Chapter 2
Ranma paused outside the gates of Tendo-ke to take one last look at the scroll she held in her hand. She had to admit that she was both curious and slightly concerned; curious at what the scroll could possibly contain that would "answer her most pressing questions", and concerned over Tanaka-san's plea not to be angry at the temple kami for "bestowing her blessings" on her the night before - whatever the heck that meant.
Ranma shuddered. It was bad enough to have faced off against spirits, oni, and various other supernatural entities - friendly or not - in the past. The thought that there were also kami who were interested in actively messing around with her life was more than a little disquieting. At least Tanaka-san's moon kami should be benevolent for the most part.
She shook her head in disgust. When it came right down to it, it really didn't matter if there were kami directly involved in screwing up her life since it couldn't really get much worse than it already was at the moment. Come to think of it, that might actually explain why her life was such a disaster zone - kami were not known to care how much their "playthings" got hurt when they played whatever games kami were fond of playing.
Damn it, she'd really have to give that some serious thought.
In the meantime, she was looking forward to eating a nice hot breakfast and taking a long soak in the furo - neither of which she had time to do before leaving the shrine earlier this morning. Her stomach grumbled in agreement.
"I'm home," Ranma caroled out after closing the genkan doors. She looked down at her bare feet and sighed; Akane had punched her through the roof when she didn't even have house slippers on, and she certainly hadn't been in the mood to go back to the house just for a pair of shoes before heading over to the shrine last night.
She was really looking forward to that long hot soak.
"Oh, good morning, Ranma-chan," Kasumi said from the hallway corner next to the kitchen. "Breakfast is just being served; you had best hurry in if you haven't already eaten this morning."
"Mornin', Kasumi," Ranma replied. "Do you think I've got enough time to go upstairs and change first?"
"Well, " Kasumi's brows furrowed in thought. "I'm sure that if I were to ask Mr. Saotome to set aside your usual portion, he would be more than willing to ..."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The Tendo matriarch grinned when a red-headed blur shot past her down the hallway.
Ranma's quick scan of the room right after she slid the doors to the main room open showed her several important facts. First and most important was that no one had started eating since Kasumi evidently hadn't brought out the main dish yet - which meant that her Pops hadn't had a chance to steal any of her food. Second was that Akane was still visibly upset with her. Like that was a real surprise - not!. The last was the look of disappointment that immediately crossed Genma's face, a look which was rapidly replaced by one of undisguised avarice.
She walked calmly over to her normal place at the table and sat down, placing the scroll down beside her. She quickly tucked one end of the scroll underneath her right thigh ... just in case.
"Boy," Genma bellowed. "Where were you last night, why did you miss this morning's practice and why the hell are you still a girl?"
Ranma picked up her glass of water and, with a lightning flick of her wrist, flung the contents across the table at her designated target. "Shut up, Pops, I ain't in the mood to listen to you whinin' and moanin' this mornin'."
[Why, you little ...] Panda-Genma signed. *FLIP* [Talking to your father like that ...]
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ranma replied with an airy wave of a delicate hand.
"Speaking of which," Nabiki said, her face set in a knowing smirk. "Just exactly where were you last night? Inquiring minds want to know."
"He was probably pigging out over at Ucchan's," Akane said, her voice laced with distinct venom.
"Now, Akane-chan," Kasumi replied from the doorway. "I'm sure Ranma-chan has a perfectly good reason why she didn't call home last night to let us know where she was going to spend the night." The elder Tendo daughter kneeled down next to the table and began handing out portions of the baked mackerel she had just set out on the table. "Isn't that right, Ranma-chan?"
Ranma almost blanched from the combined stares she was receiving from everyone else except Kasumi - who continued to dish out portions while ignoring the sudden chill from around the table. The redhead took a breath to calm herself before responding.
"Jeez, you guys ... I spent the night over at a local shrine - sleeping - after Akane punched me through the roof. Satisfied?" She gave Kasumi a quick nod of thanks, then picked up her bowl and chopsticks. The chopsticks blurred when she began ingesting the morning's meal at her usual rate.
"So, Ranma-CHAN," Nabiki drawled, her eyes sparkling. "You now trying to add a priest to your collection of fiancées? You certainly have the looks for it, you know."
Ranma's chopsticks halted abruptly in mid-air.
"WHAT?!?" Akane screeched. "It isn't enough that you let those other floozies hang all over you; now you're being a pervert with GUYS as well?!?"
Ranma's chopsticks hit the table with a loud *CRACK*. She put her now-empty bowl down and stood up slowly.
"I," Ranma said with a growl, "am going to go take a bath." She turned her back to the table, ignoring the low growl emanating from her fiancée as she started to walk away.
"Nabiki-chan, that wasn't very nice," Kasumi reproached.
The middle Tendo rolled her eyes in response.
Akane fumed in her seat. "How DARE he ignore me like that." She suddenly spotted something left behind on Ranma's floor cushion. "Here! Don't forget to take your stupid scroll with you!" She picked up the scroll, fully intending to forcefully embed it in the back of the red-headed strumpet's skull.
*BZZT!*
"OW!!!" Akane's hand spasmed as white lightning crawled over the surface of her arm. Ranma turned around just in time to see Akane cradling her right wrist with her other hand and the scroll - which Ranma had briefly forgotten about - flipping lazily through the air towards her father.
[New techniques!] Genma wasted little time in lunging at the wayward scroll, his movements extremely quick considering the expanded bulk of his overweight panda-form. A claw-tipped paw snagged the scroll in mid-flight.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTT!*
Brilliant white lightning played over Genma's entire body until he finally managed to drop the scroll out of his hand - the lightnings dissipating the instant he lost contact with it. Every hair on the panda-form's body stood straight out, turning the portly martial artist into a huge black and white koosh ball.
Genma's eyes rolled up to the back of his head and he fell over backwards - stiff as a board. He landed on the floor with a loud *THUMP*.
Ranma covered her mouth with her hand. It didn't help - she sat down suddenly with a small *thump* of her own.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Ranma closed the door of the washroom behind her. She glanced down at the scroll in her hand once more and chuckled. "Heh. Guess I don't have to worry 'bout someone trying to steal this, now do I?"
Still ...
She placed the scroll up on the top shelf of the storage unit next to the washer/dryer before quickly disrobing. A negligent toss added her clothes to the pile of laundry already in the hamper across the room. She slid the doors to the furo open and sighed with relief when she discovered the room devoid of other inhabitants. She had been fairly certain that no one else had managed to get to the furo before her, but one could never be sure in this house ...
She hung the "Occupied" sign on the outside of the furo room doors before quickly sliding them shut behind her.
Ranma grimaced slightly when she sat down on the stool next to the wash faucet. Her hair was a wreck after last night's puddle landing and she hadn't had a chance to groom all of the tangles out of it after washing it last night at the shrine. This was going to take some work if she didn't want her male side to look like a total doofus for the rest of the week.
Twenty-seven minutes of work, to be exact. It was times like this Ranma was thankful her hair wasn't any longer than it currently was. At least she didn't have to worry about it growing out uncontrollably any more - thank the kami that stupid Dragon's Whisker soup had finally worn off.
"C.c.c.cold," she exclaimed, shivering after dumping one last pail of rinse water over her head. It would be really nice if the Tendos would put in a hot water tap for the rinse faucet, but nooooooo ... ol' man Tendo was basically a skinflint at heart when it came to making improvements to Tendo-ke.
Of course, if Akane would stop punching her through the ceilings, Tendo might not have to be such a skinflint, either.
Ranma stepped into the furo and sank into the steaming hot water with a grateful moan. Finally she could ...
Ranma waited.
She waited a full minute more.
Ranma barely suppressed a scream of outrage. She now understood what Tanaka-san had been trying to tell her earlier this morning at the shrine. She didn't enjoy the rest of her bath - which she cut short - nor the fresh set of clothes laid out for her by Kasumi - who she normally went out of her way to thank afterwards.
She wasn't in the mood to enjoy anything at all at the moment.
Ranma stomped her way up the stairs to her room, the scroll from the shrine clenched tightly in her right hand. She didn't hear Kasumi's softly worded inquiry on the way, nor did she notice the other two Tendo sisters as they followed her up the stairs from a safe distance.
She slid her bedroom doors closed behind her with authority. She then thumped noisily to the center of the room and sat down in a huff. Ranma placed the scroll down in front of her and glared balefully at it for at least twenty seconds.
Ranma suddenly sagged in place. She picked the scroll back up off the floor and inspected it closely. It really was a very fine scroll when viewed from the outside; the roller was painted black, lacquered to a high shine and capped with intricately carved rondelles, and the velum was wax sealed with a crescent moon mon imprinted in the seal. She took a slow breath before breaking the seal and unrolling the velum - she just knew she was going to regret doing this.
Ranma stared in confusion at the scroll's contents. There was a single English word printed on the scroll's surface, and it was one she had never heard of before. She tried sounding it out.
"co ... n ... fto."
"Co-n-fto. Co-n-fto. What the heck?" Ranma scratched her head momentarily before slapping her forehead in disgust. She was using the Japanese style of pronunciation. English words didn't separate the 'n' in that manner. They didn't drop the 'u' sounds, either. She tried again.
"Con-fu-to."
A brilliant spark of golden light leapt out from the scroll and began tracing an intricate path in the air around her. It expanded into an ever-growing circular maze of interconnected glowing lines and arcs which remained suspended in the air centered around her position on the floor. The maze of light continued to expand until it contacted all four walls of the room simultaneously. When the glowing maze touched the wall surfaces it vanished - the walls, floor, and ceiling glowed briefly with the same golden light before returning to normal.
Ranma couldn't help but notice that all outside noise had completely ceased the instant the golden light disappeared. The sudden silence was total and ... disquieting.
"It's about time you got back here, Ranma," a warm mezzo-soprano sounded on her left side. "I was beginning to wonder."
Ranma turned and faced the origin of the unexpected voice. A small black fox sat on its haunches less than a meter away, a golden crescent emblazoned boldly on its forehead. It looked directly at her with brilliant blue eyes and opened its mouth.
"Greetings, Champion of the Moon. My name is Bendis. Serenity-sama has instructed me to be your advisor in these matters. I believe you have a few questions with which you would like answers - is that not correct?"
Ranma stared. Her eyes blinked once. They blinked again. She stared some more.
The ebon fox stared right back, its obvious intelligence reflected in its eyes.
"Great, just fuckin' GREAT," Ranma finally exclaimed. "Not only are the kami personally screwin' up my life; I now have to deal with kitsune as well? AAAAAARRRRRRRGH!"
Ranma's choked off her exclamation when she noticed that the fox was laying flat on the floor with her eyes closed while covering her ears with her front paws.
"Errrr," Ranma chuckled nervously. The fox opened one eye and then sat back up once she realized the redhead was no longer screaming in frustration.
"Sorry 'bout that, umm, Bendis?"
The fox shook her head once. "That is quite all right, Ranma. I can understand why you might be a trifle perturbed at the moment. Rest assured that I am not kitsune as you have come to understand the term; I am simply a messenger who does her best to relay Serenity-sama's will. Please ... feel free to voice any concerns you might have, and I will do my best to address them as I'm able."
Ranma blinked twice, trying to parse the meaning out of the not-quite-a-kitsune's ramblings.
Bendis sighed. "Ask me questions, Ranma. I will answer as best I can."
"Oh, okay. Why am I stuck as a girl?"
The fox nodded. "Milady's lock on Jusenkyö's Gift is neither permanent nor of any significant duration. You must be kept in this form for an additional two days at most, at which time you will be free to switch forms once more. Serenity-sama sincerely apologizes for any discomfort this may bring to you."
Ranma ran her hand briefly through her hair. She took a slow breath, and then glared at the diminutive messenger. Her next question consisted of only a single, forcefully clipped word.
"Why?"
"Part of milady's blessing to her Champion is to shackle the changes Jusenkyö's Gift forces upon its victims. Unfortunately, the magic of Jusenkyö is both ancient and powerful and it gains in strength with each change it is able to inflict. Forcing you to remain in a single form for a short period is necessary in that it allows milady's blessing to gain a large measure of control over the change. It is a relatively small sacrifice for such a large benefit, do you not think?"
"I guess," Ranma replied, grumbling with disappointment. "This Serenity; she's the shrine's resident kami, right?"
Bendis nodded.
"Well, if she's a kami ... why can't she simply get rid of the curse?"
The ebon fox drooped visibly on her haunches and looked back at Ranma with sorrow-filled eyes. "I'm sorry, Ranma. Milady would like nothing more than to lift this burden from you in its entirety. Unfortunately, that task is well beyond even her considerable powers, for once a person has been touched by Jusenkyö they can never be totally freed from its effects. In your case, jumping into the Nanniichuan would indeed lock you back into your original male form, but it does so not by negating the original curse but rather by overlaying an additional male curse on top of it. The numerous baleful effects which are an integral part of the curse - in addition to the change of forms - would simply quadruple in intensity in compensation. There is no actual cure for Jusenkyö's Gift; only means of coping with its effects."
"No cure?" Ramna said in a weak voice.
"None," Bendis replied with a shake of her head. "If there were truly a cure for Jusenkyö's Gift, do you not think the Elder Kuh Lon would not have already procured it for you in exchange for your loyalty to her tribe? Or, more importantly, would she not have already cured her great grand-daughter of her Maonniichuan curse, who's cursed aspect has already proven to be a major and ongoing impediment to her long-term plans in gaining your fealty? No, the Joketzusoku know full well the dangers entailed in mixing curses; so much so that they would rather risk the effects of your wrath in the Neko-ken than inflict such a fate on one of their beloved own."
"No cure." Ranma practically collapsed into herself.
Bendis stood, padded quietly over, and then sat back down on her haunches next to her companion. "While there may not be a cure, Ranma, Serenity-sama's blessing will give you a large measure of control over the change itself."
Ranma jerked her head up and stared at her small visitor; her eyes bright with unshed moisture.
"Ranma, Jusenkyö's Gift is designed to break the will of its victims with its constant and semi-random changes in form - which incidentally are encouraged to occur at the worst possible moment for its victim's well being. Once broken, those touched by Jusenkyö are relatively easy targets for corruption by anyone who already embraces the darkness. Milady's blessing purges the other aspects of Jusenkyö's Gift and makes an ... accommodation ... with the form-changing magic. It does so by enforcing a balance between the two forms."
The black fox gingerly placed both forepaws on Ranma's thigh. When this careful move elicited no response Bendis pulled herself the rest of the way up and then flowed smoothly into Ranma's lap.
"Once milady's blessing has fully taken hold, you will gain the ability to consciously lock yourself in either form for a limited length of time. This lock will override the water-induced changes for as long as it remains active. Once the lock is released, you will be locked in the opposite form for an equal length of time; this achieves the balance required to control the otherwise involuntary water-based changes. While this does not cure the curse, what it does give you is control."
"Control ..." Ranma sighed. She began stroking the fox's fur; finding comfort in the silky smoothness of her lush ebon pelt. Bendis closed her eyes, fully enjoying the gentle tactile interaction. Ranma continued to pet her companion's fur while she examined the ramifications of all of the information which had just been presented.
"Control, huh," she stated after a lengthy introspection. "I guess I can live with that; heck, it looks like I'm gonna have to live with that. Damn, this is certainly a heck of a lot to take in all at once, y'know? The only thing that still don't make any sense at all is - why ME?"
"Because it is your family's heritage, Ranma," Bendis replied, "even though it is no longer your birthright. The Saotome clan is one of three ancient bloodlines which have fought the darkness throughout the centuries as devil hunters. Every female of direct descent in each bloodline has the potential to become a powerful devil hunter if she remains pure until her sixteenth birthday. Tanaka-san's niece Yohko, whom you met once briefly a few months ago, has just assumed the position as the one hundred and eighth devil hunter of the Mano clan bloodline. She battles the darkness in the Osaka and Kyoto areas even as we speak. However, she cannot fight all of the darkness which exists by herself, and the other devil hunters related to her bloodline are also fully involved in assisting her with her battles to the south. The Saotome devil hunters would normally be responsible for fighting against the darkness in the north; unfortunately the Saotome bloodline was broken several generations ago and your mother's family no longer has the potential to command a devil hunter's powers. The other devil hunters with direct ties to the Saotome bloodline have all perished in battle ... and there are none to replace them."
"Gaaah," Ranma said while scratching her head. "Okay, so neither Mom nor me can turn into one of these 'devil hunters', right?"
"Correct."
"So that still don't answer the question on why a kami would pick me for all this. Geez, I would of figured she'd have dropped me from her list a long time ago."
Bendis sighed - Ranma's lap was exceedingly comfortable. She crawled out of the girl's lap so she could face her charge directly. "Ranma, your family has always been one of milady's Chosen. While she deeply regrets being forced to intervene without your consent, she did so because she could no longer bear to watch the completion of your corruption by the actions and influence of your father's perverted Master."
"WHAT?!? I ain't corrupted - no WAY!"
"Not completely, no," Bendis replied. She suddenly stared intently into the redhead's eyes, hardening her own as much as she could to help drive the point across. "You have, however, been steadily sinking into a morass of pride and hubris, and in another year - or two at the most - the 'Master's' teachings as relayed through your father would have completed your corruption. Your father himself fully embraces his avarice and gluttony, your fiancée's father his sloth, your fiancée is drowning in a sea of her own anger, and the perverted Master's lust and envy is obvious to even the most casual of acquaintances. I'm certain you have noticed just how brazen he has recently become in the attention he affords those of the opposite gender?"
"Yeah ..." Ranma shivered - she had contemplated this very subject the previous night. Her conclusions still scared her silly.
"He does so because he can sense how close he is to the completion of his task. It is no coincidence that all of these events are starting to approach resolution at a critical point in your life - the forces of darkness instinctively know who has the potential for becoming their greatest bane."
"Damn."
"Damn indeed," Bendis replied with a nod. "Ranma, I myself do not understand why Serenity-sama chose to wait until this particular point in time before intervening on your behalf. What I do know is that even the kami have rules which they must follow, and that the supporters of the darkness are considerably less constrained in their actions than those who embrace the light. I can only assume that, had Serenity-sama dared to act directly on your behalf before this time, it would have changed a potential disaster into one with certain finality for you and those who are around you. Milady is most kind and protective of those who have the will and fortitude to defend the light, and more so for those who willingly act as her chosen Champions. A new darkness approaches - one that will require all of your strength of will and proficiency in battle to oppose. Will you join us in defending the light, or do you wish for Serenity-sama to withdraw her gifts so that you may face the darkness alone and unsupported on your own terms?"
Ranma glared briefly at the fox. "That really ain't much of a choice, y'know."
"I do indeed," Bendis said, shrugging her shoulders. "Unfortunately, life seldom affords us the luxury of having comfortable and equitable paths for us to choose from. Your own life is rife with such examples."
"Yeah, ain't that the truth," Ranma replied with a drawl. "Well, even if Pop's teachings are all screwed up, 'adapt or die' is somethin' I suspect is true no matter what. I'm in - anything's gotta be better than what I'm doin' right now."
"That is something you can be assured to be true."
Ranma smirked and shook her head once before glancing around the room. "Geez - I can't believe we haven't been barged in on by now."
Bendis barked a laugh. "No need for concern there - the wards you erected before we started are proof against virtually any form of scrying or eavesdropping. It would take an attack of considerable force to breach them once they are properly set in place."
"Wards? Oh, you mean that fancy light show from th' scroll?"
Bendis nodded.
"Heh - that was kinda fun. So how do I get rid of 'em?"
"You simply reseal the ward scroll, which can then be used again when necessary. Roll the scroll up and hold it in your right hand, making sure both halves of the broken seal are in direct contact with your palm."
"'K - what's next?"
"Hold the scroll out crosswise directly in front of you. The scroll will reseal when you pronounce the word 'occludo'. Be sure you're ready when you do this, as the wards ..."
"Occludo."
*CRASH*THUMP*THUMP*THUMP*THUMP*
Ranma set the scroll down on the floor in front of her. She straightened up and crossed her arms with deliberate dignity. She proceeded to glare at the noisy pile of bodies which were currently flopped on top of each other as well as the remains of the bedroom door. She felt the presence of Bendis at her back, who had wasted little time in scurrying for protection.
Genma, Soun, Akane, and Nabiki's recriminations to each other quickly ran down and stopped. They must have felt her stare - all four of them suddenly looked over to her position. Kasumi peeked out at her from the edge of the now-vacant door frame, one hand held daintily over her mouth.
Ranma glared even harder just for good measure. She opened her mouth to speak.
"WELL?!?"
Genma disentangled himself from the pile of bodies by the simple expedient of rolling sideways into a sitting position. The collateral damage done to Soun's foot in the process was blithely ignored by the portly martial artist. He gathered his dignity by pushing his glasses back up with a finger before crossing his arms.
"Boy ..."
"Stuff it, Pops," Ranma interrupted before her father could get started. "I ain't tellin' you how to use the scroll. The priest gave it t' me for my protection - as you found out earlier."
"Boy, it's my duty as your sensei to evaluate every new technique in detail. How else can I tell if the technique is compatible with the rest of the school's teachings?"
"Pops, you're just mad 'cause you finally found somethin' of mine you couldn't steal right away," Ranma replied with a sneer. "This has nothin' to do with Anything Goes, and ..." Ranma's eyes became huge. "Morning, Auntie Saotome."
"Hahahahaha!" Genma laughed. "A feeble attempt at disguising the Anything Goes Röga Shühai-tai secret technique - that will never work on me, boy!"
"Good morning, Ranko-chan," Nodoka replied from the open doorway. Genma turned completely white. "Why won't what work on you, husband? Now, where is my son, and why are you calling Ranko-chan a boy?"