Ranma Aqua-Isekai'd, by Chaos Orchid
Chapter 5: Phoenixes and Cold Water
"You come from That-side, another reality, different laws of physic. Magic tune you to physic of This-side," Prune informed Ranma (and Pop, if he would listen). "Ki of your body do rest. Ki belong to you, own body."
"Ki can be stolen, but, yeah, I think I understand you, Prune.
"Wait…. Why are you still soundin' the way you-and everybody-was talkin' like before?"
"Because that what you expect from me. My Chinese sound like your normal language soon. You get use to it and you fool self, think me, we," and she waved her hand to include everybody else, "are speaking in Japanese."
"There! I think I think you are!"
"It's weird," Eyeshadow said. "You wouldn't think language is a part of your body, but you use your body and brain to hear it and interpret it. It's not a part of your mind. Ki isn't really connected to your mind. Magic is. That's what makes them different.
"At least, that's what I think I've been told."
"Elder Cologne can tell you more more if she cares to. Let's get going!" Shé told them, becoming the squad's leader again.
Powder set the now untied Pop on his feet and shoved him ahead of her, still gagged. (Not that Ranma minded.) Ranma and Prune were allowed to freely walk behind her and in front of Tint (who was only slightly more manish than Ranma).
"Eyeshadow, you're scout!" Shé ordered, obviously wanting to separate the redhead from the now mysterious ponytailed teen.
The petite but busty teen had to obey and jogged ahead of everybody else.
"Baa!" It was a kid following them. The small goat and other Animal Town people and animals were tagging along, waiting to see if something else interesting would be happening to the group passing though. The animal guards kept them at a distance. All except that kid and a young pup that sounded like it was cheering, "Yip, yip!"
Were they human kids who had gotten cursed? Or had they been adults? What happens when those who lived on This-side had kids? They were questions that Ranma didn't want answers to, because he didn't want to believe he was cursed. He hadn't changed yet. Maybe he would never change. Maybe his Chaos Seed would protect him! If he had one. Did he want one?
There were so many new things happening around him. Too many! He could feel himself becoming overwhelmed. Better to wait and see what happens.
Right! He was a phenom when it came to martial arts. He would let his trained gift do his thinking for him. Nōryoku-sensei was the master who had most helped him develop that quick-study ability. The man was a Sherlock Holmes fan. He had told a story of how when Dr. Watson told him the Earth traveled around the Sun, Holmes asked if it was of any use to him. If it wasn't, he would do his best to forget to leave more room in his thinking for what was.
'But what of all the trivia he picked up as clues?" the Lost Boy had once asked Ranma. This was the second time he, for some reason, had thought of the guy he had met in middle school.
*Bweerr* growled the bundled up pig swinging behind the woman dressed only in ropes. If it could get into a weapon-space by glaring angrily Ranma would have to be dodging its cannon balls. But it couldn't and if it could pull weapons out of nowhere, it would have to wait until Shé released it. And it didn't look like Shé would. The guards didn't know if it was a real animal or not.
They came to the gate on the other side of the town. They met its guards. One of them was a woman wearing a wolf pelt. (Don't think why, Ranma told himself.) The guards passed the Women Heroes and their 'guests' off to them and left to return to their own gate. The only resident of Animal Town to continue on the road was Nylon.
The road forked in two. To the left was the less worn way Ranma and his pop had taken into the greater Jusenkyo Valley. The more proper, though still dirt, road was on the right. It should have been a yellow brick road, Ranma mused, since they were off to see the Elder Cologne. Her name kept coming up, she was so important. And she wanted to see him! And the little redhead, Eyeshadow. (Don't ask why.) He felt how downhill the way was.
After a short hike they were coming to a break in the high mountains, another pass.
Suddenly there were shrieks and whistles from different voices! Then to that was added a feathered commotion of greatly disturbed birds escaping from their aeries!
Birds?! More like angels in colorful Chinese outfits with Chinese-style weapons! And talons for feet and hands! "Phoenix people!" his guards cried.
"Look!" Ranma cried, the first to see, "Eyeshadow!" The little redhead was riding on the back white-winged, white-haired woman while holding onto her neck. Its weapon had fallen out of her grasp.
"Kiima?" Shé wondered, not having seen her enough to be sure. Shé yelled to her troops, "We must do something!" Shé had already made a long sling from one of her ropes and was pulling firecracker balls with their fuses lit. Powder's chui mace was replaced by an aluminum bat with which she was whacking hardballs. Tint was using a razor sharp boomerang. Ranma had no doubt able the women's aim or resolve.
Ranma saw all of this with a backward glance as he ran for the nearest mountain slope. Leaping the meters separating him from it, he immediately parkoured up. Loose rocks threatened to send him down, but he flung them back towards the opponents. One of them dodged or returned the shots and watched as the human boy hit them back at him. Its evil eyes were calculating, judging.
Meanwhile, the one Eyeshadow was on was taking her on aileron rolls, Immelmann turns and dives. But all were aborted as the agile redhead used her feet and knees to interfere with her wings. If she didn't correct, both would crash into the ground or the mountain.
Having enough of the vermin, the birdwoman brought her razor-sharp talons up at the hands around her neck! This while another bird-angel swooped to attack Eyeshadow from above. What could Ranma do!?
Leap?! The distance was more than he normally could, but with adrenaline-
The small boulder he was on gave! As it made a small avalanche, cold water rushed up and splashed him from below? Don't ask why just-
The water fell onto the the bird-angel who had been assigned to assess his abilities-It squawked and fled from it! "Birds don't like-No, they don't!" Ranma was inspired!
Eyeshadow saw Ranma on the mountain. As she let go the Phoenixite's strangle-hold and dug into its clothes, her feet were forcing its wings to bank down near him. The flak sent by Shé and the others gave her temporary protection from others of the enemy,
But that one above the redhead was persistent-It wasn't giving up! Ranma flung his soaked shirt at it! He got her wings and it could no longer fly! It struggled to descend not fall! Others of its kind came to support it. Ranma spun his saturated pants by one leg and knocked in a spray the water still coming up in a torrent at whichever of them got within ten meters of him!
At last, one of them was Eyeshadow's. Just as she was ready to jump off of it, she had to! The bird-angel stopped being an angel or a bird! It looked human?! Ranma grabbed Eyeshadow's hand and she grabbed the woman's hand to keep her from tumbling down the mountain.
They had a prisoner of war!
But for how long!? The mainly white Phoenixite who had been stationed on the peak and staying out of the fight dove down with staff out ahead of it! Eyeshadow dropped the woman while she cried, "Jump!" and shoved Ranma!
Seconds later, searing heat blasted past them, blistering their exposed skin! The steam from the evaporating water threatening to broil them!
Ranma's senses where at maximum alertness! Even as he hopped from ledge to crack, he saw that the woman had somehow become a bird-angel again! Dry now, it flew away from them!
A scream told him Eyeshadow had missed a foothold! Without having to look, Ranma knew just where he had to be and do to catch her! He lost his own place on the mountain, but was able to safely land on solid ground.
It was only then that he realized he was holding a teen who was about his age wearing Eyeshadow's ripped clothes. … It took him a moment to…. He looked around and up the mountain. He didn't see the redhead's body. His eyes came back to boy he was holding. How did the guy get her clothes? He couldn't even get into them without ripping them at the seams.
"Sorry about this," the other guy apologized.
"What a gay couple you two make," Nylon sneered as ran up to them. Besides the way the guy was practically undressed, Ranma himself was just in a tanktop and boxers.
"I'm not gay!" both of them yelled. It was only then that the other guy pushed to get out of Ranma's arms and that the ponytailed boy dropped him to his feet.
"For how long? Do you know how many fujoshi there are among the Women Heroes?" It sounded as if he wanted to laugh but couldn't bring himself to.
"What a lost opportunity! I wish I had thought to add this item to the betting pool!" The woman hurrying up to them was dressed in Tint's leader/metal-studded armor that somehow fit her.
"The Phoenix Scouts are leaving." This woman was nearly Ranma's height and had large breasts, which she was holding one arm over, the other hand covering her sex. She was naked and yet seemed quiet modest.
"Keep on your guard! They may come back and attack for real!" Shé told them. Shé, at least, looked like herself, complete with her shibari-like 'uniform' of rope.
"The older sir, the father of this young sir, has runaway," Prune said as she approached them. "The Pig, too."
"Aw, he'll be back. I'm the reason he does the stuff he does," Ranma said. "Idiot." But he did look to where he had last seen them. It was now a battlefield with small fires, fresh scorch marks and craters. And still they had managed to give support to Eyeshadow and him.
"Pants!" the naked woman called out. She hurried over to the ones Ranma had dropped from the side of the mountain. Ranma hoped she was putting them on as he kept his eyes away from her backside. "Here," she said in a gentle voice as she handed them to the guy Ranma didn't know but was accused of being gay with. Well, why not? Let him put his pants on. The torn clothes were going to fall off of him at any minute and he didn't want to see-
The guy wrung the water out of the pants onto himself. And was replaced by Eyeshadow.
And then the clothes fell off.
"We mustn't forget we're girls!" the tall and slim one said to the little and curvy one.
"I'm not a…. *Sigh* I'm a girl," the redhead reluctantly admitted.
The two naked girls were standing next to each other in Ranma's view. The one with classic beauty and grace in her movements and elegance in her posture even while naked did not hold his attention. It was the cute girl with green eyes and a figure that belonged on a girl a head taller that was bringing blood to his manhood.
No! Remember how to control where your blood goes! Reverse it! Send it to your brain! She is cursed! Bad luck! Turn away! Think of something else! Would a cold shower help?
"I see where the water comes from," Prune said, inspecting the small waterfall coming from where Ranma and Eyeshadow had been. "The mountain is high, but this part of it is lower than the hot springs of the Jusenkyo of This-side. Without the boulder plug, it must flow out by gravity."
"Then why isn't it hot water?" the woman in leather almost scoffed.
Prune shrugged. "That hot spring is a concentration point for magic and magic can be arcane."
"Maybe the magic was just trying to keep Eyeshadow female?" the elegant woman smiled.
"Sure, Powder, sure," the woman in leather said, humoring her.
"We'll put the spring on your list of inspections, Tint," Shé told her.
"Me!?"
"Because you're a born skeptic."
"And I have to be punished for it?! I don't mind being a man. As long as I'm not married."
"You may be able to profit off of it, Tint," said the woman who had been called Powder.
"Only if it turns hot," Tint(?) answered. Then, "Wait! Magic must be diluted in water that it makes cold!"
"There you go." The pleasant smile continued. "Too bad you're a skeptic."
"Magic doesn't get used up when it does stuff?" Ranma wondered. Or work well for skeptics? Wait, are these questions he should should just let be answered when they are answered? He was feeling a headache coming on.
"Enough talking! We're on duty!" Shé barked. "Let's get to the Village of Women Heroes!"
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NOTES:
Think of Ranmas and another 'Ranma' having to deal with each other as aqua-sexual love-interests while neither realy feeling like a girl (at first?). Think of the Ranma/Akane relationship. Cologne will explain how they are fated to be together, but, though attracted to each other, they will also be trying not to be! Sometimes less than other times. Reviews can help guide how far they go in their relationship. But I am not gay and do not want to take the story too much in the direction of BL, bromance.
And though I didn't expect it, Tint and Powder have become Nabiki and Kasumi analogues. Though there are obvious differences already. Powder especially. She has a very male personality when she is a male. This makes her so insecure in her femininity that she feels the need to prove she does have it in various ways when female. Technically she is is not naked. She is wearing
'underwear'. Her arms and hands are covering stick-on (by her ki energy) pasties and maebari. She was modest before her curse.
Shé was born on This-side. She does not change.
A reminder: If the other half of the one cursed dies, the half on This-side changes by way of cold and hot water. The Ranma¹ destined to reach Nerima will remain alive and it is whether he and he alone meets cold or hot water that will determine which gender the Ranma² of this story will be at any one time.
Back in story order:
In this world, ki energy is concentrated by the body and activated by emotions (and smells). Magic in concentrated by the mind and can be as 'logical' and 'controllable' as dreams.
These scouts of the Phoenix people were under orders not to battle but to observe and report on the new arrivals from the other world. Besides, the specialty of Kiima-the one with the staff-is not fighting but espionage and commando tactics. She may be able to read ley lines as Cologne is. The Saotomes disturbed their energy flows well before they arrived at the Jusenkyos. Which shouldn't be a surprise.