Ranma 1/2: Ranma No More Alternate History By: Dani Yanega yanega@mindspring.com (please respond to this e-mail address) Chapter Five Ranma adds more wood to the fire in the cooking alcove and places a kettle of water over it to heat, for tea. She sits next to her friend and watches the elder women closely. Ku Lon is the first to speak. "Am I addressing Ranma Saotome or Ra Koh?" Ranma's face shows surprise she quickly suppresses it, but not fast enough that both elders did not catch it. She looks at Ryoga from the corner of her eyes and he nods to her to go ahead. She looks back at them and responds. "I am neither and both." Each of the women raises an eyebrow at the young girl, when she rises to serve them tea. Taking what is left of the hot water she debates if she should pour it over herself and revert to her male form. She decides not to at this time although she is sure they know she is cursed. The memories of her great grandmother tell her, that she will have better luck dealing with the Amazons as a female then as a male. "As of now Saotome Ranma is dead. I am Takashi Ranma now, I have merged my soul with that of my great grandmother's and we are one person." The elders nod while they sip their tea. "Now who are you I know you are Amazons, Grandmother told me so." They look at Ranma questionably. Ranma sighs then tries to explain the best she can since she is not totally sure of it herself. "For the most part we are one person, but..." The loneliness can be seen reflected in the young girl's eyes. "When I need to speak with her, I go into a deep meditation and inside my mind we are two separate people." The matriarchs look slightly surprised. In all of their 300 hundred plus years and the history they have of Jusenkyo, this has never happened. "Did Ra Koh say how this happened to you child?" Ku Lon asks the girl sympathetically. "Well, I asked her and she thinks it is because I am her descendant." "That makes sense, you would have her genes which could wake her spirit." Ryoga listens and watches the old women; he did not trust them very much. Then he pops up and asks them a couple of questions of his own. "Why are you here? Why are you looking for Ranma?" Mas Cra looks a Ryoga as if he is nothing more than a bug to be squashed. Only two things stopped her from doing that, one was Ku Lon's hand on her shoulder, the other was a bright purple aura that just flared around an angry looking Ranma. "Ryoga is my _friend_. He _will_ be treated with respect." Ranma's voice is as cold as ice. She knows from her melding with Ra Koh, how some of the women warriors feel about men, and knew it probably held true even today. While Ranma works on cooling down, Ku Lon looks around the cave noticing the empty trunks and shelves. She also notices that items use to be on those shelves and were recently removed. However, before she could ask about it, Ranma asks her a question. "Which of you are descended from Ra Koh? She told me two of you were her descendants." Ku Lon smiles at the red head. "I am, child." Ku Lon answers, with a proud smile. "As is the purple hair girl over there, she is my great granddaughter, Xian Pu." She finishes pointing to the alcove which holds Xian Pu and La Si. Ranma nods then asks another question. "From which child are you descended?" "We are the direct descendants of Ra Koh's youngest Mai Toh." "What happened to her family after she died?" "You ask a lot of questions for a male _boy_!" Mas Cra snarls at the cursed boy. Ranma looks at her with eyes filled with longing and depression. Mas Cra gasps at the pain she sees there, she hangs her head in shame. She realizes that, although they've merged their souls. Ra Koh has pushed her dominance forward. In order learn what happened to her family. Ku Lon sighs as she pats Mas Cra's hand and continues. "According to the Amazon records, her husband took his three daughters to Japan after Ra Koh's death. He raised them there, and he never remarried." A tear trickled down Ranma's cheek. "After they were grown the eldest daughter Ti Lum and the youngest, Mai Toh returned to the village after traveling for several years. Bringing to the village much needed knowledge and new techniques, with them came their husbands." Through the tears, a smile crosses Ranma's face. "I am sorry though, Ti Lum died from a malady she had picked up in her travels and had never given birth." More tears flowed from Ranma as she sat stone-faced. "What of Ter Si?" "She stayed in Japan which is probably who you are descended from." Ranma nods then stares into space while tears continue to flow for Ra Koh's family. Finally the tears stop and Ranma stares at the Elders "What do you want? Why are you here?" Ku Lon is surprised at the abrupt change of topic. She then realizes she is now talking the Ranma's spirit. It seems he either reasserted his dominance or Ra Koh did not want to talk anymore. Ku Lon takes a deep breath before continuing. "Actually, your father was brought to the village by the guide. We came to find you for him." "Well, you have found me, but getting me back to him isn't going to be easy." Snarls Ranma, as both he and Ryoga start to glow. Mas Cra holds up her hands in a placating manor. "Do not worry boy, we have no intentions of forcing you back with your father, but why do you now refuse to be with him after...what, ten years, I think he said?" Ranma sighs and could feel the strength his great grandmother was giving him to encourage him to tell his story, after all Ku Lon was family. "It's a long story and a lot of it is not pretty." Both Mas Cra and Ku Lon nod, Ryoga just looks at her questioningly. Ryoga then places his hand on her shoulder as a gesture of support; Ranma smiles her thanks to her friend. "Ranma, you are an _Amazon_ by birth and even more so by the merging of your spirit and Ra Koh's. You are also my _family_. I can legally take you from your father here until you are of legal age to return to Japan." Ranma thinks about it, she then shrugs her small shoulders and tells her story. "When I was five my father took me from my mother to begin training me in the Art, but his Art also included thievery, lying, cheating, and dishonor. When I was old enough to understand this I refused to do that stuff anymore. Now remember, some of the things I learned, I got from searching his memories..." Ranma talks for hours, he tells of Ukyo and how he thought _she_ was a boy and how Genma agreed to let Ukyo and him marry. Then Genma stole her dowry and abandoned her. Genma never planned on going through with the marriage because he had agreed to merge the Schools of Anything Goes with marriage to one of the daughters of his friend Soun Tendo. Ku Lon raises an eyebrow at the name of Ranma's school, but says nothing. He tells them of the Neko-Ken training, both Ranma and Ryoga had to scoot back from the Elders as their battle auras flared. Ryoga asks what is so bad about the training in a powerful technique. Ranma explains the training to him. /*\*/*\ The wounded Amazons slowly begin to return to consciousness. They hear the voices of their elders talking in a strange language. Xian Pu and Dou El could understand much of what is being said so they translate Ranma's story for their bed partners. All four became both angry and ill at Ranma's description of the Neko-Ken training and they begin to think of tortures for a certain panda- man. /*\*/*\ "When I was six, just after he abandoned Ukyo, he trained me in the Neko-Ken. You first dig a pit, and fill it with hundreds of c.c.cats. Then you let them starve for a few days to a week. At that time, you take the trainee and wrap them in fish sausages. The next step is to throw them into the pit with the c.c.cats. Then cover the pit, leaving the trainee and c.c.cats in darkness. Well since I didn't learn it the first time, oyaji kept throwing me in every day for several days. Then, when he found I had developed a fear of c.c.cats, he threw me in many more times to get me over my fear. Being six, I couldn't count how many times he through me in but, I know it was a lot." Ryoga turns green and it was not just from the fact his greenish yellow aura was now glowing brightly around him. He cracks his knuckles as he quietly pledged to himself. "I will kill that bastard when I see him again!" Ku Lon raised an eyebrow, at Ryoga's whispered promise, then looks at her great nephew, and asks her. "Great Nephew did you learn the technique." Ranma nods. Ku Lon sighs sadly. "You are indeed strong if you can keep the madness at bay." She finishes, shaking her head sadly. "Well, great grandmother is helping me with that now." Ranma offers. Ryoga looks lost and Ranma tells him the downside of the powerful Neko-Ken. Ryoga's face goes pale with horror. "As I mentioned before, after the training I now have a deadly fear of c.c.cats. I can sense them and they sense me. Hell, they'll even seek me out. If I can not get away from the c.c.cat, my mind will shut down. I am told I become a cat, but I have no memory of it." Ku Lon nods and continues for Ranma. "That is correct great nephew, your strength, speed and agility increases, plus you get ki claws that can rip through steel. The only problem is you are no longer human. You will kill anyone your primal instincts perceive as a threat. I am sure your father found that out the first time you went Neko. You _probably_ attacked him." Ranma nods with an evil grin on her face. Ranma then continued with what else she has learned from her father's mind. She tells of the other engagements for food, her visit to Junior High where she met Ryoga and the stupid bread feud, and missed duel. Which is the reason Ryoga was at the Cursed Springs. Her coming to China, up to the time of receiving the curse. Finally, she tells them of the promise her father tricked her into signing at five years old. About how she and her father will commit Seppuku if she _wasn't_ a man above men. To say the Amazons are livid is an understatement. Ku Lon and Mas Cra are thinking of tortures for Genma Saotome; Xian Pu, La Si and the other two warriors are wondering how nice a panda rug would look in their homes. The Elders are about to continue their conversation when Ranma holds up a hand. "It is getting late, we should get some sleep. There should be room for the two of you with the girls; Ryoga and I will use our sleeping bags." The Elders nod and retire to the sleeping alcoves. While Ranma and Ryoga set up their sleeping bags, Ryoga asks her a question. "Ranma, those nightmares you have they're about the Neko-Ken training aren't they?" "Yeah, they are. They'll be gone when the stress goes away. Don't worry about it." When they finish setting up their sleeping bags, they lay down and go to sleep. The matriarchs lay in their beds, neither sleeping. They are thinking of what they just learned, and both fear that, if the father is correct, Ranma's mother will kill him if he returns to Japan. Normally they would not care, after all he is just a male, but now he is a male with the spirit of a female Amazon in him, one that is a sorceress and an ancestor. Finally, they were all able to drop off to sleep as exhaustion from the battle finally claims them. About three hours into everyone's sleep, the Amazons are awaken by a female voice screaming "NNNNOOOOO, Poppa I don't wanna learn it no more, please, I want momma. NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO! AAAAAAAAAAAA, MAKE 'EM STOP POPPA, PLEASE, AAAAAAAAA" Ryoga is at his friend's side talking calmly to her. Ku Lon appears next to the screaming girl, sadness and anger showing on her face. She reaches down and presses a few spots on Ranma's body. Ranma instantly quiets down and goes into a deep dreamless sleep. "_What did you do to her?_ " Ryoga growls, angrily and begins glowing. Putting up a calming hand, Ku Lon answers him. "I just pressed a few shiatsu points, the child will sleep quietly for the rest of the night. Does this happen every night?" "It has been since we left Jusenkyo, but she says as soon as she isn't in as much stress, they will stop." Ku Lon nods; there is another mark on the revenge against Genma list. Ku Lon returns to bed, she watches as Ryoga watches over his friend for a while then sees him go back to bed. She soon succumbs to her tiredness.