Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ A Big Help ❯ Curses and Engagements ( Chapter 12 )

A Big Help

A Ranma one half/Sailor Moon crossover fanfic

By Michael A. Ivins

 

Mykon and Jora are my original creations so I request that nobody uses them without permission. The rest of these characters are the property of their creators, publishers, anime production companies, etc. I write this for fun and make no profit off it.

 

Chapter 12

Curses and Engagements

 

Urd announced, “That ends this session of the Court of Divine Justice. While I am no longer acting in the capacity as Kami-sama's legal representative He has asked that I stay as his observer. He is aware of what Mykon and Jora intend to do and wants me to keep myself available if anyone has questions they wish to ask me.”

 

Mykon stepped forward again. “Thank you, Urd,” he said with a bow.

 

He turned back to the audience. “That takes care of the seppuku contract and some of the things that Genma tried to force his son into. The former Saotome is now being punished for the crimes that he committed against his son. Those aren't the only reasons we asked you here for today.”

 

“The main issues remaining deal with engagements and curses. There is no possible way that Ranma could fulfill all of the marriage commitments his former father pledged him to, they are mutually exclusive. The closest he could come would be to marry one and take the rest as mistresses. I'm sure you will understand why many if not most of the women involved are not willing to accept such an arrangement.”

 

“The only honorable way that I can see out of this mess is this. Genma proved himself to be without honor regardless of how much he preached it to his son. It is apparent that he never had any intention of honoring those commitments with the possible exception the one with the Tendos. Because of the lack of honor showed by the man making the promises then it seems that all marriage agreements should be rendered null and void. All dowries will be paid back. Anyone who paid in food will be given the cash equivalent of that food at current prices. The majority of the engagements were simply misunderstood charity.”

 

“Those people who were promised that they could adopt Ranma as their son will be given assistance in finding and adopting some other child if they are still interested in doing so. It would be unfair to ask Ranma go to live with one of those families when he still has a mother surviving.”

 

“Next we come to the matter of `joining the schools.' Part of the problem here is that this is seen differently by the different parties involved. As we saw in the trial, Genma looked on this as a way for his son to inherit the Tendo Dojo. Since Ranma is still a minor that meant that Genma would have been in control of the dojo and also in control of any money earned by Ranma in the dojo. By keeping Ranma ignorant he hoped to insure that his son would have no interest in doing anything more than teach, leaving the running of the dojo and its finances to himself.

 

“I believe Tendo Soun had a different view. Didn't you hope that by having one of your daughters marry Genma's son you would not only join the two branches of your martial arts schools but would also join your family with that of your close friend. Is that how you saw it?”

 

Soun Tendo nodded.

Mykon shook his head sadly. “I wonder if the friendship meant as much to Genma as it apparently does to you. Regardless of that Ranma has been recognized by Grand Master Happosai as a Master of both branches of the school and has been given a teaching certificate that confirms that status. In fairly short order he will be Grand Master of the founding school. He accomplished this with his own talent and skills. In effect that teaching certificate has joined the schools with no marriage needed.”

 

“Joining the families is a different issue. As far as Ranma's engagement to Akane, it is no longer in force. The honor agreement was made with a dishonorable man and the reason for the agreement (joining the schools) is also no longer valid. If Ranma and Akane want to get married that is a personal matter that is to be settled between them. Beyond the giving of advice nobody else has any right to interfere in any way. The same applies to the other Tendo daughters. If Ranma is interested in either of them and if either of them reciprocates that feeling, it is still a private matter between the individuals in question.”

 

“Next we come to Kuonji Ukyo. There are two things involved here. One is the agreement for marriage where the Kuonji family Okonomiyaki Yattai was given as a dowry. My wife and I were present at that time and witnessed where the yattai was hidden. We have recovered it, completely refurbished it and in the process bringing it completely up to current codes. The Yattai is now in the courtyard outside this building. With the return of the dowry the engagement is nullified.”

 

“While there is no formal honor agreement still valid, there is the matter of a promise. Ranma told Ukyo (and this was when he still thought she was a boy) that he would protect her forever. There are many ways the word protect could be interpreted. But many of them come off sounding like a commitment to marry. In the absence of a valid honor agreement this then becomes a personal matter to be settled between Ranma and Ukyo. I would say that it would be something that Ranma, Akane and Ukyo should get together and discuss what it is they really want.”

 

“Kuno Kodachi was not invited to today's gathering because it is almost certain that she would have tried to disrupt things. The same is true of her brother, Tatewaki. Kodachi saw Ranma as an attractive male and worthy of the attentions of someone of such noble birth as herself. Kuno Tatewaki pretty much said the same thing about Ranma's girl form. There is no commitment there either legal or honorable. In truth the relationship there is more like harassment or even stalking. I feel that if there were some way to convince the Kuno siblings of the truth of Ranma's curse that both would back off. In acknowledging the truth of the curse they would be admitting that they were attracted to a person of the same sex. Hmmm, well that's a project for later.”

 

“Finally we come to the `marriage' of Ranma to Xian-Pu of the Joketsuzoku Amazons. I saved this one for last because it is the most complicated.” He turned to the silver haired goddess. “Urd, for this part of the proceedings may I use the Light of Truth and the screen to play back parts of the recordings done around us?”

 

The platinum haired goddess inclined her head in acknowledgement. “Of course. As probationary deities you have the right to access and use Heavenly facilities up to the limit of your license.”

 

Both giants looked at each other looking a little stunned. Jora finally asked, “I'm sorry Urd, but when exactly was somebody going to tell us about this? We thought the purpose of the probation was to get official status not an official status in its own right.”

 

Surprise was evident on Urd's face. “Nobody told you?”

 

Her tone stern, Jora replied, “Would I be asking this if someone had?”

 

“I'm sorry, I thought you knew.”

 

Mykon put in, “We have licenses?”

 

“Limited ones, yes.”

 

The two giants exchanged another of their telepathic conversations. Jora said, “Urd, would you be a dear and set up an appointment for us to talk to your Father after we finish with this? It would seem that there were some details of our agreement with Him that were deliberately left obscure. We would like to get those clarified.”

 

While the words were delivered in a friendly, gentle voice there was a hint of steel in the tone. She said, “Of course. I'm sure Kami-sama would be delighted to talk to you.”

 

There was a stir in the audience at this. This exotic looking woman was not just a goddess, but Kami-sama's daughter?

 

Mykon gestured and the Light of Truth shined down on Shampoo. He told her, “You will be called on to testify as to events that you participated in. Considering some of the things you have done in the past to try and capture Ranma we felt it was best to compel your truthfulness.”

 

Mykon addressed the Amazon Elder. “Kho-Lon, elder and matriarch of the Joketsuzoku Amazons in mainland China, I will not use the Light of Truth on you. That is not because I trust your honesty. Even though you are much younger than I am, you are still old enough to have mastered the art of telling partial truths and making them sound like the whole truth.”

 

“Before we go any farther I would like to mention to you that, while you are old for a mortal human, my wife and I are neither mortal nor human. I myself am 2072 years old, counting the time that we hung around with Ranma. Considering how young you really are, I feel a bit uncomfortable calling you `elder,' even if that is your title. If you want to discount the story that Miss Urd there is a goddess or that we are in that same class I recommend that you read our ki signatures.”

 

Cologne had already been doing that and didn't like what she was seeing. The white haired woman had a level of ki that shouldn't be possible. The giants' ki was somehow different in character but just as strong as the white haired goddess. There was no doubt that these were divinities or as close to it as made no difference. It would be wise to tread very cautiously with them.

 

Mykon nodded. “While I won't use the Light of Truth on you I will ask you to swear on your honor to speak the truth. That oath has the same option as the light of truth. If you feel that the answer to one of our questions might compromise the safety or security of your village, you may choose to remain silent. While you have shown that don't feel you need to treat men or people outside of your tribe with respect I believe you will act honorably toward divinities.”

 

Reluctantly, “On my honor as Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku Amazons I do swear to tell the truth according to the conditions you have set forth.”

 

“Even though we are divinities I can realize you may feel uncomfortable speaking to a male. I'm going to turn this over to my wife, Jora.”

 

The female giant stepped forward. “I understand that you were absent from the village on the day of the tournament when Ranma defeated Xian-Pu. Is that correct?”

 

The tiny woman replied, “That is correct. I was involved in important tribal business.”

 

Jora soothed, “That's alright. We don't need to know why you weren't there on that day, only that you weren't. So you did not personally witness the events that lead us to the current situation.”

 

“I did not.”

 

“From whom did you hear of this incident?”

 

“Xian-Pu told me about it.”

 

“In the time since the incident have you had occasion to speak to Elder Po Shun?”

 

Puzzled, Cologne asked, “Why would I need to talk to her?”

“She was there. She witnessed the fight and (even more important) she was a witness to the agreement between both combatants. Have you even spoken to the tribal counsel at all since then?”

 

“We exchanged letters.”

 

“In that correspondence did the council ask your reasons for going to Japan?”

 

“Of course they did.”

 

“Did you tell them why?”

 

“I told them the truth. I said I went to help my great granddaughter. I just didn't give any details about what I was helping her to do.”

 

The giant woman shook her head sadly. “A little communication would have saved everybody a lot of trouble. Ah, well, what's done is done.”

 

Jora commented, “Humans can sometimes remember things differently from how they actually happened. This has been demonstrated many times. The recording that was made as part of our probation is unbiased and faithful to the actual events. I ask that both you and Xian-Pu watch.”

 

The holographic screen came back into being and this time displayed the Joketsuzoku village. The Amazons and everyone else watched the scene unfold just as Ranma had described it to Akane and Ryoga the day they had first met Shampoo.

 

After the scene finished playing, Jora asked, “Warrior Xian-Pu of the Joketsuzoku Amazons, is that what you remember happening.”

 

“Yes, but…” She seemed to be struggling with herself, trying to say something else.

 

Jora commented, “It seems the Light of Truth is preventing you from speaking. Could it be that the story you told your Great Grandmother was similar in general outline but different in the details. Could it be that the account you told your great grandmother was lacking some of the details?”

 

“Is true. Shampoo didn't tell whole story before.”

 

To Cologne Jora said, “Since your village is less than a day's walk from the valley of Jusenkyo may I assume that the people in your village know of the existence of the curses?”

 

“Yes, we know of the curses.”

 

“Have you seen examples of the Nyaniichuan curse before?”

 

“I have. We have some girls in out village who started out their lives as boys. That is also how some of the Musk get their wives, by changing animals into women.”

 

Jora nodded. “When you first saw Ranma in female form could you tell that she was really a Jusenkyo-cursed boy?”

 

“It's obvious to anyone who can read ki signatures.”

 

“Was anyone with that skill present in the village that day?”

 

Thinking back to conversations she had when she had returned from her errand she answered, “I don't think so. Those who have that skill told me they left early because they didn't believe Xian-pu could be beaten and that it would be boring to actually watch. Po Shun is one of the younger Elders. She has the ability but lacks the knowledge to understand what she saw.”

 

Jora smiled. “I've read your laws. If the outsider female who defeats one of your warriors is actually a Jusenkyo-cursed man what is the appropriate response?”

 

“Such an Outsider is supposed to be given the Kiss of Marriage and brought into the tribe. That way the outsider can be both the father of many strong warriors, but also the mother of some as well.”

 

“But Xian-Pu wasn't aware that the red haired girl she fought was really a boy with Nyaniichuan curse. She gave the wrong Kiss but it was an honest mistake. One that could have been corrected if she learned of it before the Outsider was killed.”

 

The elder replied, “That's correct.”

 

Jora challenged, “Is it really? According to the laws I've read that would be true if Ranma had attacked or challenged Xian-Pu. The law specifies something else if your warrior issues a formal challenge to an Outsider either male or female. In front of witnesses Xian-pu challenged Ranma to fight for the food on the Champions Table. The terms of the challenge were that if Ranma lost she would have to work to replace the food that her father (the panda) ate from that table. If Ranma won she earned the right to a share of the food on the Champions Table for both her self and her `pet'.”

 

Cologne struggled with herself to find a way to evade the full truth. She knew that if she lied outright, the divinities would spot it. Finally she gave up and agreed, “Those were the terms specified in the challenge.”

 

“Now that you have seen the events as they happened would you agree that by giving Ranma the Kiss of Death (or even if she'd given the Kiss of Marriage) Xian-Pu was breaking her word? Would you agree that Xian-Pu's action dishonored your tribe?”

 

Cologne gave a deep sigh. “Xian-Pu did break her word. The Kiss of Death was not valid. She broke our law.”

 

Jora took a moment as if digesting this. “Since the Kiss of Death was illegally given, what would Xian-Pu's legal position have been if she had succeeded in killing Ranma?”

 

The tiny woman seemed to shrink in on herself a little. “She would be guilty of murder. If the killing happened in the village she would be punished, possibly put to death for the crime. If it had happened in some other village or country she would be subject to the laws of that land and punished by those laws. Our own laws would forbid us from helping her.”

 

Jora nodded. “That was how I interpreted the law as well. Would you say that Xian-Pu had a legally valid reason for being in Japan the first time she was defeated by Ranma in male form?”

 

Cologne closed her eyes tightly for a moment. “She… had no legal reason to be in Japan.”

 

“Please watch the screen.” On the screen was played out the encounter at the ice cream shop. This was followed by the scene where Shampoo used her weapon to smash one of the partitions in the Tendo home. All watched as Ranma kicked the bonborri to where the broken off ball part of the weapon flew up in the air then came down to knock the Amazon warrior out.

 

Jora said. “In your book of laws there is one law that is more recent than most. I am guessing that this was added to avoid getting in trouble with the government of the People's Republic of China. It states that if one of your warriors attacks a home in another village without a legal reason, that warrior is declared outside of Amazon Law and subject to the punishment of the laws in the village or country where she commits her crime. If that warrior should be defeated by a man or woman who is defending their home in this other village neither the Kiss of Death or Marriage would be valid.”

 

Jora turned and asked, “Xian-Pu, was Ranma defending his home and the people in it from you?”

 

“Shampoo… think… yes.”

 

Turning back to Cologne, Jora asked, “Kho-Lon, we have already established that Xian-Pu didn't have a legal reason to be in the nation of Japan. Was there any legal justification for her attack on the Tendo home or her threats toward Tendo Akane?”

 

“There… was not.”

 

“Later Xian-Pu tried to entice Ranma by bringing him food. (Ironic considering this whole thing started as a dispute over food.) In doing this Xian-Pu destroyed doors and walls in her effort to get to Ranma. When she heard that Akane was engaged to Ranma, Xian-Pu attacked and was defeated by Ranma's fiancé. Akane was defending herself and her school from further destruction.”

 

“As you have seen, when Ranma called out a warning, Akane turned her head. The kiss that Xian-pu had intended for her cheek instead landed on her lips - turning a Kiss of Death into a Kiss of Marriage. I know that your laws do recognize marriage between two women and marriage to multiple partners so your laws would permit Xian-Pu to get married to both Ranma and Akane. That is… if Xian-Pu had a legal reason to be at Ranma's school or even in Japan. It was at that time that Ranma revealed that `boy type' and `girl type' Ranma were the same person.”

 

The next question was directed at the purple haired girl. “Xian-Pu, what did you do next?”

 

“Shampoo confused, not know what to do. Went back home to talk to great grandmother.”

 

Turning to Cologne, Jora said, “For her failure to kill girl Ranma and to bring back male Ranma as a husband, Xian-Pu was punished by giving her a Jusenkyo curse. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

 

“Was there any deliberate choice as to the exact curse she got?”

 

The Elder responded, “No. We went to train on the bamboo poles. We jumped around and fought, I used a hole in her defense and knocked her into the pool that was closest at the time, the Spring of Drowned Cat.”

 

“Considering what has been revealed at this gathering, was Xian-Pu's punishment appropriate for the actual offense she committed?”

 

By this time Cologne had resigned herself to the way this was going. It had become obvious that nothing she could do or say would salvage the situation. She answered, “No, it was not. The penalty should have been to work at hard labor for breaking her word. The most severe punishment would have meant banishing her from the tribe.”

 

Jora nodded. “Once, when threatened with the police, you responded that they could not hold you. Considering the fact that you were acting outside your own laws would honor require you to submit to arrest?”

 

“You are correct. We would be required to submit and accept whatever punishment local law decreed.”

 

Jora now turned to the central character of the whole mess. “Ranma, you would be within your rights to call the police and have Kho-Lon, Xian-Pu and Mou-Tsu arrested. They could be jailed, but since they are foreign nationals, there is also a chance they could be deported back to China. Do you want to do that?”

 

Ranma shook his head. “Now that I am in a position of power maybe I can get all of you Amazons to listen to me. I have been saying all along that I don't want to marry you, Xian-Pu. I don't love you and I never did. You can't force someone to love you. I can't say if I even like you. Someone who can go from `I'll kill you' to `I love you' with just a splash of water is not someone I want to be married to.”

 

His countenance was now one of stone. “Your village was an interesting place to visit… once. I never ever want to go back there again. You don't treat the men in your village with honor or respect. I would fight you with every drop of my blood and every breath in my body against being taken back there. If you did find a way to force me back there, I would rather die than stay and I am completely serious when I say that. I don't know how I can make it any clearer than that.”

 

He allowed his expression to soften a little. “I'm not going to turn you in to the police but I wouldn't shed any tears if you leave Japan and never return. On the other hand I wouldn't be completely unhappy if you come to live in Japan forever. Once Xian-Pu gets over being so damn pushy, stops crashing her bike into me and stops glomping me I could imagine the possibility of having her as a friend.”

 

Respectfully he added, “Kho-Lon you are someone I'd like to have backing me up in a fight. Your skill in fighting, your knowledge and your experience are amazing. I'd rather have you as an ally than an enemy.”

 

Finally addressing the last of the Amazons, “Mou-Tsu, in spite of your plan to inflict a Jusenkyo curse on Tendo Akane, I think you are probably a good man at heart. You were blinded by your feelings for Xian-Pu and that has led you to act foolishly. You have got to get over a couple of problems. You need to recognize that I'm not after Xian-Pu and never have been. To get her in love with you, she's the one you need to work on, not me. Nothing you do to me is going to change her mind about you. I've told you this before. The girls tell me you are a really handsome guy. I know those glasses you wear do interfere with your good looks. You really should think of getting contact lenses or laser surgery. That way you'd be able to fight without taking a half hour just finding your opponent.”

 

Shampoo was crying, her face in her hands. Ranma said, “Xian-pu.” The weeping continued. “Shampoo!”

 

She didn't take her face out of her hands but she did say, “Shampoo sorry… sorry she make you hate her.” She began sobbing in earnest.

 

Ranma rolled his eyes before saying, “Xian-Pu! I DON'T HATE ANYBODY! Not even you. Just because I don't like you doesn't mean I hate you. Like I said, I can imagine that we someday might be friends, but not if you keep behaving the way you have been toward me.”

 

The Amazon girl made an effort to compose herself. “Shampoo promise, will stop hitting with bike and hugging. Shampoo won't serve you drugged ramen anymore. Will try… try to be friend.”

 

Ranma nodded. “Let me just repeat to everybody here; I don't hate anybody. You have seen that I have lots of reasons why I should hate my father. I don't hate him. I didn't like him and haven't respected him for a long time, but I never hated him.”

 

Ranma then said, “For right now Akane is my friend and student. I feel that romance may develop between us some day; then again it may not. I'm prepared for that. With Ukyo we are friends; we were best friends when we were kids. Considering that for the longest time I thought Ukyo was a boy, it is taking some shifting of mental gears to try and look at her as a possible love interest. I'm just afraid that if romance does develop it might ruin the friendship. I think this is something that the three of us need to get together and talk about privately.”

 

Ranma turned and nodded to Mykon.

 

Before the giant could move on to his next topic, Tendo Soun stood up. “If there is no engagement between Ranma and Akane anymore and his father is gone, there is no reason for Ranma to continue staying in my home.”

 

Mykon sighed. “I had hoped to put off a confrontation on this issue until we could do it in private. Tendo Soun you abdicated any right to a say over who stays at this house years ago.”

 

The dark haired martial artist sputtered. “How dare you say such a thing? I am the head of this household and I have the final say in who stays in my home.”

 

Mykon shook his head with a sad expression. “Tendo Nabiki, how much money does you father contribute to the household budget?”

 

The brown haired girl looked decidedly uncomfortable at being put on the spot. “Uh, the money he brings in from his city council duties covers about 28 percent of the household budget. Call it between a quarter and a third.”

 

“How much money does Ranma contribute to the household budget?”

 

She looked down at the floor for a moment. When she looked up she glanced at her father and muttered, “Sorry daddy.” After a moment she went on, “Between the money that he's having automatically transferred from his bank to ours (for room and board, I guess) and the money he's bringing in from the ki techniques class and the girls' self defense classes Ranma is contributing about 35 percent, more than a third.”

 

In a gentle tone Mykon said, “Nabiki, I'm sorry to put you in this position. You are loyal to your father and that is an admirable trait.”

 

He turned to Soun. “As you just heard, Ranma is contributing more to keeping a roof over the heads of you and your family than you are.”

 

Mykon turned back to Nabiki. “How much of the money that he gets from teaching his classes is Ranma turning over to you?”

 

“Uh… As far as I know, all of it.”

 

“So he isn't keeping any of it for himself?”

 

“Not that I know of. He hasn't been taking the money. The students have been paying their money directly to me.”

 

Mykon turned again to Soun. “Mr. Tendo, when was the last time you taught a paying student?”

 

“I… I… can't remember.”

 

“As it was said before, it is a testament to your late wife's character that you would still grieve for her after 10 years. However, there is a difference between grief and paralysis. In similar circumstances other men will step up and take on the responsibilities of the mother as well as those of the father. Some men would seek out a new wife to take the place of the one lost.”

 

Mykon glared now, his tone merciless. “You did neither of those things. You withdrew from the world and walked away from your responsibilities as a father. Your inaction forced your eldest daughter to take on the duties of her mother. She had no talent for managing money so Nabiki took on that job. Mr. Tendo, Nabiki was eight years old. No child that young should have to shoulder that kind of burden. If she hadn't your family would have been thrown out in the streets years ago. You daughters had to raise themselves.”

 

The giant man continued, “Although I'm sure Saotome Nodoka would be delighted if her son came to live with her, he has responsibilities here. He has his classes that he is teaching and he has his student, Akane whom he is teaching. Then there is the friendship with Akane. Do you care nothing about your daughter's happiness?”

 

Mykon turned again to the middle Tendo daughter. “Nabiki, what would happen if you were to lose the income Ranma contributes?”

 

With no hesitation this time she said, “We'd have to sell this place and move either to a much smaller house or maybe an apartment. We were almost in that position before Ranma and his dad moved in. There was an increase in the taxes that would have made maintaining the house cost more than the money that I was able to bring in.”

 

Mykon shook his head once again. “Mr. Tendo, if you were to step up and start teaching classes like the sensei you're supposed to be you might have some moral justification for kicking Ranma out. I suppose that he could continue to teach here even if he moved out, but if he did that it would not be fair to expect him to turn over all of the money his students pay.”

 

Grudgingly Soun said, “Very well, he can stay.”

 

Mykon nodded. “Now we can get to the issue of curses. When I said that Jora and I have the power to cure Jusenkyo curses, that was the literal truth. However, as is often the case, that truth doesn't tell the whole story.”

 

Jora took up the narration. “When we came to this reality we had to bargain with Kami-sama. He wanted to put us to work as gods and we didn't want to take on that responsibility. We were trying to get away from the responsibility of our old job. We came as sort of free spirits on vacation wanting to fight some bad guys and meddle in a life or two to make them better.”

 

She shook her head, “Like the man in the comic book said, `with great power comes great responsibility.' We can't get away from it completely. We had to negotiate a compromise. We would be allowed to operate in this reality and choose the people we help but we had to agree to some restrictions. One of those restrictions was that we wouldn't interfere with a person's true destiny.”

 

An expression of sympathy evident on her face she said, “It was Hibiki Ryoga's destiny to get a curse. The destiny was not specific as to which curse he got, so we were allowed to interfere and change that.”

 

Ryoga couldn't remain silent. “Wait a minute. You're saying it was my destiny to get cursed at Jusenkyo?”

 

“That's right. If Ranma hadn't pushed you, something else would have happened to get you into one of those pools. In truth you shouldn't blame Ranma, he was just the instrument of your destiny.”

 

The lost boy wasn't sure how to take that. “I'm almost afraid to ask. What curse would I have got if you hadn't interfered?”

 

“You would have fallen into the Spring of Drowned Piglet. Your cursed form would have been that of a small black piglet. Next time you want to complain about turning into a girl you should think about what it would be like to turn into an animal with no hands, no voice to speak with and basically small and helpless. On top of that in that country there are those people who would try to eat a piglet like the one you would turn into. At least as you are now your cursed form is still human.”

 

The Lost boy shuddered. “But you said you aren't allowed to interfere in a person's destiny. Does that mean you can't cure my curse?”

 

Mykon nodded. “That is also true for Ranma. His destiny is a bit more detailed. He was destined to fall into the Spring of Drowned Girl and only that one. Before you ask, Ranma, that does mean that I am not allowed to cure you of your curse.”

 

Both boys looked depressed. Mykon told them, “While we are not allowed to cure you of your curses, we are allowed to modify them to make them easier to live with.”

 

Ranma jumped on that one. “Modify it how?”

 

“We can change the trigger.”

 

“The trigger?”

 

Mykon explained, “Currently it is cold water that activates the curse and hot water that reverses it. We can change it so that will power is the trigger.”

 

“You can to that?”

 

Mykon nodded. “Before I do that there is something that you need to understand about the curses. They are not living, thinking creatures, but they do have a sort of rudimentary intelligence. In some ways they are a little like a computer program.”

 

The giant continued, “I'm not going to bore you with a long recitation on computer programming. On the most basic level a computer program is a list of instructions or orders. One of them that gets used a lot says `if this is true, do that.' Within the curse as you now have it there is an instruction that basically says `if too much time has passed since the last time you were in cursed form, attract cold water to activate the curse'.”

 

“Since this is a magical curse we are talking about, magic is used to get you wet. This accounts for all of the weird ways you've been splashed. Even to getting rained on out of an otherwise clear sky or water flowing uphill.”

 

“You may think that having willpower as the trigger for your curse is the same thing as a cure. If you never will the change you would never change, right?”

 

Ranma rolled his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling it's more complicated than that?”

 

Mykon chuckled, “Because it's always more complicated than you think. Weren't you paying attention in that class?”

 

Ranma couldn't help a chuckle of his own.

 

The giant went on, “The instruction to trigger the change to cursed form will still be there, we can't take it out. With willpower as the trigger it gets trickier, but it will still work. If you want to stay male most of the time you had better get used to sleeping as a girl. When you fall asleep your will relaxes and the curse will change you. If the curse `decides' that isn't enough time in cursed form it will change you when you daydream or you mind wanders otherwise.”

 

Both boys looked as if they didn't like what they were hearing. “If you want to keep from changing at random times it would be best if you choose times when you are going to be female and stick to those times. An example would be for Ranma to change into a girl after getting home from school then back to a boy after getting up in the morning. That's just a suggestion, what you eventually end up doing will be your choice. You may want to try a few different schedules to decide what works best for you.”

 

“Before we start with you guys, let's take care of the curses we are allowed to cure. Xian-Pu and Mousse, please come forward. I'll take care of Xian-Pu, Mousse you go over to Jora.”

 

When the purple haired teen stood before him, Mykon told her in Mandarin, “This won't hurt but you will feel a tingle somewhat like you do when you change forms. It is nothing to be alarmed about.”

 

In the same language she replied, “I'm ready.”

 

Mykon placed his huge hand lightly on the girl's head while Jora did the same to Mousse. The watching people could see forming in the air above the heads of each of the Amazon youths a ghostly image of their cursed forms. While they watched the image seemed to expand and dissipate.

 

Mykon told the girl, “It is done.”

 

Mousse was trying to adjust his glasses and seemed alarmed. “I think I've gone completely blind. I can't see even with my glasses.”

 

Jora said in a gentle tone, “Take them off.”

 

“What?”

 

With a soft chuckle she advised, “Take the glasses off.”

 

Hesitantly he lifted the lenses away from his eyes. He looked around as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

 

“I can see… everything. It is all clear.”

 

Jora smiled. “Treasure this gift you have been given. It's just a little bonus I threw in at no extra charge.”

 

Mousse had to resist the urge to laugh in sheer joy. He wanted to hug the giant woman but could only reach high enough to hug her thigh. Oh what the hell, why not? He glomped the giant woman's thigh.

 

He told her, “Thank you. If there is anything I can ever do for you, please let me know.”

She patted his back. “You should know by now that Ranma has no designs on your beloved Xian-pu. I would consider it a favor to me if you would try to be a friend to Ranma.”

 

“It won't be easy to change my thinking overnight.”

“I only ask that you try.”

 

From out of nowhere Jora produced a glass of water and handed it to the boy. Mykon did the same for Shampoo. They were directed, “Try it.”

 

Mousse and Shampoo exchanged a look then shrugged and splashed themselves in the face. Other than getting wet, nothing happened. Jora made a gesture and both Amazons were instantly dry.

 

Mykon told them, “We are finished with you two. You may sit down now. I suppose all of the Amazons may leave now if you wish, but if you want to see what happens; you might want to stay and see it instead of having it described to you later.”

 

Both of the Amazon youths decided they were too curious to leave.

 

Mykon said, “Ranma and Ryoga please come here. Ryoga, Jora will take care of you. Ranma, I hope you don't mind but we are going to save you for last because you are the most messed up. I'm sorry for putting it that way, but even you will have to agree that it's true.”

 

Ranma gave a rueful laugh. “I guess you're right.”

 

Jora put her hand on Ryoga's head. She warned him, “You will feel a tingle all over like you do when you change form. You may experience a brief moment of dizziness or disorientation. That should pass quickly.”

 

This time there was no visible display to see. Ryoga grabbed Jora's wrist as if to steady himself, but that was all that was visible.

 

After Ryoga released her arm, Jora lifted her hand from the boy's head. He tapped a finger on the side of his head said, “I could feel something happen with the curse, but I'm not sure what. There was something else too.”

 

With that same amused half smile she said, “Think about where you are.”

 

The former lost boy's eyes went wide. “Wow! It's like there's a map in my head.”

 

The smile on Jora's face broadened. “I didn't just cure your bad sense of direction. I reversed it. It has been said in the past that you could get lost in a room with only one door. That is no longer true. Now, you couldn't get lost if you tried.”

 

Ryoga grabbed Jora's hand in a grip that could crush rocks. The giant woman didn't seem to notice the force of the grip.

 

Almost overcome Ryoga choked out, “Thank you.”

 

It took a moment before he could talk again. “I'd ask if there was anything I could do for you but I'm guessing you'll say be a better friend to Ranma.”

 

She nodded. “The two of you are already friends. Keep it up.”

 

The giant man placed his hand on top of Ranma's head. “You've heard the description of what to expect. I'm altering the curse.” Ranma felt the tingle as if changing but that was all.

 

Ranma glanced over to where Jora had been standing. He was just in time to see her appear. The woman was holding a rectangular plastic box with a handle on the top. At one end there was a barred door. Through the bars there could be seen a tiny kitten. Jora turned the box so the kitten was not visible.

 

Mykon told Ranma, “Please don't be concerned about the contents of that box. It is securely closed and nothing can get out. The next thing we are going to do is to cure you of the Nekoken. I'm not going to lie to you. This could hurt… a lot. It would be best if you would lie on the floor.”

 

Ranma did as instructed and the giant man got down on his knees. He held both hands over Ranma and a peculiar silvery glow came from them. Mykon's right hand seemed to become transparent. Suddenly without warning Mykon plunged his transparent hand into Ranma's chest.

 

There was no sensation from the giant fingers. The hand seemed to probe around for a moment before it grasped something. That was when Ranma felt the pain. It was more than a physical pain it fell like it went all the way to his soul. Was it even possible for a soul to feel pain?

 

Mykon said, “She's fighting me. Poor thing is scared. She's been snuggled up to your soul for years now and probably thinks of it as home.”

 

“She, what she? Whom was Mykon talking about?”

 

The light from Mykon's left hand turned to a peculiar golden glow. There was a stab of pain so strong that Ranma couldn't help crying out. Jora tried to reassure the audience, “Please don't be alarmed. This won't cause Ranma any permanent harm.”

 

Mykon commented, “The golden light is calming her. She's loosening her grip… Got her!”

 

Mykon withdrew his hand, which turned solid as soon as it was outside of Ranma's chest. In that hand there was a coal black kitten. The kitten seemed large to be so young looking. Mykon was supporting the cat with two fingers under her belly and his thumb gripped her back gently. The cat looked around in alarm and the fur on her back stood up, her tail bristled out like a bottlebrush.

 

Mykon brought his other hand up in front of the kitten's face and she swiped at it with her claws. That had no more effect than if a normal cat had tried to claw a piece of polished steel. The upstanding fur went down and the cat's angry demeanor was replaced by curiosity.

 

Mykon spoke soothingly, “Shhh… It's ok little one. Nobody's going to hurt you.”

 

Ranma sat up now and looked at the kitten. He was amazed that he was able to look at it and not freak out. “That was inside me?”

 

“Yes. This is a spirit cat. To be more accurate it is the spirit of the Nekoken. Her name is Mia. When you black out during the Nekoken, she is the one in control of your body.”

 

“I have observed that when you are in the cat fist state your cat self is actually playful and friendly. She will attack things that seem a threat but it is never a vicious attack. She may shred a person's clothes or weapons, but most escape without losing any blood.

 

The kitten was squirming and Mykon raised his thumb off her back. Thus freed, the cat got to her feet and stood on the giant man's hand. She sniffed at the fingers of his other hand. Apparently she liked the scent because she extended her tiny pink tongue and gave the fingers a lick.

 

Mykon nodded in satisfaction. Jora came over and was holding the kitten from the pet carrier in her hand. It was a Siamese cat with the characteristic lean body and cream colored short fur along with dark brown ears, paws, tail and mask. This kitten was very small, probably just weaned from her mother's milk.

 

When the Siamese kitten sighted the black one she cocked her head in an attitude of intense curiosity. (A kitten that age is curious about everything.) As the giants brought their hands together the two kittens approached each other, sniffing the air.

 

The two cats finally bumped noses and at the moment of contact something really strange happened. The black kitten seemed to evaporate into a mist. The Siamese kitten was startled but then proceeded to sniff at the cloud of mist. Then she appeared to inhale all of the mist in the cloud.

 

The Siamese kitten fell over on the hand that was holding her and twitched. For a moment the people watching feared that the tiny cat had been killed but then noticed that the little cat seemed to be growing. In about a minute the kitten was nearly the size of a full-grown cat.

 

Jora explained, “The spirit cat didn't possess the kitten, it has merged with her. They are now one. Because the cat I'm now holding is a merger of normal cat and a spirit she is larger than a kitten her age would normally be.”

 

Mykon asked, “Ranma, are you ready to take care of a pet?”

 

Ranma sat back with an expression of astonishment. “I just got over being afraid of the nasty creatures and you want me to have this one as a pet. This is the same cat that possessed me when I was in the Nekoken state.”

 

The giant man confirmed, “That's right. Because she was snuggled up to your soul for years, she could be made to love you very easily. Just show her some kindness, feed her and clean her litter box and you will have another friend for life.”

 

Amplifying on previous information, he said, “In this sort of merger the age of the spirit cat has no effect on the body of the cat, she is still a very young kitten. Because she is a merger of spirit and normal cat, she will grow larger than a normal cat. In fact this one will get to be about the size of an American cougar. In addition to that she is very smart, smarter than some humans. You will find that she will be able to `talk' to you. She won't be able to produce human words because her mouth isn't shaped right and her vocal cords are not suited to it. She will be able to communicate with you through gestures, body language, facial expressions and meows.”

 

“In time this cat could grow to be a friend and even a protector. I know you don't think you need a protector, but even the strongest warrior can sometimes use someone to watch their back.” Ranma nodded at the wisdom of that.

 

Ranma waggled a finger at the cat and made a clucking sound. The kitten cocked her head for a moment then bounded over into Ranma's lap where she butted her head against his abdomen. She continued to rub her head on his stomach while he petted her.

 

Mykon said, “If she was still in spirit form she would be able to get back inside you. Since she now has a physical body she'll just be extra affectionate like this for a while.”

 

This continued for a while until the cat curled up and fell asleep. A pillow appeared and Mykon levitated the sleeping cat onto the pillow. The giant said in an amused tone, “Getting pulled out of your body and into the world, then merging with a physical cat has been something of a trauma for Mia. She's going to be out of it for several hours, maybe overnight. Cats spend a lot of time asleep anyway.”

 

“For the next thing we're going to do you will need to be a girl.”

 

Mykon noted the reaction on Ranma's face. “You're still bummed that you couldn't get rid of your curse completely aren't you?”

 

Ranma nodded.

 

Mykon seemed to think for a moment then said, “Maybe this will help you. Watch me.”

 

Mykon stood but stooped. Then while everyone in the room watched they saw a transformation like the one they had seen with Ranma and Ryoga. The hips became wider, the waist narrower, breasts thrust out from the chest. One thing that happened with Mykon's transformation that didn't happen with Ranma's was this woman grew taller. When the changes to the body finished the clothing seemed to disappear to reveal other garments that looked like they had been there already.

 

The shoes stayed pretty much the same but that was all that did. The pants were replaced with short-shorts that looked like they were made of denim and the T-shirt was gone, replace with a black bikini top. Mykon's skin was a bronzed tan color and her hair was platinum blonde. The green eyes went from merely seeming luminous green to actually glowing green although the glow did dim a bit after the initial flash.

 

The woman that Mykon transformed into wasn't just pretty, she was stunningly beautiful. In fact most of the people in the room looked at her a little slack jawed. She looked like some kind of gaijin supermodel.

 

People were jarred out of their stupefaction when Urd called out, “Hey, you stole my look.”

 

Mykon laughed in a musical sounding alto voice, “It wasn't theft, Urd dear. Think of it as more of an homage.”

 

The goddess put on a mock pout. “I have to admit it looks better on you that it does on me. I'm jealous.”

 

Mykon shrugged. Still sounding amused she said, “If it's going to be a problem…” A wave of change started at the top of her socks and moved up her body. When it had fully traversed her body the bronze tan was gone, replaced by bright orange with black tiger stripes. The exception was an irregular strip of white that started at her shorts and went up her body to end at the point of her chin. The hair changed from platinum blonde to metallic copper, looking as if it was made up of countless shiny fine wires.

 

Urd's eyes got wide. “I didn't know you could do that.”

 

Mykon smiled. “One of our lesser powers. We can change skin and hair color at will.” Momentarily the letters of Mykon's name appeared on her abdomen in the white stripe then quickly disappeared.

 

Urd looked speculative. “I guess that color change trick would work well as part of a disguise.”

 

Mykon couldn't help laughing at that. “Do you mean more of a disguise than changing my height, face, build and sex?”

 

The goddess had the grace to look embarrassed. “Uh, right. Why are you taller as a woman?”

 

Jora spoke up. “When I was designing that body he insisted that it be just as strong as her male body. I couldn't get a feminine looking woman with all that muscle mass so I spread it out over a larger frame.”

 

Ranma couldn't seem to decide whether to look away from Mykon or to stare at her. Finally he asked, “Why are you… dressed like that?”

 

Mykon couldn't help chuckling. “Jora designed the body, blame her.”

 

Jora joined in, “When my husband said that he wanted to do something that required him to be a woman he tried to do it himself. I saw his first attempt. It looked like his male form with breasts. The effect was sort of like a super butch female body builder.”

 

The copper haired woman pouted cutely. “I knew it was going to be hard for me and I knew I was going to have to work myself into it gradually. That first time all I was going for was just to get the sex change. I would have made it more feminine later.”

 

Jora shook her head sadly. “It was almost painful to watch. I am an artist and it offended my artist sensibilities. I decided that if my husband was going to turn into a woman, she would be the best woman possible.”

 

Mykon nodded. “Maybe she did a little too good a job. I've heard of a woman being called stunningly beautiful but until I saw some of the reactions to my female form; I had never seen anyone actually stunned just by a woman's looks. Since I know how good this body looks I feel like I just have to show it off. I think the American saying that applies here is `if you've got it, flaunt it'.”

 

Jora laughed. “You really shouldn't blame me for your exhibitionism. I only designed the body, you're the one stripping it down as much as the law allows (and more sometimes.)”

 

Mykon said, “Anyway, Ranma, I was hoping that by showing you my `girl form' you wouldn't be so unhappy over yours.”

 

Ranma thought about that for a moment. “Well, there is one important difference. You chose it; I didn't get a choice. Besides that your girl form is a lot prettier than mine.”

 

The copper haired giant seemed surprised by that. “Have you looked at your girl form in the mirror? You're drop-dead gorgeous as a girl. Kuno didn't fall for you just because he's crazy, you know. I've even overheard some of the girls at Furinkan complaining over the injustice that the prettiest girl in school is really a boy.”

 

Ranma looked wide eyed. “They really said that?”

“We're not asking that you start wearing makeup or dating boys, just that you stop hating your female form. You are going to be stuck with it for a long time you might as well get comfortable with it.”

 

Ranma got a sulky expression on his face but didn't say anything. Mykon chose to ignore the expression. “To trigger the change, try what I do. Don't actually look down but in your mind picture your self looking down at your chest then picture the breasts you're used to seeing in your girl form. Concentrate on the change from male chest to female breasts. The rest will go along.”

 

Ranma did as instructed and soon a red haired girl was standing there. Everyone boggled at the sight of Ranma changing without any water.

 

Mykon smiled. “I think you'll like this next part. You will feel a faint tingling and sensation of heat. You will also feel stretching.”

 

Mykon again placed her hand on top of Ranma's head. As the people watched they could see the girl's body elongate along with her arms and legs.

 

When Mykon took her hand away she told the red haired girl, “Your girl form is now exactly as tall as your boy form. Over the next two years you will grow some more as well. You will go from being a little over average height in male form and petite as a girl to tall in both forms.”

 

Ranma thoughtfully asked, “Am I taller than Akane in my girl form?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good, I hated being that small.”

 

Mykon just nodded. “Do you notice that your clothes don't fit right now?”

 

She patted her hip then tugged at her shirt. “Yeah, it's kind of tight though the hips and chest.

 

“That's because before the change to girl form meant that your clothing fit you loosely. Your girl form was not just shorter but smaller. Even with wider hips and breasts you didn't really fill out your clothes. Now that you are taller and things are kept in proportion your male clothes don't fit for a different reason.”

 

Ranma did the mental trick in reverse by picturing his male chest and changed back to male. “I was wondering what the problem was.”

 

The copper haired woman smiled in approval at Ranma's getting the hang of the female-to-male transformation so quickly. “There are a few things you can do. One of those would be just wear clothes that fit loose on your male form to give room for your change. You could wear clothing that is cut for a female figure. The styling of such clothing is fairly obvious, so you may not want to do that. You could wear clothes that stretch.”

 

She paused to let those choices sink in. Then she went on, “This is another option.” She held up a simple gold ring between thumb and forefinger. She held it out and Ranma held his hand out. Mykon dropped the ring into Ranma's palm.

 

Looking at the ring Ranma asked, “What's this?”

 

He explained, “It is a clothing change ring. With that little device you can instantly exchange what you are wearing at the moment with an outfit you are carrying in your personal stuff space. The great advantage to that is that you can wear clothes that fit you and when you change you can switch to something that fits your other form.”

 

“I know that you and Ryoga stay away from wearing undergarments like panties and bras when you are in your girl forms. Part of the reason for that is how stupid you look wearing girls' clothes if you accidentally get changed back to a guy. For both of you a pair of panties can be really uncomfortable for a boy's `privates.' For Ranma the time when you did wear a bra then got changed to a boy while wearing it, you felt like it was crushing your chest.”

 

“Ryoga, catch.” Mykon tossed another ring to the bandana-wearing boy. “With one of these you won't have to worry about that. I'm sure you would have noticed that boxers are not really the most comfortable underwear for a girl's body. You would also have noticed that without a bra your breasts bounce around when you run or jump. Aside from giving a treat to any boys (or men) watching, it can hurt. The more vigorous the bouncing the worse it hurts. Also, if your breasts bounce too much now, they will sag when you get older.”

 

Ranma pointed out, “You're not wearing a bra (or much else.)”

 

Mykon bounced on the balls of her feet. Her breasts seemed extremely firm and didn't bounce. “I'm an alien. As you just saw, I don't a need bra. My flesh is denser than human. I don't bounce unless I want to.”

 

Ranma just said, “Oh.” There didn't really seem to be much else he could say to that.

 

The giant woman continued, “Ranma, you will find that you will have a little trouble with your balance. When your female form got taller your center of gravity changed. You can't depend on the balance from your male side because the wider hips and breasts will throw off your sense of balance.”

 

“Tonight and every time you have a private moment for the next few days you should practice changing back and forth until it is easy. Ranma needs to practice walking around in and doing katas in her female body until the balance feels natural.”

 

“I think that for now with the practice in changing back and forth and getting your balance, you have enough to do. I will teach you how to use the clothing change ring in a few days. For now I think it would be best if you just wear clothes that fit loose on your male form.” Four piles of neatly folded clothing appeared.

 

Mykon turned to the audience. “That finishes the meeting. We got a lot done and I'm sorry it took so long. Kasumi, I know you haven't had time to prepare anything for dinner and we have taken care of that. When you go into the house you will find the table full of enough food to serve everyone here.”

 

Cologne, “You didn't need to make anything for us. Since we do run a restaurant, we can eat when we get home.”

 

Jora nodded. “That's the Amazons not joining, anyone else? Ukyo, will you stay to eat?”

 

The okonomiyaki chef said, “It's too late to get set up for the dinner rush now, so I might as well stay.”

 

Nodoka stood up, “Ranma, would you be available to talk to me after dinner?”

 

“Uh… Sure.”

 

 

Author's Notes: Ranma always hates being so tiny as a girl so I almost always include something in my fics to make her taller. I hope all of this seems plausible. Let me know if you think it isn't. This isn't the end by a long shot. We still have to get to the Sailor Moon crossover part. Does anyone have suggestions for the colors of Ranma's sailor fuku? (Hint: It doesn't always have to be bold primary colors or even solid colors. I was sort of thinking of things like stripes or plaids.)