------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma 1/2 "The Nature of the Curse" Hard Battle Story by Douglas MacDougall ------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted 11 Mar 1999, and last modified 26 Mar 1999. The latest parts and revisions of this story are available at: http://www.dougmacd.net/fanworks/ Ranma 1/2 (c) Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan * Kitty Film * Fuji TV. Exclusively licensed throughout the United States and Canada by Viz Communications, Inc. This fan fiction is for private home use only; it may be freely redistributed, but not altered or used for profit. Not Rated. Parental Guidance Suggested. ------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Part 9 Encyclopedia Jusenkyo: A Living Thesis ------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- At any other school, the girls might have found the young man's grin roguish, and sighed at how it complemented his noble face. The face of a dashing hero. With a practiced air he flipped the stylish locks of wavy hair away from his eyes and stared at Nabiki with complete self-confidence. "No doubt he fears my vengeance." The scary thing was that, for once, Kuno might be right. Nabiki and her classmates were sitting in homeroom, waiting for the teacher to arrive and the first bell to ring. There was a general bustle of students milling about and talking to each other. This was now the third day that Kuno had asked about Akira Tsu. The transfer student from China had gotten off to a running start with the other chaos-makers by temporarily cursing Akane to turn into a boy. As a side effect, he managed to draw the attention of Kuno, who apparently had the notion that the new boy was responsible for cursing the Pig-Tailed Girl to turn into a man, and that he had attempted to do the same to Akane. Kuno had attacked Akira, and had only been stopped at the last moment by Miss Hinako. The best part of the whole situation, from Nabiki's point of view, was that the boy had no fighting skills whatsoever, so he'd have to turn to her for protection. Only, after their first meeting, she hadn't seen him again. He had simply not shown up at school for the past two days. She had looked up the address that was listed in his school records, but it had turned out to be a hotel. Apparently he and his family had not yet moved into their permanent address. She was vaguely dissatisfied about the whole thing. Akira should have provided at least a month's worth of distraction, but things were already settling down to a new status quo. Had he actually transferred to another school to avoid Kuno? Her worries disappeared when she heard a not-quite-familiar voice behind her muttering in frustration. "Stupid cart..." Smiling, she turned around to see Akira walk into class, holding his jacket away from his body. It, his shirt, and the top of his pants were dripping wet. As least his wrist had healed; it was no longer in a sling. He plopped his book bag on the table, and draped his jacket over the back of his chair. Muttering under his breath, Akira missed the look from Nabiki and the intense stare from Kuno. "Nice to see you back, Akira," greeted Nabiki. The boy glanced at her. "Nabiki. Thank you." He bowed slightly. "I'm glad I can get back to classes." "So you return to face the Blue Thunder..." "Upperclassman Kuno!" Akira visibly shrank as the other boy approached. Actually, seeing them together, she thought Akira might be the taller of the two. It was hard to tell with the current bend in Akira's spine. "C'mon, Kuno-baby. Sit down. You'll have plenty of time to get 'Kira later in the day." She wrinkled her nose. What WAS that smell? Fish? Kuno frowned for a moment, but then grinned maniacally. "Indeed! Everyone should be present to witness my victory over this sorcerer. I shall publicly protect Akane Tendo and free the Pig-Tailed Girl from his grasp! HA Ha ha!!" "Kuno!" The Voice of Authority barked from the front of the class. The Kendo champion sat down as quickly as the other students, having no desire to be forced into the hall and hold buckets of water. "Very well, if we're all done," the homeroom teacher glanced at the class, lingering on Kuno, "I'll get to attendance." After reading through about two thirds of the list, he finally came to Akira. "Well, Mr. Tsu, I'm glad you decided to grace our halls with your presence. And where have you been for the last two days?" "Out sick, sir." "Do you have a doctor's note?" "Yes, sir." He pulled a slip out of his book bag and walked up to the teacher in the front of the class. Professor Chokai glanced at the sheet and placed it on the table next to his supplies. "Very well, Mr. Tsu. But that doesn't excuse your current condition. You're expected to come to school well-groomed and properly dressed. I won't have this class turn into another 1-F." Nabiki smirked at the teacher's reference to Ranma and Akane's homeroom. No doubt that would be a nightmare for any teacher. Even Prof. Chokai. He had been specifically assigned by the Vice Principal to deal with Takewaki Kuno, and was perhaps the most strong-willed teacher at Furinkan. "I, uh, had an accident on the way over, sir. With a fish cart." "Go to the bathroom and wash yourself off. And I'll see you after class!" "Yes, sir." * * * * * * As it turned out, the professor only wanted to see Akira about getting someone to deliver class work to him if he were sick again. He was too new to the school to afford to miss any, and the teacher assumed that he hadn't had the time to make friends with new students on the two days he had been at Furinkan so far. Thus, Prof. Chokai had assigned someone from the class to make sure he got his work. That someone was Nabiki. She supposed she had been picked because the professor had seen the two of them talking before class. Well, Akira had been talking to Kuno as well, but Prof. Chokai wasn't a sadist. She didn't think it would be too much trouble, either. Now she could find out where his permanent address was without having to sneak back into the school records. And she didn't think she'd ever have to actually give him any missing work. He seemed to genuinely like school, and wouldn't miss it short of the most serious illness. Which brought her to her current interrogation. The two had been late to lunch, and so had grabbed a pair of seats together in the cafeteria. Nabiki had brought her bento and juice, and Akira was forced to buy the leavings from the lunch lady. "What the hell is soup-bread?" Akira stared at the sealed plastic bag containing a soggy roll, leaking some sort of yellowy-green fluid. With some trepidation he tried to pull the bag open without getting the greasy fluid on his hands. He only partially succeeded. "So you were out with a cold?" "Yes." He shook the roll out of the bag and onto his tray, where it continued to leak. Seeing no place to pick it up with his hands, he started poking at it with chopsticks. "It was pretty bad. Fever, sneezing, cough. All the typical symptoms. That's what I get for walking outside during a storm." "What, the one on Tuesday night?" "Yes. I still had the sling then, plus I was trying to carry Xian-Pu home, so I had real problems even though I managed to find an umbrella. By the time I arrived home I was soaking wet." "Weren't you staying at the hotel, then?" Holding the roll up with his chopsticks, Akira nibbled around the edge. Juices dribbled down the chopsticks and onto his hands. Grabbing a paper napkin he wiped it off and distractedly replied, "Yes. That's right. We moved into our house the next day." "Didn't they have shampoo in your room? Or the hotel lobby?" "Excuse me?" "Why on earth did you walk outside in that weather just to buy some shampoo? You have some sort of favorite Chinese brand, or something?" Akira gave her a weird look. "Buy Xian-Pu?" "Yeah. You said you carried shampoo home." "Yes. Back to the Cat Cafe." "Back to-- Wait, you mean Ranma's fiancee Shampoo?" "Yes. She was a cat at the time, so he didn't want to carry her." Nabiki smirked at the idea of Ranma attempting to carry a cat. Run with it at it clinging to his back, maybe... "No, I don't imagine he would." "The restaurant was locked, but there was a little kitty door that I was able to push her through. By the time I got home I was soaked to the bone and freezing cold." He shivered in remembrance. "I suppose you could get a nasty cold after doing that." Something Akira had said just registered with Nabiki's brain. "Hey, wait. What do you mean, 'Ranma didn't want to carry Shampoo'? He was with you?" The boy scratched his head. Glancing at his still-sticky hand, he quickly regretted it. "Well, yeah, we were at your place." "The night of the storm?" "Yes. Around two in the morning." Nabiki furrowed her brows. "And what exactly were you, Ranma, and Shampoo doing at our house at that time of the night? I didn't hear any... noises," she said suggestively. Akira started to laugh uneasily. "Aheh. Well, it's nothing like you're making it sound like, I can assure you." "Can you, now?" One of her eyebrows arched up. "Heh. Um." Akira was rather flustered for a few moments before asking, "On a completely unrelated note, is Ranma still living at your house?" "What?" Where on earth had that remark come from? She was further distracted as she saw Kuno striding up behind Akira's chair. He had changed from a school uniform into his kendo outfit, resting his bokken over his shoulder. He stopped imposingly behind Akira. "Is Ranma still living at your house?" "I heard what you said, I just don't why you would ask." Kuno cleared his throat. "Like I said, it's just an... unrelated question. And, uh, you haven't answered it yet." "You noticed." Nabiki glanced up at Kuno, who was growing somewhat distressed that the boy he was looming over did not even realize he was there. "Are you going to tell me?" "Are YOU going to tell me what you were doing at our house at two in the morning?" She wondered whether Akira had purposefully tried to change the conversation, or was just naturally scatterbrained. Probably the latter. He struck her as the nerd-type, who couldn't stick to a subject if he tried. Well, this would bring the topic back to its proper place, and if she knew Kuno... Now smoldering, Kuno lowered his sword onto Akira's shoulder. "And just what were you doing at the house of Akane Tendo? Plotting with Saotome?!" Finally, Akira noticed the sword, and the boy holding it, standing right behind him. Startled, he jumped back, tripping over his chair, and falling backwards. He knocked his head on the table on his way down, which catapulted Nabiki's food into the air and onto himself. She frowned. "Now look what you've done." He slowly got up, brushing off large quantities of rice and vegetables that had once been part of Nabiki's bento. Grape juice dripped off his shirt. "Why me?" he moaned. "I will have justice, sorcerer. You are clearly in league with that wretch Saotome in stealing the fair pig-tailed girl's body, and attempting to do the same to the beauteous Akane Tendo. Your days of hiding are at an end!" Kuno had done a good job of projecting his voice during his little speech, and now most of the students in the cafeteria were looking in their direction. "Are you sure we can't just talk about this?" "And give you a chance to ensorcel me with your words?!" Kuno raised his bokken forward and in front of him, a striking position. Akira backed into the table and turned his head back to look at Nabiki, without taking his eyes off of Kuno. "Some help, please?" Nabiki grinned. Not that Akira could see it, staring at Kuno like a cornered rat. "I'd love to, but there's still the matter of payment..." "Whatever! Just help me!" "How about..." Nabiki paused, as if thinking, before naming exactly what she wanted. "A packet of Instant Spring of Drowned Man?" "Spring.. of... Drowned... MAN..." Kuno's smoldering turned into full- fledged flames. Pretty impressive flames, too. "What?" Now Akira did risk a look back at Nabiki. "Those things are worth 37,500 yen!" Involuntarily, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. She could get a good television set for as much! "And you've got a dozen of these things in your bag?" The incredulous words came out of her mouth before the could stop them. That was almost half a million yen worth of merchandise! Akira blinked. "Yeah. Thirteen, actually." He frowned. "How did you know--?" Kuno finally snapped, "WILL YOU STOP IGNORING ME?!? Feel the vengeance of heaven! Divine Retribution!!!" His last words were punctuated by a crash of lightning just outside. From his ready position, it didn't even take a second to bring the sword down. "Sorry, comin' through!" A blue and black blur resolved into Ranma as it perched temporarily on Kuno's face, and then launched itself back into motion. "Ranma! Watch where you're going!" Akane followed a few steps behind. Nabiki blinked at the passers-by, and watched Akira and Kuno, who were frozen in place. Kuno was in mid-stroke, and Akira was holding his hands above his head, trying to fend off the blow. The two held their positions for five seconds. Ten seconds. "Guys?" The nerve impulses finally reaching his brain, Kuno fell over and passed out from the footplant on his face. Then Akira opened an eye and looked at the comatose form. "What...?" "Well, I guess you won't need my help for the moment after all. That will just give us some more time to negotiate on my fees." "What... was that?" Akira was still looking around in confusion. "That was the Ranma express. And Akane the caboose." A gentle hiss started to come from the darkened skies outside. "Looks like they wanted to beat the rain inside." "Wow. He helped me out, even after everything I've done to him." Did that have anything to do with his remark about Ranma still living at their house? Or why he was over in the middle of the night two days ago? Her curiosity was starting to get the better of her. She never liked it when things were going on that she didn't know about. Plus there was the other small matter... "Ahem?" "Mmm. What?" The boy looked in confusion at her upturned palm. "Oh, our little arrangement. Ah, tell you what. I'll get back to you tomorrow morning about whether I need your assistance, okay? I'm not sure whether it's worth that much." "Alright." Nabiki put on her best smile. Thinking she was satisfied, he started to go after Akane and Ranma. "Um?" She spoke with just the right tone of innocence and accusation. "Uh, what?" Akira looked at her in confusion. If she had any say, she'd make sure he never left that state in her presence. "My money?" "But... Tomorrow?" "What about my lunch?" "Eh?" "You knocked my lunch off the table. Now what am I going to eat?" She batted her eyes innocently. Or at least a reasonable approximation thereof. Akira blinked. A bit of rice fell out of his hair. He sighed, and pulled out his wallet. Keeping her hand out, she continued to smile, as her placed the bills in her hand. His training was coming along quite well. * * * * * * "I'm telling you, Akane, it's true!" "She's your MOTHER, for crying out loud!" "Don't you think I know that? That's why it's so weird!" Akane rolled her eyes and sniffed. "I know you have a high opinion of yourself, but there's no way your own mother is attracted to you, Ranma." "What do you call it, then?! She keeps on walking in on me in the bath, and undresses in front of me in the bedroom!" "You're reading too much into it. Auntie Saotome isn't like that." Ranma looked dubious, but seemed mollified. "Maybe." "Anyway, it wouldn't make her the only person who's been acting weird, lately." "No kidding." Akane looked surprised. "You noticed it, too?" "Well, yeah! You-- Uh... You. Yuka! Yeah, Yuka has been acting really weird, the past few days." Akane frowned at him slightly. "You mean Sayuri?" Ranma sighed in relief. Nice save! What was he thinking, trying to tell Akane she was acting funny? Over the past few days, she had been acting especially nice to him. Well, excepting the Instant Spring incident. Not that she wasn't nice normally. Sure, when she got upset, she could get violent, but that really didn't happen very often. Maybe nice wasn't the word. She was acting... closer. Like, instead of walking beside him, she walked right next to him. He could almost imagine the hairs of her arm brush against his own. There was an almost palpable sense of her presence near to his skin. And the day after the storm, she had hauled him down from the fence he normally walked on to school. "C'mon, there're no puddles. You can walk down here with me, for once," she had said. There were other things, too. Like now. The past couple of days she'd been eating lunch with him, instead of her friends. Just now they'd been eating outside alone, and when it started to rain, they had come back to the classroom, rather then eat with everyone else in the cafeteria. "Earth to Ranma, are you even paying attention?" Akane waved her hand in front of Ranma's face. He snapped out of his thoughts and laughed, "Wh- Why of course I'm paying attention!" Just don't ask me to prove it... "SURE you are." He couldn't identify the look she gave him. "I guess it only makes sense that you'd be acting weird, too." Ranma kept his mouth shut. "Anyway, like I was saying, Sayuri's only acting weird because UKYO's been acting weird." "Huh? Ukyo's the same as always." "What planet have you been on? She's always dressed like a guy, but now she's starting to act like a guy!" "What does THAT mean?" "It means that she's not doing anything even remotely feminine. She hasn't been socializing with any of the girls. Heck, no one's even seen her in the locker room or the bathroom the past few days." "You're checking to see if Ukyo goes to the bathroom?" Girls were weird. "The POINT is, she hasn't been seen with girls anywhere. She's almost exclusively hanging out with you and the guys." Thinking about it, Ranma realized it was true. "Yeah, now that you mention it. The guys think it's great. She's hanging around so much, and she's so easy to get along with, that some of them have even thought about asking her out." "They should." "What?" "If a boy doesn't ask her out first... Well, there are some GIRLS who have been thinking about asking her out, too. It's like they've forgotten that she's a girl, herself. Of course, since they never see her changing anymore, it's only reinforcing the idea..." "How could they forget that she's a girl?! That's all the guys can think about!" "Yes, well boys will be boys." She frowned. "I guess the girls see a dashing young man who doesn't leer at them like the other boys do." "But she's a GIRL!" "Who can tell, with the bindings and boy's uniform? It's not like she's showing any curves. And her hair's short enough to satisfy the principal!" That wasn't completely true. Ukyo's hair was only a little shorter then Akane's, but it had been tapered in the back, so it had much less volume. "What's wrong with short hair?" Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! "Perhaps you've heard the expression that 'a girl's hair is her life'? It's like she's... giving up her life as a girl. Forsaking her femininity, or something." Akane was surprised to see Ranma flinch at the remark. "Do you really think that a girl's hair is her life?" Akane was surprised at his response and tone. She would have figured him to make some insulting remark about girls. Maybe he was beginning to take her observations seriously. "Well, maybe it's not her life, but it is an important part of a girl's identity. I mean, since we have to wear a school uniform, and can't wear any jewelry or makeup at school, it's one of the only ways we can show off our personality. "Since Ukyo's hair was so long, she must have spent years growing it out, and caring for it so she didn't get split ends. Washing, drying, and brushing that much hair isn't easy. For a no-nonsense type like her to put up with all the trouble, it really must have meant something to her." Ranma looked down at his empty bento, tapping the side of the box with his chopsticks. "I thought..." He looked up at her. "So you're saying it means something when a girl grows her hair long?" Akane nodded. Ranma glanced down at his bento, apparently thinking. Hopefully he would take Akane's words to heart and realize that something was up with Ukyo. At first Akane thought that she was 'upping the ante' for Ranma, but that didn't make any sense. She wasn't making herself a better woman for Ranma; she was making herself into a boy! And she wasn't trying to date or do anything romantic with him either. She was just... hanging out with him more often. Akane might have gotten jealous if she herself weren't spending more time with him. She had hoped he might come to his senses after Jusendo and realize that she was the girl for him, but he barely showed how he felt. So she decided that she would MAKE him see. The past few days she had tried to be nice to him, even when he was a jerk. If only she could be more forward. The idea no longer bothered her. It wasn't like she was giving in and admitting that she... She stumbled over the word, even in her thoughts. If only she could act like a normal girl. Holding his hand, smiling at him... But what if she screwed that up like every other 'feminine' thing she tried? If she couldn't approach Ranma the way she wanted, maybe she could make him approach her. She would make him show that he loved her! It was just the curse, she was sure. That was the only thing keeping him away from her. If he weren't so worried about being 'half-a-man', he would be able to admit his feelings. Having lived half a day as a boy herself, she knew that the curse could cause... reactions that had nothing to do with your sexual preferences. She tried not to blush at the thought, ruthlessly pushing down the memory. A- Anyway, after a few days ago, it was apparent that he really did have problems with his girl body. She wanted to make sure he was comfortable with her even as a girl. He needed to know that she understood his problem, and accepted it. Then maybe he could accept himself. And her. Now if only Ukyo didn't keep appearing out of nowhere whenever Ranma turned into a girl... As she drifted out of her thoughts, she realized that she was staring at Ranma. His gray eyes. And he was looking back at her. "Akane? Did you... Um, what did it mean when your hair was long?" She blinked at the question, which seemed to come out of nowhere. "What? Why do you want to know?" She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him, anyway. He already knew she had had a silly crush on Tofu. If he found out that she had tried to look more like Kasumi, or that the crush had lasted years... "I just... I mean, if you had your hair long for a reason, then when it got cut..." "Don't worry about it, Ranma. I got over it a long time ago." She unconsciously ran her hand up the back of her neck, running her fingers through her ends of her hair. "I mean, I think your hair looks better now, but I guess you had a reason to grow your hair long in the first place..." "So you like short hair?" she asked mischievously. "I think it looks cute on you." The words must have slipped out of his lips without his knowledge, because he instantly started to correct himself. "Uh, what I mean to say is--" "Hello there!" Akira poked his head into the doorway of the classroom. She would rather have stayed alone in the room with Ranma, but she didn't particularly want to give him the time to finish taking back his compliment, either. So she quickly waved, "Hello, Akira. How are things going?" "Good and bad. I wanted to thank you guys for saving me from Kuno." "Kuno? What's he want?" Ranma seemed to have quickly composed himself, either forgetting or ignoring his previous remarks. "He thinks I'm some sort of magician that turned the 'pig-tailed girl' into you, Ranma. And tried to do the same to Akane. I think he wants to kill me..." "Nah, Kuno's harmless enough. He talks big, but I don't think he could seriously hurt anyone." "He could seriously hurt me! I don't know kung-fu, like you guys!" "Musabetsu kakuto ryu," mumbled Ranma. "I meant that he WOULDN'T seriously hurt anyone. He's real good with that stick of his. He could hit you pretty hard without cutting you or breaking any bones." "That makes me feel SO much better," he replied sarcastically, tugging at his T-shirt. Akane noticed the gesture and asked, "Why aren't you wearing your school shirt?" For some reason, he seemed a lot more... familiar without a collar. The boy pulled his finger away from his shirt, apparently just noticing it. "I, uh, had an accident with a fish cart this morning that spilled shaved ice and eel all over my jacket. A few minutes ago I got your sister's grape juice over my shirt and had to wash it out. RIght now the clothes are drying in my classroom. "I swear, everywhere I turn, I'm being thrown into water, splashed with something, or finding myself caught in the rain. What's with this town?" "Welcome to Nerima." Ranma smirked. Akane knew she was the cause of Akira getting thrown into the pool and canal, but she was curious about the others. She could only remember one time it had rained recently. "Did you get caught in that storm a few nights ago?" He blinked. "Well, yes. When I was coming back from your ho--" Akane was somewhat startled as Ranma suddenly sat up straight and loudly interrupted, "So, what brings you here, now?" Akira blinked a few times, taken aback by the sudden subject change and the intensity of Ranma's look. "Ah, yes. After hearing that you went to Jusenkyo, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" Akane noticed a suspicious glance from Ranma, as he answered, "What?" "Well, I've lived most of my life next to Jusenkyo--" Ranma interrupted him again. "You what?!" "Well, a few hundred meters away. Whenever we walked to Nyuchezu, we had to skirt the outside of the springs." Ranma barked, "Why on earth did you live there?" Akira looked a little offended. "It's just where my parents decided to live. They were found there by the villagers and decided to build a house nearby." "And none of you got cursed?" He twitched. "We didn't live IN Jusenkyo; we lived near it." Akane grinned. "You'll have to forgive Ranma. He lives next to one tiny little koi pond, and he manages to fall into it once a day. He can't imagine someone living near a hundred pools and not falling into at least one of them." She grinned at her fiance, who looked none too pleased by the remark. "Anyway, you were saying...?" "Ah, yes. I spent most of my life near Jusenkyo, learning about it and its history from Pii-Chu. I've decided to write a book about what he's told me, to serve as a reference to his daughter. I hope to have it published, as well. I'm titling it the Encyclopedia Jusenkyo. "I'd like to interview curse victims to learn their specific experiences with the springs. I was wondering if you might allow me to write a chapter about you and your experiences." Akane noticed an interesting interplay of emotions on Ranma's face. First and foremost was pride. No doubt he liked the idea of someone writing about him, but she guessed that he still had some reservations. She suspected that he would rather have people write about him as Ranma the Martial Artist, rather then Ranma the Boy Who Turns into a Girl. Also, she didn't think Ranma trusted Akira very much. He was still uncomfortable about the gender switching earlier in the week, and held Akira responsible. Well, it WAS his fault, but Akane had forgiven him, and she didn't think Ranma should do any less. Besides, the book sounded like a good idea. It could be given to all the curse victims as a sort of how-to book on dealing with their curses. They could see how other people had dealt with the same curse. A book like that certainly would have helped Ranma! And so, just when it looked like Ranma was just about to refuse, Akane answered, "Sure! He'd love to!" Ranma shot her a startled glance. "Don't you think it'd be great to have a 'user manual' for Jusenkyo curses?" He just shrugged and looked back at Akira. "OK. Whatever." "Great! I have a series of questions that I've asked all the people whom I've already interviewed. I'd like to start with those, and them ask some questions more specific to your own experiences." He started shuffling through his book bag, and pulled out a spiral-bound notebook. Ranma looked at the expectant boy. "What, you want to interview me now?" "Yes, if you have the time." "Well, I got until the end of lunch, anyway." "That's great! The first few questions should be pretty simple, anyway." "OK. Shoot." "First of all, how did you get cursed?" Akira asked eagerly. As Ranma started talking, the boy took notes. He didn't need really need to think about his response. "Well, my old man took me there for martial arts training. We were on a training voyage, and he was looking for all the good spots to teach me. He'd never heard of Jusenkyo before, but somehow he got a brochure for it." He muttered under his breath. "Don't know why anyone would print a BROCHURE for the place. "Anyway, even though he can't read a word of Chinese, he must've thought he understand the kanji well enough, 'cause he was sure it was a training ground." "Do you think he might have been drawn to Jusenkyo?" "Huh?" "Do you think his desire to go to the Cursed Springs went beyond all reason? Some people think that the victims are lured in by their magic." "I wouldn't say it went 'beyond all reason'. Not that anything he did was really reasonable." Ranma scratched his head. "But it's not like I thought he was leading us into danger, or nothin'." "So when you arrived, you didn't feel any apprehension? Like you were approaching something big. Your destiny, perhaps?" "Huh? What are you talking about? It was just another training ground, as far as I could tell. We show up there are the Guide is telling us what a horrible place it is, and saying nobody ever comes there anymore. Something about a tragic history or whatever. "It's the same sort of thing we've heard from a lot of the places we went to, so me and the old man don't pay it any attention. Pop jumped up onto one of the bamboo poles, so I guessed he wanted to do mid-air combat." He noticed Akira's blank look. "Jumping from pole to pole, trying to knock each other out of the air." "Anyway, we were going at it for about a minute when I manage to kick him into a pool. The Guide starts yelling, which sort of distracted me. I didn't know why he was in such a panic. I mean, I knocked him into the spring on purpose. It would break his fall more then the dirt, or getting impaled on one of the bamboo shoots. When a giant panda jumps out, I freak out, and it whacks me into the damned Spring of Drowned Girl." "So your father is cursed as well? Shonmaonichan?" "Uh, yeah. What you said. Spring of Drowned Panda." "I've got to interview him, as well." "Whenever you want. It's not he has anything better to do with his time." "Excellent. But back to your experiences. What was that like, when you acquired the curse? The first time you actually transformed?" Ranma blinked a few times. "I guess I never really thought about it before. It all happened so fast. One minute I'm in the air, the next I'm falling. Or flying at the ground. I didn't even have time to twist around and land on my feet. "My legs were over my head, and as I splashed into the water, I spun around almost immediately. It threw off my balance, so I couldn't tell which way was up, and I'd already had the air knocked out of me by my old man. "I was really sc-- disoriented. I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't tell where I was. I guess there was a burning sensation. A sense of heat flashing throughout my body? I thought I was already running out of air, but it might have been the curse. "I finally managed to scramble out of the water, and sucked in the sweet air. Only my balance was still off and I felt light-headed. And heavy- chested. So I look down, and there's these." Ranma made a cupping gesture at his chest. "And what was that like, when you realized you weren't yourself, anymore?" Ranma frowned at the question. "I was still myself, I just had a dumb girl's body!" He didn't notice Akane's stare, or how Akira had raised an eyebrow, and scribbled at length in his book. "Okay, then. What was it like when you realized you had a 'girl's body'?" "I dunno. It was like... everything was over. My old man was training me to be the best, and next thing I know I'm a little girl. Girls can't fight, at least not like guys. It was like my whole life up until that point was wasted." "And you still thought of yourself as a guy trapped in a girl's body, even though you were really a girl?" Ranma gave him a dirty look. "My body changes, not my mind." "OK. So what was your reaction when you found out you could change back with hot water?" "Man, I was so happy. I thought I was going to be stuck like that forever. I had already started getting used to the body. I mean, when I first started chasing after pop, I almost tripped a couple times. My girl- type legs are short, so my strides were all off. But by the time I caught him, I was moving like had been bor-- Like I had been in that body all my life." "Really? You didn't immediately know how to use your new body?" "Nope." Akira scribbled something else into his book. "So how long would it say it took you to become acclimated to your cursed form?" "Uh, I dunno. A little while. I finally caught my old man after an hour or so. So it wasn't quite that long." "The next time you changed, did you have to re-learn how to use your new body again?" Ranma thought about it. "Naw, not really. I guess I was as used to it then as I was going to get." "Hmm. So it took you almost an hour to get used to your body... Wait a minute." Akane asked, "Is that not normal?" "Huh? Oh, all of the other people I talked to knew how to use their new bodies right away. Or at least I've never heard anyone having problems. But," he turned toward Ranma, "Are you telling me you were a girl for almost an hour before you learned that hot water would cure you?" "Well, yeah." Akira shook his head and mumbled to himself. "Amazing." In the minute that he was writing, Akane and Ranma looked at each other curiously. What was so amazing about that? Finally, Akira took his head out of his book. "Why didn't Pii-Chu show you about the curse?" "Who?" "Pii-Chu. The guide." "Oh. I was too mad at my old man. If he had stayed still and taken his beating like a man, then I wouldn't have had to chase after him." "So you blame your curse on your father?" "Well, he knocked me in." "You don't feel it was because of a failing on your part? I mean, couldn't you have dodged the blow?" Ranma stood up. "What're you trying to say? That it's my own fault I'm cursed?" Ranma wondered why he was taking the question so personally. It WAS his old man's fault, but there was just something about blaming it on him that made him feel guilty, for some reason. Akira waved him arms. "No, no! I'm just trying to gauge what your opinion is of why you were cursed." "'Why'?" Ranma eyed the fair-haired boy distrustfully. "Yes, do you think there was a reason you were cursed? That you were being punished for something you had done? Or that you had some destiny to achieve?" Ranma took his seat again. "Naw, nothing like that. There's no... REASON for it. It's just a stupid curse." He shivered. Destined to turn into a girl? He didn't like THAT idea! "Hmm. Okay." With a quick stroke, Akira drew a line through his page. "The next section is about how you've adapted to your curse. How has your lifestyle changed, now that you know you could turn into a girl any time you're splashed with cold water?" "Well, I wear baggy clothes." He tugged on his pants. "Yes...?" prompted Akira. "That's about it." "Surely you've done more than that!" "Not really..." Akane nudged him, "What about the beach?" Ranma frowned. "Yeah, I guess I have to get girl's bathing suits, too. One-peieces. I'm no pervert or nothin'." "That's it?" Ranma glanced at Akane, who decided not to mention her fiance's female disguise kit. That had more to do with tormenting Ryoga then adapting to his curse. "Yep." Akira was flustered. "But... What do you do for identification? Do you have two IDs? Have you made separate identities for your two sides while enrolling at school? Do you keep a radio handy for checking the weather forecasts? Or a bag for feminine hygiene problems...?" Ranma was opening his mouth before being interrupted by each new question. Akane finally stopped the tirade by saying, "Feminine hygiene?" Akira blinked. "You know, when he gets his period." "Wh- What?" Ranma started blushing. Akane said, "Ranma's never a girl long enough to get her period. Not even with the Cat Tongue, or the time his curse was locked by the Chisuiton." She wrinkled her nose. "Eew, that's gross. Ranma with a period!" Akira blinked. "What do you mean, he's never been a girl long enough? What does that have to do with it?" Akane blushed a little. "Well, I mean, he's never been female for a whole month. His cycle doesn't have time to start." "I don't understand." He addressed Ranma, "You are... mature, aren't you?" "Hell, yeah!" "So you should have a period when you're a girl." Akane interrupted, "But he's a BOY. He doesn't have a female cycle. So when he turns into a girl, it starts up, but he's never a girl long enough for the cycle to reach his period. Or... her period. Whatever." "I was a midwife's assistant in Nyuchezu, so I'm... somewhat familiar with a woman's cycle. Less well-known is the fact that men also have a similar monthly biorhythm regulated by their hormones. The effects are significantly less pronounced then those of women, but the cycle is there. When Ranma turns into a girl, he should be at the same point in his female cycle as he is in his male." Akane was speechless. "Is this true, Ranma?" "Are you really going to write about things like periods in your book? I mean, it's pretty gross." "You have a PERIOD?!?" Ranma grabbed Akane and covered her mouth. "Geez, not so loud, Akane!" "So what do you do?" repeated Akira. "I mean, I imagine you wouldn't want to wear a tampon, what with what would happen if you were to change back into a guy..." Akira visibly shuddered, as did Ranma. Maybe Akane did, too. "So do you use a pad? But that means wearing panties for them to stay in place..." "I don't wear panties!" "So, what do you do? Use a menstrual rag?" Akane watched Ranma fidget with a sort of detached horror. She had never considered the possibility that Ranma might, well, personally know about feminine problems. After all, even when he was a girl, he acted like a guy. "Look, I don't use anything, okay?" "I see... Is that really sanitary?" "That's gross!" added Akane. "Look, I just don't change into a girl... then, OKAY?" Akira pulled back. "You don't change during your period? You mean the curse doesn't affect you during that time of the month?!" He looked excited by the revelation. "That's not what I said! I just... don't change. I make sure I don't get wet. If I do, I change back as soon as possible. More so then usual, I mean." "But how do you know what days to watch out?" "It's always the same." Akane said, "What, your cycle is always the same number of days apart? You're that regular?" Ranma avoided looking at her. "N- No, I didn't say that." "So what's always the same?" asked Akira. Ranma started blushing. "What?" added Akane. "It's always on the same day as Akane and Nabiki's." Akane's eye started twitching. "Yes, that makes sense. When there are a number of women living together in close quarters, their periods can become synchronized." "I'm NOT a woman!" "Yes, it does sound weird. I'd never heard of female hormones causing a man's cycle to become synchronized... Then again, how would you test it?" The boy was lost in thought. Akane was giving Ranma a dirty look. "I guess it's more likely that you're a girl long enough each month to be affected by the their pheromones..." "HOW do you know when we're having our period?" demanded Akane. "I'll explain it later," shushed Ranma. "You'll explain NOW!" Ranma glared at Akira. "This doesn't leave this room." Akira blinked, "But--" "It doesn't go in your book, and you don't tell anyone else, either, got it?" He glanced to the front and rear doors of the classroom to make sure no one else was listening in. "Um... OK." Reluctantly he closed his notebook. It seemed to be enough to satisfy Ranma, who turned back to Akane. He spoke to her in a hissed whisper. "I c- count the tampons in the bathroom. When some go missing, I know you or Nabiki are having your--" "PERVERT!" She was almost used to Happosai stealing bras and underwear, and peeping, but this was... This was all too sordid. A violation of things even more intimate than women's underwear! "Hey, it's not like I want to!" Akane fancied that she could read Ranma's expressions better after having come back from Jusenkyo. And what she saw was mostly anger, but she thought she could also see some pain reflected in his eyes. Knowing Ranma, he probably really did hate it. She shouldn't call him a pervert for trying to deal with the situation, should she? "I still think it's gross." Ranma rolled his eyes. "You're telling me?" The fiances took a few moments to cool down before Akira spoke up again. "Are you two alright? I'm sorry if I brought up anything that upset you..." "I guess she was goin' to find out sometime. Better now than when I'm looking in their box." "Are you sure I can't include this in the book?" His voice was ice. "No." "But it might help other guys who get the Drowned Girl curse." "I don't want people thinking I'm a pervert. Bad enough that everyone knows about the curse already." Akane had kept silent, trying to keep her emotions under control. She was trying to be nicer to Ranma, but after hearing about Ranma feminine hygiene problems, and his... unique solution, she couldn't help but be shocked into old habits of insulting him. She had been the one to agree to this little question and answer period for Ranma. It hadn't been his idea, and he was starting to regret it, no doubt in part due to her reaction. If she, who was supposed to know him well, called him a pervert, what would a stranger reading about him think? Still, she stood by her idea that the book would be a good idea. If Ranma had been able to read the experiences and advice of other people cursed like him, maybe he wouldn't be as uptight as he was now. Finally, she spoke up, "Do you have to write down the thing about the tampons with Ranma? Could you put it somewhere else in the book?" "Even if he puts it somewhere else in the book, it'll be obvious it's me!" "Not necessarily," responded Akira. "I already have a chapter on another man cursed by the Spring of Drowned Girl. And there might be another. I could keep it anonymous." Ranma frowned, looking at his fists, resting on his knees. Clearly he was still dubious. "C'mon Ranma." Akane rested her hand on one of his fists, instantly drawing his eyes to her. "It's not so bad. No one would have to know it's you." Ranma continued to stare at her, and she thought his pupils were getting larger. Or was she getting closer to them? She felt like she was being drawn in. Suddenly, it seemed, he drew his eyes away and looked at the ground. "OK. It can go in the book, but it still doesn't leave this room. No one finds out it's me." "Great!" Akira opened his book to the back and wrote away. She figured he was embarrassed by her hand, so she started to draw it away. To her surprise, he opened his fist and grabbed Akane's fingers before they had completely slipped off. Awkwardly, he loosened his grip, but did not remove his hand. His eyes darted from their hand to Akane to the floor to the walls. Tentatively, she clasped Ranma's hand, who squeezed back. Akane felt a warmth in her chest. Maybe there was some hope for the two of them after all. The school clock chimed one o'clock, marking the end of lunch. Akira muttered under his breath and started collecting his stuff. "Look, I've got a few more questions for you. Can I see you after school in the field? Hello?" Ranma pulled himself out of his daze just long enough to reply, "Sure, whatever." "Excellent! Um, you might want to come alone. I might have some more private questions that might be embarrassing to answer in front of your..." He trailed off, as he didn't get any reaction from Ranma or Akane. Raising his voice, his left with the words, "Remember! After class!" "Mmm." After wandering his gaze around the room, his eyes finally fell back upon Akane, who had been watching him all along. He felt a heat rise in his cheeks, embarrassed that he hadn't been able to keep her gaze. All thoughts of being mushy slipped out of his mind as Akane graced him with the slightest of smiles. He found himself smiling back. The young couple shared each other's presence for the next twenty seconds, until a swarm of students flowed into the room and ripped the pair apart. "What were you doing here all alone?" "Did you kiss?" "Are you really in love with him?" "Do your parents know?" "Does this mean I can have Ukyo?" ------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- End Part 9 Next Time: "Behind the Invisible Barrier" ------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to Vincent Seifert for correcting my spelling and grammar errors, as well as his regular feedback for this series. His encouragement has gone a long way to shoring up the insecurities of this novice writer. ^_^