'Gender Neutral'
Ranma was nearly salivating at the prospect, it was right there, right before him, nearly in reach. He would have been sceptical about it, since he had been through many potential cures, only to have them slip through his hands, or not work. But, this time, he had been presented proof, when Ryoga talked to Akane about his feelings, right when a spontanious downpour erupted.
The details after that were lost to the pigtailed boy, since his only focus was on what happened to Ryoga's curse. The younger Saotome's rival in the arts, and once-rival for Akane, unhesitatingly told Ranma of his cure, deciding he owed him for his part in the lost casket of drowned man water, plus begrudging gratitude for staying his place for his one on one with Akane.
The old man in the turbin sitting on the stone throne within the deep cavern massaged his scraggly goatee, as he looked over the young man before him. "I can give it to you, sonny, but I don't think you really want it..."
"Yeah, Yeah! I want it, I want it!" Ranma responded, enthuesiatically, giving his best dewey eyes.
"No, really, I'm not sure you want this..." the old man countered, holding up the vial full of Jusenkyo-rectifying goodness.
"If it means not being a girl again, I'll TAKE IT!" Ranma proclaimed adimantly. He was getting tired of arguing with the old man.
"Hmm," the old man mused, "You sound positive, but I'm not sure-"
"WILL YOU JUST GIVE ME THE DAMN CURE?!?"
The old man readjusted his turbin, having almost been blown off his head by the outburst, "Well, if you know what you want..." He tossed the vial to Ranma, incidentally tossing just well too short. He was an old man, so he kinda threw like a sissy.
"ACK!!!" Ranma made a hasteful dive, feeling time slow down. His fingertips were but a foot away from the glass vial, as the vial was less than six inches from the stone floor. Make that three inches... one inch...
"Nice catch there, youngster!" the old man crowed, clapping at the impromptu entertainment. With a glare, Ranma stood up, opening the stopper to the vial. "But that isn't the real cure."
Ranma stopped, as he was about to tip it into his mouth, "Huh?"
"That's just some liquid Centrium Complete for an old man, gotta keep those vitimins handy, ya know?" Ranma's hooded stare was his reply. With a sigh, the old man pulled out a second vial, "Here ya go, son, ya earned it for making an old man laugh."
The old guy blinked, as a gust of wind blew by, and the pigtailed martial artist went missing, "Hmm, musta been in a hurry..."
_________________
"Never gonna be a girl again, never gonna be a girl again!" Ranma chanted, harmonically, as he quickly pulled the stopper on the vial, and dumped the contents down his throat. He felt that aura from the Jusenkyo curse he never knew was there change within him, and with a shout of joy, he jumped into the nearest body of water he came across, after exiting the cave.
That shout of joy turned into a terrorized scream.
_________________
"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed, as the pigtailed martial artist, who had been missing for several days, pulled her aside, and quickly lead her into the girl's bathroom. She was about to ask him how his search for a cure went, before she realized that 'he' was still short, and 'he' still had vibrant red hair.
With great urgency, Ranma pulled Akane into an empty stall, and locked it. After the door was secured, the redhead turned to Akane, "Um... Akane? I... well... you know that cure I went looking for?"
Akane nodded dumbly, before she allowed a sad frown to cross her face, "It didn't work, huh?"
Ranma turned away, and coughed, "Well... um..." With a groan of fustration, Ranma grabbed Akane's shoulders, "You promise you won't scream, okay?"
"Ranma, what's wrong?" Akane enquired, feeling no small amount of concern rising within her.
Steeling the youthful face presented to the raven-haired girl, Ranma took a deep breath, and dropped the black kung-fu slacks after unfastening the belt, along with the boxers.
Akane instictively followed the motion, and before she could turn away, and slam Ranma into the more rural parts of Japan for being a disgusting pervert, she froze, and then blinked. Then... she blinked again, and then blinked some more.
Ranma stood by, nervously, as Akane dumbly fell to her knees, staring with an incredulous expression. Before the tension could get to the pigtailed martial artist, Akane looked at Ranma with fearful eyes, and pointed, "Wha...?"
Ranma sighed, it was already hard enough as it was without explaining. "Well, you see, that cure... well..." Ranma pointed downwards giving Akane a pitiful look.
"Bu... bu... h... how... I mean..." Akane studdered, unable to wrap her mind around the surreal image presented to her.
"The old guy said there wasn't any cure that he knew of," Ranma stated, before darkening in mood at the recollection of the old man telling Ranma 'I told you so.'
"I mean, but th-there's... THERE'S NOTHING THERE!" Akane screeched in panic. It was a nightmare that no being could ever fathom, and she was staring right at it, live as day.
"I kinda noticed," Ranma stated in a dejected tone.
"But how..." Akane shot to standing, grabbing Ranma around the shoulders, "BUT HOW DO YOU EVEN... YOU KNOW? I MEAN HOW DO YOU GO TO THE BATHROOM?!?"
Ranma grimmaced, "Ah, I'd rather not discuss that, it's kinda embarrassing..."
Akane backed away, and leaned against the wall of the opposite side of the stall, "I don't believe this..."
Ranma turned away, and coughed again, "Um... that's not all..."
Akane blinked, and gave Ranma her fullest incredulous stare, "What do you mean, 'that's not all'?"
At the question, Ranma stoically pulled out a thermos, and upended the warm contents onto the mop of red hair, causing it to become black.
_________________
Every student in Furinkan turned to the direction of Akane's despairing, soul-wretched, unbearing scream, as it echoed through out school grounds, and a good part of the Furinkan district...
Ranma was nearly salivating at the prospect, it was right there, right before him, nearly in reach. He would have been sceptical about it, since he had been through many potential cures, only to have them slip through his hands, or not work. But, this time, he had been presented proof, when Ryoga talked to Akane about his feelings, right when a spontanious downpour erupted.
The details after that were lost to the pigtailed boy, since his only focus was on what happened to Ryoga's curse. The younger Saotome's rival in the arts, and once-rival for Akane, unhesitatingly told Ranma of his cure, deciding he owed him for his part in the lost casket of drowned man water, plus begrudging gratitude for staying his place for his one on one with Akane.
The old man in the turbin sitting on the stone throne within the deep cavern massaged his scraggly goatee, as he looked over the young man before him. "I can give it to you, sonny, but I don't think you really want it..."
"Yeah, Yeah! I want it, I want it!" Ranma responded, enthuesiatically, giving his best dewey eyes.
"No, really, I'm not sure you want this..." the old man countered, holding up the vial full of Jusenkyo-rectifying goodness.
"If it means not being a girl again, I'll TAKE IT!" Ranma proclaimed adimantly. He was getting tired of arguing with the old man.
"Hmm," the old man mused, "You sound positive, but I'm not sure-"
"WILL YOU JUST GIVE ME THE DAMN CURE?!?"
The old man readjusted his turbin, having almost been blown off his head by the outburst, "Well, if you know what you want..." He tossed the vial to Ranma, incidentally tossing just well too short. He was an old man, so he kinda threw like a sissy.
"ACK!!!" Ranma made a hasteful dive, feeling time slow down. His fingertips were but a foot away from the glass vial, as the vial was less than six inches from the stone floor. Make that three inches... one inch...
"Nice catch there, youngster!" the old man crowed, clapping at the impromptu entertainment. With a glare, Ranma stood up, opening the stopper to the vial. "But that isn't the real cure."
Ranma stopped, as he was about to tip it into his mouth, "Huh?"
"That's just some liquid Centrium Complete for an old man, gotta keep those vitimins handy, ya know?" Ranma's hooded stare was his reply. With a sigh, the old man pulled out a second vial, "Here ya go, son, ya earned it for making an old man laugh."
The old guy blinked, as a gust of wind blew by, and the pigtailed martial artist went missing, "Hmm, musta been in a hurry..."
_________________
"Never gonna be a girl again, never gonna be a girl again!" Ranma chanted, harmonically, as he quickly pulled the stopper on the vial, and dumped the contents down his throat. He felt that aura from the Jusenkyo curse he never knew was there change within him, and with a shout of joy, he jumped into the nearest body of water he came across, after exiting the cave.
That shout of joy turned into a terrorized scream.
_________________
"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed, as the pigtailed martial artist, who had been missing for several days, pulled her aside, and quickly lead her into the girl's bathroom. She was about to ask him how his search for a cure went, before she realized that 'he' was still short, and 'he' still had vibrant red hair.
With great urgency, Ranma pulled Akane into an empty stall, and locked it. After the door was secured, the redhead turned to Akane, "Um... Akane? I... well... you know that cure I went looking for?"
Akane nodded dumbly, before she allowed a sad frown to cross her face, "It didn't work, huh?"
Ranma turned away, and coughed, "Well... um..." With a groan of fustration, Ranma grabbed Akane's shoulders, "You promise you won't scream, okay?"
"Ranma, what's wrong?" Akane enquired, feeling no small amount of concern rising within her.
Steeling the youthful face presented to the raven-haired girl, Ranma took a deep breath, and dropped the black kung-fu slacks after unfastening the belt, along with the boxers.
Akane instictively followed the motion, and before she could turn away, and slam Ranma into the more rural parts of Japan for being a disgusting pervert, she froze, and then blinked. Then... she blinked again, and then blinked some more.
Ranma stood by, nervously, as Akane dumbly fell to her knees, staring with an incredulous expression. Before the tension could get to the pigtailed martial artist, Akane looked at Ranma with fearful eyes, and pointed, "Wha...?"
Ranma sighed, it was already hard enough as it was without explaining. "Well, you see, that cure... well..." Ranma pointed downwards giving Akane a pitiful look.
"Bu... bu... h... how... I mean..." Akane studdered, unable to wrap her mind around the surreal image presented to her.
"The old guy said there wasn't any cure that he knew of," Ranma stated, before darkening in mood at the recollection of the old man telling Ranma 'I told you so.'
"I mean, but th-there's... THERE'S NOTHING THERE!" Akane screeched in panic. It was a nightmare that no being could ever fathom, and she was staring right at it, live as day.
"I kinda noticed," Ranma stated in a dejected tone.
"But how..." Akane shot to standing, grabbing Ranma around the shoulders, "BUT HOW DO YOU EVEN... YOU KNOW? I MEAN HOW DO YOU GO TO THE BATHROOM?!?"
Ranma grimmaced, "Ah, I'd rather not discuss that, it's kinda embarrassing..."
Akane backed away, and leaned against the wall of the opposite side of the stall, "I don't believe this..."
Ranma turned away, and coughed again, "Um... that's not all..."
Akane blinked, and gave Ranma her fullest incredulous stare, "What do you mean, 'that's not all'?"
At the question, Ranma stoically pulled out a thermos, and upended the warm contents onto the mop of red hair, causing it to become black.
_________________
Every student in Furinkan turned to the direction of Akane's despairing, soul-wretched, unbearing scream, as it echoed through out school grounds, and a good part of the Furinkan district...