Welcome my friends to another chapter of A Feather in the Wind.
All characters, save Feather, are the property of the esteemed
Rumiko Takahashi, and several very large corperations.
That being said, let us begin...
A Feather in the Wind
Chapter 8
Mousse lay upon his bed; barely aware of the unusually gentle
care Shampoo gave him. The fever kept him delirious most of the
time, and the few times he was lucid Cologne was the only one
around. He knew he was dying.
Feather nearly choked when she entered the room where they
were keeping Mousse. The room reeked of rotting flesh, despite the
fact that the room was cleaned often and thoroughly.
"What's causing that smell?" She asked as she held her nose.
Shampoo gently pulled aside some of the bandages, revealing three
parallel gashes running in a diagonal across Mousse's chest. She
gestured towards one of the scabs that appeared to have blistered.
"Is wounds. They cause him flesh to rot," Shampoo sighed as
she heated a needle over a candle flame. "Get hot rag from basket
over there," She pointed at a wire basket that was suspended in
boiling water. As Feather gingerly pulled the towel out of the
water, Shampoo expertly lanced the blistering scabs. Sickly green
puss oozed out from each point that was lanced. Shampoo made a
curt gesture, and Feather handed Shampoo the towel. Shampoo
slapped it onto his chest.
Feather winced at Mousse's sudden scream, but Shampoo showed
no outward reaction. Shampoo purposefully worked the towel around
his chest, and then carefully removed it and placed it into a
plastic bag. The towel had changed from a pristine white to the
same shade of green as what was leaking out of the blisters, and
even appeared to be falling apart.
"That stuff is pretty nasty," was the only thing Feather
could say. Shampoo nodded.
"It eating him. Like mummies curse, it eat him skin.
Shampoo no know way to stop infection. Great Grandmother spend
many night researching, look for cure,"
Downstairs Cologne, Ranma, Ryouga and Akane were still at the
table talking.
"Ok ghoul, those cuts that thing gave Mousse got infected
with something that's eating his skin?" Ranma asked.
"Yes son-in-law, that's it exactly. It's about all we can do
to keep him alive right now," The old woman sighed "The only cure I
found is the mythical 'Water of Life'. But that's only an old
legend," She stopped when she saw the expressions on their faces.
"Or is it?"
"It's real, but the water isn't the right cure," Akane said,
a slightly pained expression grew on her face, "The water will heal
him, temporarily. What we need to get is the moss off of the
Yamato no Orochi's nose. You see, that moss is what makes the
water of life, and that makes it at least ten times as potent."
"And here I thought it was only a legend. How far away is
it?" Cologne asked, hope rising again.
"It's in some place called Ryugenzowa. Takes a little while
to get close to by train, and from there it's a healthy walk to the
village, and a trip into the woods to get to the Orochi's lair,"
Ranma supplied.
"That thing's gonna be tough to get to. Didn't you have to
change into a girl to distract it for a while Ranma?" Ryouga
grinned a little at Ranma's reaction. "Maybe that would be enough
again--after all, it is just a stupid beast," They fell silent
again, thinking about what they could do to get the moss off of the
Orochi's nose.
"Hey Ranma, wasn't it Akane's whistle that made that thing go
back to its lair and sleep?" Ryouga asked after a few moments.
"Yeah, come to think of it, it was. Maybe she'll let us
borrow it," Ryouga shook his head.
"Actually she'll probably want to come along. After all, I'm
sure she wants to see how Shinnosuke's doing," Ryouga dug his elbow
into Ranma's ribs a bit.
"Shut up man! I won't let her get near... I mean risk...
arrgh! You know what I mean!" Ranma looked flustered.
"Hey! Don't talk about me like I wasn't right here you
guys!" Akane yelled, "Of course I'm going along! I helped get
that moss before, and I'll do it again!"
"Come on Akane, you know you'd rather not fight that thing
again, it almost ate you last time, remember?" Ranma tried again
to convince her to stay behind. While Ranma and Akane were
'discussing' whether or not she could go, Feather and Shampoo came
down the stairs.
"Great Grandmother, Shampoo drain wounds again. Him scream
very loud this time."
"I have good news child. We have found a cure for the
infection, and we are preparing to go after it," Cologne glanced
over at the still arguing Ranma and Akane, "Just as soon as we
decide who is going, and who is not."
"Shampoo go!" Cologne shook her head.
"No. I need you here to help me keep Mousse alive just a
little while longer. I have confidence that son-in-law and
whomever else goes will be able to bring back the moss."
"I'll go," Feather said softly. Surprisingly, her soft words
managed to silence Ranma and Akane.
"No way! There is no way I can just let you go on this one!
Heck, even Akane can still beat you!" Ranma yelled. Feather
cringed back just a little, but she straightened back up.
"I'm going, and there's nothing you can say that will stop
me! Come on big brother, I can help!" Feather unleashed her most
dangerous weapons; the hurt puppy dog look and the slightly
quivering lower lip. Ranma backed up a step.
"I, uh, I mean, you know, it's dangerous and stuff. I just
don't want ya to get hurt or nothin'..." Ranma stammered as Feather
continued her assault.
"Please," Her most plaintive tone caused Ranma's head to
droop in defeat.
"Oh all right. I guess you could go,"
"Thanks big brother!" Feather gave him a hug and then backed
off. Akane laughed a little.
"Well then, I guess if Feather's going it's A-OK for me to go
as well!" Ranma turned on her.
"What do ya mean by that?!? Who said that you could go?"
"Come off it Ranma. If you'll let your 'little sister' go,
and you even admitted that I'm better than she is, you have to let
me go," Cologne chuckled.
"She does have a point there son-in-law. Besides, I think
you'll need all the help you can get," Cologne looked thoughtful,
"I feel that it would be best if you started out immediately. The
longer you wait to leave, the less chance Mousse has of surviving."
"Shampoo wish luck! Ranma, no get hurt ok?" Shampoo glomped
onto Ranma.
"No sweat Shampoo, we'll be back before you know it!" Ranma
tried in vain to disentangle himself from the amazon. Feather
stifled a giggle as she watched Akane grab Ranma by his pigtail and
yank him out of Shampoo's grip.
"Come on 'Romeo', we've got to pack," Akane growled as she
dragged Ranma away. Feather faced Cologne and gave a slight bow.
"We'll be back soon, and maybe then I'll be able to train
with you again," Cologne chuckled.
"Take care of yourself child, and make sure you come back in
one piece."
Feather hurried back to the dojo with Ryouga following close
behind. Neither of them spoke on the way. When they reached the
dojo, Feather dashed upstairs to pack. Ryouga looked around a
little before he spied a note.
[[Hi everyone. We all went out for dinner tonight with the
town council. There is food for you in the fridge.
Love,
Kasumi]]
"That will make leaving easier," Ryouga said to himself as he
sat on the porch to look up at the sky. The sun was just starting
to set, and the clouds in the sky shone in brilliant reds.
"Why does it seem like just when I think things are going to
work out, something always comes up?" He said to himself. Just as
he managed to get comfortable, Akane came crashing down the stairs
with her backpack.
"Hi there Ryouga! Stay here with the bags, I gotta leave a
note for everyone; not to mention grab some food," Akane dropped
her pack next to Ryouga and dashed into the kitchen. Ryouga
shrugged a little, and went back to watching the sunset.
Ranma was coming down the stairs when he saw Ryouga seemingly
staring off into space. He also noticed that Ryouga was sitting
next to two backpacks. A wicked grin was plastered on Ranma's face
as he threw his pack at Ryouga. Ranma was only mildly disappointed
to see that Ryouga merely caught the pack and laid it next to the
others.
"Good catch man, I thought you had spaced out again," Ranma
quipped as he finished coming down the stairs.
"How dare you Ranma! I was enjoying that sunset! You'll pay
for that!" Ryouga snarled as he stood. Ranma just got a bigger
grin.
"Let me guess, you wanna spar a little before we go. Fine by
me man, let's go!" Ranma launched himself at Ryouga with a kick.
Ryouga smoothly blocked the kick and countered with a punch.
::This is something I understand, this is something I can
deal with:: Ryouga thought to himself as he fought with Ranma.
Ryouga was where he was the most comfortable, in the middle of a
fight with someone he knew was around his own level.
Ryouga grunted as Ranma managed to kick him solidly in the
gut. He grabbed Ranma's foot and twisted hard. Ranma lost his
footing, but lashed out a mean kick with his other leg catching
Ryouga in the jaw. Ryouga staggered back a step from the blow, and
fell into the pond.
"That was a good one Ryouga," Ranma said to the still
rippling water of the pond. Ryouga-okami poked his head out of the
water and growled. "Oh knock it off Ryouga. Just stay put while I
get you some hot water," Ranma laughed as he walked into the house.
Ryouga-okami clambered out of the pond and shook his coat dry. He
felt strange though. He shook his head, thinking that the feeling
was from the last kick Ranma gave him, but it did not go away.
Ryouga-okami looked up at the sky, and he could make out the moon
against the darkening sky. It was still quite full and had an
eerie yellow tinge. Ryouga-okami decided that it was just the
desire to howl at the moon that his cursed form had. Before he did
anything though, Ranma returned with the hot water and a slightly
upset Akane was with him.
"Honestly Ranma! Fighting with Ryouga like that just before
we leave. Are you trying to wear each other out?"
"Naw, Ryouga was getting bored waiting for us to get ready to
go, and a little sparring to pass the time was perfect. Wouldn't
you say so Ryouga?" Ranma said as he poured the hot water onto
Ryouga. Ryouga wiped his wet hair out of his eyes.
"Yeah, just to pass the time, that's it. Yeah," Ryouga
laughed a little while rubbing the back of his head. Akane snorted
and hefted her pack.
"Come on Feather! We're all ready to go down here!" Akane
yelled up.
"I'm coming!" Feather said as she vaulted over the rail and
dashed down the stairs to where the others were waiting. "Ok, we
can go now," She said as she stopped in front of the others.
Ryouga nearly had a nosebleed when he saw what she was wearing.
Something that resembled a bright yellow halter-top graced her
torso and it's front opened to reveal quite a bit of cleavage. It
contrast, she was wearing the same style of dark green trousers
that Ryouga wore, right down to the leather straps that encircled
her calves.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to wear something like that?"
Ranma asked with a slightly pained voice. Feather frowned.
"What? Don't you like it?" She twirled a little to show off
the fact that it was backless. Her hair followed her motion in a
snake like manner. As she did, Ranma noticed something.
"Hey! Hold up a sec Feather," Feather blinked and stopped.
Ranma moved behind her, placing one hand on her shoulder and gently
pushed aside her hair. Ranma scowled when he saw the scar on her
back.
"What is it Ranma?" Akane asked, but Ranma would not answer
her directly.
"Damn it, so that's what Ukyou was talking about!" Feather
paled when he said that, and Ryouga moved so that he could see, and
let loose a curse.
"She, she told you?" Feather's voice seemed small and weak
then. She pulled away from Ranma and turned to face him. "She did
tell you didn't she!" Feather suddenly screamed. Ranma flinched
back from her, somehow feeling afraid. It was laughable, Ranma
Saotome, one of the premier martial artists in the world was being
cowed by a girl that was nearly a foot shorter than him that still
had trouble with some of her katas.
"Why does my life have to be on parade!" She screamed again,
turning hysterical. The others didn't know what to say and that
seemed to upset her even more. "Can't I have just ONE thing
private about my life? Can't I have one little secret? DO YOU
HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ME!" Feather charged
at Ranma as she screamed, and it looked like she was going to try and
gouge out his eyes. Ranma stood as paralyzed as a deer caught in the
headlights
of a car.
Ryouga roughly knocked Ranma out of the way with his
shoulder, and received a cut just below his left eye from Feather's
nails for his troubles. Feather didn't seem to notice that her
target had changed as she proceeded to pound on his chest. Her
blows didn't faze Ryouga, but he encircled her shoulders in a
tenative hug. Feather squirmed for a minute to get free, but
Ryouga's arms wouldn't budge. Then she suddenly stopped trying to
escape, and just clutched to his chest crying.
Ranma picked himself off of the floor and walked over to
Akane.
"What's gotten into her?" Ranma asked while he rubbed the
back of his head.
"Masculine insensitivity probably," Akane quipped, Ranma
scowled at her words.
"Oh yeah? Maybe you forgot but she's my sister now! Maybe a
tomboy like you wouldn't understand, but I got a right to know
about things like that!"
"What did you say? How's a pervert like you got a right to
know anything!"
"What I'm sayin' is this, If I ever get ahold of that guy
again, he'll pay for everything he's done tenfold! Don't you get
it? It's our duty to protect people weaker than ourselves, and it
looks like all of us failed in that big time!" Akane was taken
back by his words.
"What, what do you mean Ranma? Just what did Ukyou say
happened to her?" Ranma's face held a serious expression.
"If we had found out about what was happening earlier, she
might not be an emotional wreck right now!" He gestured towards
Feather, who was still crying into Ryouga's chest, "Hell, not even
the old freak would have put up with something like that!" Ranma
lapsed into silence and Akane could not think of a way to respond
to that. She still wanted to know what had happened, but she
decided that now wasn't the time to ask. Maybe the next time she
saw Ukyou...
They stood there, the silence penetrated only by Feather's
sobs.
"Uhm, Feather?" Ryouga said gently after a while, "Don't you
think we ought to be leaving now? Mousse can't hold out forever,"
She didn't seem to react to his words. Ryouga sighed to himself
before he steeled himself for what he was about to say. "Do you
want someone to die just because you can't pull yourself out of
your past! You gotta buck up and drive on, it's the way of a true
martial artist!" Ryouga spoke harshly. Feather jerked away
suddenly, stung by his words. When Ryouga saw her hurt expression
and her teary eyes, he felt as if he had tried to gut himself.
"You know, Ryouga's got a point. If we hang around here,
there's a good chance Mousse will die before we can get back with
the moss. We need to move it," Ranma said. Akane placed a hand on
Feather's shoulder.
"We know you're in pain from everything that's happened to
you, but it's something you have to learn to put behind you," Akane
said, "I'm sure Ryouga was just trying to get you to stop crying.
He didn't do it very tactfully though..." Akane shot Ryouga a
glare, and he had the good grace to look embarrassed. Feather
dashed her tears with the back of her hand.
"Ok, let's go," She didn't sound quite as enthusiastic as she
did earlier.
The train did not stop anywhere even close to Ryugenzowa, so
they had to hike for two days. It was well into the night before
they reached Ryugenzowa, and they ended up camping just outside the
village. Early the next morning, they proceeded deep into the
forest.
"Do you know where we are going?" Feather asked as she
stared at a giant koala. Akane nodded.
"We need to talk to Shinnosuke and his grandfather before we face
the Orochi. I gave the whistle back to them before we left last
time,"
"Oh,"
A short time later, they where confronted by a giant duck
billed platypus. Ryouga pulled out his umbrella and tensed for
battle before Akane grabbed his shoulder.
"Look, over there," She said. As she said this, a blur
seemed to come out of nowhere and attack the animal. With one
sharp blow, the platypus was knocked unconscious. Shinnosuke
landed easily in front of them.
"What are you doing here? This forest isn't safe. You'd
better go home," he said with barely any expression in his voice,
as if he said this a hundred times a day.
"Um, Shinnosuke? We came here to see you. Don't you
remember us?" Akane said. Shinnosuke took a step forward to look
closer, when the ground beneath him gave way and a pile of rocks
fell onto his head, knocking him out.
"Are you sure this is the guy we needed to talk to?" Feather
asked nervously. Akane nodded.
"Yeah, strange as it may seem we do need his help," Ryouga
fished him out of the rubble.
"I'm beginning to understand why he has such a terrible
memory..." Ryouga said as he effortlessly slung the boy across his
back, "You remember the way Akane?" She nodded and they started
off again, blithely ignoring the huge animals that roamed the
forest. When they reached the small hut they let themselves
inside.
"Who's there? Is that you Shin-boy?" Shinnosuke's
grandfather asked when they opened the door.
"Hello again!" Akane said cheerfully. At the sound of her
voice, the old man sat up and looked over at them. Akane smiled at
him while Ryouga dropped off Shinnosuke.
"Akane? Why have you come back? You know how dangerous this
forest can be,"
"We had to. A friend of ours is dying, and we need to get
the moss from the Orochi to help him," the old man sighed at her
words.
"I fear there is little hope for your friend. You see,
almost all of the moss was used up saving Shinnosuke's life. I
fear you came here for nothing," Feather exploded at the old man.
"Came here for nothing?!? Listen old man, you said that
_almost_ all the moss was used, what about the rest?"
"I do not believe the Orochi will be rising from his lake any
time soon. Unless he does, there is no way to get the moss from
him,"
"Why can't we just swim down there and wake him up?" She
asked stubbornly.
"That would be like entering the lion's den! Even if you do
manage to wake it, how do you plan on getting the moss without
getting eaten?"
"Heh, I think you’re getting as forgetful as Shinnosuke over
there. We did it before, we'll do it again!" Ranma said
confidently. The old man considered this.
"You may have a point. Regardless, you must be tired from
your journey. Please, rest here."
Shinnosuke groaned as he sat up. He looked at the assembled
group, and then at a name that had been scrawled onto a wall.
"A...Akane?"
"You remember now?" Akane said.
"What are you doing back here? This forest isn't safe for
you!" He said, springing to his feet. Ryouga snorted.
"Yeah, no kidding. Maybe we'll get attacked by a giant
squirrel," Ryouga said sarcastically. Akane elbowed him in the
ribs.
"Will you cut it out! Shinnosuke, we came back to get some
more of the moss from the Orochi,"
"Oh, ok. By the way, what's an Orochi?" Everyone in the
room facefaulted.
"Forget it, I'm going to sleep," Ranma yawned as he unrolled
his sleeping bag. Akane slapped the back of his head.
"Not yet you idiot! We haven't had dinner yet!"
"Yeah, but who's cooking it?" Ranma asked just a little
sarcastically. Akane almost turned red with anger.
"Are you trying to imply something?" Akane asked angrily.
Before they could start fighting, Feather stepped between them.
"Save it for the Orochi! I'll cook tonight!" That being
said, Feather turned towards the pot and started to cook supper.
"Uh, hey Ryouga," Ranma whispered, "She know how to cook?"
Ryouga shrugged.
"Dunno. I did most of the cooking when we were traveling
together. I think she knows a little bit," Ranma heaved a sigh of
relief.
"At least it'll be edible, and there's no way it'll be as bad
as Akane's worst,"
"I heard that Ranma!" Akane scowled at him. Ranma warded
off her gaze with his hands.
"Hey! I just meant that you've come a long way!" Akane's
look softened.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Now we don't have to worry about dyin' if we eat your
cooking. It ain't the greatest, but..." He stopped when he saw
Akane was getting mad again. fortunately for Ranma, Feather turned
away from the pot and held out a pair of filled bowls.
"Supper is ready," she said cheerfully. Ranma took his
portion and sniffed at it carefully.
"Looks normal..." He said quietly, "Aw, what the heck, here
goes," He started to eat. Feather was watching him carefully for
his reaction. Ranma looked up and saw that everyone was watching
him intently.
"What're you guys looking at? Eat up, or I'll eat your
share!" Ranma finished his bowl and put it down. The others were
just getting started on theirs. After a few minutes they all
finished eating.
"That was pretty good Feather, what was it?" Akane asked.
Feather blushed a little at the compliment. Ryouga smiled and
leaned against a wall.
"She used a recipe for stew that I taught her," He said with
a hint of pride in his voice. Ranma glanced over at him.
"What kind of stew?" Ryouga just grinned a little at Ranma's
question, baring his fangs. "Come on man, what kinda stew was it?"
"Rabbit stew," Feather answered. Akane and Ranma fell over.
"Rabbit?!?" Akane practically shrieked, "you mean we just
ate rabbit?" Akane suddenly didn't feel too good.
"Come on, Akane. You admitted that it was pretty good. I
can't cook it quite as good as Ryouga, but it turned out alright,"
"Next time you cook, don't tell us what's in it, ok?" Ranma
said. Feather giggled at him and nodded. They all went to sleep
shortly afterwards.
The next day dawned bright, but cold. Feather shivered as
they all set out. Ranma noticed and smirked.
"Told ya,"
"Shut up Ranma! It's bad enough I'm freezing, but your
comments are making things worse," Feather snapped at him. Ryouga
stopped and rummaged around in his pack for a second before he
pulled out his travelling cloak. He walked up behind Feather and
draped it over her shoulders.
"H h here. It's not much, but it should help keep you warm I
think, yeah warm," Ryouga stammered. Feather reached for the cloak
and pulled it tightly around herself.
"Thanks Ryouga, that's really sweet of you," Feather smiled
at him. Ryouga would have gone to pieces then and there, but Ranma
firmly pushed him on.
"Will you get moving wolf-boy? We got a dragon to fight and
a blind duck to save," Ryouga growled at him, but said nothing.
Shinnosuke looked on with a faint smile. It was close to noon
before they arrived outside of the Orochi's lair. The area was
still devastated from the last time the Orochi was loose, and the
air was still bitterly cold.
"Ok guys, here's what we're gonna do," Ranma announced as
they stood looking at the spring, "Akane, Feather and I are gonna
distract that thing. Feather, I need you to fly around just out of
its reach, be careful, it's fast," Feather nodded, and she handed
the cloak back to Ryouga as her wings shot out of her back. Akane
noticed that they seemed to grow from a very small size rather than
emerge fully formed. Shinnosuke on the other hand fell over
backwards when he saw them.
"What's the matter?" Feather asked him as she extended her
wings fully in a stretch. Shinnosuke's mouth worked wordlessly as
Ranma ignored him and continued.
"Akane, you and I are going to keep it confused. If we can
get it's necks tied into a few knots, it'll make life much easier
for us. Ryouga, I need you and Shinnosuke to try and snag the
moss, also lend a hand if any of us get caught. If things look
desperate, use the whistle," Ryouga nodded grimly as he yanked
Shinnosuke to his feet. Ranma walked to the edge of the spring.
"I'm gonna try and wake this thing up now, wish me luck,"
"Be careful Ranma," Akane said softly as he, now a she dived
under the surface.
Ranma-chan swam swiftly through the clear water, seeking the
Orochi. ::Where is that blasted thing?:: she thought as she
placed her hand on a rock. Ranma-chan searched around for almost a
minute before she kicked off of a rock to surface for air, at least
she thought it was a rock. The spot she had kicked off from
opened, revealing a gigantic eye...
The group at the shore was waiting anxiously for Ranma-chan
to surface. When she surfaced Akane shouted out.
"Did you find it?" Ranma-chan shook her head.
"No, it's weird. You wouldn't think something that big could
hide so well," Almost right after she spoke the ground seemed to
shake. Ranma-chan yelped and swam like crazy for the shore. As
she clambered out, the Orochi rose slowly out of the spring. Water
cascaded down in sheets as it stretched its necks out towards the
sky. Feather gasped.
"That thing's huge!"
"Spread out! Keep its attention divided!" Ryouga yelled as
he charged the beast. Ryouga's yell galvanized them into action.
Ranma and Akane started leaping about the Orochi's heads causing it
to turn several of its heads about to track them. Feather took to
the air and buzzed another one of its heads before she flitted out
of its reach. Or so she thought. She barely managed to dodge the
snapping jaws and she tried to fly a little higher but the tongue
from another head managed to snag her. She screamed in terror as
she looked down the throat of the monster. Ryouga looked up when
he heard her scream.
"Feather!!" He roared as he leapt across the necks, trying to
get closer to where she was. Ranma-chan and Akane could only spare
a glance before the remaining heads tried to eat them. Shinnosuke
followed Ryouga across the Orochi's necks. The head that had
Feather roared as it got ready to chomp down. That was all the
time Ryouga needed. Ryouga leapt into its mouth and began to
wrestle with its tongue.
"It's no good! I can't get it loose!" Ryouga yelled.
Feather struggled uselessly in its grip. The Orochi tried to bite
down on her, but Ryouga managed to pull her out of the way just in
time. The Orochi roared again in frustration. Shinnosuke landed
on top of the head and he tried to knock it out with his broom. He
landed blow after blow upon the Orochi's head, but none of them had
any effect other than to make the Orochi toss that head about in an
attempt to dislodge him.
"You'd better hurry Ryouga! I can't hang on up here
forever!" He yelled as he grabbed the mane with one hand, and
continued to wield the broom with the other. Ryouga barely heard
this, but on an instinctive level he understood. Ryouga grabbed
the part of the tongue that had wrapped around Feather and tried
again to get it loose. His hands slipped loose again, unable to
keep a grip on the slimy tongue. Ryouga growled as he grabbed his
belt. He snapped it out and infused it with his ki. He started to
hack at the Orochi's tongue with it. Blood spurted from the wounds
he inflicted and the Orochi roared in pain, spitting out the two of
them. Feather managed to prevent a bad fall by flying, but Ryouga
wasn't as lucky. He smashed into the ground leaving a man shaped
crater.
"Ryouga!" Feather screamed as she flew down to investigate.
"I'm fine, just stay outta that things reach!" Ryouga yelled
as he climbed out of the hole.
Ranma-chan and Akane stood next to each other on one of the
heads.
"It seems tougher this time," Akane said as she tried to
catch her breath.
"Yeah. We gotta think of something and fast!" They leapt in
opposite directions as two more of the heads charged them. Those
three heads collided and knocked themselves out.
"Alright! Three down, and too damn many to go!" Ranma-chan
cheered a little as she dodged another head. Akane nimbly landed
on the back of another head and simply waited. Sure enough two of
the remaining heads came after her. Akane grinned as she jumped
out of the way at the last second. There was another hollow thud
as those heads collided and collapsed.
"Yes!" Akane raised a fist in victory.
"It ain't over yet! Look!" Ranma-chan pointed at the last
of the small heads. Shinnosuke was clinging precariously as he
continued to try and knock it out with his broom. Feather was
flying circles around it, keeping it distracted. Ryouga was
climbing up the mane, his umbrella tucked into the back of his
shirt.
"Can't we do anything to help?" Akane asked.
"You should catch your breath Akane. That moss stuff is on
it's main head, we're gonna need all our strength and speed to get
it," Ranma-chan said. They kept a wary watch on the other heads as
the others battled the last one. Ryouga had managed to reach the
thing's head, and he gave it a solid whack with his umbrella.
Several scales shattered from the blow.
"There! Hit the bare spot!" Shinnosuke yelled as he hit the
bare skin with his broom. The Orochi snapped its head around,
dislodging Shinnosuke. Feather tucked her wings and made a speed
dive for him. She managed to catch him just before he hit the
ground.
"Are you ok?" She asked as she set him down.
"Yeah, tha..." he was cut off by the sight of the Orochi
charging down at them, Ryouga yelling warnings as he continued to
pound on it's head in vain. Shinnosuke yelped in surprise, then
grabbed Feather and jumped out of the way. The head smashed into
the ground, sending up a huge dust cloud. Ranma-chan and Akane ran
up to where Shinnosuke and Feather were.
"Are you guys ok?" Akane asked while Ranma-chan helped them
to their feet.
"Yeah, I think so..." Feather said right before she fainted.
Ranma-chan caught her and laid her on the ground gently before
sinking to her knees. Akane noticed something and picked it up
while Shinnosuke was looking around slightly confused.
"Hey, where's, what's his name?" Ranma-chan looked up with a
frown.
"Don't tell me he went and got lost!" She groaned. Akane
shot her a hard look.
"Lay off Ranma! I'm sure he's just shook up a little," As if
on cue, there was a tremendous cracking sound before Ryouga strode
out of the dust cloud holding his umbrella in one hand, and one of
the Orochi's horns in the other. They gaped at the sight.
"Ryouga! Why on earth did you break off that horn?" Akane
asked as she rushed to see if he was ok. Ryouga shrugged.
"After the Orochi plowed its head into the ground, I ended up
caught under this horn. I had to break it off to get free," He
hefted it a little, "You know, this thing is even heavier than my
umbrella. I wonder if I could carve a handle into it..." Ryouga
stopped as the ground began to shake.
"Worry about that later!" Ranma-chan yelled, "Here comes the
main one!" Ranma-chan hastily moved a still unconscious Feather
behind a boulder before regrouping with the others. Shinnosuke
gripped his broom tighter as the massive head-like body emerged
from the spring. A tiny amount of the moss was left in the snout.
"Remember, we can't take all of it," Akane said, "We gotta
leave some there, or it'll never grow back!" The others nodded and
they charged the Orochi in unison. It devolved to pure chaos from
there. The other heads had awakened, and they had redoubled their
efforts to eat the girls. One of the heads moved in behind Akane.
"Oh no you don't!" Ryouga yelled as he jumped towards it
brandishing the horn. The Orochi paid him no heed until he hit its
head with the horn. It collapsed dazed from the blow.
"Incredible!" Ryouga said as he looked at the horn again,
"I was hoping to only distract it..."
"Shut up and fight the thing stupid! You can be impressed
later!" Ranma-chan yelled. Ryouga grinned evilly as he attacked
then, unconsciously working with Ranma-chan to pull the bulk of the
heads away from Akane. Shinnosuke threaded his way through the
twisting necks, leaping and dodging, moving closer and closer to
his goal. The small patch of moss glittered in the afternoon
light, and Shinnosuke bided his time, waiting for an opening.
Akane leapt from neck to neck doing her best to dodge the
ravenous heads. She misjudged a landing and toppled into the
spring.
"AKANE!" Ryouga roared as he leapt in after her. Three of
the Orochi's heads surged into the water as well.
"No you idiot! You'll just change into a wolf!" Ranma-chan
yelled as she tried in vain to get over to the spring, but it
seemed like the Orochi knew that and did it's best to get in her
way.
Shinnosuke took advantage of its distraction and leapt for
the moss. With an expert swipe of his broom he snagged about half
of what was left.
"Got it!" he yelled. He kicked off of the Orochi's nose and
dodged a stream of fire it breathed at him.
"Blow the whistle!" Ranma-chan screamed as she finally
managed to dive into the water after Akane. Shinnosuke nodded and
reached into his jacket for the whistle only to find... nothing.
"Ahh! Now what am I gonna do?" He yelled as he dodged the
furious Orochi's attacks.
Ranma-chan swam rapidly underwater, seeking her fiancee. As
she swam, she noticed that three of the Orochi's heads were
dangling unconscious, and what looked like, claw marks marring the
scales. Not bothering to stop she swam on in search of Akane.
Ranma-chan started to feel like she needed air before she noticed a
familiar looking pair of legs dangling in the water. Ranma-chan
swam upwards rapidly, and found herself in a small air pocket.
Akane was there, clinging desperately to a stalactite.
"Akane! Are you ok?" Ranma-chan's voice was tinged with
worry. Akane looked back at her with fearful eyes.
"Ranma, Ryouga is... he's..." Tears welled up in her eyes.
"What's wrong with Ryouga? Hey Akane snap out of it? What's
wrong?" Ranma-chan grabbed the stalactite and tried to hug Akane
at the same time.
"He's... he's a monster!" Akane wailed as she buried her
head into Ranma-chan's shoulder.
Shinnosuke was running for his life. The Orochi was doing
everything it could to kill him. He was forced to dodge streams of
fire again and again. Finally he collapsed from exhaustion. He
looked up in horror as one of the Orochi's heads opened its mouth
to breathe fiery death upon him. Shinnosuke squeezed his eyes shut
and threw the broom over towards to boulder that Ranma-chan had
hidden Feather behind. ::At least my sacrifice will not be in
vain. They will have the moss for their friend...:: He waited for
the searing fire, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see a
gray/green blur shooting past the Orochi faster than his eyes could
trace. Every time the blur passed one of the Orochi's heads, a set
of claw marks would appear with a spurt of blood. Severed scales
fell like rain as the blur made one more pass before it landed in
front of Shinnosuke in a defensive stance.
Shinnosuke's mouth gaped open. He saw a humanoid shape in
front of him wearing tattered green pants tied securely around the
calves and a mostly shredded yellow sweater. A bushy gray tail
swished back and forth in agitation. It had gray fur peeking
through where the cloth had torn, and the furs on its arms were
slick with blood. It's hands ended with viscious looking claws
that still dripped blood from its attacks on the Orochi. He
couldn't see its head from his position on the ground.
"Are you all right?" the thing growled. Shinnosuke couldn't
close his mouth or form any kind of speech. The thing turned
around and Shinnosuke almost screamed. Its face seemed to be a
combination of a wolf and a humans. It had a short muzzle, and its
green eyes seemed to be burning with anger. Gray furred ears
peeked out of a mass of unruly blond hair held back by a black and
yellow bandanna. Shinnosuke blinked a few times, but he could
swear that the sweater didn't seem to be fitting correctly. It was
almost as if...
"What's wrong with you Shinnosuke?" It asked suddenly, "It's
me, Ryouga!"
"R..Ryouga? What happened to you?"
"What do you mean, what happened to me?" Ryouga looked down
and stiffened. With an inarticulate howl, Ryouga spun and charged
the Orochi again. Shinnosuke crawled towards the broom, and after
he had snagged it he ducked behind the boulder. He knew better
than to try and help now, he was too weak.
"Whoa, hold on Akane," Ranma-chan said, "I know Ryouga can
seem really scary when he's mad, but he's no monster!" Akane
glared at her.
"Don't you think I know that?!? Or at least, that's how it
was... Something happened to him when he dove in after me. I saw
him change into a wolf, and he still swam after me. I was
expecting to see you though..." She shoots Ranma-chan another
glare.
"Hey, I got here as soon as I could. The Orochi don't let up
you know!"
"The Orochi! Oh my god I almost forgot! We gotta get back
to the surface Ranma!" Ranma-chan looked confused.
"I told Shinnosuke to blow the whistle before I dived under.
The Orochi should be asleep by now,"
"He doesn't have the whistle!" Akane held the small bit of
horn in front of Ranma-chan's face, "I picked this up right after
they knocked out the seventh head! We gotta get up there and
help!" Ranma-chan gaped at the whistle for a second, and then
nodded grimly.
"Take a deep breath Akane, and hold on tight!" Akane grabbed
Ranma-chan around the chest. Ranma-chan blushed fiercely.
"Umm, could you move your hands just a little lower Akane?
That's really distracting you know..." Akane blushed as well and
shifted her grip. They took a deep breath and plunged under the
water. Ranma-chan swam rapidly past the thrashing form of the
Orochi. She noticed great clouds of blood stained the once clear
water.
Ranma-chan and Akane gasped when they broke the surface of
the spring. They quickly made their way towards the shoreline.
Once they were out of the water, they looked around to see how the
fight was going. What they saw made them gape in astonishment.
The Orochi looked like it needed some serious help. A lot of
its scales had been torn off, and they littered the landscape.
Patches of blood stained the earth, and the broken off horn was
stabbed into the ground nearby. The Orochi appeared to be trying
to catch something that was leaping about like crazy. Akane
couldn't make out what it was, but Ranma-chan's trained eye picked
out what it was and gasped.
"I don't believe it!" She gasped.
"What Ranma?"" Akane asked as she fumbled with the whistle,
since the water on her skin and the cold air was making her shiver
uncontrollably.
"It kinda looks like Ryouga got stuck halfway between wolf
and human,” Ranma-chan rushed to help Ryouga. Akane managed to
hold the whistle in her shivering hands, and she blew into it as
hard as she could. All motion seemed to stop on the battlefield.
Huge teardrops formed in the Orochi's eyes as it retreated into the
spring. Ranma-chan stopped in her tracks as Ryouga landed next to
her. Or at least she thought it was Ryouga.
"Is that you Ryouga?" She asked. The furry, lupine face
seemed to look sad.
"Yeah Ranma, it's me," Ryouga said sadly. Ranma-chan looked
at Ryouga carefully. ::Even if he is in that weird form, his voice
shouldn't have that pitch...::
"Hey Ryouga, I think maybe you've got..." Ryouga didn't let
her finish.
"Don't say it! It might just be the fur ok!" Ranma-chan
sniggered.
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. Why don't you want to
know for certain what happened to you?" Ranma-chan grinned.
Ryouga looked resigned for a minute before pulling at the collar of
the sweater. Ryouga looked down into the shirt, and his gray fur
turned white. Ryouga collapsed into a crumpled heap. Ranma-chan
placed her hands on her hips.
"Figures. I bet Ryouga weighs a ton like this. At least he
ain't a cat.." Ranma-chan wrestled with the inert body for a
minute, before she gave up with an exasperated shout.
Meanwhile, Akane had run over to where they had left Feather.
She found Feather was still out of it, and Shinnosuke was leaning
against the rock, the broom head carefully detached from the pole.
He was gently scraping the moss into a small jar.
"Shinnosuke! You got the moss!" Akane exclaimed as she
knelt next to them. He nodded weakly.
"Your friend, Ryouga, he's... he's..." Akane place a finger
on his lips.
"Shhh. I know, I saw him too. Come on, let's head back for
your place," Akane picked Feather up easily and walked out to
where Ranma-chan and Ryouga were. She saw Ranma hastily trying to
heat some water over a small fire.
"Ranma! Shinnosuke got the moss!" She called out before she
got a good look at Ryouga. "Is Ryouga ok?"
"She's pretty shocked right now. I'm tryin' to heat up some
water so I can carry her back,"
"Don't you mean him?" Akane said confused. Ranma-chan shook
her head.
"No, his cursed form is female. We just assumed it was
male," Ranma-chan turned back to the fallen Ryouga, "When Ryouga
realized that, she kinda passed out," Akane set Feather down gently
and kneeled next to Ranma-chan. Shinnosuke was using his broom
handle as a walking stick as he approached them. He didn't sit
down but rather stood there, leaning heavily on the handle.
Ranma-chan decided that the kettle was hot enough, and poured
it over her self and Ryouga. Ryouga woke up from the hot water
splashing over him. He shot to his feet and danced around in pain.
"Oww! Hot! Hot!"
"Sorry bout that man," Ranma said as he stood up. Ryouga
stopped dancing around and he looked at his hands.
"Normal again," he whispered.
"Yeah, but how'd you get stuck halfway like that Ryouga? If
I didn't know better, I'd say you were a werewolf," Ryouga looked
stricken.
"A werewolf?" He muttered. He looked at his friends with
haunted eyes. ::A werewolf... That would explain a lot:: he
thought.
"I, I dunno. I remember getting very angry at the Orochi
when it tried to eat Akane again. That's when it happened. I was
angry, really angry. I felt a pain, and before I knew it I thought
I was human again. I hit the Orochi a few times I think, before I
grabbed Akane and dragged her to what I thought was the surface,"
Ryouga shook his head. "It was just a little air pocket, so I left
her there. I thought she looked scared because of the Orochi, not
me," he rubbed the back of his head a little before continuing, "I
found my way out of the pool, and saw that thing trying to roast
Shinnosuke. I leapt at it again and again, striking at it with my
open hands, err, claws. It wasn't until I asked him if he was ok
that I realized what had happened. After that I was taking out my
anger on the Orochi," Ryouga finished as he examined the rents in
his clothes. Ranma let out a low whistle.
"Well, be that as it may, we gotta get this moss back to
Mousse!" Akane said. The others nodded, and they set out after
Ryouga had picked Feather up.
After leaving Shinnosuke with his grandfather, they set out
for the closest train station. Light banter passed between Akane
and Ranma with Feather joining in occasionally as they hiked.
Ryouga kept to himself though. He couldn't believe his bad luck.
::How could this happen to me? Not only do I turn into a werewolf,
it has to be a female one!:: Ryouga squeezed his eyes shut,
counting on his ears to keep him close to the others.
When they reached the station, they found Cologne there
waiting for them.
"Yo, old ghoul! We got the moss!" Ranma held up the small
earthenware jar. Cologne nodded.
"We must hurry son-in-law! Shampoo exhausted herself trying
to care for the boy, and I was forced to leave her and Mousse with
Dr. Tofu. We have no time to waste!" She pogoed into the engine
of the train and the young martial artists followed her. Cologne
approached the engineer of the train.
"You! How long would it take to reach Nerima without making
any stops?" She asked harshly.
"'Bout eight hours or so at top speed granny, less if we
don't have too much weight to haul," he said with a shrug.
"Just get this train moving, now!" Cologne poked at the man
with her staff. The man jumped a little.
"But only the engine and the caboose are attached right now,
didn't you say we were supposed to be picking up a very important
cargo for the Nekohanten? Where is it?" he asked. Ranma held up
the jar.
"It's right here man, let's get going," The engineer shrugged
again as he grabbed a headset. He spoke rapidly into it for a
minute. He listened carefully for the reply and then said two more
words before hanging up the headset. He turned to face the group.
"We'll be getting underway in about half an hour. Got a slow
mover comin' 'cross the switches right now,"
"Slow mover?" Ryouga asked in confusion.
"Freight train slowing' down to stop at the station. Takes'm
forever to stop and it jams the switches up right nice. Don't you
worry none though, we'll be movin' at a right nice clip just as
soon as he's outta tha way. Heck, with no cars, we might even make
it in six hours!" he grinned at them before he started to go over
a few things, "I got a small place ta sleep an' relax set aside
over there. Why don't you go on over there and rest a bit while I
get this crate ready ta roll. While your in there, see if my
partner's sleepin'," He waved them towards a door in the back of
the engine. They decided to humor the engineer and they retired to
the room he indicated.
The inside of the room was a mess. Dirty clothes were strewn
about, and empty food wrappers littered the floor. There were two
dingy yellow sofas and a small TV though. On one of the couches a
fat man was snoring away. Cologne poked him awake with her staff.
He sat up bleary eyed and looked over the group. When he spied
Feather, he immediately jumped off of the couch and sidled up to
her.
"Hiya sweetie! What's a beauty like you doing travelling
with a crone like that?" He leered at her until Cologne rapped him
on the head with her staff.
"Leave her be and go help get this train underway," Cologne
said in a stern voice. The fat man shrugged.
"Can't blame me fer trying," He muttered as he walked out the
door. Ryouga resisted the impulse to kick him in the rear as he
left. Ranma closed the door.
"Well now, how did it go?" Cologne asked as they settled
onto the couches, "Why don't you tell me what happened?" They took
turns bringing Cologne up to date on what was going on. They
absently noticed when the train started to move, but they weren't
prepared for the sudden burst of speed that tossed them to the back
of the room. Cologne was the only one that was not in a heap. She
exited the room to confront the engineer.
"I know I said to hurry, but you could have warned us sonny!"
"Sorry 'bout that ma'am, but I wasn't expectin' the old girl
to shake a leg like that," Cologne looked slightly confused at the
slang the man used. The fat one cleared his throat.
"He means he didn't know that the train would accelerate so
quickly without a load. He just threw the throttle wide open
without thinking," Cologne chuckled.
"If this is any indication of your driving, warn us when
we're about to stop," Cologne returned to the back.
"Now, where were we..." She said before settling in to listen
to their tale some more. She stopped them when they reached the
part about Ryouga's transformation.
"Hold on! I thought Ryouga had fallen into the spring of
drowned..." She didn't finish because Ryouga interrupted her
loudly.
"I know I know! I thought I had fallen into the spring of
drowned wolf myself!" While Ryouga was yelling and waving his
arms, Ranma whispered to Cologne.
"Don't mention the pig-thing around Akane," Cologne raised an
eyebrow, "It's a matter of a debt of honor, just let it drop ok?"
"Fine son-in-law. Calm down Ryouga, I was startled, that's
all. So you say when you got angry while in your cursed form you
changed?" Ryouga nodded as he settled back into his seat. Cologne
seemed to consider this.
"All the legends about werewolves say that they are driven by
the phases of the moon. Perhaps once this full moon passes, we'll
be able to see the last part of your transformation," Ryouga
swallowed hard.
"Last part?" He asked weakly.
"Of course. As a werewolf, you would have three forms. That
of a full wolf, the mixture of wolf and human that you experienced
earlier, and fully human," Cologne seemed to smile in amusement,
"They said that you had certain, attributes while you were in that
state. I'd say you fell into the spring of drowned female
werewolf," Ryouga looked stricken. Akane giggled a little.
"Hey Ryouga, remember when you said that I shouldn't have
been whining about my misery with such an adorable figure?" Ranma
laughed, "Now you're in the same boat! Let's see what you say
when the moon ain't full!" Ranma fell out of his seat laughing
while Ryouga seethed.
"Knock it off Ranma! I don't recall you reacting too well to
your curse!" Akane snapped. Ranma managed to stop laughing.
"Sorry man, but the irony was just too funny!" Ryouga
continued to seethe about the indignity in silence while the others
finished telling the tale to the old woman.
"It ain't much, but it was all we could grab," Ranma showed
the moss to Cologne.
"It will have to suffice. We should rest now, it will still
take several hours to get back home," The others nodded at this,
and made themselves as comfortable as they could get. They watched
a few bad TV shows before they turned it off and tried to sleep.
Soon, only Cologne was awake. She stared out the window at the
quickly passing landscape.
"I can only hope we'll be in time, for Shampoo's sake," she
spoke softly to herself. She sensed that one of them was awake and
moving, so she did not jump when she felt a gentle hand placed on
her shoulder.
"Don't worry," Feather said, "We'll get there. If we give up
on our hopes and dreams, that is the moment they are out of our
reach,"
"That's an awfully wise statement from one as young as you
are," Cologne said mildly.
"Ryouga said that to me once shortly after he had started to
train me, and I was starting to lose hope that I'd ever get my
katas right," She smiled at the memory. Cologne chuckled.
"Ryouga is a fine martial artist, and a good teacher. He has
the patience to train, and the ability to push them to their
limits," Cologne looked out the window again. "Not everyone has
the drive or skill it takes to master the techniques that he knows.
And considering how depressed the boy is most of the time, it's
just as well he has an outlet for that," Feather looked confused
at her statement.
"What do you mean?"
"Depressed people often turn self destructive. Ryouga's
spirit is too strong for that, so he found purpose for himself
through martial arts,"
"Wow, I didn't know he got depressed that easily," Cologne
turned back to Feather.
"He used to wander alone. He hasn't seen his parents in
years, and he has never had what anyone could call a normal life.
Beneath the layers of depression and self loathing lays a heart of
gold and glass," Cologne turned and walked towards the door.
"Cologne?"
"I'm going to find out how far away we are. Stay put," And
with that, she slipped through the door and it closed silently
behind her. Feather shrugged and tried to go back to sleep. ::How
can I stay mad at someone like Ryouga?:: She thought to herself,
thinking back to how he had fought the Orochi to save her, and then
how he had selflessly dived into the spring after Akane when Ranma
couldn't get over there. ::Maybe, maybe I can forgive him.::
A short hour later, they pulled into the Nerima station.
Cologne paid the engineer as the rest of the group dashed for Dr.
Tofu's clinic. Cologne caught up to them easily. When they
reached the clinic, they noticed that the lights were still on.
"Good, it's not too late!" Cologne said as they went inside.
Dr. Tofu greeted them inside.
"Welcome back. That's a truly insidious infection he has.
It's taken all my skill, but I've kept him alive," He looked as if
he hadn't slept in several days. There were huge pouches beneath
his eyes, and his hair was in disarray.
"Son-in-law, give me the moss," Cologne held out one of her
hands imperiously. Ranma gave her the jar, and followed her into
the room where Mousse lay. Dr. Tofu carefully removed the bandages
that covered the boy's chest.
"Drain them doctor. We do not have much of the moss, and the
less it has to do, the better," Cologne commanded. Dr. Tofu nodded
and he fetched several needles and a hot washcloth. As he
performed the procedure, Mousse only let out a slight whimper.
When he was done, he carefully disposed of the towel.
Cologne jumped onto the bed next to Mousse and carefully
spread the moss over the wounds. The effects were immediately
apparent. The puckered and festering scabs were replaced by
unbroken, healthy looking skin, although scars did remain.
Mousse's breathing eased, and color returned to his face.
"It worked!" Akane let loose the breath she wasn't aware
that she had been holding. Similar gasps from the others indicated
that they too had been holding their breath.
"Yes, it seems that the infection is gone," Cologne peered
into the jar, "And we have just a little bit of the moss left, just
in case," She handed the jar to Dr. Tofu, "Keep good care of this
Doctor," He nodded and placed it on the top shelf. As he let go
of the jar, Cologne poked a spot on his neck, and the good doctor
crumpled.
"What d'ya think you're doing ghoul!" Ranma yelled as he
dropped into an aggressive stance. Cologne just gave him a hard
stare.
"He needs to sleep. He probably would have tried to monitor
Mousse for the rest of the night if I had let him," She gestured at
Dr. Tofu's snoozing form. "Put him on that bed over there, I'll
keep an eye on both of them until he wakes up," Ryouga easily
maneuvered the Doctor onto the other bed, and then followed the
others out into the night.
"Well, at least the stuff worked," Ranma said as they walked
back to the dojo.
"Hey, didn't the old woman say that she left Shampoo with Dr.
Tofu as well?" Akane asked suddenly.
"Hey, come to think of it, she did. I wonder where Shampoo
is?" Ranma said.
"Who knows, but knowing Shampoo she's somewhere where she'll
know the minute you make it back Ranma," Ryouga added. Feather
giggled.
"I'll bet she's at the dojo waiting for you," Feather nudged
Ranma in the ribs. Ranma affected a bored expression.
"Who cares? I just want a hot bath and a good meal," Ranma
yawned hugely, "And a soft bed too. That would be nice," Ranma
looked up at the moon, despite the fact that it was mostly obscured
by the clouds. "Hey Ryouga, you think the moon's still full?"
Ryouga glanced up and shrugged.
"Dunno. The clouds are getting a little thick," He said with
just a hint of annoyance in his voice, "Let's just get back to the
dojo, ok?" Ranma chuckled a little.
When the tired group reached the dojo, there was a small
party waiting for them. Shampoo and Genma were waiting at the
gate. Apparently, Cologne had called from Tofu's clinic. Genma
motioned to Ryouga.
"We need to have a man to man talk Ryouga," he said evenly.
They walked over to the old tree.
"Shampoo so happy to see you Ranma!" Shampoo squealed in
delight as she threw herself at him. Ranma just hung his head and
waited for Akane to hit him. Akane merely turned up her nose.
"Hmmph, have fun you two, I'm going inside," with that, Akane
stormed into the house, only to be mobbed by her overenthusiastic
father.
"Akane! My little girl is home again!" He sobbed as he
buried his face into her shoulder.
"Daaad! Come on, I'm fine. Ranma and Ryouga were there the
whole time, so calm down!" Kasumi and Nabiki walked up to their
sister.
"Welcome home Akane!" Kasumi sounded as cheerful as ever,
but Akane could see the worry lines on her face.
"Kasumi, you didn't worry that much did you?" Akane asked.
Nabiki answered for her sister.
"No, she's just been staying up every night taking care of a
sick amazon. Shampoo was dumped on us by Dr. Tofu. He said he
couldn't split his attention between patients,"
"So that's it," Akane spoke softly. When Akane looked
closer, she noticed that Kasumi definitely looked tired. A sudden
yawn reminded Akane that she too was tired.
"Let go Dad, I want to go to bed," Soun reluctantly let go of
his daughter.
Outside, Ryouga was facing an angry looking Genma.
"Look Ryouga, I know you can handle yourself in a fight, but
did you have to take Feather with you?"
"She wanted to go! Who am I to stop her, especially since
she convinced Ranma to let her go," Ryouga snapped, not wanting to
deal with the man in front of him. Genma looked furious.
"That's no excuse boy! Since you're her teacher right now,
you should have known that her skills are not up to the antics you
get involved in! I've half a mind to...." His words trailed off
as Ryouga grabbed the front of his gi and thrust his face in front
of Genma's.
"Shut up will you! I don't have to listen to this from you!
I ain't Ranma you know!" Genma paled a little, "And like I said,
she wanted to go, and she ain't hurt, so BACK OFF!" Ryouga
finished his sentence with a yell, and dropped the stunned Genma to
the ground. Ryouga stalked into the dojo muttering. Feather
giggled as she approached her 'father'.
"Well Dad, how'd the man to man talk with Ryouga go?" Genma
assumed a serious expression.
"We were all worried about you, you know. You shouldn't have
run off like that. I'd expect that kind of thing from Ranma, but
not you," Genma stood and raised one fist, "Where have I gone
wrong? I know you haven't been in the family very long, but
already you break your father's heart," he hung his head, "Feather,
I want you to go to your room now, and think about what you've
done," Feather looked at him and giggled. Genma's head snapped up.
"And just why are you giggling like that?"
"I don't have my own room, remember?" Genma shook his head.
"We had some contractors add a few rooms while you were gone.
Kasumi and I have already moved your stuff into your new room,"
Feather impulsively gave him a hug.
"You're the greatest Dad!" She exclaimed happily. When she
disengaged herself from him to rush up to her new room, he didn't
move a muscle.
Feather looked around her new room with excitement shining in
her eyes. The walls were bare, and there was very little
furniture, but it was her room.
"What else could I ask for?" She said to herself as she
began to unpack.
"Whatd'ya mean this ain't my room anymore pops?" Ranma
yelled at his father. Genma held up one hand as he spoke.
"We added a few rooms boy. You and Ryouga will be sharing a
room down the hall. It's only fitting that I remain in this one,
since all of your things have been moved into the new room," Ranma
stormed angrily down the hall with Ryouga in tow, looking at the
new portion at the end. There were three new doors; one had a
small wooden duck that had Feather written on it in English, the
one across the hall opened into a fairly spacious room, with all of
his stuff piled in a corner.
"Great, the old man just tossed everything in here," Ranma
muttered as he started to dig through the pile for the futon.
Ryouga dropped his pack and helped Ranma uncover the futon.
"I'll just use my sleeping bag if there isn't another one,"
Ryouga said. Ranma let out a cry of triumph as he pulled the futon
from the bottom of the pile.
"We'll just have to get you to use some of that money your
dad is sending ya to get you one," Ranma said as he gathered his
bath things, "Come on, let's get cleaned up before we turn in,"
Ryouga nodded and he followed Ranma to the bathroom.
The next morning it was pouring rain. Ryouga looked outside
in disgust as they ate breakfast.
"What a way to start the day," he muttered. Ranma chuckled.
"Hey, at least there ain't school today. Come on, let's hit
the dojo after breakfast and practice a bit," Akane smiled.
"That actually sounds like a good idea Ranma," Akane spoke
cheerfully.
"Yeah, that's a great idea big brother!" Feather giggled at
the look on Ranma's face.
"I meant, uh you know, maybe Ryouga and I could...Aw forget
it. C'mon, let's help Kasumi clean up, and then we'll go
practice," Ryouga let a small smile creep onto his face. He could
get used to the usual morning banter as a participant, rather than
as Akane's errant pet pig.
"Why don't you go ahead and practice," Kasumi said, "I can
handle the dishes by myself," she waved off their protests and
gathered the dishes quickly. The four of them retreated to the
dojo after about a half-hour. Akane and Feather were in almost
identical yellow gi, while Ranma and Ryouga wore their usual
attire. Without a word, they started to go through their katas.
Akane and Ranma appeared to move in unison, moving with unspeakable
grace through each motion. Ryouga and Feather were going through a
different kata, but despite both of them performing the same
motions, it was quickly obvious that Feather was far behind him.
After they had finished their katas, Ranma spoke up.
"Ok, who wants to spar first?" Akane and Feather raised
their hands simultaneously. Ranma grinned at them as he and Ryouga
retreated to one side of the dojo. He called out the ritual for
the bout.
"Face mat! Bow! Face opponent! Bow!" He waited for them
to finish bowing before he yelled, "FIGHT!"
Immediately the two girls dropped into an aggressive stance.
Akane opened up with a flurry of kicks. Feather managed to block
them, and tried to counter with a series of punches. Akane
smoothly slipped past the punches, grabbed Feather's gi and
performed a kick throw. Feather twisted mid air and landed on her
feet. As she did, Akane was already rushing to where she landed.
Feather tried to kick Akane as she approached, but Akane ducked
down and swept Feather's other leg out from under her. Ranma
raised his right hand.
"Point!"
Akane grinned as Feather hastily stood. Akane pressed her
advantage by immediately throwing a punch. Feather grabbed her
wrist and smoothly executed a hip throw that left Akane gasping for
breath. Ranma raised his left hand.
"Point!"
Akane stood, and then waited for Feather's attack. She
wasn't disappointed. Feather attacked hard, trying a combination
of kicks and punches. Akane practically danced around her
opponent. Ranma smiled a little.
"Hey Ryouga, this fight look even slightly familiar to you?"
"Shut up and pay attention Ranma!" Ryouga growled.
The combatants on the floor stood a few feet apart, catching
their breath and sizing each other up. Akane knew she had a higher
level of skill, but Feather had inherited the same kind of tenacity
in a fight as Ryouga, and she was just amateur enough to be totally
unpredictable.
Feather was worried. She couldn't think of anything to break
through Akane's defenses. She thought she had been really lucky to
catch Akane off guard with that one throw. Without warning, the
girls charged each other again. They leapt at each other with air
shattering shouts, and seemingly collided in midair. For a second,
they seemed to be suspended in air, their feet outstretched in
kicks, and their hands held in a blocking pose. The moment ended
and the two girls landed. As they did, Feather clutched at her
stomach and collapsed. Ranma raised his right hand.
"Point and match! Face opponent and bow!" Feather rose
shakily to her feet and bowed to Akane. Akane returned the bow
before she walked over to Feather.
"That was a good match Feather!" Feather nodded and they
walked over to where the boys were kneeling. Once they were
seated, Ranma and Ryouga began to critique their fight.
"Akane, you were really sloppy with that punch," Ranma
berated her, "Anyone could have caught it and thrown you. You need
to practice your execution and don't let momentary victories make
you lose your focus," Akane lowered her head. She knew she had
messed up there, but he didn't have to rub it in like that! "On
the other hand," Akane picked her head up as Ranma continued, "You
have gotten a lot better with your kicks and your blocks. I'm
impressed with the fact that you've successfully learned how to
block a midair attack without ruining your own," Akane practically
beamed at the praise.
"Don't let this worry you Feather!" Ryouga was saying to his
downcast student, "Akane is a skilled martial artist in her own
right. You did very well for your first refereed bout. You really
need to work on your kicks though. You're holding each kick like
you were posing. You need to execute and return to your stance
quickly. Posing loses fights! I am pleased to see that you've
learned how to land on your feet after being thrown, and your throw
was done perfectly, keep up the good work!" Feather leaned against
the wall after Ryouga finished his lecture. He then faced Ranma.
"Are you ready Ranma?" Ryouga asked. Ranma nodded.
"Let's show'em how it's done!" Akane took the role of
referee.
"Face mat! Bow! Face opponent! Bow!" Akane called out.
when the boys were ready, she dropped her arm, "Fight!"
No sooner had she spoken than the boys were exchanging blows.
They rapidly exchanged punches and kicks, neither of them giving a
single inch. Without warning, Ranma crouched low and tried to kick
Ryouga's feet out from under him. Ryouga flipped over Ranma,
grabbed his head in passing, and threw Ranma into the far wall.
Akane raised her left hand.
"Point!"
Ranma growled as he got to his feet.
"Good one Ryouga."
"Thanks."
"Your move," Ranma grinned as Ryouga charged. Ryouga lashed
out with a vicious kick when he got close to Ranma. Ranma casually
jumped up and landed on Ryouga's outstretched leg before trying to
kick the lost boy in the face. Ryouga grabbed Ranma's foot mere
inches away from his face. He spun and threw Ranma at the wall
again. This time, Ranma rebounded off of the wall and returned
with a kick too fast for Ryouga to block. Ryouga made a grunting
noise as he backed up a step from the blow. Akane raised her right
hand.
"Point!"
They didn't waste words this time. The blows they exchanged
came too rapidly for the girls to see properly. Akane wasn't
worried though, she knew that if one of them scored a hit, they
would stop and admit their defeat. Ranma and Ryouga latched their
fists together and snarled at each other.
"Not bad wolf-boy!"
"Ditto, Ranko!"
They broke apart, and then returned to the rapid exchange of
punches and kicks. They were so engrossed in their battle that
they didn't notice how close to the door they had gotten. With a
startled yell, they fell outside into the rain. Akane stifled a
giggle when she heard the loud complaints Ranma-chan aired. Akane
stopped giggling when she heard an unfamiliar female voice answer
Ranma-chan. Akane and Feather rushed to the door and looked out
into the rain. Sitting next to Ranma-chan was a blond haired girl
that had the same expression of disgust on her face. Akane was
about to ask who it was when she noticed that the girl was wearing
the same clothes Ryouga was during the fight. Ranma-chan looked up
at Akane's expression, and then cast her gaze over to Ryouga-chan.
"I guess the moon ain't full anymore, eh Ryouga?"
End of Chapter 8
Thus yet another chapter is concluded. Please, please send me some
C&C. I don’t care if it’s a flame. I can deal with that.
Many thanks to my pre-readers for helping me get rid of most of the
errors. If you find any, by all means let me know!
E-mail me!
