Forget Jusenkyou

By Richard Palmer

Part One: The Business Trip

"So, Ben's going back to America for more film work, huh?" Said Akane. The whole family was sitting at the table for an early dinner.

"That's what he told me." Soun replied. "He said he'd be gone for a few months since he was costarring in a new movie. He kept saying that it could be his big break."

"Y'know I don't think he ever showed us any of his other film roles." Ranma started "What's this one about."

"I think Jennifer said it was another Action Comedy called 'A Shot in the Dark' or something." Nabiki answered, "Another movie dealing with an international terrorist or assassin or something. If you ask me I think he's just trying to get out of paying his debt."

"I don't think so," answered Ranma, "He seems to take that very seriously. It's not his fault that there's nothing happening that I can't handle."

"It seems to me he could have paid it back very easily from the beginning." Nabiki answered, nonchalantly.

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.

"Well, all you had to do was ask for a plane ticket to Jusenkyou."

"Aaaaaaaaauuugh!" Ranma, jumped up "I've got to get to that airport, now!"

"Attention passengers, flight 457 to Los Angeles, California, USA, has been delayed due to technical problems." The stewardess said over the loudspeaker "Please be patient and we'll correct the problem as soon as possible."

"Never fails," muttered Ben, as he sat back down in the terminal "Every time I travel by plane I get delayed for hours before I even get on."

"Oh calm down," Jennifer said "this happens to everyone."

All of the sudden "HOLD THAT PLANE!!!" Ranma came rushing down the terminal.

"Plane's held, holmes," Ben remarked as Ranma approached, "By my guess we ain't goin nowhere for at least another hour."

"Ben..." Ranma panted, "I've go...got a way... for you to pay... your debt back."

"Well shoot Holmes let's hear it!" Ben replied.

"How about a ticket to Jusenkyou."

"Oooo, sorry holmes, no can do." Ben replied.

"Why not!" "Well, it's kind of a long story..." Ben started. Then he looked out the window at the maintenance crew working on one of the planes engines "But I think we have time." He sat back, "You probably been wondering why the heck I ain't gone back to Jusenkyou myself. I obviously got the resources, But I no longer have the legal ability."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Ranma said.

"Well, let me tell you about my first, and last, trip to Jusenkyou." Ben said, then he turned to Jennifer, "Hey, Jen, Could you do me a big favor and get me a drink while I fill 'im in?"

"Sure, Beer or Sake?"

"No, just a coffee, I gotta cut back on the alcohol." Ben then turned back to Ranma, "You see I was in China on business, training for the next film I was supposed to do stunts in. My manager for my fights, had suggested a training ground in the Bayankala mountain region, I should've asked for more information, and I'd soon realize my mistake."

"Here sir we come to the famous training ground, Jusenkyou." The guide said.

Ben set his bag down and surveyed the area. "Hmm, an elevated battlefield of bamboo poles roughly an inch in diameter, over pools of water ta break the practitioners fall. I seen more challenging training areas, but this one has an interesting concept to it."

"Oh, sir I don't think you realize how dangerous this place be. There are more than one thousand spring here, and each one has it own curse." Ben wasn't listening, he had all ready put on his blindfold and leapt up on top of one of the poles. "Hey, sir, what you doing? I trying to tell you story behind cursed spring!"

"Excuse me, but I need absolute silence, I have to brush up on my Wu-Shu maneuvers." Ben launched into a backflip kick and easily landed on another one of the poles, he followed up with a spin kick of which he landed upside down on the next pole, suspending himself easily with his right hand. "Not good enough," Ben thought, "I should be able to balance myself on two fingers alone."

"Please, sir, come back down before something happen!" the guide called.

"I said 'Quiet please'!" Ben shouted as he prepared for his next attack, "Okay, time to try the aerial cartwheel." he crouched, then leapt up and flipped into an Acrobatic cartwheel.

"Please, sir, come down before something terrible..."

Ben landed on the pole just a fraction of an inch off where he intended to, it threw him off his balance and he splashed headfirst into one of the springs. She came back to the surface and gasped "Okay, that didn't quite work out the way I..." she stopped noticed something different in his voice.

"Oh, sir, you fall into Nyanniichuan, spring of drowned girl. Very tragic legend of young girl who..."

"Spare me the history lesson," Ben said taking off her blindfold, "what the hell happened to my voice? Last time I checked, Laryngitis didn't set in this quick." The guide pointed at Ben's chest. Ben looked down and screamed. "Okay," she said at last, "All of you from the practical jokes and bloopers show come out right now, have your laugh, and tell me how the hell I get outta this!"

"Is no joke, sir this is cursed spring Nyanniichuan, Girl drown here 1500 year ago, anyone that fall in take a body of a young girl."

"Yeah, Okay, Tell Ed McMahon enough is enough."

Several hours later, Ben had set up camp. The guide had explained to her the regulations of her curse. So as Ben boiled a kettle of water she called her manager. "Hey, Mike, S'me Ben." "Ben? What's wrong with your voice? Did you catch a cold or something?"

"Yeah, or something! Why the hell didn't you tell me about this place."

"I did, Bayankala mountain range, Xinghai province, the... uh... Jusenkyou training ground."

"Did you even study up on this place?"

"No, but it seemed the most convenient, with that Wu-Shu master that lives only a few miles from there."

Ben sighed "As my manager and training coordinator you are supposed to look into the specifics, right?"

"Hey, If you want specifics you can read the brochures yourself, I do have other clients y'know" Mike yelled back.

"Yeah, Okay, I screwed up too. But you could have taken a little more time to..."

There was a beep on the phone and Mike said "Sorry, I got another call, call me tomorrow and we'll sort this whole deal out." then he hung up.

Ben flipped her cellular phone closed. She grumbled, Mike just wasn't a very good manager, oh sure he had his strong points. Ben always had something on his opponent every time before he entered the ring, But then again she was a stuntman not a full time fighter. Sure the matches were good training, but Mike should have put some effort into the training as well. The practice was just as important as the fight itself, right? She sighed and picked up the tea kettle.

"A rather unusual problem isn't it?" came a voice from behind him. Ben turned around to see who was speaking. She saw a tall man with grayish-brown hair in a black suit and tie worn over a light blue shirt. He was smoking a cigarette and leaning up against a nearby tree.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Agent Dibbs, with the US department of International affairs." the man smiled. "Just happened to be nearby."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Ben said as she turned back to the tea kettle "Just investigatin' another UFO sighting, in China of all places, and happened across me, huh agent D."

"Look, I know this has to be rather difficult, but there is a way out of this."

"Hell, I'm all ears." Ben said as she dumped the hot water on herself "AAAAUUGH!!!" the man in the suit jumped back. "Holy Geeze that's hot! I got to dull that down a bit next time."

"Or you could forget about a next time." Dibbs said, taking a puff on his cigarette. "There is a spring to reverse the effect." Ben looked at him with a look of extreme interest on his face. "Just as there is a spring-of-drowned-girl, there also happens to be a spring-of-drowned-man."

"So which one is it?" Ben questioned.

The man shrugged "I'm not sure, but I know it's here."

"Well, that's just freakin' peachy, I can't just go around jumpin' into spring after spring hopin' one of em will change me back!"

"There is another way." Dibbs said, taking another drag off of his cigarette.

"Who the hell you tryin' to look like agent man, Sean Connery?"

"Are you interested or not."

"What the frick, do you think?" Ben said, then put his hand on his chin and said sarcastically "Gee, I don't know, Alex, What a choice. Door number one: an unwarranted sex-change, Door number two: normal life as a 100% guy. Oh man, That's a tough one!"

"I know this is tough for you, so I'll ignore the sarcasm. But what if we, the United States Government, did all the legwork?"

"The government don't do nothin' for free, least of all worry about us ghetto boys. What's the catch?"

"Well, Mr. Setlin, I'm a big fan, actually, seen all your fights, saw a couple of your films. I know you are very resourceful, and a very talented student of Ninjitsu."

"So here comes the part I'm not gonna like."

"We do have a certain obligation to our country, and being an American citizen, you also have a responsibility." Dibbs continued, "Although the communist power in Russia is in the midst of defeat, other places in the world still suffer under communist rule."

"Yeah, I read the papers, agent man, and I'm not completely oblivious to the whole cold war bit. Uncle Al was in Vietnam for cryin out loud, and he got his damn leg shot off. It's that very reason why I don't get involved with politics, all Al got out of that was a notice that he screwed up on some paperwork, and an army hospital bill."

"Well as a citizen of the United States, you do have your freedom to choose, here." Dibbs said as he walked away, "Too bad you don't have much choice on what gender you assume when things get wet."

"All right, you gotta point." Ben sighed "What do I gotta do?"

It was coming close to dawn, the journey had taken two days, but that didn't bother Ben too much. Sometimes having the body of a sixteen year old had it's advantages. He was now standing outside the gate of a large mansion. Inside lived a man who was high up in the Chinese Communist government. Also inside were certain documents that Agent Dibbs said he'd need, they would be in a file marked Wu Wang, named after the famous founder of the Chou dynasty, who sought to unify all of China. Ben didn't know much else, He figured it was better to be on a don't ask don't tell policy, in case something went awry. He walked around the property a few times scoping the place out. He would rather get the whole deal done in one night rather than have to wait another day to be a whole man again. After a thorough search of the outer security perimeters, Ben snuck off into some bushes and put on his Ninjitsu outfit. The clothes were completely black, and the mask covered the whole face, yet the fabric was thin enough that he could still hear just as well as he could without. He snuck up to the fence on the side of the property and listened for the hum of the electric sensors. He then nimbly snuck through the bars and past the electric trip beams. He then dashed toward the house making sure that none of the guards saw him. He circled around the house, listening for alarms on the windows. He finally found one that had no electric hum coming from behind it. he pulled out a blade and pried the window open. As he slipped inside he heard another electric buzz. Matsusake had trained him to recognize the electrical hum for many different alarms, probably hoping he could use Ben one day to go after the big money, it still took Ben a while to recognize the buzz as a motion detector. Ben knew this one would take some time, He crept slowly around the room, tapping on hanging pictures and listening for an echo, checking the walls for any hidden wall safes. Slowly he left the room. He knew that if there were any more motion detectors this would take much longer than expected. He headed upstairs hoping to find an office or something, somewhere where there might be a file cabinet that the file would be locked in. suddenly he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Thinking it could be one of the guards he leapt over the rail and landed silently on the floor below. However, his landing upset a vase on a coffee table behind him. Ben heard it tip over, and shot around to stop it. He wasn't fast enough. The vase hit the coffee table and the water inside spilled all over Ben. Ben heard the footsteps coming closer and dashed into the nearest room.

"I could've sworn that I heard something." Said the guard as he stopped near the coffee table where Ben was just at.

"You're hearing things, Sang." Said an older voice "You need to relax." Then the owner of the voice walked into the kitchen. And started up the grille. "Now let me see," he said, "the cook left me instructions before he left on vacation, they should be somewhere around here." Things began to get hotter for Ben, he was hiding in the vent just above the grille. His arms were beginning to ache, maybe that two day trip had taken its toll after all. "Ah here it is!" said the voice, "Oh dear, I forgot my reading glasses."

Ben thought she heard the man leave the room, she swung out of the vent and heard him going through a cupboard just across the room. She tried to scramble back up into the vent as silently as possible, but slipped and hit the grille. "AAAAAAUUUUUGH!" Ben screamed as she jumped up. She dashed for the door, only to be met at the entrance by two guards.

"You're not going anywhere!" said one of the guards.

"What happened?" the older man said.

"We caught an assassin, sir." Said the other guard.

Ben heard the older man come closer, until he pulled the mask off her head. "Mi-ling!" the old man stammered. "Huh?" Ben thought. "Mi-ling, it's not possible! But, yet here you are!"

Part Two: Life Loves a Tragedy

Ben kept silent for the rest of the morning, the old man kept talking to her, referring to her as Mi-ling, and asking her questions, or talking about Mi-ling's past. As far as Ben could figure out, Mi-ling was his deceased daughter, killed in a car wreck a little over two years ago. The bodies in the car were burned beyond recognition, but after awhile the old man realized that she wasn't coming back. Like Ben she had some training in various martial arts, Kempo and Wu-Shu specifically, She was the old man's only child and he missed her terribly. Ben figured she could play off of this to get a better look around, maybe she would find the file before the day was over. "Sir?" she said at last. The old man looked at her with a kind smile. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, and I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm your daughter. I've been living on the streets for a while. I don't remember my parents, or even where I learned martial arts, but I think I would've recognized you if you were my father. I snuck in here because I was hungry, My friend, Yang, says that the rich people have the nicest food. I'm sorry that I tried to steal from you, If you want to send me to prison, or something, I'll go quietly."

"My dear child," the old man said, "There is no need for that. Come, I'll fix you something nice to eat." Ben nodded, meekly,

"It's amazing how many people fall for the amnesia act. I've got to remember to thank my acting coach."

Ben spent the next few days at the old man's house, mostly, he treated her well, and made sure she was comfortable. However the guards followed Ben everywhere she went, which made it very difficult to search the place. But she and the old man had fun, he would take her places his daughter used to like to go, they would play games his daughter used to love. The old man seemed very happy, and Ben was sorry that his daughter had really not returned. One night, before the old man went to bed, he pulled Ben aside. "Mi-ling, come here, I have something for you!" Ben followed the old man upstairs to his room. It was a very spacious bedroom, decorated with many ornaments and pictures of his daughter. the man walked up to a large painting of him and his daughter just opposite his bed. He pushed a button on the frame and the painting slid up to reveal a wall-safe. The old man turned the dial and opened the safe. inside there were several manila folders and a large metal box. The old man pulled out the box and opened it, he pulled out a dazzling gold necklace with a ruby in the center. "This necklace used to be your mother's, do you remember it?" the old man said as he put the necklace around her neck, "It was going to be a present for your sixteenth birthday, but then the accident happened and I thought I lost you." he fastened it in the back, and smiled. "You look just like your mother!" Ben smiled as the old man put the box back in the safe. Suddenly, one of the manila folders caught his eye, it was labeled 'Wu Wang'.

Late that night, Ben crept silently into the old man's room. She pressed the button that operated the painting, and then pressed her ear close to the door of the safe. Slowly turning the dial she listened for the tumblers inside the door. The door opened and she pulled out the file. She glance down at the file, then at the old man. Much of Ben's Ninjitsu training and his life in the Ghetto had trained him to show no remorse. Yet she could not help but feel sorry for the way he had led the man on. he knew it must be terrible for him to lose his only child. She pulled out the necklace and put it back in the safe. "Forgive me." She muttered just before she closed the safe and left.

Part Three: Betrayal

"Okay Dibbs, Here's your freakin' file." Ben said as she walked over to the appointed meeting place, only an hour away from the old man's mansion. "I ain't too happy with this so let's make this quick."

Agent Dibbs puffed on his cigarette "Oh come on Mr. Setlin, In a short matter of time you'll be normal again. Now I'm sure you want to change back, so here" He said as he handed Ben a teapot. He reached for the file as Ben Reached for the teapot.

"Hey you! Stop right there!" Both Ben and Dibbs looked over at the voice. It was a man in a military outfit he was accompanied by several other members of the Chinese military.

"Damn!" Dibbs said as he grabbed the file. He and Ben ran into the woods attempting to escape. Ben carried the teapot with her, hoping to use it as soon as she had a chance. Suddenly she tripped on a root and collapsed. The teapot landed on top of her head and spilled it's contents all over her. "Okay, Get up, the Xinghai chairman wants a word with you." Ben sat up. Some of the officer's muttered amongst themselves as they saw Ben was a guy.

"So, you came into my house and stole from me, all for your own gain." Said the old man later as Ben was being interrogated back inside the mansion. "For this reason alone, I should have you executed." He said as he slammed down his fist on a nearby table. Then he looked at one of the framed photographs of his daughter on the Table. "But... I'm not. You brought me hope these past couple of days, and a joy I had not felt since Mi-ling died. It would be very ungrateful for me not to acknowledge that." He looked back at Ben. "So I will not have you killed, But you may never again be normal. This area of China is off limits to you. If my men see you near the Xinghai province again, they will shoot you on sight." He turned away and said quietly "You have three hours to leave, Mr. Setlin, I suggest you use them wisely." One of the guard grabbed Ben by the arm and dragged him out of the room.

"So I've never been able to go back to Jusenkyou, and every time I try to send someone in there they always return empty handed," Ben sighed as he sipped his coffee, "and all because I wanted to be normal again as soon as possible."

"Ben, I'm sorry," Ranma said, "but what about Dibbs' promise?"

"I called the US department of International affairs, there was never an Agent Dibbs. Whoever he was he screwed me over."

"Well you're not beat yet, you can still send me there. Me and pop got in before..."

"They let you in, they could tell you weren't me."

"Whatever. After I get the Nanniichuan water for myself, I'll bring some back and we'll both be cured."

Ben shook his head, "You're going to hate me for this, Holmes, But that's something I can't do."

"Why not?" "Unfortunately for you, we both look the same as girls." Ben said, "If you are accidentally turned into a girl while you're in China, they will be after you." Ben got up as the called his flight number. "I don't care how fast you are, Holmes, no one can dodge a bullet."

"You used to dodge them all the time back in the ghetto!"

"No I didn't," Ben said, "I avoided them, after a while you can anticipate a gangs next move. I knew when they were going to shoot and where they would shoot from."

"Ben you can't do this!" Ranma stammered "What about your debt?"

"Exactly, what about my debt? If I send you to China and you get killed then it will all be my fault." Ben picked up his bag. "Sorry, holmes, I screwed things up for you. If I could go back and change things I would." He and Jennifer walked toward the plane "I'll catch you later." Ben called back.

"Damn it, Ben." Ranma muttered. Ben always seemed to put on the tough guy act, but Ranma knew him better. Ben tended to give up too easy. He wasn't really a coward, not in the traditional sense, but if he couldn't see an obvious solution to a situation he rarely bothered to look twice.

As the plane took off Ben looked out the window. Off all the past mistakes he'd made that one back in China was one he'd always regret. He hoped that Ranma would forgive him, even though he would never forgive himself. The End ______________________________________________________________________________________

The Legal Stuff: Ranma ½ and the characters therein are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and are used without permission.