Ranma 1/2

Disclaimer: I don’t own Ranma, Rumiko Takahashi does. I just borrowed some of the characters. Rated: NC-17

Shades of Home

Chapter 4

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Vignette

Technician; "Oh, Shit!! Did you see that? I've never seen anyone that strong. At least not a human. I never saw any human lift that much before . . . that wasn't even an official test. Just him moving the whole rack out of the way. No, don't show me the numbers I don't wanna know. It's too scary."

Technician Two: "Yeah! You should have seen him run. Like a machine, just chugged off about 20 miles in two hours. That works out to an even 10 miles an hour."

Tec. "I don't see why he doesn't just rip that collar off his neck and give it a good heave. I know I would."

Tec Two: "Yeah. And you'd wind up just as dead as he would. You can't just break something like that. It has built in punishments. If you pull on it too hard, they get triggered and you're in a world of hurt. Actually break it and you're dead. Discourages other slaves from trying the same thing."

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Ranma settled onto the table and got as comfortable as he could when strapped down. They had put padded cuffs around his wrists and ankles. Other straps ran across his knees and chest. They had also put blocks on either side of his head with another strap across his forehead.

"I hate this! I really, really hate this!"

Ranma pulled on the straps and felt them give a little. "Maybe this won't be too bad."

The clear mask they put over his face didn't bother him, until he started to get drowsy. "Wha'z this? I feel . . . so . . . funny . . . " Ranma went to sleep.

He never remembered them triggering the collar. He never remembered the pain, the chanting, the convulsions or screaming until he was hoarse. Thank God for small favors.

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Vignette

"Get heavier chains! Something that will hold an oni!"

"This kid's going to hurt someone!"

"We can't get him to stop convulsing, damn it! Steven, we gotta do something else. He's going to die if we don't."

Sunny: "I can't get it off. Mom, help me! I don't know what to do. I can't separate the curse from his chi."

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Ranma woke up.

His throat was sore. In fact, much of him hurt in one way or another.

He slowly pried his eyes open and looked around. The first thing he saw was Headmaster Steven. He was sitting in a chair at the foot of his bed with his head on his folded arms which were resting on the bed.

When Ranma moved, Steven opened his eyes, sat up and blinked a few times.

"Hey, Kiddo. How you feeling? " Steven sounded weary and sad. "I should wait until you get it together, call you into my office and have an ‘official' talk with you, but I'm not the formal type. So, here it is, short and bitter."

Ranma felt his stomach clench.

"We can't get the effects of that collar canceled"

Ranma's hand flew to his neck. The collar was gone! "But . . . the collar. It's gone! What do you mean?" Ranma's hoarse voice surprised him. {How did I get so horse?!}

Steven rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't sure how much Ranma knew about magical restraints, forbiddings and such.

"Well, I guess I need to start at the beginning. That collar, in and of itself, was just a ‘carrier'. What I mean by that is, it was a vehicle to get a restraint spell attached to your ki.

"How it works is complicated and not really necessary to this explanation. Magic works in different ways with different people."

"Your curse bonded the restraining spell to your chi so firmly that we couldn't get it off. But we managed to switch it."

Ranma looked puzzled, "Switch it to what? How?"

Steven looked embarrassed. "Well, Kiddo. The only thing we could do was change things around. You'll never have to worry about changing into a girl when you don't want to. But you're still cursed."

"Still cursed, but I don't have to worry about turning into a girl anymore? That's good news! Why do you look so sad? "

"You're still cursed. We switched the restraining spell to your curse. It now restrains the curse so you won't change unless you want to, but both the curse and the spell are still there, permanently. I'm sorry! We failed you."

Ranma folded his arms over his chest and looked at the ceiling. {Think, Baka think. What to say.}

Ranma struggled to sit up. It wasn't very dignified to carry on a conversation with someone flat on your back.

"I still don't understand. If I have . . . Huh? I don't remember this."

Ranma looked at the bracelet on his right wrist. It was gold, with a dragon engraved around it, tail in its mouth.

"Where'd this come from. I don't wear jewelry. It's not "manly" or so Pop always told me. I kinda' like it though."

Ranma examined the bracelet for a minute.

"Ranma, that bracelet is part of you now. That's what I'm trying to tell you. We switched the restraining spell to that bracelet. As long as you wear it you stay a boy. But take it off and try to leave it some where? Can't be done. It'll follow you. We changed the punishment spell to a follow spell. Here, just pull on it. It'll come off. But only for you."

Ranma pulled the bracelet, which came off in his hand.

"Give it here."

Steven stood up and walked to the door. The bracelet suddenly wrenched itself from his hand and flew back to Ranma. But it snapped itself around his neck!

"What? Hey! I'm . . . I thought you said!?"

Steven's jaw dropped, Ranma was just about the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen. Petite, buxom, with beautiful large eyes and red hair.

"Holy shit! Je . . . I mean, Damn . . . I . . . Crap!"

Ranma flapped his hand. "Yeah . . . Yeah . . . I heard it all before. Wipe your mouth. How does this thing work?"

Ranma pulled the necklace off and looked at it. It was the dragon engraving, only much larger. It coiled in on itself, the head and tail forming a clasp. The mouth closed on the tail about two inches from the tip which formed a flat fan-shaped pendant.

Suddenly Ranma didn't feel so good. He had a strange pressure in his chest. Pressing his hand to it, he looked at Steven.

Steven managed to get control of himself. "Put that back on. That's why you can't leave it anywhere. It won't allow itself to be separated from you for long. If someone else takes it. It just returns. But if you try to leave it. You see what I mean. We failed you. But we did the best we could."

Ranma put the necklace against his wrist. It changed into the bracelet and circled it. He looked at it, then pulled it off and touched it to his neck. It changed, and so did he. He switched it back and forth from his neck to his wrist three or four times. Then he nodded.

"This is great! I don't feel ya failed me at all. Ya did the best ya could and that's all anyone could ask. Ya didn't have ta do anythin' at all. I'm really grateful. Arigato Gozaimasu!"

Steven smiled at Ranma, his eyes crinkling up. "Hey, Kiddo. Shimaimasen, about drooling, I mean. But Damn, you're really something as a girl. Not that you're not as a guy. But I don't swing that way. And . . . someone shut me up! I'm talking and I can't stop! I'm really making a fool out of myself. It's just that usually, when a guy turns into a girl, the girl is butt ugly."

Ranma, used to all the reactions of people to his change just shrugged. "Don't worry about it I've heard it all. Just get your foot out of your mouth. I think this is really a good thing. It could be useful."

Before he could get any farther, the door flew open and Sunny rushed in. "I hear that Ranma is awake."

"Oh! Ranma I'm so sorry we couldn't get that tangle resolved I wanted so much to fix it for you are you mad at me please don't be I really tried hard and they wouldn't let me finish because they said I was using up too much ki that's stupid I almost had it but Mom stopped me just before I could finish so She had to do the rest by herself because I passed out when they pulled me back"

Steven got out of the way as Sunny threw herself on Ranma's neck and started to cry.

"Well, Sunny, I think you have it mixed up a little"

Steven looked at Ranma. "She nearly killed herself trying to get that off. She didn't faint because we pulled her off. She fainted because she used up nearly all her ki fighting those spells."

Ranma pushed Sunny away enough to look at her. She looked terrible, her face was gray and her eves were circled.

"Sunny no baka! I think ya did great. I'm really mad at ya. You shouldn'ta hurt yourself. Don't ya know that if ya use up all your ki, you'll die! Stupid Girl! Stop cryin'. What kinda' ungrateful jerk do ya think I am? Here!"

Ranma handed her the tissues Steven had given him.

"No! Dummy! Wipe, then blow"

Sunny sniffled wetly. She smiled so happily that Ranma felt happy just looking at her.

"Now I know why ya call her Sunny. But Headmaster, can ya tell me how she does that. I mean how does she talk so much without breathin' "

Steven laughed, "I think she breathes through her ears."

"Here Sunny, get off the bed. It's not proper."

Ranma flushed as he realized that Sunny was sitting astraddle of his thighs in a position that would have driven Akane into a rage.

"Un, Sunny, ya need ta get offa' me. Please! I don't think that lady likes it very much."

"Sun Yao! Get off that bed at once. Where is your head? You know better than to plaster yourself all over some . . . Yeek." The lady pulled Sunny away from her neck. "There, dear, you know I can't stay mad at you for long. but you really must watch PDA, you embarrass the young men."

Turning her head and rather unceremoniously dumping Sonny onto her feet, Lady Yao, Sonny's Mother said. "I'm Sunny's mother Maa Yao. I see that you have discovered our poor efforts in your behalf did not yield the results you wished for."

Ranma smiled at the woman, who was the spitting image of Sonny, only with blond hair. "That's OK. I think this has turned out good because I have decided to be a body guard "

Turning to Steven, Ranma shrugged. "I wanted ta wait until I was in a more dignified position. Flat on my back doesn't seem a ‘manly' position to discuss the rest of my life from, but since when do I get ta do anything in a normal way?"

Ranma sat up while Steven cranked the bed into a more comfortable position and Lady Yao plumped pillows.

Sunny helpfully got in everyone's way.

Lady Yao finally sent Sunny out of the room so Steven and Ranma could talk privately and remarked that she'd better go too, to make sure that Sonny didn't sneak back.

"You need more rest young man. You really had a hard struggle, even if you don't remember it."

"Sun Yao, young lady, I want you back in your bed this instant."

Steven sighed in relief.

"Well, I'm glad Maa Yao came along. That young lady is one of the most tiring people I have ever met. And you didn't hear me say that." Steven sat down wiping sweat off his forehead.

"You really are an amazing young man. Is life and lemons your credo?"

At Ranma's puzzled look. Steven repeated the trite but true saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

"Oh, yeah. I guess ya could say that. I mean what's the use a cryin' over somethin' that ya can't do nothin' about? Ya have ta get on with life."

Ranma leaned back in the bed,frowning in concentration. "I know ya need me ta make up my mind about what I wanna do with my life. Ya said it's not fair for me ta have ta make up my mind so early in life. But ‘Life's a bitch and then you die' or so ya said."

"I don't think life's a bitch, I think some a' us are here for a reason that transcends fairness. You're one of ‘em and so am I. So, we start early in life, an' do the best we can. I'm here ta help people. I think I'd like ta be a bodyguard. I don't think I'd be good at much a' anything else. Wha'da ya think?"

Ranma had been watching Steven. His nods and smiles told him what he wanted to know.

"And by not gettin' rid a' my curse, but controllin' it instead I've got a perfect disguise. Who's gonna suspect a gu-urrl of bein' able ta do anythin' like that. Big supprise! I know in my girl form I'm not as good as I am in my boy form, but that can be fixed with practice. Whadaya say ta that Mr. We-failed-ya?"

Steven couldn't say when he had been prouder of a student.

"I think that I really want you on my side. You think faster and better than any student we've had in a long time. I don't remember when I have been prouder of anyone!"

"I'll make up your class schedule with your chosen profession in mind."

"Now get some rest! This has been tiring for all of us. You're as white as Sonny and I feel like I've been dragged through a hedge."

"Ok, Boss. I need sleep. But I wanna .........write........zzzzzzzzzzzzz.