Chapter 2
Amidst the rooftops, a pang of nausea had washed over Ranma regarding all that was left behind. She could abandon her responsibilities, her family honor as son of Genma—a cruel joke by the gods that she was born a girl. But leaving behind years of training was a daunting task. It was frightening, and it would be hard, but Ranma didn't back down from a fight.
Ranma was a man amongst men and the world's greatest martial artist, after all.
Growls emanating from from Ranma's stomach pulled her out of her pep-thoughts (peptalk). Ranma glared disdainfully at the wooden entrance in front of her, listening to the splattering outside, which she only narrowly missed.
It descended in punishing sheets of rain that ran down the grounds and pooled in any lower lying areas. The continued flashes that shone through the cracks of the door indicated that this storm was far from ending. The wooden confines of her respite chattered at intermittent gusts of wet wind and a sudden draft sent a shiver up Ramna's spine.
Ranma grumbled under her breath in irritation while rubbing her arms. Ranma couldn't remember the last time that Tokyo had experienced a storm this bad. Of course, it had to have the most inconvenient timing. Ranma pouted
Why did it have to storm this hard the day after I leave?
Leaning on the rim of a shine well, Ranma tried to redirect her thought back to the positive side, forbidding herself from entertaining the darker ones that lurked below; she wouldnt do that while the wounds were still fresh.
Ranma recalled how grateful she was for the elderly woman who pointed her the way of the nearest shrine as the clouds began to roll in and the wind picked up. Unfortunately, the shrine ground keepers seemed to be absent, which resulted in Ranma's current predicament.
A sudden and particularly strong gust of caused the door to swing open in time with a deafening crack of thunder. Ranma narrowly dodged the incoming spray of rain. After the flash of of lightening, the doors flopped shut again. Ranma quickly took this opportunity to repurpose of a chunk chipped frame as a door stop. The last thing she wanted was to be cold AND wet.
Ugh…its gonna be a long night.
The tired, hungry martial artist reclined on edge of the well, supported by her arms, and with a long sigh, her eyes fell closed.
"meow" new guest greeted between licks to his soaked fur.
Ranma's eyes shot open and her entire body went rigid.
…
(25 min prior)
Ranma felt around in her bag for her umbrella when see saw the sky darken, rummaging more vigorously when it was no where to be found.
"I put it in here, I know it! Where is it!?"
With a defeated huff, she began to jog around for any place where she might be able to wait out the storm. Running up to a café, a hunched over man hastily hobbled over and flipped the door sign over from the inside, to read "closed". The man eyed her with a saggy scowl.
"grumpy ol' coot" Ranma grumbled resentfully before jogged away to find a different place.
But the streets were almost empty. Why is everyone closing up? Its not even 4pm!
She wondered, looking up at the sky with concern. When flashes of energy illuminating the sky made her hair float up and away from her body like wispy serpents, Ranma picked up the pace. She was still running, and running out of options. She was unfamiliar with this area of town, making her feel that she may have to settle with being a drenched young man in this case. Stopping to look down one street, Ranma happened upon a gray haired senior who waddled in her direction, using her cane to stabilize her gait. She seemed so out of place on the empty streets, wearing a knit cardigan over an ankle length faded floral skirt and loafers—no umbrella or rain poncho and not in any rush to get inside. She smiled, a little too eagerly, waving Ranma over.
Seeing the imminence of the storm, Ranma wondered why she was still outside. Ranma's mouth pulling into a concerned frown. Ranma knew this wasn't weather that elderly people should be in. Ranma approached her, prepared to ask her if she needed any assistance getting home. She wasn't prepared when the senior eagerly offered Ranma assistance instead, pointing an arthritic finger the way that Ranma had just come, saying that a shrine was 2 blocks away. She must have seen the concern on Ranma's face because she was quick to assure her that her shop was nearby, although it was closed to customers at the moment. Ranma nodded in understanding.
Wanting to ensure that she wouldnt get stuck in the storm, Ranma insisted on accompanying her back to her shop entrance a block away, to which she hesitantly agreed. Through the glass window, there stood blank manicans covered in dust on the display, but it was too dark to discern anything past it. The shop didnt have a sign either, which was weird. The elderly woman's unsteady hands struggled with the keys at the entrance. Ranma briefly noticed an interestingly shaped mark that graced flesh between the woman's thumb and index finger on her left hand. It was very symmetrical, unlike the nearby age spots. It could have been a birthmark, but Ranma didn't spend the time to figure that out.
"May I help you with that?" Ranma offered, trying to use more proper language. The old woman smiled sheepishly and handed Ranma the keys "oh thank you, my dear. My old hands are pretty useless these days. It's the blue key, that one there" she indicated. Ranma managed to unlock the door after giving the key a bit of a jiggle.
"There ya go." Ranma said, her informal dialect seeping back in as she handed the keys back. She glad to know this lady would not be caught in the storm. Bowing and thanking her, Ranma said her goodbyes. Once the old woman nodded and closed the door, Ranma took off the way she came, humoring the senor's suggestions. She was fairly sure there would be no shrine where she just been but Ranma didn't have much of a choice.
Maybe I just missed it. She reasoned
On the way back, Ranma couldn't help but look around in bewilderment, even as the wind slapped her viciously and the sky clapped loudly with flashes. Somehow, this second time around, the path seemed less familiar. The streets looked neater, the paints on the roads, building and fences appeared less chipped. Ranma seriously reconsidered her sanity when two shops she passed had different names than she remembered. Turning the corner, she came to a stop two blocks down. Red eyebrows shot up beneath her bangs.
A shrine.