A Surviving Mau
Ranma ½ and Sailor Moon are owned by their respectful owners. I do not own anything about them at all.
Thanks to CyberSkaarj for pre-reading
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
/cat talk/
//Signs//
Chapter 4
Genma glanced back at his son with a slight frown on his face. For the past three days, the boy had been walking with his head lowered and Miki looking up at him in concern. Ranma was still energetic and took to their sparring matches like water, but it was like something had kind of died in the boy whenever those azure eyes looked at the older Saotome. It had only been a few days ago when the raven-haired cat-boy had seemed to look up to him with respect and call him 'papa'. Now it seemed like the boy had lost that respect and now only called him 'father' instead.
Maybe it really was too much of a thing to do what he had done, but he didn't think it would affect his son. Hell, it was just several days ago that Ranma had thought everything was just a fun little game. The overweight martial artist wouldn't willingly show it, but he loved his son, and the sudden change in the boy hit him hard. He didn't really understand why it hit him so hard though. During the training with Happosai, he lost all respect for the pervert and showed it. The diminutive pervert never seemed to care and just went on doing whatever.
Maybe, just maybe, this was because the six-year-old boy was his own flesh and blood, and he had known the boy since birth. Now, because of the ingrained training and all due to Happosai, the balding man had probably lost all respect and love his own son had for him. 'Just roll with it, Genma ol' boy. It was inevitable that something like this would happen, and it is not wise for a martial artist to show any emotional weakness.' But why did it seem to affect him so.
"Papa," a small voice from behind him announced. The use of that word caused the man to look around quickly. He saw that Ranma still had his head turned downwards, and it looked like he was deep in thought. "I'm sorry I called you a jackass and have been acting so rude to you." Looking up towards his father, it was revealed that his eyes seemed sad. "It's just that you did so many bad things, and it made me feel really bad-nya!"
Genma stared towards his son for several minutes before giving a small smile and walking towards him. Stopping in front of his son, he rested a hand on the boy's head. "Ranma, a martial artist's life is fraught with peril, and some things must happen for the betterment of the ar--"
"Promise me you won't do bad things again, papa." The six-year-old interrupted with eyes full of hope. "You're the best martial artist ever, and you should have a strong sense of justice and good-nya." What is father had done a few days ago had just been a mistake on the man's part, right? Everybody does bad things sometimes. "Please papa?"
Genma was having a complete inner struggle raging on within him. He didn't want to give it all up or anything, but the hope on his son's face was also a strong deterrent. 'What the boy doesn't know won't hurt him.' Giving a small smile, he patted his son on the head. "Alright Ranma," he began, "I promise I won't do any really bad things again." It was a small lie, and small lies can't really hurt anything, right?
A large smile came to the cat-boy's face as he jumped into the large man to give him a hug. "I knew you were a good man, papa-nya! It was only a small mistake on your part that you did it, and I shouldn't have doubted you." Ranma didn't notice the slight frown on his father's face at what he had just said. He also didn't notice the frown that Miki sent to his father.
Replacing the frown with a smile, Genma pushed his son to arm's length from him and stood up. "So boy, are you ready to continue on our journey and head to China?" He asked with a fist held high. It seemed that he hadn't lost too much respect and all from his son in the first place. He'd have to be careful about what he did around his son though.
A bright smile appeared on the young Saotome's face as he nodded vigorously. "I'm ready papa!" He shouted with a look of determination on his face. His father had told him that China was a whole other country, and that it was away from where they were. Picking up Miki in his arms, began to follow the older Saotome. His respect for his father had returned.
'I hope Genma really meant what he said.' The pinkish kitten in Ranma's arms thought with a small frown. If he betrayed the pony-tailed boy's trust again, then it would probably be devastating.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was about six more days before the trio managed to find their way to the Sea of Japan, and the trek had been one of interest. It was three days ago when they ended up with some weirdo named Masaru Hananakajima. The guy was just plain weird, and the school club he formed was even stranger to the young six-year-old. It made the young Saotome wonder what 'Sexy Commando' was.
Genma had told Ranma that 'Sexy Commando' was just some inferior form of martial arts that they shouldn't even be wasting their time with. Of course that comment kind of angered Hananakajima and had caused the teen to pull the young boy aside and tell him what it REALLY was, much to the annoyance of the overweight martial artist.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Three Days Ago)
Ranma looked up in pure confusion at the weird teenager who had pulled him aside. The guy wore regular blue pants, a long sleeved white T-shirt, and on his shoulders were some odd metal rings. The guy's hair was also longer on the side of his head as it traveled in kind of a limp arc. "Now you shall learn the true info of Sexy Commando." Masaru waved his hand for a second. "But first you need a nickname."
"A nickname?" The cat-boy asked as he tilted his head and watched the man in front of him go deep into thought. This guy was kind of on the weird side.
The oddly dressed teen snapped his fingers. "Ah, I know what your name shall be! From now on, I shall refer to you as konekoniku-chan." He announced with a large smile. The other people from his club gave a sweat-drop.
"Why the hell would you call him Kitten Meat?!" A skinny boy with short black hair yelled in exasperation. "I mean sure, he does have cat features and all, but..." He stopped right there and shook his head. Logic around Masaru was always dead.
Ranma gave a small shrug at this. It was strange, but it really wasn't that weird. "Now, Konekoniku-chan, I will explain to you the true power of Sexy Commando!" Masaru shouted with a fist raised in the air. "The true secret of Sexy Commando that makes it the most powerful martial arts in the world that it is," the six-year-old was hanging on every word, "the ability to distract your opponent!"
"That's it?" The raven-haired young boy asked with a blink. How could distracting someone be a great martial arts technique? "How does that make it powerful, Hananakajima-san?" the young Saotome asked curiously.
"I'm so glad you asked that question, Konekoniku-chan." Masaru stated with his arms crossed. "In Sexy Commando, one must be able to distract an opponent. Everyone knows that being distracted in battle can mean the worst thing possible. A distraction can cost someone a win, and even their life."
Ranma nodded his head vigorously with huge eyes as he listened to every word of the teen. "That's so cool, Hananakajima-san-nya! You must be great at it." His azure eyes didn't notice the oddly dressed teen's club-mates roll their eyes a little.
The raven-haired teen started to a chuckle. "I can see that you are a natural though, Konekoniku-chan! With your twitching cat ears, that swishing tail, your six-year-old nature, and those adorable nya's, you are a natural distraction."
"Oh please," Genma started with annoyance, "when it comes down to it, normal martial arts is the way to go. If the distraction doesn't work, then you have lost." This goof had some nerve trying to fill his son's head with useless information. There was some truth to being distracted, but it wouldn't work all the time.
"Papa has a small point. He is a great martial artist." The young Saotome stated with a look of respect. In his arms, Miki gave a small nod in agreement.
Masaru gave a smile and thumbs-up. "Then how about we have a small match?" He wanted to show this young boy the wonders of the Sexy Commando. With a nod from Genma, the two men faced off in the grass. The overweight martial artist waited for the oddly dressed teen to make the first move.
Ranma watched curiously as the Sexy Commando practitioner gave a deep breath before he threw his arms apart and waved them up and down slowly. The teen then lowered his hands to his pants and started to unzip the zipper. It wasn't a few seconds later before his pants fell down to his ankles and revealed a pair of blue boxers. With a loud shout, Masaru ran towards the six-year-old's father with his pants still at his ankles.
Genma gave a sweat-dropped as he watched the weird teen run towards him. Raising his arms in a ready stance, he watched as the boy jumped over him and landed from behind. Turning quickly, he watched as his opponent began attending to a small flower that was swaying a little in the breeze.
"Ah the beauty of a flower swaying in the breeze." Hananakajima stated with a placid smile on his face. A split second later, he sent a punch aimed for the older man's head. To his shock, however, Genma caught the punch and gave a smile before the bespectacled man let loose with a quick punch of his own. The odd thing was, the young teen vanished in thin air with a small action figure in place of him. "Sexy Commando Body Replacement Technique." The oddly dressed teen simply stated with a smile from behind.
Eyes narrowing at feeling the boy going to act, the balding martial artist ducked under the punch heading his way and proceeded to do a leg sweep that knocked Masaru off his feet. The fat man had then proceeded to raise a leg and quickly slam it down onto the teen's face hard. This action sent the kid into the ground. "As the phrase goes: You are 100 years too early to defeat me. So take your Sexy Commando nonsense and try not to fill my son's head with it again. No seasoned martial artist would ever fall for something stupid like that."
The downed teen raised a fist with a small smile on his face. "It looks like I will have to train a lot more before I challenge you again, Saotome-san. The next time you see me, we shall do battle again. Defeat is but the next step unto greatness."
Genma gave a shrug before he motioned to his son and Miki to hurry up and come on. Ranma nodded vigorously as he gave a bow to those of the Sexy Commando club and ran to catch up with his father. Sexy Commando seemed lame, but there was some truth to distraction. The young Saotome just didn't think that unzipping the pants was the right way to go.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Present)
Ranma looked upon the large body of water that they stopped at. With a small blink, he looked towards his father in confusion. "What do we do now, papa? Do we get a boat or something?" He did have some money from when he beat that Gambler King, but he hadn't shown it to his father yet.
"Of course not, boy. Getting on a boat would be a waste of precious time spent for training. What we are going to do is swim there." He noticed the wide-eyed and shocked expressions on both his son and Miki's faces. "This IS a training trip boy, and everything can be considered training."
"Wha-- what about Miki?" It would be rather difficult for the small kitten to swim in all that water. Sure, the raven-haired boy had been trying to teach her martial arts, but the feline had a little difficulty with doing it. She could stand on her back legs for a few moments at least, but it was a tough job.
Genma made a small frown at that question. There were a few times when he wished he could just tell the boy to leave her behind, but Ranma was just so attached to the creature. There was also the odd fact that his son was teaching the thing martial arts. As odd as it sounded, the bespectacled man really wanted to see how well his son could do it. In fact, he even decided it would be a challenge that would prepare him for when he became a martial arts instructor of his own.
"Put her in your traveling pack. She'll be safe in there, and you'd be able to use both your arms to swim." Even if he did have the kitten try and swim there, some kind of creature would probably end up snatching her, and then he'd really get an earful from his son.
Ranma looked at his small companion with a little worry. "Will you be ok in the traveling pack, Miki?"
/It'll be dark and scary, but I'll be able to put up with it. Your father really can be an idiot sometimes./ She finished with a slight smile as her friend began to stick her in the pack.
"Sometimes I really think he is." The raven-haired boy agreed as he reluctantly put the pinkish creature safely into the pack by putting a few sheets around her. "Let me know if you are ever in trouble, Miki."
Finishing up the preparations, the cat-boy looked towards his father and gave a small nod that he was ready. The bespectacled man gave a thin smile and nod as he led his son to the Sea of Japan. Several people who were walking around the area watched in curiosity as two people jumped into the water and began to swim off into the distance. Many of them wondered if they were just crazy and wished to die. Another person -- a wrinkled old man -- had tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Now that's true martial artist training for ya!!" Everyone proceeded to stare at him with odd looks as they attempted to get away.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ranma struggled several times in his attempt to swim. He kept on wondering to himself many times just why they couldn't have taken a boat. He decided he wouldn't give up though, and that he'd try his best to show the older Saotome that he was capable of doing things like this. It was training, and it was saner than the idea of the Neko-ken.
There were a few times during their swim when they had actual run-ins with sharks. The creatures made the raven-haired boy nervous, but he also managed to scare them away with some claw swipes. There was a couple that he had to sadly kill though because they wouldn't give up. Oh well, they were mean and tried to eat them. He also tried to get them to go away without harming them too much.
The biggest shock of all had come just a few moments ago when the two were lifted up out of the water by a very large Blue Whale. This caused the young cat-boy to panic uncontrollably at being on the back of such a huge creature. Hell, he never even knew that such a creature even EXISTED. He knew about whales, but didn't know they would be so big. His shock turned into fascination when the small hole on the back of the creature expelled air and water.
They rode on the back of the whale for several moments before it submerged back into the water. This left Ranma wishing he could explore under the water. If that kind of creature was living under these waters, then think of all the interesting things there could be down there.
"Are we almost there yet, papa?" Ranma whined out with a pout. "My arms and legs are getting tired-nya." He wondered just how far China was from where they were. Looking off into the distance, he could see some kind of blur.
"Don't worry Ranma my boy." Genma grunted out. "If we're lucky, it'll only be a day before we get there at this pace." He heard his son let out a loud groan. "The life of a martial artist is fraught with peril, boy. Just think of this as intensive training to make your muscles stronger."
"Yes papa." The pony-tailed boy grumbled out. The water was cold, the waves were rough, his body ached badly, and it would possibly be another day. Could he really put up with it?
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Are-- we there-- yet-- papa?" The raven-haired boy panted out as he lay on his stomach on the surface of a sandy area that was just out of the water. His limbs refused to move, and it felt so nice just to lay there. Miki had already jumped out of his traveling pack and was worriedly licking him on the face. It was a good thing that they had actually come across a motor boat, and the people were nice enough to pick them up and bring them the rest of the way. It was then, as soon as they got off the boat, they fell on their faces exhausted.
"Well-- boy," Genma responded as he also panted, "if I'm right, we're in the Jillin province of China." He remembered the map he looked at before they started on their swim, and they did head in a straight line for the place. There was also the possibility that they could have slightly veered off course and ended in part of Russia or North Korea. Ah well, it didn't matter too much. "Now we just have to make it to the Qinghai province of China for the place I've heard about."
"And how long-- will that-- take, papa?" He hoped it wasn't any farther away than it was to swim here. He didn't even know how long it really took.
The older Saotome thought for a second as he lay there. "To my estimate, it will-- probably take about-- two weeks or so." He heard the small groan from his son. "Cheer up boy. It'll be worth the wait. I heard that-- Jusenkyou was a place that was good for training."
That caused Ranma to stop for a second. That was the same thing the bespectacled man said about climbing and training on Mount Fuji about five weeks ago. There was a supposed hidden temple of meditation up there that his father wanted to find. The result was the pony-tailed boy falling down the slope several times, cutting himself, and almost getting frost-bite. They also never found the blasted temple, and the man settled on having Ranma learn some meditative exercises at a place called the Hikawa Temple. The priestess-in-training there was quite a nice and beautiful girl.
"Papa," the boy began, "I'm sorry to say this, but you are still a jackass-nya."
"When I get the feeling in my arms, remind me to give you a wack upside the head for saying that to me." Genma answered back with a slight glare.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As the trio was moving through the Liaoning province a couple days later, Genma was approached by a large dark-haired man in shades. Of course, the guy originally tried to talk in Chinese. After finding out that the bandana clad Saotome only understood just a little in the way of the language and was a speaker of Japanese, he switched. "Say, you and your son are martial artists, right?" He asked as he looked down at the six-year-old.
The older Saotome felt a little suspicious of this guy, but decided to answer him. "Yeah, and why do you want to know?" There was something about the guy that he didn't like.
"Well, it's my son's 10th birthday, and he wanted to fight against the other martial artist children around the area. So who am I to argue with such an innocent request?" He flashed a large toothy smile towards the man. "I saw that your son was wearing a gi and wondered if you would like to have your son compete. That is, if you aren't busy at the moment."
A frown appeared on Genma's features. It would be a good chance for Ranma to test his skills, but they needed to hurry up and get to Jusenkyou. "I'm sorry, but I must refuse the offer. You see, there's a training area we really need to get to, and I want to get there as soon as possible." The father and son with cat proceeded to walk off.
"Oh, that's too bad. I was going to give a money prize to the people who could defeat my son." That caused Genma to halt in place and slowly turn his head to look at the shady individual.
"How much of a money prize are we talking about?" The dark-haired man gave a smile as he showed a slip of paper to the bespectacled martial artist. The older Saotome's eyes almost seemed to gain yen symbols as he looked at the amount. "Then again, I suppose this would be the perfect time to test out my son's martial arts ability." He gave a large smile to his son. "Don't you agree, boy?"
Ranma looked at his father for a second before nodding his head. He would really like to test his ability out against another person other than his father. "I think it will be really fun!"
The man in the shades gave a smirk. "Well then what are we waiting for?" He asked as he clapped his hands. Walking up to them, he proceeded to lead them towards the area that would be used for the birthday tournament of his son's. It wasn't long before they all came to a cement ring with several people standing around and getting drinks and snacks. The man who led them here then walked over to a boy of about 10-years-old. The boy had short red hair, dark eyes, and was tall and skinny.
As Ranma was motioned over to where the challengers were stationed, Genma couldn't help but notice that all the challengers seemed to be around the ages of six, seven, or eight. 'This fight is completely rigged.' The overweight man stated with a frown. 'The guy purposely sought out younger children for his son to fight.' A fixed fight like this was something he hated. He hoped that his son could beat some sense into the little snot. Then they could have the money and drop that guy down a few pegs.
"Well what do we have here?" The 10-year-old redhead asked as he stopped in his examination of the challengers. His eyes looked towards the pony-tailed cat-boy he held Miki. "I thought none of the challengers could get anymore immature, but here I see a little boy with his kitten." Reaching over, he gave a small flick to Ranma's nose. "Such a widdle baby in need of a kitten to cuddle." He stepped back when the young Saotome hissed, and that hiss caused his cat-ears to pop out and his tail to straighten.
"Do not think I'm weak because I'm younger." The pony-tailed boy growled out with eyes narrowed. His expression then turned cheerful. "I want to show papa how good I've gotten." In his arms, the kitten gave a small glare towards the redhead.
"Oh, you're still using the term papa? Wow, you must really be immature and weak. Those cat things also make you a freak as well." Sticking his tongue out, the older boy danced up to the ring while singing 'cat freak, cat freak, you're just a cat freak'.
Ranma's eyes became hard as he watched the boy move away while singing. 'I'll show you what I can do. Ranma Saotome will not lose to you.' He thought with a small nod as the mini-tournament began. He would show that boy to not underestimate an opponent, even if that opponent was younger and smaller.
It came to the young Saotome's attention that the little 'tournament' was completely lame. Because of all the opponents being six, seven, and eight-years-old, the 10-year-old and taller boy with more experience -- his name was revealed to be Shusei -- seemed to be decimating them all as soon as they could enter the arena. The first opponent had been a short boy who started the match by running up to Shusei to throw a punch. The taller boy merely stepped out of the way, knocked the boy down, and sat on him. The younger then walked away crying.
The next opponent had been a short and somewhat chubby boy who was determined to win. Needless to say, the 10-year-old taunted the boy a little about his weight, poked him in the stomach, and pushed him out of the ring before he could get over the name calling and do anything. The redheaded boy then had the nerve to say that the kid would never become a martial artist with that shape, and that caused the younger to also cry a bit.
This went on with every opponent that had stepped into the ring, and both Ranma and Miki actually wondered if there was something wrong with this whole picture. A 10-year-old fighting against kids who were mostly six and seven with a few eights seemed really unfair. It also really started to anger the pony-tailed boy that Shusei wasn't taking martial arts seriously, and seemed to use it to taunt and tease younger kids.
Finally after 10 more unfair matches, it was time for Ranma's turn to have a go against the taller boy. Setting Miki down with his father, the blue-eyed boy walked over and stepped into the ring. His eyes were hard and full of determination as he looked at the boy who used martial arts in all the wrong ways. "Well if it isn't the immature and weak-looking cat freak. It looks like you're the last opponent. All the others seemed to have quit and went to cry to their mommies."
"Don't think it'll be easy to defeat me." The raven-haired boy stated simply as he got into a ready stance. "You are nothing but a bully, and I'll show you what a true martial artist is capable of-nya."
Shusei let off a laugh as he waved the boy off and got into a stance of his own. This would be a piece of cake to do. After this, all the kids wouldn't be able to say no to him without having a bit of fear in them. It was so close that he could almost taste it, and he'd also put this cat-freak in his place.
At the small starting signal, both combatants ran towards each other. The redhead sent forward a high punch that he hoped would connect to the smaller boy's head. To his disappointment, the cat-boy dodged to the side a little and sent a kick for his stomach. The kick connected and sent the 10-year-old onto his back. "I told you I'd show you what a true martial artist can do-nya."
"Oh shut up, freak." The older boy stated as he stood up and sent a kick towards his opponent. Ranma dodged again and grabbed the extended leg. The pony-tailed boy sent a palm strike forward that hit Shusei in the chest and knocked him onto his back again. The younger boy's blue eyes watched as the dark-eyed boy got up again with a growl. "Ok, I'll admit that you have some skill."
A smile escaped the young Saotome at the compliment. This was actually starting to turn out to be fun. Blocking a punch that was heading his way, the cat-boy proceeded to do a leg sweep that sent his opponent onto his back for the third time. It was at that moment as he started to stand up that his whole body seemed to feel an intense pain. Turning his head, he saw that his downed opponent had grabbed hold of his tail. There was also a look in the older boy's eyes that he didn't like.
"Oh, I'm sorry, does it hurt when somebody squeezes this stupid thing." With a kind of manic grin, Shusei brought the tail close and gave a sharp bite to it. The pain that traveled up Ranma's body was then enough to send him to his knees with his face hidden behind his arms as tears almost threatened to flow out of his eyes. "My, my, my, such a weakness it seems." The redhead stated as he stood up and continued to put an iron grip on the appendage.
The raven-haired boy couldn't believe just how painful it was. He knew that it didn't feel good when someone grabbed the thing and gave a small pull, but to have it being crushed and bitten was something he hadn't experienced. As he lay there on his arms and knees with tears coming out of his eyes as the older boy kept squeezing and taunting him, he could hear his father yelling for him to get back up and fight. A true martial artist should be able to overcome any weakness. 'But it's so painful!'
His opponent gave a laugh as he continued to squeeze and pull the raven-furred tail. "If I were you, cat-freak, I'd give up right now. I won't let go of this tail until you agree to qui--" Shusei's expression turned from pleasure to complete and utter pain in an instant. Apparently the younger boy found the strength to shoot his foot backwards, and that motion had hit the redhead in a certain spot. Letting go of the captured tail, the 10-year-old fell forward and tried to get over the pain he was feeling.
Ranma, on the other hand, managed to sit up and massage his tail. After the pain subsided, he wrapped it around his waist and looked in the older boy's direction with an expression of anger. "You are not a martial artist. A martial artist wouldn't use someone's weakness against them." Flexing his claws, he ran up to the boy and began to reign down scratches that managed to cut the redhead's clothing. There were several scratches upon his body, but the destruction of his clothes was the biggest factor. With a final kick, the azure-eyed boy sent the older one flying out of the ring and onto the ground.
It was an odd match, but many people considered it entertaining none-the-less. Ranma was announced the winner, and Shusei's father reluctantly handed Genma the money that was agreed upon. The younger Saotome happily jumped around like a hyper chipmunk at the win that he had managed to obtain.
Eyes glaring at the aforementioned Saotome as he lay on the ground, Shusei growled and mulled over his loss to such a little freak. 'I'm not going to forget this, cat-freak. I'll get you back someday. Just you wait. When you least suspect it, I'll be there to flatten your ass to the ground.' The boy then proceeded to laugh, but his laughing was cut short when a few of the younger boys that he taunted and teased earlier had ran up to him and started to punch and kick him. "STOP IT!"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Genma had become excited about his son's victory. Even though that Shusei boy seemed like a complete amateur, it was still a great win for his son. There was, however, the problem with the boy's tail that could really cause difficulties in a fight. It was hard to believe how something like that could cause so much pain if it was squeezed or pulled. The solution he had to remedy the problem was simple. Toughen the tail up on their way to Jusenkyou.
Both Ranma and Miki gulped when the overweight martial artist described what they were going to do. Every day until they get to Jusenkyou, they would work on the tail. Bringing out a small rope, the bespectacled man tied it tightly around his son's tail. The pressure and tightness of the rope almost made the raven-haired boy fall to his knees in tears. It also didn't help that the man would occasionally pull hard on it either. There had also been the frequent squeezing as well. Miki could sympathize greatly with what her friend had to go through, but she was also glad it wasn't her who was going through it.
The young Saotome didn't really know how to explain it, but it was like his whole body would feel like it was stabbed with hundreds of tiny needles whenever his tail was abused. It was hard to believe how he never noticed how painful it could be before, and he couldn't believe his father was putting him through this. The whole speech about weakness, downfall, and all that stuff did make a lot of sense though. Maybe this was all for the better.
Gradually, as the time went by, the pain from the tail felt less and less. Ranma didn't understand how that could happen, but Genma stated that when one gets used to the pain, the impact of it all could lessen. He even went on to mention how when Ranma was three, he couldn't take a hit very well, but now he could take quite a few. The punches he received were still painful, but they weren't as potent as they used to be.
It actually made sense, and the pony-tailed boy was really glad that his father was so knowledgeable when it came to martial arts. He couldn't really think of what it would be like if he didn't have his father's guidance in the art. The man's sense of right and wrong weren't as good as his skill in the art, but he was still the boy's father who was teaching him how to do things.
Even more gradually, his tail also seemed to strengthen from all the things that his father did to it. It still hurt if somebody pulled and squeezed on it, but not as much as it had done several days ago. He could even pick up a few small things such as a stick and anything that wasn't too heavy. The whole thought of it all was exciting, and even Genma had hopes of him being able to use it like an extra limb. The overweight man was still patting himself on the back for having his son go through the Neko-ken training as if it had been the greatest accomplishment.
It was the next day in which the trio finally arrived at the Bayankala Mountain Range in the Qinghai province. It had been almost two weeks since they had started their trek in across China, and most of that time -- when not spent on meals and sleeping -- was spent on training and something Genma liked to call 'tail practice'. Ranma and Miki actually preferred to call it 'tail torture'.
As they stood on the cliff overlooking the springs and bamboo poles, the young cat-boy felt a faint tingle of some sort that he decided to put out of his mind. "Wow, this place looks so cool-nya." It didn't look all that dangerous at all. At least not like that Mt. Fuji experience that he would like nothing more than to forget.
Genma gave a motion with his hand. "Come on boy, let's get going. We have to make it down this path first." Giving a vigorous nod, the pony-tailed Saotome fallowed his balding father down the dirt path towards their destination. It took about 25 minutes, but they managed to finally arrive at the entrance to Jusenkyou. The very moment they stepped into the area of the springs, Ranma and Miki instantly stiffened.
/This place doesn't feel right./ The kitten stated as she shivered. There was something in the air that just didn't seem to agree with her senses. /I don't think I like this place./
Ranma didn't know why, but it almost felt like there was a bunch of really potent magic and energy around the area. He didn't know why he was thinking about magic either. His feline senses were also going into complete overdrive as he looked around the place. "Papa, this place doesn't seem right at all." He didn't want to be here, and it felt like something was going to happen.
"Nonsense, that's just your nerves talking at seeing this place. Now come on boy." A frown appeared on the large man when he saw his son stubbornly shake his head. Looking at the kitten in his son's arms, he got an idea. A smile came as he plucked Miki out of the boy's arms and ran towards the springs. With a large leap, he landed on the top of one of the bamboo poles.
"Miki!! Papa, put her down!" The young boy shouted in a mixture of anger and fear as he rushed towards the springs. Neither of the people heard the warning shout from a large man dressed in a green uniform, even though he yelled at the top of his lungs for them to not get any closer to the place.
Slightly unsure of himself, Ranma attempted to make a leap up onto one of the shorter bamboo poles. Managing to clumsily land on it, he used his tail to help him balance so he wouldn't fall. The young Saotome then proceeded to give clumsy leap onto another pole. Pretty soon he was clumsily leaping from pole to pole while using his tail as a balance. Genma smiled at this as he held the small kitten that was mewing in fright. The bespectacled man jumped across poles and led his son around so the boy could get a better hang at balance and jumping.
A small problem with it all occurred when Genma landed on a weakened bamboo pole. The pole snapped and sent him falling towards a spring. As he fell, he accidentally flung his arm and sent Miki flying towards a different spring. Fear fully gripping at Ranma, the cat-boy leapt from his perch and managed to grab his feline friend as they hit the water with a large splash. The Jusenkyou guide gave a sigh at two people and a cat being cursed today. He decided to start the explanations by walking over to the father who was just now coming out of the spring.
For Ranma and Miki, it was a few moments of odd tingling through their bodies that they felt until the young Saotome managed to get back to the surface of the water and get some fresh air. "Are you ok Miki?" The six-year-old asked in worry. It was then that he noticed a few things that seemed odd. One thing was that 'his' voice seemed a little higher than usual. The other thing was that what he was holding in 'his' arms were actually a naked girl of about 'his' own age of six with waist-length pink hair with a few black highlights and vivid blue eyes. Ranma's six-year-old mind attempted to put two and two together on this. The girl had pink hair/black highlights and vivid blue eyes, and Miki had pinkish fur with some black markings and vivid blue eyes. "M-- Miki, is that you?"
"Rrranma?" The girl asked in confusion before she put a paw -- no, hand -- to her mouth. She had just spoken in human talk. "It-- it I, but that youuu? Youuu-- look like yyyou, but-- have rrred hair-- rrred fur on ears." The cat turned girl then gave a small sniff. "From senses tell, yyyou girl-nya." It was really hard to speak with these vocal cords.
The boy turned girl gave a tilt to her head at trying to understand her friend. "Really?" At her friend's nod, she reached down her gi and noticed something was missing. "I guess I am." The redhead stated with a blink. "Boy, is this weird or what?" It was a really freaky thing, but it didn't seem all that much different from usual.
"Oh I'm sorry," the man in green from earlier started, "you two fall into spring of drowned girl. Legend say that a girl fall into spring and drown 1500 year ago. Now whoever fall into spring take form of young girl." The guy also pointed to a panda that was not too far from them. "Your father also fell into spring of drowned panda." The guide wondered what the reactions of the two in front of him would be. The large man seemed to slightly panic when he found out, but once he learned that hot water would reverse it, he calmed down.
Ranma and Miki took a look towards the panda, looked at each other, then looked back to the panda. Then at once, they both said the first thing that came to their minds. "It really suits him." The idea of him turning into anything else wouldn't have made sense at this point. The two decided that it would be best if they got out of the water before they started to really get cold.
Letting go of the now humanized and nude pink-haired girl, the two girls climbed out of the spring. As soon as Miki climbed out, she nearly fell onto her face. Thankfully, Ranma was able to catch her hand help her up. "It looks like it's my turn to help you learn to walk, Miki." The redhead stated with a small giggle. Her friend gave a grumble and blush as she used the cat-girl for support. They had to be really careful not to fall into any other springs and possibly turn into something even worse. "Too bad you couldn't keep your cat-ears and tail though-nya." The young Saotome stated with a slight pout.
"I knows," the young pink-haired girl stated with a slight frown. It was so weird to be able to actually talk like a human, but it was so neat as well. This also meant she had hands and could walk on two legs. She could now do so many things she wished she could do just moments ago. With a joyous shriek, she grabbed her friend in a tight hug and accidentally knocked her to the ground. "This cool, Rrranma-nya!!" She yelled as she nuzzled her friend.
The pony-tailed redhead couldn't help but laugh as her friend attempted to nuzzle her to death in happiness. "Can we please get a little farther from the springs though, Miki?" The kitten turned human child gave a nod as she bolted to the human legs she now had. Ranma got to her own feet and grabbed the other transformed person by the hand. "Come on, let's go."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"And so you see, hot water turns you back into normal forms." The guide stated as he poured the contents of the kettle onto each of the three individuals. Before Genma could give a whoop of joy, the guide continued on with a bucket in hand. "And cold water will turn you back into your cursed forms." He proceeded to dump the cold water over the three. Genma acted like it was a complete travesty, Ranma didn't really know what to think, and Miki was overjoyed behind all reason.
The seemingly six-year-old pink-haired girl pounced on her friend again. "Just think-- all huuuman things-- cannn dooo, Rrranma-nya!" She was so glad she met the young Saotome all those weeks ago. Lifting her head up, she gave a small happy lick to her friend's cheek.
//HUMANS SHOULD NOT DO THAT!// A sudden sign in Genma-panda's hand announced. Where he got the signs, nobody knew. //Especially a young girl to another girl.// There was another flip to the sign. //Wait, my son shouldn't be a girl!!//
"Cool sign trick, papa." Ranma stated with big eyes before she shook her head. "Miki's still a cat at heart. There's nothing wrong with her wanting to lick someone's cheek." Was there really something wrong with it? "What's wrong with me being a girl anyway? Sure it's not what I really am, but I now turn into it. I see nothing wrong."
The panda pulled out another sign from who knows where. //She's still a human now, and it's weird for a human to do that.// There was a flip to the sign. //Can you please get her into some damn clothes?// The sign was then turned around again, and somehow had new text on it. //You are naturally a boy, that's why. You are not some weak girl.//
"Ucchan wasn't weak, and I don't feel any weaker." The redhead simply stated before she took a look at Miki. "Why does she need clothes? She's human right now, but she's still a cat, and she looks cute right now as well-nya." Was the young Saotome really missing the big picture in it all?
The pink-haired girl stood up clumsily and put her hands on her hips. "That rrright, I still cat. Look cute nnno clothes-nya!" The sight of a girl of around six who was standing around completely naked caused the pandafied Genma and Jusenkyou Guide to avert their eyes with a blush. "Ok, fine. Put clothes onnn." Walking clumsily over to the traveling packs, she began to root though them until she found another gi of Ranma's. Putting it on, she found that it was the right size. Taking a small step, the cat turned human fell flat onto her face.
"I need to help you with that, Miki." The cat-girl stated as she walked up and helped her friend to her feet. "It's just like you told me a few weeks ago, put one foot in front of the other. You don't have a tail to balance you though, so try and use your body weight… or something." The redhead didn't really understand the mechanics of how to do it, so she just gave a guess.
Concentrating hard, Miki attempted to take a few steps and found herself actually succeeding in doing it. With a little more effort, she found that she was able to walk even faster. After several moments of this, she looked towards her friend with big eyes. "I do it-- Rrranma-nya!" With an incredible pounce, the pink-haired girl jumped into the redhead and knocked her down. She then proceeded to lick her friend on the face again.
"Stop it, Miki. That's starting to tickle-nya!" Ranma shouted as she began to laugh as her friend hung onto her. It was a weird experience, but the girl was still a kitten -- and close friend -- in the young Saotome's mind. This might also make it easier to teach the girl martial arts.
//Coming here was a mistake!// The large panda signed as tears streamed down his furry cheeks. //My son now turns into a weak girl.// A large frown made its way onto both of the children's faces as they read the sigh.
"Rrranma/I'm not weak!" Both shouted with a twin glare at the same time towards the older Saotome. After the outburst, both looked at each other and began to laugh again at saying it at the same time. Genma, on the other hand, gave a large sigh at the thought of yet another child on his hands. Why did this all have to get so complicated?
To their delight, the Jusenkyou Guide had actually offered to make dinner for them. It was getting late at night, and the large man in green didn't think it would be a good idea for the three to venture out while it was getting dark at Jusenkyou. The decision was also reached due to the large misty fog that seemed to be settling in over the area. Any wrong step during that, and they could become even more cursed than they already were.
The soup the guide made was actually pretty good, and Ranma had to help show Miki how to properly use a spoon instead of using her mouth. The new human had trouble holding the utensil in her currently clumsy hand. As this was going on, Genma decided to try and sneak a few spoons from his son turned daughter's bowl. He didn't get too far before the aforementioned child gave a claw swipe to his hand. The man gave a pandafied pout and went back to eating his own.
As she started to get the hang of using something in her hands, the pink-haired girl became even more elated. "If otherrr cats see nowww-nya." She announced with a giggle as she finished her food. Standing up, she decided to walk around some more to get the hang of it. As she moved around, she also ended up picking up various things in her new hands. It was an incredible experience to the neo-human girl as she picked up chairs, knick-knacks, pans, and many other things. After several moments of this, she stopped with a bright smile on her face before she turned around and leapt for her friend again. "Thank much, Rrranma. If no met youuu, I norrrmal cat!" She then proceeded to curl up on her friend's lap.
Another childish giggle escaped out of the redhead as she proceeded to pet her friend's long hair. "I might have gone crazy with everything if you weren't there to help." Of course, only the two neo-girls and a certain girl in Japan knew the exact meaning of the sentence, and it would remain their secret. Through the whole interaction, Genma kept bemoaning the fates.
It wasn't too much longer until it was time to turn in for the night. The guide pulled out a couple guest futons that he stored in his cabin for whenever Jusenkyou victims had to stay the night. He only had two, but the solution was solved when Ranma and Miki proclaimed that they could both sleep on the same futon. Genma attempted to protest this, but when asked if he would rather go without one, he changed his mind.
As the two children climbed into the futon, the guide sweat-dropped and mentioned how the scene was just too cute to watch, and how the two could probably give even a monster a few cavities with it all. The older Saotome merely grumbled, since he had heard it all many times before from all the people they had met. It was slightly more true now that the boy was a girl, and that the kitten turned girl was also hanging around. Martial artists weren't supposed to be cute, damn it!! Many annoyed thoughts ran through his head as he turned onto his side and began to fall asleep.
Lying within the comfortable blanket of the futon and sleeping soundly were the two newly cursed neo-girls. Their bodies were still, and their breathing seemed to be in sync as they faced each other. If Genma or the Jusenkyou Guide had been watching, they would have seen a small and soft glow shine around the chest area of the two as they slept.
xxA.Nxx
For those who don't know: Masaru Hananakajima and the Sexy Commando school club he runs are from a lesser known series known as Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoiyo! Masaru-san. The series is quite a strange one.
And Jusenkyou has finally made its appearance on the scene. Hmm… a small glow softly shining around the two. The glow between the two means a few things, and I will enlighten you all on what.
One: The glow merely put the two's aging in sync. This means that Miki won't age at normal cat speed and grow up too fast and all before Ranma.
Two: The glow made a slight connection with the Star Seeds and changed Miki's structure to that of a Mau.
Three: The change to Mau for Miki will be a more gradual thing than it was for Ranma. It's to give her curse and normal form enough time to sync-up with each other.
Alright, time for a few Senshi attacks that Ranma would have in female Senshi form.
Yowl of the Hunt A loud cat screech used to momentarily stun an opponent and possibly leave their ears ringing.
Cat's Eye Ambush: It's a skill that can only be used most effectively at night, and works best when the moon is full. The opponent's vision is suddenly filled with darkness, and all around the opponent would be hundreds of cats' eyes and echoing cat noises.
Kitty Cat Cute Attack: The skill is more of a 'what the hell' technique for Ranma. The skill plays on the cuteness of Ranma's cat-girl form and magically magnifies it by 10.