Ranma 1/2 is a creation of Takahashi Rumiko. All rights belong to Takahashi-san, Shogakukan, Kitty, Viz, and countless other entities with the power to sue me for borrowing them for a little while. Please don't — I'm a starving, penniless otaku!
All original characters belong to me... if you'd like them to visit your fanfics, just ask! Their travel rucksacks are always packed and ready to go.
[ Chinese ]
< thoughts >
Ranma trudged through the mud, following her father and the Chinese guide through the Bayankala wilderness. She really hated the mud, the way it squished between her toes, the way it hid sharp stones and twigs, the way it was everywhere. Considering that the groundwater levels in the area had to be high to keep the springs at Jusenkyo going, Ranma understood that there would be a lot of mud. She just wished it didn't have to be all over her feet.
Not that her shoes would have helped her any. Right now, they were about seven sizes too big, thanks to the Spring of Drowned Girl. The dunking in Nyannichuan made all her gi too large, too, but at least she could tighten the drawstrings on her pants and readjust her jacket. She couldn't readjust her toes.
It had take a good day to get over the initial shock of her change. Ranma had spent the first few hours raging against her father, chasing him around the springs and across the surrounding mountains. Genma had been the one to knock her into the cursed pool, and it had been his idea to seek out the legendary training grounds to begin with. After she had pounded the panda man into pulp a few times, she turned her anger towards the Jusenkyo guide. The overweight caretaker was not a martial artist, however, and Ranma refused to fight the weak. And the man had tried to warn them about the springs' too-too tragic tales. The Saotomes had ignored him, though, eager to spar atop the bamboo poles jutting from the hundreds of pools. No, Ranma could not remain upset with the guide. Instead, she'd headed up to Mount Quanjing to meditate and come to terms with her anger.
When she returned to the guide's cottage that evening, Ranma's control was back in place. That didn't mean she had accepted her curse, however. A haunted, pained look etched her face, and shock and anger had given way to depression. The brash, cocky youth had been replaced by a withdrawn, haggard young girl. Even Ranma's infamous appetite was gone, which was just as well, for the sweet-and-sour pork the guide had promised for dinner never materialized. The little redhead simply sat on a stool in a corner of the kitchen, every now and then looking down at her transformed body in misery.
Once his honored guests had turned in for the night — both having oddly refused his offer of hot water — the guide sat up alone, preoccupied. As he puffed on his pipe, he considered the curses that had come into play that day. He was not worried about the older man. For some reason, taking the shape of a giant panda seemed almost ... natural for the elder Saotome. They shared they same bulky physique, after all. The guide was certain that the low-key, lazy ways of a panda would suit the low-key, lazy Japanese man. No, he was not worried about Saotome Genma at all.
The younger Saotome, that was a different story. It was evident that Ranma's masculinity was central to his self-worth; it was the cornerstone of his identity. Now that it had been stripped away, the youth had lost his grip on who — and what — he was, and he was sinking fast. If he wasn't helped soon, Ranma might very well follow the path several other male Nyannichuan victims had taken over the years: the path of suicide.
Tapping his pipe out, the guide reached for his telephone. Although it was approaching midnight, he knew that the person he was calling would still be up and would welcome the opportunity to help the cursed boy. She was the only one who could help him.
Several minutes later, the caretaker thanked his friend and hung up. There would be help for Saotome Ranma tomorrow, thank the spirits! Now, if he could only help that boy who'd been cursed to turn into a piglet ...
"Sirs, we are here."
Ranma heard the words, but their meaning evaded her until she walked smack into the solid black and white wall ahead of her. Losing her balance, she toppled backwards into the mud.
"Browr?" the wall asked, turning back to look at the fallen redhead.
Ranma sighed and ignored her father. Climbing back to her feet, she looks at her mud-covered hands and slowly wiped them on her gi pants. A week ago, she would never have considered doing something like that; a gi was a symbol of the martial arts, accorded the same respect as one's dojo. Today, it no longer seemed to matter. <Muddy feet, muddy seat, muddy gi ... oi everyone, come see the amazing transsexual mudman of Japan!> she thought bitterly to herself.
The Jusenkyo guide looked at the dirt-covered teen and the giant panda. "Sirs, we are here," he repeated. "These lands belong to Joketsukozu. Very strong, very ancient tribe of Amazon warriors. This village ahead is Nyuuchiezu Genjudi. I have very good friend there who waits to help you." He smiled encouragingly but noted no reaction at all from Ranma. None from Genma, either, although his current panda state did limit his ability to communicate. Shaking his head sadly, the guide started walking towards the village, checking back every few minutes to make sure his charges were following him.
Like other Amazon villages, Nyuuchiezu Genjudi was well laid out. The only entrances — from the east and from the west — were guarded at all times by a trio of armed warriors. The outermost buildings housed the assorted markets and services found in any sizable town. These also served as the village's first line of defense, where invading forces were usually annihilated before they could advance any further. Next came the shops belongs to the weapons crafters, the herbalists, the weavers, and the tanners, establishments far more crucial to the Amazon way of life and much more difficult to replace than the post office or bakery. A wide band of open space separated these structures from the rows of tidy cottages the Joketsukozu called home. At the very center of the village stretched a lush green park, landscaped with flowering trees and ornamental grasses. While it had once been the site of bloody battles in millennia past, the peaceful park now served as a meeting place, where Amazons gathered for festivals, dances, and other community events. The school, hospital, and Council Hall nestled on the grounds testified to the park's status as the heart of Genjudi, one any Amazon would die to protect. Fortunately, that had not happened in decades, due in part to the reputation of the Joketsukozu but also because the village borders were patrolled 24 hours per day by teams of warriors.
One of these teams intercepted the Jusenkyo trio as they approached the village. Recognizing the rotund guide, they escorted the three travelers to the guards at the eastern entrance. Keeping watch with the guards was an older woman with waist-length hair the color of an afternoon sky. Her silver robes set off her lively grey eyes and draped elegantly over her slim, athletic figure. She smiled upon seeing the caretaker and bowed in welcome, her hair ornaments tinkling musically with her movements.
[Your journey was quick, old friend,] she said as the Jusenkyo guide bowed respectfully in return.
[Honored elder, the time passes swiftly when one's companions don't have much to say,] he replied ruefully.
The woman looked past the guide and nodded in agreement. [I can see that the panda might not have spoken much, but what about the child?]
The guide gave her a sad look. [He is worse.]
[Then there is no time to waste, my friend. Introduce me to your companions and we shall get started at once.] Stepping past the portly man, the woman went up to the Saotomes and bowed.
"This Pao Da, respected elder of Genjudi," the guide explained to his two charges. "She very very knowledgeable lady, help many with Jusenkyo curse."
Ranma's eyes suddenly sparked to life. "You can cure me?" she asked almost desperately.
Pao Da shook her head sadly. "No, child, I cannot cure you," she replied in perfect Japanese, "but I can help you." And before Ranma could cry out, the Amazon elder gently touched the cursed boy's neck. Ranma crumpled limply into her arms, unconscious.
Carefully removing Ranma's rucksack, Pao Da turned to the elder Saotome. "You'll need to carry her from here," she instructed the panda. "Please follow me." With a nod to the warriors on duty, the Joketsukozu woman bowed to the guide and headed into the village, leaving Genma struggling with Ranma's dead weight and his almost equally heavy pack.
Jab. Cross. Roundhouse kick. Spin side kick. Jump inside crescent kick. Side kick.
Ranma repeated the simple drill over and over, starting slowly but building rapidly to an almost blinding speed. After several minutes, he added a series of leaps, flips, and mid-air kicks to the exercise, hovering effortlessly above the ground as he executed each move. Next, he launched himself into his most difficult kata, a grueling combination of strikes, blocks, and stances that displayed his strength and agility, his precision and grace. Ranma finished his morning workout with a succession of brick and log breaks, each chop cleanly splitting the objects in half.
With a grin, Ranma mopped the sweat off his face, noting idly that the back and underarms of his gi were drenched. Untying his belt, he started to strip off the uniform top ... and froze when he saw his chest. Gone were the broad, well-defined pectorals. Instead, two large, perky, and unquestionably female breasts jutted out from his ribs.
Ranma screamed.
"You're awake," a soft contralto voice came somewhere from his right. Opening his eyes, Ranma realized he'd been dreaming. Sighing with relief, he sat up ... only to see the breasts from his nightmare as the blankets fell away.
Ranma screamed again.
"Child, another shriek like that and you'll rouse the dead," the voice told her, amused. Ranma turned and saw the woman from the village gate seated in a carved wooden chair to the right of her bed.
<Bed?> "How'd I get here?" she asked, mystified. She looked at her surroundings. She seemed to be in a small, sparsely furnished bedroom. Her pack leaned against the far wall, beneath anopen window. Sunlight streamed in through the glass, giving the room a warm, golden glow.
"I had your father bring you here, child. You were ... overwhelmed by your recent experience and needed to rest quite badly," she replied, smiling at the disoriented youth.
Ranma considered this. She did feel much better, and guessed the nap had helped. <It's not as thought I've slept since this happened,> she sullenly thought to herself. "Is this your place?" she asked the Amazon.
"Yes, child. I did not feel it would be appropriate to house you with the men in your current ... condition."
Ranma nodded, although she really didn't understand. She'd stayed with Pop and the Jusenkyo guide the previous night, and it wasn't like either of them were going to try anything. The thought turned her stomach. "So where's my old man now?"
Pao Da steepled her fingers together. "I cannot say for certain where he is, but at this hour yesterday he and some of he village men were in the outer park playing mah jhongg. It is possible he is doing so again today."
<Yesterday?!> Ranma looked out the window. The sunlight and sky color suggested it was early in the morning ... but when they had arrived it was almost dusk. "H-how long have I been asleep?" she asked the older woman.
"About two days."
"TWO DAYS?!!" Ranma screeched. "H-h-how?"
Pao Da pulled her chair up next to the redhead. "Child, it was necessary. Your body and your mind were both still in shock from the traumatic nature of your change. Your reasoning was eroding fast, leaving you susceptible to any impulsive notion. This is why the guardian brought you here, before you consciously or subconsciously harmed yourself."
The cursed youth mulled this over and decided the Amazon was right. Although Ranma would never back away from a challenge, the fact that she was now a girl could have sent her over the edge. After all, Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, had been raised to be a man among men. The concept of having to wear frilly pastel clothes, sigh over idol singers, and giggle over ice cream tore her soul. She suppressed a shudder.
Pao Da noticed, however. Taking Ranma's hand in hers, she looked straight into the girl's eyes. "You have spent the last 10 years away from any constant female presence, child, and as such have undoubtedly developed ... interesting notions about females and femininity, notions you find you must apply to yourself, correct?"
Ranma nodded reluctantly.
"Child, I am going to help you see past these views," Pao Da explained gently. "My task is to help you accept, if not embrace, your curse. More than that ... I am going to help you see beyond this female shell, to show you that no matter what you see on the outside, inside you remain unchanged. You remain Saotome Ranma."
"Why would you want to help me?" Ranma asked morosely.
Pao Da smiled and, keeping hold of the teen's hand, guided her to a mirror mounted on the back of the bedroom door. "Tell me what you see," she instructed.
Ranma looked at her reflection. "I see a short, chesty redhead in a pair of boxer shorts."
"You see nothing else?" Pao Da asked.
Ranma peered at herself a little longer. "Waist's a lot smaller," she noted. "Hips are wider. Face is fuller."
"Is that all?"
Ranma squinted at the mirror. "Eyelashes are different," she murmured. "Eyebrows, too."
The Joketsukozu sighed. "Do you know what I see?"
The redhead shook her head, perplexed. "What?"
"I see Saotome Ranma."
<Huh?>
The Amazon elder faced the cursed teen. "I see you. But all you saw were body parts. All you gave me was a description of what the mirror reflected."
Before Ranma could reply, Pao Da produced a small stoneware flask from within her voluminous robes. Unstoppering it, she dumped the contents over Ranma's head. The change was instantaneous — the mirror now reflected a tall, broad-shouldered, and definitely male martial artist with glossy black hair.
Ranma gaped. He immediately started patting down his chest, his eyes widening in disbelief as he felt lean, strong muscles ... and nothing else. Tentatively, he pulled out the elastic waistband of his boxers, letting out a whoop when he saw what was there.
"I'm me! I'M ME! WOOOHOOOOOO!" He began dancing around in joy, abruptly stopping when he came face to face with Pao Da. "Waita minute ... I thought you said you couldn't cure me," he said accusingly.
The elder shook her head. "Child, didn't the guardian offer you hot water during your stay at Jusenkyo?"
Ranma scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yeah ... but I wasn't in the mood for tea, so I didn't take him up on it. Why?"
Pao Da managed not to roll her eyes. "The curse of Jusenkyo is reversed by hot water, child. That is why the guardian offered it to you."
"Then ... that's it?" Ranma asked excitedly. "You poured that hot water on me and the curse was reversed?" When the elder nodded, Ranma sweeped her up into his arms and swung her around the room. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
The Amazon tolerated the boy's antics for a while, then had him set her down. Collecting the shreds of her dignity, she led the overjoyed youth back to the mirror. "Child, tell me what you see now," she said.
"I see me! One hundred percent guy! Completely, totally, absolutely..." SPLASH!!
" ...male," she finished lamely. Wiping the water out of her eyes, Ranma looked at her reflection dejectedly. "I don't understand," she finally said.
Pao Da moved to stand behind the dripping girl. "Hot water only reverses the curse of Jusenkyo, child. It does not cure it. When cold water douses you, the curse comes forward once again."
"Then there really is no cure," Ranma said, her hopes dashed.
The elder turned Ranma to face her. "Child, cure or no cure, you are still you, no matter what shell of flesh encases your soul."
Anger clouded the redhead's features. "But I'm a GUY!! No way am I ever gonna be a girl by choice!" She looked around the bedroom. "Where can I get more hot water?"
Pao Da cupped Ranma's chin in her hand, forcing the martial artist to look her in the eye. "I will provide you with hot water, child. But!" She pulled Ranma back as the girl began heading to the door. "But ... I must ask you to consider this. Will you always have a source of hot water nearby? What happens should you be splashed in a marketplace? In a schoolyard? In the middle of a battle?"
"I ... well, I'd ... uh ... hmmmmm." Ranma hadn't given those possibilities any thought at all. "I'd be stuck as a girl," she finally conceded.
Pao Da smiled gently. "No, child. You would still be you — but in a different aspect, one that with time you will hopefully accept as your own."
Ranma scowled. "What good is accepting THIS gonna do me? I can't fight, I can't do anything! And I'm sure as hell not gonna put on a frilly apron and start bakin' cookies!"
The Amazon laughed, her hair ornaments jingling in harmony. "Child, do I look the type to wear 'frilly aprons' and 'bake cookies'?" Suddenly, a hard glint came to her eyes and her softness was replaced by steel.
Ranma blinked. "N-no," she stammered.
Pao Da smiled, and the warrior vanished as quickly as she had appeared. "Good. You know, I don't think I have ever baked a cookie in my life," she noted wryly. "No matter. Let me get you some clothing, and we'll get under way."
"Under way?" Ranma asked.
The woman reached for the door. "Yes, under way. I'm going to help you get in touch with your ... feminine side."
Thanks to Gary Kleppe for his valuable C&C — it's most appreciated!
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C&C welcome at saotomeranchan@gmail.com. No flames, please ... I'm as sensitive as Tendo Soun!