Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi and its characters belong to
her, and her alone. I'm just kinda borrowing them. The story below is
for entertainment purposes only, and not to be used commercially.
...Obviously.


"Learning Curve"
        Part XV    (v1.3)

by:   J. Wagner



"WHAT?! My babies have been kidnapped?! How could this HAPPEN?! RANMA!
RYOUGA!!"

Ranma took the words in stride; his ears had stopped ringing, only to
be replaced by an echo of Tendo-san's voice. Ryouga glowered at the
floor, but slowly rose to his feet. His fists were clenched, and his
jaw set, as the Tendo patriarch yelled and moaned. Soun's Demon head
had been looming over them for some time, and both boys seemed too
suffused in their own self-loathing to notice anymore.

There was no excuse he could muster. He had failed.

Ryouga's eyes were shut, but his body was trembling with pent up
anger. The lost boy had had a hand in planning out their little
surprise attack on the pantyhose monster, but neither boy had really
anticipated that it would take one or both of the girls as captives.
It was an oversight Ryouga had no one but himself to blame for. The
added humiliation of being slammed into that car, his curse triggering
as he tried to break free of the wreckage, and being taken home in pig
form for the second time in as many days didn't help matters.

"Quit your yammering!"

Soun's Demon Head faded instantly, and the three men looked at the
source of the voice. Happosai sat, cross-legged, nearby, smoking his
pipe. A circle of smoke escaped his nose, and slowly took on the form
of a soft white bra, before dispersing into the air completely. After
another quick puff, the old man spoke again, "He'll come back to us
soon enough."

"Huh?" Ryouga's head tilted suspiciously, or perhaps warily.

"What do you mean by that, old man?" Ranma added, for good measure.

"He dropped this." Happosai pulled from his person a rather ruffled
looking collection of papers bound by an old hand made strap. The
cover was in Chinese Mandarin and Japanese.

"I remember that book. It's..."

"The Jyusenkyou Registry!" Ranma finished the lost boy's sentence. He,
too, remembered signing the book when he visited Jyusenkyou. Opening
its pages, Ranma skimmed through a long parade of names, none of which
he recognized. Each was paired with a date, and a symbol... but both
the date and symbol, added in by the Guide (or previous Guides),
seemed to be in either an obscure dialect of Chinese, or some kind of
code. Ryouga snorted over Ranma's shoulder, and the smaller boy could
tell that Ryouga had seen something he himself had missed.

"He says he's looking for a man," Happosai continued.

"And that means he'll try to get the book back." Soun nodded,
understanding.

"Ryouga?" Ranma asked, softly. "What is it, man?"

"That." Ryouga pointed to a small circular scribble in the upper right
corner of the current page, next to one of the names. "I've seen that
before. And not just in this book. I just... can't quite remember
where."

Turning the page, and finally skipping a dozen forward, Ranma stopped
at more recent names he recognized. "Look! He's crossing these out."

"He's attacked a lot of people." Ryouga saw his name, as well as
Saotome-san's, crossed out. Nearly all the recent names with a
particular symbol under their them had been crossed out. Putting two
and two together, he finally voiced what he'd been thinking since
they'd opened the book. "That symbol... it represents gender. This
Pantyhose person has only attacked men with curses, not women."

"Makes sense," Ranma agreed. "What does the stuff under that symbol
mean, though?"

Ryouga frowned.

"Well?" Ranma insisted.

"I... I don't know. Maybe some kind of code for which curse they
have." Ryouga crossed his arms. He wasn't going to say anymore, it
seemed.

"Hmm, there's one man's name that hasn't been crossed out." Soun
pointed to a name in the middle of the paper.

"That must be the guy this freak is looking for!"

Soun's gasped, and the tears started to flow anew. "Because of this
man, my poor daughters have been kidnapped!"

"But... what is it?" Ranma looked at the name closely. "Is it some
kind of code? And ancient language?"

"It looks like a drawing," Ryouga added in.

"Idiots!" Happosai rushed up, and took the registry from Ranma's
hands, "Lemme see it... it says... 'Happo-sai.'"

Stunned silence followed.... by a flashback.

Over ten years ago:

"Here, sir." A younger version of the Guide frowned. They were on the
east side of the springs, arguably the worst side to be on. "You see
legendary training ground of Jyusenkyou."

Happosai looked over the mist-shrouded valley, flanked on virtually
all sides by rising mountains and cliffs. Well over a hundred large
springs dotted the area, all marked by bamboo poles. The nearest one,
the still ancient pervert noted, had a small symbol etched near the
top. Hardy wild scrubs grew liberally near the springs, but there was
no color to the place - flowers weren't to be seen anywhere, even
though it was late spring, and oddly, there wasn't a dragonfly or
insect to be seen.

"Aiya!"

The Guide peered ahead, and Happosai followed his gaze. "Eh?"

"A pregnant woman!" The Guide broke into a run. "And she in labor!"

As the two men got closer, the Guide seemed to hesitate for just a
second, before running to her side. The woman seemed to be a normal
Chinese peasant woman, hair cut short, neither especially comely or
not. A basket full of collected eggs had been put aside, obviously
with some care, as none were cracked. She seemed to be in pain, but
was unusually quiet about it. She looked up from him to the Guide, and
recognition seemed to flash in her eyes, but she remained strangely
silent.

A pervert Happosai knew he was, but he really didn't want anything to
do with the birth itself. Fortunately, the Guide seemed up to the
task, and became the first thing the baby boy saw when he took his
first breath. The woman hardly cried out during the relatively quick
labor, but accepted the child eagerly when the Guide handed him over.

"Excuse me, sir." The Guide turned from the two, and seemed to be
thinking something over. Happosai, meanwhile, took the opportunity to
see the infant for himself, and when he reached for it, the woman
handed the babe over without a word. The little boy already had a few
strands of brown hair, and strangely accented eyes. Shrugging it off,
he carried the boy to a nearby pool, and started washing him. Without
animals around, Jyusenkyou was quite serenely devoid of sound - not
even the croaking of a frog could be heard.

"AIYA!! Sir, what you doing?!" The Guide seemed to have turned from
calm and reserved to bordering on panic.

"Bathing the newborn of course!" Happosai held the now wailing child
aloft, and watched in amazement as it transformed, tiny horns
sprouting from the head, the wings spreading from the back...

"But that Niuhoomaorenniichuan!! Is tragic spring where yeti-riding-
ox-while-carrying-eel-and-crane drown two thousand five hundred year
ago! Is most tragic haunted spring in all Jyusenkyou!"

"Yeti?" Soun seemed incredulous.

"Riding an ox?"

"Carrying an eel and crane?"

"Growf?"

"Yes." Happosai nodded gravely. "And so it is that baby..."

Happosai sniffled. "Oh, he'd grown up so well!"

"Whose side are you on, anyway?!" Ranma bopped the old man upside the
head, but Happosai was too busy daydreaming to feel it. Ryouga just
shook his head.

"At least I'm not the only madman here." He faced the open door,
looking out over the pond. "But where is this guy now?"

***

"Ngh." Akane blinked, eyes slow to adjust to the half-light.
"Where...?"

"Not the Ritz Hilton, that's for sure," A familiar voice returned, and
Akane looked up at her older sister, still in her school clothes,
hanging over her. In the background, she could make out cobwebs in the
corners of the room, and feel a rough wool blanket and pillow under
her.

"You seemed comfortable enough, though, so I didn't wake you." Nabiki
gave a small smile. She had a small cut on her forehead, and it
instantly reminded the younger girl of what had happened.

"Nabiki..." Akane got to her knees. "The monster...!"

"He's over there," she said and motioned towards a figure in the
shadows, sitting on the edge of some sturdily built wooden railing.

"Huh." The man laughed. "So, she finally woke up, did she?"

"And who do you think you are?!" Akane charged, recklessly, and kicked
at the man before Nabiki could stop her. Her target, however,
effortlessly jumped and avoided the strike. Before Nabiki could follow
what had happened, Akane was face down on the floor, a length of
pantyhose around her left arm, keeping it behind her back.

"Huh." He gave another short laugh. "Do you think I'll be merciful to
you because you're a woman?"

Akane snarled.

"Obviously not," Nabiki interrupted. She walked forward, arms wide and
non-threatening. "Please let her go. She can't do anything to you, and
you know it."

The man frowned, but let go of the pantyhose holding Akane's arm in
place, and took his left foot off the small of her back, letting her
get to her feet. Akane's face was approaching a nimbus of rage, but
some measure of self-control and reason kept her from trying again to
attack their kidnapper.

"Why did you kidnap us?" Akane managed, keeping her anger in check for
the moment.

"I kidnapped you to keep that old man from blasting me again." He
pointed to Akane, then to Nabiki. "And you, to make sure I got the
Jyusenkyou Registry back. Neither of your stupid boyfriends would dare
double cross me with both of you here."

"We're his insurance." Nabiki scoffed. "Not too original, I dare say.
But it could be worse, coming from someone who seems to be obsessed
with women's pantyhose."

"Watch what you say, woman." The man looked at her dangerously, before
turning and jumping from the railing, and into the night. "You don't
know anything."

***

"Get back here, you old goat!!"

<Crash>

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna!"

<Clang>

"Oh my! What a mess!"

"I don't wanna get involved with that monster!!"

"I'm gonna catch you and give you to him!"

"Damn you, you old fart!!"

"AAAKKKANEEE!!! NAAABBIKI!!!"

By Morning:

"Blast it! It's like he disappeared! Where the hell did that old fool
run off to?" Ryouga snarled in frustration, knuckles white from the
tension in his fists. He was starting to lose it, Ranma could tell.
Tendo-san was no help either.

"If... If the master won't help... then... then..." Mr. Tendo trailed
off, breaking down into sobs.

Ranma sighed. His father wasn't of much use. Still in his panda form,
he spent more time looking panicked and afraid for himself than
searching for his old master. Only Ryouga and Kasumi had been of much
help, but Kasumi was fairly oblivious, and Ryouga rather small reserve
of patience was rapidly running out. Ranma was surprised that the lost
boy hadn't managed to get totally lost while looking around the house
and dojo.

"It looks like I have no other recourse," Ranma finally said, and
reached for an always available nearby bucket of cold water. A few
seconds later, a busty, wet Ranma-chan was poised on the empty pail,
slipping on a frilly piece of pantyhose. The cutesy laugh sealed it -
the bait was irresistible (though Ryouga seemed totally disgusted by
the display), and within seconds, the lure had drawn in the prey.

"Sweeto! Pantyhose!!!"

"Idiot." Ranma's foot intercepted the black blur, stomping Happosai's
face into the floor. Slipping the pantyhose off quickly, Ranma-chan
used it to trap the tiny old man. "Ha Ha HA! Sucker!"

"Curses! A trap!" Happosai strained halfheartedly against his silky
prison to no avail.

"Well done, son!" Soun's tear-works ended as abruptly as they had
begun. "Now..."

"Hey!" Ryouga spoke suddenly, cutting him off. "Does anyone else hear
that?"

Spinning, the lost boy back flipped away from the wall just as a
massive winged form crashed through the fragile wood, kettle in hand.
In seconds, the steaming empty kettle hit the ground, and the dragon
scale vested martial artist stood before the assembled group. Ryouga
snorted in disgust, but he had to admit - that had been one hell of an
entrance.

Nabiki would be pissed about the wall, though.

Which reminded him!

"What..."

"What have you done with the girls?" Ryouga cut off his enemy/rival.
"If you've harmed a hair on..."

"They're perfectly fine, I assure you." Their unwanted guest smirked.
"I will exchange one of them for the Registry... The other I keep as
insurance for the duration of my stay here. It is a deal I suggest you
take."

"Wait!" Soun approached the boy, handing him the wrapped Happosai-in-
pantyhose ball. "Please, accept this gift from us. Contained within is
the man you are looking for."

"Is that so?" He gave the ball of pantyhose a questioning look, and
started to unwrap it.

Finding nothing.

"Calm down! Calm down!" Soun practically jumped up and down, trying to
get the attention of the raging and suddenly transformed boy-turned-
monster. Then, a black blur caught the monster's eye.

"You want the Jyusenkyou Visitor Registry? It's right here!" Happosai
bounced up to the flying minotaur, stuffed the old book into his
mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed. Veins began to pop on the
monster's head and neck.

"Well... that could have gone better." Ryouga big-sweated.

"You could say that." Ranma did the same.

"RRAGH!" The creature that was Pantyhose Taro Transformed lunged, and
smashed a hole in the floor, narrowly missing the lightning quick
pervert.

"Nyah nyah! Missed me, you fool!" Happosai turned around in midair,
hands to his sides. "Happo Dai Karin Special!!"

For the second time, the dojo shuttered.

"Does he always have to do that?"

"OH!!! My poor house!!"

***

The Nekohanten was practically empty. Most Nerima regulars recognized
that when the local crew of martial artists got together in one spot,
trouble was either afoot, or about to erupt from their midst. The fact
that the group had come into the store with an oddly dressed
unconscious man, draped over a very large panda's shoulder, didn't
engender anyone to stay. As the last customer hastily finished his
food, and paid for the bill, the group of martial artists had just
finished tying the unconscious man to a chair.

"Thank you. Come again soon!" Shampoo gave the somewhat rushed
customer a warm smile, which he returned more out of nervousness than
anything else, before collecting the money and adding it to the
register.

"So Happosai cursed him?" Cologne's voice didn't sound the least bit
surprised by what had just been told.

"The old man gave him a bath in one of the Jyusenkyou springs." Ranma
rested his chin in the crook of his hand. "Yeti riding a bull and
carrying a bird or something."

"No wonder he hate Happosai." Shampoo walked over to Ranma's side, and
got a good look at his unconscious prisoner. He didn't look
particularly dangerous, with his head dropped forward, limply, long
bangs covering his eyes and most of his face from view. The dragon
scale vest, however, did seem slightly familiar, somehow - like she
had seen it somewhere before.

"He's the victim here, really." Ranma crossed his arms and gave their
guest an almost sympathetic look.

"He is NOT! I've had just about enough of 'feeling sorry' for this
bastard!" Ryouga roared, slamming his palm on the table loud enough to
get everyone's attention, but short of breaking it in two. Roughly
grabbing the unconscious boy by his vest, Ryouga backhanded him
swiftly, before slapping him again, and ending in another hard
backhand that bruised the other boy's cheek and drew blood beneath the
surface. Shampoo winced at the sight. Ryouga wasn't normally that
violent (except towards Ranma), it was obvious that he'd been building
up his anger and resentment for some time.

"Wake up, you!" Ryouga gave him another hard shake, and their guest's
eyes slowly opened. "Where are the girls? Answer me or die!"

A trickle of blood fell from the mysterious youth's mouth, but he
smiled at the raging lost boy in his face, before turning away
dismissively. "Feh... pig boy."

"What... did you call me?" Ryouga calmly reached down, and picked up
the table with one hand, holding it over his head.

"No!! Don't kill him! We need him to find the girls!!" Soun wailed,
and Ryouga sneered, dropping the table to his side.

"Geez. Calm down, man." Ranma watched as the slowly cooling Hibiki
stalked off a few feet, keeping his distance from the others. Picking
up his umbrella, he twirled it in front of him dangerously. Ranma
recognized the signs - he was just waiting for an opportunity to
attack the guy, whoever he was.

"Listen." Ranma addressed their captive. "The one who caused your
condition is Happosai..."

"What?" The mysterious young man looked up at Ranma, but in his mind's
eye, he saw the old freak. "Him?"

"I know how you feel." Ranma used his best sounding diplomatic voice.
"I mean, of all the things to turn into... a monster! How pathetically
sad is that?"

"Heh. Not like turning into a girl, eh?" The boy's foot lashed out in
an incredible display of dexterity, and not only lifted a nearby glass
of water, but splashed Ranma with it in the same motion. "At least I
don't wear bras and act like a fag."

"Noooo...." Ranma-chan reached for another nearby glass, and returned
the favor. "You only wear pantyhose you sick freak!!"

"Aa..." Soun backed off.

"You fool!" Genma held up a sign, before diving for cover.

The newly transformed monster roared, sending people outside the store
running for cover. Nothing normal made - that - sound. It only took a
second for the beast to tear through the front entrance, sending the
Nekohanten sign flying across the street and into a fruit vendor's
stand. Rearing up to its full height, now outside the store and in the
street, the monster held its clenched fist high, and in his grasp,
Ranma-chan squirmed and kicked at the creature's face.

"Just try it, Pantyhose-boy!!"

"GGRAAHH!!!"

"Restaurant is mess," Shampoo stated the obvious.

"Yep. ...If you two are going to fight, do it somewhere else." Cologne
lifted her staff, and made a swirled pattern just behind the angry
beast. Her Ki flared, and a gust of wind took the creature up and into
the air, still holding onto its would-be prey.

Shampoo felt someone walk up from behind, and saw Ryouga standing next
to her. His voice was monotone: "Let's go. You lead."

***

"Akane! Be careful!"

"Ha! If he thought we were going to stay put while he was out, he's in
for a surprise." Akane scooted down the rocky side of the bluff. "Come
on, oneechan!"

 "I can't believe this." Nabiki edged down the side of what seemed to
her to be an almost sheer cliff. Akane seemed to be weathering the
challenge easily, but Nabiki wasn't exactly enjoying herself. It was
like the time she'd conned her way into a rock-climbing club, except
here, there weren't any supports or ropes. She felt vaguely jealous of
her more athletic younger sister, who seemed not to be having any
trouble at all.

"Oh oh." Akane gasped at something, just as Nabiki got to the bottom,
brushed herself off and rounded the corner. What she saw was a fierce
rapid of water blocking their escape, at least twenty or so feet
across.

"Well, here we..." Akane seemed about to jump.

"You can't swim. Remember?"

"Ah!" Akane hesitated, and fell short of actually getting into the
water, and only drenching her head and collar. She spurted and gagged
before she realized most of her body was still on dry land, and pulled
herself up.

"Well, this isn't good." Nabiki rested her hands on her hips, and by
chance, looked up at the clear blue sky. "Hey... what's that?"

"HAHAHA!! Just try and drop me, you pantyhose freak!" Ranma-chan got
hold of the creature's horns, and held on as he did another barrel
roll.

"If I stay on him like this, he's just gotta lead us to the girls,"
Ranma-chan reminded herself, and braced as the monster dipped wilding
and bucked, in an attempt to shake her off his back. Ranma-chan's
thoughts were interrupted, as she just barely caught sight of a fist
heading her way. Quickly avoiding it, a loud 'clonk' sounded as it
made contact with the monster's own skull. Another hasty strike leaded
similar results, and the patchwork monster began to wobble in midair.

"The idiot actually knocked himself out!" Ranma-chan couldn't believe
it - what a moron! As the no longer flying monster started to fall,
she decided to wait it out and let the buy crash. Scrambling down his
body for the feet as they both plummeted, the beast suddenly
recovered, and pulled out from the uncontrolled spin, leaving the
unprepared Ranma-chan alone in the air.

She hung there for a second, dumbfounded, before freefalling.

"Here he comes!" Nabiki stepped back cautiously as the creature that
kidnapped the two Tendo sisters landed just feet from where they
stood, at the edge of the rapids separating them from escape.

"Ranma!" Akane yelled, straining her voice.

Nabiki looked from the monster, to Akane, to an unconscious red haired
girl hanging limply onto a floating log of a tree, caught in the
rapids. Cursing silently, she ran to the edge, next to Akane. Unlike
her sister, she could swim pretty well, in calm ocean water and pools,
anyway. But white water rapids...? Akane looked at her suddenly,
desperately, eyes frantic, and Nabiki balked.

"Ranma," Akane repeated, this time softly to herself. "I'm coming."

"What? Are you crazy?" Nabiki whirled, but her sister had already
jumped. "Don't!!"

She hung, over the water, as the jump carried her almost the entire
distance to the tree. Akane grimaced as she hit it, hard, and dug her
hands into the bark. The water was lapping at her, and she had to bite
her lip and focus on the pain to keep from panicking and letting go.
The temptation to flail her arms and escape warred with her need to
hold onto the tree... and to save Ranma.

Ranma.

His name galvanized her, and with grim determination, Akane crawled
closer to where the boy turned girl lay, eyes closed. Reaching him,
she frantically started shaking her by the scuff of her shirt. "Ranma!
Ranma!! Wake up! NOW!!"

A harsh slap to the face finally did it, and Ranma's eyes started to
open. "A... Akane? ...What?"

"Ranma." Akane smiled, relief flooding out in the form of tears.

"Akane... Akane, hold on!" Ranma jumped up, balancing on the log, as
the flying monster swept down from above for a finishing blow. She
roughly grabbed Akane, and held her close.

"You want me?" Ranma yelled up at the descending creature. "Come and
get me, you PANTYPHILE!!"

The creature's eyes narrowed into cruel slits, and a wild blow smashed
into the tree, just as Ranma, still holding Akane, jumped back and
away. The blow sent one end of the tree into the air, and Ranma landed
on it with both feet, using all their weight, assisted by gravity, to
drive that end back into the water. Before the monster could react or
dodge, the splintered end of the tree it had just punched into the
water came right back up and out, cutting a bloody gash along his
right arm and nearly to the collarbone.

"Take that, you Nylon Neurotic!" Ranma-chan tensed to make another
move, when Akane screamed.

"What? What?" Ranma looked over her shoulder. "W... Waterfall!!"

Nabiki watched, helplessly, still running to catch up to them along
the rapids, as the monster, her sister, and Ranma-chan all tumbled
into the water and off what looked to be a steep waterfall. After an
exhausting run through thick underbrush, she came to the end, and a
truly steep drop off into a small pool fed by the waterfall. At the
bottom, floated the tree they had ridden off the edge on, one end
still bloody from where it had cut into the monster's arm.

With a tremendous splash, something large erupted from the water.
Nabiki hung her head, defeated - Akane was like a fifty-pound barbell
in the water, and from the looks of things, Ranma wasn't coming to the
surface. Ranma had never been her favorite person, but over the last
few months, he'd become less a freeloading stranger, and more almost
like a brother... to all of them, and obviously something very
important to Akane. Salty tears formed, but she quickly wiped them
away, and stood, defiantly. In a single motion, the flying creature
reached down, picked her up in a massive hand, and headed off.

Below, Ranma groaned in exhaustion. Reaching the shore after the fall
had been difficult enough as it was, keeping Akane from drowning
herself had been even harder. He was silently thankful for all the
endurance training and toughening he'd undergone to fight Ryouga -
without them, he almost certainly would have passed out when he hit
the water, shielding Akane's body with his/her own. They'd have both
ended up at the bottom of the pool then. Reaching the shore, Ranma-
chan hefted Akane out of the water, and onto land. Getting herself out
as well, she looked Akane over, and checked for breathing.

"Akane... come on, you tomboy... you're tougher than this." He reached
for her, tentatively. He'd heard the basics of CPR in one of the
physical education classes he'd had, a few months ago, but he'd never
done it.

"Something about pushing down on the rib cage... something about
mouth-to-mouth?" Ranma swallowed, finding his mouth surprisingly dry.
He thought, first, about trying the former, but touching Akane
there... he pulled back nervously. Opting for the latter, he leaned
down.

"A seal. Form a seal," he reminded himself, and without any more
hesitation, dove in. Her lips were slightly cold, but Ranma ignored
the feelings he was getting from his extremities, and concentrated on
getting her breathing again.

Nothing.

"Come on, Akane... come on... please! Please... don't do this..." He
tried again, not even hearing the snapping of twigs behind him from
the bushes.

"Don't." He brushed his fingers down her cheek. "Don't die on me..."

***

Nabiki looked out, over the railing, but saw only water, and the rocky
shore. Her captor had been apt when he called this place the 'Temple
of the Watery Grave.' Frustration almost came out again, and she
fought to control it. The helpless maiden role wasn't one she had ever
really expected to find herself in. She was a businesswoman. She was
independent. Ranma was as tenacious and tough as goat, and Akane...
Nabiki shook her head. Akane was alive. Ranma, Ryouga... none of her
friends would let her die out there.

She knew it well enough not to bet against seeing her little sister
soon.

Rather than getting angry with herself, or even those around her,
Nabiki took a deep breath. Mentally, she distanced herself, and tired
of looking at things from the point of view of a victim, she tried to
imagine herself as this monster-person who had kidnapped her, and
attacked people at random. No... not random. He had attacked people,
men to be specific, since Shampoo hadn't gotten involved, with
Jyusenkyou curses. There had to be a reason; some rhyme and
methodology to what he was doing.

Men.

Men with Jyusenkyou curses.

He had mentioned, in one of his more quasi-talkative moods, that he
kidnapped them to get the Jyusenkyou registry back. He was obviously
after someone who had been to Jyusenkyou, but hadn't found them yet.
He had a curse, too: a freakish curse, but still a legitimate
Jyusenkyou curse. Perhaps he had been kicked or thrown into one of the
cursed pools by this person he was looking for, and wanted revenge?

It wouldn't be the first time something like that had occurred, Nabiki
knew all too well. And if he didn't know who his attacker had been, it
would explain why he was attacking the people who had been there,
hoping to hit the one that had done it. But how would he know if it
was the right person? Someone this thorough wouldn't be content with
simply beating him a lot of people, and hoping or assuming that one of
them had been the guilty party. This kind of behavior was meticulous
and obsessive.

Then there was the matter of the pantyhose.

What did they represent? They obviously had some great significance...
something unspoken, and deeply etched into this young man's mind. He
had tied a single pair around each of his targets. Why? Was it some
kind of trademark, like a 'Z' for Zorro? If so, why did he get angry
whenever he heard the word?

"We're his insurance," she had scoffed, "Not too original, I dare say.
But it could be worse, coming from someone who seems to be obsessed
with women's pantyhose."

"Watch what you say, woman. You don't know anything." The man had
looked at her dangerously, before turning and jumping from the
railing, and into the night. Indeed, Nabiki saw now, the pantyhose
were the key here, not the man's curse. The pantyhose represented
something, something powerful, some deep and old shame, perhaps. A
woman? No... it seemed unlikely. It was too much of a stretch of the
imagination.

If he was getting revenge for losing a woman, by attacking the man who
stole her from him, or something similar, why the randomness, when he
could just look for her. Besides, when a woman leaves a man for
another, it was Nabiki's impression that he tended to obsess over her,
not the other guy. Besides, the monster-boy hardly seemed the romantic
type. He was more darkly obsessive, like Ryouga used to be.

A murder, maybe.

Perhaps an unknown visitor to Jyusenkyou murdered someone close to
him, and he wanted revenge. The pantyhose, then, could be a way of
reminding them of their crime... but why put it on everyone he
attacked? Again, the sense of random attacking, and hoping to hit the
right one didn't fit in here. No, she decided, it wasn't a murder. It
was something both simpler, and older... something that ran deep.

Pantyhose.

The pantyhose as a trademark.

Or...

"A signature!" Nabiki smiled, grimly. That had to be it! The pantyhose
either represented some kind of martial arts style or school, a
possibility, or a name. She was willing to bet on the latter. Turning
around, triumphantly, and bolstered by confidence, she saw him
struggling with tying some of the aforementioned material around the
slash on his arm.

"Cursed cross dressing faggot..." Taro grumbled, holding one end of
pantyhose in his mouth, while trying to tighten it around his arm.

"Pantyhose," Nabiki said it softly, but clearly. He looked up at her,
anger and surprise warring for prominence in his eyes.

"That's your name, isn't it?" She hoped she hadn't blundered, and
ended up looking stupid.

"Don't call me that."

"What should I call you then, huh?"

"Taro. Just... just Taro." He looked away, ashamed.

"Here." She sat down next to him. "Let me tie that."

He 'hmfed' and avoided her eyes. "It's pointless trying to get on my
good side."

"Yes, I know. You don't have a good side," Nabiki quipped, bringing a
length of the pantyhose around his neck to secure it in place.

"Tell me what happened. And why you're holding me captive." Nabiki
tightened the knot, and deciding she'd done enough, stopped. Unlike
Akane, she knew when to stop doing something. Her little sister
wouldn't stop until half her patient's arm had been mummified and
wrapped soundly enough to last a millennium.

Pantyhose Taro spoke, reluctantly, and told his story.

Nabiki listened.

"So you became this way because of Happosai." She rolled her eyes.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Yeah. But before I deal with that old man." Taro faced her for the
first time since they'd started talking. "I'm going to destroy that
stupid cross dresser."

Nabiki sighed. Ranma's natural charm had apparently once again earned
him a new 'special friend.' She watched, as Taro stood up, and walked
over to a pile of dry wood. He lit one on a nearby oil lamp, like a
torch, and started a large bonfire next to the dusty old abandoned
Temple. It caught fire remarkably quickly, and the flame and smoke
reached high.

"You're underestimating them. You don't know what they're capable of.
I'd be willing to wager that Saotome Ranma isn't the only one who
wants a piece of you, you know." Nabiki said, as they watched the
raging fire. It was a signal fire, taunting those below.

Taro lips slowly curved into a cruel smirk. "I know. In fact, I'm
counting on it."

***

"What's wrong?"

Mousse sputtered, spitting fiercely and hacking. Ukyou quickly
realized he was choking, and started slapping him on the back. The
semi-blind Amazon pointed to his mouth, and started scratching his
tongue.

"Mousse? Come on, sugar! Say something! What happened?"

"Agh! Terrible! Terrible... taste!"

Ukyou's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"Terrible taste! Burning... hurts...!"

"Now listen here, you, just what the hell is wrong with my cooking?"
Ukyou yelled, stomping her foot.

"I.... I don't know," Mousse's voice was hoarse as he spoke.
"Something awful, though."

CLANG!

"Don't blame me! That sauce was like rancid bat puke!"

"You take that back! I made it myself!!"

"Have you tasted it?" Mouse wisely backed off, out of mega-spatula
range.

"Well... no." Ukyou put her pack down, and took out the small
container of the secret sauce she had quickly taken out of her supply
from Ukyou's. She had put the ingredients together when she was a
child, and sealed it away soon after - it had tasted fine then, and it
should have turned out perfect after the required ten years. She had
taken it along to try it out. Mousse liked her cooking, and being
fairly experienced in culinary pursuits himself, he often gave good
advice. And, in a way, she liked the blind idiot.

Taking a little taste for herself, she instantly spat it out. "What
the hell?!"

"See?" Mousse stepped around where he had dropped his okonomiaki, on
the trail they were walking down. It was just terrible enough to smell
bad, too, even from such a distance and in the clean mountain air.

"This doesn't taste anything like it should! But... that's impossible!
I tasted it myself, sealed it tightly, talked to Ranma and left...
left Ranma..." Her mouth was moving but no more words came out.

"Hello? Anyone hope?" Mousse waved a hand in front of her. "Hello?"

"IT WAS RANMA!!!" Ukyou roared, startling the male Amazon.

"Ah! What? What?!"

"It was Ranma! I left him alone with the sauce... the stupid jackass
probably tried to sneak a taste, spilt it or something, and screwed it
up! Oooo!! Wait until I see that bastard again...!"

Mousse gulped. What was it about Ranma that caused so much trouble,
anyway? The guy seemed to breed misery and anger in everyone around
him. Mousse quickly gave a little laugh, and decided to steer her off
that topic for the time being. "Come on, Ukyou. We're almost there.
Forget about Saotome for now. There'll be time for that later."

"Oh, there will be. That's a promise." Ukyou sighed, and slowly became
her normal cheerful self. They walked down the trail at a brisk pace,
and below them opened a small, mist-shrouded valley. They stopped
momentarily to admire the sight.

"Wow." Ukyou looked from one end to the other. Through the mist, she
could just barely make out a small house, to the south side of the
valley. There were springs everywhere, like Swiss cheese... probably
over a hundred in all. "Just... wow."

"Kuonji Ukyou, I give you the legendary cursed training ground of
Jyusenkyou." He swept a hand from south to north. "Don't fall, now.
That would be a bad thing."

"Whatever you say, Mu-chan." Her face was almost shining, and Mousse
couldn't help but smile back.

"You know, I really should teach you some Chinese... ah well." He
shrugged. "Let's go."

"Lead the way." She stuck behind him, as they descended down the
winding path and into the valley itself. An eerie sense of unease set
in, the moment she felt herself walk into the through the Jyusenkyou
mist. Mousse had said that the place was rife with tragedy, and that
it was called cursed for good reason. But she swallowed her
discomfort, and kept going before her companion could notice any
difference. For Nanniichuan, for her closest friends in the world,
this was as nothing.

Mousse would be cured.

What he did from there, Ukyou was unsure.

Ryouga would be cured, and he'd smile. Just for her. He'd taught her
so much, and asked nothing in return except that she follow her heart
(and beat up Ranma a little). No, she would pay him back with this
cure for his curse. They would bring water for Shampoo too, of course,
though Mousse had, for a while, grumbled about it pushing her and
Ranma together. And, lastly, she would bring back the cure for her
former enemy... enemies. When Ranma and Genma were cured, it would
close the book on her association with them. She would truly be able
to start with a clean slate.

"Look! Is that the Guide?" Ukyou squinted and saw a rather plump man
in the somewhat baggy clothes of a Chinese solider. He seemed to be
with another visitor at the moment, near the periphery of the south
springs.

"That's him all right." Mousse headed over, and Ukyou followed.

"Honored guest..." The Guide spoke in Mandarin, only some of which
Ukyou picked up. "Here is the Nyannichuan, as you requested."

As they got close, Ukyou got a good look at the Guide's 'honored
guest.' He was a tall man, probably about twenty. Ornate dragon scale
plate highlighted his shoulders and arms, as well as his lower body.
He had a long cascade of stark white hair, broken by what looked like
a blue streak down the middle, branching down into two long locks that
rested on his chest. A white cape billowed around his ankles, and he
had an unspoken aura of authority and ...royalty to him. As he looked
in their direction, noticing the two teens for the first time, she saw
his green-black eyes, but they were slit, like a cat's.

He was also holding a monkey over one of the springs with one hand,
and what looked like a ladle in the other. As Mousse stopped running,
she felt his eyes pass over her, and a virtual wave of Ki energy leave
his body. He opened his hand, and the monkey fell just short of
landing in the spring, only to scamper away into the bushes.

"What's going on here?" Mousse turned the Guide.

"A woman?" The tall man was still staring at her as he spoke, in
Mandarin, and Ukyou was starting to feel uncomfortable under his gaze.

"What'd he say? Mousse, what'd he say?" She gripped her mega-spatula,
and slowly drew it. "He better quit staring at me like that!"

"He... He Prince of Musk Dynasty." The Guide took a few steps back,
and put one of his hands in his pants pocket. "You two not supposed to
be here already."

"What do you mean by that?" Mousse looked from the Guide to the
Prince, "Wait... he's Prince Herb!?"

"Are you with this woman?" Herb addressed the male Amazon, in perfect
Japanese. By his voice, he wasn't feeling particularly amicable.

"Y... Yeah," Mousse answered. Herb frowned, and with a sweep of his
hand, and a flash of crackling Ki, Mousse was knocked off his feet. He
lay where he fell, and twitched, twice, his clothes still smoking from
the power of the Ki blast.

"Well, you aren't anymore." Herb smiled, and easily avoided Ukyou's
megaspatula, which had been aimed to slice open his neck.

"Bastard!" Ukyou yelled, eyes red with rage. She moved with a speed
she had been perfecting over the course of months of the most
difficult training in her life. Her ferocity fueled her, and she
slowly pressed her opponent back, though he easily dodged all her
attacks. She was about to reach for one of her new emergency mini-
flour bombs, when a soft tap to her forehead, a pressure point,
followed by two others to the side of her face, sent her motionless to
the ground.

"Very nice." Herb, Prince of the Musk Dynasty, Descendant of Dragon,
stood over Ukyou's unconscious form. "It appears... that Jyusenkyou is
more generous than it is given credit for. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes." The Guide scowled, his eyes falling on Mousse's barely
breathing body, and back to the Dragon Lord. "Generous, indeed,
honored sir."



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