From: Deckerfive <Deckerfive@juno.com>

Ranma 1/2: A Colder Curse
by RCN Prince

I would like to thank a few people. First, Rumiko Takahashi, for
creating Ranma 1/2. Next I'd like to thank Shawn LaPlante, for
introducing me to Anime. And finally I'd like to thank all those
fanfic writers that have brutally stripped away from me any sign
of a social life I had. :)

This is my first fanfic. Well, my first POSTED fanfic anyway. I've
done a couple of others, but I never decided to post them.
Depending on the response to this story, I might post them anyway.
I apologize to people expecting a comedy, but I don't use a whole
lot of that in any of my fics.

*DISCLAIMER*
The characters of Ranma Nibunnoichi are NOT mine. I don't have any
legal rights to use them, but I also don't have any cash, so it's
useless suing me. All characters are copyright Rumiko-Kami,
Shogukan, Viz, yadda, yadda, blah, blah blah, nudge, nudge, wink,
wink, ya know what I mean?
*END DISCLAIMER*

A note on conventions used in this fanfic:

-*-*-*-*-  Is used to denote change of perspective. Drastic time
changes can take place between such breaks.

Single Breaks denote paragraph change

and

Quadrouple Break denotes a larger change in time than a paragraph,
but less than the divider.

And now, on with the show:

   Ranma stumbled blindly through the forest. If she had cared
to take note of it, she would have noticed that she was cold,
hungry, thirsty and tired. Oh, she knew it as she ran, but she
didn't feel it. She couldn't feel anything anymore. She didn't
even feel anything as she heard the sounds of her body crashing
through the endless sea of brambles and vines.
   She had been running for three days. Straight, without rest
for two days. She ignored her muscles cramping, screaming madly
for her to stop. She wouldn't ever stop though. She was
determined to keep running. Never to stop, never to let the
nightmares catch her.
   She hadn't slept for four days. She refused to go back to
the nightmares, the dreams, the fire and water, drowning her
without any mercy. The deamon panda that chased her, endlessly
torturing her. Depriving her of everything. No, she wouldn't
sleep, she wouldn't let that hunger have an opportunity to come.
   She hadn't eaten for five days. The hunger tore at her
stomache, but there was nothing to fill it. She couldn't eat,
and she accepted that. Her emanciated features gave her a pale,
ghostly appearance. If she ate, she would drink, and she
couldn't drink, she would never touch water again.
   She hadn't drunk for six days. Almost a week. Almost a week.
 She would never have to touch or drink that horid stuff again.
 Not water. Anything but water.
   It had happened a week ago. It was so aweful. The drowning,
the fighting, the pulls, her body stretching and twisting,
forming something new from something old, destroying what she
was, destroying what she could be, destroying any chance for
anything she had ever wanted, she would keep running, running
until, until.....
   Then the blackness came.

-*-*-*-*-

   Ryouga stumbled blindly through the forest. If he had cared
to take notice of it, he would have noticed that he was cold,
hungry, thirsty and tired. Of course, for him this was normal.
when it came to having to, he would take the canteen from his
backpack and drink, but not until he must, he didn't know when
the next time he would see a fountain or sink again was. He had
rations in his bag that would last him for several months. Well,
in all actuality, they would have lasted a normal man several
months, he could survive on them for an almost infinite period.
   He kept running though. Running very straight. He had the
last person that he saw point him in the direction, and he knew
that if he took any kind of turn at all that he would never find
where he was going. He could never have his revenge on Ranma.
Straight was something he could do, so he kept doing it.
   He grunted slightly as the brambles and vines tore at his
body, but they where things that where all on the 'I can handle
that' list. He avoided the stray log, not triping a single time,
and any braches that where in his way he just ran threw. Sure,
it hurt, but he couldn't be destracted. A small roar from some
jungle animal came off from his left, so he looked. It was only
a jaguar. Nothing he couldn't...
   Then the ground came. Fast. Ryouga's thoughts rushed. He had
 tripped over something. Which way was he going? Which way did
he come?! He was going to kill the stray root that had triped
him!! It would suffer endless pain and torture! He looked
around for the root. He would tear the entire tree out!! He
would do horrible things TO THAT ...... girl?
   There was a girl, laying prone on the ground. She was
obviously japanese, and had her long black hair tied loosely
into a pony tail. Her red chinese shirt was torn beyond use
and Ryouga was trying with only minimal success to stop his
nosebleed. He shouldn't stare at her like this. What was he
doing here? What was a girl doing here? The girl didn't look
to good. Ryouga reconized the signs of certain conditions that
he had himself experienced. The girl couldn't have eaten for
several days, and her heart was barely beating. He quickly
crawled over to the girl and examined her. She was dehydrated
to boot.
   He briefly thought of continuing his chase, but decided
against it. He would never be able to find the right direction,
and it would be wrong to just leave this girl here. He sat down
cross legged in front of the girl and slid off his backpack. He
rummaged around in it for a few seconds until he found the
medical kit. He carefully patched up several of the wounds. He
would help this girl. Maybe she could help him.

-*-*-*-*-

   Three days had passed. Ryouga stared silently down at the
girl. The girl was strong, he had to admit that, and he was
simply amazed at the speed at which she healed. A smile crossed
his face. What a wonderful girl. She seemed like the kind of
girl that could look past any fault. Maybe the kind of girl
that could like him.
   He had fallen in love yesterday. Such a beutiful girl.
   The girl moved slightly, and moaned. ".... air... I...
need... air... let... panda... girl ... no..." and she was
silent again. She had had several of these nightmares. She
stirred again. Maybe she was waking up. Yes, she was.

-*-*-*-*-

   She opened her eyes. What a pretty place! She thought she
should be dead for some reason, but she was fairly sure she
didn't feel dead. She forced her muscles to move, lifting her
into a sitting position. Her arms hurt.
   There was a young man staring at her. He was fairly handsome,
although he had several small scars on his face. He was looking
at hre with a small smile that made her feel good inside. She
wondered who he was. She wondered where she was. Hell, she
wondered WHO she was. Might as well ask.
   "Who am I?" she tried to say. It came out sort of as a croak.
She realized her throat was very dry, and before she could even
start to try to tell the boy with hand motions the boy had givin
 her a canteen. He's nice, she thought.
   The young man looked at her with a little concern, and spoke
up. "Do you know who you are?" She shook her head no. "Oh, well,
 I can't help you with that either, I found you laying here a
few days ago." He thought for a few seconds. "I guess we better
think of a name for you." She smiled. He's thoughtful, too, she
thought. "You'ld like that, eh? Hmm... How 'bout Akimi? No?
Reiko? Hoshi? Chizu? Kyoko? You like that? Kyoko, eh? I like it
to, Kyoko it is! Now, the next order of buisness is getting you
some propper clothes."
   She looked down at her own clothing at this remark, and
discovered that her chinese shirt and baggy black pants where
so cut up that they where not covering her any more than pile
of string would. She was getting mad and was about to hit the
boy when she spotted a large blanket laying beside her. She
must've thrown it off getting up. He WAS such a nice boy, she
thought.
   The boy was digging around in a large, heavy looking
backpack. After a few minutes of this he brought out a chinese
shirt much like the one she was wearing, but instead of red it
was yellow, a pair of black baggy pants and a new pair of
slippers. He handedher the clothes and turned away.
   She silently sliped into the new clothes. "What's your name?"
she asked him.
   "Ryouga. Hibiki Ryouga." he replied sheepishly.
   "That's a nice name. Well, do you nkow here we are?"
   "China, I think..."
   "You think? China's a BIG place, either we are there or not. Are
we?"
   "Well, I wouldn't know. You wouldn't believe how bad my sense of
direction is."
   "Well, however bad it is, I'm glad it's that way. If you hadn't
come along I'd have probably died. I'm done, you can turn around
again."

-*-*-*-*-

   Another three days past. Ryouga and Kyoko had decided to stick
together. Ryouga would provide the suplies and the survival
knowledge, and Kyoko would provide her sense of direction.
   It turned out that Ryouga was in the area because he was looking
for someone. Kyoko had commented that he had found someone, but
Ryouga started to rant on about some guy named Ranma. Apparently he
was a theif and bully at school that always took Ryouga's lunch. He
had arranged for a fight between them, but Ryouga had gotten lost
getting to the vacant lot, and when he arrived there after a four
day jaunt around Japan, he had learned that Ranma had fled
("Cowardly, like always," said Ryouga) to China with his father.
   Kyoko thought this obsession with revenge for a small peice of
bread was cute. Wierd, yes, but still kinda cute.
   The days where great, the two talked as the walked around china,
trying to find someone who knew the way to Jyusenkyo, but the nights
where something tottally different.
   Every time she fell asleep she was haunted by constant streams of
nightmares, ranging from a Panda trying to drown her, to an old man
stepping into a Panda suit and seeling it forever. There were images
of the man, or sometimes the panda, driving a knife through the
heart of a young man, not all to different from Ryouga.
   Ryouga had was deeply in love with Kyoko, because she never
judged him for any of his many faults, she just smiled at him and
helped him past whatever obstical was in his way.
   Kyoko also was begining to think of Ryouga on more than friendly
terms. He was a very kind boy, and never tried to do anything rude
or perverted. He was also a great fighter. Plus, Kyoko admitted, he
had a great ass.
   It was on the end of the third day they arrived at the clearing.
The woods suddenly broke into a large field which was covered with
small pools of water. Kyoko didn't like that. She had discovered she
was frightened of any body of water that was bigger than a bath tub
and smaller than a minivan. Here, in front of her, were hundreds of
pools. It scared her almost to death. Then, when a strangely
ecstatic panda rushed over to her and gave her a large hug, both
Ryouga and Kyoko did what came natural to them.
   Ryouga, thinking the panda was attacking her, gave it a couple of
good punches to the midsection. Kyoko feinted.

-*-*-*-*-

   Ranma opened his eyes. Something was wrong. His body felt strange.
Somehow he felt as if there wasn't enough distance between his head
and his feet. there was a strange weight on his chest and there was
something missing further down. Then he remembered. Then she screamed.
   Ryouga was leaning over her, asking her if she was all right. Ranma
nodded several times. He wasn't crying. Guys don't cry, she told
himself. This was the pain of the first day of the curse all over. The
pain, the disgust with himself. He was going to fucking PROPOSE to
Ryouga. THrough the corner of his eye he saw the panda. Well, he
wouldn't let the old man off that easy. He got up and crawled over to
the panda.
   "Wake up pops." said Ranma into the panda's ear.
   "Pops?" muttered Ryouga.
   The panda stired from it's place of rest to look up. It began to
look ecstatic again and hugged Ranma fiercely. Ranma's mind came up
with a plan here. This one would knock his father's socks off. He
just giggled with anticipation.
   "Kyoko, do you know this panda?" asked Ryouga.
   "Yeah, I remember everything. Oh, by the way, it isn't Kyoko. It's
Ranma. Ranma Saotome."
   "Ranma....?" Ryouga looked truely hurt. "You're ... a girl?!"
   "I've been one for about a week and a half. I wouldn't go near
those pools. They ain't pretty once you've taken a dip." The panda
behind her looked on in confusion.
   Ryouga's always been gullible, thought Ranma. Maybe this time it'll
work out. It did. Something snaped within Ryouga. "Ranma? RANMA?!
RANMAAAAA...." He lashed out and threw a punch at Ranma.
   "Hey, whatcha do that for?" said Ranma, attempting to making it as
mocking as possible.
   "Again, Ranma, you've ruined my life! I'll send you to hell."
   "Wait a minute, Ryouga, how did I ruin you're life?"
   "You've lead me through hell, the months of tracking you through
the foressts of China..."
   "That you would have been walking through anyway, right?"
   "Well... I... I guess... But you stole the love of my life away
from me! I loved Kyoko, I loved... you... and I'll never be able to
get that love back!"
   "Why not?" asked Ranma. The panda's eye's went wide.
   "What? But, you're.. a guy."
   "Do I look like a guy to you?"
   "Well, no, but, you're..."
   "Correction, I was a guy. To tell you the truth, I still think
you're kinda cute."
   Ryouga's nose began to bleed a little. He liked her enough, but
she was Ranma, but she said she still liked him, but she was Ranma...
Ryouga's mind shut out from the stress of such paracoxile thinking
and feinted. The pana's eye's had continued to apparently grow in
size threw the entire conversation, and it feinted just from pure
shock.
   "That makes me feel SO much better." said Ranma, who then went
to work pulling the two bodies under the small house that stood
here, apparently for a guide. There wasn't anyone living there
now, of course, but it was still useable.
   Ranma's mind kept going over her thought's. She had said that
he still liked Ryouga, and to tell the truth, she did. She still
had a lot of the feelings of 'Kyoko'. She decided then that the
best way to handle this curse was to accept it. If she found a
cure later on, she would burn that bridge when she came to it.
For now, she was a girl. Her experiences as 'Kyoko' had told
her several things.

-*-*-*-*-