Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ One Whole ❯ Chapter 2: We Got Cursed, What Can You Do? ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

In the Bayankala Mountain Range high in the Qinghai Province of China there lay the many springs of Jusenkyo. In their beauty hid their danger, for each and every one of the pools below had a terrible curse sunken deep in the waters.
On top of one of the many hills surrounding the valley below stood a man wearing a bandanna. His hair was beginning to recede from his head and the white GI he wore looked stained with grass seed.
Beside him stood his two, much younger, companions. They, too, wore GI stained with grass, for the journey over the mountains had been and arduous one for them all. In many cases Genma was forced to carry the two smaller children under his own arms.
This was one of the main reasons Genma had planned to take the trip near the end of his long, planned, journey. By that time his son, or his son and their female companion as it now was, would be older and stronger, able to make the journey without assistance.
"Where are we pop", Ranma inquired from his father.
Genma turned to his two young charges. Both were slightly tired from the trip over, but it was nothing a small rest could cure.
"That's the only training ground that wasn't marked off by your 'drawing'", Genma chided to the young boy. The chiding did not go unnoticed by Akane, however, who hung her head slightly along with Ranma's own.
"Oh", was there only reply.
Genma took a deep breath in. This was not a time to be angry. This was a time for focus and concentration.
"We should be able to reach the bottom of the valley there by midday. Then we can continue your training."
Ranma nodded to his father before following the older man down through the paths to the springs. Akane nodded her head as well before following the father and son bellow.
As predicted by Genma, the trio reached the grounds of Jusenkyo around the time the sun was in the middle of the sky giving them ample time for rest and relaxation. Ranma and Akane treasured this time as their legs were in need of recuperation from the long walk behind them.
After only an hour Genma looked down on the two before shouting out, "All right you two, time for training!"
Seeing the sluggish movement in his two students Genma barked out, "Hurry, hurry we don't have all day!"
The two moved slightly faster for the man. Being as they were much to short to reach the top of the polls Genma stood below ready to toss the each one separately onto the the top of two differing polls.
Akane was first, placing one foot in Genma's hands. The older man counted to three before lunging the girl up to the poll. Akane lept off the man's hand right as she was about to leave it giving her the maximum amount of lift.
Akane hit the top of the poll with one foot. Far from graceful she wobbled back and forth on the flexible poll before finally holding still to catch her balance.
Ranma did the same, although his landing was considerably better than Akane's. He stood proud on the poll showing off to his father bellow him.
Genma then followed the both of them up. Leaping on his legs alone, the man reached the top with a nearly flawless since of balance.
The three stood atop for a few seconds before Genma started giving orders.
"Alright I want you and Akane to try and jump from one poll to the next and try to knock the rest of us off."
While Ranma seemed to be ecstatic at the prospect of his first major lesson in the art Akane was far from it. Her face was a mixture of shock and thought.
Genma saw the young girls face.
"Don't worry the pools bellow will catch you if you fall."
Akane stiffened up at this. There was no way she was going to fall into the bottom of the pools. She had to do her best.
The young girl nodded to Genma before she lept from her poll towards her equally young companion. Ranma was the easiest to knock out as Genma had far to much experience and mass.
Ranma to attempted to knock down an opponent, only Ranma was more ambitious. He lept for his father's direction the same time Genma lept to his son.
"Remember sweep a leg kick", Genma reminded his pupils of the lesson he had taught them the day before coming to the pools.
Ranma nodded before trying just that. Genma knew that was coming and lept in the air to avoid it. This caused Ranma to touch one of the polls to correct himself. As he lept back he could see Akane vying for him.
As mentioned before Akane's footing was not the best. This coupled with it being her first training ground, as well as her poor legs under propelled the girl. She fell under Ranma hitting instead the poll under him.
Ranma wobbled on the poll, struggling to gain his balance.
Akane succeeded for a time in holding onto the poll. But being in a wet area the polls had become drenched in the water of the springs. Akane's grip faltered and she fell down into the pool with a loud splash.
Genma took no mercy on his son, attacking the boy while his balance was weak and his attention elsewhere. The older man flew forward leg outstretched. His many years of martial arts prowess guided him to the boy striking him on the chest with just enough force to cause the boy to fly off.
Genma watch in a second of horror as it looked as if his son was headed for the bare earth below. His fears were relieved as the boy went into the edge of one of the springs just to the other side.
Knowing full well he would have to propel the other two back up, Genma jumped from the poll he sat on down to the pool below. It was a hot day in the valley of the springs and Genma had hopes to cool his body with the water.
He the splash was welcome as the water began to cool his body.
The first thing Genma noticed was the sudden weight. It bared down on him as if a boulder had been placed on top of his chest. The weight sought to drag him down to the bottom and drown him. Genma, in a state of panic, began to swim towards the light at the top of the pools. His arms swung below him heaving massive amounts of water out of their way in an effort to survive.
Genma's breath was close to running out as his arms used up the oxygen he had stored before taking the plunge. Seconds before his air was terminally depleted, as swiftly as the weight came, it then lifted. Genma was in mid-stroke which sent him forward expelling him from the pool in a burst of speed.
Genma flopped onto the side of the body of water his tired arms trudging him out as fast as they could pull.
For a few seconds Genma allowed the air to refill his lungs. His vision arm la limp at his side useless without the proper fuel of oxygen.
His body replenished enough Genma's thoughts then fell two his two companions. He stood looking over the valley when he spotted two figures lying on the ground.
Genma ran to the figures laying on the side of the pools. They were children yes, not much older than his own charges, but they were not his. The one to his left had red hair and slightly more feminine features, though it was hard to tell for her young age. The boy to his right had brown hair and was slightly smaller than his son.
He would need to keep searching.
It was at that moment the girl to his left woke from her stupor.
Genma's shadow fell on her so her first motion was to see what it was.
Her eyes went wide at the sight of him.
"Ah!", she yelled out jumping onto her feet, "a panda!"
Genma looked behind him trying to spot the bear the young girl seemed to see.
There was none.
Genma turned back to the girl to ask what she was talking about.
Instead of words that sounded from Genma's mouth there was, instead, loud growling surprising him to keep to shut his mouth.
It was then that Genma looked down at his hands. Instead of the normally tan, lightly hairy, hands he had come to know there were, now, two large paws. Each one was covered in thick black and white fur.
Genma looked at the rest of him and growled in surprise.
He was a panda. The object of the girl's fear.
He now understood why the young girl was cowering from him.
An idea click in Genma's mind. If he had been changed into a panda bear then that would mean Akane and his boy would also...
Genma looked back down at the small girl. Despite the fact that they now slightly sank to her ankles the clothes the young girl now wore strongly resembled those of his son earlier. The brown haired boy, too, had familiar clothes, only they resembled those of Akane, their companion in the yellow GI.
"Ah, young sirs!", a voice called from the behind Genma. The now panda turned to see an older highly out of shape Chinese man running towards him. "You run away! Pandas very dangerous!"
The panda in question crossed his arms in signification, as if to say "I am not!"
The guide saw the panda raise up and shack its head in a, too, human-like manor. As he continued to walk up to the occupants around the springs his face changed from that of fear to one of realization.
"Ah sir! You are not panda! You Jusenkyo cursed, yes!"
Genma nodded his head to the guide. He must have been looking over these pools awhile to recognize the signs of a Jusenkyo cursed victim.
The guide had now reached them his Chinese military uniform visible through the fog of the springs.
"I sorry!", he said to the panda, "Wilde panda big problem here. Thought young si – ah! - ma'am be in danger."
It was at that moment that the young boy decided to raise his head and join them all.
"Ra-Ranma?" The boy rubbed his eyes.
The redheaded girl looked down at the brown haired boy.
"What?"
The boy's eye's cleared as he turned to whomever had answered him.
"Your not Ranma!"
The girl pursed her lips, scoffing at the young boy.
"I am too Ranma! Who are you!?"
The guide interrupted the two children before a full out argument was underway.
"Ah! You both cursed by pools here at Junsekyo, yes?"
The redheaded girl turned to the Chinese guide.
"Cursed?"
"Yes", the guide outstretched his hands to emphasize the many pools around them, "Each one of pools have curse. You fall in spring you get curse. You each fall in spring, yes?"
Both the boy and the girl nodded their heads. Genma too nodded his head, but the guide was not turned to him and took no notice.
"You", he pointed his finger at the brown haired boy, "fall in spring of drowned boy. You have body of boy now. See?"
The boy in question now looked himself over patting himself down. His hair was still long in his boy form, a product of his former feminine shape, so he grasped a tuft of it holding it in front of his head.
"My hairs brown!"
The guide nodded before pointing to the girl.
"You fall in spring of drowned girl. You have body of girl. See?"
The redhead of course didn't have long enough hair to mimic the boy. The longest portion was her pig tail that lay on the very back which at that age was not, yet, at the length to reach around her head.
The girl scratched her head.
"I don't feel different."
Genma tilted his head towards his son. Deep down he knew he would have to explain the differences between boys and girls to the...child. He just hoped it wouldn't be this soon. The same would be said for the boy next to her if his suspicions were proved true.
"What about the panda there?", the brown haired boy asked of the guide.
The guide looked up to the towering animal standing on two legs. Genma at the same time turned his head to the guide for an explanation.
"Sir...or madam...", Genma scoffed at the idea of being called a 'madam',"...Sir fall in Spring of Drowned Panda. Whoever fall in spring take body of panda."
Genma began to tilt over to write something in the mud covered ground. His newly found weight off placed him and he fell the rest of the way. The panda raised up finding it disturbingly easy for him to walk on all fours. Outstretching a claw Genma wrote in the dirt:
"Cure?"
The guide saw this and replied with a sad shacking head, "No, no cure permanent. Only change back with hot water until touch with cold water again. Then back to cursed form. Is why I brought kettle, yes!"
The guide lifted his left hand showing the kettle he held full of steaming water.
The guide pored the water over the panda to show an example.
Almost instantly, Genma felt his human form return.
"Pop!", the redheaded girl cried out. The young girl lept from her stance near the edge of the water to run at her father's side.
Seeing as she was within reach the guide then emptied a bit of hot water on the girl as well. She to changed from a redheaded girl back to the taller form of Ranma Saotome.
"Ra-Ranma?", the brown haired boy chocked out.
The guide needed to walk over to him in order to poor the water over the boy's head. Akane Tendo with her long blue hair returned to her natural form.
"Akane! It is you!", Ranma shouted running up to hug his friend.
Genma looked at the two young martial artists for a moment before returning his gaze to the guide.
"You say there is no cure?"
The guide once more shook his head.
"No, no cure know of yet. Many search for hundred of years not find cure. Only change back with hot water until touch cold water again."
Genma nodded his head.
"Then I think we need to leave this place before something else happens. This is more dangerous than I intended."
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