Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma's Hour of Darkness ❯ Chapter 04 ( Chapter 4 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: mimizukujin 
Rewritten, hopefully with better story flow.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Hentai | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.24.2006 | Updated On: 03.25.2006 | Pages: 8 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 4.3K | Status: Completed
Rewritten, hopefully with better story flow.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Hentai | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.24.2006 | Updated On: 03.25.2006 | Pages: 8 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 4.3K | Status: Completed
Ranma's Hour of Darkness - Chapter 4
Disclaimer - I own neither Disgaea nor Ranma 1/2.
Further disclaimer - The previous chapter is lemon, and won't be posted to FF.N.
------------
I shake my head, and stretch. Despite my dreams from the night before, I am not tired. In fact, I feel better than I have in a long time, a lot more relaxed. Looking at the window, I see that it's still dark outside, or maybe just barely dawn.
I look at my father. The temptation to throw him into the pond is strong, but overall I'd rather have a nice, relaxing soak in the furo. I sneak out of the room, careful to make no sound.
After I scrub down, I look at my female body in the mirror with a new appreciation for it. 'It really does look different when you're not the one inside it.'
Just as I stretch and turn to present the mirror with my best pose, Akane barges in. Instead of panicking, I watch her closely enough to see her look over my body thoroughly and then get mad. I brace myself for impact when she raises the water basin over her head.
Feeling a little battered, I dress, and head for my room. 'I know I put the sign out this time.'
Akane is standing outside the furo glaring at me furiously, but I ignore her. I feel a lot less charitable towards her today than I normally would.
When I reach my room, I look out the window again. 'Still not quite dawn. What is Akane doing up so early?'
Settling into a kneeling position, I pull my athame onto my lap and begin to meditate.
------------
I open my eyes as the door slides open, and a surprised Akane stares at me for a moment before her eyes narrow, and she flings the bucket of cold water into my face. As she stomps away, she says over her shoulder, "Hurry up, Ranma! We're going to be late!"
I wipe the dripping water from my eyes, and look out the window again. 'Barely past dawn. Breakfast isn't even started yet.'
A sign edges into my vision. "What did you do to her, boy?"
I look at the dripping panda, and shrug. "I don't know, Pop," I say, looking at the athame on my lap. "I don't think that it's going to work out between us."
He makes a growling noise, but doesn't hold out any more signs. I close my eyes and sigh, then use the still-damp towel from the bathroom to dry my hair and face.
As the sun comes up I sit and stroke my athame. It's not really meditation, but it still soothes me.
------------
Nabiki watched Ranma carefully during breakfast, carefully committing to memory the changes in his behavior. He was eating quite slowly, at an almost human pace, and when his father stole his food he didn't seem to care. All of that paled in comparison to the total lack of attention he gave her little sister, however.
He must have done something to make Akane angry, if the glare she was giving him was any indication. On the other hand, he didn't seem to feel guilty at all about whatever it was. She glanced back and forth between them as she tried to figure out what he could have done.
When Akane looked at her questioningly, she almost fell over with surprise. Akane's anger had melted away as soon as she looked away from Ranma, as if it had all been in her imagination! Carefully controlling her expression, she smiled at her sister.
As Akane looked back at Ranma, she saw the anger snap into being again, suddenly. Standing up, she excused herself from the table. She needed to get this all on paper before it faded from her memory. The counselor would be getting another visit today.
------------
As I walk to school next to Akane, I find myself wishing that something would happen, some excuse would come up that could justify sending her on ahead. The glares she keeps shooting me are nearly as bad as her grim silence, or the stomping of her feet.
When we pass the old woman that has splashed me so often in the past, I slow down to give her the opportunity to tag me yet again. I watch in disbelief as she loses her grip on the ladle, and splashes water all over Akane. As she starts to turn around, I ready myself for another beating.
She attacks me in silence, doubling me over with a punch to my stomach, and then hitting me with a hammer-blow to the back of my neck. The pain in my side along with the sickening snapping noise tells me that her kick has broken at least one of my ribs, and I curl up into a ball as she kicks me twice more.
When the old woman speaks, she stops kicking. "Dear, why are you hurting that nice boy?" she asks. "It was my fault. My hand slipped as I was washing off my sidewalk."
Her voice is cheerful and carefree as she says, "Oh, it's all right." As she continues, I can hear the anger in her voice. "It wasn't your fault, he should have kept me from getting wet. He's not a nice boy, he's a pervert. He deserved every single bit of what I did to him."
As the pain from my ribs hazes my mind, I hear her say, "Oh, I'm going to be late! Sorry about the mess on your sidewalk. He'll clean it up as soon as he stops pretending to be hurt."
After she leaves, I roll painfully to my knees. Probing my side, I nod to myself. 'At least one broken rib. Breathing hurts, but there doesn't seem to be any serious internal damage.'
As I get to my feet, the woman asks, "Do you need any help?" She sounds concerned, so I smile at her and say, "I'll just visit the school nurse, thanks."
As I walk slowly away she watches me with a worried expression.
------------
Happosai stretched, and tossed the full bag of lingerie and underclothes onto his bed. As he looked around, he noted the small but significant signs that he had had an intruder. Several of the stacks of carefully-folded lingerie were askew, some by as much as five degrees, and the dragon line that he had hoped to cultivate was less than half-formed.
'Whoever it was tried to be careful,' he thought to himself. He flooded his room with his chi, feeling for otherness. 'There's my bag, of course. But there's also another source from the bed. No, from under the bed,' he noted.
He knelt down and reached his hand under the bed. As it came in contact with the scroll case, he immediately identified the intruder's chi. 'Ranma,' he thought. 'What a nice surprise.'
Unpacking and unrolling the scroll, he looked over the note that accompanied it. He had read it enough times that it was practically memorized, and it took only a small amount of his attention as he absently straightened the stacks of lingerie.
'Happosai, the situation here has changed. Take this scroll. You know what it is, and what to do with it should the need arise.
When you need assistance, look to the clouds. They have messages for you. Do not let yourself be blinded to the light of the spirit, and do not forsake your creator. Just as you may find a curse to be a blessing under certain circumstances, a blessing may also become a curse. In either case, both curses and blessings must subjugate themselves to the unyielding will.
This is the last time I'll contact you directly.'
There was no signature, but it wasn't necessary in any case. He knew the sender.
With his straightening done, he packed the scroll back up and placed it carefully back under the bed. He walked out with a bounce in his step. It was time to find his heir.
------------
I flinch as the nurse prods my side a little too hard. I hate broken ribs. They always take forever to heal, and the feeling of the broken part sliding around is nauseating. I would rather break almost any other bone in my body instead of a rib.
"You've got a broken rib," she says. "What happened? From the bruising on your back, it looks like someone was kicking you."
"I must have broken it while I was sparring this morning," I say. 'I don't want to think about what Mr. Tendo would do if I told anyone that Akane did it.'
"No more sparring for you, for at least three months. You'll have to see a doctor, and get some pain medication," she says as she binds my chest tightly. "We can't set ribs. This binding will help minimize movement."
I nod, tiredly. "I remember from the last time," I say.
"Good," she says. "You're going to stay here in this cot for the next class period or two, for observation."
I nod again, and close my eyes.
------------
"Ranma, what happened?" my lord asks.
"Akane got mad at me again," I say. "She's never done something like this before, though. She was really trying to hurt me this time." I stretch out, and absently notice that here I'm not in pain.
"Why do you let her hit you?" my lord asks me.
"Sometimes, I deserve it," I say.
"Stop it. I need you whole," she says.
'I can't go against a direct order. Sorry, Mr. Tendo.' "My rib is broken. It won't be healed for at least a month," I say. "I'm sorry."
"I'll get you fixed up later today, when nobody is watching. I have to visit in person to do it, not in a dream," she says. "I'll bring a new vassal with me. I'll use some of the energy you gave me last night to make her."
"Will she be a good fighter?" I ask.
"No. She'll be a good healer, though," she says.
"Healer? Herbalist, you mean?" I ask.
She shakes her head, and says, "No. She'll know healing magic. She'll get you back in perfect health."
"I've always wanted to be able to do that," I say. "Wave my hand and watch all of my bruises fade away, I mean."
She looks at me seriously, and says, "If you really want to learn then you can, Ranma. You'll have to make a vassal of your own, though."
"I'll think about it, then," I say. 'What would I do with a vassal? I just can't imagine people calling me Lord Saotome.'
She looks into the distance, and says, "Someone is coming. Tell her that you had a dream about detention last night."
------------
When I open my eyes, I see Ms. Ninomiya standing by my cot. She's in her child form, and she looks a little worried.
"Hi, Ms. Ninomiya," I say.
"I'll send your schoolwork home with Akane," she says.
"Nah," I say. "I'll pick it up after school. It's ok."
"Ok!" she chirps.
'Should I say anything about it?' "Um.. I had a weird dream last night. It was about detention," I say.
She looks at me with wide eyes. "You were in it too," I say.
"What was it about?" she almost whispers. "Did anything bad happen in it?"
"Well..." I say. "The ending surprised me, but it was a good dream. I guess that I wouldn't mind having more like it, really."
She has a hint of a blush. It looks out of place on her young face. "What about the ending?" she asks.
'I can't tell her that. She probably doesn't know what I'm talking about anyhow. On the other hand...' "You blew up a desk with your Happy's Change Returned attack, right at the very end," I say.
She swallows audibly. "Did I do anything else?" she asks.
"Well, you kept on measuring me with a ruler," I say.
The bell rings, and she looks away. She says, "We'll talk about this later, Mr. Saotome. If you're interested, that is."
I say, "All right. Later, then," as she walks out.
------------
"See, Ranma?" my lord says. "Her adult mind isn't totally gone when she's a child."
"I guess that you were right," I say.
"Of course!" she says, smiling. "They're going to send you home soon, Ranma. When they do, go to the canal, under the bridge. I'll meet you there."
"All right," I say.
------------
"Hello, Hina-chan," said Happosai, as she came up to the office. "I'm looking for Ranma. Is he around? It's important."
She shook her head, and said, "He went home for the day, Happy. He had a broken rib from sparring this morning."
His eyes narrowed in thought, he replied, "I'll head home and look for him there, then. Thanks, Hina-chan."
------------
I walk slowly to the canal. When I get there, I gingerly lower myself over the side.
My girl side is waiting for me, all alone. She says, "I can't walk around looking like myself during the day. I would get hunted. Is it ok if I use your form?"
I nod, and say, "Sure, I don't mind. Where is the healer?"
As I look around, she says, "I didn't make her yet. I thought that I'd give you a chance to make her yourself."
"Me?" I ask.
She nods, and says, "You have some mana already. I can feel it. You must have defeated demons before you summoned me."
I nod. 'That stupid demon from the temple, in that thousand-year-old box.'
"So, do you want to do it?" she asks.
'Healing. Instead of protecting the innocent, I could heal them too. But I'll have a vassal. Is it worth it?' Looking at my lord, I nod firmly and say, "All right. Let's do it."
The smile she gives me is almost worth the decision all by itself.
------------
The portal is hidden in an alleyway, behind a big pile of pallets. It's a glowing disk sitting on it's edge, filled with blue and white energies that swirl to the right. I peek at the back. It's really thin, like a coin, but the back looks the same as the front. It's even spinning the same way, to the right.
"If we were in the other hemisphere of your world, it would spin the other way," my lord informs me.
I ask, "Really? Why?"
My lord shrugs, and then heads through.
With a final glance behind it, I follow.
------------
Happosai looked around the canal, under the bridge. 'He was here not too long ago, and in pain. I must find him before he acts on the scroll!' he thought. The trail continued off toward Akihabara, and he hurried as he followed along.
------------
I come out in a big stone room, with a big counter taking up most of one corner. There are a few people walking around, and a tall demon with horns on his head wearing a cape. My lord shifts back to her natural form, then leads me towards a couple of giant birdcages on the far side of the room.
The big counter looks like a bar, only they're serving weapons as well as drinks. As we pass it, I correct my first impression. 'All of the people have pointed ears. They're all demons.'
We step into the nearest birdcage, and my lord closes the gate behind us. I wince as my rib shifts, as the cage is pulled unevenly into the ceiling.
------------
I look over the demon as we step up to him. He looks only a year or two older than me, but around him there is an intense aura of power. Physically he seems to be in decent shape, with spiky gray hair and a really intense, red-eyed gaze.
"He's here to make his first vassal," my lord says.
He looks me over, seeming to look through me, and nods. "What kind of vassal do you require?" he asks me. His voice is lower than I had expected, and more rough.
"A healer," I say.
"You have enough mana to make a skilled healer, if you so choose. Do you want this?" he asks.
I nod. 'What use would a unskilled healer be?'
"Are there any specific strengths you wish for your vassal to have?" he asks.
'I'll have to teach her to protect herself.' "She needs to be fast to learn the Art," I say.
He holds his hand out, and I look at it in confusion. "Ranma, take his hand," my lord whispers.
As soon as I touch his hand, I feel something pulling on me, on my chi. Not directly, but more like whatever is happening is causing it to move in response. Before I can snatch my hand away, the feeling is gone.
As I step back, a glowing circle appears on the floor before us. Writing flares to life inside it, another language I don't recognize, and then with a soundless flash that is too much to look at without actually being bright, a young girl appears.
She looks like she's maybe thirteen, with long blond hair that reaches down to her knees. She's dressed in a sleeveless, strapless long flowing dress. When she looks up at me, I feel an immediate bond. "My lord," she whispers.
"Call me Ranma," I say. "What is your name?"
She looks downward for a moment, and my lord whispers to me, "Ranma, you're supposed to name her!"
Just as I open my mouth to apologize, she says, "Marcia, lord Ranma."
"Marushia?" I ask. I can tell that I'm mangling her name. "Can I call you Ma-chan?" I ask.
She gives me a smile, and I feel as if a small part of myself resonates with her happiness. "Yes, lord Ranma," she says.
The gray-haired demon clears his throat, and says, "Perhaps another place might be more appropriate for this, touching though it is."
Before I can get truly angry at his rudeness, my lord steps forward and bows deeply. "Thank you for your time," she says. She walks to the birdcage, and Marcia and I follow.
------------
Happosai looked at the ground in frustration. The trail ended abruptly in the middle of a clear spot behind a stack of pallets. 'There's only one thing that could have happened,' he thought. Nodding to himself, he sat down to wait.
------------
When we step into the birdcage I feel that something is different. Before I can figure out exactly what it is, we lurch into motion and I wince as my rib shifts again.
"Lord Ranma, you're hurt!" says Marcia. She holds out her hand, and a soothing green glow surrounds me.
Effortlessly, I duplicate the flow of chi she used, and am rewarded with the same soothing green glow. Moments later as the birdcage lands jarringly I find that although it feels better, my rib is still far from healed.
"Healing you will take some time, Ranma," my lord says. "Let's do it over there, so that we can outfit your new vassal." She points to the bar.
I spend the next several minutes perfecting the healing chi flow. Marcia tries to help, but after only two more tries she is exhausted. Finally I am satisfied with both my mastery of the technique and the results, and when I pull off the chest binding I breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry, Lord Ranma," Marcia says. "I couldn't heal you."
"It's all right, Ma-chan," I say. "You did your best. And... please, just call me Ranma. Not Lord Ranma."
When Cindy returns from the bar, Marcia steps slightly closer to me for comfort. Without really trying to figure out how I know that, I rub her back reassuringly, and say, "This is my lord, Ma-chan. Her name is Cindy." She bows cutely, and I can feel her nervousness fade.
"You want to train her to fight like yo do, right Ranma?" my lord asks.
I nod, and she smiles. "I thought so, so I got her equipment to make that easier," she says. "I'll give you your equipment now as well. From now on, I want you to keep at least your fists and muscles on all the time."
She hands me two glowing masses, and says, "Your fists." Without really thinking about it, I push the brighter of the two into Marcia and take the dimmer one for myself. The change in my hands is immediate, but not as strong as it was in the dream.
"That's a good idea, Ranma," my lord says. I look up at her with curiosity. "Giving her the stronger of the two. She'll get more benefit from it than you would have," she says.
"Um.. yeah," I say. When she hands me two more glowing masses, I again give Marcia the brighter of the two. Both her expression and her sense of wonder make me want to laugh.
"Instead of giving you both of the others I'd like you to use your athame, Ranma. It seems to be quite powerful," she says. "Do you want the boots, or the belt?"
She's still holding a pair of tabi, a pair of really comfortable-looking slippers, and a belt. "Can I have the slippers?" I ask.
I pass Marcia the belt and tabi, then put the slippers on. I find that I was right. They fit perfectly, and are very comfortable.
"Good," my lord says. "Now before we go back, there's one more thing I want to talk to you about."
"You're a virgin, Ranma. Sharing your first time with me would give me a substantial amount of power. I could use that power to become quite a bit stronger," she says.
I look down at Marcia, halfway expecting her to have a look of disgust. Instead, I find her looking at me speculatively, and I somehow know that she isn't offended. Looking back at my lord I ask, "What about last night?"
"That wasn't in the waking world. I got power from it, but it technically doesn't count," she explains. "Because of the way our contract is worded, if you do this I will have to find some way of paying you back, which could lengthen our contract greatly."
I shrug, and say, "Sure, why not?" 'It doesn't seem to matter so much, after last night. If it gives her as much power as she thinks, then that's even better.'
She gives me another brilliant smile, and says, "Great! We'll find a good place on Earth, then."
As we walk back to the portal I ask, "Why not do it here?"
She looks around the room, and I blush. Hastily I say, "No! I meant in the Netherworld."
"Well, as I was looking over the daydreams of your class yesterday, I came across something called a love motel. It seems like a perfect place," she says.
"Besides," she adds, "we're going to have to do some shopping for Marcia in the human world, so that when she moves in with you those people you live with don't complain."
"Moves in with me?" I ask.
"You want to teach her, right? And she is your vassal, after all," she says.
"Um... maybe it would be better for me to move, too. I don't think that I should bring her near Akane," I say.
She takes on the form of my girl side then steps through the portal, and Marcia and I follow.
------------
"Where would you move to?" my lord asks me as I step out of the portal.
'Can't move into mother's, she'll find out about my curse. Not Ucchan's, and definitely not the Amazons.' "I don't know," I say. "I don't have any money, and I can't go to anyone I know."
Suddenly she jumps, and lets out a startled squeal, as a voice from her chest says, "I might be able to help you with that, Ranma."
'Happosai!' I reach out to grab him off of my lord when she hugs him to her chest, and with a happy smile says, "You're pretty good at that. Do you practice a lot?"
Slowly I drop my outstretched hand as he gives her a wide smile and says, "Every chance I get!" Marcia backs up slightly, feeling nervous, and I put my hands on her shoulders.
"You must be Happosai. Ranma's told me about you," she says to him as she cradles him to her breasts.
"You're not Ranma, or his curse. Are you his vassal?" he asks, fondling her more slowly.
Shaking her head, my lord replies, "No, he's my vassal. His vassal is Marcia."
He says, "You're a succubus, right? Not many other demons would find this pleasurable."
Nodding, she says, "That's right. You can call me Cindy."
Looking over at me he says, "Ranma, my boy, I heartily approve of your choice in mentors. I'll help you move in to an apartment, but only if you accept becoming my heir for real. Now, Hina-chan mentioned something about a broken rib?"
I nod unhappily as the morning's events replay themselves in my mind. "It's fixed now," I say.
"What happened?" he asks, seriously. "Broken ribs just don't happen during sparring. Not even Genma is that stupid, anymore."
"Well... it was Akane. She got splashed and blamed me, and I got a broken rib," I admit.
"Stop letting her hit you, Ranma!" he says.
"I've already taken care of that," my lord responds.
"Good. What were your plans for the rest of today?" he asks.
"We were going to find a love motel, and Ranma was going to give me his virginity," my lord says. "Then we were going to go shopping and possibly try to find a new place for Ranma to live."
As Happosai laughs in delight, I try not to blush and fail. He says, "I won't keep you waiting, then. I know the perfect place! Follow me."
My lord sets Happosai down, and we all follow after him.
------------
I look up at the sign. It's in Romanji, and says 'Happy Times'. Happosai leads us in without a pause, and when the desk clerk sees him, he jumps to his feet.
Happosai just waves him back to his seat, and says, "My friends here need the suite. They'll be staying here for the next few weeks."
"Of course," he says, and holds out some keys, one to each of us.
"Just handle this the usual way, then," Happosai says to the man. He nods, and writes something down in the open book sitting on the desk in front of him.
"Go on, Ranma," he urges. "I'll call you later, in a few hours."
My lord looks at her key, then leads us past the desk and into the elevator beyond. Without any hesitation she puts her key in the keyhole, turns it, and hits the top button, which is marked 'Happy Paradise'.
When the elevator doors open, there is a small room with another door, again marked 'Happy Paradise'. My lord opens it, and the three of us walk in.
Disclaimer - I own neither Disgaea nor Ranma 1/2.
Further disclaimer - The previous chapter is lemon, and won't be posted to FF.N.
------------
I shake my head, and stretch. Despite my dreams from the night before, I am not tired. In fact, I feel better than I have in a long time, a lot more relaxed. Looking at the window, I see that it's still dark outside, or maybe just barely dawn.
I look at my father. The temptation to throw him into the pond is strong, but overall I'd rather have a nice, relaxing soak in the furo. I sneak out of the room, careful to make no sound.
After I scrub down, I look at my female body in the mirror with a new appreciation for it. 'It really does look different when you're not the one inside it.'
Just as I stretch and turn to present the mirror with my best pose, Akane barges in. Instead of panicking, I watch her closely enough to see her look over my body thoroughly and then get mad. I brace myself for impact when she raises the water basin over her head.
Feeling a little battered, I dress, and head for my room. 'I know I put the sign out this time.'
Akane is standing outside the furo glaring at me furiously, but I ignore her. I feel a lot less charitable towards her today than I normally would.
When I reach my room, I look out the window again. 'Still not quite dawn. What is Akane doing up so early?'
Settling into a kneeling position, I pull my athame onto my lap and begin to meditate.
------------
I open my eyes as the door slides open, and a surprised Akane stares at me for a moment before her eyes narrow, and she flings the bucket of cold water into my face. As she stomps away, she says over her shoulder, "Hurry up, Ranma! We're going to be late!"
I wipe the dripping water from my eyes, and look out the window again. 'Barely past dawn. Breakfast isn't even started yet.'
A sign edges into my vision. "What did you do to her, boy?"
I look at the dripping panda, and shrug. "I don't know, Pop," I say, looking at the athame on my lap. "I don't think that it's going to work out between us."
He makes a growling noise, but doesn't hold out any more signs. I close my eyes and sigh, then use the still-damp towel from the bathroom to dry my hair and face.
As the sun comes up I sit and stroke my athame. It's not really meditation, but it still soothes me.
------------
Nabiki watched Ranma carefully during breakfast, carefully committing to memory the changes in his behavior. He was eating quite slowly, at an almost human pace, and when his father stole his food he didn't seem to care. All of that paled in comparison to the total lack of attention he gave her little sister, however.
He must have done something to make Akane angry, if the glare she was giving him was any indication. On the other hand, he didn't seem to feel guilty at all about whatever it was. She glanced back and forth between them as she tried to figure out what he could have done.
When Akane looked at her questioningly, she almost fell over with surprise. Akane's anger had melted away as soon as she looked away from Ranma, as if it had all been in her imagination! Carefully controlling her expression, she smiled at her sister.
As Akane looked back at Ranma, she saw the anger snap into being again, suddenly. Standing up, she excused herself from the table. She needed to get this all on paper before it faded from her memory. The counselor would be getting another visit today.
------------
As I walk to school next to Akane, I find myself wishing that something would happen, some excuse would come up that could justify sending her on ahead. The glares she keeps shooting me are nearly as bad as her grim silence, or the stomping of her feet.
When we pass the old woman that has splashed me so often in the past, I slow down to give her the opportunity to tag me yet again. I watch in disbelief as she loses her grip on the ladle, and splashes water all over Akane. As she starts to turn around, I ready myself for another beating.
She attacks me in silence, doubling me over with a punch to my stomach, and then hitting me with a hammer-blow to the back of my neck. The pain in my side along with the sickening snapping noise tells me that her kick has broken at least one of my ribs, and I curl up into a ball as she kicks me twice more.
When the old woman speaks, she stops kicking. "Dear, why are you hurting that nice boy?" she asks. "It was my fault. My hand slipped as I was washing off my sidewalk."
Her voice is cheerful and carefree as she says, "Oh, it's all right." As she continues, I can hear the anger in her voice. "It wasn't your fault, he should have kept me from getting wet. He's not a nice boy, he's a pervert. He deserved every single bit of what I did to him."
As the pain from my ribs hazes my mind, I hear her say, "Oh, I'm going to be late! Sorry about the mess on your sidewalk. He'll clean it up as soon as he stops pretending to be hurt."
After she leaves, I roll painfully to my knees. Probing my side, I nod to myself. 'At least one broken rib. Breathing hurts, but there doesn't seem to be any serious internal damage.'
As I get to my feet, the woman asks, "Do you need any help?" She sounds concerned, so I smile at her and say, "I'll just visit the school nurse, thanks."
As I walk slowly away she watches me with a worried expression.
------------
Happosai stretched, and tossed the full bag of lingerie and underclothes onto his bed. As he looked around, he noted the small but significant signs that he had had an intruder. Several of the stacks of carefully-folded lingerie were askew, some by as much as five degrees, and the dragon line that he had hoped to cultivate was less than half-formed.
'Whoever it was tried to be careful,' he thought to himself. He flooded his room with his chi, feeling for otherness. 'There's my bag, of course. But there's also another source from the bed. No, from under the bed,' he noted.
He knelt down and reached his hand under the bed. As it came in contact with the scroll case, he immediately identified the intruder's chi. 'Ranma,' he thought. 'What a nice surprise.'
Unpacking and unrolling the scroll, he looked over the note that accompanied it. He had read it enough times that it was practically memorized, and it took only a small amount of his attention as he absently straightened the stacks of lingerie.
'Happosai, the situation here has changed. Take this scroll. You know what it is, and what to do with it should the need arise.
When you need assistance, look to the clouds. They have messages for you. Do not let yourself be blinded to the light of the spirit, and do not forsake your creator. Just as you may find a curse to be a blessing under certain circumstances, a blessing may also become a curse. In either case, both curses and blessings must subjugate themselves to the unyielding will.
This is the last time I'll contact you directly.'
There was no signature, but it wasn't necessary in any case. He knew the sender.
With his straightening done, he packed the scroll back up and placed it carefully back under the bed. He walked out with a bounce in his step. It was time to find his heir.
------------
I flinch as the nurse prods my side a little too hard. I hate broken ribs. They always take forever to heal, and the feeling of the broken part sliding around is nauseating. I would rather break almost any other bone in my body instead of a rib.
"You've got a broken rib," she says. "What happened? From the bruising on your back, it looks like someone was kicking you."
"I must have broken it while I was sparring this morning," I say. 'I don't want to think about what Mr. Tendo would do if I told anyone that Akane did it.'
"No more sparring for you, for at least three months. You'll have to see a doctor, and get some pain medication," she says as she binds my chest tightly. "We can't set ribs. This binding will help minimize movement."
I nod, tiredly. "I remember from the last time," I say.
"Good," she says. "You're going to stay here in this cot for the next class period or two, for observation."
I nod again, and close my eyes.
------------
"Ranma, what happened?" my lord asks.
"Akane got mad at me again," I say. "She's never done something like this before, though. She was really trying to hurt me this time." I stretch out, and absently notice that here I'm not in pain.
"Why do you let her hit you?" my lord asks me.
"Sometimes, I deserve it," I say.
"Stop it. I need you whole," she says.
'I can't go against a direct order. Sorry, Mr. Tendo.' "My rib is broken. It won't be healed for at least a month," I say. "I'm sorry."
"I'll get you fixed up later today, when nobody is watching. I have to visit in person to do it, not in a dream," she says. "I'll bring a new vassal with me. I'll use some of the energy you gave me last night to make her."
"Will she be a good fighter?" I ask.
"No. She'll be a good healer, though," she says.
"Healer? Herbalist, you mean?" I ask.
She shakes her head, and says, "No. She'll know healing magic. She'll get you back in perfect health."
"I've always wanted to be able to do that," I say. "Wave my hand and watch all of my bruises fade away, I mean."
She looks at me seriously, and says, "If you really want to learn then you can, Ranma. You'll have to make a vassal of your own, though."
"I'll think about it, then," I say. 'What would I do with a vassal? I just can't imagine people calling me Lord Saotome.'
She looks into the distance, and says, "Someone is coming. Tell her that you had a dream about detention last night."
------------
When I open my eyes, I see Ms. Ninomiya standing by my cot. She's in her child form, and she looks a little worried.
"Hi, Ms. Ninomiya," I say.
"I'll send your schoolwork home with Akane," she says.
"Nah," I say. "I'll pick it up after school. It's ok."
"Ok!" she chirps.
'Should I say anything about it?' "Um.. I had a weird dream last night. It was about detention," I say.
She looks at me with wide eyes. "You were in it too," I say.
"What was it about?" she almost whispers. "Did anything bad happen in it?"
"Well..." I say. "The ending surprised me, but it was a good dream. I guess that I wouldn't mind having more like it, really."
She has a hint of a blush. It looks out of place on her young face. "What about the ending?" she asks.
'I can't tell her that. She probably doesn't know what I'm talking about anyhow. On the other hand...' "You blew up a desk with your Happy's Change Returned attack, right at the very end," I say.
She swallows audibly. "Did I do anything else?" she asks.
"Well, you kept on measuring me with a ruler," I say.
The bell rings, and she looks away. She says, "We'll talk about this later, Mr. Saotome. If you're interested, that is."
I say, "All right. Later, then," as she walks out.
------------
"See, Ranma?" my lord says. "Her adult mind isn't totally gone when she's a child."
"I guess that you were right," I say.
"Of course!" she says, smiling. "They're going to send you home soon, Ranma. When they do, go to the canal, under the bridge. I'll meet you there."
"All right," I say.
------------
"Hello, Hina-chan," said Happosai, as she came up to the office. "I'm looking for Ranma. Is he around? It's important."
She shook her head, and said, "He went home for the day, Happy. He had a broken rib from sparring this morning."
His eyes narrowed in thought, he replied, "I'll head home and look for him there, then. Thanks, Hina-chan."
------------
I walk slowly to the canal. When I get there, I gingerly lower myself over the side.
My girl side is waiting for me, all alone. She says, "I can't walk around looking like myself during the day. I would get hunted. Is it ok if I use your form?"
I nod, and say, "Sure, I don't mind. Where is the healer?"
As I look around, she says, "I didn't make her yet. I thought that I'd give you a chance to make her yourself."
"Me?" I ask.
She nods, and says, "You have some mana already. I can feel it. You must have defeated demons before you summoned me."
I nod. 'That stupid demon from the temple, in that thousand-year-old box.'
"So, do you want to do it?" she asks.
'Healing. Instead of protecting the innocent, I could heal them too. But I'll have a vassal. Is it worth it?' Looking at my lord, I nod firmly and say, "All right. Let's do it."
The smile she gives me is almost worth the decision all by itself.
------------
The portal is hidden in an alleyway, behind a big pile of pallets. It's a glowing disk sitting on it's edge, filled with blue and white energies that swirl to the right. I peek at the back. It's really thin, like a coin, but the back looks the same as the front. It's even spinning the same way, to the right.
"If we were in the other hemisphere of your world, it would spin the other way," my lord informs me.
I ask, "Really? Why?"
My lord shrugs, and then heads through.
With a final glance behind it, I follow.
------------
Happosai looked around the canal, under the bridge. 'He was here not too long ago, and in pain. I must find him before he acts on the scroll!' he thought. The trail continued off toward Akihabara, and he hurried as he followed along.
------------
I come out in a big stone room, with a big counter taking up most of one corner. There are a few people walking around, and a tall demon with horns on his head wearing a cape. My lord shifts back to her natural form, then leads me towards a couple of giant birdcages on the far side of the room.
The big counter looks like a bar, only they're serving weapons as well as drinks. As we pass it, I correct my first impression. 'All of the people have pointed ears. They're all demons.'
We step into the nearest birdcage, and my lord closes the gate behind us. I wince as my rib shifts, as the cage is pulled unevenly into the ceiling.
------------
I look over the demon as we step up to him. He looks only a year or two older than me, but around him there is an intense aura of power. Physically he seems to be in decent shape, with spiky gray hair and a really intense, red-eyed gaze.
"He's here to make his first vassal," my lord says.
He looks me over, seeming to look through me, and nods. "What kind of vassal do you require?" he asks me. His voice is lower than I had expected, and more rough.
"A healer," I say.
"You have enough mana to make a skilled healer, if you so choose. Do you want this?" he asks.
I nod. 'What use would a unskilled healer be?'
"Are there any specific strengths you wish for your vassal to have?" he asks.
'I'll have to teach her to protect herself.' "She needs to be fast to learn the Art," I say.
He holds his hand out, and I look at it in confusion. "Ranma, take his hand," my lord whispers.
As soon as I touch his hand, I feel something pulling on me, on my chi. Not directly, but more like whatever is happening is causing it to move in response. Before I can snatch my hand away, the feeling is gone.
As I step back, a glowing circle appears on the floor before us. Writing flares to life inside it, another language I don't recognize, and then with a soundless flash that is too much to look at without actually being bright, a young girl appears.
She looks like she's maybe thirteen, with long blond hair that reaches down to her knees. She's dressed in a sleeveless, strapless long flowing dress. When she looks up at me, I feel an immediate bond. "My lord," she whispers.
"Call me Ranma," I say. "What is your name?"
She looks downward for a moment, and my lord whispers to me, "Ranma, you're supposed to name her!"
Just as I open my mouth to apologize, she says, "Marcia, lord Ranma."
"Marushia?" I ask. I can tell that I'm mangling her name. "Can I call you Ma-chan?" I ask.
She gives me a smile, and I feel as if a small part of myself resonates with her happiness. "Yes, lord Ranma," she says.
The gray-haired demon clears his throat, and says, "Perhaps another place might be more appropriate for this, touching though it is."
Before I can get truly angry at his rudeness, my lord steps forward and bows deeply. "Thank you for your time," she says. She walks to the birdcage, and Marcia and I follow.
------------
Happosai looked at the ground in frustration. The trail ended abruptly in the middle of a clear spot behind a stack of pallets. 'There's only one thing that could have happened,' he thought. Nodding to himself, he sat down to wait.
------------
When we step into the birdcage I feel that something is different. Before I can figure out exactly what it is, we lurch into motion and I wince as my rib shifts again.
"Lord Ranma, you're hurt!" says Marcia. She holds out her hand, and a soothing green glow surrounds me.
Effortlessly, I duplicate the flow of chi she used, and am rewarded with the same soothing green glow. Moments later as the birdcage lands jarringly I find that although it feels better, my rib is still far from healed.
"Healing you will take some time, Ranma," my lord says. "Let's do it over there, so that we can outfit your new vassal." She points to the bar.
I spend the next several minutes perfecting the healing chi flow. Marcia tries to help, but after only two more tries she is exhausted. Finally I am satisfied with both my mastery of the technique and the results, and when I pull off the chest binding I breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry, Lord Ranma," Marcia says. "I couldn't heal you."
"It's all right, Ma-chan," I say. "You did your best. And... please, just call me Ranma. Not Lord Ranma."
When Cindy returns from the bar, Marcia steps slightly closer to me for comfort. Without really trying to figure out how I know that, I rub her back reassuringly, and say, "This is my lord, Ma-chan. Her name is Cindy." She bows cutely, and I can feel her nervousness fade.
"You want to train her to fight like yo do, right Ranma?" my lord asks.
I nod, and she smiles. "I thought so, so I got her equipment to make that easier," she says. "I'll give you your equipment now as well. From now on, I want you to keep at least your fists and muscles on all the time."
She hands me two glowing masses, and says, "Your fists." Without really thinking about it, I push the brighter of the two into Marcia and take the dimmer one for myself. The change in my hands is immediate, but not as strong as it was in the dream.
"That's a good idea, Ranma," my lord says. I look up at her with curiosity. "Giving her the stronger of the two. She'll get more benefit from it than you would have," she says.
"Um.. yeah," I say. When she hands me two more glowing masses, I again give Marcia the brighter of the two. Both her expression and her sense of wonder make me want to laugh.
"Instead of giving you both of the others I'd like you to use your athame, Ranma. It seems to be quite powerful," she says. "Do you want the boots, or the belt?"
She's still holding a pair of tabi, a pair of really comfortable-looking slippers, and a belt. "Can I have the slippers?" I ask.
I pass Marcia the belt and tabi, then put the slippers on. I find that I was right. They fit perfectly, and are very comfortable.
"Good," my lord says. "Now before we go back, there's one more thing I want to talk to you about."
"You're a virgin, Ranma. Sharing your first time with me would give me a substantial amount of power. I could use that power to become quite a bit stronger," she says.
I look down at Marcia, halfway expecting her to have a look of disgust. Instead, I find her looking at me speculatively, and I somehow know that she isn't offended. Looking back at my lord I ask, "What about last night?"
"That wasn't in the waking world. I got power from it, but it technically doesn't count," she explains. "Because of the way our contract is worded, if you do this I will have to find some way of paying you back, which could lengthen our contract greatly."
I shrug, and say, "Sure, why not?" 'It doesn't seem to matter so much, after last night. If it gives her as much power as she thinks, then that's even better.'
She gives me another brilliant smile, and says, "Great! We'll find a good place on Earth, then."
As we walk back to the portal I ask, "Why not do it here?"
She looks around the room, and I blush. Hastily I say, "No! I meant in the Netherworld."
"Well, as I was looking over the daydreams of your class yesterday, I came across something called a love motel. It seems like a perfect place," she says.
"Besides," she adds, "we're going to have to do some shopping for Marcia in the human world, so that when she moves in with you those people you live with don't complain."
"Moves in with me?" I ask.
"You want to teach her, right? And she is your vassal, after all," she says.
"Um... maybe it would be better for me to move, too. I don't think that I should bring her near Akane," I say.
She takes on the form of my girl side then steps through the portal, and Marcia and I follow.
------------
"Where would you move to?" my lord asks me as I step out of the portal.
'Can't move into mother's, she'll find out about my curse. Not Ucchan's, and definitely not the Amazons.' "I don't know," I say. "I don't have any money, and I can't go to anyone I know."
Suddenly she jumps, and lets out a startled squeal, as a voice from her chest says, "I might be able to help you with that, Ranma."
'Happosai!' I reach out to grab him off of my lord when she hugs him to her chest, and with a happy smile says, "You're pretty good at that. Do you practice a lot?"
Slowly I drop my outstretched hand as he gives her a wide smile and says, "Every chance I get!" Marcia backs up slightly, feeling nervous, and I put my hands on her shoulders.
"You must be Happosai. Ranma's told me about you," she says to him as she cradles him to her breasts.
"You're not Ranma, or his curse. Are you his vassal?" he asks, fondling her more slowly.
Shaking her head, my lord replies, "No, he's my vassal. His vassal is Marcia."
He says, "You're a succubus, right? Not many other demons would find this pleasurable."
Nodding, she says, "That's right. You can call me Cindy."
Looking over at me he says, "Ranma, my boy, I heartily approve of your choice in mentors. I'll help you move in to an apartment, but only if you accept becoming my heir for real. Now, Hina-chan mentioned something about a broken rib?"
I nod unhappily as the morning's events replay themselves in my mind. "It's fixed now," I say.
"What happened?" he asks, seriously. "Broken ribs just don't happen during sparring. Not even Genma is that stupid, anymore."
"Well... it was Akane. She got splashed and blamed me, and I got a broken rib," I admit.
"Stop letting her hit you, Ranma!" he says.
"I've already taken care of that," my lord responds.
"Good. What were your plans for the rest of today?" he asks.
"We were going to find a love motel, and Ranma was going to give me his virginity," my lord says. "Then we were going to go shopping and possibly try to find a new place for Ranma to live."
As Happosai laughs in delight, I try not to blush and fail. He says, "I won't keep you waiting, then. I know the perfect place! Follow me."
My lord sets Happosai down, and we all follow after him.
------------
I look up at the sign. It's in Romanji, and says 'Happy Times'. Happosai leads us in without a pause, and when the desk clerk sees him, he jumps to his feet.
Happosai just waves him back to his seat, and says, "My friends here need the suite. They'll be staying here for the next few weeks."
"Of course," he says, and holds out some keys, one to each of us.
"Just handle this the usual way, then," Happosai says to the man. He nods, and writes something down in the open book sitting on the desk in front of him.
"Go on, Ranma," he urges. "I'll call you later, in a few hours."
My lord looks at her key, then leads us past the desk and into the elevator beyond. Without any hesitation she puts her key in the keyhole, turns it, and hits the top button, which is marked 'Happy Paradise'.
When the elevator doors open, there is a small room with another door, again marked 'Happy Paradise'. My lord opens it, and the three of us walk in.