Ch. 3
Disclaimer, I don't own Ranma 1/2 or its characters. No matter how many times i try.
"Please, have a seat." Cologne said, motioning to the floor mat in her candle-lit room. The space was full of half-open boxes, their contents strewn about from packing and rapid un-packing. Books with odd symbols and writing were haphazardly stacked, and plenty of (undoubtedly mystical or magical) artifacts and trinkets littered the floor. As Akane and Ranma each sat down on the mat, Cologne pulled out a book from the middle of one of the larger stacks. She did so with such precision and speed that the pile did not topple over, despite the book's size. It was a hefty volume, and its age was apparent from the layers of dust and wear that only decade upon decade could inflict. The Amazonian elder blew off some of that dust and began to flip through the book's pages.
"Hey, *cough*!" Ranma said, as he and Akane both choked from the dust cloud wafting in their direction. "Watch where you're *cough* blowing that junk!" Cologne paid the boy's comment no mind, however, as her crinkled fingers continued to turn page after page. The dust had settled by the time the crone found what she had been looking for. She glanced at the two sitting in front of her.
"Do you both remember the story I told you about Tso Pu and Pi Fum?" Cologne asked. Ranma's arms were crossed in impatience.
"You may have to hum a few bars…" he said, half under his breath. Akane sighed and gave the sometimes-boy a hard nudge.
"Yes...or most of it, I think." she said. "Soap was a potion maker who was in love with Perfume and jealous of her affair with his rival Rouge. He created the Slave Pill to get Rouge out of the way, but then killed him when Perfume turned down his affections." Cologne nodded.
"That is correct, Akane. However, I'm afraid I left out the next part of that story." Ranma rolled his eyes.
"How am I not surprised," he gruffed.
"Let me begin…by showing you this…" Cologne muttered. She reached between the two pages her book was open to and pulled out a very old, very tattered photograph. "This a picture of 'Perfume' taken just before the Slave Pill was crafted." The elder handed the photo to Ranma. When he and Akane looked at the picture, a cold chill shot down each of their spines. Ranma's mouth fell agape, and Aken's eyes grew wide.
"R-Ranma…" she gasped. "It's...it's you?!"
The ancient, black and white image showed that of a short, young girl standing next to an older, taller girl. A girl whose appearance was unmistakable, even after years of wear and tear to the photo itself. The young woman bore a striking resemblance to Ranma's female form.
"What the hell…" Ranma responded, dumbfounded. He shot a narrow look at the elder Amazon. "If this is your way of telling me I should marry Shampoo because I have some kind of...I dunno...Amazonian ancestor, then you've got another thing coming, Old Ghoul!" Cologne shook her wrinkled head.
"Sadly, no, Ranma. This is no trick or matter of family-line…" She returned. "Well, not yours anyway." The elder snatched the photo from Ranma's hands. She glanced at it again before
continuing. "The reason your curse form resembles Perfume is more tragic than that. Allow me to finish my story."
'You see, Pi Fum was not just the daughter of a tribal elder, she was also a fairly proficient practitioner of the mystic arts. Her extensive knowledge of mystical artifacts and use of white-magic chants and spells were a well-known asset to the Joketsuzuko. That is, until the day she learned of her beloved Ru Ge's death at the hands of Tso Pu. Enraged and beyond consolation, she decided to enact revenge on her former suitor. She tricked Tso Pu into literally taking a taste of his own medicine...the Slave Pill.
Her plan was to have Tso Pu meet the same fate as Ru Ge, by ordering him to leap off the very cliff where her lover was taken from her. However, when they reached the cliffs, Tso Pu began to plead for his life. He revealed to the girl that, though it was indeed he who used the Slave Pill on Ru Ge, the pill itself had originally been commissioned by the Elder Council, as they initially intended to weaponize its power.
In her grief-stricken state of mind, Pi Fum shifted her blame, not just to the Elder Council, but to all Amazons. She decided to spare Tso Pu's life and keep him as her slave, as she began to plot revenge on the entire Joketsuzuko. Using her knowledge of magic and forbidden tactics, she was able to summon forth an ancient evil, a demon who was long-ago sealed away by some of the first Amazons.
She promised the dark entity that she would take out the descendants of those who defeated him, getting revenge for the both of them, in exchange for the power to do so. The evil spirit granted her request, so I he began using her new magical might and power to terrorize the Amazonian villages.
It took many Amazonian warriors to take her down, but she was finally captured using a pair of mystic handcuffs that had the ability to dampen her magical powers. Both she and Tso Pu were sentenced to death by drowning.
Tso Pu was drowned first in one of the nearby springs. Though Pi Fum's powers were greatly dampened by the cuffs, they were not suppressed entirely. As such, when she was dunked into her own spring, she used the last of her power to enact a curse...and from that day forward, any entity that fell into one of the Jusendo springs would take the form of any being that had drowned in them...including hers.'
When Cologne finished her story, she let out a long sigh. Ranma and Akane stared at the elder, dumbstruck. Ranma spoke up first.
"So you're telling me, this whole time, you knew where my curse-body came from?" he asked. "And you didn't ever think it pertinent to tell me?" Cologne met her ex-son-in-law's gaze.
"I never really thought it was necessary for you to know. Before now, that is. It's not like that information would've ever brought you closer to a cure, Son-in-law."
"So what exactly does this have to do with Ranma's current condition?" Akane asked, wearily. "Why is it important now?" Cologne's eyes narrowed.
"I've always wondered if there were more to Perfume's curse. It always seemed odd to me, but I think we've all come to accept it as a part of our lives." She glanced over at a box of Shampoo's cat toys in the corner of the room. "Quirks and all." Suddenly, her voice grew grave. "But I had a premonition the other night, one I warned you about, Ranma." Ranma nodded.
"Yeah, I remember," he said. "You said you sensed some kind of 'imminent danger.'" Ranma made quotation symbols with his fingers. Cologne then proceeded to whack him on the head with her cane in turn.
"This is very serious, Ranma." The crone leapt atop her cane. "After you two went home last night, I heard a voice...Perfume's voice..whispering to me. She said she was coming, Son-in-law...and soon."
"What?" Akane asked, puzzled. "But how? Isn't she dead?"
"Yes," Cologne answered. "But her powers may have allowed her spirit to linger on in some way. What's more, I fear my actions may have made matters worse." The crone lowered her head.
"What do you mean, Old Ghoul?" Ranma frowned.
"With Ranma under the full effects of the Slave Pill while in female form, his body is little more than a husk. An empty shell, devoid of self...a perfect target for a wandering spirit in search of her body." The room fell quiet for a moment as the weight of Cologne's comment sank in.
"Wait…" Ranma snorted. "You mean to tell me you think some ancient witch ghost is going to possess me?" This time, it was Akane who gave the boy a blow to the back of his noggin.
"This is no laughing matter, Ranma!" the Tendo girl said. "So what do we do, elder?"
"I'm not sure...but I must try to find out." Cologne responded. She slowly raised her head to make eye contact with the two. "In the meantime, we must do absolutely everything we can to keep Ranma from changing form."
"Wait a sec…" Ranma said as he rubbed his sore head. "You said that you recognized Perfume's voice...How the hell do you know what she sounded like?" Cologne raised a crinkled eyebrow.
"Well, Ranma, I should very much hope that I know what Perfume sounded like," she said. "Afterall...she was my sister."
A/N: I've read some of the comments, and I know that there are concerns about continuity issues between this part of the story and established canon. Please note that I appreciate the feedback, but I promise more explanation will come that should ease those concerns. As such, I hope you all will keep reading to see what happens. However, for those of you who don't I want to thank you for reading this far. I wish you all well! :)