Prologue:
Ranma sighed and glanced over at her traveling companion, "How exactly did you find out about this woman?"
Herb shrugged, "She was the first person I went to after I was cursed. She was the one who pointed me in the direction of Japan for the location of the Pot of Liberation."
Ranma nodded and leaned out over the railing of the ship, "What made you seek her out and then me? Couldn't you have just used the pools to cure your curse when you went back?"
Herb winced, "The problem with that is that the curses don't technically cure each other. There is a chance that two 'opposite' curses can cancel each other out, but the likelihood of that happening is so low that it is better in my opinion to not risk it."
Ranma's eyes widened as she turned to the female dragon-descendent, "So you mean…"
Herb nodded, "I don't know about you, but it is easier for me to just live with the curse as is then risk it combining in some bizarre form, swap the water temperature, or even eliminate my original form altogether."
Ranma shuddered at the implications of that, "That means we dodged a bullet when the pools flooded after my battle with Saffron."
Herb nodded again, "Indeed, the fact that you were able to defeat Saffron in the first place is nothing short of miraculous."
Ranma sighed, "I don't like to admit it, but I had help. If it weren't for my friends and Fiancée helping me I probably wouldn't have been able to shove that ice tornado down his throat. I may be incredibly durable especially when it comes to different temperatures, that doesn't mean I am immune to the kind of fire he was putting out."
Herb smiled wryly, "I know of your durability first hand, and as to why I sought you out… Well, the remote cultures of China take life-debts very seriously. Originally we didn't as long as it was advantageous to us to ignore it, but with the rise of the Red Armies and their past destroying ways it became a very serious matter to us."
Ranma raised an eyebrow, "And you think getting me a cure would make us even?"
Herb shook her head, "No, but as part of the life debt I have a duty to you."
Ranma crossed her arms, "How so?"
Herb sighed, "Technically until I could save your life I am supposed to follow you around almost everywhere you go, but considering the fact that I am the Prince of the Musk that isn't exactly a viable option. So I went to see her to see if maybe she could cure Jusenkyo curses, and she said she could at a price."
Ranma sighed, "Did she say what that price was?"
Herb shook her head, "Nope, though I was thinking on our journey to see her I could do something else for you that no other person has received the honor of getting."
Ranma waved her hand, "Go on."
Herb smirked, "I could teach you a number of the techniques of the Royal Dragon School of combat."
Ranma smiled, almost giddy like a little kid about to get some candy, "You mean it."
Herb nodded, "Yes, on one condition."
Ranma frowned and growled out, "What condition?"
Herb glared at her, "Have some sense of modesty."
"But Her… Oof."
Ranma glanced at the now smoking bodies of Herbs two retainers, "So that is where they were. I thought it kind of strange I hadn't seen them yet."
Herb shivered, "They are my friends since we were young, but those two are entirely too obsessed with the female form."
Ranma grinned, "I bet if you didn't have your curse then you would be the same."
Herb grinned wryly, "Speaking from experience?"
Ranma glared at her, "Shut up."
Herb smirked, "How did you convince your family and friends to not follow you?"
Ranma grinned, "The moment the Tendo's heard I was off to find a cure, they let me go with a small Parade, the Amazon's didn't want to risk angering you by tagging along, I have no clue where Ryoga is at, and my parents where off at some sort of retreat that Mom dragged Pops to cause apparently she has another kid on the way."
Herb raised an eyebrow, "You have a younger sibling on the way?"
Ranma nodded, "Yup, don't know what I will do beyond make sure pops doesn't mess this kid up like he tried to and accidentally succeeded in doing with me."
Herb raised an eyebrow at her red-haired companion, "How do you manage to accidentally succeed at something you set out to do in the first place?"
Ranma smirked, "You never met my pops before have you?"
Herb shook her head, "I don't think I want to."
Ranma sighed and looked back out over the ocean again, "So about this lady?"
Herb off to the side slightly, "She is the one who made the Pail of Preservation and the Pot of Liberation in the first place, so if anyone would know of a cure for Jusenkyo she would. Her motto is that she can do just about anything as long as you are willing to pay the price, and the price she is talking about generally has more to do with some aspect of your life than about monetary compensation."
Ranma's narrowed eyes zeroed in on Herb's face, "What kind of prices are we talking here, and what exactly is this lady to be that old?"
Herb winced, "The price can range from losing limbs, to losing your humanity, to losing your strength, to just about anything really. The reason for it is that she is a fox demon that is somewhat distantly related to your country's kitsune."
Ranma growled, "And you would automatically trust a trickster fox?"
Herb gritted her teeth, "She has the reputation of being trustworthy and it has been proven by multiple others that her 'prices' are based in ideas of equivalent exchange and are in fact some of the most fair ways of obtaining exactly what you desire. Her trickster nature is very much at play, but she views herself as a business person first and a demon second. She also always tells the customer what the price will be up front and whether she knows what the full price to be payed will be. If she doesn't know something she will say so up front, but I would ask you to not try to use your usual charm on her."
Ranma glared at Herb, "Whadya mean by that?!"
Herb raised an eyebrow at her, "In the amount of time I have known you I have come to understand fairly quickly that you possess the unique ability to tick off just about everyone who crosses your path within moments of meeting them, and with demons, age means power. There is no way she would have lived this long without gaining and being able to use ridiculous amounts of power. For example she made both the Gekkaja and the Kinjakan at the same time as a number of other elemental weapons without breaking a sweat. Getting on her bad side is not even remotely a good idea, so please try to not tick her off."
Ranma shivered, remembering the power of those two staves, "I promise not to start anything, I really don't want to get on the bad side of anything that a dragon fears."
