Ranma 1/2 "Translation": The Musk Dynasty

[Wei-Hwa Huang]

See the previous message
Ranma 1/2 "Translation": The Musk Dynasty (Preamble) for info.

unofficial translation
by Wei-Hwa Huang
Ranma Manga #24:1-11, #25:1-3
Last Update: 11/3/95

Preamble:
As I've done before, this is a "fan-fict" novelization of the manga, instead of
a pure translation. I've tried to maintain my feel of the characters, while not
trying to stay exactly close to the script. I actually finished this much earlier,
but I was worried that by the end I wasn't doing much description. So, use your
imagination. The responses I got were basically of two types: (a) "I love it, cause
I don't have to look back and forth between the manga and the printout," and (b)
"I hate it, because you put in all this extra junk. Well, this time I tried to
make the quotes more consistent, so a competent shell-script writer can remove all
that they want. <> denote headers and narration; [] denote liner notes (provided
at the end of the chapter; @ marks where they are); and "" are paired unless the
same character speaks in the next paragraph. I also don't translate sound effects,
just balloons (unless I want to). So you're not going to hear Mint's heartbeat
[doki doki doki] or all these impacts [baki]. Another reason to buy the manga.
Another comment. Am I stealing Viz' thunder? I don't really think so. If you
don't have the manga already and you're still reading this, you'll probably buy it
when it comes out anyway. This can't be that good of a substitute for the real
thing.
One more thing. Yes, I'm aware that translations for this have been posted to
r.a.a. But:
(1) These were written before those translations anyway;
(2) Those translations were posted without permission of the author, Sue Shambaugh;
(3) Mine are better. ^_^

I'm open to suggestions. E-mail at whu...@cco.caltech.edu.

<Chapter 1. Guests of the Nekohanten>

Shampoo was happy today. Not long ago, her great-grandmother
Cologne had told her: "Shampoo, I'm closing the Nekohanten this afternoon.
If you want, you can go out and have fun!" Shampoo, of course, was quite
delighted at this news, for it meant she could go visit Ranma. But
something didn't seem quite right. In fact, Cologne seemed quite
upset about something. So she had asked her: "Really, Grandma?" and Cologne
obligingly replied, "This afternoon there will be some dangerous characters
visiting...so it won't be a good idea for young girls to be around."
Rather puzzling, in fact. But she was an obedient great-grandchild,
and so she got on her bicycle and pedaled away.
"A date with Ranma...," she sang happily to herself as she rode
down the road.
Suddenly, Mousse jumped over a nearby wall with a bouquet in his hand.
"Shampoo!" he shouted. Shampoo took note, but blithely ignored him. He could
go to the devil.
"If you're free, could we have a date?" Mousse asked, kneeling in front
of a mailbox. Shampoo stopped and stared. As usual, Mousse had decided not
to wear his glasses again. Still, mistaking a mailbox for her was insulting!
"Where are you staring at?" she remarked, annoyed.
A swishing noise came through the air, followed by a falling net.
"Watch out, Shampoo!" Mousse cried as he lunged towards Shampoo's direction,
saving Shampoo's bicycle from the entrapments of the net.
Holding the bicycle, Mousse said, "How come you're suddenly so thin?"
Now THAT deserved a blow. Shampoo, who had avoided the net herself, gave Mousse
a good whack on the head, exclaiming, "Are you going to mistake random
objects for me forever?"
A rustle came from the direction the net had came from. Both Shampoo
and Mousse perked up at the lone figure silhouetted against the sun's rays,
apparently the source of the net. "Who are you?" Shampoo ventured.
Focus. Apparently a young man, of 14 or so, wearing a wolf pelt over
his head and armed with a fierce-looking sword sheathed in a scabbard behind
his back. He was dressed in distinctively Chinese-looking clothes, and his
eyes showed hidden ferocity.
"You are a female.
"This is my first encounter with a female." The stranger's fists twitched,
as if he was nervous while trying to act impressive.
Mousse finally decided to put on his glasses. "Huh?"
Shampoo commented, "Why, he's younger than I am!"
The stranger held up a giant mallet (from nowhere, it seems) and
approached Shampoo. "Um, if it is convienent, please consider dating me," he
droned on in that monotonous tone of his, all the while ready to knock
Shampoo's head with the mallet.
"Somehow, your words don't exactly match your actions," Shampoo
noted dryly.
Then Mousse cut in. "Hey, you, stop it," he said with an accompanying
blow to the stranger's head. The stranger took a step back.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the one who's telling you to stay away from Shampoo!"
"So, you dare to intervene, do you?" the stranger said, and disappeared.
"What the..." Mousse was able to say before, suddenly, from behind him,
the strange person spun his hands at lightning speed, hurling scads of little
daggers in Mousse's direction. "Rouga Ryousei Dan!@" he cried.
Shampoo gasped. "Mousse...!"

*************************************************************************

<At about the same time,> Ryoga was hiding behind a corner, waiting for
Akane to approach on her normal route home from school.
He took a peek around the corner. "Akane's coming," he thought as he
heard Akane whistling to herself.
"Today, Ryoga," he thought to himself, "today's the day you'll reveal
your true feelings to her."
But before Akane could reach the corner, a <growling> sound came from
the wall beside her. Sections of plaster bulged out in a roughly spherical
shape, when suddenly it burst open, revealing a strange male clad in
armor with a tiger-skin motif. He came out, looking straight at Akane.
"A...a female!?"
"Who...who are you?" Akane asked, a beat of sweat forming along side
her head.
"This is my first time speaking to a female," the person apostrophized.
As if talking to himself, he continued, "Okay, now I have to ask her
out!" He approached Akane, hands lifing as if to strangle her.
This was getting scary. Akane slowly lifted an arm in defense, when
suddenly Ryoga hit the stranger's head from behind. "Hey! Who are you and
what do you want?"
"Ryoga,..." Akane said as she slowly edged towards Ryoga.
"Molester!" Ryoga said to the stranger, still stunned from the blow in
the back of his head.
"You dare to even THINK of approaching Akane! I won't forgive you for
this!"
"Oh?" the stranger said, now quite alert. He lifted his hand...
"Ryoga!" Akane screamed.

***************************************************************

Ranma was walking home from school by HIS usual route, which consisted
mostly of walls and roofs. Walking over one wall, he suddenly noticed a body
embedded in the accompanying road.
"Ryoga!?" he said, jumping down to investigate. Next to Ryoga's body
was a satchel. He took a closer look. It was <Akane's bookbag,> with her
little fuzzy rabbit-that-looked-like-a-cat doll attached to the side.
Ryoga had obviously been beaten heavily. Ranma lifted him up from the
body-shaped hole. <The whites of his eyes were showing.> "Hey! Wake up,
Ryoga!" Ranma slapped Ryoga's face a few times. Then he slapped Ryoga's head
a few times. Finally, Ryoga regained consciousness. "Akane!" he exclaimed.

**********************************************************

"What? Akane's been kidnapped? Where? By who?"
"I...don't know...but he's...he...really powerful...inhuman..." Ryoga explained,
still a bit groggy from the single blow in which the tiger-boy had shoved his
body into the pavement. They advanced down the street, rounding another
corner.
"What the?"
"Mousse?" Mousse lay attached to a nearby wall, face towards the wall,
by 14 little daggers. His flowing robes obviouly made this a simple thing.
"Sha...Shampoo..." he moaned.
After the daggers were removed, Mousse started explaining.
"So let's get this straight: you were beat by a KID?" Ranma asked.
"What kind of a fighter are you?" That was Ryoga.
"It's not that simple," Mousse continued, "that kid was faster
than anyone I've ever seen..."
A recognizing flash appeared in Ryoga's and Ranma's eyes.
"And so...and so Shampoo..." Mousse continued.
"...got taken away too?" Ryoga and Ranma exclaimed.
"No. Actually, she willingly went with them. 'Oh, so you're the
Nekohanten mystery guest!' she said to one of them. That person, whose name
I later learned was Mint@, shyly said, 'Uh, yeah, I guess so. Oh! Lime!' Then
this other guy in this tiger getup..."
"We've met," Ryoga interjected.
"...came and said, 'Oh, Mint! I got a female here!' I think I heard
Akane struggling in his arms."
"So, what you're saying is, they're all headed towards the Nekohanten?"
Ryoga asked. Mousse nodded in response.

***********************************************************************

"The Musk [Jyakou] Dynasty," Cologne said, "I thought you were destroyed
long ago. Never believed for a moment that there'd still be some of you
remaining," she remarked to the shrouded guest drinking tea at her table
in the Nekohanten.
The guest said nothing. Both of them stared at a water pail,
embellished with Oriental designs, and the matching dipper sitting on a map.
"Granny! We're back!" Shampoo said as she entered the room.
"Master Herb!" Mint cried in greeting to the hooded figure.
"Let...me...GO!" Akane screamed, struggling on Lime's strong arms.
"Hey, Herb! Not only do we have girls to play with, but we can also
sit down and have tea with them!" Lime said, ignoring Akane's kicks.
Herb stood up. "Get ready to leave, Lime. You too, Mint. I know
where it is now."
"What? So soon?" Mint whined.
"Come on, at least a bit of tea..." Lime complained.
"We're very busy on this trip." In one move, Herb lifted Akane from
Lime's shoulder by one grasp on her back. "Oh, and things like this...
"...should be kept as far as possible!" Herb finished as one swoop of
the hand sent Akane flying across the room towards the exit, much to Lime's
dismay.
Akane started to scream...and found herself caught by a pair of arms.
Ranma's arms.

************************************************************************

Ranma and Herb exchanged glances.
"Oh, Ranma..." Akane said as Ranma let her down.
"Are you all right, Akane?" Ryoga asked.
Ranma continued to stare straight ahead at Herb's position.
Herb walked past Ranma's gaze and towards the exit. "Let's go!
Mint! Lime!"
"Wait," Ranma said, eyes still staring forward.
"What?" Herb said impatiently.
"This girl may not be cute, she may not be likeable, and she may
not be demure...but just then," he said as he turned around slowly to gaze
at Herb, "just then, you have done something you should not have done."
Akane stared at Ranma, not quite knowing what to make of it.
Suddenly, Ranma rushed full force towards the shrouded stranger,
shouting "This is for Akane!"
Herb's lips lifted up slightly.
Cologne jumped up. "Great-grandson-in-law, NO! DON'T ATTACK!"

[Translator's Note: "Rouga Ryousei Dan" = "Wolf-tooth Streaming-Star Projectile"
= "Canine Comet Technique"]
[Just as an example of how much I've changed the original, that encounter between
Lime and Mousse actually went:
M: "Hey, you!"
L: "Who is before me?"
M: "You're a century too early to be chasing Shampoo!"
L: "..(you) are a hindrance (to me)..."
M: "(He) disappeared!"]
[Herb, Lime, and Mint's names are just Chinese characters chosen to look like
a Chinese name but sound like an English pun.]

***************************************************************************

<Chapter 2. Born to be Wild>

"Great-grandson-in-law, NO! Don't attack!"
"SHUSH!" Ranma said as he rushed towards the cloaked figure called
Herb. He threw out a left punch into the flowing robes, but Herb blocked the
move--and with a right sweep of the arm, sent Ranma flying towards the ceiling,
knocking his head on a beam.
Ranma's "friends" gasped. To see Ranma so easily hit by anyone was
a shock. There scarely had time to think before Ranma hit the floor.
"Idiot," Herb muttered, walking towards the exit. Suddenly detecting
Ranma on his feet and attacking again, Herb intoned another line: "Fine. You
asked for this, you little bug..."
Ranma lunged again. Herb sidestepped the move and advanced position,
and suddenly Ranma found himself dodging something that almost felt
like machine gun fire.
"Those punches are faster than the eye can follow," Ryoga and Mousse
noted dreadfully with awe.
"It's over," Herb announced, and threw one last punch...at air.
"NO! Not quite!" Ryoga and Mousse shouted. For Ranma had thrown his
torso to the floor, and using the ground as leverage, swung his powerful feet
straight up towards Herb's chin. Herb stepped back in time, but damage was
done; a large tear appeared on the cloak.
"Damn!" Herb said, pulling the shroud closer and aimed one kick towards
the defenseless Ranma. Ranma rolled away and barely dodged the blow. He made
one desperate lunge out...and pulled Herb's shroud completely away.
The crowd gasped. Ranma's move had revealed that behind the reptilian
eyes, Herb was...

"A girl!?" the group exclaimed in unison.
Lime had a finger to his chin. "Uh, Master Herb..." Mint started to
say. Apparently they were also surprised. Herb's face reddened.
Ranma stood up. Herb's clothing could be seen more clearly now. She
was wearing a loose suit of Chinese robes, with dragon-scaled shoulder,
forearm, and knee pads that matched the low-drooping belt she wore. Her long
whitish blue hair was tied in a simple ponytail behind her. The left breast
flap, which had been dislodged by Ranma, she reattached now.
Herb narrowed her eyes. "You've...made me REALLY angry!" she shouted
as thrust forward an outstreched hand, creating a force that sent Ranma flying
into the air.
"What a powerful *ki*@," Ryoga and Mousse marveled.
Herb somersaulted into the air above Ranma. "Secret Technique --
Ryusei Hishou!@" she declared as in one graceful motion, she swooped in an
approximate circle around Ranma, hitting him three times on the knee, cheek,
and chest.
"What kind of technique is this?" Ryoga blurted out.
"Her..her entire body just defied gravity!" Akane exclaimed.
Ranma had no time nor energy to say anything. He fell down, right on
top of a water bucket, knocking the water all over her. Herb alighted
daintily on the floor.
"Damn..." Ranma muttered as she got up.
"Woah!" Mint exclaimed, "He turned...turned into a girl!" Lime was
speechless.
Even Herb showed some surprise. "You...you...
"Interesting," Herb said. "Mint! Bring me the Chisuitoo@!"
"Y...yes!" Mint picked up the bucket from the table and handed
it out to Herb. Herb took it over, ladled a dipperful of water from the bucket
and held it up.
"What do you plan to do?" Cologne asked from the table.
SPLASH! Herb flung to water all over Ranma. "Be happy that you still
live," she said condescendingly to Ranma. "Lime! Mint! Let's go!"
"Yes!" the two chanted in unison. Mint carrying the strange water
bucket, Lime carring the rest of their posessions, the trio walked out the door.
Lime shot a glace back at Ranma. Herb never looked back.
"Wait!" Ranma said, "We're not finished yet...unhh..." before she
fainted away.

****************************************************************************

Dusk came. Ranma had been moved on top of one of the tables, laid
flat on her back as Akane and Shampoo checked her condition. The other two
males sat at another table with Cologne.
"So, granny, who were those people?" Ryoga asked. "The speed of that
little twerp, the strength of that strange boy, and that trick that the girl
did in mid-air...it's not humanly possible!"
Cologne took a deep breath. "They're descendants of the Musk Dynasty,"
she explained.
"Musk Dynasty?"
"A stag, male-only troupe that developed the Shookei Ken@ to its
ultimate limits."
The girls joined the conversation. "Shookei Ken?" Akane asked.
"A fighting technique that emulates the form and motion of animals,"
Shampoo explained.
Cologne nodded, and continued. "The Musk troupe trained deep in the
mountains, researching animal instincts and specialties...and finally became
one with the animals."
"Wh..what does that mean?" Ryoga asked.
"It means they took the animals they defeated, and doused them in the
Nyannichuan in Jusenkyo. After they became female humans, they mated with
them to create further posterity.
"Wh..what!?" Ryoga exclaimed.
"...took the animals..." Mousse gaped.
"...mated with them?"
"Yes," Cologne affirmed, "and so they all have wild animal abilities
in their vein. In any case...
"That girl here earlier is called Herb. Apparently the next in the
imperial line of the Musk Dynasty. It is said that the entire imperial lineage
had a dragonic ancestor and are therefore all very difficult to defeat."
"Very interesting..." a voice came from the corner.
"Son-in-law! I see you're awake."
"I don't care if she's a dragon's descendant or a dragon's bastard.
I'm not going to let her get away like that."
"But Ranma," Akane said, "she's defeated you squarely already. Why..."
"Forget it, Akane," Cologne interrupted, "even if you didn't want to
right her again, Ranma,...a rematch is inevitable."

***************************************************************************

After dinner in the Tendo household, Akane told her oldest sister
Kasumi, Mr. Saotome, and her father about all that had happened during the
afternoon.
"Is that so..." Soun said.
"Where is Ranma now?" Kasumi asked Akane. She was almost finished with
the apple she was peeling.
"Taking a bath," Akane replied.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!"
Everyone rushed to the bathroom.
[WHAT IS IT, RANMA?] the panda signed.
"What happened?" Soun said as he slid open the bathroom door.
Ranma was shaking in the beathtub. She turned around slowly.
"I'm in hot water right now...but I havn't turned male..."
"WHAT!?"

[Translator Notes: Ki = aura. The word literally means gas, but it refers to
a property in martial arts. It can refer to a person's "battle aura," a
general body aura created by anger and/or determination; or it can refer to
a specific force that manages to do damage without physical contact, like an
air blast.]
[Translator Notes: Ryusei Hishoo = Dragon-Essence Fly-Soaring]
[Ramble: Did you notice that when Ranma is thrown up in the air for the last
time, you can see some signs in the Nekohanten? I found:
*** Raw Shrimp -- 800 yen
Fragrant Duck in Wine Sauce -- 1200 yen
Cooked *****meat Rice -- 700 yen
Thick Waterwar Soup -- 700 yen
Fried Rice -- 600 yen
Szechuan ***** fried noodles -- 750 yen]
[Translator Notes: Shookei Ken = Similarity-Form Fist]
[Chisuiton = stop-water-pail = stagnant water-pail (probably a double
entendre) This is the Chinese pronunciation of the words.]

************************************************************************

Chapter 3. Lost Treasures

"Why? Why? Why?" Ranma thought, shivering in the hot water.
Involuntarily, tears started flowing down her eyes as Soun, Akane, and the
panda came into the room.
The sound of running footsteps came from the hall. They grew
louder until Shampoo and Cologne burst in the doorway.
"Ranma," Shampoo asked, "is it true that you can't turn back into a
man, right?"
"Indeed," Cologne noted, "it seems as if what I was worrying about
has come true."
Wiping some of his own tears, Soun poured some more hot water on the
forlorn Ranma. No effect.
"Granny," Akane asked, "do you know why?"
"Um." Cologne nodded. "Do you remember that fight this afternoon?
Herb flicked some water from the Chisuiton onto Ranma. That's the cause of
this."

************************************************************************

After Ranma had calmed down and gotten dressed, they all went to the
Tendo dojo to discuss. "Chisuiton?"
Cologne started explaining. "It's one of the treasures of the Musk
Dynasty. Apparently anything hit with the water in the Chisuiton will be locked
in its current form. According to legend, after they pushed animals into the
nyannichuan@, they would use the chisuiton water on the females. That way
the animal would stay a female forever."
Those last four words, "stay a female forever," shocked the rest of
the audience.
"Isn't there a cure?" Ranma shouted feverishly.
"Well, yes," Cologne said, "supposedly the Musk dynasty also has
another treasure that counteracts the Chisuiton. It is called the Kaisuihuu.
The hot water from the kaisuihuu cancels out the Chisuiton's effect. However,
throughout the long sequence of dynasties and revolutions in China, the
kaisuihuu has been passed from person to person. Apparently it is now hidden
somewhere in Japan. Herb and entourage are here to reclaim it."
"In short, the water in this kaisuihuu turns me back into a male,
right?"
Cologne nodded.
"All right!" Akane said, relieved.
"Okay," Ranma continued, "Grandma, can you tell me where the
kaisuihuu is?"
Cologne sweated. "To get the kaisuihuu, you must fight Herb again..."
"Of course I do," Ranma replied haughtily, "to get back at what she
did to me."
"Easier said than done," Cologne said, "Are you sure you can defeat
her, great-grandson-in-law?"
Ranma started to speak, but a pair of voices came from the back of the
room with her words: "No matter what, we've got to go with you."
Everyone turned.
"We've heard everything."
"Let us help you."
"Ryoga..." Akane noticed.
"Mousse." Shampoo identified the second speaker.
Ryoga and Mousse approached. Ryoga patted Ranma's back. "I'm so
sorry for you, Ranma," he said. Mousse put a hand on Soun's shoulder. "A
young girl like you traveling all alone will be dangerous." "Hey!" Soun
said.
Ranma felt suspicious. "Ryoga, are you feverish or something?"
Akane approached Ryoga. "Thank you so very much, Ryoga...you sure
are a true friend to Ranma..."
"Hahaha, of course, of course," Ryoga said, patting Ranma's head.
"Mousse," Shampoo said, "I've never thought of you as a person who
valued friendship so highly..."
"Hahaha, well, you do now," Mouse said, donning his glasses.
Both boys secretly thought to themselves: "I could care less about
the kaisuihuu. The real goal is to get the chisuiton. If I can get that, I can
finally get rid of this stupid curse. AND be able to get rid of Ranma in the
bargain. And then I can finally live happily ever after with Akane/Shampoo..."
Akane and Shampoo wondered why the boys were acting so strangely.
"Strange," Cologne commented to herself, "the kaisuihuu has been lost
for centuries without interference. How come suddenly there's such an interest
in it...?"

**************************************************************************

Lime and Mint peered out from behind a tree. Like nervous animals,
they stared intently at their prey and prepared to advance.
"Look," Lime said, "the proprietor of that shop is a female."
"Lime," Mint replied, "this is the first time we've ever tried
buying food from a female..."
"I know, I know...just stay calm, Mint. Let's go."
They approached.
Mint tried to act natural. "I...uh..."
Lime's teeth chattered as an involuntary <growl> came from his throat.
"Welcome," the girl shopkeeper said, looking up from the book she
was reading.
"We've spoken to a girl!"
"Hah?"
"Oh," Mint started to rummage in his coat, "this...um...can you sign
my autograph book as a souvenir?"
"Mint, you cheater! Well then, can I shake your hand?"
"Me too!"
"Is this a joke?"

***********************************************************************

Herb ruminated, resting with her back against a tree. "That kaisuihuu,"
she thought to herself, "we've got to get it quickly..."
"Master Herb! Master Herb!"
"We bought some bread and milk from a GIRL!"
Herb grunted acknowledgement, and started eating the nourishment.
Meanwhile, Lime and Mint started talking to each other secretly.
"Lime, isn't it really surprising?"
"Um," Lime said, "I've never seen Master Herb's body either..."
"Master Herb's very beautiful...what are those two lumps on her chest?"
"That? I've heard that they're called 'breasts.'"
"Breasts?@"
"Hm...very strange indeed. I've also heard that breasts are only
found on female chests..." Lime stole a glance at Herb.
"FEMALE chests?" Mint exclaimed.
Herb crushed the milk carton in her right hand, spewing milk
into the air. "WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP!" she shouted, sending out a ki blast with
her outstreched hand, spewing Lime and Mint into the air.
Herb ruminated. "That ill-mannered bastard," she said as she thought
of Ranma, "I've never been so embarrassed in my life. I'll never forgive him
for that. I hope he stays a female FOREVER!"

**************************************************************************

Ranma sneezed as she continued to pack.
Akane came in and watched as Ranma placed clothes into her backpack.
"Ranma?"
Ranma looked up at Akane, and continued to pack.
Akane sat down and started to help him.
"I'm sorry," Akane broke the silence, "it's all because of me, isn't it."
"No, it's between me and Herb," Ranma replied nonchalantly, "it has
nothing to do with you."
"But..."
"What, are you actually afraid I'll lose to her?"
"No! I mean, no, you'll win, but..." Akane's voice trailed off.
"That's good," she thought, looking at Ranma's determined face, "Ranma's
still as certain as ever. Looking at her, she can't lose..."
"RANMA!" Soun shouted out of nowhere, "if you stay female forever,
we'll have to find a husband for you!!!"
"Shut up!"

***********************************************************************

"Let's go!" Ryoga announced.
"Yes!" Ranma agreed, backpack in place.
Ranma looked back at the Tendo doorway. Cologne was lost in thought.
Shampoo waved her handkerchief goodbye. The pande shed a tear as Soun wiped
his off. "Just wait," Ranma thought, "I'll come back a man."
"Good luck, Ranma," Akane thought as stared with hope, "I believe
in you."

*************************************************************************

Clackety-clack. Clackety-clack.
<And a new journey begins...>
"Just like a field trip, isn't it?"
"Shut up, Ryoga. You guys seem a bit too happy if you ask me..."
"Looks like you just picked the old maid again, Ranma..."

[Kaisuihuu = open-water-pot = boiled water-pot. Also the Chinese
pronunciation.]
[Nyannichuan = female-drown-spring (where Ranma's curse came from, but you
know that)]
["Breasts?" = "chichi" in Japanese. "Chichi" can also mean "father" in
Japanese, so Mint says something to the effect of "Father? A father
on her chest?"]

**************************************************************************

<Chapter 4. Woman-to-woman! Battlefield: Open-air bath!>

"Another traveling group!"
"Welcome!" Ranma said happily in a traditional kimono as she
carried a stack of dirty bowls to the new group entering the <Imojuru@
Hotel>. The group was working at this traditional Japanese hostel for
a time period. While Ryoga and Mousse labored behind the back, Ranma
was servicing customers.
The head servant reminded Ranma, "Please don't forget to clean the
open-air bath!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Ranma obeyed, seemingly happily. But her face dropped
immediately as she left the room.

************************************************************************

Ryoga looked at the log piece in front of him. He put out two
fingers and touched the log at a specific point. The log split cleanly into
two halves. He took another piece of log and repeated the process. Splitting
logs was easier for him with the bakusaitenketsu than anyone else, but it
was still menial work.
Mousse walked by, carring a crate of empty beer bottles to the trash
heap. Both boys were wearing traditional yukata, with potato patterns similar
to Ranma's, with 'Imojuro' printed on the back.
"Hey," Ryoga commented rhetorically, "why do we have to work at this
dinky little hotel?"
"Can't help it," Mousse said. "We don't have any money."
"Right. What was it? I said 'Hey! Mousse! Don't lose the money or
the treasure map!' And you said 'Don't worry, it's all in my backpack!' And
what happened next time the train stopped? Your 'backpack' turned out to be
the tanuki statue from the last place we visited! You not only lost the
money, but you also lost the map, myopic-boy!"
"Hey! I didn't do it on purpose!"
"You want to make something of it?"
"Come on, put up your dukes!"
SPLASH!
"Quack!" "Oink!"
Ranma stood there, twirling the emptied bucket on her finger. "I feel
like such an idiot bringing you two along. Really. Anyway, now that we've
lost the map, we've got to find and follow them. To turn back into a
male, I *have* to get the kaisuihuu!!"

***************************************************************************

Lime <growled> as he peered over a rock with Mint. They were in
the open-faced bath room, blue sky above their heads. The tub was surrounded
by uneven rocks, giving it the impression of a natural spring. A servant
was scrubbing the surrounding ground with a broom.
Mint spoke. "Master Herb's really pretty when she's naked..."
Lime nodded in assent. The duo was trying to spy on Herb as she
lowered herself into the hot water.
Unsuccessfully. "STOP SPYING ON ME!" Herb shouted, blasting Lime
and Mint away.
The servant noticed the two shapes flying into the air. "Hm?" Ranma
put down the broom. She approached stealthily along a rock to get a good view
of the bath, and noticed Herb. "Aha!"
Herb noticed a voice behind her saying, "It's as easy as taking candy
from a baby..." Herb turned around to notice something hanging from a tree
branch.
"My clothes!"
"If you want your clothes back, you must reveal the location of the
secret kaisuihuu..."
"This voice I've heard before. It belongs to the male/female called
Ranma who showed disrespect for me. Extreme disrespect. Well, she's driving
me TOO FAR!!" Herb let out a blast towards the direction of Ranma. The rocks
disintegrated, burying Ranma in the avalanche. Herb slowly got out of the
water, and approached Ranma's crushed kimono. "Idiot," she said as she
lifted up the clothes...to find that the body had turned into a
giant log of wood. "A bodyswitch!@" Herb felt a gust from above.
Ranma was falling from the air in attack position. "Looks like I'm
going to have to convince you by force!"
"Force? Hmph, that's a side-splitter..." Herb suddenly took note of
Ranma's body, falling down at her, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts...and
she barely had time to avoid Ranma's outstretched foot as it grazed her
forearm.
"Missed!" Ranma thought as her foot connected with the rock Herb
jumped away from, shattering it. She immediately did a 180. "Trying to
escape, eh?"
"Don't come near me!" Herb's face reddened. She heard voices right
behind her.
"Hey! Aren't these Master Herb's clothes?"
"Isn't Master Herb still in the bath?"
A well-placed kick sent Lime and Mint flying while Herb quickly donned
her clothes. She threw the potato kimono at the approaching Ranma. "Put
it on, you shameless insect?"
Ranma did so. <Strange>, she noticed, <how come Herb is blushing?>
Mousse and Ryoga, human again, watched from the pool. "Pff," Mousse
said, donning his glasses, "what a boring fight." Ryoga said nothing, but he
held his nose in an effort to stop the stream of blood pouring from it.
"And now," Herb said, launching herself into the air, "Secret Technique
ryusei hishou!"
<Ryusei hishou?> Ryoga and Mousse thought. <This was the strange
air move that defeated Ranma last time...her direction is completely
unpredictable, so the opponent has no idea where the attack is coming from.>
"I know how I can defeat your Ryusei hishou!" Ranma said as she
propelled herself forward.
"Hah!" Herb launched herself forward. Again Herb followed a wavy,
graceful arc across the air. Ranma threw a punch...and came up empty.
All Ryoga and Mousse could see were two splashes in the water. "Did
they fall in the bath?"
Herb landed on a rock formation far from Ranma as Ranma found a
foothold on the now disentigrating rock that Herb had flown over. "Well,
Herb? Didn't hit me, did you?"
<Damn!>, Herb thought, <Using the Ryusei hishou here just...>
"Now," Ranma said, "it's MY turn to attack!" She lurched forward...
and a giant piece of rock fell on her head. Ranma fell unconscious into the
water.
Herb towered over the unconscious Ranma in the water. "Hmph, looks
like Lady Luck doesn't like you today. Now," she said as she raised a hand
and powered it up, "I'll just ki..."
"Master Herb!" Suddenly Lime and Mint were standing next to Ranma
in the water. "Look! She's got BREASTS!" "Is it okay if we touch them?"
"STOP ALREADY!!" Herb said as she blasted the duo away.
Ranma woke up. "Funny," she said as she stood up straight in the
water, "I thought something was strange." Herb flinched. "Herb, could it
be that you're..."
"STOP TALKING!!" Herb blasted Ranma away into the air.
"Herb's what?" Mousse said, his head underneath a rock.
"Glub." Ryoga replied.

***********************************************************************

"Master Herb, aren't we going to live in a hotel tonight?"
"Shut up. Can't you two be quiet for a change?"
Herb and entourage walked briskly out the hotel, Herb in a shroud,
Mint with his sword on his back, Lime with their posessions.

*********************************************************************

"They're getting away!"
"Come on, we've got to get the kaisuihuu!"
Ranma and entourage walked briskly out the hotel, Ranma with her
backpack, Ryoga with his backpack, Mousse with a mailbox.

*********************************************************************

<Go ahead and chase me, Ranma>, Herb thought, <I'll make sure you
won't survive past where the treasure is...>

[A great collage of all the characters in Western formal clothing appears at
the beginning of this chapter and in color on the back of the Tankoubon.
Have you ever noticed how much Ryoga looks like Ranma without his bandanna?]
[Imojuro=Potato hotel]
[bodyswitch = now-famous ninja technique of replacing yourself with a giant
block of wood.]

**********************************************************************

<Chapter 5. Chase on Mount Hoorai>

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"
The old man cupped a palm to his ear as he strained to hear the
strangers.
"These people!" Ryoga pointed to the crudely drawn picture of
Herb, Lime, and Mint that Mousse was holding up to the eyeglassed old
farmer.
"This trio!" Ranma shouted.
"Have they been - through - here?"
"Have - YOU - SEEN - THEM?"
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?"
"THESE -- PEOPLE !!!!"
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?"

************************************************************************

"Ahhhhhhhhh........these people."
Ryoga put down the megaphone. Ranma put down her microphone.
"Lemme say something first. Don't follow them to Mount Hourai."
"Mount Hourai?@"
"There are all these frightening monsters that inhabit Mount
Hourai. No one has returned from the mountain unscathed..."

***********************************************************************

"There it is! Mount Hoorai!" Ranma announced as they spotted
a tall, mist-covered mountain in the distance. They approached a rope
bridge that seemed to stretch from the cliffs they were at to the
mountain in the distance, although the actual end was invisible. It shook
wildly as it creaked over a seemingly infinitely deep gorge, all covered in
mist.
<On that mountain somewhere,> thought Ranma, <is the kaisuihuu that
will turn me back into a man...> "Let's go!"
"Of course!" Ryoga said. The trio ran across the rope bridge.
The mountain in the distance seemed to get higher and higher, steeper
and steeper as they approached it...

************************************************************************

Creak.
Ranma, Ryoga, and Mousse stared at the mountain wall in front of
them.
"The mountainside is completely vertical..."
"Did they climb up this?"
"Look!" A shadow could be seen up there in the mists. Mousse
put on his glasses. Two shadows, one small and lithe, one large and boxy...
no, three shadows. Herb, Lime, and Mint as they jumped with quick bounds
up the vertical mountainface.
"My gosh," Mousse said, "They're just jumping up..."
"If they can do it, we can do it!" Ranma said confidently as
started jumping.

**************************************************************************

Herb reached the top of the plateau. A small
field of grass was growing there. The cold wind from the valley was
blowing steadily upwards.
Lime climbed over the cliff, closely followed by Mint, who
smelled something. He looked over the cliff. "Master Herb, they're chasing
us up the cliff."
"Let them. We first find the kaisuihuu hidden in the mountain, then
we can come back and play with Ranma and company. Let's go."
The trio continued walking, and entered a dark patch of woods.
The woods rustled. "Hm?"
Suddenly, hundreds of pairs of eyes and gaping jaws stared
out at them.
"That's right. Remember the old farmer we asked directions from?
He said there were monsters here..."
The rustling got louder, accompanied by chattering...

*************************************************************************

Ranma, Ryoga, and Mousse slowly ascended the rock face. Mousse
sent out a grappling hook.
"Hey," Ranma said, "move up, Ryoga!"
"Dammit," Ryoga commented, "we'll never reach them at this rate...
all right, let me try this." Ryoga pointed out a finger to the rock face.
"Bakusaidenketsu!"
BOOM!
"You idiot! How the hell is blowing up the rock face supposed to
help us climb it!?"

************************************************************************

Mint's sword flashed through the air in all directions. Lime
uprooted a tree and started swinging it around.
The forest brightened as trees started falling down. The chattering
and light revealed many creatures cowering in fear. "Hm?"
"Monkeys?" Mint noted.
"So," Herb smiled, "are these the 'monsters' we've been warned about?"
The monkeys attacked...and stopped. <Monkeys have an innate
instinct for danger. They know quite well to shy away from fights they
will lose, and they dare not attack animals more dangerous than them...>in
this case, a wolf, a tiger, and a dragon.
Herb lifted a palm and charged up a ki blast, and sent it towards the
monkeys. The monkeys beat a hasty retreat and jumped back into the forest.
"Master Herb," Lime noted, "the monkeys are all completely still..."
"I think they're afraid of us," Mint stated.
"Shut up," Herb said, "and stop talking about monkeys. They
disgust me."

**********************************************************************

<On the other hand,> Ranma, Mousse, and Ryoga gasped for air
as they finally cleared the cliffs. "Made it," Ranma panted as she
crawled up the grass. "Hm? I feel as if we're being watched..."
A troupe of eyes approached, watching the trio.
"Monkeys?" Mousse noted.
<Monkeys have an innate instinct for danger. They know quite well
to shy away from fights they will lose>, and they dare not attack animals
more dangerous than them. But when they sense a cute girl, little black pig,
and a near-sighted duck, that's another story. <They can win this one.>
"They're attacking!"
"Ow!"
"Stupid monkeys!"
"That hurt!"
"Get off of me...!"

***********************************************************************

Herb looked around. The top of the mountain, through the mist,
seemed to show the silhouette of a giant teapot. Mint was rummaging around
in a cave on the mountainside. Lime was taking the chisuiton and gingerly
balancing the dipper on the horizontal bar.
"Nope, it's not moving," Lime said, looking up at Herb, "there's
no response around this area."
"Hmm..." Herb said, lost in thought.
"Master Herb!" Mint called from the cave. "Your bed is prepared."
"Alright," Herb said, "you two continue searching for the kaisuihuu.
I'm going to nap for a while...I've used up a lot of 'ki' today."
"Yes, Master Herb." Lime said. "Please rest."
"You've been using a lot of ki blasts since you've come to Japan,"
Mint commented.

**********************************************************************

"Whew," Herb wiped her forehead as she lay down on the bed. She let
out a long breath, and started to fall asleep.
"Oo, female sleeping position..."
"When females fall asleep, do their breasts fall asleep too?"
"GO LOOK FOR THE POT ALREADY!" Herb blasted the duo into the air
yet again.

***********************************************************************

"Dammit," Ranma said, "when we were fighting those stupid monkeys,
we lost their trail."
"With such a large forest," Ryoga wondered out loud, "how are we ever
going to find three people?"
"With such a large forest," a voice said from the next clearing, "how
are we ever going to find a little pot, Lime?"
"Um, I think we might as well give up, Mint."
Thump. Ranma and Co. keeled over. <What luck! And not only that,
but they have the pail that can let us keep our male bodies forever!> Ryoga
and Mousse thought.
Suddenly, Ranma felt a fist and elbow knocking her unconscious
into the ground.
"Sorry, Ranma, you'll just have to sleep for a while," Ryoga said.
"We never really cared about your kaisuihuu," Mousse said as they
walked throught the clearing...

***************************************************************************

Lime and Mint heard a rustle behind them. "Wait!" a pair of voices
said.
Two boys were stading there. The long-haired one with long robes
that Mint met earlier said, "Give us the chisuiton and you won't get hurt."
"Otherwise, we'll have to use force to take it from you," the one
wearing a bandanna that Lime had met said.
Lime and Mint narrowed their eyes. "By force? Hehehe..."
Ryoga cracked his knuckles.
A cicada chirped in the distance.

[Hourai = "Treasure-come"]

**************************************************************************

<Chapter 6. Death on Mount Hourai>

Ryoga and Mousse stared at Lime and Mint. The Chisuiton was set
on a rock outcropping behind them.
Ryoga thought back to the first time he met Lime. "Not only am I
going to take the pail from you," he said to Lime, "but I am going to
exact revenge for the shame you dealt me in front of Akane..."
"You backstabbed me on our first meeting," Mousse told Mint, "but
still I was embarrassed in front of Shampoo..."
"...and we will get our revenge!!" Ryoga and Mousse attacked. Mint
rose into the air to meet Mousse as Mousse displayed blades from his sleeves.
Ryoga and Lime put up their fists as they approached each other on the ground.
Lime punched out with his left fist as Ryoga let loose with his
right. Lime's shot hit space while Ryoga found himself almost running into
Lime's right forearm. Ryoga protected his face with crossed forearms as the
force from Lime's bicep propelled Ryoga off the ground. Ryoga groaned as he
landed nimbly on the ground, massaging his left forearm, which had taken
the brunt of the pressure. Lime <growled> as he ran in for another
attack.
Lime let out a swift right towards Ryoga's feet as Ryoga leaped up
just in time. As the rock Lime hit fractured and broke, Ryoga landed full
force with his knee on the back of Lime's neck, pushing him into the ground.
Ryoga jumped away as Lime extricated himself from the rubble.
"Hmph," Lime said, "that didn't hurt at all."
<Damn this tiger-boy>, Ryoga thought, <not only is he powerful, but
he's got stamina as well. How am I...> Ryoga caught himself.
<He's slower than Ranma>, Ryoga realized. <Ranma, I'll never admit
this to you, but those fights of ours are actually going to be useful...> he
thought with renewed confidence as he stood up to face Lime.
Meanwhile, Mint and Mousse were trading blows in the air as they
jumped from tree to tree. Mousse jumped up to chase Mint as he spun
behind a trunk, suddenly appearing on top of Mousse as Mousse
detected a barrage of darts coming at him from the moonlight. He deflected the
darts with a frying pan as he sent out a grappling hook towards the person in
the air. Lime whipped out his sword and cut the chain of the hook, landing
on the ground with sword in hand as Mousse alighted a few meters away.
<He just took out his sword>, Mousse noted of his opponent, <this
means he's going to use flying weapons now>. "I win!" he shouted as he spread
out his right arm with all the hidden weapons in his sleeve.
But Mint had tricks of his own. He rapidly ran up to Mousse. For a
millisecond their faces were an inch apart before Mousse suddenly jumped back
and swung his weapons up.
Mint moved his sword faster than eye could follow as Mousse's maces,
daggers, nunchuks, and glaives flew into the eair. Mousse brought up
his other sleeve. Axes and spears littered the ground as Mint knocked them
off one by one. "None of your weapons will be of any use!!" Mint shouted.
"You little jerk," Mousse shouted back, "you underestimate the
ability as one who has fought Ranma many times!!" <Wait!> Mousse thought,
<whenever Ranma was ever in a losing position, he would unremittingly take
advantage of the opponents weaknesses! And this kid's weakness is...>
Suddenly Mousse whipped out his glasses and put them on.
"Look! A girl!"
"Where?" Mint turned around.
"Gotcha!" Mousse said as he punched Mint into the air with an oversized
mace.
At the same time, Lime had just uprooted a tree ans was swinging it
around as Ryoga avoided it like a jump rope. Ryoga started falling downward
as he let out a kick that Lime sidestepped as he pulled his right fist
back. Lime let loose, but Ryoga fell back and avoided the punch. "No
matter how large your strength is, it's useless if you can't connect..."
Ryoga gloated, oblivious to the unconscious figure hurling down at him.
Mint's body dropped onto the back of Ryoga, eliciting an exclamation
of "ooh!"
"Sorry!" Mousse shouted as he raced up and spun a giant rope
around Mint.
Ryoga shouted back. "Idiot! Be more careful...uh oh," he said as he
felt an unavoidable blast coming towards him. Lime's punch sent Ryoga into
a rock face behind him.
"It's over for me," he muttered as Lime approached him with slow
steps. All human trace seemed to be gone from him as he growled in his
throat.
<No,> Ryoga told himself, <you can't give up like this. All you have
to do is get the chisuiton, and stay a man forever...> "I - WANT - TO - SEE
- AKANE!!" Ryoga shouted as the last burst of adrenaline in him shot up and he
lunged out with a final punch.
CRACK. Lime's fist followed in past Ryoga's cheek as blood
spurted from Ryoga's mouth. Ryoga fell to the ground, having missed entirely.
Meanwhile, Mousse had tied Mint to a giant tree branch.
"Cheater!" Mint screamed.
"Yeah, so I cheated. So what?" Mousse said. <Now, all I have to do is
wait until Ryoga finishes up the tiger person...> Suddenly, Mousse realized
something amiss. He turned around and put on his glasses, and looked down.
Lime was holding Ryoga's neck in his right arm as he held it up high.
Ryoga was struggling for air as his hands grabbed futilely at Lime's arm.
"A...ka..." he gasped.

Ranma woke up.

***************************************************************************

At the same time, in Tokyo, a glass shattered on the floor of
the Tendo kitchen.
"What happened, Akane?" Kasumi asked as she continued washing the
dishes.
"S-sorry," Akane said as she picked up the broken pieces of glass.
<I thought I heard someone calling my name...>

***************************************************************************

Ranma rushed through the forest. "My chest is beating like crazy,"
she said to herself, "something must have happened..."

****************************************************************************

"RYOGA!!" Mousse shouted as Ryoga lost consciousness...

*****************************************************************************

<Chapter 7. Chisuiton Tragedy>

Flowers.
"Where am I?" Ryoga asked as he waded through a field of flowers.
"A river?" It was gleaming in the mist...on the other side of the
river were two figures, calling out "Ryoga...Ryoga..."
"Don't come over..."
"It's not yet time..."
"Huh? Grandma? Grandpa?" <What? Is this the River Sanzu@? Am
I...dead?>
"Hey! This can't be happening!" Ryoga shouted at the world. "I
can't die without telling Akane about my true feelings!"
"Don't worry, Ryoga," a voice said. Ryoga turned to see in the
air a picture of Ranma and Akane embracing. "I'll give Akane all she
needs," Ranma said. Akane lifted up a hand. "Sayo...nara..." she said.
"Akane!" Ryoga shouted. "No! NO! It's not happening!!!"

**************************************************************************

The mist was clearing as the crescent moon shadowed the teapot shape
of the mountain. Ryoga's body dropped limply in Lime's hand.
"Ryoga!!" Mousse shouted desperately.
"He'll die soon," Lime intoned.
Ryoga's hand twitched. "Huh?" Lime said as his body started shaking.
Both of Ryoga's hands lifted up and started to form into fists.
"Unnnnnnnnnnhhh....." he started. The ground started shaking. Lime started
losing his balance and started letting Ryoga on the ground, his hand still
clamped tightly around Ryoga's neck.
"What a strong 'ki' is emanating from him..." Lime marveled. "He's
getting to heavy to lift, even for me..."
Ryoga spoke. "A man who has been through as much suffering as I
have...CANNOT DIE!!" he shouted as tears came through his eyes.
"SHISHIHOOKOODAN!!" he shouted. Rocks rised up all around Lime.
Mousse and Mint stood agape...(<the Shishihoukousan, if you remember, is
the technique of focusing the 'ki' from one's suffering into one giant
blast into the air. The 'ki' blast drops down with great force on the
opponent, throwing them into the ground.>)

*************************************************************************

Ranma ran over a hill top, and saw a giant pillar of light going
into the air. "Ryoga's Shishihookoodan!" she marveled.

*************************************************************************

Herb woke up. She walked out and watched as a giant ball of force
dropped down into the forest. She said nothing.

*************************************************************************

Ryoga stood in the middle of a crater, fallen trees all around him.
He looked on the ground and saw something. "Chi...chisuiton..." he said as
he tried to pick it up. Something was rooting it to the ground. He
pulled harder. Ryoga pulled Mousse out of the ground, moaning "Chisuiton..."
"Mousse!" Ryoga exclaimed.
The pair stared at each other. Realization struck. "Let's go!"
"Yes, let's!" They ran off, looking for water to fill the pail with.

*************************************************************************

Ranma noted the pair as they ran past her. "What are they doing
with the Chisuiton?" she wondered as she ran after them.
Suddenly, Cologne's words came back to her. "Anything hit with the
water in the Chisuiton will be locked in its current form..."
"Oh no," Ranma thought, "are they thinking that..."

**************************************************************************

The blast had let loose a river stream on the mountain. Soon the
chisuiton was filled with water as the two boys stared at it.
"When we pour this on ourselves...," Mousse started.
"...we can keep a male body forever," Ryoga finished.
"Oh,...stop crying."
"You...too."
"Let's start!"
"Yes!"

**************************************************************************

"RYOGA!! MOUSSE!! STOP!!" Ranma quickened her pace.
She arrived at a newly created river. On the ground, amid the clothes,
was a pail, a pig, and a duck, looking rather forlorn.
She approached the animals. "You...you...
"...the chisuiton...you used the water in it?"
She sat down and opened her pack. She quickly started a fire and
boiled some water. She poured the water on the animals.
No change.
"They're going to be a duck and a pig forever," she thought.
"YOU IDI...you idiots," she said, fists shoved against the ground.
The pig and the duck kowtowed and cried in shame.

**************************************************************************

Herb inspected the forest. She walked into the crater and unearthed
Lime from the ground.
"Master Herb..." a weak voice said.
Herb dragged Lime's body out of the crater to see Mint lashed
against a broken tree trunk, upside down, sniffling and crying.
"Pair of useless idiots," she commented. "Where's the Chisuiton?"

***************************************************************************

"Stop crying!" Ranma shouted futilely as the animals in her lap.
"Look, if we can get the Kaisuihuu, we'll all be able to turn back."
"Right, getting the Kaisuihuu will cancel out the effects of the
chisuiton all right," she thought, "but...how? Where is it?"
A whirring noise came from behind her.
"Huh? The Chisuiton..."
For the dipper was lying flat on the bar of the pail, gyrating
wildly as the sun peeked over the horizon.

[River Sanzu ("Sanzu no kawa") = river that dead souls cross, akin to the
River Styx]

****************************************************************************

<Chapter 8. The Waterfall Appears>

The dipper was spinning on top of the bar of the pail.
"All by itself," Ranma marveled.
Suddenly it stopped. The dipper suddenly stayed fixed in a strange
direction, the bowl section pointed upward at an angle. A sunbeam flashed
down and hit the dipper. Ranma followed the direction of the dipper...and
it intersected the lip of the teapot shape at the top of the mountain, which
was now glowing with an eerie glow.
"I understand now," Ranma said to herself. "I now know why they brought
the chisuiton with them all this way."
She said out loud, "The Chisuiton is a DETECTION device for the
kaisuihuu!"

***************************************************************************

Mint sniffed at the ground. "This way, Master Herb!" He pointed
at a direction.
"Forget it," Herb said. "Look at that mountain. That light is
the special signal light of the Musk dynasty. That's where it is.
Let's GO!" She started running. "Lime! Mint! We have to get there before
they do!"

**************************************************************************

Ranma was running as well, with the pail in one hand, the pig in the
other, and the duck on her head. "As long as we get the kaisuihuu, Ryoga,
Mousse, and I...can return to male humans again!"
THUMP. Herb bounded over Ranma's (well, technically Mousse's) head
as the trio ran past her and towards the mountaintop.
"Hahahahaha," Herb said as she ran past, "The chisuiton detection
doesn't activate unless its within one kilometer of the kaisuihuu. Your
bunglings have saved me quite a bit of trouble, heheh."
"Damn," Ranma cursed as the trio ran off into the distance, "having
come this far, I WON'T LET YOU GET THERE FIRST!"
"Lime!"
"Yes, Master Herb!" Lime lifted up a giant rock, and held it over
Ranma's head.
Ranma stared wide-eyed at the rock like a trapped deer.
"WAH!" she screamed as the rock fell down on her, trapping her
beneath the rubble.
"DAMN YOU..." she screamed as she clawed her way out.
Herb turned and continued. "Now stay in the rubble like a good girl."

*************************************************************************

Herb reached the top of the mountain. A giant outcropping shaped like
a teapot marked the top.
"Is that it?" Lime asked.
Herb said nothing. She lifted an arm, charging up a ki blast. "Ha!"
she exclaimed as the blast went up and broke off the top of the lip of the
teapot-shaped rock, revealing chained in front of a small setup of glyphs
and wards...
"Secret Treasure: Kaisuihuu!"
Rumble.
"Hm?"
The rumble grew louder and louder.
Suddenly, a giant stream of water gushed from the opening, creating
a giant cascade of water down the mountian and emptying into a little pool.
"The water's hot!" Lime commented.
"Um," Herb agreed, "the kaisuihuu has instantly boiled the underground
water leading to it. In other words, this waterfall of hot water...is the
special water that cancels the effect of the chisuiton, the water that I've
searched for all this time...I can finally retain my original shape." Herb
walked into the waterfall.
"Master Herb?" Mint inquired.
Herb's arms stretched out. Her torso rose. His eyes narrowed.
Herb stood majestically in the waterfall, similar...yet different.
"Master Herb...?!" Mint and Lime ventured.

************************************************************************

Puff, puff. Ranma rushed towards the sound. "A waterfall of boiling
water! That must be where the kaisuihuu is!"
"Looks like our little insect has come to be stomped on," Herb
stated dryly. "Well, bug, let me tell you one thing: A male 'ki' blast..."
he said as he charged up a fist, "...is incomparable with a female one."
"Wah!" Ranma exclaimed as the blast wavered around and under,
like a living object. She narrowly dodged the snake-like blast by jumping
up. She landed next to a 3-meter deep gorge the blast had carved into the
ground. "I thought so," Ranma said, "you WERE male."
"Of course. And if you want to be male, too, you have to get the
kaisuihuu. And to do that, you'll have to get past me."

************************************************************************

<Chapter 9. So Near and Yet So Far>

"That's right," Herb said, "on the off chance that you manage to
defeat me, I will allow you to bathe in the special waters of the Musk
Dynasty's kaisuihuu."
"All right then," Ranma said, "if that's what you wish..." <I will
defeat you and change us back!>, she thought. "...do your worst!"
Herb's eyes narrowed. "For starters," he said, "I'll let you
taste the real...RYOOSEI HISHOO!!" Herb launched himself. Instead of a
wavy route around Ranma, he flew a direct path around her, creating
little explosions in the ground.
Ranma took the brunt of the blast as she fell to the ground, clutching
her chest in pain. She fell to the ground, unconscious. A pig and a duck
came, squealing and quacking in her face. Herb ignored them.
"Not even much of a challenge," Herb commented.
Lime and Mint approached. "Master Herb..."
"Ah, Lime and Mint. Why the long faces? We've got what we came for;
we can go back to China now with the kaisuihuu."
Lime and Mint steeled their nerves. "Master Herb!" they exclaimed
with determination as they marched up to him.
"The breasts are gone!" Patpatpat.
"Where did they hide off to?" Patpatpat.
Herb knocked the pair to the ground. "You've been my servants from
our childhood and you still speak gibberish like that. I've never had
'breasts' and shouldn't."
"Yes, when you were little, you didn't have breasts; but, we've heard
that girls have to mature before they have breasts...what happened to those
big breasts that you had before...?"
"That's why," Herb said, getting angry, "I'm TELLING YOU I'M MALE!!"
he said as he punched the pair into the sky yet again.

****************************************************************************

Ranma stirred. She opened her eyes to see the pig and the duck.
"Shh..." she whispered. "Ryoga, Mousse. This battle is going to be hard
to do. See that waterfall? The water comes from the mouth of the kaisuihuu
and should change you back into men. Now go!"
The duck and the pig started jumping up the cliff.
Herb detected the noise. He turned around to see Ranma slowly getting
up. "Herb," Ranma said, "congratulations on turning back into a male...and
letting me analyze the complete Ryusei Hishoo."
"Oh?" Herb replied. "Looks like you still have some fight left in you.
Why don't you tell me your 'analysis'?"
"Okay. While you were still female, your Ryusei hishoo was
unpredictable. I couldn't tell at all what directions your attacks were
coming from. That's probably due to the fact that your various 'ki' blasts
were too weak. However, now as a male, your 'ki's have more power, and
hence are much more tracable. The gist of the Ryusei Hishoo is: to fly
in the air while directing ki blasts at the ground, which rebound off and
hit your opponent. That's the Ryusei Hishoo."
Ranma stole a look out the corner of her eye. The duck and the pig
were almost to the waterfall. <Just a little bit...> she prayed.
"So?" Herb replied. "Does all this talk mean you know how to defeat
my techniques?"
"Not yet," Ranma said, "but...I've got something else!" And with
that she ripped her clothes open revealing her two well-shaped breasts.
Herb flinched.
"An opening!" Ranma whispered, and she ran up and punched Herb in
the cheek, knocking him off balance.
"You know, you're surprisingly naive," Ranma said as she landed
behind Herb.
Herb fondled his bruised cheek. "Why, you...HITOO RYUZAN HA@!"
he shouted as he let go 'ki' slices that took the form of waves.
"What?" Ranma thought as she jumped to avoid the blasts, "these
'ki' blasts are waves as sharp as knives, as opposed to the ball blasts..."
She looked behind her. "Oh no! The rock!" For the teapot shaped rock
and the hill beneath it was being sliced apart by the sharp 'ki' slices.
Rocks were showering all over as the granite teapot on top lost its
balance and started tumbling down.
"Missed," Herb said, "I wanted to chop off your head with that..."
The pig and the duck watched as the giant teapot (with the kaisuihuu
in it) fell down the mountain.
"The kaisuihuu!" shouted Ranma, bounding for it.
"You're not getting it!" Herb shouted, sending a ki ball
straight at Ranma, knocking her down. Herb then put a foot on Ranma's neck.
"Lime! Herb! Get the pot!"
"Yes!"
"And now, Ranma," Herb said, "I can collect your head now..."
Ranma looked at the pig and duck staring at her. "Go! Ryoga!
Mousse! At least you'll turn back..."
The duck and the pig stared back at her, not quite knowing what to do.
"GO!!!!!" Tears in their eyes, the pig and the duck ran after the
falling teapot.

[HitooRyuzanHa = Flying-Blade-Dragon-Chop-Break]

***************************************************************************

<Chapter 10. Herb's Angry Story>

"And now you will be beheaded," Herb said as he charged up a palm
with a knife-like 'ki' and flung it down, "with my KI-RYU-TOO!"
Ranma felt the ki coming. In one desperate move, she revealed
her nipples again.
It worked. Herb was sufficiently distracted to pause his arm in
midair, dissipating the ki. Ranma flung her feet up to lock on Herb's arm,
and flung Herb backwards by her arm, jumping up and righting herself in
the process. "Looks like I distracted you again!"
"Damn! You show your breasts too much," Herb commented, "don't
you have any sense of shame?"
"Showing my breasts just seems to be your weakness."
"Weakness? Hah! Why don't you let me tell you how I got the female
curse. In other words, how I fell into the nyannichuan."
Ranma said nothing.

*************************************************************************

<Meanwhile>, teapot rock was rolling down the mountainside, Mint
and Lime in hot pursuit.
"There it is!" Lime said, "Get back here!"
"The kaisuihuu!" Mint said. The kaisuihuu rattled at the 'spout' of
the rock formation, as if in response.
Mint launched himself from the ground. In the air, he flung out a
giant chain that wrapped itself around the spout securely. He then threw the
other end of the chain at Lime. "Lime, catch!"
"Got it!" Lime said as he yanked on the chain, flinging the rock into
the air. With one hand, he caught the gigantic rock and held it in midair.
The kaisuihuu, still chained to the spout, settled down.
Suddenly, a pig and a duck came out of nowhere. The duck, holding a
dart in its beak, cut the chains binding the pot while the pig took the pot.
They then ran off with the kaisuihuu.
"The kaisuihuu!" Mint shouted.
"Get back here!" Lime said, running in hot pursuit.

**************************************************************************

"The Musk Dynasty started about 1400 years ago. Ever since then
we've been a war-based culture. The males in the family as separated from
their mother as soon as they are weaned and taken to train in the mountains.
They never see nor learn about females."
"Right," Ranma agreed, "I've also heard from the granny at the
Nekohanten that in order to give your descendants the power of animals,
you throw the animals into the nyannichuan and then marry them."
"That's from a long time ago," Herb sighed, "now we just find
appropriate wives from neighboring villages. Except on that fateful day...

"'What?' I had said. 'Get a wife?'
"'Yes, prince Herb. You must do so for the good of our lineage,'
one of my subjects had said. So I went to Jusenkyo and talked to the guide.
"'This is the nyannichuan, honorable guest,' he said as he pointed me
to a little pool. I had captured a little monkey near the place. You see,
since I was inexperienced with women, I thought that I might want to
inspect and understand one before I tried finding one for real. That's why
I went to Jusenkyo.
"However, when I was engrossed with staring at her BREASTS, I left
myself open to attack. She took that opportunity to kick me into the water.
"'Oh no! Someone has fallen into the Nyannichuan!' the guide said.
"And then I saw that *I* had BREASTS, and I was entranced again.
And so...
"Well, I had brought the chisuiton with me so that I could keep the
monkey girl human. But she used it on me instead."
Herb finished, now shaking. Ranma was visibly bored.
"So, everytime I see BREASTS now, I get really angry. BREASTS are
no weakness of mine; but rather like dragon gekirin@ to me. In other words,"
his voice got louder, "Ranma, you look just like that monkey girl. EXACTLY
like her!" He let loose another winding ki blast that Ranma narrowly avoided.
The fight was on again.

***************************************************************************

"Get back here!" Lime and Mint shouted as they chased the animals
through the forest.
"Ryoga! Mousse!" Ranma's voice still echoed in their minds. "At
last you'll turn back to male humans again..." They ran.
Lime punched the ground just as the pig jumped away
from it. The duck lifted a wing showing a row of daggers. This set it then
flung at Lime. Mint ran forward and with one deft slice of his sword
deflected the daggers.
"They use hidden weapons..." Lime commented.
"These are not normal animals!" Mint shouted as he threw a loop
around them. Lime then connected with a punch, sending the animals rolling
in the dirt. They got up and righted themselves, the pig's mouth still
gripping the kaisuihuu tightly.
Lime approached.
The animals glanced over the edge. They were on a giant overhanging
rock on a cliff.
"You have nowhere to run now..."
The animals braced themselves.

***************************************************************************

"Stop running back and forth!"
"I still say breasts are your weakness!
"See, you're so flustered you can't even hit me with your blasts!
I think you just loooove breasts!" Ranma made a face at Herb as she avoided
another explosion under her.
"Damn you!"
<Damn YOU>, Ranma thought. <He's getting angrier and angrier, just
as I planned...> "It's time to use...MY TECHNIQUE!"

[Ki-ryu-too = ki-dragon-blade]
[Dragon gekirin = dragon-contrary-scales. Legend has it that if you rub
a dragon's contrary-scales, you will anger it to no end. The emperor's
wrath in imperial times was often called the "gekirin."]

**************************************************************************

<Chapter 11. Get Up, Ranma!>

"Watch this killer technique, Herb..."
"Killer technique?" Herb said involuntarily.
"HIRYUUSHOOTENHA!!" Ranma said with a well-placed punch into
the air. A giant whirlwind formed, sending Herb and pieces of rock into
the air. <I did it...>, Ranma thought...

**************************************************************************

<At the same time>, Mint and Lime were still chasing the pig and
duck.
"Stupid pig! Stop jumping around! Ah! Gotcha!" Lime said, a hand
around the pig. "Now just give us this pot..." he said as Mint captured the
duck.
RUMBLE.
"Huh?" Lime's eyes bugged out.
"A whirlwind?" Mint said.
"Uh, it's coming in our direction..."
"WAAAAA!!!!"

*****************************************************************************

Ranma stood in the middle of a crater, fist still held upright.
"I've won..." she said. "Now I can go home...Akane! I'll be a man again
soon!" she said to herself as she walked shakily off...
A flash appeared in the sky.
Ranma looked up.
Herb was falling down, but he was falling steadily.
"Could he have...?"
Herb, with a look of determination in his face, came down with a
giant ki blast in front of him, hitting Ranma straight into the ground.
Herb alit on the ground, no worse for wear.
Ranma tried to get up. "He-Herb...you..."
"Ah, the Hiryuushootenha. A very similar feeling, indeed. Allow me
to indulge myself by analysis.
"You anger your opponent, and simultaneously create a helical stream
around him. This cyclone of battle anger accelerates, while you, having
kept cool all this time, initiate the process by a cold blast up the middle of
the cyclone. A trick of the Niichieju@."
"How did you know?"
"I'm of the lineage of the 'ki' dragon. No 'ki' related technique is
unknown to me.
"You did notice that my apparent wild firing was patterned in a spiral,
as you can clearly see by the groove in the ground now. Noticing that, you
would probably stay cool and try to use the Hiryuushootenha. Of course, at that
moment, I let of a cold 'ki' blast, and rode up into the vortex of the Hiryuushoo-
tenha."
<Which fails against him>, Ranma thought belatedly.

***************************************************************************

Meanwhile, the force of the whirlwind carried all four inhabitants
into the air.
"Damn...you..." Lime said as he grasped for the pig, and latched on
as he tried the pull the animals in.
<Ryoga! Mousse! At least you have to turn back into males...>
Ryoga turned and bit Lime on the hand.
"Ouch!" Lime said, punching the pig with his other hand, so
hard that it sent the pig flying out of the cyclone. "Oops!"
"Can't let this happen!" Lime said as he jumped out after the pig,
as did Mint. "GET THE KAISUIHUU!!"
The duck grabbed on to Mint's clothes and hung on for dear life
as the four fell from the air, straight into a pool, kaisuihuu and all.
The water started getting hotter.
And hotter.
"Hot! The water's boiling here!" Mint and Lime noticed.
And there were suddenly two extra people in the water.
"Our...our bodies!" Ryoga and Mousse cried.
Lime and Mint noticed them. "Where did you come from?"
"Ryoga! We don't have time to waste with them!"
"Right, Mousse! We have to cut this fight short!"
Suddenly both men pointed to the left. "OHMIGOSH! WHAT LARGE
BREASTS!"
"WHERE??"
*whap* *whap*
"Just hold on a bit more, Ranma; here we come!" Ryoga said, holding
the boiling pot as they ran back up the mountain.

*************************************************************************

"RYOOSEI HISHOO!!"
"Ungh!" Ranma fell to the ground again, semi-conscious.
"Ranma..." someone was saying. Akane's face popped into Ranma's
mind. <Why are you crying, Akane?>, Ranma thought, <Akane, you're just
a big crybaby...I've got to turn back into a male and return to Akane...
...I've GOT TO RETURN...>
Ranma opened her eyes and struggled to get up.
Herb voiced his surprise. "Still trying to get up?"
"There must be...something that makes you vulnerable..."
"Save your breath....cause this is it!" Herb said as he sent one
large ki blast towards Ranma.
<Damn it, no energy to dodge it with>, Ranma thought.
Suddenly, a large boulder flew in from the side and intercepted the
blast. The rock shattered, but the blast dissipated. "Ranma!" a voice
called out. Ranma turned.
"Ryoga! Mousse! They've come back!"
"Ranma! Catch! You can turn back too!" Ryoga threw the object
in his hand towards the combatants. "The kaisuihuu!" they shouted.

[Niichieju = female-amazing-tribe = tribe of Amazons where Cologne, Shampoo,
and Mousse came from. Chinese name. Japanese: Joketetsu.]

*************************************************************************

<Chapter 12. (Or, part 1 of book 25) Turn Male! Ranma!>

"I got it!" Ranma shouted, making a lunge for the kaisuihuu.
"Can't let you get it!" Herb shouted, aiming a ki blast at Ranma.
"Can't get you stop her!" Mousse shouted, wrapping a rope around
Herb's arm and changing his aim.
"Thanks, Mousse!" Ranma said. The pot was only a few centimeters
away...and then the ground started shaking.
"What's going on?" That was Mousse.
"An earthquake?" Ryoga.
"Oh no!" Ranma said as a crack opened underneath her and
the kaisuihuu fell down it. "The kai..kaisuihuu fell down!" <That
was my only chance at becoming male again...>
"Well, Ranma," Herb said, "perhaps you shouldn't have goaded
me into firing so many ki blasts. Looks like I've inadvertently destroyed
the entire mountain. Forget about getting the kaisuihuu. It's lost."
"Why, you..."
The ground started shaking again.
"It's closing up!"
Suddenly, footsteps could be heard approaching. "Hey! You lied to
us! There weren't any giant breasts over there!"
"Just in time," Ryoga said as he grabbed Lime. "Here, Mr. Strongman!
You can be my anchor!" he said as he wedged Lime between the crack, limbs
outstretched. "Now just stay there!" he continued as he climbed down to
look for the pot.
"Hey, Ryoga, what do you think you're doing?" Ranma called from
above.
"I'm going to get the kaisuihuu! Ranma, you take care of Herb,
alright?"
"Ryoga, why are you..."
"After this we'll be even, okay?"
"Ryoga..." <Alright! I believe in you!> Ranma turned around,
and stood up. <So, I have to defeat Herb somehow!>
As if reading her mind, Herb said, "Now, since you know the Hiryuu
Shootenha is useless, you have nothing you can do."
<I've got it! Since Herb's blasts can even cause earthquakes, the
entire region must be filled with leftover ki...even in the air...so if I
can utilize that...> She started moving.
"Spiral movement?" Mousse thought. "Is she trying to use the Hiryuu
Shooten ha anyway?"
"Hmph, idiot!" Herb thought. "All I have to do is stay calm and
fire a cold blast first. That will completely nullfy the technique."
"WAAAAAAA...." Lime started screaming.
Mousse turned around. Mint had a rope around Lime, ready to pull
him up. "I'm ready, Lime!"
"I....can-n-n-n't...ta-a-a-ke...it...any...more...."
"Unh!"
SLAM! The crack slammed shut. Mint had pulled Lime out just in time.
"Whew! That was close!"
Ryoga was nowhere in sight. Mousse crouched to the little crack.
"Ryoga!" he called.
"He's dead for sure," Mint said.
"Serves him right," Lime continued.
"BAKUSAIDENTETSU!!" A giant geyser erupted, spewing out water into
the air just beyond the crack. Hot water. Ryoga emerged from the geyser
holding the kaisuihuu, shouting "Ranma! Jump in this water column. I hit
an underground resevoir and boiled it!"
"Thank god you're alive, Ryoga!" Mousse said.
"Damn!" Herb acknowledged Ryoga's existence.
"Ryoga!" As did Ranma.
"Wait! Ranma," Herb asked, "why are you not jumping into the geyser?"
"I have to finish defeating you! HIRYUUSHOOTENHA!!"
Herb felt this coming, and immediately projected a cool ki aura,
keeping him on the ground. But Ranma got caught up in the cyclone and
flew upwards.
"What's going on?" Ryoga said, still holding the pot in the geyser.
"I think Ranma got hit." Mousse worried.
<You fell in my trap, Herb>, Ranma thought, <getting you to shoot
the cold ki blast was the real goal, not the hiryuushootenha...> The cyclone
approached Ryoga and Mousse. Suddenly, the entire contents of the geyser
got whirled into the cyclone...
<Too slow,> Herb thought, <looks like Ranma became a victim of his
own blast...what's that?> A flash appeared in the air, and a little dot
became more and more visible...
"It's Ranma! Male!" Ryoga and Mousse cried.
"HERB! Watch this new version of the Hiryuu Shotenha! HIRYUU
KOORIN DAN@!!"

[Hiryuu koorin dan = Flying-dragon-drop-arrive-shot = Dragon-Descent-Dan]

**************************************************************************

<Chapter 13. Ranma Returns>

A short recap: The air on the mountain is filled with Herb's
expelled ki energy. The cyclone was formed by Herb's cold ki blast in
the middle of the cyclone, drawing the surrounding hot ki inward and
upward. Herb is now at the base of the cyclone, while Ranma is at the
top.
Ranma made a blast through Herb's uprising cold-ki shield. After
breakthough, all the surrounding hot attempt to get in. And so, "Herb! This
giant ki shot is all the ki remaining in the air! You made it, now you can
have it all back a la Hiryuu Koorin Dan!"
"Master Herb!"
The blast knocked Herb into the ground, still thinking <it's not
possible, it's not possible...>
The cyclone cleared. Herb lay in the middle of a giant spiral
pattern etched in the ground, dirty and injured.
Ranma landed. "Herb...what a dangerous character..."
"Master Herb! Wake up! Master Herb!"
Ranma sensed people behind him. He turned around. "Ryoga, Mousse,
I have to thank you for your help. I couldn't have restored my male body
without either of you. Thank you."
"Hmph! Think nothing of it," Ryoga replied, "I'm just making sure
that there are no debts between us."
"Don't say that; I really am grateful. Even though your idiotic
selfish motives threw me for a loop."
"Sorry about that!"
"No problem, all's forgiven." Ranma laughed.
"Hey!" Ryoga said, punching Ranma and holding him by the collar,
"we did save your life, Ranma. What's with the holier-than-thou attitude?"
"What attitude? Aren't I humbly thanking you already?"
Mousse commented, "Where's the 'humble' part?"
Suddenly, the ground started shaking again. A giant crack appeared
underneath them, and suddenly the ground gave way. The trio found themselves
falling..."Aaah! Cold underground water!"
"Mint, this mountain is falling apart due to Master Herb's excessive
use of ki!"
"Wake up, Master Herb! Oh no!" The rock supporting Herb suddenly
broke of and started falling into the abyss. "Master Herb!"
Ranma made a split-second decision. She jumped down (pig and duck
on her shoulders) made a rebound on a rock, and in one
move grabbed Herb's body and jumped out as a rock hit her on the head...

**************************************************************************

"For unknown reasons, Mount Hoorai has suffered a large avalanche.
Details are hazy to this news reporter now as the single rope
bridge providing access to the mountain is broken. Let's go now to..."
Nabiki and Akane were watching the news.
Nabiki asked, "Isn't Mount Hoorai where Ranma went?"
"'Whaaaaaaaaaaat? Oh, when I was working in the field, the
mountain suddenly lighted up...'"
"You know, Akane, we haven't heard from him in weeks. I think
something's happened."
"Don't worry, Nabiki. I-I'm sure Ranma will come back soon."
"I hope so..."
Kasumi: "Oh! I dropped a bowl and broke it!"
Soun: "Oh, the little shrine in the dojo fell down!"
Genma: "Oh, the strap on the new geta I bought just broke!"
"These are bad omens..."
"See, Akane?"
"Just coincidences, Nabiki! They'll be safe!"

*******************************************************************

That afternoon, Akane stood outside the door waiting. It was getting
cold, she thought as she held her scarf close to her. <Oh, Ranma,> she
thought...
"Akane, you'll catch cold out there." Kasumi opened the door.
"Don't worry, he'll come back safely."
"Um."
"Boy, you feel cold. Why don't you take a nice hot bath?"
Akane stayed silent, but she walked to the bathroom. <Perhaps
something really went wrong.> She took her scarf off...and then heard
noises in the bathroom. She opened the door.
Mousse said, "Hey, no peeking at bathing men!"
Ryoga said, "Uh...h-hello, Akane. L-long time no see."
Ranma stared at Akane for a few seconds, then shamefully said, "Hi,
Akane. I'm back."
Akane looked dejected, and walked out.
Ranma jumped out and followed.
"Wh-what is this, anyway? I'm worried hell about you, and you
turn out to be taking a nice slow bath..."
"What do you mean, Akane? The reason I took a bath was because I
thought you'd like to see me in my real body!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Go put some clothes on already!"
Ranma went and got his clothes. "You're still as uncute as usual.
Not appreciative of other people's efforts at all." He finished putting
on his shirt, and turned around. "At least you could have said something
nice..." Ranma's voice trailed off. Akane looked at him, and then suddenly
hugged him around the waist.
She was crying.
"Welcome back, Ranma," she whispered.
Ranma stared up into space.
"Will you look at that, Ryoga!" Mousse said, donning his glasses.
"It's like they don't even know or care we're here..."
"NO I WILL NOT LOOK AT THAT...LEAVE ME ALONE!"

**************************************************************************

"So...Ranma...saved my life?"
"Yes, Master Herb."
They were on a boat back to China. Herb stared off at the
sunset from the deck. "Saotome Ranma," he said, "perhaps a very extra-
ordinary person indeed..."
SPLASH! A wave came over the side.
"BREASTS!!"
"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP ABOUT BREASTS!!"

*****************************************************************************

<welcome back, Ranma....................>

--
int m,u,e=0;float l,_,I;main() {for(;e<1863; putchar((++e>924&&952>
e?60-m:u) ["\n ude.hcetlac.occ@gnauhw ]"])) for(u=_=l=0;(m=e%81)
<80&&I*l+_*_ <6&&25>++u;_=2*l*_+e/81*.09-1,l=I)I=l*l-_*_-2+.035*m;}

[Hugh Miller u]