Just testing the water on this story to see if it is worth continuing
Untitled Story by skyrover7
Thoughts are in italic.
This story takes place in an alternate universe.
Explosions rocked the pirate ship as it sped through hyperspace. Damaged by Galactic Police fire, the ship had barely managed the jump. While the crew worked frantically to save the ship and themselves a young hostage was making her escape through the damaged door of her holding cell.
She ran along the shadowed corridors of the ship illuminated only by dim emergency lighting. The explosions which had weakened the locked door of her compartment allowing her escape also occupied the crew giving her time to find an escape pod.
Finding one, she slipped in, closed the hatch and hit the eject button as the ship’s damaged warp engines exploded throwing her forward to hit her head on the instrument console. With her last reserve of strength she engaged the main engines before slipping into unconsciousness as the pod hurtled out of the flaming inferno that had once been a ship.
Regaining consciousness she wiped the crusted blood out of her eyes. Looking out the view port she could see the cloud shrouded image of a green planet. Fighting the pain that ripped through her head, she glanced at the instruments. Crap! Hull integrity had been breached and she had to put the pod down fast before she was breathing space. With a quick prayer to Tsunami she strapped herself in and pointed the nose down entering the atmosphere.
The little pod shook and shuddered as design specifications were met and exceeded. With what little control she had she nosed the little ship toward the surface watching the rapidly approaching surface through the view screen and keeping an eye on the altimeter in the heads-up display. Here goes nothing. She tilted the nose up and gave the engines full power. For a moment the pod slowed and she thought she had succeeded with her maneuver, but then the engine sputtered and shut down and the pod hurtled toward the surface below.
Water geysered and turned to steam immediately from the overheated skin of the pod that crashed into the pool of water. The weakened hull broke almost in half throwing the battered and broken body of the young girl into the overheated water of the pool. She floated face down for a moment before the waters of Jusenkyo claimed another victim.
Unlike other pools, the power of Jurai blended with the chaotic magic of Jusenkyo. The pool was still cursed, but it would only claim a person of a specific lineage and would only work one time before the magic was exhausted.
The guide stood at the edge of the still bubbling pool and wondered what had happened. He was awakened by a loud crash and had rushed outside only to see the boiling surface of one of he uncursed pools. I wonder what fell in there and what the curse will be. Over the years only a few fell into the pool and had emerged uncursed and the guide soon forgot the incident and assumed the pool was still uncursed.
It was thus matters stood until a martial artist and his son began fighting on the poles over the pools never hearing the guide’s warning. The boy’s quicker reflexes allowed him to get in the first hit, knocking his father into one of the pools. Wonder what Pop is going to do now.
The water below began to roil and the form of a giant panda erupted from the pool. Momentarily startled by the sight, the panda was able to land a blow to the pony-tailed boy, hurling him across the cursed waters into what the guide thought was an uncursed pool.
The pool, though, had found an acceptable person. The Jurai powered magic began making changes at the genetic level and soon a short, busty redheaded girl fought to the surface. Unlike other pools, the magic had altered both the “normal” and cursed personas of the young boy.
And the chaotic odyssey began for the boy which led to the accidental cursing of a former classmate, the kiss of death from an amazon warrior, to an arranged engagement in Nerima and fighting a cursed Musk prince to regain his manhood. Each battle he fought made the boy and his cursed form stronger until the cursed Musk prince locks the boy’s curse. He, along with two of his rivals, follows the cursed prince and her attendants to Mount Horai where a fight which destroys half the mountain takes place.
The boy manages to unlock his curse and defeat the Musk prince. He saves the prince’s life, but in doing so falls off a precipice into a fast moving stream. His body is never recovered.
This is just the beginning of his story.
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Two years later a short, busty girl strides down the crowded sidewalks of Nerima. Her waist-length flame, red hair is tied back into a ponytail. She is wearing a loose forest green skirt that ends mid-thigh and a gold blouse with an elaborately embroidered dragon. Long-time residents nervously move out of her way while new male residents openly stare in admiration at the exotic beauty.
Occasionally, she glances down, checking directions on a hand-held device, a worried frown marking her face. Her confident pace slows as she nears her destination. Finally the device beeps indicating she has arrived. Taking a deep breath she walks up to the doorway and rings the bell.
Inside, soft footsteps can be heard moving to answer the door. After what seems like an inordinate long time the door slides open to reveal a young brown-haired woman. Her tired eyes look at the person standing outside then widen in surprise. “Ranma,” she whispers before slumping to the floor unconscious.
Crap. Just what I need. The red-head steps inside and gathers the young woman into her arms. She follows the hall into the family room where she gently places the woman on a couch. She settles to her knees to wait for the woman to return to consciousness.
After a few minutes the woman’s eyelids start to flutter and she opens them to see someone she thought had died. She sits up and reaches out a hand to touch the cheek of the red-head. “Ranma, is it really you?”
The red-head sighs. “I don’t know. I only have memories for the last two years.” She paused. “Until a month ago, I didn’t even know this place existed. Then I remembered something. A name. The Tendo Dojo.
“So far, it is the only connection to my past I have.”
She looked at the brown-haired woman quizzically and grinned. “I take it by your reaction you know me. Her smile turned sad. “I wish I could say I know you too, but…I really can’t”
“I’m sorry, Ranma,” the brown-haired woman said. “I…I’m Kasumi Tendo and I… She couldn’t finish as her eyes started to water and she burst into tears almost leaping into the red-head’s arms.
“Oh, Ranma, I’m so sorry…so, so sorry,” sobbed. “This was…no, is your home. You lived here with us, before… Again, she couldn’t continue. The red-head held her tenderly and stroked her back gently. Before long, the sobs gradually ceased and she composed herself. “Let me fix us some tea and you can tell me what’s happened to you.”
Wiping her eyes on a corner of her apron she got unsteadily to her feet and went to the kitchen. A short time later both were sitting at the table sipping tea.
“I suppose I should start with who I am now,” the red-head said. “My name is Kiyone Masaki Jurai and I have been living with my mother Tennyo and it wasn’t until we visited relatives near Okayama that I was able to investigate my memory fragment.
“You say my name was Ranma. I’m curious, what was my family name?”
“I’m sorry, Ran…”
“Kiyone, please, if you don’t mind Kasumi, the name Ranma is meaningless right now for me.”
He certainly has changed. The brash, egotistical boy has been replace by confident young woman. “I don’t mind,” Kasumi said. Your name was Ranma Saotome and you were heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Marital Arts.”
Not to be outdone in the battle of politeness, Kasumi asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, were you able to unlock your curse?”
“I assume so, even though I don’t remember it being locked. This bracelet,” she said indicating the jade bracelet on her right wrist, “allows me control, for the most part over my curse.
I can remain as I am almost indefinitely unless I get too tired and then water will still trigger the curse. The bracelet also changes my clothing so I have the proper clothing for my gender.”
Kasumi was stunned. “But Ran…Kiyone, that form is your…”
“Tadaima,” a voice called, interrupting her statement.
Kiyone looked at the dark-haired girl standing in the doorway, her mouth hanging open in shock while Kasumi was wishing she had borrowed some of her father’s sake.
All of a sudden the girl’s form blurred and Kiyone was engulfed in a super glomp with her face being kissed all over. “Ranma, you’re back, you’re really back.”
She pulled back suddenly, slapping the red-haired girl hard enough to leave the imprint of her hand. “Where have you been, baka?”
Her mouth open in shock, Kiyone rubbed her sore cheek. Glancing over to Kasumi she asked, “You mean I was a lesbian?”
“Akane, calm down, Ranma has amnesia. He…she remembers nothing before two years ago.”
Pulling back further, Akane looked deep into Ranma’s blue-gray eves seeing no recognition there. “You don’t remember me at all, do you Ranma,” she asked, her voice heavy with sadness.
Her eyes showed the sadness she was feeling even though she shed no tears. “That first year you were gone I cried almost the entire time, and then…then when I was finally convinced you had died I wanted to join you in death. If not for Kasumi and Nabiki I wouldn’t be here today to…to once again lose you.
“No, you baka, you weren’t a lesbian, you…you were my finance.”
“Kiyone, what I was trying to tell you before is that you are now in your cursed form. Your male form is your true birth gender.” Kasumi said softly.
All the blood drained from Kiyone’s face as she looked at the sisters in shock. “Kasumi…Akane, for all intents and purposes I am a girl. I have lived like this since my near lifeless body was found floating in a stream near Okayama. When I awakened I had no memories and had to relearn everything. For me, being like this is all I know. Even before I had the bracelet I stayed female as much as possible, only being male when in the furo.
“I came here hoping to connect with my past so I can lay it to rest. I did not intend to make you feel any undue pain and for that I am sorry.”
“Baka,” Akane said softly. “You never wanted to hurt anyone, it was one of your most enduring and irritating characteristics.”
She smiled, a soft, sad smile that said that told the depth of her caring for the petite red-head. “Hi,” she said, bowing to their guest. “I’m Akane Tendo, want to be friends.”
Kiyone smiled and said, “Hi, I’m Kiyone Masaki Jurai, I would love to be your friend.”