An Ending To All Our Days

Joshua Trujillo

Part 1: The Final Beginning

The wind shifted against the chime and it's sweet music floated through the kitchen. Kasumi liked to work during this time of year, it was just right for cooking, being not too hot or too cold. The soup was boiling along and would be ready soon. Things had been unusually quiet for the past few days, Kasumi wondered if Ranma and Akane had finally agreed to be civil to each other, being engaged and all. Really, they didn't see her and Dr.Tofu act that way, did they? She shifted the cast on her left arm in it's sling. He acted so brave and diligent in treating her injury. That naughty Happosai had really done it this time and Tofu-chan had let him have it.

Kasumi caught herself. Did she really just think of him as Tofu-chan?

Well, at least she didn't say it aloud.

"Katustenshin Amaguriken!" A voice yelled from the dojo.

Kasumi looked up from chopping the daikon. It was not unusual to hear

that particular battle cry in any given day in Nerima, but not normally from inside the dojo. What was also unusual was that it sounded like it came from Akane.

A large panda ran past the doorway. Life with Ranma and his father, Genma Saotome was never dull, Kasumi would have to admit. She wondered for a second what life as a parttime panda would be like. An older gentleman with long black hair wearing a brown gi was close behind the panda.

"What's going on father?" Kasumi asked of the gentleman.

Soun Tendo paused just long enough to catch his breath in reply to his

eldest daughter.

"I don't know" He said finally.

Soun started to run again towards the dojo. He looked like he was about ready to cry. Which was also quite normal. Kasumi noticed that every since Mother died, her Father had two emotions, or rather, states of emotions. On and Off. Most normally, they were on.

"Oh my. I'd better go see if I can help" She said to no one in particular.

Looking back at the soup, Kasumi turned the heat to low and took off her apron. The soup could wait a few minutes.

***

`Oh what were they breaking now?' Soun thought as he ran down the hall, `At least they're fighting in the dojo.'

Running into the dojo hall, he saw his middle daughter Nabiki standing next to Panda-kun, who was also his best friend, Genma Saotome. They were both looking at a young man sparring with a young woman. The woman wore a light colored gi with a red belt. The young man wore a Chinese outfit of red shirt with little wooden ties and black pants. He was noticeably better than her but Soun could tell that they had been doing this for quite some time, and it was starting to wear on both of them.

The woman was his youngest daughter Akane, now seventeen. The young man was her fiance, Ranma Saotome. It was normal to see them fighting, much to the dismay of Soun, but it wasn't too usual to see them sparring. And it looked like Akane was getting the better of Ranma. Soun walked up to his best friend. why was he a panda? Well, he wasn't a panda all the time...It was a long story. Panda-kun turned to Soun and mumbled something holding up a wooden sign.

"I don't know my friend. Nabiki, what's going on here?" He asked of her.

Nabiki Tendo folded her arms in her customary fashion and looked at her father. The look on her face was something that was normally reserved for Ranma when he did something ordinarily stupid. Why was he getting it now?

"Isn't it obvious Daddy, they're fighting again."

Oh, that's why...

"I can see that. What are they fighting about?" He asked hurridley.

"Akane wants Ranma to spar with her. Ranma is too scared to do it though." She said.

"I am NOT-" Ranma began.

A sharp, thick sound snapped through the dojo and he hit the floor.

"Ranma. Akane. That's enough, both of you" Soun said.

"What fun they always have together. Lunch will be ready in a few minutes" Kasumi said from behind them.

Panda-kun spun his sign around and the word {Great!} was easily readable.

"Ah, thank you Kasumi" Soun said, smiling at his eldest.

"Yeah, thanks Kasumi. I've really worked up an appetite" Akane said.

"Yeah, great" moaned Ranma from the floor of the dojo.

Kasumi tilted her head and smiled.

***

Ranma pushed a branch of bamboo out of the way. He'd been out here for about two days now and they still hadn't found their way back yet. At least he'd been able to find Ryouga. Now it had begun to rain. The transformation had been swift. Ranma felt his chest and hips expand, his waist and the rest of hm shrink. He also knew he now had shockingly red hair. She was going to remind herself to hit Pop when she got home just for putting her through this.

The story went that they were just going to train at some place in China called Jusenkyo. Nothing big, Ranma had trained at a dozen places in China already, why should this one be different. It was hard enough to find all right. Bunch of sticks in some ponds. Nobody told him that whatever spring he fell into would cause him to turn to that with the addition of cold water. So now he was semi-aquaphobic. What did Nabiki call him? An aquatransexual? Ranma wondered what that meant. Probably not good, coming from Nabiki.

Now he was out here finding Akane's precious P-chan. She didn't even know that it was Ryouga. What a fool! But, the samurai code of honor prevented him from telling her. Oh man, what a mess!

"I can't believe I'm out here in the rain just to bring your misdirected pork posterior back to Akane" Ran-chan said to the small black pig on her head.

The pig bweee'd a couple of times. He was another Cursed person. Ryouga Hibiki. He fell into the Spring of Drowned Pig. Or rather, Ryouga had always claimed that Ranma was the one that pushed him into the pool. Ranma didn't know.

"Oh shut up already, will ya'? I already got it once from Akane. I'm gettin' soaked here and you can't seem to help any. Why didn't you use that umbrella of yours anyway?" Ran-chan asked.

P-chan let out a bweee.

"That's right. You ran off in your cursed form. Hey, I tried to put you on a leash, but you didn't want it" Ran-chan said.

P-chan bweee'd again.

"Yeah-if you say so. But next time, change form first" Ran-chan said.

Ranma turned the next bush away and sure enough, there was a cave there, just as Ryouga/P-chan had said. The other problem with Ryouga was that he was perpetually lost. Something about his sense of direction. He'd go the bathroom and he'd be gone for weeks. Some time ago, Ranma learned that he could communicate with those that were cursed. Well, communicate in that he could understand them, but being able to converse in pig, or duck, or (shudder) cat was another story. The others had the same ability, but it was only Ranma who could understand them all.

Ahead of her, the cave entrance rose like some kind of dragon from the forest floor. They had been steadily going uphill. The moss covered entrance gaped from the side of a mountain. This really didn't look like Japan at all. China really. In order to find Ryouga quickly, Ranma had to become Ryouga, so he did the only thing he knew. He blindfolded himself and ran blindly in several directions at once. After hitting some trees and running across a sleeping bear, he finally ran across something that bweee'd at him. Uncovering his eyes, he saw P-chan.

The cave ceiling was low but passable. Not enough room to fight though. She set P-chan down and looked around the cave. Dusty, it looked like it hadn't been used in centuries. There was still an old pile of wood in one corner. With luck, she'd be able to light it and perhaps get some water on to heat and dry out her clothes. P-chan started sniffing around and sneezed in a kawaii way. Near the center was an unused firepit, well, unused in the last hundred years or so. Ran-chan placed some wood in the pit and arranged it. She then started pulling items from her back pack. She had a lighter in here somewhere...

***

Ryouga looked around at the cave surroundings. They were adequate for himself, but he knew that Ranma was kind of cramped. Served him right for chasing him off like that. Oh well, at least Ranma didn't leave him out here, and he was amazed at how quickly Ranma found him.

These walls looked funny though. Too lumpy and uneven. Near the back, the wall looked slightly familiar. Something like-

BWEEE!

***

Ranma turned to jump up and promptly laid himself flat on the cave floor.

"I'll feel that in the morning" She muttered.

Ranma sat up and looked to where P-chan had bweee'd. It was a statue. But something familiar about the statue drew Ranma forward. Pulling the cobwebs from the strange deformed statue, a cold shiver ran down his spine as he recognized who it was.

The statue was of Happosai.

The kettle sounded behind them and Ranma tried to remember to go back and shut it off, but this statue was too much. Sure they were in the middle of nowhere, but why would the statue of the freak be out here? P-chan bweee'd again, this time from closer to the campfire. Ranma was glad for the chance to be away from the statue. He went to where P-chan was standing. The pig had uncovered a small patch of stone on the floor. It was at the base of another statue. this one was older and dust and cobwebs obscured any view. Ranma was silently grateful. Who knows what this one would look like.

"Bweee" P-chan said.

"What? Oh, I see" Ranma said, looking at the markings.

They were in Japanese. Ranma read the Kanji aloud.

"Unlucky souls tremble in fear,

Find this temple and the end is near,

The journey ends for you at last,

What was your life is now the past,

Study this statue that wears a frown,

Don't mistake it because it's...

Ranma blinked. There was a jagged break where the next line should be, "The rest of it's gone. Looks like something hit it."

Ranma swept a small area near the writing and uncovered the rest of it farther down. It almost looked like writing leading to the statue. The statue was situated in the middle of the cave. Perhaps this was a small temple of some sort. Worship the old man? Another shiver.

"Rub for good luck on it's belly not the head,

For the belly brings you good luck,

The head makes you dead. Kinda gross if you ask me" Ranma said.

"Bweee?"

"Well, of course I'm gonna rub it's belly. With the fights I've been getting into with Akane lately, I need all the help I can get" She explained.

Ran-chan placed herself in a praying position in front of the statue.

"Please, we pray for you to bring me good luck."

And with that she reached down and rubbed the belly. Except...this belly was awful bumpy. And with her eyes closed...she didn't know.

"P-chan, this doesn't feel like a belly," She opened her eyes, "It feels more like a-"

"BWEEE!"

A nose...!

There was a sudden in-rush of air. Both Ranma and P-chan scramble to hold against being thrown against the statue. The air was hard, as it seemed to escape from their very lungs to feed this vortex. P-chan threw himself flat as a concussive blast replaced the vortex in the blink of an eye. The blast picked up Ranma and hurled her out of the cave into the forest below. P-chan looked toward the entrance, but noticed smoke running across him. He sneezed a couple of times and turned back to the statue. The smoke billowing out of the statue itself made it seem like it was on fire. A list mist coalesced into a heavier mist and then it became vaguely solid into a form above P-chan and the statue.

The thing flexed massively muscled arms and yawned again. The yawn drew in more of the vortex air, but not as much as the first time. P-chan shook his head and looked back up at the demon. The demon shift his gaze, looking around the room, but it seemed to be looking for something man-sized.

<Now I can get away,> Thought P-chan.

That seemed to just draw his attention.

"You are the one to who has freed me?"

He came closer to the pig. P-chan felt the skin rising on his body. He didn't even know if pigs could get goosebumps, but he did anyway. His first reaction would be to run and hide, but the martial artist side of him told him to stay put, if the demon had wanted him dead, he would have been lunch meat by now.

<Who am I to deny a demon while I'm like this?> He thought.

"Excellent Confused One, I shall give you the one thing that you most desire in return for setting me free" The demon said.

With that, the form pushed to the ceiling and slowly phased out of sight.

P-chan sat there for a moment, soaking it all in.

He knew then what that was.

"BWEEE!" He oinked, running to the campfire.

Good, there was still enough to transform. The kettle had been knocked over during the first air blast, but had settled behind a statue, so the water was protected. Ryouga gathered everything together quickly, he was used to evacuating a site in a hurry, so he knew what to take and what he could leave behind. Too much time spent in the open in strange territory did that to a person. There was even enough water left for Ranma to transform. Good thing Ranma brought this kettle out with him. Luck?

Nah-Ryouga never believed in it. Luck is for those who aren't skilled to do it by themselves.

Ryouga slung the backpack and the rest of the hot water over his shoulder and headed out of the cave to find Ranma. He couldn't let the demon do what he thought it might do. At the mouth of the cave, Ryouga spotted Ranma just down the hillside. He was slumped over a bundle of bamboo branches. Just like him to be sleeping at a time like this. Strange bruises on his back though, almost look branch-like. Ryouga paid it no mind, Ranma probably deserved it anyway.

<No time...Just no time,> He thought.

Ryouga did have the thought of just leaving Ranma where he was, but he didn't know whether or not he could protect Akane and defeat a demon of that size by himself all at once. Maybe Ranma would be some help after all. Ryouga dropped the pack and replaced it with Ranma. He picked the pack up again and looked around.

<Now, the Tendo Dojo should be this way,> He thought, walking downhill.

The woods soon swallowed both travellers and the forest was silent once more.