All Ranma characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, first published by Shogakugan in Japan and brought over to North America by Viz Communications.
A Different Viewpoint: Curses and Demons
Chapter 21
As Mina's wandering hands started to wander a bit too freely, Rei stamped firmly down on her own libido and grabbed for her friend's arms, stopping them from going any further. "Mina, before you do anything you might regret... this is NOT a dream."
Mina froze. "It isn't?" She blinked. "Are you sure?" The blond girl glanced around. "If it's not a dream, then why am I taking a bath with you?" She nodded to herself. "Besides, if it's my dream, why would you know if it was real or not?" Rei sighed and pinched Minako on the fleshy part of her arm. "Ow!" Mina protested. "That hurt!"
Rei raised an eyebrow. "And that means?"
Mina paled. "That this isn't a dream?"
Rei nodded. "I'd say so."
Mina pulled away from Rei and slid over to the opposite side of the tub in one quick motion. "Eep!" After taking a couple deep breaths Mina turned back to Rei with a guilty look. "Rei, I'm sooo sorry! I thought I was dreaming and I would never seduce you in real life, I promise! Not that you're not really cute or anything but I'd never betray Artemis like that, at least not without asking him first, not even with Luna, you've got to believe me!"
"OK, OK!" Rei broke in, trying not to laugh. "I believe you! It's OK." She let out a chuckle. "The look on your face! Oh Mina, you should have seen it!" Rei couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. "Oh my, that was priceless!" She brushed away a tear from laughing so hard. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh at you, but it was funny."
Mina sighed. "Don't tell anyone, please?"
Rei nodded. "I won't. A person's dreams are private, after all." She raised an eyebrow. "However, if you wouldn't mind telling me something...?"
Mina nodded. "Sure, what?"
Rei grinned mischievously. "How long have you been dreaming about me?"
Mina flushed. "Ah... heh... well...."
Rei sighed. "Never mind, Mina, I was just teasing. It's OK if you fantasize. Everyone does. I don't really mind."
Mina took another deep breath, then raised an eyebrow. "Is that true? Who do you fantasize about, Rei?"
Now it was Rei's turn to blush. "That's private, Mina."
Mina hesitated. "I won't tell anyone. I promise I won't. I'll tell you if you tell me."
Rei hesitated, then shook her head. "No thanks, I can guess, anyway. You probably fantasize about Artemis all the time, Luna, Luna and Artemis, Ranma, Ryoga, Mamoru... Mamoru and Usagi, me, Ami... Makoto... me, Ami and Makoto, Haruka and Michiru... occasionally Setsuna... Johnathon-san..." She had been watching carefully as Minako bushed a different shade of pink at each name, confirming her guesses. "Is there anyone I missed?"
Mina stared at the corner of the room, refusing to meet Rei's gaze. "Akane." She whispered. "And Kasumi... and that okinamiyaki chef, Ukyo...."
Rei was silent for several seconds, then she sighed. "So what?" She smiled slightly. "Like I said, there's nothing wrong with fantasizing. Trust me, it's nothing unusual."
Mina pouted. "But now you know who I fantasize about. It's not fair that I don't know who you fantasize about."
Rei sighed. "I just guessed, Mina. You didn't have to tell me."
Mina frowned thoughtfully. "Fine, two can play this piano...."
"Game." Rei corrected absently.
Mina waved her off. "Game this piano? That doesn't make any sense. Anyway, I was guessing. Let me see, you probably fantasize about... um... Mamoru... and Usagi?" The stiffening of Rei's body and the slight flush on her face gave her away. "You do!" Mina crowed. "This is kinda fun. I bet you fantasize about me too, and Makoto, and Ami...." Minako went on to name practically everyone they both knew, getting progressively more ridiculous, until Rei started to laugh, causing Minako to break into giggles as well.
"Now some of those were just plan silly." Rei said, still chuckling.
Minako giggled some more. "But it was fun."
Rei shook her head. "Mina, Mina, Mina, whatever am I going to do with you?"
Mina shrugged innocently. "I don't know, what do you want to do with me?"
Rei sighed, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, Mina, this isn't actually a fantasy, so I can't do what I might like to do...." She blushed. "Did I say that?"
Mina grinned. "You sure did!"
Rei closed her eyes. "I think that's enough fantasy for now."
"OK." Mina murmured quietly. "Back to reality. How did I get into the furo with you, Rei? I remember heading for home...."
Rei nodded. "You were, but it started to rain, remember?"
Mina blinked. "Oh yeah, that's right... oh! I changed into Akane, didn't I?"
Rei nodded again. "She had no idea where she was when she... um, when you turned into her, so she ended up calling the Tendos. Kasumi called me, so I went and got her and brought her back here."
Mina nodded in understanding. "And when she got into the furo, she turned back into me." The blond girl frowned. "I guess she doesn't know where anything is around here."
Rei continued to nod. "That's right. Akane drowned in that spring several months ago, before she met any of us. I explained some of the details about you and introduced her to Ami, but I think she should get to know all of us as soon as possible, and we should probably show her the way to everyone's house."
Minako nodded worriedly. "That's a good idea. Boy, I didn't realize how much work this curse would turn out to be!"
Rei shrugged. "We'll adapt sooner or later. It's you and your other half I'm worried about." She looked at Minako in concern. "Mina, this can't be easy for you. I know it's tough on Akane. She feels terribly guilty about "stealing your body" as she sees it."
Mina looked indignant. "It's not her fault! It's nobody's fault, except maybe Cliopatra and Mara's." Her nose wrinkled. "Darn it. Rei, tell Akane that I don't blame her for this when you see her again, OK?"
Rei nodded. "I will. I wish there was a way for you two to meet."
Mina sighed. "Yeah, me too... wait a second, there is a way! What about using the spring of drowned twins! Sure, we'd get an extra Akane, but that's gotta be better than this!"
Rei shook her head. "Belldandy blew that spring up when she fell into it, remember?"
Mina blinked. "Oh yeah. Um... maybe we could... no... um...." She was silent for several minutes before finally speaking up again. "I know. I'll get my dad's video camera, and I can tape her a message!"
Rei nodded. "That's really a good idea, Mina." She looked thoughtful. "Although I suppose you could write her a note or something if you had to."
Mina nodded. "Yeah! I could carry a notebook in my purse. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I left my purse here earlier, Rei. I was going to come back for it tomorrow, but I guess I'll grab it now before I go home again."
Rei sighed. "You're almost as forgetful as Usagi. We have to talk with Akane before you go home. It's still raining anyway. You probably wouldn't make it home unless Akane takes you there."
Mina nodded, sadly. "I guess you're right."
A familiar voice came into the furo from outside. "Mina, are you in there?"
"Makoto!" Mina called back. "I'm here, come on in!"
Makoto opened the door to the furo and slipped inside, followed by Artemis. "Hey, that water looks good!" She exclaimed. "Mind if we join you?"
Mina glanced at Rei, who shrugged. "Not at all, come on in."
Artemis backed away. "That's OK. I have this terrible shrinking problem in hot water. Mina, I'm glad to see you're alright."
The white haired girl ducked out of the bath, and Makoto started getting undressed. "Man, I'm soaked through. It was really pouring out there."
Mina looked contrite. "You were looking for me, weren't you?"
Makoto finished getting undressed and started pouring some water to rinse her hair. "You'd do the same for me."
Minako brightened. "Sure I would!"
The taller girl soon joined the other two in the furo, sighing in pleasure as the heat permeated her muscles. "That's great. I wish I had one of these at home."
Rei smiled. "You're welcome over here."
Makoto nodded. "I know, but it still would be nice to have a furo at home."
Mina nodded enthusiastically. "I know what you mean. All we have is one of those puny western bathtubs in my house. You can't DO anything in one of those."
Rei and Makoto looked at her in interest. "And what, pray tell, would you DO?" Rei asked pointedly. "If you had a furo instead of a tub that is."
Mina blinked. "Well, you can fit more than one person in a furo so you can...." She blushed.
Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
Mina shook her head. "Oh, never mind." When the girls had gotten their fill of soaking, they dressed and joined Ami and Artemis in Rei's room.
Ami looked up when they came in and reported the current news. "Hotaru called. All of the outers made it home safely. Kasumi called in to see if Mina got in OK. Pretty much everyone else has checked in now. The only one still out searching is Ranma. No one's managed to let him know that Mina's been found yet."
Rei nodded. "Well, I suppose Ranma can take care of himself. I'm sure he'll check in with someone before too long."
Ami nodded. "That's true. I called my mother, and she was fine with me waiting out the storm here.. if you don't mind, Rei?"
The shrine maiden shook her head. "Of course not. You can all stay if you want."
Makoto shrugged. "Might as well. It's starting to get real late, and I don't want to waste that great bath."
Rei smiled. "It's settled then. We can all sleep in here tonight."
"I can't." Minako broke in regretfully. "My folks are asleep by now, but if I'm not home in the morning I'll get in trouble for sure. My folks are used to me coming in late, but not coming in at all.... I don't think so."
Artemis spoke up. "I can show Akane the way to Mina's house, and we can use the bathroom next to Mina's room to change back."
Mina nodded. "That's a good idea, Artemis." She sighed. "I guess we had better get going then."
Rei spoke up. "While you're here, though, let's introduce Akane to Makoto and Artemis. It shouldn't take too long."
Mina nodded again. "OK, I'll go stand in the rain!"
She started to go outside when Artemis stopped her. "You don't need to get your dress soaked again. A cup of water over your head will do it."
Mina looked almost disappointed but nodded. "OK."
Rei headed off for the kitchen. "I'll get some water."
Moments after Rei had left, a muffled voice came in from outside. "Rei? Rei, are you here?"
Mina threw open the door at the sound of the voice. "That's Ranma! Hey Ranma, over here!" Ranma was indeed coming across the yard toward Rei's room, and his face lit up with relief at seeing Minako.
"Hey, Mina! Man am I glad you're OK. I heard that you'd... um... got turned into Akane, and since she don't know where you live or nothin...." Ranma shrugged. "Anyway, I'm glad to see you're OK."
Rei came back into the room, carrying a glass of cold water. "Ranma!"
Minako grabbed the pigtailed boy's arm and pulled him into the room and over to Rei. "Come on in, Ranma. I've got someone here who I'm sure wants to see you."
Ranma blinked but went along bemusedly. "What are you talking about? Who wants to see me?"
Mina deftly took the glass of water from Rei, then wrapped Ranma up in a close hug with one arm and both legs before answering. "Akane does!"
Before anyone could react to this, and before Ranma could pry the blond girl off him, Mina tipped the glass of water over her head, changing into a very startled looking Akane.
"What...? Ranma?" Akane very nearly stopped breathing. "Why... why are you...?"
Ranma looked ready to panic. "Akane, it ain't what it looks like! Mina hugged me and splashed herself. I didn't do nothin!"
Akane blinked several times as she attempted to decipher what the pig-tailed boy was saying, but her close proximity to Ranma was making it very hard to think clearly. "What? I don't...." The confusion did allow his explanation time to filter in before she had time to get angry at him, however. "OK Ranma." Akane finally said. "I believe you."
Ranma blinked incredulously. "You do?"
Akane nodded, tapping him on the head with the empty glass in her right hand. "I'm still holding the evidence." Reluctantly she extracted herself from Ranma, who also seemed slightly reluctant to release her. The quartet of goggling teenage girls around him turned out to be enough motivation for him to let go. "Ranma." Akane repeated quietly. "You came looking for me because I was lost?"
Ranma put his hand behind his head nervously. "Yeah, well, everyone went. We were kinda worried about ya." He waved a hand dismissively. "Not me of course. I know you can take care of yourself."
Akane shot him a dirty look. "Built like a gorilla and twice as strong, huh?"
Ranma shrugged. "Nah, I know you're smart. You can handle yourself when there's trouble. It's not like getting lost is gonna stop you for long." He grinned. "And you're here, so I guess I was right."
Akane just started at Ranma incredulously. < Why doesn't he insult me?> "Well...." She started hesitantly, waiting for Ranma to pounce on any sign of weakness. "I had to call Kasumi collect, and she got Rei to come and get me...." Akane waited for Ranma to laugh, call her a stupid girl, anything, but he just nodded.
"Yeah, that was pretty smart." Ranma said easily. "I'd have probably done something dumb, like wandering around till I recognized somthin."
Akane blinked twice, then her eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute." Stepping forward, she grabbed Ranma's collar and hoisted the pig-tailed youth up to his toes with a growl. "Who are you and what have you done with Ranma?!?"
Ranma put his hands gently over Akane's. "Kane, it's really me."
"No way!" Akane growled. "What happened to the tomboy jokes, making fun of how strong I am, telling me I'm weak or stupid?"
Ranma winced. "Hey, I was an idiot, OK? I never really meant that stuff, I was just...." < Afraid.> "I just didn't want our pops to marry us just like that... and I... I didn't really know how you felt... I was..." < Afraid> "I thought you'd just laugh if I told you how I really felt...."
Akane slowly put Ranma down, staring at him in growing astonishment. "R-Ranma?" The room was deathly quiet, the other girls not daring to breathe as they crept as quietly as mice from the room. For Akane, she could see nothing but Ranma in front of her. She couldn't think, could barely breathe. Finally she found the willpower to ask the question. "How... how do you really feel?"
Ranma looked her right in the eyes and smiled. "I love you." He shook his head whimsically. "You can't believe how hard it was for me to say that... the first few dozen times, anyway. Now I got it down. It's easy, cause it's true. I love you, Akane. I have for a long time now."
Akane felt weak, her knees were knocking, and a feather could have keeled her over. You... you... you...."
Ranma nodded. "I love you, yeah. Why else would I have married you?"
Akane shook her head. "No... you love her... the real Akane. I'm just a copy." She turned away, unable to look at him any longer. "Just... just go back to your Akane."
Ranma put his hand on her shoulder. "You ARE her, Akane, my Akane, in every way that counts. You're a few months younger, and you're sharin space with Minako, but you're still Akane, and I still love you."
Akane turned into him furiously, beating her fists into his chest. "You can't! You're already married, you idiot! You can't love me too! You can't marry me too!"
Ranma endured the beating for several seconds, then stepped into it, trapping Akane's fists against his chest and hugging her to him again. "Hey, hey, it's going to be alright, Akane. I don't know how yet, but it's going to be alright, I promise."
Akane was quiet for a minute, crying silently into Ranma's chest before looking up at his face again. "It won't work, Ranma. I don't see how it could. I mean, even if I'd be willing to share you... and I'm not so sure I could manage to do that... even if I could, what then? What would people think about you having two wives?"
Ranma shook his head. "We'll deal with it It's not like we're the only ones with this kind of problem. I mean Johnathon, Kasumi and Misty have pretty much the same situation going on, and they're not going to let anything break them up."
Akane blinked. "Misty? Who is that?"
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, you've missed a lot haven't you?" He scratched his chin. "Um, you see, on the honeymoon, um... on the way into the hotel room...."
"Wait, I remember this." Akane broke in. "Rei was telling me. "Kasumi and you were split into two people... so Misty must be Kasumi's... um... other half?"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah. If she and Kasumi and Johnathon can be married to each other, I don't see why we can't."
Akane looked confused. "Wait, isn't Kasumi's other half a cat? How can they...?" She shook her head. "No... that's right, Johnathon is a cat half the time too." Akane shook her head again. "That's so strange. My big sister is a cat... and married to a guy who turns into a cat." She frowned. "How in the world did that happen, anyway? Don't tell me that Shampoo had anything to do with it?"
Ranma looked uncomfortable. "It's a long story, but the person really at fault is this lady named Cliopatra. She was trying to get Johnathon to be her personal slave or something, and when he and Kasumi got real close, she tried kidnapping Kasumi to make him surrender to her."
Akane blinked. "Kasumi got kidnapped? I thought that sort of thing only happened to you and me."
Ranma shrugged. "Maybe it has something to do with Jusenkyo. If you're cursed, or know someone who is cursed, a lot more weird stuff seems to happen to yah." He frowned. "I hope that's not it, but I'm starting to think that's why our lives have been so crazy in the last year."
Akane nodded. "I guess it does make a crazy kind of sense. Johnathon has a curse too, so if he and Kasumi got engaged, I guess it makes sense for weird stuff to happen to her too. So, Kasumi got kidnapped. How did she get cursed?"
Ranma scratched his chin. "It's a little complicated. You see, Johnathon brought water from the spring of drowned girl, drowned boy, and drowned cat back from Jusenkyo, hoping it could somehow be used for a cure. When he went to rescue Kasumi, he brought the water from the spring of drowned cat with him as a bargaining chip."
Akane broke in. "He cursed Kasumi? How could he...? I...."
Ranma interrupted her. "Hey! I wasn't finished yet, OK? Johnathon had smuggled Shampoo and Ryoga in with him in his bags...." Ranma winced, suddenly realizing what he had just let slip.
"He smuggled Ryoga in his bags?" Akane asked in confusion. "How in the world could he do that?"
Ranma laughed nervously. "Heh... you should probably ask Ryoga about that... it's not my place to say." < One revelation at a time!> Putting his hand behind his head and trying not to break out into a sweat, Ranma continued. "So anyway, they found out that Cliopatra had kept Kasumi locked up in this maze full of death traps, and they couldn't figure out any way of getting her out of there. At least not until Shampoo figured out that while a person couldn't make it through the traps, a cat could go through them without setting any of them off. So while Johnathon and Ryoga were sleeping, Shampoo snuck off to see Kasumi, and she dragged Johnathon's bottle of water from the spring of drowned cat with her, as well as a note to Kasumi, explaining what her plan was."
Ranma sighed. "The note Shampoo brought Kasumi explained about the traps and told her about the drowned cat water she had brought. Kasumi decided to curse herself so she could escape, and she did."
Akane's face grew angry again. "Shampoo! I knew it had to be her that got Kasumi cursed."
Ranma shook his head. "Kasumi decided to do it on her own. Johnathon, Ryoga, you... everybody was mad at Shampoo when they found out what had happened, but Kasumi insisted that it had been her decision, and not to blame Shampoo for it." He nodded to himself. "Shampoo fought as hard as any of us to save Kasumi. She took a big risk, sneaking in like that in Johnathon's pack, and it couldn't have been much fun, either. I don't blame Shampoo for what happened, I blame the ones who kidnapped Kasumi in the first place."
Akane frowned, then sighed. "I guess so. What happened to that woman though, Cliopatra?"
Ranma looked grim. "Well, we beat her and her little army that time, when she came out of her fortress to chase Kasumi and the others down. The rest of us were waiting and we kicked some serious ass, I can tell you!"
Akane nodded, unsurprised. "And Cliopatra?"
Ranma grinned for a moment. "After the battle, we convinced her people how badly she had been tricking them, and she got demoted from high priestess to scullery maid."
Akane blinked. "High priestess?" She shook her head. "Never mind, I can guess. She was the leader of her own religious cult, right?"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, you see there's this long lost tribe of ancient Egyptians hidden in the mountains of China...."
Akane rolled her eyes. "Of course there is." She raised an eyebrow. "So that was the end of it?"
Ranma looked uncomfortable. "Well... not really. Cliopatra eventually escaped. She was behind all of our recent trouble, with the help of a Demoness called Mara. She was the one who got Kuno to trap our hotel room with the water from the spring of drowned twins, and lured us to Jusenkyo so she could get revenge on us for defeating her the first time. That's how Sailor Venus fell into your spring, Akane, fighting to stop Cliopatra. When the Senshi found out that it was a trap, they came to Jusenkyo to help us, but a whole lot of them got cursed in the process." He shook his head angrily. "She should have left it between her and us, not gone and gotten others involved." Ranma took a long breath. "Well, she's paying the price for it, most likely."
Akane blinked. "She's paying the price? What do you mean?"
Ranma shrugged. "You remember I said she had gotten a Demoness to help her? Well, at the end, the Demoness grabbed Cliopatra and teleported away. I don't even want to guess what happened to her after that."
Akane grimaced. "Oh." She looked curiously at Ranma. "A real Demon?"
"Demoness." Ranma corrected. "And yeah, it looks like it. From what I've seen, and from what I've been told, Mara is the real thing alright."
Akane nodded slowly. "I think I saw her. Was Mara that... strange creature I saw? It looked almost human, but it was covered in white fur, with claws and teeth, and eyes like a cat."
Ranma blinked. "Er... no. Mara looks pretty much normal. She's blond, wears black leather...."
Akane looked confused. "Than who... or what was I fighting? Some sort of lesser demon?"
Ranma shook his head. "No, no, I think you're talking about Shampoo. I didn't see it myself, but I heard she picked up a drowned girl curse."
Akane looked shocked. "Shampoo? You're kidding! Wait, how does that work?"
Ranma blinked. "Oh yeah, you weren't here for that either. When Johnathon first came back from Jusenkyo he revealed the fact that the Jusenkyo curses don't cancel each other out, they mix. Remember how Taro picked up his tentacles?"
Akane nodded slowly. "Yes, I think so."
Ranma shrugged. "That should have tipped us off I guess, but it wasn't until Johnathon came back that we figured it out. Johnathon tried jumping into the spring of drowned man when he got to Jusenkyo, and his curse got changed. Now he turns into a half cat, half man when he gets wet, kinda like Shampoo does now."
Akane's eyes were wide. "Oh... oh my."
Ranma nodded seriously. "Pretty scary stuff, huh? I am soooo lucky I never managed to get any drowned man water, huh?" He shivered. "Being a girl was bad enough."
Akane looked at him in sudden wonder. "That's right! You don't change into a girl anymore! You ran here in the rain, and you're still a boy." She smiled sweetly. "Ranma, I'm so happy for you."
Ranma frowned. "Ah, well...." He shook his head. "I don't know why exactly, but I would have almost preferred not to get cured... not at the price."
Akane looked at Ranma intently. "I thought you'd give anything to be a guy for good, Ranma. What changed?"
Ranma's frown deepened. "Not ANYTHING, Akane. I think you should have realized that by now."
Akane blushed, then looked at her feet. "I'm sorry. I do know that. You've sacrificed your cure to save me... more than once in fact." She looked up at his face searchingly. "You wouldn't have wanted anyone to get cursed to help you.... and... and when you were split...."
Ranma sighed. "Ranko took the girl curse for me, and she hates being a girl as much as I did. She is me, or was, before we split. Close enough, anyway."
Akane looked sad. "Ranko... you named her after what we called your girl side when you were hiding from your mother?"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, well, we got used to the name, and Nabiki had gotten some paperwork made out for my girl side too... just in case, so it made sense."
Akane nodded absently. "And the new Kasumi's name is Misty? The English version of her name, right?" She sighed. "I guess I should take a new name as well... so nobody gets confused, at least."
Ranma shrugged. "I guess so, if ya want to. You don't have to take a new name if you don't want to."
Akane shrugged with a smile. "I don't mind. It might be kind of fun, having a new name."
Ranma grinned. "Well, I don't think "Red" fits, although Angry Cloud...."
Akane growled and slugged him. "Do you WANT me to get angry?" She said the last word in English to make her point.
"Hey, hey!" Ranma raised his hands in surrender. "I was only kidding, really!" He winked. "After all, no one would ever think of you as angry, would they?"
Akane's eyes flashed. "Why you!" In a moment she was chasing Ranma around and around the room, while the pig tailed martial artist laughed happily and kept just out of her reach. Before long, Akane was laughing too, and the chase ended with the two of them giggling insanely at each other until they were panting and out of breath. After several minutes, Akane spoke up, her voice calm again. "Ranma, tell me the truth, OK?"
Ranma nodded quietly, noting the intensity in Akane's expression. "What?"
"What..." Akane started slowly, hesitating. "What happened to Ranko, to your female half? Where is she now?"
Ranma hesitated. "You mean where she would be if she weren't out looking for you?"
Akane nodded, still a bit surprised at Ranma's behavior. "Yes."
Ranma took a deep breath. "At Ucchan's place, most likely."
Akane sighed. "That's what I thought. Rei was dancing around the subject when I asked, and we never got back to it." She hesitated. "Are they... are they...?" She shook her head. "I'm not sure what I'm even asking."
"They're getting married." Ranma answered quietly. "Pretty soon. Ukyo's legally a boy it turns out, so Nabiki's figured out how they can tie the knot legally."
Akane took a deep breath of her own, as if trying to accept that, then blinked. "Wait a second, you were just at Jusenkyo, right? Why didn't Ranko jump into the spring of drowned man? Then she... he could marry Ukyo as a guy."
Ranma shook his head. "We thought of that. That was one of the reasons we went, but the curses don't work like that. Misty tested it out, just in case, but even when we're split the curses still mix. When Misty jumped into the spring of drowned girl, she became a half cat like Johnathon and Shampoo... and Cliopatra for that matter. We figured that Ranko had better not try it."
Akane looked shocked. "So many...." She frowned. "Hey! Why did Kasumi have to test it?"
Ranma threw up his hands. "It was her idea! Besides, it's better than her being stuck as a normal cat."
Akane glared at him. "Oh, and why is that? Now she's some sort of... of...."
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Some sort of what?"
Akane flushed. "... I don't know what. But people will be scared of her. They might hurt her...."
Ranma nodded. "She knew that, Akane. Johnathon's gone through the same thing. People call him a monster, and attack him for no reason. The Senshi even attacked him once." He shook his head. "But I don't think you really understand the alternative. She was stuck as a cat, Akane. She couldn't speak, couldn't do nothing a human can do. I mean, Johnathon and Kasumi treated her real good, but she was getting tired of having nothing to do. Even I could tell that much. She wasn't able to be anything more than a pet like that, she couldn't even... er... do... um... you know...."
Akane blinked, trying to figure out what Ranma was blushing about, then suddenly realized. "Oh!" She blushed as well. "Oh, I guess I can... understand that. I guess it makes sense..." She said at a whisper. "They're married after all." She blushed even brighter as she tried pushing an image of Johnathon and two Kasumis, one human, one half-cat (although she wasn't really sure what a half-cat Kasumi would look like) in a compromising position, out of her head. Her eyes suddenly went wide as an image of her, wearing a red bow in her hair, (and nothing else) Ranma and another short haired Akane replaced the image of Johnathon, Kasumi and Misty. "Is that what you want?" Akane looked indignant. "Two girls at once? You pervert!"
Ranma just raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you think? I happen to know for a fact which one of us is the real pervert, Akane, and it ain't me. We're married, remember. I know all your little secrets."
Akane flushed bright red. "What are you... oh my god... you... she... I...."
Ranma nodded matter-of-factly. "I happen to know exactly how perverted you are, Akane. I'm not the one who started all of the stuff we've been doing every night since we got married." He shrugged. "Not that I mind none. Most of it anyway."
Akane was blanching. "Ach! No! No no no no no no!" She shook her head wildly. "Stop! I don't want to hear any more!"
Ranma chuckled. "Then I guess you don't want to hear about the scheme you and Ukyo cooked up for trading Ranko and me?"
Akane's eyes went wide as saucers. "I DIDN'T!?!"
Ranma nodded smugly. "Oh yes you did. I had nothing to do with it, and I wouldn't have ever even thought of it, so you and Ucchan planned on getting us drunk and seducing us. You wanted Ranko, and Ukyo wanted me...." He snickered. "You should have seen the looks on your faces when we caught you!"
Akane was shaking her head in denial. "I wouldn't, I couldn't!"
Ranma raised his eyes innocently. "Well it was kind of hard to deny it after Ranko and I caught you and Ukyo in bed together... and trust me, you weren't sleeping!"
Akane's eyes threatened to pop out of her head. "UKYO? No way, you must have gotten it wrong!"
Ranma relented. "Well, it was kinda a mistake. Both you and Ukyo mistook the other for Ranko in the dark, and while that's understandable enough for Ukyo, you sure didn't have any excuse. It's not like you could mistake Ukyo for me, after all."
Akane sat down with a thump on Rei's bed. "I... how could I?"
Ranma sat down next to her, looking apologetic. "Hey, it's not like I minded you being... well... exciting. You've always been the smarter one of us, Akane. Ya got a good imagination, and I can't complain. Going after Ranko like you did... well I can understand that too. You love her the same way you love me. You didn't want to give either of us up. If it hadn't been for my idiot pop making that promise to marry me to Ukyo, you wouldn't have had to... but Momma pointed out that if there was a way to honor both promises, we were honor bound to do so, no matter how much it hurt."
Akane sat there looking stunned. "I just don't believe any of this. What was I thinking?"
Ranma shook his head. "Don't worry about it too much, Akane. It all turned out OK. Well, except for the part where you and Ukyo...." He coughed. "Anyway, don't be too hard on yourself. Ya had the best intentions."
Akane shot Ranma a suspicious glance. "You're not just making all of this up, are you?"
Ranma shook his head. "Do you think I have that good an imagination? Besides, if you don't believe me, you can just ask yourself."
Akane frowned. "Don't think I won't! True or not, I have to talk to... her. That's for sure."
Ranma nodded. "You really should."
Akane sighed. "The problem is, I can't help but believe you. It sounds just crazy enough to be my life." She shook her head. "So you, Akane, Ukyo and Ranko are... um...."
Ranma nodded slowly. "We're supposed to be switching partners... or at least, that's the plan. I'm actually not sure how we're going to do it, but me and Ranko agreed to let you and Ukyo trade us. Ukyo's' supposed to be my mistress... and I guess Ranko's yours... or maybe you're hers? I dunno. We ain't actually done nothin yet, at least, not me and Ukyo. I can't say if the other you hasn't er... you know." He looked embarrassed. "I ain't used to talking about this stuff yet... but I gotta!" Ranma looked Akane in the eyes. "Cause I want you to... be with me, with us... just like the other you wants Ranko and me, and like Johnathon-san wants both Kasumi and Misty."
"You're all perverts." Akane stated flatly, looking away from Ranma. "And I guess... that I must be one too... because I want to accept. I do!" She shook her head. "But I can't This body is not my own. This life is not mine to control!" Akane tightened her hands into fists. "It is a martial artist's duty to protect the weak, and while Sailor Venus might not be weak, this curse is a serious handicap for her. I'm the only one who can protect her from it. I can't let myself do anything that would cause me to steal her life away, and going with you would be doing just that."
Ranma hesitated. "I could talk to Minako. We could...."
"NO!" Akane shouted. "You will not!" Her voice held the tone of command, her eyes were flashing. "You will not try and convince that poor girl to give me her life. It's hers, not mine. Every minute I am here is one that she is not. If you do manage to get her to give up part of her life for me, I won't accept it. It wouldn't be right!"
Ranma was opening and closing his mouth. "Akane... I...."
Just then, Rei stuck her head into the room, a worried expression on her face. "Is everything alright? We heard shouting...."
Akane turned to her almost with relief. "Rei? Could someone please come and show me the way to Minako's house? I really should get her back home so she can change back."
Ranma spoke up. "Wait a sec..."
Akane looked at him somberly. "Please." Ranma's throat closed up at the look of pleading on her face. "Please don't make this any harder than it has to be."
Ranma hesitated. "Can... can I walk you home at least?"
Akane hesitated as well before shaking her head. "No... no, I don't think that would be wise." Ranma's hands clenched and unclenched as he fought to keep from screaming in frustration.
Sensing the tension in the room Rei swallowed heavily and started backing out. "Um... I'll go get Artemis, he can take you to Mina's house."
Rei vanished through the doorway, and Ranma moved closer to Akane, trying to take her in his arms. "Akane, I...."
"NO!" Akane lashed out with a fist, launching Ranma into the air, and thankfully out the still open door, rather than through the roof.
Artemis peeked her head into the room. "What's going on?"
Akane looked at the white haired girl wildly. "Who are you?"
"Artemis." The girl announced, looking confused. "Where did Ranma go?"
"Never mind that." Akane insisted, rushing over to her and taking the smaller girl by the hand. "Please just come on. You're here to take me to Minako's house, right?"
Artemis nodded slowly. "Sure, but...."
Akane hauled the cursed girl outside in a matter of moments, not letting her finish. "Great, let's go! We should hurry, OK?" Hauling the bemused girl behind her, Akane put several blocks of distance between them and the shrine before slowing down. "It's this way, right?" Akane finally asked as she started slowing down a bit."
Artemis nodded, faintly surprised. "That's right. Hey, how could you know that?"
Akane shook her head. "I woke up over this way, and Minako was headed home before the rain started, right? That means she lives over this way some where."
Artemis nodded. "She does. That's a pretty neat piece of reasoning."
Akane shrugged. "The prospect of ones own death concentrates the mind wonderfully."
Artemis's eyes went wide. "What?!?"
Akane shot her a wry grin. "Something I heard once. I'm not actually going to die... although suddenly ceasing to exist, then coming back without warning is kind of like dying and being reborn, don't you think?"
Artemis looked uncomfortable. "I guess."
Akane spoke up again. "Maybe you'd be more impressed by this bit of logic. You've got a Jusenkyo curse, don't you?"
Artemis blinked. "How did you know?"
Akane shrugged again. "Well, you look a little bit like Ranma's female form, except for your hair being white. Anyway, Rei called you "he" when she said she'd get you to show me the way to Minako's home. So, you must be cursed to turn into a girl, like Ranma, right?"
Artemis hesitated before answering. "I do have a Jusenkyo curse...."
Akane grinned. "Now how's that for deductive logic? I bet Ranma would be surprised...." She shook her head. "Anyway, I know the Senshi were at Jusenkyo, and there's only one guy member of the team... so you're Tuxedo Mask, right?"
Artemis laughed. "Mamoru would be surprised to hear that!" The white haired girl shook her head. "It's a good guess, Akane, but no. I'm not Tuxedo Mask."
Akane blinked. "Oh." She looked at Artemis curiously. "Well, you know about the Senshi, and you're the one Rei thought should take me home so... you're... Mina's... boyfriend?"
Artemis hesitated. "Sort of, I guess. It's a bit difficult to explain."
Akane looked thoughtful. "Well, if you don't mind, could you try? I'm going to be part of Mina's life, so it might help if I knew as much as possible."
Artemis nodded. "I'll do my best to explain, Akane, although much of this is a secret from most people."
Akane nodded quickly. "I'll keep Minako's secrets. They're mine too, after all."
Artemis sighed. "That's true enough. Well, even after everything else you've heard and seen this might sound a little strange."
Akane smiled through the light rain. "Only a little strange? That would be a nice change."
Artemis laughed out loud. "I know what you mean!" The white haired girl sobered quickly. "Well, to start with, I may be cursed to become a girl, but my normal form is not a human male. I'm actually a moon cat... a male one. I, and Luna, are the Senshi's advisors, sent from the moon to help them."
Akane was staring at him in confusion. "You're a cat, from the moon? I don't understand...."
Artemis sighed. "I told you that it's hard to believe. Yes, I'm a cat. Luna and I look like normal earth cats but we're not. We're from the moon, in the distant past. We can talk, and we served the moon kingdom as advisors for many years."
Akane raised an eyebrow. "A kingdom on the moon? That sounds like a child's fairy tale."
Artemis shook her head. "I didn't think you'd believe it...."
Akane stopped her. "No, no, I believe you. Like you said, it's not all that much stranger than everything else I've seen. You're a magical talking cat that turns into a girl whenever you're splashed with cold water? I can handle that." She raised her eyebrow. "So when you said you were "sort of" Minako's boyfriend... it's because you're not a boy, right?" Akane looked a bit disturbed. "You... er... how do... er... I mean, are you two...?"
Artemis sighed again. "If you're asking if we're intimate, the answer is yes."
Akane blushed. "Oh... ah... it's not really any of my business... really."
Artemis hesitated. "Well, it is, in a way. You're sharing space with Mina now, and you have a right to know about things that might affect you." She shrugged helplessly. "Knowing how chaotic these curses make things, we're sure to get into an embarrassing situation or two, so it's better if you know the truth about Minako and me."
Akane nodded. "I can understand that, I guess." She shook her head wryly. "It's embarrassing enough just being me. It's not going to get any more embarrassing being the cursed half of a girl with a half cat, half girl lover."
Artemis blinked. "Er... right." The white haired girl put a hand on Akane's shoulder. "Hey, YOU shouldn't have anything to be embarrassed about." She said reasonably.
Akane laughed hysterically at that. "You don't know, do you? You have no idea!" She looked at Artemis with a pained expression. "You haven't heard what the real Akane Tendo's... or I should say Akane Saotome has been up to since she drowned at Jusenkyo? I don't have any reason to judge you and Minako."
Artemis blinked. "Akane has...?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to me, and it won't to Minako. As you said, who are we to judge? Who is anyone to judge, for that matter?"
Akane hesitated. "Well... what... I keep thinking that my big sister would be so disappointed in me if she knew how... well, how Akane is acting."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Kasumi? I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you. If anyone could understand how a Jusenkyo curse, or three or four, can lead to some... strange relationships, and really embarrassing situations, it would be Kasumi. She's been naked in public almost as many times as I have, she loses her clothes all the time, she enjoys a healthy relationship with a man that turns into a half-cat, who she's also currently sharing with a Jusenkyo twin of herself who's a cat girl."
Akane was flabbergasted. "My big sister? Kasumi? I don't... I can't... really?"
Artemis nodded frankly. "I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Now if someone like Kasumi can get into a mess like that, people like you and me shouldn't have anything to be embarrassed about, eh?"
Akane laughed. "Well, if you put it that way, I guess not!" The two girls walked in a comfortable silence after that, Akane following Artemis's lead through the maze of streets leading to Minako's home.
"Here we are!" Artemis announced cheerfully. "So, do you think you can find it again?"
Akane nodded. "I think so. I should be able to find my way back to the shrine too, if I have to."
Artemis nodded. "Good." The moon cat turned girl hesitated. "I believe that Mina's parents lock the front door. Did you...?" She looked Akane over once. "We forgot to get Mina's purse, didn't we?" Artemis shrugged. "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to go back for it...." She glanced upwards. "Or we could try the window. Makoto and I did leave it open."
Akane followed the white haired girl's glance, then nodded. "I can make that, no problem."
Artemis wrinkled her nose. "So could I, as a cat, anyway. I'm not up to jumps like that as a human, though. Not yet, anyway."
Akane stepped onto the wet grass under Minako's bedroom window and looked up. "No problem. Hold on a second." She jumped up, tapping the window to open it fully, landing solidly in the grass, her feet slipping just a little but managing to keep her balance. "OK." She put her hands together under the window. "Go on, I'll give you a boost."
Artemis hesitated. "Um... a boost?" She stepped forward cautiously. "You want me to step on your hands?"
Akane raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "That's how it's done. You've never done this before, have you?"
Artemis shook her head. "Not really...." She blinked. "Haven't I? I can't quite remember...." She shook her head again. "No, I couldn't have. I've only been human for a short time, I'd have remembered. I have seen it done, I believe." Artemis took a couple quick steps then hopped up, putting her right foot into Akane's hands. Akane redirected the white haired girl's momentum with a grunt and lightly tossed Artemis up to the bedroom window, so that she landed just on the sill.
"You didn't have to run." Akane said, slightly cross. "I nearly tossed you face first into the wall."
"Um... oops?" Artemis said apologetically. "It was my first try."
Akane shook her head. "Never mind. I should have explained it better. Everything worked out, anyway." She stepped away from the wall herself. "Now stand back, OK?" Artemis did so and Akane ran up and jumped, tucking her head in and going through the window neatly, landing on the bedroom floor with a slight thump. She held out her arms and bowed theatrically to an impressed Artemis. "Ta daa!"
"Shh!" Artemis put a finger up to her lips. "Minako's parents are asleep." The white haired girl hesitated. "Not that they'll think anything about a few strange noises in here, but we shouldn't wake them."
Akane nodded quickly, looking embarrassed. "Right." She said softly. "Sorry about that."
"No problem." Artemis said with a shrug. "Wait here, I'll go get some hot water, for both of us." She hesitated. "If that's alright?"
Akane smiled. "It's nice of you to ask. Of course. I'm sure Mina will have a full day tomorrow."
Artemis nodded. "That's true enough. Be right back." The transformed Moon Cat slipped out of the room, returning after a minute with two full glasses of water. "They should be just hot enough." She judged, setting them down on the night stand. "So, shall you do the honors, or I?"
Akane hesitated. "Can I...? I've never met a talking cat before."
"Moon Cat." Artemis corrected. "Sure, why not?"
Akane picked up one of the glasses and tipped it over Artemis's head deftly. The cursed girl vanished into her clothing and a white cat crawled out. After getting completely free of the pile of clothes Artemis looked up at Akane with a wink. "Not something you see every day, huh? Think we should take this show to Vegas?" Akane giggled at that and Artemis jumped up on the bed, grinning. "It's nice to hear you laugh again, Akane."
Akane's giggling slowly died and she took a deep breath. "Thanks, I needed a laugh." She picked up the second glass of hot water and smiled faintly. "See you later, Artemis." She tipped the water up over her head and Artemis nodded.
The white cat's soft voice was the last thing Akane heard that night. "Goodnight Akane."
End of Chapter 21
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