Happi's Redemption chapter 4

Happi’s Redemption
A Ranma One Half Fan Fiction
By Michael A. Ivins

Ranma along with all of his friends, enemies and acquaintances are the property of Takahashi Rumiko. I’m just borrowing them for my own amusement and hopefully that of my readers. Sailor Moon and the Senshi aren’t mine either. Please don’t sue me.

This story takes place after the end of the manga.


Chapter 4
Dodging Amazons

Their next stop was in the middle of the night with Ranma and Happosai both asleep when they arrived. A man from the station shook both of them awake. Again they transferred to an older train. Once they got going they went back to sleep. In the morning they changed trains yet again. While traveling they ate from the food in Ranma’s pack. They ate sparingly as they didn’t know how far they would need to stretch those supplies.

By the end of the following day they had gone as far as the train tracks would take them. They hitched a ride with truck driver who was going in the direction they needed to go. When the driver got to his destination, they found another ride and so passed another day.

The final ride they got was with a woman who was taking supplies to a tribe of Nichezu. These were not the Joketsuzoku, but a more modern group of Amazons. In this tribe the women were still the rulers but men had a more equal status. This tribe was also more in touch with the modern world and had more amenities. Ranma found out that there was a river than ran through this valley and they used it to generate electricity.

Ranma was able to talk the Amazons at their stop into resupplying them for their trip. The friendly Amazons warned about how crazy the Joketsuzoku were. They were given a warning that Jusenkyo was a dangerous place and best avoided if possible. Ranma thanked them for the well meant warnings, but refrained from mentioning that she had been to those places before. Their hosts had been able to provide them a map of the area they were planning to visit. Some of the areas on the map were a little vague, but for the most part it was a help.

They were now on foot. While Ranma and her father had passed through the area while fleeing a vengeful Shampoo, it was long enough ago that it still qualified as unfamiliar territory. After all, when they had come through this area before, had not been paying that close attention to the landmarks.

When Ranma was performing her more energetic maneuvers, Happosai had to be tied to the top of the pack. Even after a ki treatment he was too weak to hang on and ran the risk of falling off and getting lost.

It was another day before they reached familiar territory. They had arrived at the edge of the territory inhabited by the Joketsuzoku, the Musk and the Phoenix. The part of the border they were at now was right on the edge of Amazon territory. Now they would have to keep a low profile by moving as silently as possible and avoiding any contact with people. While Ranma felt she could probably be on more or less good terms with Prince Herb of the Musk, she was not so sure about the rest of the tribe. The Phoenix were likely to be very hostile considering what Ranma had done to their god.

As for the Amazons in the area, they’d be better off avoiding them.

Using the map they’d been given, Ranma and her passenger skirted the edge of the territory claimed by the Joketsuzou. The valleys they were headed for were beyond this area and they had to pass through to get where they wanted. They had camped on the border of the area and now were starting out early in the morning. If they were lucky they would be able to get through the area within a single day.

As they traveled they found themselves dodging patrols. Ranma frowned at this. She didn’t remember there being this many warriors out in the general area when she had been through here before. Could the Amazons have been alerted to their coming? Maybe the Amazons had some means of communication other than letters and couriers.

They had made good time and were most of the way through the Amazon territory when their luck ran out. From one side a voice called out in Mandarin, “Outsider, Halt!”

Ranma considered the possibility of running, but another warrior stepped onto the path in front of them and another to the other side. The redheaded girl didn’t take her eyes off the warrior in front of her but could feel with ki senses the presence of someone on the path behind. Ranma and her passenger were surrounded.

Happosai climbed to the ground and Ranma dropped her pack. She looked around then in halting Mandarin, “My Mandarin very bad. Any you speak Japanese?”

Another of the warriors stepped onto the path ahead and said in passable Japanese, “I am Ei Linah. I speak your barbarian tongue, Outsider girl. Our elders have warned us that this man was likely to try and enter our territory.” The tone used to say the word “man” was dripping with scorn.

Ranma raised her hands in what she hoped was a placating gesture. She said, “We don’t want any trouble. We wish only to travel through your lands and not to stay. We have not hunted nor have we camped. We have not damaged anything. We wish only to be allowed to pass.”

Ei Linah gestured with her spear. “That… is a thief and a pervert and is deserving of punishment. We have been ordered to seek for him and capture him if we can, kill him if we can’t capture.”

Now angry Ranma stated, “It is true that this man is a thief and a pervert. Very likely he does deserve punishment. It is also true that there would really be little point in punishing him now.”

“Little point? What are you talking about?” The Amazon leader was confused. “He must face trial.”

Ranma overrode any other protests by saying, “This man is dying! If it weren’t for the ki energy I’ve been giving him, he would be dead already.”

Ei Linah looked at the little man with an expression of confusion. Obviously her orders didn’t cover this possibility. After a moment she said, “What you say may be true. Still he had committed crimes. We will need to take him back to the village where the council of Elders can decide his fate.”

Ranma shook her head in negation. “He seeks to lay eyes on the land he has chosen to be his final resting place. I will only be able to keep him alive for a short time more. If your council is anything like other councils I’ve heard of they could take more time to decide than he has left to him.”

From what the redhead said, it seemed obvious she must be a healer of some kind. Even if the girl did seem young to be a healer, Ei Linah didn’t want to disrespect someone in that vocation. However, her orders said to bring the old man back. She said, “Honored Healer, I’m sorry. My orders were most specific. I am to bring the man back to face punishment. If our own healers confirm your diagnosis, I’m sure they won’t keep you long.”

Ranma muttered under her breath, “We don’t have time for this.” At normal volume she asked, “When your Elders warned you that Happosai might be visiting your part of the world, did they also mention who might be his traveling companion?”

The leader of the Amazon party looked confused. “There was some mention that there might be another man with him. We were not expecting a girl.”

The redhead pulled herself to her full (small) height and proclaimed, “I am not a girl, I am a Jusenkyo cursed man. I am the one who bested Prince Herb of the Musk in combat. I am the same man who killed Saffron, the Phoenix king. I am Saotome Ranma.”

She ignited her aura and let the light blast forth. The force was strong enough that it pushed each of warriors back a step and sent a ripple through the grass. A feeling of heat radiated off the glowing girl.

Her voice now amplified by ki, the girl said in booming tones, “We don’t want any trouble with your people, but I am capable of handling any trouble you may offer. Do you really want to fight over whether or not a man who is already dying gets punished? Any punishment you might give him now would be nothing more than an empty gesture.”

None of the warriors were ki adepts the way the elders were, but even they could feel the power radiating off the girl. Now that she was reminded of it, Ei Linah thought she could remember the story that the one who killed Saffron was in fact a Jusenkyo cursed boy whose girl form was a petite redhead.

Making a decision, the leader of the group asked, “Do you intend any harm to the people or lands of the Joketsuzoku?”

Ranma emphatically shook her head. “We mean no harm. We only want to peacefully pass through your lands. We had hoped we could make it through without you finding out we had ever been here.”

Ei Linah considered carefully. Finally she said, “Will you, Saotome Ranma, give your word that you intend no harm to our village or the people who live in it?”

The girl nodded solemnly. “On my honor as a martial artist, I swear that I intend no harm to any of the Joketsuzoku, nor do I intend harm to any of the Musk or Phoenix people.”

The Amazon commander laughed. “That’s a little more than I was asking for, but I’ll accept it. Will you guarantee his behavior?”

Ranma cast a look at the little man. “Knowing his character, I would normally not promise anything about him. Right now, I don’t think he has enough energy to cause any trouble. Yes, I’ll give you that guarantee.”

Ei Linah gestured toward the aura and said, “I believe you. Now could you stop glowing like that? You’re making me and my warriors nervous.”

Ranma knew the woman was just joking, but she pulled in her aura anyway. She had proved her point. At a hand signal from their commander the party of Amazons faded into the woods again.

As they headed on with their travel, Ranma could feel the ki traces of the women. She softly commented to Happosai, “They’re following us.”

The old man who was back on top of Ranma’s pack said, “Likely they are going to tell any other groups to leave us alone. Think of it more as an escort.”

Ranma ventured, “Maybe Eyeliner just wants to be sure we leave like I said.”

“That too,” the little man conceded.

Thanks to the delay in confronting the Amazons, it was after dark when Ranma pitched her tent. They were a short distance from the official border of Joketsuzoku land. While tending the fire, Ranma commented, “There’s still someone there. There’s only one now.”

Happosai said, “She’s probably watching to see that we don’t cross back onto their land.”

Ranma frowned. “I hope they realize that I’m going to have to come back through here later on the way back.”

He shrugged. “At least they are staying on their side of the border. If this succeeds how are we going to explain you going back with another girl?”

The girl shook her head. “I guess we didn’t plan this very well. If it doesn’t work I’ll be going back alone. I don’t think they’d bother me then. If it does work I guess we’ll have to work on a plan at the time.”

The little man nodded. He asked, “How much farther is it?”

The redhead studied the map. “The valley you marked as the closest looks like another day’s walk, maybe a little less. I’d guess we should get there in the late afternoon. I don’t know if we’ll have time to find the cave before it gets dark. Would the cave be easy to find?”

The old man shook his head. “I picked it because it was hard to find. I remember there were a lot of bushes growing in front of the entrance. From the valley floor you would never know there was a cave there.”

Ranma gave the old man another ki treatment, after which they went to sleep for the night. Ranma chose not to comment on how much harder it was getting to force ki into Happosai’s aura.

In the Joketsuzoku village, warrior Ei Linah was ushered into the council chamber to meet with Elder Soap. The Elder was not in the best mood. “It’s late and I was just about to go to bed. What do you have to report?”

The warrior stood stiffly and in crisp tones said, “My party and I met two people near the northeast border of our territory. One of the people was a fairly small, red haired girl the other was unquestionably the thief, Happosai.”

The elder’s feigned disinterest evaporated instantly. “Red hair, you say? Since you are here alone, I’m guessing you didn’t bring them with you. Did you speak to these people?”

The warrior bowed her head. “Yes, honored elder. The girl did all of the talking. She said that the old man was dying and that she was escorting him to his choice of a final resting place. She said she was using her own ki to keep him alive long enough to reach that place.”

The old woman looked intrigued. “Dying, you say? Elder Kho Lon reported that the old pervert made the same claim. Did they say why they were in our territory?”

“The girl said they were just passing through with no intention of contacting us,” the warrior reported. “The direction they were traveling seems to bear that out. We followed them for a while and they seemed to be deliberately trying to skirt around the outside of our territory.”

The Elder nodded. While she anticipated the answer, the old woman felt she had to ask, “Why didn’t you bring them back here?”

The warrior got a sheepish expression on her face. “The girl didn’t want to come. She said she was Saotome Ranma and then raised a battle aura such as I’ve never seen, even from any of the Elders.”

“I see,” acknowledged the Elder.

The warrior had a worried look on her face. “I’m sorry Honored Elder. Neither I nor any of my squad were strong enough to face a warrior of that power. I asked for her word that she meant no harm to us and when she gave it, I let her go.”

Seeing the expression on the warrior’s face, the Elder took pity on her. “You acted wisely. Young Saotome is too honorable to harm people without provocation, but if pressed he will defend himself and any who have entrusted themselves to his care.”

“Was… Was that really the person who killed Saffron?” Ei Linah asked.

The Elder shook her head. “Not having met her, it’s hard for say for sure, but it sounds like that is who you met. Besides coming back here to report in, what else did you do?”

The warrior snapped to attention again and said in crisp tones, “I assigned warrior Pom Aide to follow the travelers from a discrete distance. I figured that this way we would at least know if Saotome was keeping her word.”

The elder gave a tight lipped smile. “A good choice. She’s level headed and more likely to plan her moves than rush in on impulse. I still predict she’ll lose them.”

The warrior demanded, “What? Why?”

Elder Soap shook her head. “Young Saotome is cleverer than he looks and he has the advantage of the old pervert to advise him. Besides that he knows an invisibility technique.”

“Oh,” said Ei Linah. She thought for a moment, “But if they don’t see Pom Aide…”

The Elder shook her head again. “I would be very surprised if Saotome doesn’t notice he’s being followed. He has ki senses that are much more reliable than vision.”

The warrior considered that. “This is the man that Cologne wants to bring back as Shan Pu’s husband? He sounds like a dangerous man to have around.”

Elder Soap let out a sigh. “There are those on the Council who share that opinion. Indeed there are some who argue in favor of just nullifying the Kiss of Marriage. It seems a safe bet that Saotome would not take well to being forced to become a member of the tribe.”

The elder looked at the floor with a sad expression. “Shan Pu has been ordered to try a simple courtship, abandoning all the more coercive methods. I fear she may have hurt her cause by her heavy-handed ways before now. It would take a minor miracle for the boy to fall in love with Shan Pu now. Some on the council think it might be best to cut our losses and bring back our people from Japan.”

Ei Linah wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Giving up on a man, even a girl cursed one, didn’t sound like the kind of thing they should be doing. Still, if this man was as dangerous as the Elder said, maybe it was better to leave him alone. The warrior left when dismissed.

The next morning Ranma and Happosai were up and moving shortly after sunrise. Ranma glanced over her shoulder and commented, “Our shadow from yesterday is still with us.” She paused for a moment and studied the ki trace. “Actually, I don’t think it’s the same woman but someone who was sent to relieve her.”

The old man looked worriedly back. “It would be a bad idea to let her follow. She might try to interfere in my rejuvenation. She could also bring others.”

The redhead let out a big sigh. “I could go back and kill her, but that’s not my way.”

The tiny man thought for a moment. “Have you mastered your father’s invisibility technique?”

The girl knew the old man couldn’t see her face from his position on the top of the pack but she smirked anyway. “Mastered it and improved on it.” With no fanfare or display of any kind, the girl and the old man simply faded from view.

It was fortunate there was a beaten path to follow. It was old and looked like it hadn’t been used in months, but at least it was free of grass and loose dirt that would betray their movements. Happosai quickly used the rope that looped over the top of the pack to tie himself down. When he indicated he was ready, Ranma moved into a long striding run. The stride was calculated to cover distance with minimum effort. Using this type of running stride, Ranma could run all day if need be.

In this case Ranma ran a short distance away then leapt into a tree. From that vantage she looked back at the point where she had engaged her ki cloak. She didn’t have long to wait. An Amazon warrior came onto the path and looked around. She stood and shaded her eyes from the morning sun and tried in vain to spot the travelers.

In her tree, Ranma was mouthing the words, “Please give up,” over and over. She really didn’t want to hurt the woman.

At that moment the woman dropped her hands to her sides and clenched them into fists as she glared around her. Ranma could see the woman’s mouth move. Though she couldn’t hear the woman, it was easy to guess that she was cursing. The woman turned and stomped off in the direction of the border of Joketsuzoku territory.

Happosai commented, “Well, that’s that for now. I suppose it will be a while before we find out if the Amazons act smart or stubborn.”

“What do you mean?” Ranma asked.

The old man explained, “She’ll probably head back to the village to report that she lost us. If the Elders act smart they’ll just wait for you to come back when you’ve finished your business. If they’re stubborn they’ll send a group to try and track us.”

The girl nodded. “Are you secure back there?”

The little man confirmed, “Yes, I’m tied down.”

“Good,” acknowledged the redhead. “We’re going to stay in the trees as much as we can. It should be harder for them to follow when I jump from tree to tree.”

Suiting actions to words, girl began leaping along like an anime ninja. If the woman who had been following them sent others to track them, they wouldn’t have much time when got to their destination. Ranma felt sure the Amazons had skilled trackers and besides there wasn’t much in their direction of travel other than the valley they were headed for.

They took only the briefest of pauses for a meal at lunch and bathroom breaks.

In the Council Chambers of the Joketsuzoku. Elder Soap was back after a full night’s sleep. She was met by Ei Linah. Shortly Warrior Pom Aide was ushered into the room.

The warrior got down on one knee and apologized, “Elder, Squad Leader, I… am sorry. I lost them. They seemed to just vanish. I went to the spot where they disappeared, but I could find no tracks. They may have leapt into the trees, but I’m not a good enough tracker to follow them there.”

The Elder sighed, “Be at ease child. You were given an impossible task and did about as well as anyone could. We will send out a party of expert trackers, but I don’t hold much hope that they will have any luck. I think it might be just as effective to send a second party to just go in the same general direction as they seemed to be going.”

When Ranma and Happosai got to their destination valley they found it to be totally unremarkable looking place. It was a low place in the generally mountainous region with a little used path running along the bottom. There were trees all around and lots of bushes and some vines growing on the valley sides.

The girl looked around and said, “I don’t suppose you remember where the cave is, do you?”

In a dry tone the old man said, “I haven’t been back here in eighteen years. We’re lucky that I remember which valley it is. I do remember that there were two caves in this valley and I stashed bottles of cursed water in both of them. One was on that side, the other was on the other side.” He pointed.

Ranma shook her head and said in a sarcastic tone, “Oh yeah, that narrows it down a lot. I don’t suppose you would know some ki sensing trick that would help me find it without going over ever millimeter of valley side?”

The old man frowned in thought before he brightened. “There just might be. Did you ever learn the Breaking Point technique?”

The girl nodded. “I know how to do the technique, but I never got the training to toughen up so the shrapnel from the blast tears me up too much to actually use it.”

“You won’t need the toughness,” he told her. “The technique that you use to find the weak point to blow up a rock can be used to find the empty space of a cave.”

Ranma stood wide-eyed as she considered. “That… should work. I never thought of that before.”

“That’s why you are still the student and I’m the Master,” cackled the old man.

Ranma cast an irritated look at her traveling companion but decided not to comment. The old man was dying so she would cut him some slack. She wondered if this person would be so obnoxious when she was female.

They walked over the sloped side of the valley and Ranma extended her ki senses as if looking for a point to blow up. She was able to spot some breaking points, but nothing like the empty space she needed. She began moving along the length of the valley side to continue her probing.

About two thirds of the way along the one side and a little higher she felt something different. She wasn’t sure how to describe it, but she guessed that it was the cave they were looking for. She looked up and saw an outcrop with a clump of bushes growing on it. She leapt up to the outcrop and pushed the bushes to find a concealed opening. The bushes completely screened it from view from the valley floor.

From a pocket Ranma pulled a small flashlight she had brought. With that weak light she could see what looked a brown wine bottle lying on its side on the floor of the cave. There was some debris that made it look some animals had used the cave as a den in the past. Since there was the only the faintest trace of animal smell, Ranma concluded that it had been a few years since any animals had slept in that cave.

The cave itself went back about two meters and the ceiling was low enough that even the tiny Happosai would have to bend down to walk into it. The only way Ranma would be able to get in would be to crawl.

She turned and said, “Hey Master.” She loaded the title with a heavy sarcastic tone. “I found a cave and there’s a bottle on the floor of it. It looks like it would be a tight fit for me to get it out. Do you feel up to going in there for it?”

“Yes!” The old man exclaimed. “I’m glad for a chance to be more than baggage on this trip.”

When the little man stood below her with his arms raised up, she reached down and pulled him up. She then lifted him up and set him down in the tight space between the bushes and the cave opening. The old man got on his hands and knees and crawled into the cave. A short while later he came out gripping the neck of the bottle in his hand.

He hefted it and said, “It’s still full. I didn’t have a stopper, so I used beeswax to seal the bottle. It seems to have worked.”

A thought occurred to the girl and she asked, “Is the water still good?

“Huh?” He looked surprised. He hadn’t thought of that possibility. Carefully he inspected the wax that sealed the opening of bottle. Now that he had it in his hands he could remember this bottle. The seal was as he remembered it. It had not been tampered with.

The little man looked at the girl and said, “I checked. This is the same bottle and the seal is unbroken. It takes centuries for the magic to fade out of the cursed water, so it should still be good.”

Ranma sounded nervous as she said, “If you’re sure.”

He tried to reassure his traveling companion. “If I’m wrong, I’ll be dead and you’ll have a mess to clean up.”

The girl gave him a sour look. “Old freak, has anyone ever told you that you have a sick sense of humor?”

With a chuckle he said, “All the time, boy. All the time.”

“I had sort of planned to do the whole thing inside the cave so we would be away from possible prying eyes. I wasn’t expecting the cave to be so small.” She cast a look at the sky. There were a few thin clouds, but nothing that looked like it would cause rain.

The sun was starting to dip below the rim of the valley. Before too much longer it was going to be dark.

Happosai looked at the sky and said, “Make camp. There’s no rule that says we can’t do this by firelight. I don’t think the Amazons could get a party together in time to stop us. They would likely camp for the night anyway. Even so, the sooner we get this over with, the better.”

By the time the tents were up and the fire merrily burning it was full dark. Ranma had wanted to prepare supper, but Happosai wanted to do the magic first. He had pointed out that if it didn’t work, Ranma wouldn’t have to prepare as much food.

Happosai pulled the amulet out of his pocket and held it in his hand. Ranma then took a small knife and used it to dig the wax out of the neck of the bottle so the water would pour out. She nodded when she was ready.

The old man looped the leather thong over his head but kept the amulet in his hand. He explained, “The magic doesn’t start until the stone touches my body. Get ready.”

Ranma held the bottle over the old man’s head. She tilted the bottle so the water was right at the lip of the bottle, ready to pour. Happosai looked up to confirm it and pressed the stone of the amulet to his chest just above his gi. As soon as the stone made contact with his chest he said, “NOW!”

Author’s Note: I don’t normally do cliffhangers but this seemed the best place to end this chapter. Come back next time.