Chapter 2 - The Rite of Severance
"We're home!" Ranma's voice called out, followed by the sound of the front door closing.
Akane looked up from the book she was reading. It was late in the evening and at this time of night, she would have departed to her bed if not for the fact her errant fiancé had been out checking on a potential cure to his water-based curse.
"Welcome home," Akane said, rubbing her eyes, a yawn escaping her mouth.
"Is that Ranma and Mister Saotome back, Akane?" Kasumi called from the kitchen.
"Yes, Sis," Akane called back as she got up from the kotatsu.
"Oh my, I'll rustle up some supper for them then." Her sister stated cheerily.
She watched as Ranma and Genma trudged in followed by a travel-worn Ryoga Hibiki.
"Ryoga!" Akane smiled as she came up and gave him a welcoming hug. "It's so good to see you."
Ryoga blushed and straightened up from her hug.
He's always so shy. She thought, smiling at him.
"It's- uh- g-g-g-great to see you t-to, Akane!" Ryoga stuttered, scratching the back of his head and looking anywhere but at her.
Akane gave Ryoga her gentlest, most reassuring smile to put him at ease.
"Did you just arrive? How is Akari getting on?" She said as she guided Ryoga to sit with her at the kotatsu.
"She's fine- haha!" Ryoga laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"Hope she's not worried about any of her pigs wandering off." Ranma grouched as he sat down opposite and shot Ryoga a flat look.
Ryoga's eyes widened before he glared back at Ranma.
"Ranma, don't be mean to Ryoga!" Akane growled as she shot Ranma a warning look.
Ranma 'hmphed' and looked away annoyed.
Why does he have to be such a jerk sometimes?! The thought shot through her mind.
"What happened at the Nekohanten?" Akane asked. "Was there a cure or was this one of Shampoo's schemes?"
Before she could help it, a dark thought of Ranma and Shampoo alone at the Nekohanten snapped into her mind.
"You didn't get up to anything with her did you, Ranma!?"
Akane narrowed her eyes at her fiancé, trying to pick up on any hints of wrongdoings from his reactions.
"What are ya talkin' about, tomboy?! I ain't done nothin' with Shampoo!" Ranma yelled, throwing his hands up in frustration.
"Yeah, right!" Akane crossed her arms, eyeing Ranma suspiciously. "So what did happen?"
"Mousse has found some kinda mystic woman who can apparently cure Jusenkyo curses," Ranma said before his attention was caught by Kasumi entering in carrying bowls of food that she placed down at the table.
"Oh my, Ryoga-kun. I didn't know you were here also." The eldest Tendo girl gave the lost boy an appraising look before smiling. "Please let me get you a plate also."
"Oh thank you, Kasumi-san! If it is not too much trouble?" Ryoga blushed as he bowed to her in appreciation.
"No trouble at all. It is always nice having you visit, Ryoga-kun." Kasumi headed back into the kitchen to get more food.
"So do you think this 'mystic woman' will be able to lift your curse?" Akane asked, looking over at Ranma and his father as they both began to wolf down their food.
It was a strange mix of feelings that came over Akane as she considered the possibility that Ranma was going to be cured. That he would no longer be cursed to transform into a cute, busty redheaded girl when splashed with cold water. She wasn't really sure how to think about that.
Since she had first met Ranma, he had always had the Jusenkyo curse. Hell, she had first met him in his cursed form, ruefully recollecting that meeting and how disastrous it had been. Now though, she was facing the possibility that Ranma would no longer have a female form. One guilty part of her was somewhat happy, almost relieved at the prospect. She would no longer have to contend with a fiancé who could be a 'better girl' than her. That competed with her both in the looks department and in traditionally feminine skills. It had irked Akane whenever Ranma had outshone her when it came to cooking or looking better in an outfit. That a boy, especially a boy who fiercely claimed to be a man amongst men, could be a better girl than her, left her with feelings of inadequacy. That her fiancé could have a bigger bosom, a curvier body, or a cuter face, was a difficult reality to come to terms with. And those dark thoughts had always lingered at the back of her mind.
On the topic of it being her fiancé. It had always been an awkward situation, being engaged to a boy who was sometimes a girl. Akane had always struggled with that aspect of her relationship with Ranma. How it would appear to the outside world. For the youngest Tendo, who had always struggled with how her peers perceived her, it brought up her old insecurities of not being feminine enough or being involved in something 'perverted'. While she felt she could always see Ranma as Ranma, no matter what form he was in, whenever she had to contend with the physical realities of Ranma's female form, especially out in public, she couldn't help the feelings of embarrassment and how she might be perceived.
On the other hand, Akane found it difficult to divorce the mental image in her mind of Ranma without his female form. She had always known him as having both physical halves. Male and female. That she would no longer see him with fiery red hair. See her deep blue eyes or cute face when she blushed or flashed that cocky smile so full of mischief and joy. That the redhead would physically no longer exist. So many special moments she had shared with Ranma, he had been in female form. So many memories…
While in many ways the curse had been a barrier for them both when it came to their relationship, she secretly had to admit it had also helped them get closer.
Like with anything when it came to Ranma, it was complicated and hard to fully understand.
At the end of the day though, if he wanted this, if it would make him happy, she would support him in this, as she had done when other potential cures had turned up.
"Mousse seems to think so!" Ranma mumbled through a mouthful of food, snapping Akane out of her thoughts.
"As does that old amazon mummy." Genma chimed in. " I have also heard of the powers this mystic has."
Genma pushed his empty bowl away before regarding her, reaching out and grasping her shoulder lightly.
"This is good news, Akane-chan! With the Jusenkyo curses cured, we can get on with planning the wedding and finally joining the schools." Genma nodded sagely.
Akane blanched at her potential future father-in-law's proclamation. Trust him to find another way to bring up the engagement!
Genma and her father had not let up on their plans to get herself and Ranma married. Heaping pressure on both of them to try and get their affairs in order. It had been aggravating, to say the least.
Her eyes flicked to Ranma, gauging his reaction to his father's statement.
Ranma had made a slight choking sound as Genma had seemed to catch him by surprise in the middle of hovering up his food and some of it had gone down the wrong pipe. After thumping himself in the chest and swallowing, a stormy look crossed his face, glancing first at his father in annoyance before switching to her. After seeing her looking at him, he turned away hastily and stared at the table, studying the remains of his bowl of rice.
Ranma's reaction surprised her slightly. Yes, they had been getting along better since the incident at Jusendo and the failed wedding. It had been awkward at points and more than once they had fallen back into their old patterns of pushing one another's buttons until they had exploded into arguing but there had also been peaceful periods.
Still, she would have bet that if Genma brought up wedding plans, Ranma would have let his mouth run off, yelling about not wanting to marry her or for Genma to keep out of it. Silence and unease were not what she was expecting.
Akane frowned but before she could say anything another occupant of the Tendo dojo let herself be known.
"What is this about a cure to the curse?" Nodoka Saotome asked as she gracefully stepped into the room and sat down at the table.
Akane noted both father and son stiffening as the matriarch of their family let herself be known.
Ranma looked uncertain for a moment before a warm smile won out on his face that he showed to his mother.
"Hey, Ma!" Ranma said.
"Good evening, Son," She smiled gently before turning to Genma, "Husband, I hope you have brought good news on the cure?"
"Haha yes, indeed, No-chan," Genma barked a gruff laugh as he sweated under his wife's attention.
The elder Saotome man regaled them on the meeting that had taken place at the Nekohanten, telling them about this famed healer Madam Song, how she could break the Jusenkyo curse as well as the plan to seek her out in the morning.
Kasumi stepped back into the room as Genma finished, going about serving tea to everyone.
"This is good news, my husband." Nodoka nodded to him before taking a gentle sip of her tea and giving Kasumi a thankful smile.
Genma puffed up somewhat at Nodoka's praise.
"On my, yes," Kasumi chimed in, "I'm so happy for you both though it will be sad to no longer have a panda here sometimes. I'm sure some of the neighborhood children will miss Mister Panda."
Genma chuckled, a sweatdrop appearing on his head.
"Mister Panda?" Nodoka asked nonplused, quirking an eyebrow at her husband.
Kasumi's gaze then fell on Ranma who had been noticeably quiet during the telling. A small smile came to her lips.
"And I'll miss Ranma's girl form." The eldest Tendo daughter said somewhat softly.
Ranma blinked upon hearing that and regarded Kasumi with wide eyes.
"Wha?" Ranma said, elegantly.
There was a slight tension growing at the table, Akane noticed, specifically coming from Nodoka whose posture had stiffened and was regarding Kasumi with a frown.
"It's just, as long as I've known you, Ranma-san, you've had both forms, so it will be quite the change to get used to." Kasumi said with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Yeah- well… it's-" Ranma stuttered, unsure what he seemed to want to say.
Akane frowned at her older sister's comment, hearing some of her own thoughts voiced aloud. Ranma's reaction to what her sister said was curious as well. She expected him to be his usual brash, arrogant self but instead, he seemed unbalanced by the comment.
Is he not sure about getting cured? She thought, surprised.
"Let's not be silly, Kasumi-chan," Nodoka said curtly, favouring the young woman with a disapproving look. "My son's curse has been a burden and a challenge he has had to bear, perhaps placed on him by the kami to prove he is indeed a man amongst men, and he has done so admirably."
Nodoka smiled proudly at her son who returned it with a little unease.
Akane held back a snort as she recalled more than a few times Ranma, in girl form, got up to some quite unmanly activities, at least she assumed Nodoka would judge them that way. Though, Akane supposed, they usually were because of a martial arts challenge or scheme.
"We should celebrate him ridding himself of the curse and put this whole episode behind us." Nodoka nodded to herself, satisfied. "Right, Genma dear?"
"Oh yes, quite right. Best forget it all." Genma nodded to himself, sagely.
Akane met Kasumi's eyes from across the table as they both shared an uncertain look.
Glancing over to Ranma, she saw the pigtailed boy looking like he wanted to say something before seeming to think better of it. After a few moments, Ranma pushed away the bowl and got up.
"Ah, we got ta get up early to set off, so I best hit the hay now. Night, Ma." Ranma said, still not seeming like his regular, cocky self.
"Goodnight, dear," Nodoka replied.
Ranma bowed and left the room.
Akane noticed then that Ranma had left food on his plate. Ok, something was very wrong.
As she got up to follow Ranma, she quickly turned to Ryoga who had been content to keep quiet and detached from the family discussion going on in front of him.
"You're staying the night, Ryoga-kun?" She smiled at her friend.
"Uh- yes if that is alright?" Ryoga answered, blushing.
"Of course! Let me just talk with Ranma then we can get you settled." She smiled again before hurrying after her fiancé.
She managed to catch the pigtailed boy as he was ascending the staircase, heading towards his room.
"Ranma?" Akane called to him.
He turned around and crossed his arms, adopting a nonchalant pose.
"What's up, tomboy?" Ranma said, looking at her questioningly.
Akane quirked her brow at his usual nickname for her but didn't hear any heat behind it.
"Is there something wrong, Ranma?" Akane asked, giving him an earnest look.
"What'd ya mean?" Ranma gave her a cocky grin.
Akane frowned at that.
"You've not been acting like yourself, dummy." She said, stepping forward and looking her fiancé straight in the eyes. "You've been acting weird about this cure. Is there something you're not telling me?"
Akane studied him for any signs of deception.
"Akane… what do you… it ain't any of your-" Ranma blustered as he tried to work out what to say, indignation and worry fighting it out on his face. Finally, he let out a low sigh before leaning against the wall, not looking at her.
"The old ghoul, Cologne, she said that there might be some kinda price if we used this Madam Song lady's magic to break the curse," Ranma said, seeming to consider his words carefully.
"A price? What price?" Akane asked, a cold feeling forming in her stomach.
"I dunno. Ain't gonna be money cause Cologne said she was a 'philistine' or something. Maybe it's some kind of oath I'll need to swear to. Or maybe it will be like that full-body cat's tongue but in reverse and I can't touch cold water ever again. Or maybe I have to give up an arm or a leg." Ranma shivered as his imagination began creating possible sacrifices.
Akane reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
"Ranma, you can't use something like that if it will make your life worse. It isn't worth it." Akane said seriously.
Ranma looked at her, blue-grey eyes filled with uncertainty before a cocky expression came through again.
"Hey, I've been here before. I've found cures where the price was too steep. Like on Togenkyo." Ranma said with a wave of his hand. "If it looks too bad, I won't go for it."
Ranma gave her a reassuring smile.
At that moment the sounds of Genma and Nodoka's voices could be heard from the living room.
Ranma's smile faltered and a more serious expression took its place.
"But I got ta that get this curse fixed. It's important." He said grimmly.
Akane squeezed Ranma's arm.
"Ranma, promise me you won't go through with it if the price is too high." She said.
The two shared a moment, caught in each other's eyes.
Ranma broke it first, a light blush on his face as he looked away.
"Heh… an overly aggressive tomboy ain't got ta be worrying about me." he said gruffly as he brushed his nose.
Akane yanked her hand away from him at the verbal sting.
"You jerk!" She growled, "See if I care what happens to you!"
Ranma huffed before regarding her again.
"Akane… I-" He paused, uncertain. "...I gotta get up early."
Ranma turned and headed upstairs.
Akane watched him go, the anger on her face fading away into worry.
"Ranma, why do you have to be such an idiot..."
It had been easy enough rising and setting off for Itabashi. While Ranma had always been a heavy sleeper, the nervousness and excitement coursing through him at the thought of being finally cured had kept his sleep light.
He and his father hadn't packed much; they hoped to return by evening at the latest.
Looking for Ryoga in the dojo, where he had set up his bedroll, had found it empty. After a short search, Ranma discovered that he had gotten lost at some point in the night, accidentally turned himself into P-chan and gotten into Akane's bedroom. It had taken some careful manoeuvring to extract the small pig from Akane's embrace without waking the sleeping girl up but it had been managed - just.
After turning Ryoga back to his human form, the three set off.
They rendezvoused with Shampoo and Mousse before striking out for The Happy Phoenix Hot Spring & Spa. It had not taken the Jusenkyo cursed group long to make it there, roof-hoping most of the way, and only having to pause a couple of times when Ryoga had started to deviate from their course, pulling him back on track.
Ranma took in The Happy Phoenix Hot Spring & Spa. In many ways, it looked like a classic Japanese spa, reminding him of the ryokan inn that the group had visited where Akane had gotten possessed by that magic doll. The one concerning difference was that the owners seemed to have a strong passion for bobble-head toys. The wobbly-headed figurines covered every shelf and side table, each a different person or animal.
I wonder which one is cursed. Ranma thought, his paranoia going into overdrive as he examined a turtle bobblehead. Heck, I bet they all are!
The owners of the spa were friendly enough. A husband and wife who introduced themselves as Mr & Mrs Yu. They had greeted the group with wide grins and formal bows before inquiring about what service they were looking for, appearing only moderately surprised when the group explained they were seeking an audience with Madam Song.
After checking if the famed mystic would see them, which she agreed to, the group were led into a traditional tea room and introduced to the woman in question, who sat before them, studying them all from behind her steaming tea cup.
Ranma looked over the woman whom they had sought out. She was not exactly what he imagined.
In Ranma's mind, he had conjured up an old woman who would look exactly like Cologne's twin. Instead, he was looking at a Chinese woman in her late 40s/ early 50s, wearing a traditional light blue hanfu with numerous small white birds patterned across it, her greying black hair tied up in a bun with two long white enamel hair pins holding the bun in place. While he could not pick up a large ki aura from the woman, Ranma could sense it was clear and for lack of a better word, 'organized', similar to how Cologne or Dr Tofu's auras came across, which told him of her apparent control and knowledge of ki use.
She was also quite a striking woman, holding herself with a poise that reminded him of his mother while looking at them with a sharpness in her almond colored eyes that said she would suffer no fools lightly.
After introductions had been made, Mousse had been the one to explain the group's business while Madam Song had listened on in silence. After the hidden weapons master had finished, Madam Song had placed down her tea cup and produced an elegant brass smoking pipe that she puffed from, breathing smoke out from her nose in a manner that reminded Ranma of a dragon.
Wonder if she's related to Herb in some way? Ranma mentally chuckled.
"So…" Madam Song started, her voice had a deep, almost raspy quality to it, "all four of you bear the mark of Jusenkyo?"
The group nodded as a whole, though Ranma frowned, never hearing it described that way before.
"Prove it. Show me." She stated simply, looking them over expectantly.
Splash
Ranma wiped her soaked red bangs from her eyes.
"HEY! Whats the big idea!" She yelled as she glared at Ryoga who was putting down the now empty jug of water.
"Well, it's best if you show her, Ranma. The rest of us would be falling out of our clothes." Ryoga grinned at her smugly while Mousse chuckled behind him in amusement. Shampoo passed the neo-girl a cloth to dry herself.
"Jackass." Ranma muttered to herself, "That proof enough for ya?!"
She glared over at Madam Song who was studying her carefully.
The mystic closed her eyes and held a hand up, pinky and ring finger closed while the other three digits held open.
Ranma instinctively held up her hands, not sure what magic the older woman was doing.
"Hey! Don't be casting no spells on me or nothin!" Ranma yelled out in warning.
The mystic held the pose for a moment that seemed to stretch out as everyone else seemed to hold their breath.
Before anyone could say something, her eyes snapped open and she nodded her head.
"Yes, you are indeed cursed." She stated calmly, taking another puff from her pipe.
The group face faulted as one.
"Glad you've got it!" Ranma grumped as she rubbed her head. "So, can you cure us?"
Madam Song looked them over for another long moment before lightly nodding her head, a severe look crossing her face.
"I can…" she said slowly, putting weight into each word.
"There is a ritual I can perform. It is very powerful, having the ability to excise any curse that has been placed on a person. This would be strong enough to remove your Jusenkyo curses." She sipped her tea as the group got excited after hearing this.
"And just to be clear, you all have one yes?" she asked, arching a fine brow at them.
"Yes, I turn into a duck," Mousse said.
"Shampoo turns into cat. Beautiful cat to be truthful!" Shampoo preened.
"Eh- a pig." Ryoga muttered with embarrassment, head bowed, hands bunched into fists over his knees.
"Don't cha mean a cute little piglet?" Ranma said in a sing-song voice as she poked Ryoga in the side.
Ryoga growled and swatted Ranma's hand away before taking a swing at the redhead, who dodged it before sticking her tongue out at him. This might have led to more blows if not for a kettle of hot water being poured on the redheaded girl, transforming her back into a black-haired boy.
Ranma glared at his father who put the kettle back down on the table.
Genma then locked eyes with the woman before striking a pose, puffing up his chest.
"And I turn into a ferocious bear! Truly a terrifying curse to be afflicted with!" Genma looked away dramatically.
Ranma sweatdropped at his father's antics before rubbing his brow in frustration.
"He turns into a panda, just so ya know." Ranma gestured at his father, "Complete with bamboo chewing and a love of rubber tyres. Real ferocious."
"Impudent boy!" Genma growled at Ranma's sarcastic comment, shaking a fist at him.
"I see…" Madam Song stated, not impressed by the antics on display before her.
After a moment of silent contemplation, she nodded to herself, appearing to have decided on something.
"The Rite of Severance is the magic ritual I would need to perform in order to remove your curses," She said in a deeply serious tone. "It is an ancient and powerful ritual, developed to remove death magic curses such as Jusenkyo's, severing the magic from the one who bears it."
Everyone in the room listened in rapt attention to Madam Song's explanation, the only noise being the sound of water bubbling from the hot springs outside.
"I must warn you though, removing a curse is in many ways like removing a tumorous limb, while the intention might be to only cut away the so-called tumour, some of the 'limb' might have to go in the process." The mystic stated evenly.
Everyone else looked at each other uncertainly.
"So what exactly are we talkin' about here?" Ranma said, not liking the analogy the woman used.
Madam Song shrugged.
"The curse is wrapped around your soul, your very being, it is why it can change you completely. Removing it will most likely remove a piece of yourself as well." She said, drawing a puff from her pipe.
"I have performed the Rite of Severance a few times before on those marked by Jusenkyo, and each time it worked." She said this staring at the group, who looked encouraged upon hearing of the ritual's success.
"But… the ritual leaves you less than you were before. For each individual who went through the process, it took from them in unique ways. I wouldn't be able to tell you what you will be like after you are cured, how you will be affected. But you will be cured, free of the Jusenkyo curse." Madam Song closed her eyes and took another sip of her tea.
"Shall we proceed?"
Ranma looked at the others in the room, each had a look of uncertainty in their eyes.
So this is it. Trading the curse for some unknown price. Why can't it ever be more simple? He mentally groused as he weighed his options.
Never going to be as easy as jumping into some drowned man spring, huh? Ranma thought morosely.
"Ranma, promise me you won't go through with it if the price is too high." The image of Akane from last night looking worried, pleading with him, flashed in his mind.
Akane, I… I need to do this. Don't I? Memories flew through Ranma's mind of the last year or more that he had had the curse. There had been fun times, embarrassing times, some highs and some lows. It had kept him away from his mother. Made him a target of ridicule. He had almost been trapped in the form forever, more than once… and yet it had also been needed a few times with some of the more unique situations he'd been thrown into. Was the curse really that bad?
"My son's curse has been a burden and a challenge he has had to bear, perhaps placed on him by the kami to prove he is indeed a man amongst men, and he has done so admirably."
A vision of his mother formed in his mind's eye. Her look of pride. The weight of her expectations.
"We should celebrate him ridding himself of the curse and put that whole episode behind us."
Mom and Pop, they expect me to get cured. Even if there is a cost, Mom still expects me to be a man amongst men. How can I be if I turn into a girl? How can I be engaged to Akane if I'm cursed like that…
Ranma snapped out of his thoughts, certainty forming in his mind.
"Yeah," he said, meeting Madam Song's gaze. "Let's do it."
The others had all agreed to go through with the ritual as well, so after an hour of preparation, Madam Song had gathered them into a large unadorned room where a lit brazier had been set up in the middle of the floor.
The mystic tossed a handful of dried herbs into the fires and the room had begun to fill up with a light incense.
"Sit." She ordered the group.
They all knelt in front of her, looking on with apprehension.
She poured from a black iron kettle, a green liquid and filled five cups with the mysterious concoction, passing one to each member of the group.
"The Rite of Severance involves breathing in this incense alongside drinking a very special potion. Once you have drunk the potion, not leaving a single drop, you will go into a trance. It will send you to your very centre, where body, mind and soul meet. This is where the curse is located." She spoke evenly, looking into each person's eyes.
"In this place, this 'inner-scape', you should be able to find the curse that resides within you. Locate it and destroy it. That you are all martial artists, will make this process that much easier."
She looked at them all, making sure they understood.
"Now if you are ready - Drink."
Everyone took in the instructions before glancing at their cups. One by one, they lifted and drank.
Ranma was last to drink. He gazed at the thick, emerald-green potion.
Here goes nothing.
The pigtailed boy brought the liquid to his lips and gulped down the sour concoction, not leaving a drop.
His vision began to get hazy as he left the conscious world.
Ranma blinked as he woke up. He was lying on bare earth, watching grey clouds pass by as long bamboo shoots swayed in the wind.
Rising to a seated position, he took in his surroundings. Bamboo trees as far as the eye could see. It looked like the forests he and his father had traveled through once or twice during their trip to China.
Wait? Ain't this supposed to be inside my mind or something? Ranma thought as he looked at the environment around him. He struggled to work out why a bamboo forest would be a part of his mindscape.
This would be better suited to Pops, no? Ranma chuckled at the thought.
Then he heard a snap of a branch to his left.
Getting up to his feet, he went into a defensive stance. As he gazed suspiciously around, Ranma knew for certain he was not alone.
Aside from the wind blowing through the shoots of bamboo, the forest was silent, not a single animal noise. It left the whole place with an eerie feeling.
As Ranma was just about to call out, his danger senses flared. He turned to his right just as a fist teleported into his vision.
He brought a hand up to deflect the incoming blow but was too late. His cheek exploded in pain as the jab connected.
They're fast. The thought hit him as he tried to gain some distance from his unknown assailant.
Three more blows connected before he managed to get away, two to his chest and one to his chin.
Very fast! He revised. Don't think I've ever faced someone that quick before.
As Ranma leapt back and rubbed at the pain from the last blow to the chin, he studied the adversary before him and… blinked.
A teenage girl, petite and curvy, with bright red hair bound in a single pigtail and fierce blue eyes, stood opposite him.
His girl form.
She glared at him as she adopted a classic Saotome school fighting pose, looking ready to attack.
This wasn't the first time Ranma had come face to face with a clone of himself but it was still unsettling being faced with something he would usually only see in a (non-magical) mirror.
She must be the curse! The thought pervaded through Ranma's mind. Locate and destroy it. That ends the curse…
To be faced with a physical manifestation of the curse, specifically in such a recognisable form had left the pigtailed martial artist on the back foot. It was against Ranma's very moral code to destroy anyone, let alone someone who appeared to be a sixteen-year-old girl.
But she's not, is she? She's actually the Jusenkyo curse. She's not real…
Ranma wiped his hand slowly across his lip as he tasted a familiar metallic flavour. Seeing blood across the back of his hand, Ranma snorted to himself. Well her punches sure feel right.
Warily, Ranma adopted his own fighting stance.
This is why I'm here. I need to do this. He stared across at the girl opposite him. I need to destroy h- I need to destroy the curse. If this is how it's meant to go then so be it.
Ranma gripped his fists, his knuckles popping audibly as he set a serious expression on his face.
His opponent glared at him a moment longer before she bore her teeth in a vicious snarl and streaked towards him. Ranma moved to meet her and the two pigtailed martial artists collided and turned into a hurricane of punches and kicks.
As the battle went on, Ranma came to the unsettling conclusion that the fight was not going his way. The Saotome school always emphasized speed. Ranma himself always utilised his agility and skill to overcome his opponents and yet here, facing off against his female form, she turned out to be every bit as skilled as him… as well as being faster.
He let out a painful grunt as a number of Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken speed punches made contact with his gut.
I now know how frustrating it must be to fight my female side. Ranma groaned as he let loose a swift backwards spinning kick that forced his opponent to dodge back. Though I ain't exactly got Ryoga's endurance to weather it!
Ranma rubbed his bruised stomach as he readied a new attack.
He knew that as both opponents were fighting using Saotome Style Anything Goes, it was the faster fighter that was favoured and Ranma reluctantly conceded that his female form was faster than his male form.
What was also frustrating his attempts to dominate the fight was that she seemed to know his fighting manoeuvres as well as he did, bringing up the perfect counter for any attack he brought to bear.
All right, you've got good ground game, I'll give you that. Let's turn this up a notch!
Ranma leapt into the air and took a perch on one of the bamboo stalks. His redheaded opponent followed and quickly the two began to partake in the aerial combat section of the Saotome School repertoire.
Trading flying kicks and punches, Ranma had to admit he had come face to face with the equivalent of his martial arts clone in female form. Her aerial skills were just as good as his and her ability to out-speed him kept giving her the edge. She was also very tenacious, not letting up her attacks to give him much room to come up with an advantage.
Taking to the trees, they had managed to move some distance through the bamboo forest as they fought and Ranma began to be aware of what was possibly the edge of the forest as what looked to be a large body of water came into view.
After trading a series of lightning fast blows with his opponent in mid air, Ranma flew across to another bamboo stalk, utilising the momentum of his hurtling body to bend the elastic wood back before it fired him into the melee like a catapult. Capitalising on his new forward momentum, he readied a haymaker as he shot towards his female half.
Her eyes widened for a second in surprise as he was upon her faster than she expected. With his improvised boost of speed, he landed a savage blow that she was barely quick enough to block.
Ranma grinned at finally managing to be on the front foot in the fight.
The victory was short lived as his opponent, knocked skywards by the blow, managed to catch a bamboo stalk and twirled her body acrobatically around it like a firemans pole before shooting back at him, both feet forward, aiming directly at his chest.
It was Ranma's turn to be surprised at his opponent's environmentally assisted attack, hastily bringing both his arms up crossed to try to defend against the super charged dropkick.
BAM
The blow connected and sent Ranma flying, this time with no bamboo stalk in reach to redirect his trajectory. He flew past the tree line, smashing into the ground, cutting a shallow trench of dirt where he came to a stop.
Slowly, Ranma rose to his feet, shaking his bruised arms as he now found himself on the edge of the bamboo forest, at the shore line of a giant lake. The place seemed oddly familiar yet not quite lining up with whatever feeling of deja vue the location was giving.
His eyes shot from briefly scanning his new surroundings, to movement from amongst the trees and emerging out of the forest was the red-haired pigtailed girl. For once her face didn't favour him with naked aggression, instead she flashed him a cocky grin. His trademark cocky grin.
Ranma scowled.
So that's what it feels like to be given one of those! I'm gonna knock that grin off her arrogant face, the jerk!
As Ranma got back into a fighting stance, he snorted ruefully.
In another time, another place, when the stakes weren't so high, he might have enjoyed this fight, facing off against someone he matched with so evenly. His martial abilities being pushed by someone so much his equal. Even the way the cursed form fought was how Ranma preferred, pure skill and imagination, coming up with unorthodox solutions to problems, not simply relying on brute strength or cheap tricks to win that so many of his rivals often did.
But this wasn't another time, another place, and the stakes were that high…
So how can I beat her? Ranma contemplated as the two pigtailed martial artists reconvened their battle.
She's faster than me, just as skilled and she seems to know every one of my moves, my strengths and weaknesses… and THAT'S IT!
Realisation hit Ranma as he traded another blow with his cursed form. She knew the limits of his male form, using that against him and HE knew the limits of his female form, having learned them well over the one year he had had the curse.
A quick strategy formed in Ranma's mind as he conceived the best way to exploit the weakness of his female form.
As he launched another two punch combo that she evaded, he left himself open as the punch had led him to over reach himself. She responded exactly how he would have in her position, delivering a textbook side kick to his weakly defended left flank.
That was when Ranma sprung his trap. Taking the kick to the side, he grabbed hold of her leg, and with the momentary surprise from his female form, he launched himself, all usual finesse abandoned as he full body tackled her to the ground.
The two quickly began to grapple in the dirt but Ranma already knew he had the upper hand. He knew she was faster than him and he was stronger than her. Grappling was also something he rarely went for in a fight, so she was more easily caught by surprise when he decided to bring the fight to the ground.
Utilising his strength and weight, he managed to get a top position on her torso and after suffering a nasty elbow to head from her, and pin her hands above her.
This left the two martial artists breathing hard as Ranma stared down at his defeated opponent, cold sweat soaking his face.
Looking down at his cursed form, he was surprised to see fear flash across her blue eyes as she realised he had won. The fear was quickly shoved aside and she took on a look of cold indifference, seeming to want to show she was not scared of him or the fate that awaited her. Ranma felt he might have acted the same way in her situation, facing….
Ranma gulped as he tightened his fist, readying the killing blow.
She's not real! She's a curse! You have to do this! This mantra of thoughts spun around him as he stared down at the girl at his mercy.
He pulled strength and ki into his arm, ready to deliver a fatal blow to her head.
She's not real! This is how you end the curse! He held his fist up. Ready to do it.
You have to do this!
And then a voice spoke.
"Go ahead." Quiet words spoke out into the silence. They came from the girl lying beneath him. The first he'd ever heard her speak.
The fierce expression she had been showing fell as a look of resignation took its place.
"Finish it. Kill me." She said softly, a finality to her tone.
Then she closed her eyes and a look of peace came over her face.
Ranma's clenched fist hovered above her, trembling. He couldn't move. His breath came in shallow bursts as he stared into her face.
Every fiber of his being told him not to do this. This was wrong. It felt wrong.
She's not real! She's a curse! You have to do this!
YOU HAVE TO!
Ranma gritted his teeth, pulled his fist back and-
WHAM
His fist found its mark, coming to a sudden stop as it impacted with the ground next to the red haired girl's head.
She blinked her eyes open, gaping at Ranma in surprise.
He pulled himself off her and fell back on his behind, a disconcerted look on his face. He couldn't do it. Being free of the curse wasn't worth it. Even if she wasn't real, he couldn't do THAT no matter what he gained in return.
As the two looked at each other, not knowing what to say next, Ranma started to feel… strange.
Something wasn't right. He felt like the earth was moving under him as his senses seemed to get scrambled. As he tried to lurch to his feet, the last thing he saw was his female form staring back at him and then-
FLASH
Ranma lurched forward from his seated position. Gone was the bamboo forest and lake, instead he was back in the room at The Happy Phoenix Hot Spring & Spa, incense still seeping through the air and the lit braizer smouldering in the centre.
"Wha-" he started before a shot of vertigo and nausea crashed over him.
The pigtailed boy fell forward as he grabbed the wooden floor to help steady himself. Green liquid expelled from his mouth as he threw up. Recognising the potion he had drank for the ritual, Ranma expelled it onto the floor before him.
He coughed and sputtered after the nausea subsided then felt a hand on his back giving it a gentle rub, helping to calm him.
"Breathe." An older woman's voice spoke calmly. " Slowly. In and out. Just breathe. You are safe. You are ok."
Ranma took slow, steadying breaths as he centred himself.
A glass with a clear liquid came into view and Ranma instinctively pushed it away. He wasn't in the mood for any more potions.
"It is just water, Saotome-san." The voice spoke again, soft yet firm. "Drink it. It will help take away the vile flavour in your mouth."
Tentatively, Ranma accepted the glass and brought it to his lips to drink. The cool, freshwater did help clear the awful taste in his mouth as well as sooth his now burning throat.
After taking a moment to steady himself, he looked up to the one who was caring for him, meeting the enigmatic gaze of Madam Song staring back at him.
She seemed to take him in fully, her gaze boring into him as if she was looking into his soul.
"Hmm." She tilted her head to the side, a look of curiosity coming to her eyes. "You are still cursed. You did not go through with it. How very interesting."
Author's Note:
Glad to finally be back and adding another chapter. I'm hoping the next one won't take so long. Hopefully, this chapter will give more food for thought, though it is still early days for this story.
Also, if anyone reading this would be interested in beta-reading future chapters please get in touch, either via the comments or message me. Another pair of eyes is always welcome!