Legends of the Four Masters
#29—Tales of Ba Sing Se
Ranma and Shampoo's day
It was a lovely morning, the kind that made people want to get out of bed and be active rather than stay inside and wait for tomorrow. And that was exactly what everyone living with the Avatar chose to do this day, go out and have some R&R for once. No worrying about the war, about the Dai Li, about anything other than having a good time.
Aang was out looking for Appa with Momo accompanying him, Sokka was having some 'him time', and Katara and Toph chose to have a girls day. This left the others to their own devices.
"So Airen, is this a legit date or are we just killing time together?" Shampoo asked, walking down the street alongside Ranma. At the moment she had her arm wrapped around his own, and while he blushed he wasn't trying to remove her either.
"I guess that depends on what we do." He replied. "But I want to make one thing very clear first. I am not an expert on this sort of thing and have no idea what you might be expecting of me. So if you want something, could you please just give it to me straight instead of assuming there's some sort of script and I'm just not following it?"
Shampoo giggled a little and patted his back. "I think I can manage with that. Let's just have fun together."
The Amazon started leading him nowhere in particular, mostly due to them being unfamiliar with the area. But it didn't take them long for the two to find a sort of park and garden. A small fence surrounded it but the entry was open and clear to walk through, with a torii gate to mark it as well. A couple of trees sporting pink and blue blossoms made it more appealing to the eyes.
A couple their age started walking out, arm in arm and looking rather happy with themselves. "Oh, hello." The man said to them when they noticed the others.
"Hi. We're new here, so do you happen to know some places where we could have fun?" Shampoo greeted.
The other girl giggled. "That depends on what kind of fun you're looking for."
"Tera." The boy groaned, but couldn't hide his own grin before facing the Nerimans again. "The view's nice here, but if you're smart you'll look for a private spot. That's what everyone does."
"And do what?" Ranma asked.
The couple giggled and looked at each other coyly. "What everyone comes here for, obviously." They then started to walk off.
"You get any of that?" Ranma asked.
Shampoo nodded, a slight smile on her face. "I think so."
The Amazon lightly tugged on Ranma's arm, leading him into the park despite his confusion. Regardless, he did have to admit the view was indeed nice. It reminded him of a lot of forests he had been in on his travels during the spring seasons. The trees were exotic and he could hear water off in the distance. A blue bird chirps in some of the branches.
"I think that's the most normal animal I've seen in this world so far." Ranma noted, pointing at the bird.
"Don't be so sure Airen. For all you know it's got extra legs or even some tentacles we can't see." Shampoo replied.
Ranma chuckled. "Yeah you might be right."
The blue bird sees a fly on the tree, then a long tongue shoots out of its beak and snatches the fly before swallowing it then flying off.
Ranma and Shampoo can't help but have a good laugh at the absurdity of what they just witnessed. They continued walking deeper into the park, with Shampoo glancing around once in a while like she was looking for something. While they did this, they made small talk, going over things like what Shampoo experienced when she first got to Japan and what Ranma experienced when he first got to China.
Some sounds caught their attention after a bit and both teens looked into the woods. Behind some trees, trying to hide but not doing the best job, were two other teens likely on a date as well. And they were making out rather passionately. Ranma blushed when he noticed the boy had his hand on the girl's breast over her top and his free hand was toying with the bottom of her skirt, and the girl didn't look or sound like she was opposed to his interests.
Ranma and Shampoo quietly walked away. "You don't see that in a kid's show." Ranma whispered.
"I think that's what those two we saw on the way in here were doing too Airen." Shampoo pointed out. "And I think a lot of people our age come here for exactly that."
Ranma blushed and felt a familiar sense of discomfort and awkwardness. However, this time he opposed it and looked at the purple-haired Amazon. "When in Rome, am I right?"
Shampoo blinked, surprised by his question. "Airen, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"I asked you to help me learn how to love, didn't I? How can I learn if I'm afraid to try new things?"
Shampoo smiled brightly and allowed him to lead her off the trail and into the woods away from sight. Once they had a good sense of isolation, the two stared at each other. Ranma looked naturally uncertain while Shampoo looked excited and a little expecting, clearly wanting him to make the first move here. Ranma ignored his awkwardness and slowly leaned in, believing that doing it quickly would be tacky, until his lips touched hers. Shampoo wrapped her arms around him to pull him in more and make him feel more comfortable.
Once they got started, all of Ranma's discomfort and fears of this going wrong went away and he found himself enjoying this new experience. He wasn't sure how exactly to describe it even to himself, except that it was so much better than that time Mikado Sanzenin had forced his lips on Ranma's girl form. And it was much better than the time Shampoo had originally given him the Kiss of Marriage.
Shampoo herself was enjoying this a lot more than Ranma was, given that she had been waiting for this for much longer. She had never kissed a boy before, not for lacking of trying on her part or that of other boy's, so this was as much her first kiss as it was Ranma's. Gender curses and tribal obligations notwithstanding. She could feel his strength and care in this kiss, making her like it all the more and want it more in the future.
After a bit they separated, both looking quite satisfied. "How's that for a lesson?" She teased.
Ryoga's day
'Where am I?' Ryoga asked, finding himself alone for the first time since encountering Iroh. He had been walking around with Iroh earlier, but somehow the two had gotten separated. He could tell he was still in Ba Sing Se, but not the Inner Ring. He saw a lot of shops and people going about, looking very much like he would imagine a Chinese marketplace looking like roughly a century or two ago.
'Great, after all this time I finally get lost in some world I don't belong it. This never would have happened if Ranma never tore that damn ticket.'
With no idea where he was and no idea how to get where he was supposed to be, Ryoga did what he always did and just kept walking wherever his feet could go. He told himself that as long as he never left what looked like a city, he couldn't get more lost than he already was.
"Hello boy." A strange voice said to him from behind, making him stop. Ryoga turned and saw a smiling woman wearing a fancy kimono.
"Uh… who are you?" He asked.
"I am Juu Dee, and I have been given the honor of assisting those that are partnered with the Avatar. You are indeed one of his friends, am I right?"
"Uh… I suppose you could say that." Ryoga answered. He had been informed about who Aang was and how this world works, both from Iroh and Ranma, though he didn't take it too seriously. It was all just a show after all. There was no need to take it that seriously.
"Earlier I had given the Avatar and his friends something to ease their stay in Ba Sing Se, but you were not there. Allow me to make up for this and give you what you need." Juu Dee offered.
Ryoga thought it over and nodded. "Sure, if you can also take me back to his house too. I'm kind of lost."
Juu Dee nodded. "Thank you for cooperating. Please follow me."
She led the lost boy to a nearby carriage, both entered and the driver took off. Ryoga got comfortable and didn't bother to start a conversation, and it seemed Juu Dee was content with that as well. Looking out the window of the carriage, Ryoga thought he saw Aang chasing after some wild animals in the streets, and a man crying while some kind of kangaroo ate cabbages in a cart.
'Still not as chaotic as the chases can get in Nerima.' Ryoga thought.
"Where are we going?" He asked when they left the city part of Ba Sing Se, now appearing in some kind of wild area.
"This is the outermost ring of Ba Sing Se, primarily used for agriculture and other forms of field work. We are heading to a special part owned exclusively by the Earth King. It is truly a privilege to be allowed to invited there."
'This is supposed to make being in this huge city easier?' Ryoga asked himself, not seeing the connection. But he didn't understand a lot of things here and figured he might as well let this play out.
After a bit the carriage came to a stop and the door opened. Juu Dee gestured for him to exit first, and Ryoga complied. He saw a large lake and little else. In fact the only thing that really stood out were two men that looked like they had been waiting for him.
"So what's so special about this place?" He asked, looking around.
The two men did a kata together and a land bridge rose out of the water, with a hole at the end that looked like the entry to a tunnel.
"The 'special' part you are curious about is not out in the open, lest anyone happen to trespass on the Earth King's land and attempt to take it." Juu Dee told him, walking down the bridge as if this was normal for her.
With a shrug Ryoga followed, and the two went underground. The two men remained up above and after some time earthbended the land bridge back underwater.
Kasumi's day
Kasumi sighed, looking as bored as she sounded as she stared outside. With the house still being new and everyone pulling their weight, there was so little housework for her to do now. The one upside was that she wasn't alone.
Zuko was sitting by her, looking just as bored but more miserable about it. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish we still had that job at the tea house. At least I'd be doing something."
Naturally the Dai Li had arranged for Zuko, Iroh, and Ryoga to no longer have jobs or residence within the Outer Ring. The firebenders had been compensated by being allowed to remain with Aang, but everyone knew this was solely so they could be monitored by the Dai Li with more ease.
Kasumi stretched her arms for a moment. "Well, I was thinking I ought to check out the nearest market, and get an idea of what we'll be able to buy for the foreseeable future. Want to come along?"
The banished prince looked as excited to go shopping with a girl as one might stereotypically expect of a boy, but with literally nothing else to do he got up and joined her. Unsure where to go, Kasumi and Zuko simply started strolling down the street hoping to find something.
"Zuko, how different is Ba Sing Se from your home?" Kasumi started to get some conversation going.
"It's less welcoming, that's for sure." He muttered. "Not that Father or Azula ever were that welcoming in the first place."
"What about your mother?"
Zuko frowned and his mouth tightly, like he really didn't want to talk about this. "I don't know what happened to her."
Kasumi senses that this was a particularly sensitive subject for him and chose not to address it. Though this meant conversation was practically halted for now.
With the help of some friendly passerby the two found their way to the closest market. It wasn't as big as any that were available in the Middle Ring, but it was decent for those that didn't want to leave the Inner Ring for some reason. Kasumi couldn't really read the labels but had a feeling that most of the merchandise was expensive.
'I get the feeling that the people who made this show didn't really know kanji and just sort of made up their own here.' She thought. 'Weird how they paid so much attention to the martial arts part but not on the written language part.'
While they were checking, two kids ran by as part of some game they were playing. Zuko moved out of the way which caused him to inadvertently knock into Kasumi, which made her bump the stall. A pitcher of water wobbled and fell off the edge, with the stall owner and Kasumi reaching for it. The pitcher crashed and shattered on the ground, but to their surprise part of the liquid within was suspended in the air.
Smiling a bit, Kasumi did some minor waving that she had seen Katara do many times and collected the water in the air, being sure to let any dirt or debris drop out of it. "Do you have a spare container?" She asked the stall owner. They nodded and dug out a bowl, which she deposited the water into. He thanked her and she walked away.
"You're a waterbender?" Zuko asked, catching up to her. "How can you be one? You said you weren't from this world."
"I'm not. But I became one when I came here. There are no benders where I come from."
"No benders?" Zuko repeated, blinking. "What's that like?"
"Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. No one bends so everything has to be done the hard way. Yet we're actually more advanced in technology than this world is. We've got vehicles with engines, flying machines, and water and electricity in every house."
The running kids came back around, this time Kasumi and Zuko saw them coming and moved aside without causing any commotion.
"I can't imagine a world where there are no benders. That's a pretty big part of all societies here." The banished prince commented. "The tech part I can kind of see, since if you really had no bending you'd be forced to focus on it more. But if you weren't born a bender, how did you become one?"
Kasumi shrugged. "I don't know. How do people become benders here?"
Zuko paused to think it over. "You know, I'm not entirely sure either. I'm told spirituality is the main key to it, but look at Azula and tell me she's a spiritual person."
Kasumi chuckled a little. "Well, there is more than one kind of spirit. Not all spirits are nice after all. And do being spiritual and being nice really mean the same thing?"
Zuko shrugged. "I suppose not, but I'm not even sure what being spiritual actually means. Leave that for the monks to figure out. All I know is I'm a bender and that's all I need to know."
"I am quite curious about bending now that I'm in a world where it's a reality." Kasumi continued. "I wonder what other forms it can take. After all, some firebenders can control lightning and some waterbenders can control plants. I wonder what else a bender can control. Why can't an earthbender control metal but they can control crystals? Why do airbenders glide but sky bison fly? Could a waterbender like me control the human body? It is mostly made out of water after all. And if so, could a firebender like you control a person's body heat?"
Zuko looked like he was thinking that over. "You know, Uncle did teach me that a firebender makes their flame by having control over their own body heat and using it in combination with their chi, which is why we don't burn ourselves. I never thought about controlling someone else's body heat. Now that I think about it, I wonder if it is possible."
"Then again, would you really want to? I mean, isn't that kind of… gruesome? Controlling another person's body like that, be it by fire or water? That's kind of demonic."
"First you bring it up, then you say you hate the idea?" Zuko asked, confused.
Kasumi looked downward a bit. "Some time ago, a… spirit for lack of a better name took control over me. It was an evil thing that forced whoever it possessed to do evil things. I did some terrible things, all with a smile on my face, until Ranma was able to get it out of my body. Fortunately no one got hurt in ways they couldn't recover from, but it was something I wasn't proud of."
She then lifted her head a little more and resumed eye contact again. "So you could say I'm familiar with the idea of people being controlled, and I don't really like it. I think it's natural I'd want to know if someone else could do it."
Zuko looked uncomfortable, but then took ahold of her hand. "Then I'll agree to never control your body heat if you agree to never control the water in my body. Fair?"
Kasumi blinked and blushed a little, feeling kind of flustered since she wasn't used to this kind of contact. "Y… yes, of course."
"Good. And let's keep this between ourselves. I don't think we want the others to get these ideas and try to experiment with them on each other."
Kasumi nodded, then Zuko let go of her hand and the two continued walking down the street.