Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Ultimate Challenge ❯ Chapter 11

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

TITLE: Human Nature

BY: Jessi

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the R 1/2 characters.

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"Dinner!!" Kasumi called from the dining room.

Genma was there in the blink of an eye, with Soun close on his heels.

"Why thank you, dear Kasumi. It looks fabulous," Soun complimented his oldest daughter.

Kasumi flashed him a grateful smile and called for Nabiki.

"Nabiki!!! Dinner time!"

"I'll be right down!" came the reply from the upper levels of the house.

*Hahaha... more for me! You snooze, you lose, Nabiki!* Genma thought to himself.

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Nabiki stood at her bedroom window, thinking. Mousse and Ryoga crossed her mind. She was worried about them. Who knew what strange terrors China held? And Akane... the family had found the note on Akane's bed when she had not come down for dinner a few nights back. Kasumi, as expected, had 'Oh my'd' appropriately, Soun turned on the waterworks, and Genma stood by, looking solemn before cursing Ranma. 'Ranma, you stupid boy! Now you've dragged Akane into this mess as well!'.

Nabiki had been the only one thinking rationally. There was no point in chasing her down, after all, even if they did find her, she would be angry as they had never seen her if they tried to bring her home. No, there was no reason to go after Akane. Besides, Mousse and Ryoga were there should she need protection.

Then she thought of Ranma.

*Poor guy... he's never had it easy, has he? It seemed as if things were settling down before Shampoo cast that damn spell. Sure, there were still the morning battles with Kuno, an occasional challenge from Ryoga, and Mousse's crazed curses, but other than that, Shampoo had not been a nuisance and Kodachi seemed to be gaining some sort of sanity. But now... things are so messed up. That Chinese bimbo has demolished any sort of stability that we've been working towards. If.. no, WHEN we get Ranma back, I won't rip him off anymore. His life is hard enough without being in debt for some stupid reason like a 'hot water fee'.* Nabiki thought.

"Nabiki!!!"

"Oh! Dinner... it slipped my mind!" Nabiki said to herself before going downstairs.

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"Thank you so much, Captain," Akane said as she embraced the aging captain of the Kuno ship.

The old man chuckled and returned the hug.

"It was a pleasure Miss Tendo. Now, you hurry and find your cure so we can get home again!" He smiled.

The three disembarked and looked back to wave at the captain and crew. Soon, the vessel was out of sight, and they looked at each other as if to say 'Well, here we are. Now what?'

"All right, Dr. Tofu gave me a list of acquaintances of his that study or have studied, Chinese Amazon spells. I guess we should work our way from top to bottom. We can set up camp near the place where we are doing research at that particular moment. So, we should head toward the first name on the list. Let's get going," Ryoga said.

"Sounds good, but where is this place???" Akane asked dubiously.

"Ummm... it says to take the dirt road near the ship port straight and we should reach it in a few hours. I guess that road," Ryoga said, pointing at a road to the left, "is the one the directions are talking about."

Mousse looked uncomfortable. "Ryoga, I think maybe Akane should be our navigator. She has good eyesight AND a direction sense.." He said quietly.

Ryoga blushed and nodded his head in agreement.

"Is that alright with you, Akane?" Ryoga asked her.

"Yeah, that's fine. Let's go then!!" She said as she took the lead and headed toward the dirt road described in Tofu's instructions.

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Birds soared overhead as the winding dirt road led the crew through a deep forest. Rays of sunshine peaked through the foliage, giving the forest a spooky atmosphere. Every now and then, an owl's hoot could be heard, making Akane a bit nervous, as if the bird would swoop down on her and peck her eyes out. Night was coming quickly, and there was still no sight of any sort of dwelling.

"Do you think we should go ahead and set up camp? It's getting darker by the minute, and there is still no sign of this guy's house. We don't want to get caught in the dark with no place to spend the night," Akane suggested.

"I agree with Akane. It's probably a good hour or so before we find this man's home. We should just pass the night here, and in the morning we will call on him. It wouldn't be polite to call at this hour anyway," Mousse commented.

Ryoga and Mousse began setting up two tents. One for Akane and one for the two of them.

Ryoga stood up straight and wiped the sweat that trickled down the side of his face. "Hey Akane, will you go looking for firewood? We're gonna need something to cook over."

"Of course. I'll be right back!" Akane said enthusiastically. She was determined not to be a liability to them.

Before long, she returned to the campsite with arms full of firewood. She began to arrange them for the fire and when she was finished, she started to rub two sticks together to start a fire.

"Damn! The stupid fire won't start!" Akane shouted, getting impatient.
Ryoga walked over and took the sticks from her.

"I'll do it, Akane. I do this all the time when I'm traveling. I've gotten pretty good at it actually," Ryoga said.

Akane yielded looked to see if Mousse needed any help. But he was already finished with the tents and he was sitting on the ground, watching Ryoga rub the sticks together furiously. Akane sat down next to him, curling her legs up to her chin.

"Mousse, why did you agree to help Ranma?" Akane asked.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then replied. "I agreed to help Ranma because I was the only person that would be able to read the Chinese scrolls and other things like that, and because I think of Ranma as a worthy rival, and to see a rival in the same position that Ranma is in now, and not do anything to help is not honorable. Besides, I know that Ranma doesn't love Shampoo, I know that she always pushes herself on him. It isn't his fault that he was unlucky enough to defeat her in battle. Ranma is a nice guy, and when we rescue him, I'm going to get to know the REAL Ranma Saotome. Does that answer your question?" Mousse said.

Akane nodded, "Yeah... it does. Thank you, Mousse. I don't think we would be able to help Ranma if you hadn't agreed to come along."

"Ah ha! I did it!!! We now have a fire!" Ryoga yelled excitedly, interrupting Mousse and Akane's conversation.

Mousse chuckled and went to pat Ryoga on the shoulder. "Fabulous Ryoga. Ready to eat?" He asked.

The answer was unanimous and Mousse retrieved the food and cooking utensils from his bag and sat down to cook it.

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Mousse laid on his sleeping bag, his hands behind his head, looking through the gap in the leaves at the clear night sky. The soft inhale and exhale breaths of his sleeping companions put Mousse at ease. The others had long since fallen asleep, but sleep could not find Mousse, and Mousse could not find sleep.

So he laid awake, contemplating. Contemplating life in general. Mousse was a positive person. He saw the glass as "half full" instead of "half empty", and he knew that he had lived 17 years that were filled with incredible people, amazing sights, and an unquenched thirst for love. He smiled inwardly as he thought of the people that had made his life so fantastic.

Xian Pu, the beautiful and fearless warrior, who, each time she rejected him gave him the desire to see tomorrow because he might actually win her heart, tomorrow.

Khu Lon, the feared, and yet, the respected Amazon leader who gave Mousse a place to call home. Though she sometimes treated him poorly, he respected her all the same.

Ryoga Hibiki, the lost boy who wore his heart on his sleeve.

Akane Tendo, the woman with the eyes that betrayed her emotions. The woman whose love for Ranma gave her an unmistakable fire.

And Ranma Saotome, the amazingly honorable young man who was an awe-inspiring rival, a friend, and indeed, a "man among men".

Mousse sighed as he thought of these people, all were worthy of his respect, and there was something to be learned from each of them. But the one who seemed to give all the others a spark was Ranma. He was the one who kept them woven together, like a tapestry. Had there been no Ranma, Mousse was certain there would be none of the others. If Ranma had not shown up in Nerima, none of them would have ever met, they would not have the lives that they were currently living.

Akane Tendo would still be the champion fighter of Nerima. Ryoga Hibiki would still be traveling all over Japan, looking to destroy a certain man. Shampoo, Cologne, and himself would still be in China, and Shampoo would be still be the renowned warrior.

But that was not the way that things had happened. Ranma HAD arrived in Nerima, Ryoga HAD caught up to him, Akane was NOT the champion any longer, and Shampoo was NOT as respected as she once was. All because of one person. All because of Ranma Saotome.

Mousse chuckled. *It's amazing how much one person can do to change so many people's lives. After all, I don't suppose there are many who don't know, or don't know yet, of Ranma Saotome. And when those who don't know of him, eventually hear about him, I'm sure that they will feel pity for the boy who so many want to kill, or envy for he who has so many beautiful (handsome) women (men) chasing after him.*

Again, Mousse laughed to himself. How many people could say that they had people of both genders falling all over themselves to get to them? Slowly, Mousse's eyes began to droop, and soon, he and sleep found each other at last.

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The day dawned bright and early the next morning. As the trio packed up their belongings, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. However, as the morning progressed, the sky grew more and more dreary. Before long, a summer storm had started, prompting Ryoga to pull out his umbrella.

*Damn this weather..* Ryoga cursed, being extra careful to stay dry when he was near Akane.

Unfortunately, Mousse had no such protection from the water, and before long, he was two feet tall and feathered. Akane smiled at his predicament, and scooped him up in her arms.

"Poor Mousse. You always have to hide from the water. But you don't have to worry as long as I'm around! I'll take care of you!" Akane said in a voice that she would use when talking to a baby.

Mousse quacked, partially in thanks, and partially in resentment that Akane thought he needed help in his cursed form.

*But she probably doesn't mean to insult me. She's just trying to help, is all.* Mousse thought.

Ryoga looked at Mousse from the corner of his eye and wished he were the one in Akane's arms instead. He was thinking such thoughts when a small building came into view. Squinting to see through the rain, Ryoga saw that it could quite possibly be the building they were looking for.

"Hey Akane, do you think that is our place?" Ryoga asked.

She, too, squinted, and she nodded her head in approval, that was the place.

"Let's go then!" Ryoga cried.

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Mousse dumped the bucket of hot water over himself, feeling the change instantly. He shook his wet hair in a feeble attempt to dry it and dressed himself before he joined the others.

It was indeed the place they had been looking for. The building's owner, Dr. Kounjo, was a friend of Dr. Tofu's from way back. He had sat Akane and Ryoga down for tea, and sent Mousse upstairs to regain himself. When Mousse returned, the doctor was telling Ryoga and Akane about himself.

"So you see, that is why I live here alone," he finished. "Ahh, Mousse, it's nice to meet you," the doctor said as he bowed to Mousse.

Mousse returned the bow and thanked him for his hospitality.

"You're quite welcome. Though I have read about the Jusenkyo curses, I've never met someone who had fallen victim to them."

At this, Akane spoke up. "Oh! Where we come from, these curses are an everyday occurrence! You see, there are many with the Jusenkyo curses in Nerima. My fiancee, Ranma Saotome, turns into a girl. Ranma's father, Genma, turns into a panda. One of Ranma's other fiancees turns into a cat! Her name is Shampoo," Akane finished.

The doctor looked stunned at Akane's outburst.

"So you know many that are cursed? Interesting. And did you say Ranma's OTHER fiancée? I must say, Tofu and I exchange letters occasionally, and I heard that Ranma has quite an extraordinary life, but MORE THAN ONE FIANCEE?" Dr. Kounjo asked.

Akane blushed and replied, "Oh yes. In Nerima, Ranma has four fiancees, counting me. You see, our fathers arranged my engagement to Ranma, but the other girls' claims to Ranma are quite amazing. Shampoo and Ranma's engagement is a matter of a tribal Amazon law. Ranma bested her in combat, and so by the Amazon law that she lives by, Shampoo must marry him. But Ranma didn't know of the law when he defeated her. Ukyo Kuonji is another of his fiancees; she is Ranma's friend from childhood. You see, Ukyo told her father that she loved Ranma, and so her father told Genma that it might be a good idea that the two be married. At first, Genma disagreed, knowing of the engagement between Ranma and I, but then, Ukyo's father threw in their okonomiyaki cart as a dowry (they are expert okonomiyaki chefs) and Genma, slave to his stomach, agreed. He then tried to throw the blame on Ranma by asking him which he liked better, okonomiyaki or Ukyo, and poor Ranma, being only 6 at the time and not knowing that Ukyo was even a girl, said okonomiyaki. So Genma ran off with Ranma and the cart, leaving Ukyo behind. Kodachi, Ranma's third fiancée, is a self-proclaimed fiancée. Ranma really wishes to have nothing to do with her. Oh yeah, there are probably hundreds of others, all because of the foolish promises concerning Ranma that Genma made to complete strangers when Ranma was only a baby," Akane finished.

The poor doctor was dumbfounded. *This girl, she takes this so well! Does she not mind that her fiancee is engaged to many other women!?*

"And you do not mind that you are sharing your fiancee?" he asked.

"Ahahah.. well.. you see, some of those other girls have just as much a claim to him as I do! I mean, I guess I consider myself his only SERIOUS fiancee, since it is inevitable that we're gonna get married.. when we get him back from that damn Shampoo!" Akane shouted, balling her hands into fists.

Once again, the doctor was taken aback at Akane's sudden show of emotion.

"Well, Tofu explained your situation to me, so let's get started on our research, shall we?" Kuonjo suggested.

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To be continued...

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