Chapter 13

Ryoga was both awestruck and dumbfounded. He had only been gone for a few minutes, or he thought he had. He had delivered a hard enough punch to Tsubasa to knock him out for a couple of hours. Well, not really—he had had pulled his punch a little.

"Damn! I left them right here," he said. "Tsubasa was on the floor, and…"

Ranma surveyed the Control Room with its panels and monitors and the only thing within was one of Akane's shoes. He picked it up and examined it, but he would not tell him anything, other than there was an obvious struggle, and…she needed a foot odours.

Ryoga started to panic. "I knew I shouldn't have left the girls alone," he said grief-stricken. He ruffled his hair about in frustration. He then looked out into the hallway, but it was empty.

"If you hadn't, Ryoga, I wouldn't be here," Ranma said, "so don't be so hard on yourself. How did you know Tsubasa had just as hard a head as you do?"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better, Ranma?" Ryoga growled through clenched teeth, even raising a fist in anger. "We have to find them!"

"Question is," Ranma said, gazing at Akane's shoe, thinking, as it would give him some insight, "where would Tsubasa take the girls?"

"Wait! I think I see something," Ryoga said, running out into the hall. He hadn't seen it before, because he hadn't been looking for it and it was almost hiding near the wall. Both left the Control Room. Ryoga picked up Akane's other shoe. "You think she left them to follow?"

Ranma and Ryoga stood in front of the elevator. "Yeah, but now—up or down?"

With a press of the button, a few seconds passed before a ding was heard, and the elevator doors slid open. But inside, they were delivered a shock—Shampoo, in her cat form, was unconscious on the floor.

Ranma's innate fear of cats was triggered as Ryoga stepped in and picked Shampoo up. Ryoga cradled her gently in his arms unafraid, reminding him of how kind Akane was with him as P-Chan. "She's okay. Tsubasa must've not needed Shampoo and knocked her out."

Ranma stood just outside the elevator. Ryoga reached into his pants packet for the water flask, but it was empty. They would not be able to change Shampoo back. But then Ranma looked at Shampoo and a sudden calmness came over him. With Shampoo out, the fear he normally had of cats became moot. And Shampoo had been hurt. He hated to see any animal harmed.

Ranma reached over and pet Shampoo lightly on the head.

"Um, you're not afraid?" Ryoga said with wonder.

"Tsubasa hurt Shampoo, strangely my fear of cats is suddenly…gone. Come to think of it, I'm only afraid of cats because of what Pop did to me."

"Because you think they will attack you? I think its an irrational fear."

Ranma pulled back his hand, stepping into the elevator. "You ever get thrown into a pit of ravenous cats covered with cat nip? Nuthin' irrational 'bout it, man! But never mind that. We have to find both Ukyo and Akane before Tsubasa does sumethin' 'irrational' with them." Ranma looked at the buttons. "Where'dya think that maniac took'em?"

Ryoga thought for a moment. "I'd bet up. Think about it. Tsubasa is acting like a love-sick fool." Ryoga cleared his throat, as if he knew how that felt. Then said, "Running the gauntlet to rescue Ukyo was a test. And he sees you as a rival suitor. But Tsubasa sees Ukyo is his princess. In reality, he's the villain here. And in every fairy tale I've read, the villain always has the princess locked away in a room in the highest part of the castle."

Ranma snapped two fingers in agreement. "Nice! And I noticed a citadel-like tower when we first came to this mansion. So, it's up we go!" And he pressed the button to go to the highest level.

Suddenly, the floor dropped out from beneath them. Ryoga fell first, but Ranma, as quick as he was, managed to grab onto a handlebar that was on one wall to keep himself from plummeting down to the dark shaft below. Ryoga was also quick and managed to grab onto something—the only thing that was available. Ranma's ankles.

"Aw, man! What is this?"

"Hang on, Ranma! Don't let go!"

"The thought had occurred to me!"

The elevator was still heading upwards as the pair hung on. But once the highest floor was reached, the elevator doors dinged, and opened. Ranma looked at the open doors, but he couldn't let go to reach them.

"Ryoga, climb up and climb out. I can't let go!"

Ryoga did exactly that and managed to jump out of the elevator, then he reached in, got a hand hold from Ranma, and yanked Ranma to safety.

Ranma brushed his brow. "Phew, that was close. What other surprises does this idiot have?"

"This is Tsubasa's domain," Ryoga said, "three could be booby traps anywhere."

The pair ventured forward, down a lengthy hallway, that lead to a large, wooden, half-moon door. It had iron-fittings and a key-lock. And, then, they saw—of all things—a vending machine in the hall with a display of cold and hot drinks.

"Strange place for something like this," Ryoga said, examining it throughly.

Ranma suddenly took an involuntary step back, remembering something about Tsubasa, and how he liked to hide within normal things and then spring out of them. "Ryoga, look out!"

Suddenly, Ryoga was sprayed in the face with a cold liquid substance from a hidden nozzle and it immediately activated his curse. Ryoga dropped Shampoo and transformed into P-Chan, a small, black piglet. His clothes felt down around him. He began to squeal in protest.

Ranma kicked the vending machine over before Tsubasa could fire another shot. It crashed on its side and the rear popped open, whereas Tsubasa rolled out violently. He looked up angrily. "Cheater! How dare you attack an innocent vending machine!"

"Innocent?" Ranma growled. He grabbed the other by his shirt. "Okay, enough with the games, Tsubasa Where is Ukyo and Akane? Are they in that room? It's time to end this farce!"

"You lost, Saotome! You agreed to the rules. Ukyo is mine!"

"Look, pal—"

But before Ranma could finish his thought, Tsubasa kicked up, and delivered an unexpected upper-kick to Ranma's face, knocking him backwards. Tsubasa rolled to freedom and backed to the door, as if protecting it for dear life.

"You don't understand the forces you've unleashed, Saotome! I love Ukyo, and I'll make her love me! Ask yourself why I know so music about you?" He smiled devilishly. "Because, I've visited Jusenkyo, too, and after I spoke to the Guide, I did a little pre-planning before this encounter." Tsubasa pulled out a silver flask from a pocket. "You turn into a girl when splashed with cold water, and I have a little surprise for you…"

Ranma's eyes widened. "You didn't?!"

"Need you have to ask after everything you've gone through? You're half-and-half, and you're surrounded by beautiful girls. I only want one. Give Ukyo to me and I'll left Akane go free."

Ranma grit his teeth. "You're insane, you know that! Trading one girl for another is just sick!"

Tsubasa looked displeased. "Then you give me no choice!" He popped off the cap of the flask and drank it completely.

"Nooo!" Ranma shouted.

At first, nothing happened—

Then Tsubasa began to change. His skin turned a greenish-blue and c-shaped scales started to form everywhere. Then his legs began to retract into his body, as something else, stretched out from his back, or lower body, forming an elongated tail; his entire body narrowing into a thinner version of itself, with a black underbelly.

And it didn't take long for Ranma to notice the type of curse Tsubasa had subjected himself to.

Tsubasa's head was the last to transform. All his hair receded and his scalp became bald, his face protruding with a long noise, with beety-looking, dark eyes, and a fork-tongue, ejected itself from his mouth, followed by a hiss.

Tsubasa was now a large snake, filling the entire hallway.

Ranma stopped short of swearing out-loud, but said, "Tsubasa, what the hell—why did you do this? I didn't purposely go out to get this curse, neither did the others. Are you crazy?"

Tsubasa slithered, whipping his fork-tongue out. Unbelievably, he was able to speak. "Whatever it takesss, Sssaotome! And you can't ssstop me! You've been out-cursed!"

The situation had become unreal and far more than Ranma had bargained for. Shampoo, now conscious, ran behind him, with P-Chan in tow. Obviously, they didn't want to get devoured by Tsubasa. Ranma, strangely enough, didn't feel nervous with Shampoo near him in her cat form. His focus was more on surviving with whatever Tsubasa was about to hit him with.

Ranma backed off slowly with his hands in the air. "Okay, Tsubasa…this has gone far enough. You need serious help, man." Immediately, he regretted what he said. "Listen, let's talk 'bout this. Let Ukyo decide. You know how girls are, they change their minds all the time." Ranma smiled cheerfully, hoping to bring down the tension. Obviously, Tsubasa wasn't falling for it.

Tsubasa's tongue whipped out again, then he said, "When I asked the Guide what wasss the most terrible and horrendousss thing that died at Jusenkyo, he told me about a large sssnake, that was rumoured to have drowned in one of the sssprings. The ssstory went, the sssnake bent down to take a drink from a pool, and then fell in. Everyone knows sssnakes can ssswin, but as it tried to crawl out, a rock fell down and trapped it, and it drowned. I took a sample of the ssspring to drink. But I'm no fool! I alssso brought back a sssample of the cure—from the Ssspring of Drowned Man. It will change me back onccce I finally defeat you!"

To be continued...