they made it out and smiled in relief.
When they entered the kitchen Ranma played dumb and made a confused expression.
"What happened here?" Ranma asked looking at the mess his new friends left. The refrigerator door had been left wide open.
The woman, Miriam, sighed and explained to him the reason for this mess, "There are some animals who like to steal food. Someone should really get them out of our neighborhood."
Ranma raised his eyebrow at the irony of the situation. The animals were here first, and now they talk about throwing them out, and how the animals steal their food when the humans stole their land. At least she didn't say she wants to kill them.
"I'm sorry about that," Ranma apologized on behalf of the animals.
"Oh, no need, Mr. Saotome," Miriam said waving off his apology. "It's not like you can feel them."
She smiled and Ranma thought to himself, 'And how I can feel them.'
As his visitors left he went to the bathroom and made an experiment. He filled the tub with hot water while making sure he had his green jacket on. Splashing cold water on himself from the sink he transformed into a squirrel. Because of his green jacket he had to struggle to get into the tub to change back to his human self.
This time Ranma tried the experiment over with his red clothes on. The shirt became one with his squirrel fur unlike the green jacket. When he hopped back into the tub he turned back to his human self with his clothes visible again.
He had a wide grin on his face as he changed back into a squirrel to meet his new friends. He thought, 'Note to self: buy more red clothes.'
As he arrived at the meeting point he saw them all chatting. To his luck, the cat was nowhere to be found.
At the ground:
"And you are sure about the new guy, RJ?" Penny, the mother porcupine, asked with concern high in her voice.
"Hey, he looks nice, and he wants to help us," RJ told them reassuringly.
"Like you when we first met?" Verne, the turtle whom is the leader of this animal community, questioned. His tone full of bitterness from the past.
RJ's smile became bitter within a second, "Do you ever forget that?"
"No," was the blunt response he got.
That's when Ranma came down from the tree near the hedge in the garden.
Ranma noticed the tenseness in the air and asked the group of animals, "Did I interrupt you?"
They all turned their heads to him. Ranma felt a bit uneasy with all the scrutinizing stares. Just RJ, Ozzie, and the other squirrel seem to be cheerful at him.
"Do I have something on my face?" Ranma asked feeling very insecure under their stares.
RJ went over to him offering Ranma a half smile, "No. They are just a little skeptic about new guys."
"Since when?" Ranma asked, curious as to what had happened to start this distrust of newcomers.
"Since me," RJ said with an embarrassed look on his face.
Ranma couldn't help but smile sympathetically at the raccoon, "Sounds like you screwed it up."
RJ nodded while looking at the ground feeling ashamed. Ranma chuckled quietly.
Ranma turned his attention from the raccoon to the other animals. He needed to reassure them that he was not a threat and one they could trust.
"Okay, what do you want to know?" he asked them.
The porcupine kids asked in unison, "Do you know Jackie Chan?"
This time, Ranma laughed aloud, "Sorry kids, but I have never met him."
"Do you want to help me find my nuts?" Hammy asked.
"Very enticing, but no thanks," Ranma said politely to the other squirrel.
"Are you single?"
Ranma's eyes widened. Did the possum girl really ask him that?
"HEATHER!" Ozzie yelled at his daughter for her bold question while the other just stared at her. Hammy laughed aloud finding the exchange to be very humorous.
"What? I just asked him," she said, blushing. (A/N: No, this will not be a Ranma/Heather. Ranma is mentally a human for heavens sake!)
"Yes, I am, but n-no thanks. You're a cute girl 'I think', but uh…" Ranma waved his arms nervously trying to get out of this situation.
"Okaaaay," RJ said coming to Ranma's rescue. "Now a little conception round. You already know me, Ozzie, Hammy, and Verne. She is Heather, Ozzie's daughter, this is Stella, and here are Lou, Penny, and their kids Bucky, Quillo, and Spike."
"Hello, I'm Ranma. Nice to meet ya," Ranma greeted giving a slight bow to everyone.
"So, do you wanna help us with the food?" RJ asked.
"Sure," Ranma answered. "After all, you were here first, so they shouldn't be surprised if you at least take what you deserve in order to survive."
Ranma didn't like big cities. When he was a full human he didn't care, but now he is part animal and really knows what it means to be ignored or hunted just because he wanted some food. And he often had to get himself something to eat while he was in his squirrel form.
"That's the spirit!" RJ cheered. "Now, tomorrow we go to the house of the Jacksons'. They just finished their weekly shopping, so we'll have a big selection."
Everyone nodded, and Ranma grinned. He isn't just helping them because they could use some. No… He really needs the exercise. And tomorrow, he will get it.
(A/N:) Now that's lucky. Your OTH crew gets an overpowered martial artist as a friend.
Next chapter: "A house, some food, and too much hot water."
A special thanks to my good friend and new beta reader: Tabansi232.