LeiLei - My Life My Love
By RankoSaotome
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and Darkstalkers do not belong to me. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and CAPCOM respectively. "Long Way Down" is sung by the Goo Goo Dolls.
A/N: This fic was partially influenced by the fic "Her" by The Eternal Lost Lurker. They're a great writer and I highly suggest you read that fic.
- - - - - - -
Part 1
Finding Life
- - - - - - -
It started with a dream. A dream of a girl. No... a dream of a young woman in ancient times. She had tanned skin almost to the point of being ganguro, with Chinese robes of purple and pink, with a yellow sash. Or at least, what was left of them. She was practically naked, her clothing torn to bits as she backed away from another young woman.
The other woman looked like an Amazon of Joketsuzoku. In fact, she looked very familiar...
"Please, Kuh Lon!" The ganguro girl pleaded, clasping her hands together. "We've been friends since we were kids! How can you believe I killed your parents?"
The other figure, Kuh Lon, barely moved, raising her Chinese Scimitar to bear as she glared at the ganguro with hateful, tearful eyes. "Oh, and why should I believe you? YOU were the one found at my parents' bodies!" And Kuh Lon attacked.
Thinking fast, the ganguro girl whipped back her massive sleeve, a large broadsword suddenly pushing out in her hands to block the scimitar.
"Please, Kuh Lon! I didn't do it!"
"If everything didn't point to you, I might just believe you... but they found one of YOUR knives drove into my mother's chest!" The two were a flurry of movement, Kuh Lon on the attack with the ganguro girl on the defense.
"Everyone that knows Hidden Weapons style uses the same knives! It was one of them, I swear!"
"That sounds like an excuse! DIE, LEI-LEI!" And Lei-Lei retreated, rushing back to avoid the frenzied attacks of her friend, trying for the life of her to figure this out.
Lei-Lei was about to retreat again, when her left foot met with air and she windmilled, regaining her balance and pulling herself forward. Chancing a look back, she noticed she was atop a cliff over a valley of pools. "Uh oh..."
Kuh Lon merely smiled when Lei-Lei brought her attention back to her attacker. Lei-Lei knew a fall from this height could break her neck, and she didn't dare dodge if Kuh Lon charged her... She wouldn't be responsible for Kuh Lon's death.
Kuh Lon moved as if to charge, when Lei-Lei made a desperate move. Uncurling her sleeves, they reached down to her knees, and a pair of large claws slowly followed through the sleeves.
"There's no way I can prove my innocence... but if I must fight you, I... I will."
"Good, then I can at least say I fought you to the death." Lei-Lei wasn't exactly thrilled at that.
"But I can prove my innocence to you now..." Lei-Lei started as she backed up towards the cliff. Kuh Lon immediately tensed up. Just what was that girl up to?
And Lei-Lei leapt back, flattening herself out in midair before she left Kuh Lon's sight below the cliff. When Kuh Lon rushed forward to see if the girl commit suicide, she was further angered to find Lei-Lei sliding down the cliffside using her claws.
Kuh Lon rushed down the hillside, trying as best as she could to reach the ground first.
Where as Lei-Lei's route was the shortest, sliding on her claws was slow, as the digging of her claws caused her descent to rapidly decelerate until she was falling at a safe rate. Thus, Kuh Lon's route wound up being faster.
This, though, Lei-Lei hardly noticed. She was too busy making sure she got down safely that she hardly noticed when Kuh Lon reached the ground one minute ahead.
Though she did notice when, almost thirty feet above the ground, a throwing dagger rushed up out of nowhere and imbedded itself into her right shoulder. Lei-Lei did only what any other warm-blooded human would have done.
She screamed, and released her claws on reflex, plummeting the last thirty feet just to slam into the ground next to one of the pools of water. Fortunately, she did not land on the dagger's hilt.
Lei-Lei gasped for air, the air nicely driven from her lungs when she felt two hands grab her roughly, one holding her down while the other grasped the hilt of the dagger.
"NO!" Lei-Lei cried as the hand roughly yanked on the dagger, mercilessly moving it around. Lei-Lei felt the tears escape her eyes as the dagger left a burning, painful sensation all over her back, leaving her with the impression Kuh Lon, her childhood friend, was really going to kill her. And Lei-Lei couldn't bring herself to fight back.
The next thing she knew, the dagger was out of her shoulder and she felt like she was being dragged along the ground. When she saw the pool, she knew what Kuh Lon was going to do.
"You're not even going to grant me a Warrior's death, are you?"
"You don't deserve a Warrior's death, murderer."
Lei-Lei was immediately taking back her thoughts. To die was one thing, to die knowing none would think her as honorable was too much.
"I beg of you, Kuh Lon. Please, don't! No!" Glub! All Lei-Lei knew was water then, as Kuh Lon dunked her head into the water and shoved it down. Lei-Lei could feel her lungs burning for oxygen, only to find none.
Flailing her arms and thrashing underneath Kuh Lon, Lei-Lei continued to try to get her Amazonian sister off her. But it was in vain, Kuh Lon did not move. And it wasn't long before Lei-Lei ceased moving as well. And all was dark.
- - - - - - -
Ranma Saotome, seventeen year old martial artist, awoke in a deep sweat, his mind racing as his eyes darted all around him. For a second, he could have sworn he was some girl named Lei-Lei and... someone killed her.
"Man... that was one messed up nightmare..." Ranma said as he slowly moved into a seated position, then got up entirely.
'Weird... I could have sworn I could actually feel that dagger dig into my own flesh. It was like it was almost real...' Ranma thought, getting up and grabbing his bath supplies and a change of clothes.
After a relaxing bath, Ranma could already feel the remnants of the dream fading as he returned to his room to put his things away before coming down for breakfast.
For a difference, he was the first one down this morning. Well except for Kasumi, but she was always up early. Yawning, he moved over to the table and plopped himself down in his usual spot.
"Good morning, Ranma-kun. Sleep well?" Kasumi asked from the kitchen, coming out to begin calling everyone down to breakfast. As usual,it took a few minutes, but Genma and Soun were down, soon followed by Nabiki. Akane was nowhere in sight.
Ranma watched each of them take a seat. As usual, Soun and Genma had a massive hangover from last night's "planning the wedding of Akane and Ranma" while Nabiki needed a good cup of coffee to wake up fully. Akane would be late for breakfast, as usual.
Kasumi soon came out with breakfast, and Ranma felt his stomach announce itself. 'Okay, shut up you.' He thought as he waited to be served, sitting as patiently as he could.
Then he remembered his dream. 'No, not now. I don't need to remember that at breakfast...' He thought just as soon as the food got around to him.
But, the thoughts would not leave him. The remnants of the dream continued to pound on his psyche for a few moments more, before being promptly blocked out. He concentrated on more important things, like breakfast.
Then, a sudden thought came to him. 'That girl... she drowned at Jusenkyou... was she... the girl who drowned in the Nyannichuan? Was I seeing... her memories from a different perspective?'
- - - - - - -
Darkness. That's all the girl knew. But it wasn't the inky black darkness of one's eyes being closed. It was more like twilight, with the darkness all but swallowing her. As she opened her eyes more, she found the air around her began to shift for her, illuminating until, from utter twilight, all was illuminated by moonlight.
'Moonlight? But there's no moon out... where am I?' She thought before slowly sitting up from on her back. Looking around, she immediately noticed several things. For one, she was naked, with no clothes in sight. For the second, another naked woman stood not fifteen feet from her. The difference being, the girl wasn't normal. She was an elemental spirit of water.
"A figment of magic?"
"You are very wise for one who died so young. As I am universal, a Spirit of Water as they say, you may call me Nicole."
The girl was slightly surprised. Never had she heard such a name before. Unless...
"You're not inherently Chinese, are you?"
"Smart AND wise. I see I have a real winner here. I'm inherently American."
"Ameri... huh?"
"The world has changed much since you died, Lei-Lei. People have moved on, even your good friend Kuh Lon. She has forgotten you."
"Forgotten me? How... how much time has passed?"
At first, Nicole was hesitant to answer, watching the girl intently for several moments before walking over. Stopping a few feet in front of Lei-Lei, she spoke.
"It's been a little over fifteen centuries."
"1500 years? I've been dead... that long?"
"I know it's difficult to take, Lei-Lei, I know the pain, but you must remember, you aren't alive anymore."
"So, what am I?"
Nicole once again hesitated to answer, but she still answered.
"Hanging on the edge of limbo, a spirit unable to move on to heaven. Held to the Earth by the power of Jusenkyou."
"Jusenkyou? Training Grounds of Accursed Springs? Wait a second... what am I speaking?"
"As I said, the world has changed much, as have you. Your 'host', as it is..."
"Stop right there! 'Host'? Are you saying I possessed someone?"
Instead of hesitating, Nicole merely laughed, reaching a watery hand down to Lei-Lei. Somewhat nervously, Lei-Lei took hold of the hand and let herself be pulled to her feet.
Then, she noticed. Her ganguro complexion was gone, replaced by the pale blue of a Chinese ghost. She didn't comment on it, figuring it was a side effect of being long dead.
"No, you didn't possess anyone." Nicole said with a lightly amused tone in her voice. "Jusenkyou took your body, your soul, and trapped it inside yourself. You were trapped in Jusenkyou, unable to leave. Then, this charming young man fell in your spring."
"So what?"
"The thing about Jusenkyou is anyone, be they human or animal, that falls into a spring that something drowned in takes on the form of whatever drowned there. Your spring is the Nyannichuan."
"Spring of Drowned Girl..."
"Right. So anyone who falls in that spring takes the body of a human girl. Just so you know, they don't get your body, just a female version of themself."
"So then, how does this affect me?"
"Simple, my dear Lei-Lei. Anything that fell in before didn't have the spiritual capacity to handle your soul, so you were trapped. However, this young man DID have that capacity, so your soul was transferred from the spring to his body."
"So, I DID possess him!"
"No. You see, though you were now inside him, your soul lay dormant, and only recently awoke. The cause of your awakening has caused your host to see memories of yours in his sleep. If you wish, you could have him experience your life, and you experience his. The problem with that is it's a full transfer. Every thought, every feeling, everything you ever experienced in life will be seen by him. Nothing will remain secret. Same for if you view his life, nothing will go unseen."
"That's a little creepy... But you never answered why I'm speaking like this..."
"The language you're now speaking is Japanese. Since your host is inherently Japanese, when you were transferred to his body, it seems you picked up his language in your... exhaustion period."
"Can he hear us?"
"No, we're in the depths of his mind. Thus why it's so dark here. I, myself, am the magic of the curse that allows Ranma to change from male to female."
"Ranma, huh? Wild Stallion..."
"I suggest you get to know your host a little more... intimately. In his sleep tonight, visit him in the dreaming portion of his mind. Until then, you may want to review his life."
And Nicole pointed in a direction, where a light amount of light was eminating. Lei-Lei, still a little nervous about this whole thing, slowly nodded and started in that direction.
Nicole figured Lei-Lei could do the rest on her own, and stayed.
- - - - - - -
Ranma, the 'studying' student, shifted in his seat, trying to stop his eyes from closing from boredom as he watched some of the other students solving mathematics problems.
It wasn't that he didn't care about his grades. It's just that he didn't see how Math could help him with his martial arts.
Of course, he could only last so long before the teacher noticed him nodding off and took appropriate action. Five seconds later, an eraser of chalk dust landed on Ranma's head and he coughed from the dust.
"Saotome, hall, buckets, NOW." The class knew better than to laugh, as many had done water torture ala Ms. Hinako before. So Ranma just grumbled, walked over, grabbed the buckets, before he was stopped.
"All three buckets, Saotome." Ranma turned to glare at Oda-san, balanced one bucket on his head, then grabbed the last bucket. He had to duck to avoid splashing the water all over himself.
- - - - - - -
Mother, her face watching over him as he lay in his crib. Love.
Playing with a fire engine, pretending to be a fire fighter. Fun.
Sparing with Father, learning martial arts. Excitement.
Being abducted by Father. Confusion.
Ukyou. Friendship.
Gambling King. Hate.
Cat-Fist Training. Pain.
Training in the wilds on an empty stomach. Hunger.
Watching Father eat all the food after beating him senseless. Betrayal.
Having large rocks thrown at him. Concentration.
Caverns of Eternal Rest. Challenge.
Ryouga. Rivalry.
Jusenkyou. Damned.
Dragon Whisker incident. Anger.
Shampoo. Fear.
Tendo House. Hope.
Kasumi. Motherly Love.
Nabiki. Concern.
Akane. Indifference.
Soun. Betrayal.
Kunou. Dislike.
Ryouga. Confusion.
P-chan. Pity.
Kodachi. Dislike.
Mikado. Hate.
Azusa. Humor.
Shampoo. Fear.
Shampoo. Helpless.
Mousse. Rivalry.
Cologne. Indifference.
Full Body Cat Tongue. Anger.
Ukyou. Sisterly Love.
Hiryu Shoten Ha. Drive.
Mother. Love.
Tarou. Power.
Tarou. Fear.
Mouko Takabisha. Confidence.
Herb. Challenge.
Herb. Helplessness.
Ryu Kumon. Dislike.
Umisenken and Yamasenken. Mastery.
Mother. Acception.
Kiima. Confusion.
Kiima. Hate.
Saffron. Concern.
Akane. Love.
Saffron. Unbridled Hate.
Failed Wedding. Ultimate Betrayal.
Akane. Disappointment.
Akane. Betrayal.
Akane.
Akane.
Akane.
Akane. Hate.
Lei-Lei was in tears by the time all the images fled her mind, her mind being assailed with all the pain and betrayal of Ranma's life, and her eyes releasing her own feelings in a torrent of tears.
"He's had such a sad life... with few high points at all." She said as she looked around. This area of Ranma's mind was much brighter, with light from usage and vision. She could almost feel someone's gaze on her at all times, as if Ranma was recording that she was there. "No wonder he hates that girl... Akane..." Lei-Lei's eyes narrowed as she came up with a mental image of Akane Tendo.
"If I had a chance... I'll remove her from his life... but how...?" Lei-Lei slowly sat down, taking on a contemplative expression as she placed her hands on her naked knees. Looking herself over for a second, she frowned, knowing she'd need to somehow get something on if she wanted to meet Ranma. If only she could get a clue... How...
'Wait a second... if I'm the Spirit of the Nyannichuan, that means I have a sort of connection to his girl form. So, if I just wait for him to change...'
- - - - - - -
As if on cue, Akane stepped out of the classroom, with a furious expression. "Ranma! How dare you flirt with Ukyou! You're MY fiance!" And down came the mallet.
Only Ranma dodged immediately, dropping his buckets and getting splashed on the backlash.
- - - - - - -
"NOW!"
- - - - - - -
And Ranma was struck with a sudden case of dizziness before he felt like he ceased to exist.
Next thing Ranma knew, he was standing behind a plane of glass, watching Akane from... Where was he?
"Nice to see you, Ranma." And Ranma turned, coming immediately to view the naked water woman before him. Immediately, he covered his eyes.
"Hey! Put some clothes on, dammit!"
"I can't, but you can. This is akin to a dreamscape, but while I am a part of you, you are the only thing that's 'real' per say. In other words, you're the only one that can form anything around us. Besides, you need clothes too." The woman remarked with a smirk, while Ranma immediately looked down and covered himself, then looked up.
Suddenly, it seemed to come to him and he concentrated slightly. In less than a second, the light around them reformed into a room with a table and cushions. He was dressed in his normal clothes while the woman was now dressed in a royal blue kimono. The woman looked at herself and smiled.
"Nice choice, I love it!" She cried as she twirled around, looking down at her attire the entire time. With that same smile, she looked up, moved forward, and kissed him on the cheek. Ranma immediately blushed.
The woman merely continued smiling and took a seat. Ranma followed suit.
"I suppose you wish to know what happened."
"Well, I guess so. How about first finding out who the heck you are."
"Oh. Well, I'm the magic that causes you to change into a girl. In short, I am your curse. My name's Nicole."
"No way you're my curse. You're made of water and you don't look like my cursed form."
"Ranma, I am merely a Water Elemental. A Spirit of Magic, if you will. I am the cause of your change, while your cursed form is merely another body. I just make you change into that body."
"Huh?"
"I'm going to change subjects here. You wanted to know about your dizzy spell?"
Ranma stopped for a moment, easily seeing that she was trying to avoid the subject of just what Nicole was. But, he didn't feel the need to persue it, so he left it alone. "So, why am I here instead of... of... um, where am I anyways?"
"You're inside your own mind, Ranma. Were you aware you were carrying the spirit of the drowned girl around inside you?" Ranma immediately stopped, looking around him for a few moments before standing abruptly.
"Did she possess me?"
"Believe me, Ranma, she doesn't mean any harm. She wants nothing more than to help you with your problems. She's a very sweet girl and she wants to meet you. Lei-Lei's in your cursed form, trying to fix things."
"Oh boy, this can't get any worse..."
"Oh, but it can! You see, after viewing your memories, Lei-Lei is under the impression you would be better off with Akane dead."
"AKANE!" Ranma moved as if to run, but something stopped him. Looking back, he stared at Nicole, then chuckled. "This is my body, I could just shove her out of control."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, when she took over, your cursed form... changed. It's now an exact duplicate of Lei-Lei's body from 1500 years ago, from her height, weight, and clothes down to the birthmark on her crotch."
"I did not need to know that."
"Oh, but that means your cursed form is now her body. Thus, when you change, she takes over. When she changes, you take control. To her body, you are the invading spirit."
"Oh, but she is such a sweet girl. Did you know that, after she viewed your memories, she cried for you? She may be a ganguro, but she is quite the caring individual."
"GANGURO!"
"Yes. Many a Japanese man's dreams. Even yours." Ranma wisely stayed silent. "I suggest we watch what she's up to and discuss this later. I, myself, was not expecting her to try and possess you. She seemed rather adamant against the idea of doing such a thing." And so, the two turned to the glass plane and watched.
- - - - - - -
Once the water was out of her eyes, Lei-Lei immediately dodged a mallet from the middle of Ranma's oversized clothes. They practically tented on her smaller body, as she quickly dodged another mallet swing. "You bi***..." She muttered to herself under her breath, wishing she had her weapons. Knowing she would quickly lose if she engaged Akane in non-weapon combat, she kept dodging, trying to find an opening to escape.
Akane, however, never even noticed the change in Ranma's skin color, nor hair color and hair style. "DIE RANMA!"
Lei-Lei easily noted that the cry was echoed by another voice. Chancing a look away from Akane, she quickly spotted Ryouga and cursed under her breath. 'Dammit, not now!'
- - - - - - -
"Please tell me she knows how to fight."
"Unarmed, she knows little. She's a true Hidden Weapons master."
"Wait, "true" Hidden Weapons?" Nicole laughed as she turned to Ranma.
"The style Mousse uses is a much weaker, less lethal version. Hidden Weapons complete mastery was banned in Joketsuzoku when it was used by Lei-Lei to kill Kuh Lon's parents."
"Wait, Cologne's parents? Lei-Lei's a murderer?"
"Not even I know that. You saw for yourself she was trying to convince Kuh Lon of her innocence." Ranma was puzzled for a few moments before he remembered.
"My dream... those were..."
"Her very last memories."
"How sad..."
- - - - - - -
'I have to get... of course!' Lei-Lei thought as she continued to dodge her two attackers. Obviously, she was making the both of them quite mad, with each screaming large threats of bodilly harm to the girl as she led them down the hall.
Remembering Ranma's first day, Lei-Lei took the first chance she got and ran away, rushing for the same window Ranma had used against Kunou. Leaping out, she immediately burst a pair of thin, powerful claws from her sleeves and slashed them into the wall, stopping her descent.
True to her goal, Ryouga leapt out and fell into the pool, while Akane took the stairs. Lei-Lei merely smiled and slid in the window below her, ignoring the bweeing of the angry piglet.
- - - - - - -
"Pretty smooth. She took care of that without having to fight back. I'm impressed."
"She needs some robes. Do you know of any Chinese stores in Nerima, Ranma?"
"I know of one. I get most of my Chinese dresses and stuff from them. How do I tell her?"
"It's like thinking. You kind of give the idea over to her. It also works as telepathic communication. Tell her we can hear her thoughts so she doesn't need to speak aloud."
"Okay."
- - - - - - -
'Lei-Lei? I need to speak to you.'
Lei-Lei was immediately on guard, looking around quickly before sighing and thinking it was just her imagination.
'It's me, Ranma. I'm in your mind, so I can hear your thoughts.'
'Ranma? I so wanted to meet you...'
'Listen, I know of a good place in Nerima that you can get some Chinese robes, just try to avoid as many fights as you can.'
'Alright, where is it?'
'It's...'
- - - - - - -
Some thirty minutes later, Lei-Lei left the shop in a perfect duplicate of her old clothes, with several other sets in weapon space and Ranma's outfit in Ranma's backpack. She felt a bit better now that she was back in her own clothes, especially since she could now completely defend herself.
'Just have to avoid Kuh Lon, can't let her know I'm alive again.' She thought before moving on down the street, back towards Furinkan High.
'What're you doing, Lei-Lei?'
'I hope you don't mind, Ranma. I lost my life for fifteen centuries. Give me a little time to get used to this new world...'
'Alright. Just try not to mess with anything.'
It took well into a few hours, as Lei-Lei wandered Nerima district, taking in all the sounds and sights, with Ranma's thoughts as her guide. She saw cars, televisions, and many other things that left her in awe. Few things were familiar, but when she saw the Nekohanten, she immediately asked about it.
'I wouldn't. If Cologne was the one who killed you, if she saw you, she'd kill you all over again.' The ganguro girl immediately nodded to Ranma's ingenuity and left.
Unknown to her, Cologne had long since sensed the girl's presence. "That aura felt so familiar... who was that?" She asked herself before deciding to put it off until later.
Lei-Lei took her time, but she was actually looking forward to getting into some fights, making sure she wasn't out of practice since her death. 'Ranma... Do you mind if I beat up your fiances?'
'WHAT!'
'Come on! Kami-sama knows they deserve it after all they've done to you. And besides, it's not like they'll think you're responsible.'
'You don't know them like I do. Somehow, they WILL put the blame onto me.'
'Please?'
'I... well I... Ah, to heck with it. Have fun.'
'YAY!'
Lei-Lei finished their conversation and retracted her claws, moving on forward for Furinkan, just in time for lunch.
"Hey, what's with the new robes, Ranma?" A boy, Hiroshi, asked as he approached Lei-Lei, just moments before she looked up at he stopped walking. "Oh, sorry miss. You just looked a lot like my friend Ranma and..." And he trailed off, getting a good look at the girl in front of him before he simply stopped moving. Curious, Lei-Lei waved her hand in front of his face, seeing no reaction. "Ganguro..."
Ranma internally sighed and proceeded to explain what a ganguro girl was to the Japanese and what that meant for the girl. Lei-Lei's face was immediately bright red as she quickly decided that the less guys saw her, the better off she'd be.
It didn't take long for her to find Akane, the girl was still hunting for Ranma, after all. And it was surprisingly easier to get her alone. And so, behind Furinkan High, Lei-Lei decided to confront Akane Tendo.
"Akane Tendo."
"What do you want? I'm hunting a baka right now!"
"Oh, you mean Ranma Saotome?" Akane stopped right then, turning to Lei-Lei with a glare.
"And how would you know that?"
"Simple. I know where he is." That got the desired effect, as Akane moved as if to threaten Lei-Lei if she didn't tell. 'Just like the violent brat I thought she was...'
Ranma decided not to comment.
"If you don't tell me..."
"Yeah, nice martial artist's code. Threatening people with bodilly harm if you don't get your way. That's REAL honorable of you, Akane Tendo." And that also got the desired effect, as Akane's battle aura began to take shape.
'Now to move in for the kill...' "You aren't a martial artist, Akane Tendo. All I see before me is a big bully."
"WHY YOU, DIE!"
And Lei-Lei only smiled at those words, moving to dodge already when she sensed something off to her side. 'What the hell! What kind of idiot tries to blindside a girl when she's fighting!'
Ranma sighed as he let his thoughts carry over. 'Knowing Nerima, a big one.'
A young man with a bokken was approaching. "Hold, vile temptress. I had heard stories of a dark skinned temptress looking for the tidy maiden, Akane Tendo. But I had not dreamed that she would be so... so... uncute!"
'WHAT DID HE JUST CALL ME!'
Akane looked about ready to smirk when she immediately lost that smug look. A massive shotputt had shot out the sleeve of Lei-Lei's Chinese robes and taken Kunou under the chin. That didn't stop him from being sent into LEO.
"You are a dishonorable brat, Akane Tendo! You let others involve themselves in your battles! For bullying Ranma, I will punish you!" And Lei-Lei was off at top speed with a primal scream, rushing forward.
"No one can defeat me!" Akane screamed.
Ranma inwardly chuckled and gave Lei-Lei a message to say. She said it without hesitation.
"Famous last words."
Lei-Lei returned before she was just a blur of motion. A 2x4 to the back, mallet to the side, frying pan over the head... Lei-Lei was just a blur around Akane as she attacked and attacked and attacked. Akane fell within moments, covered in bruises and welts all over.
Lei-Lei stood stock still as she stood over Akane, just staring down at the girl before taking up a cruel expression. Reaching into her sleeves, she pulled out an electric razor and started it up. She was about to go to her assignment when her danger sense suddenly flared like mad.
Alas, it was too late, and, as she turned, she immediately got a fist in the face that sent her sprawling. Dropping the razor, she lay on the ground, hands flying up to clutch her face, trying to ease away the pain.
- - - - - - -
"Ouch. You catch a glance at her attacker?"
"I did, but I think you can guess who it was."
- - - - - - -
Lei-Lei grasped her face for a few moments before splitting her fingers and looking between them, taking in her new opponents. From Ranma's memories, she instantly recognized Ryouga, Genma, and Soun. The dishonorable pig and the cowards. A low growl erupted from her throat as she slowly raised to her feet.
Ryouga and his allies were instantly on guard, from what looked like some kind of messed up version of Ranma in new robes.
"What're you up to Ranma? How dare you strike your fiance!" Soun roared as he unleashed the demon-head technique. However, Lei-Lei, having seen weirder things in her life and death, went unfazed.
"Ranma? I'm afraid you're greatly mistaken." She started, moving her hands up to her hat and removing it, revealing her face more openly to the trio. Immediately, Ryouga stopped solid, his fist slowly going down.
"I... struck a girl...?" To Ryouga, it was like the whole Ukyou thing all over again. He struck a girl, a dishonorable action for a man, and his mind just stopped.
Seeing an easy strike to win, out of Lei-Lei's sleeves burst a large mallet. Pulling back, she swung. And Ryouga was sent back into the trees, knocked on his a** and remaining slightly stunned.
Oh, here you are,
There's nothing left to say.
Genma and Soun charged in at once, confident they were stronger. As usual, it was another bullheaded, stupid move, as Lei-Lei's mallet vanished, quickly replaced by a pair of tonfer on her forearms. With a desolate expression, she readied herself.
You're not supposed to be that way.
Using the dishonorable tactics of Anything-Goes, which Ranma just noticed as he watched the fight, the two split to the girl's sides, forcing her to constantly switch her targets between them to watch them both.
Did they push you out?
Did they throw you away?
Immediately, the two cowards leapt into a jump kick, one low and the other high. Lei-Lei just watched them back and forth until the last moments, then leaps to the side, disallowing them the chance to right themselves by letting loose an eruption of chains. It worked and immediately sent the two into a massive faceplant.
Touch me now and I don't care,
When you take me, I'm not there.
Almost human, but I'll never be the same.
By now, Akane had awoken and, while still in bad shape, wasn't in bad enough shape to sneak up behind Lei-Lei and strike her in the back with her mallet. Lei-Lei righted herself in the air, and used her ki to accelerate the air around her. 'Kicking' at the air, she burst back in the air and took Akane across the chin with a haymaker.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Long way down,
I don't want to live in here alone.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Lei-Lei backed off a little before charging right back in, deciding using her weapons was too good and she needed to beat on some flesh with her own fists. Akane, in another bullheaded maneuver, attacked with her mallet. The mallet attack was slow compared to Lei-Lei, who merely ducked the mallet and struck Akane in the legs in a sweep. Akane hit the ground on her a** in time to get a kick in the face. She was out once more.
I never pushed you down,
I never pushed you away.
Lei-Lei burst up onto her feet and turned to the fathers, letting loose with another set of chains to keep them entangled, then grasping the chains and swirling them around. Spinning on her heels, she spun around like a small tornado.
You're not supposed to be that way.
A strike to Lei-Lei's stomach forced the air from her lungs, and another shot to the gut made her release the chains, sending the fathers high into the sky and far from sight. She dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach as she looked up at her attacker.
And anything you want,
There's nothing I can say.
It was... It was Ryouga. He's recovered from his initial shock and now stood over her, retracting his fist. He looked as strong as ever, and with the green aura surrounding him, Lei-Lei knew she'd know some good pain soon.
- - - - - - -
"dang, isn't there anything we can do?"
"Ranma, Lei-Lei has a rare power, to make any weapon real. Think, think for any type of weapon one could only imagine of, and tell her about it. Have her use it."
"I'll try..."
- - - - - - -
Is there anything to feel?
Is it pain that makes you real?
Cover it up before it kills me.
'Lei-Lei, try using this...' And Ranma started whispering to Lei-Lei.
'What could that do?'
'Just do it!'
'I need time!'
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Long way down,
I don't want to live in here alone.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
WHAM! And Lei-Lei took a hard shot in the stomach, followed by a kick to the legs that sent her to the ground. Akane awoke once again and Lei-Lei was forced to roll out of the way of another mallet swing.
"You two are hypocrites! You spout on and on about honor when you have none yourselves..." "All's fair in Anything-Goes martial arts, you floozy!" "I AM NOT ONE OF RANMA'S FIANCES, YOU bi***!"
Lei-Lei burst to her feet in a flash, her eyes dangerously narrowed as she thrust her arms to her sides and drew a rather good condition practice sword from one sleeve, and from the other erupt a familiar item.
The Chiisuiton. Ryouga froze. This gave her time to pull back the item and chain Ryouga to the bottom of the pool's diving board, so he couldn't get loose without taking a dip.
I never pushed you down,
I never pushed you away.
"Ryouga!" Akane screamed and moved to go after him, but Lei-Lei suddenly appeared in front of Akane.
"Looking to free your little piggy partner?" Akane growled and attacked.
Take another piece of me,
Give my mind a new disease.
And this black and white world never fades to gray!
There was a loud crack as the two fought, the wounded Lei-Lei fighting much less effectively due to her injuries. With every move she made in a certain direction, she moved a little slower. Akane had noticed this, smirked, and continued attacking from the left.
Ranma noticed just how dishonorable his fiance was and frowned.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Long way down,
I don't want to live in here alone.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Eventually, Lei-Lei tired of this battle and, just as the diving board broke, sending Ryouga for a dip as P-chan, Lei-Lei dashed forward and brought her practice sword up in a series of intricate and difficult thrusts and slashes, breaking through Akane's self-taught defenses. Akane took the sword to the head and went out, once and for all the money.
On my own...
'Are you alright, Lei-Lei?'
'Yes, I think so...'
On my own...
Lei-Lei left the battlefield, limping away from the back field with both a satisfied smile and a disgruntled frown. She hated pain and she sure had a lot of it. She passed out behind the girls' locker room.
- - - - - - -
"She should be here any moment. When she gets here, I suggest you first clothe her, then ask her to get some hot water when she wakes up. Don't need anyone finding her out already."
"What about her bruises?"
"Did you notice that when you take bruises in your female form, they don't cross over onto your male form sometimes?"
"Yes, I did... but I assumed I just healed fast."
"You do, but that was because it was a different body. Whatever happened to it, didn't happen to your body. Most of the time, at least. Well, here she comes." Nicole commented as a small light began to gather near where the two were camped out in Ranma's mind. The light began to fade after a few moments, and their ganguro friend, Lei-Lei, made an appearance.
Before she even appeared fully, Ranma already had her clothed in a japanese Kimono. While Lei-Lei thought it as a strange wrapping, she didn't openly complain.
"Okay, Lei-Lei, explain to me why you felt the need to possess my body and beat on my fiance." Lei-Lei knew she was in trouble. She knew without a doubt that the wrong answer might very well get her a punishment from either Ranma or Nicole.
"Well, I..."
"Yes?"
"I... I saw your memories. And I couldn't believe the crap your fiance, Akane Tendo, put you through on a daily basis. I could feel how much you hated her, but your honor code wouldn't allow you to do anything. My own honor code wouldn't allow me to do NOTHING about it if I could fix it, even the littlest bit. I had to at least try to fix things, if only for your sake."
Ranma was taken aback. Here he was expecting something like her wanting him for herself, but her reason was... unselfish. She just wanted to help for the sake of being kind. He was actually feeling touched for that.
"Lei-Lei, I don't know what to say..."
"How about 'Thank you'?" Nicole asked with a nudge on Ranma's side. Ranma looked a little sheepish before turning to Lei-Lei and repeating the words.
"It's no real problem, Ranma. I admit those two cowardly bastards put me through a lot of pain, but, in the end, I think it was worth it. After all, I did beat them..."
"Oh right, you think you could hunt down some hot water?"
"Oh, of course, Ranma. Don't need to get caught, do we?"
"Okay, you two. Lei-Lei, I suggest you get back. You didn't knock Ryouga unconscious..." Lei-Lei eeped and disappeared in a beam of light."
- - - - - - -
Her eyes slowly opened as she lay there on her side. She found herself facing a few lockers and a few faces. Other girls. The girls must have found her and brought her inside to recover. 'Such kindness...' She thought, before fully opening her eyes and slowly forcing herself up to sitting.
"She's awake!"
"What! Let me at that bi***!" Apparently, Akane was awake too.
With that, Lei-Lei leapt to her feet and openly glared at Akane.
"You have such a big mouth, you hypocrite."
"WHAT!"
"What's wrong, don't know what a hypocrite is?"
"Enough, you two!" Gave the call of a girl that was carrying P-chan in her arms. It was Yuka, one of Akane's friends. "What's this all about?"
"That bi*** attacked me!"
"As I seem to recall, I responded to a thread YOU made against me, and you lost. Not only did you involve your father, Genma Saotome, and Ryouga Hibiki to team up against me, but you all lost. Akane Tendo, it is VERY dishonorable to involve others in your fights. Not only did you allow others to help you in your fight, but you looked utterly SMUG doing so!"
"How dare you preach to me about honor! I'm the most honorable fighter in all of Nerima! I don't use stupid tricks and cheats like chi attacks to win my fights!"
"As I seem to recall, you, Tendo, haven't won a fight since Ranma arrived here."
"I beat up the Horde of Hentai every morning!"
"Key words are 'beat up'. You don't fight them, you beat them up. You, Tendo, are a bully." Lei-Lei proclaimed as she pointed her finger at Akane.
"How dare..."
"ENOUGH!" That shut both girls up and forced them to look back at Yuka and P-chan. P-chan was struggling to get at Lei-Lei. The mad girl merely pulled out a kettle of hot water and pointed at P-chan.
"Ryouga, I have had enough of you. You call Ranma dishonorable, yet you sneak into a girl's bed EVERY NIGHT. You are a dishonorable pig, and for your crimes, I will punish you!" She proclaimed, taking up the kettle when Akane screamed.
"What does P-chan have to do with Ryouga?"
Yuka was merely silent as she looked down at the pig, then started to hand him over to Lei-Lei. P-chan attempted to bite Lei-Lei, but merely got beaned over the head with the kettle.
"What are you doing, Yuka! Poor P-chan!"
"But what if she's right about P-chan? If she is, it would be best to find out now."
Lei-Lei, seeing she had everyone's attention, decided it was show time, and picked up the unconscious pig in one hand, placing him on the bench she had been on. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the hot water flying over P-chan.
"P-CHAN!"
"BWWWWWWWEEEEE-RRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH! HOT, HOT, HOT!"
At that human, male voice, the girls were immediately going for their lockers, pulling out their many weapons of choice. Brooms, shovels, hoses, bags, and many other things like mallets and kendo sticks, went into their hands. Yuka stood next to Akane as they both stared into the mist.
Ryouga appeared from out of the mist, trying to attack Lei-Lei, forgetting he was nude as he bowled her over and pinned her to the ground. "Get the hell off me, you pig!" Lei-Lei screamed as she kicked him where no man should be struck.
Ryouga's eyes crossed strangely as he whimpered, allowing Lei-Lei to kick him off her and push herself away. The girls were immediately upon him, weapons drawn and ready to do some damage to the pervert.
Akane, however, was feeling around inside the mist. "P-chan?"
"Akane, you live with a martial artist that changes genders with hot and cold water. Is it so hard to believe that someone like Ryouga would have a curse as well?"
Akane stopped and just stared at Yuka as if she were crazy. "Ryouga is the most honorable man I know. Of course he wouldn't lie to me."
'Oh well, at least the girls know.' Ranma sent to Lei-Lei.
'Well, I tried. Now, I'm leaving. I'll get you your hot water soon.' And she left.
- - - - - - -
Lei-Lei had managed to make quite a mess. She had managed to pi** off some of the local martial artists, expose Ryouga's curse to the girls of Furinkan, and not to mention HUMILIATE Akane in front of her own friends.
"Hmph... Brat probably knows about P-chan already... Just playing dumb while she sleeps with the pig behind Ranma's back..." Then, when her mind caught up with her mouth, she realized the horrible thing she had just implied and covered her mouth.
'Ranma, I...'
'Save it... You might just be right, so I'll leave that to remain to be seen. Please, just find me some hot water.'
But Lei-Lei felt horrible. What she had just said was one of the worst things you could say. She had implied there was something wrong with Ranma... When really it was Akane's fault...
Once at the Janitor's Closet, Lei-Lei set up a kettle on the stove and filled it with water. Starting up the stove, she set herself down on the ground and huddled into a ball.
She had closed the door to the closet, leaving enough open to see, but not enough for people to know someone was in there.
She hiccuped.
Ranma was confused for a moment in the dreamscape, or so Nicole liked to call it. She and him had come to the agreement that he should visit nightly with the girls to plan what he and Lei-Lei should do.
But right now, he began to understand all too clear. He knew the beginning of tears in a girl. With how many girls he made cry, he should know. 'Lei-Lei...'
'No, please...' She thought as she let her tears flow, sniffing. 'I... I did so many horrible things... I... I'm just an uncivilized little girl from a backwater village in China, after all...'
'Now don't say that...'
'But it's true! If... If it weren't for me, Cologne would never have been so cruel to you... If it weren't for me... Your problems with Shampoo and Cologne might not be as severe...'
'What?'
'I... I was born in Joketsuzoku, Ranma...'
And all at once, Ranma understood.
- - - - - - -
That Night...
- - - - - - -
Ranma went to bed, remembering the request made by Nicole and Lei-Lei. For him to meet them in the dreamscape. As he went to sleep, he thought only of the dreamscape, letting himself drift into bodily rest while his consciousness went to meet with the girls.
Only, Nicole wasn't there. She'd gone back to the depths of his mind, leaving him alone with Lei-Lei.
"Where's Nicole?" Lei-Lei immediately blushed at hearing about the water spirit.
"She wants me to teach you how to please a woman..."
"Oh. That sounds cool, might get some of my fiances to stop attacking me." Lei-Lei blushed more deeply at that.
"No, not quite that way..."
"What way?"
Lei-Lei answered in only one way, by starting to untie her Kimono. Ranma's eyes were wide.
"Oh... that way..."
- - - - - - -
"Ranma?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think... you'll ever be married?"
"Hmmm... I think I already am." Ranma replied as he thought back over the past hour or so of... special time spent with his spirit mate. Lei-Lei didn't answer but rather looked over at him with a light blush.
"You mean... me?"
"Could I mean anyone else?"
Lei-Lei's only answer was a giggle, as she leaned over and initiated a deep kiss. And that kiss was all the answer Ranma could want from her.
"I wish we could split and be together forever outside our dreams..."
"Yeah... if only wishes could come true..."
"But... I feel like I've wronged your fiances. They have legitimate claims to you, and I..." Ranma merely grinned and placed a finger on her lips, as he spoke in Mandarin.
"Woe ai ne, Lei-Lei." And upon hearing those words, Lei-Lei merely blushed and pulled herself closer, responding.
"Woe ai ne, Ranma."
And the two kissed, before going at it once again that night.
- - - - - - -
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2
By RankoSaotome
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and Darkstalkers do not belong to me. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and CAPCOM respectively. "Long Way Down" is sung by the Goo Goo Dolls.
A/N: This fic was partially influenced by the fic "Her" by The Eternal Lost Lurker. They're a great writer and I highly suggest you read that fic.
- - - - - - -
Part 1
Finding Life
- - - - - - -
It started with a dream. A dream of a girl. No... a dream of a young woman in ancient times. She had tanned skin almost to the point of being ganguro, with Chinese robes of purple and pink, with a yellow sash. Or at least, what was left of them. She was practically naked, her clothing torn to bits as she backed away from another young woman.
The other woman looked like an Amazon of Joketsuzoku. In fact, she looked very familiar...
"Please, Kuh Lon!" The ganguro girl pleaded, clasping her hands together. "We've been friends since we were kids! How can you believe I killed your parents?"
The other figure, Kuh Lon, barely moved, raising her Chinese Scimitar to bear as she glared at the ganguro with hateful, tearful eyes. "Oh, and why should I believe you? YOU were the one found at my parents' bodies!" And Kuh Lon attacked.
Thinking fast, the ganguro girl whipped back her massive sleeve, a large broadsword suddenly pushing out in her hands to block the scimitar.
"Please, Kuh Lon! I didn't do it!"
"If everything didn't point to you, I might just believe you... but they found one of YOUR knives drove into my mother's chest!" The two were a flurry of movement, Kuh Lon on the attack with the ganguro girl on the defense.
"Everyone that knows Hidden Weapons style uses the same knives! It was one of them, I swear!"
"That sounds like an excuse! DIE, LEI-LEI!" And Lei-Lei retreated, rushing back to avoid the frenzied attacks of her friend, trying for the life of her to figure this out.
Lei-Lei was about to retreat again, when her left foot met with air and she windmilled, regaining her balance and pulling herself forward. Chancing a look back, she noticed she was atop a cliff over a valley of pools. "Uh oh..."
Kuh Lon merely smiled when Lei-Lei brought her attention back to her attacker. Lei-Lei knew a fall from this height could break her neck, and she didn't dare dodge if Kuh Lon charged her... She wouldn't be responsible for Kuh Lon's death.
Kuh Lon moved as if to charge, when Lei-Lei made a desperate move. Uncurling her sleeves, they reached down to her knees, and a pair of large claws slowly followed through the sleeves.
"There's no way I can prove my innocence... but if I must fight you, I... I will."
"Good, then I can at least say I fought you to the death." Lei-Lei wasn't exactly thrilled at that.
"But I can prove my innocence to you now..." Lei-Lei started as she backed up towards the cliff. Kuh Lon immediately tensed up. Just what was that girl up to?
And Lei-Lei leapt back, flattening herself out in midair before she left Kuh Lon's sight below the cliff. When Kuh Lon rushed forward to see if the girl commit suicide, she was further angered to find Lei-Lei sliding down the cliffside using her claws.
Kuh Lon rushed down the hillside, trying as best as she could to reach the ground first.
Where as Lei-Lei's route was the shortest, sliding on her claws was slow, as the digging of her claws caused her descent to rapidly decelerate until she was falling at a safe rate. Thus, Kuh Lon's route wound up being faster.
This, though, Lei-Lei hardly noticed. She was too busy making sure she got down safely that she hardly noticed when Kuh Lon reached the ground one minute ahead.
Though she did notice when, almost thirty feet above the ground, a throwing dagger rushed up out of nowhere and imbedded itself into her right shoulder. Lei-Lei did only what any other warm-blooded human would have done.
She screamed, and released her claws on reflex, plummeting the last thirty feet just to slam into the ground next to one of the pools of water. Fortunately, she did not land on the dagger's hilt.
Lei-Lei gasped for air, the air nicely driven from her lungs when she felt two hands grab her roughly, one holding her down while the other grasped the hilt of the dagger.
"NO!" Lei-Lei cried as the hand roughly yanked on the dagger, mercilessly moving it around. Lei-Lei felt the tears escape her eyes as the dagger left a burning, painful sensation all over her back, leaving her with the impression Kuh Lon, her childhood friend, was really going to kill her. And Lei-Lei couldn't bring herself to fight back.
The next thing she knew, the dagger was out of her shoulder and she felt like she was being dragged along the ground. When she saw the pool, she knew what Kuh Lon was going to do.
"You're not even going to grant me a Warrior's death, are you?"
"You don't deserve a Warrior's death, murderer."
Lei-Lei was immediately taking back her thoughts. To die was one thing, to die knowing none would think her as honorable was too much.
"I beg of you, Kuh Lon. Please, don't! No!" Glub! All Lei-Lei knew was water then, as Kuh Lon dunked her head into the water and shoved it down. Lei-Lei could feel her lungs burning for oxygen, only to find none.
Flailing her arms and thrashing underneath Kuh Lon, Lei-Lei continued to try to get her Amazonian sister off her. But it was in vain, Kuh Lon did not move. And it wasn't long before Lei-Lei ceased moving as well. And all was dark.
- - - - - - -
Ranma Saotome, seventeen year old martial artist, awoke in a deep sweat, his mind racing as his eyes darted all around him. For a second, he could have sworn he was some girl named Lei-Lei and... someone killed her.
"Man... that was one messed up nightmare..." Ranma said as he slowly moved into a seated position, then got up entirely.
'Weird... I could have sworn I could actually feel that dagger dig into my own flesh. It was like it was almost real...' Ranma thought, getting up and grabbing his bath supplies and a change of clothes.
After a relaxing bath, Ranma could already feel the remnants of the dream fading as he returned to his room to put his things away before coming down for breakfast.
For a difference, he was the first one down this morning. Well except for Kasumi, but she was always up early. Yawning, he moved over to the table and plopped himself down in his usual spot.
"Good morning, Ranma-kun. Sleep well?" Kasumi asked from the kitchen, coming out to begin calling everyone down to breakfast. As usual,it took a few minutes, but Genma and Soun were down, soon followed by Nabiki. Akane was nowhere in sight.
Ranma watched each of them take a seat. As usual, Soun and Genma had a massive hangover from last night's "planning the wedding of Akane and Ranma" while Nabiki needed a good cup of coffee to wake up fully. Akane would be late for breakfast, as usual.
Kasumi soon came out with breakfast, and Ranma felt his stomach announce itself. 'Okay, shut up you.' He thought as he waited to be served, sitting as patiently as he could.
Then he remembered his dream. 'No, not now. I don't need to remember that at breakfast...' He thought just as soon as the food got around to him.
But, the thoughts would not leave him. The remnants of the dream continued to pound on his psyche for a few moments more, before being promptly blocked out. He concentrated on more important things, like breakfast.
Then, a sudden thought came to him. 'That girl... she drowned at Jusenkyou... was she... the girl who drowned in the Nyannichuan? Was I seeing... her memories from a different perspective?'
- - - - - - -
Darkness. That's all the girl knew. But it wasn't the inky black darkness of one's eyes being closed. It was more like twilight, with the darkness all but swallowing her. As she opened her eyes more, she found the air around her began to shift for her, illuminating until, from utter twilight, all was illuminated by moonlight.
'Moonlight? But there's no moon out... where am I?' She thought before slowly sitting up from on her back. Looking around, she immediately noticed several things. For one, she was naked, with no clothes in sight. For the second, another naked woman stood not fifteen feet from her. The difference being, the girl wasn't normal. She was an elemental spirit of water.
"A figment of magic?"
"You are very wise for one who died so young. As I am universal, a Spirit of Water as they say, you may call me Nicole."
The girl was slightly surprised. Never had she heard such a name before. Unless...
"You're not inherently Chinese, are you?"
"Smart AND wise. I see I have a real winner here. I'm inherently American."
"Ameri... huh?"
"The world has changed much since you died, Lei-Lei. People have moved on, even your good friend Kuh Lon. She has forgotten you."
"Forgotten me? How... how much time has passed?"
At first, Nicole was hesitant to answer, watching the girl intently for several moments before walking over. Stopping a few feet in front of Lei-Lei, she spoke.
"It's been a little over fifteen centuries."
"1500 years? I've been dead... that long?"
"I know it's difficult to take, Lei-Lei, I know the pain, but you must remember, you aren't alive anymore."
"So, what am I?"
Nicole once again hesitated to answer, but she still answered.
"Hanging on the edge of limbo, a spirit unable to move on to heaven. Held to the Earth by the power of Jusenkyou."
"Jusenkyou? Training Grounds of Accursed Springs? Wait a second... what am I speaking?"
"As I said, the world has changed much, as have you. Your 'host', as it is..."
"Stop right there! 'Host'? Are you saying I possessed someone?"
Instead of hesitating, Nicole merely laughed, reaching a watery hand down to Lei-Lei. Somewhat nervously, Lei-Lei took hold of the hand and let herself be pulled to her feet.
Then, she noticed. Her ganguro complexion was gone, replaced by the pale blue of a Chinese ghost. She didn't comment on it, figuring it was a side effect of being long dead.
"No, you didn't possess anyone." Nicole said with a lightly amused tone in her voice. "Jusenkyou took your body, your soul, and trapped it inside yourself. You were trapped in Jusenkyou, unable to leave. Then, this charming young man fell in your spring."
"So what?"
"The thing about Jusenkyou is anyone, be they human or animal, that falls into a spring that something drowned in takes on the form of whatever drowned there. Your spring is the Nyannichuan."
"Spring of Drowned Girl..."
"Right. So anyone who falls in that spring takes the body of a human girl. Just so you know, they don't get your body, just a female version of themself."
"So then, how does this affect me?"
"Simple, my dear Lei-Lei. Anything that fell in before didn't have the spiritual capacity to handle your soul, so you were trapped. However, this young man DID have that capacity, so your soul was transferred from the spring to his body."
"So, I DID possess him!"
"No. You see, though you were now inside him, your soul lay dormant, and only recently awoke. The cause of your awakening has caused your host to see memories of yours in his sleep. If you wish, you could have him experience your life, and you experience his. The problem with that is it's a full transfer. Every thought, every feeling, everything you ever experienced in life will be seen by him. Nothing will remain secret. Same for if you view his life, nothing will go unseen."
"That's a little creepy... But you never answered why I'm speaking like this..."
"The language you're now speaking is Japanese. Since your host is inherently Japanese, when you were transferred to his body, it seems you picked up his language in your... exhaustion period."
"Can he hear us?"
"No, we're in the depths of his mind. Thus why it's so dark here. I, myself, am the magic of the curse that allows Ranma to change from male to female."
"Ranma, huh? Wild Stallion..."
"I suggest you get to know your host a little more... intimately. In his sleep tonight, visit him in the dreaming portion of his mind. Until then, you may want to review his life."
And Nicole pointed in a direction, where a light amount of light was eminating. Lei-Lei, still a little nervous about this whole thing, slowly nodded and started in that direction.
Nicole figured Lei-Lei could do the rest on her own, and stayed.
- - - - - - -
Ranma, the 'studying' student, shifted in his seat, trying to stop his eyes from closing from boredom as he watched some of the other students solving mathematics problems.
It wasn't that he didn't care about his grades. It's just that he didn't see how Math could help him with his martial arts.
Of course, he could only last so long before the teacher noticed him nodding off and took appropriate action. Five seconds later, an eraser of chalk dust landed on Ranma's head and he coughed from the dust.
"Saotome, hall, buckets, NOW." The class knew better than to laugh, as many had done water torture ala Ms. Hinako before. So Ranma just grumbled, walked over, grabbed the buckets, before he was stopped.
"All three buckets, Saotome." Ranma turned to glare at Oda-san, balanced one bucket on his head, then grabbed the last bucket. He had to duck to avoid splashing the water all over himself.
- - - - - - -
Mother, her face watching over him as he lay in his crib. Love.
Playing with a fire engine, pretending to be a fire fighter. Fun.
Sparing with Father, learning martial arts. Excitement.
Being abducted by Father. Confusion.
Ukyou. Friendship.
Gambling King. Hate.
Cat-Fist Training. Pain.
Training in the wilds on an empty stomach. Hunger.
Watching Father eat all the food after beating him senseless. Betrayal.
Having large rocks thrown at him. Concentration.
Caverns of Eternal Rest. Challenge.
Ryouga. Rivalry.
Jusenkyou. Damned.
Dragon Whisker incident. Anger.
Shampoo. Fear.
Tendo House. Hope.
Kasumi. Motherly Love.
Nabiki. Concern.
Akane. Indifference.
Soun. Betrayal.
Kunou. Dislike.
Ryouga. Confusion.
P-chan. Pity.
Kodachi. Dislike.
Mikado. Hate.
Azusa. Humor.
Shampoo. Fear.
Shampoo. Helpless.
Mousse. Rivalry.
Cologne. Indifference.
Full Body Cat Tongue. Anger.
Ukyou. Sisterly Love.
Hiryu Shoten Ha. Drive.
Mother. Love.
Tarou. Power.
Tarou. Fear.
Mouko Takabisha. Confidence.
Herb. Challenge.
Herb. Helplessness.
Ryu Kumon. Dislike.
Umisenken and Yamasenken. Mastery.
Mother. Acception.
Kiima. Confusion.
Kiima. Hate.
Saffron. Concern.
Akane. Love.
Saffron. Unbridled Hate.
Failed Wedding. Ultimate Betrayal.
Akane. Disappointment.
Akane. Betrayal.
Akane.
Akane.
Akane.
Akane. Hate.
Lei-Lei was in tears by the time all the images fled her mind, her mind being assailed with all the pain and betrayal of Ranma's life, and her eyes releasing her own feelings in a torrent of tears.
"He's had such a sad life... with few high points at all." She said as she looked around. This area of Ranma's mind was much brighter, with light from usage and vision. She could almost feel someone's gaze on her at all times, as if Ranma was recording that she was there. "No wonder he hates that girl... Akane..." Lei-Lei's eyes narrowed as she came up with a mental image of Akane Tendo.
"If I had a chance... I'll remove her from his life... but how...?" Lei-Lei slowly sat down, taking on a contemplative expression as she placed her hands on her naked knees. Looking herself over for a second, she frowned, knowing she'd need to somehow get something on if she wanted to meet Ranma. If only she could get a clue... How...
'Wait a second... if I'm the Spirit of the Nyannichuan, that means I have a sort of connection to his girl form. So, if I just wait for him to change...'
- - - - - - -
As if on cue, Akane stepped out of the classroom, with a furious expression. "Ranma! How dare you flirt with Ukyou! You're MY fiance!" And down came the mallet.
Only Ranma dodged immediately, dropping his buckets and getting splashed on the backlash.
- - - - - - -
"NOW!"
- - - - - - -
And Ranma was struck with a sudden case of dizziness before he felt like he ceased to exist.
Next thing Ranma knew, he was standing behind a plane of glass, watching Akane from... Where was he?
"Nice to see you, Ranma." And Ranma turned, coming immediately to view the naked water woman before him. Immediately, he covered his eyes.
"Hey! Put some clothes on, dammit!"
"I can't, but you can. This is akin to a dreamscape, but while I am a part of you, you are the only thing that's 'real' per say. In other words, you're the only one that can form anything around us. Besides, you need clothes too." The woman remarked with a smirk, while Ranma immediately looked down and covered himself, then looked up.
Suddenly, it seemed to come to him and he concentrated slightly. In less than a second, the light around them reformed into a room with a table and cushions. He was dressed in his normal clothes while the woman was now dressed in a royal blue kimono. The woman looked at herself and smiled.
"Nice choice, I love it!" She cried as she twirled around, looking down at her attire the entire time. With that same smile, she looked up, moved forward, and kissed him on the cheek. Ranma immediately blushed.
The woman merely continued smiling and took a seat. Ranma followed suit.
"I suppose you wish to know what happened."
"Well, I guess so. How about first finding out who the heck you are."
"Oh. Well, I'm the magic that causes you to change into a girl. In short, I am your curse. My name's Nicole."
"No way you're my curse. You're made of water and you don't look like my cursed form."
"Ranma, I am merely a Water Elemental. A Spirit of Magic, if you will. I am the cause of your change, while your cursed form is merely another body. I just make you change into that body."
"Huh?"
"I'm going to change subjects here. You wanted to know about your dizzy spell?"
Ranma stopped for a moment, easily seeing that she was trying to avoid the subject of just what Nicole was. But, he didn't feel the need to persue it, so he left it alone. "So, why am I here instead of... of... um, where am I anyways?"
"You're inside your own mind, Ranma. Were you aware you were carrying the spirit of the drowned girl around inside you?" Ranma immediately stopped, looking around him for a few moments before standing abruptly.
"Did she possess me?"
"Believe me, Ranma, she doesn't mean any harm. She wants nothing more than to help you with your problems. She's a very sweet girl and she wants to meet you. Lei-Lei's in your cursed form, trying to fix things."
"Oh boy, this can't get any worse..."
"Oh, but it can! You see, after viewing your memories, Lei-Lei is under the impression you would be better off with Akane dead."
"AKANE!" Ranma moved as if to run, but something stopped him. Looking back, he stared at Nicole, then chuckled. "This is my body, I could just shove her out of control."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, when she took over, your cursed form... changed. It's now an exact duplicate of Lei-Lei's body from 1500 years ago, from her height, weight, and clothes down to the birthmark on her crotch."
"I did not need to know that."
"Oh, but that means your cursed form is now her body. Thus, when you change, she takes over. When she changes, you take control. To her body, you are the invading spirit."
"Oh, but she is such a sweet girl. Did you know that, after she viewed your memories, she cried for you? She may be a ganguro, but she is quite the caring individual."
"GANGURO!"
"Yes. Many a Japanese man's dreams. Even yours." Ranma wisely stayed silent. "I suggest we watch what she's up to and discuss this later. I, myself, was not expecting her to try and possess you. She seemed rather adamant against the idea of doing such a thing." And so, the two turned to the glass plane and watched.
- - - - - - -
Once the water was out of her eyes, Lei-Lei immediately dodged a mallet from the middle of Ranma's oversized clothes. They practically tented on her smaller body, as she quickly dodged another mallet swing. "You bi***..." She muttered to herself under her breath, wishing she had her weapons. Knowing she would quickly lose if she engaged Akane in non-weapon combat, she kept dodging, trying to find an opening to escape.
Akane, however, never even noticed the change in Ranma's skin color, nor hair color and hair style. "DIE RANMA!"
Lei-Lei easily noted that the cry was echoed by another voice. Chancing a look away from Akane, she quickly spotted Ryouga and cursed under her breath. 'Dammit, not now!'
- - - - - - -
"Please tell me she knows how to fight."
"Unarmed, she knows little. She's a true Hidden Weapons master."
"Wait, "true" Hidden Weapons?" Nicole laughed as she turned to Ranma.
"The style Mousse uses is a much weaker, less lethal version. Hidden Weapons complete mastery was banned in Joketsuzoku when it was used by Lei-Lei to kill Kuh Lon's parents."
"Wait, Cologne's parents? Lei-Lei's a murderer?"
"Not even I know that. You saw for yourself she was trying to convince Kuh Lon of her innocence." Ranma was puzzled for a few moments before he remembered.
"My dream... those were..."
"Her very last memories."
"How sad..."
- - - - - - -
'I have to get... of course!' Lei-Lei thought as she continued to dodge her two attackers. Obviously, she was making the both of them quite mad, with each screaming large threats of bodilly harm to the girl as she led them down the hall.
Remembering Ranma's first day, Lei-Lei took the first chance she got and ran away, rushing for the same window Ranma had used against Kunou. Leaping out, she immediately burst a pair of thin, powerful claws from her sleeves and slashed them into the wall, stopping her descent.
True to her goal, Ryouga leapt out and fell into the pool, while Akane took the stairs. Lei-Lei merely smiled and slid in the window below her, ignoring the bweeing of the angry piglet.
- - - - - - -
"Pretty smooth. She took care of that without having to fight back. I'm impressed."
"She needs some robes. Do you know of any Chinese stores in Nerima, Ranma?"
"I know of one. I get most of my Chinese dresses and stuff from them. How do I tell her?"
"It's like thinking. You kind of give the idea over to her. It also works as telepathic communication. Tell her we can hear her thoughts so she doesn't need to speak aloud."
"Okay."
- - - - - - -
'Lei-Lei? I need to speak to you.'
Lei-Lei was immediately on guard, looking around quickly before sighing and thinking it was just her imagination.
'It's me, Ranma. I'm in your mind, so I can hear your thoughts.'
'Ranma? I so wanted to meet you...'
'Listen, I know of a good place in Nerima that you can get some Chinese robes, just try to avoid as many fights as you can.'
'Alright, where is it?'
'It's...'
- - - - - - -
Some thirty minutes later, Lei-Lei left the shop in a perfect duplicate of her old clothes, with several other sets in weapon space and Ranma's outfit in Ranma's backpack. She felt a bit better now that she was back in her own clothes, especially since she could now completely defend herself.
'Just have to avoid Kuh Lon, can't let her know I'm alive again.' She thought before moving on down the street, back towards Furinkan High.
'What're you doing, Lei-Lei?'
'I hope you don't mind, Ranma. I lost my life for fifteen centuries. Give me a little time to get used to this new world...'
'Alright. Just try not to mess with anything.'
It took well into a few hours, as Lei-Lei wandered Nerima district, taking in all the sounds and sights, with Ranma's thoughts as her guide. She saw cars, televisions, and many other things that left her in awe. Few things were familiar, but when she saw the Nekohanten, she immediately asked about it.
'I wouldn't. If Cologne was the one who killed you, if she saw you, she'd kill you all over again.' The ganguro girl immediately nodded to Ranma's ingenuity and left.
Unknown to her, Cologne had long since sensed the girl's presence. "That aura felt so familiar... who was that?" She asked herself before deciding to put it off until later.
Lei-Lei took her time, but she was actually looking forward to getting into some fights, making sure she wasn't out of practice since her death. 'Ranma... Do you mind if I beat up your fiances?'
'WHAT!'
'Come on! Kami-sama knows they deserve it after all they've done to you. And besides, it's not like they'll think you're responsible.'
'You don't know them like I do. Somehow, they WILL put the blame onto me.'
'Please?'
'I... well I... Ah, to heck with it. Have fun.'
'YAY!'
Lei-Lei finished their conversation and retracted her claws, moving on forward for Furinkan, just in time for lunch.
"Hey, what's with the new robes, Ranma?" A boy, Hiroshi, asked as he approached Lei-Lei, just moments before she looked up at he stopped walking. "Oh, sorry miss. You just looked a lot like my friend Ranma and..." And he trailed off, getting a good look at the girl in front of him before he simply stopped moving. Curious, Lei-Lei waved her hand in front of his face, seeing no reaction. "Ganguro..."
Ranma internally sighed and proceeded to explain what a ganguro girl was to the Japanese and what that meant for the girl. Lei-Lei's face was immediately bright red as she quickly decided that the less guys saw her, the better off she'd be.
It didn't take long for her to find Akane, the girl was still hunting for Ranma, after all. And it was surprisingly easier to get her alone. And so, behind Furinkan High, Lei-Lei decided to confront Akane Tendo.
"Akane Tendo."
"What do you want? I'm hunting a baka right now!"
"Oh, you mean Ranma Saotome?" Akane stopped right then, turning to Lei-Lei with a glare.
"And how would you know that?"
"Simple. I know where he is." That got the desired effect, as Akane moved as if to threaten Lei-Lei if she didn't tell. 'Just like the violent brat I thought she was...'
Ranma decided not to comment.
"If you don't tell me..."
"Yeah, nice martial artist's code. Threatening people with bodilly harm if you don't get your way. That's REAL honorable of you, Akane Tendo." And that also got the desired effect, as Akane's battle aura began to take shape.
'Now to move in for the kill...' "You aren't a martial artist, Akane Tendo. All I see before me is a big bully."
"WHY YOU, DIE!"
And Lei-Lei only smiled at those words, moving to dodge already when she sensed something off to her side. 'What the hell! What kind of idiot tries to blindside a girl when she's fighting!'
Ranma sighed as he let his thoughts carry over. 'Knowing Nerima, a big one.'
A young man with a bokken was approaching. "Hold, vile temptress. I had heard stories of a dark skinned temptress looking for the tidy maiden, Akane Tendo. But I had not dreamed that she would be so... so... uncute!"
'WHAT DID HE JUST CALL ME!'
Akane looked about ready to smirk when she immediately lost that smug look. A massive shotputt had shot out the sleeve of Lei-Lei's Chinese robes and taken Kunou under the chin. That didn't stop him from being sent into LEO.
"You are a dishonorable brat, Akane Tendo! You let others involve themselves in your battles! For bullying Ranma, I will punish you!" And Lei-Lei was off at top speed with a primal scream, rushing forward.
"No one can defeat me!" Akane screamed.
Ranma inwardly chuckled and gave Lei-Lei a message to say. She said it without hesitation.
"Famous last words."
Lei-Lei returned before she was just a blur of motion. A 2x4 to the back, mallet to the side, frying pan over the head... Lei-Lei was just a blur around Akane as she attacked and attacked and attacked. Akane fell within moments, covered in bruises and welts all over.
Lei-Lei stood stock still as she stood over Akane, just staring down at the girl before taking up a cruel expression. Reaching into her sleeves, she pulled out an electric razor and started it up. She was about to go to her assignment when her danger sense suddenly flared like mad.
Alas, it was too late, and, as she turned, she immediately got a fist in the face that sent her sprawling. Dropping the razor, she lay on the ground, hands flying up to clutch her face, trying to ease away the pain.
- - - - - - -
"Ouch. You catch a glance at her attacker?"
"I did, but I think you can guess who it was."
- - - - - - -
Lei-Lei grasped her face for a few moments before splitting her fingers and looking between them, taking in her new opponents. From Ranma's memories, she instantly recognized Ryouga, Genma, and Soun. The dishonorable pig and the cowards. A low growl erupted from her throat as she slowly raised to her feet.
Ryouga and his allies were instantly on guard, from what looked like some kind of messed up version of Ranma in new robes.
"What're you up to Ranma? How dare you strike your fiance!" Soun roared as he unleashed the demon-head technique. However, Lei-Lei, having seen weirder things in her life and death, went unfazed.
"Ranma? I'm afraid you're greatly mistaken." She started, moving her hands up to her hat and removing it, revealing her face more openly to the trio. Immediately, Ryouga stopped solid, his fist slowly going down.
"I... struck a girl...?" To Ryouga, it was like the whole Ukyou thing all over again. He struck a girl, a dishonorable action for a man, and his mind just stopped.
Seeing an easy strike to win, out of Lei-Lei's sleeves burst a large mallet. Pulling back, she swung. And Ryouga was sent back into the trees, knocked on his a** and remaining slightly stunned.
Oh, here you are,
There's nothing left to say.
Genma and Soun charged in at once, confident they were stronger. As usual, it was another bullheaded, stupid move, as Lei-Lei's mallet vanished, quickly replaced by a pair of tonfer on her forearms. With a desolate expression, she readied herself.
You're not supposed to be that way.
Using the dishonorable tactics of Anything-Goes, which Ranma just noticed as he watched the fight, the two split to the girl's sides, forcing her to constantly switch her targets between them to watch them both.
Did they push you out?
Did they throw you away?
Immediately, the two cowards leapt into a jump kick, one low and the other high. Lei-Lei just watched them back and forth until the last moments, then leaps to the side, disallowing them the chance to right themselves by letting loose an eruption of chains. It worked and immediately sent the two into a massive faceplant.
Touch me now and I don't care,
When you take me, I'm not there.
Almost human, but I'll never be the same.
By now, Akane had awoken and, while still in bad shape, wasn't in bad enough shape to sneak up behind Lei-Lei and strike her in the back with her mallet. Lei-Lei righted herself in the air, and used her ki to accelerate the air around her. 'Kicking' at the air, she burst back in the air and took Akane across the chin with a haymaker.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Long way down,
I don't want to live in here alone.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Lei-Lei backed off a little before charging right back in, deciding using her weapons was too good and she needed to beat on some flesh with her own fists. Akane, in another bullheaded maneuver, attacked with her mallet. The mallet attack was slow compared to Lei-Lei, who merely ducked the mallet and struck Akane in the legs in a sweep. Akane hit the ground on her a** in time to get a kick in the face. She was out once more.
I never pushed you down,
I never pushed you away.
Lei-Lei burst up onto her feet and turned to the fathers, letting loose with another set of chains to keep them entangled, then grasping the chains and swirling them around. Spinning on her heels, she spun around like a small tornado.
You're not supposed to be that way.
A strike to Lei-Lei's stomach forced the air from her lungs, and another shot to the gut made her release the chains, sending the fathers high into the sky and far from sight. She dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach as she looked up at her attacker.
And anything you want,
There's nothing I can say.
It was... It was Ryouga. He's recovered from his initial shock and now stood over her, retracting his fist. He looked as strong as ever, and with the green aura surrounding him, Lei-Lei knew she'd know some good pain soon.
- - - - - - -
"dang, isn't there anything we can do?"
"Ranma, Lei-Lei has a rare power, to make any weapon real. Think, think for any type of weapon one could only imagine of, and tell her about it. Have her use it."
"I'll try..."
- - - - - - -
Is there anything to feel?
Is it pain that makes you real?
Cover it up before it kills me.
'Lei-Lei, try using this...' And Ranma started whispering to Lei-Lei.
'What could that do?'
'Just do it!'
'I need time!'
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Long way down,
I don't want to live in here alone.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
WHAM! And Lei-Lei took a hard shot in the stomach, followed by a kick to the legs that sent her to the ground. Akane awoke once again and Lei-Lei was forced to roll out of the way of another mallet swing.
"You two are hypocrites! You spout on and on about honor when you have none yourselves..." "All's fair in Anything-Goes martial arts, you floozy!" "I AM NOT ONE OF RANMA'S FIANCES, YOU bi***!"
Lei-Lei burst to her feet in a flash, her eyes dangerously narrowed as she thrust her arms to her sides and drew a rather good condition practice sword from one sleeve, and from the other erupt a familiar item.
The Chiisuiton. Ryouga froze. This gave her time to pull back the item and chain Ryouga to the bottom of the pool's diving board, so he couldn't get loose without taking a dip.
I never pushed you down,
I never pushed you away.
"Ryouga!" Akane screamed and moved to go after him, but Lei-Lei suddenly appeared in front of Akane.
"Looking to free your little piggy partner?" Akane growled and attacked.
Take another piece of me,
Give my mind a new disease.
And this black and white world never fades to gray!
There was a loud crack as the two fought, the wounded Lei-Lei fighting much less effectively due to her injuries. With every move she made in a certain direction, she moved a little slower. Akane had noticed this, smirked, and continued attacking from the left.
Ranma noticed just how dishonorable his fiance was and frowned.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Long way down,
I don't want to live in here alone.
Long way down,
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Eventually, Lei-Lei tired of this battle and, just as the diving board broke, sending Ryouga for a dip as P-chan, Lei-Lei dashed forward and brought her practice sword up in a series of intricate and difficult thrusts and slashes, breaking through Akane's self-taught defenses. Akane took the sword to the head and went out, once and for all the money.
On my own...
'Are you alright, Lei-Lei?'
'Yes, I think so...'
On my own...
Lei-Lei left the battlefield, limping away from the back field with both a satisfied smile and a disgruntled frown. She hated pain and she sure had a lot of it. She passed out behind the girls' locker room.
- - - - - - -
"She should be here any moment. When she gets here, I suggest you first clothe her, then ask her to get some hot water when she wakes up. Don't need anyone finding her out already."
"What about her bruises?"
"Did you notice that when you take bruises in your female form, they don't cross over onto your male form sometimes?"
"Yes, I did... but I assumed I just healed fast."
"You do, but that was because it was a different body. Whatever happened to it, didn't happen to your body. Most of the time, at least. Well, here she comes." Nicole commented as a small light began to gather near where the two were camped out in Ranma's mind. The light began to fade after a few moments, and their ganguro friend, Lei-Lei, made an appearance.
Before she even appeared fully, Ranma already had her clothed in a japanese Kimono. While Lei-Lei thought it as a strange wrapping, she didn't openly complain.
"Okay, Lei-Lei, explain to me why you felt the need to possess my body and beat on my fiance." Lei-Lei knew she was in trouble. She knew without a doubt that the wrong answer might very well get her a punishment from either Ranma or Nicole.
"Well, I..."
"Yes?"
"I... I saw your memories. And I couldn't believe the crap your fiance, Akane Tendo, put you through on a daily basis. I could feel how much you hated her, but your honor code wouldn't allow you to do anything. My own honor code wouldn't allow me to do NOTHING about it if I could fix it, even the littlest bit. I had to at least try to fix things, if only for your sake."
Ranma was taken aback. Here he was expecting something like her wanting him for herself, but her reason was... unselfish. She just wanted to help for the sake of being kind. He was actually feeling touched for that.
"Lei-Lei, I don't know what to say..."
"How about 'Thank you'?" Nicole asked with a nudge on Ranma's side. Ranma looked a little sheepish before turning to Lei-Lei and repeating the words.
"It's no real problem, Ranma. I admit those two cowardly bastards put me through a lot of pain, but, in the end, I think it was worth it. After all, I did beat them..."
"Oh right, you think you could hunt down some hot water?"
"Oh, of course, Ranma. Don't need to get caught, do we?"
"Okay, you two. Lei-Lei, I suggest you get back. You didn't knock Ryouga unconscious..." Lei-Lei eeped and disappeared in a beam of light."
- - - - - - -
Her eyes slowly opened as she lay there on her side. She found herself facing a few lockers and a few faces. Other girls. The girls must have found her and brought her inside to recover. 'Such kindness...' She thought, before fully opening her eyes and slowly forcing herself up to sitting.
"She's awake!"
"What! Let me at that bi***!" Apparently, Akane was awake too.
With that, Lei-Lei leapt to her feet and openly glared at Akane.
"You have such a big mouth, you hypocrite."
"WHAT!"
"What's wrong, don't know what a hypocrite is?"
"Enough, you two!" Gave the call of a girl that was carrying P-chan in her arms. It was Yuka, one of Akane's friends. "What's this all about?"
"That bi*** attacked me!"
"As I seem to recall, I responded to a thread YOU made against me, and you lost. Not only did you involve your father, Genma Saotome, and Ryouga Hibiki to team up against me, but you all lost. Akane Tendo, it is VERY dishonorable to involve others in your fights. Not only did you allow others to help you in your fight, but you looked utterly SMUG doing so!"
"How dare you preach to me about honor! I'm the most honorable fighter in all of Nerima! I don't use stupid tricks and cheats like chi attacks to win my fights!"
"As I seem to recall, you, Tendo, haven't won a fight since Ranma arrived here."
"I beat up the Horde of Hentai every morning!"
"Key words are 'beat up'. You don't fight them, you beat them up. You, Tendo, are a bully." Lei-Lei proclaimed as she pointed her finger at Akane.
"How dare..."
"ENOUGH!" That shut both girls up and forced them to look back at Yuka and P-chan. P-chan was struggling to get at Lei-Lei. The mad girl merely pulled out a kettle of hot water and pointed at P-chan.
"Ryouga, I have had enough of you. You call Ranma dishonorable, yet you sneak into a girl's bed EVERY NIGHT. You are a dishonorable pig, and for your crimes, I will punish you!" She proclaimed, taking up the kettle when Akane screamed.
"What does P-chan have to do with Ryouga?"
Yuka was merely silent as she looked down at the pig, then started to hand him over to Lei-Lei. P-chan attempted to bite Lei-Lei, but merely got beaned over the head with the kettle.
"What are you doing, Yuka! Poor P-chan!"
"But what if she's right about P-chan? If she is, it would be best to find out now."
Lei-Lei, seeing she had everyone's attention, decided it was show time, and picked up the unconscious pig in one hand, placing him on the bench she had been on. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the hot water flying over P-chan.
"P-CHAN!"
"BWWWWWWWEEEEE-RRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH! HOT, HOT, HOT!"
At that human, male voice, the girls were immediately going for their lockers, pulling out their many weapons of choice. Brooms, shovels, hoses, bags, and many other things like mallets and kendo sticks, went into their hands. Yuka stood next to Akane as they both stared into the mist.
Ryouga appeared from out of the mist, trying to attack Lei-Lei, forgetting he was nude as he bowled her over and pinned her to the ground. "Get the hell off me, you pig!" Lei-Lei screamed as she kicked him where no man should be struck.
Ryouga's eyes crossed strangely as he whimpered, allowing Lei-Lei to kick him off her and push herself away. The girls were immediately upon him, weapons drawn and ready to do some damage to the pervert.
Akane, however, was feeling around inside the mist. "P-chan?"
"Akane, you live with a martial artist that changes genders with hot and cold water. Is it so hard to believe that someone like Ryouga would have a curse as well?"
Akane stopped and just stared at Yuka as if she were crazy. "Ryouga is the most honorable man I know. Of course he wouldn't lie to me."
'Oh well, at least the girls know.' Ranma sent to Lei-Lei.
'Well, I tried. Now, I'm leaving. I'll get you your hot water soon.' And she left.
- - - - - - -
Lei-Lei had managed to make quite a mess. She had managed to pi** off some of the local martial artists, expose Ryouga's curse to the girls of Furinkan, and not to mention HUMILIATE Akane in front of her own friends.
"Hmph... Brat probably knows about P-chan already... Just playing dumb while she sleeps with the pig behind Ranma's back..." Then, when her mind caught up with her mouth, she realized the horrible thing she had just implied and covered her mouth.
'Ranma, I...'
'Save it... You might just be right, so I'll leave that to remain to be seen. Please, just find me some hot water.'
But Lei-Lei felt horrible. What she had just said was one of the worst things you could say. She had implied there was something wrong with Ranma... When really it was Akane's fault...
Once at the Janitor's Closet, Lei-Lei set up a kettle on the stove and filled it with water. Starting up the stove, she set herself down on the ground and huddled into a ball.
She had closed the door to the closet, leaving enough open to see, but not enough for people to know someone was in there.
She hiccuped.
Ranma was confused for a moment in the dreamscape, or so Nicole liked to call it. She and him had come to the agreement that he should visit nightly with the girls to plan what he and Lei-Lei should do.
But right now, he began to understand all too clear. He knew the beginning of tears in a girl. With how many girls he made cry, he should know. 'Lei-Lei...'
'No, please...' She thought as she let her tears flow, sniffing. 'I... I did so many horrible things... I... I'm just an uncivilized little girl from a backwater village in China, after all...'
'Now don't say that...'
'But it's true! If... If it weren't for me, Cologne would never have been so cruel to you... If it weren't for me... Your problems with Shampoo and Cologne might not be as severe...'
'What?'
'I... I was born in Joketsuzoku, Ranma...'
And all at once, Ranma understood.
- - - - - - -
That Night...
- - - - - - -
Ranma went to bed, remembering the request made by Nicole and Lei-Lei. For him to meet them in the dreamscape. As he went to sleep, he thought only of the dreamscape, letting himself drift into bodily rest while his consciousness went to meet with the girls.
Only, Nicole wasn't there. She'd gone back to the depths of his mind, leaving him alone with Lei-Lei.
"Where's Nicole?" Lei-Lei immediately blushed at hearing about the water spirit.
"She wants me to teach you how to please a woman..."
"Oh. That sounds cool, might get some of my fiances to stop attacking me." Lei-Lei blushed more deeply at that.
"No, not quite that way..."
"What way?"
Lei-Lei answered in only one way, by starting to untie her Kimono. Ranma's eyes were wide.
"Oh... that way..."
- - - - - - -
"Ranma?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think... you'll ever be married?"
"Hmmm... I think I already am." Ranma replied as he thought back over the past hour or so of... special time spent with his spirit mate. Lei-Lei didn't answer but rather looked over at him with a light blush.
"You mean... me?"
"Could I mean anyone else?"
Lei-Lei's only answer was a giggle, as she leaned over and initiated a deep kiss. And that kiss was all the answer Ranma could want from her.
"I wish we could split and be together forever outside our dreams..."
"Yeah... if only wishes could come true..."
"But... I feel like I've wronged your fiances. They have legitimate claims to you, and I..." Ranma merely grinned and placed a finger on her lips, as he spoke in Mandarin.
"Woe ai ne, Lei-Lei." And upon hearing those words, Lei-Lei merely blushed and pulled herself closer, responding.
"Woe ai ne, Ranma."
And the two kissed, before going at it once again that night.
- - - - - - -
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2
