Well, here's the Gamma version of SoulSong Episode 1. It was
requested of me that I include the story in the email instead of
attaching it so here it is, now that I have figured out how to use
Agent for this purpose.
-Katrina
-------------------------------------
Ranma 1/2: SoulSong Episode 1
A fanfic by Katrina Lee Halbred
---------------------------------------
Legal Jargon:
Ranma 1/2 and its cast are copyright by Rumiko Takahashi,
Pony Canyon, Viz Video, Viz Comics, Kitty Video, Shogakugan
Video, and any other companies that hold the copyright.
Catalina McKallen and her companions are copyright by Katrina
Lee Halbred. Please don't use them without my permission.
The xylan musical instrument is also copyright to Katrina Lee
Halbred and hopefully, is of my own creation. (That is to
say, there isn't another instrument out there that looks like
it, that I know of.)
--------------------------------------
Author's Note:
Felinoid - Another word for a cat-human cross.
Thank you list moved to end if episode.
--------------------------------------
What was changed in this version:
Mostly grammatical and spelling errors fixed.
Added scene before the Catalina/Kuno fight to explain better why
Ranma was so passive in the fight.
======================================
"'Bout time you realised
You are a specialty,
There is no one like you.
Spend your life worrying
'Bout what you could've been
Can't you like being you?"
-Howard Jones (Lyrics from his song "Specialty")
Episode 1: Beautiful Monster
[Opening song: Specialty by Howard Jones]
Ranma sat in his seat looking bored. He glanced at Akane,
quickly looking away as he noticed that she was still glaring at
him. He still felt guilty for insulting her, but his pride wouldn't
let him apologize. It didn't matter, anyways, everytime he tried
to apologize to her, it always ended with his head in a wall or
the ground courtesy of her mallet. Still, with Kuno challenging
him and his absent-minded remarks about Akane he was lucky he
had been able to defeat Kuno before she flattened him.
Of course, maybe making that comment about her being too
slow to punch him might've been going just a bit too far...
"Class," began Miss Hinako. The young girl teacher was
smiling as she waited for everyone to quiet down. "We have a new
student." She introduced the American-dressed girl who stood next
to her with her head downcast and a baseball cap on, the bill
covering her face. The front of the cap said "Anime Fan Club" on
it and showed a picture of Kaneda on his motorcycle, sliding to a
stop.
"All you meanies had better not pick on her," she was
wagging her finger at the class in what was supposed to be a
threatening jesture. "She's different." Miss Hinako glared at
the class. "Only delinquents pick on others and they will be
dealt with accordingly."
The girl seemed shy and timid as she squeaked up. "My
name is Catalina McKallen. Hello." She never once lifted her
eyes from the floor.
Ranma looked at her, closely. <Something strange about
her.> He thought. She was dressed in blue jeans, a yellow
T-shirt and blue denim jacket. Nothing strange about her dress
as this was common American attire. She had long, brown hair
bound in a pony tail.
"She has been given permission to dress differently...for
now. Catalina, please take a seat by Mr. Saotome and Ms. Tendo."
Miss Hinako pointed her hand in the direction of Ranma and Akane.
She walked by everyone, her head still downcast. However,
as people turned to look at her, they started to whisper and
giggle. Ranma wondered about this. As she walked by Ranma he
thought he caught the movement of something that looked faintly
like a white tail but he couldn't be sure. As she took her seat
behind Akane, Ranma noticed that her brown hair went just
below her waist and that she did in fact have a long, white tail
which occasionally flicked back and forth.
Catalina smiled at Akane, trying not to look nervous
but failing miserably. Akane got a good look at her face and
smiled back.
Catalina's face was covered with thin, white fur. Her
brown eyes had a slight, feline slant to the pupils and when she
smiled, small fangs stuck out slightly. The end of her nose had
the upside down pink triangle common to a cat, but was primarily
of human shape.
The giggles turned into stifled laughter and shocked
sounds as others in the class finally got a look at her face as
well. Ranma and Akane both looked as if they were going to get
out of their seats, their eyes narrowed in angry annoyance at
the cruelty of the class, but they never got a chance.
Miss Hinako snapped around from her writing on the chalk
board. She pulled out a five-yen piece and held it out in front
of her. "Were those delinquents I heard laughing in here?"
she asked innocently, which wasn't very hard to do considering
her present form. The class was instantly silent.
Miss Hinako looked at Akane. "Miss Tendo, will you and
Mr. Saotome please show Catalina around school after class is
over?" She glared at Ranma as she said this. <Go ahead and give
me a reason to drain you, Ranma.> She thought darkly. <We've
still got a rematch to settle.>
Akane smiled. "Yes, Miss Hinako. Ranma and I would love
to, wouldn't we, Ranma?" Her question to Ranma had a slight
hiss to it.
Catalina looked back at Ranma. He finally got a good
look at her face and freaked. "A C-C-C-Cat-cat-cat....Aaaa!" His
desk fell over sideways and his chair fell over backwards, with
him in it. He began backing away from Catalina and into one of
the far corners of the class room, his eyes wide in terror.
"K-keep h-her away f-f-from m-me!" Catalina's eyes started to
water.
Muffled groans and remarks of "Oh, man, not again" could
be heard around the room.
Akane looked at Ranma and then back at Catalina.
Hastily, she bent over and whispered something to Catalina, who
listened quietly.
"Ranma has a problem. He is deathly afraid of cats due to
something his father did to him when he was a little boy and
well, let's just say that he is lucky to be alive. The only
problem is that he is absolutely terrified of cats."
Catalina's eyes cleared up as she 'ahhhed' in
realization, her face brightening up a little. At the same time,
she felt confusion. <What could a father do to his own son that
would make him _this_ afraid of cats?> Catalina thought, knowing
that for now, there wasn't an answer.
"Catalina, I know you don't want to, but please remove
your cap while you're in the class room. Its very distracting."
Miss Hinako asked gently but with a slight commanding tone.
"Y-Yes Miss Hinako." Catalina took her cap off revealing
two cat ears poking out from beneath the hair on her head.
Akane noticed that the backs of Catalina's hands were
covered with white fur as well.
She stuck her hand out to Catalina who took it gently. As
Akane touched the cat-girl's palm, she noticed that the skin
there was soft.
"My name is Akane Tendo. You want to be friends?" Akane
smiled reassurignly at the felinoid girl.
"S-Sure." Catalina finally smiled a genuine smile.
<She's cute.> The cat-girl thought. <What am I thinking?
Looking the way I do is bad enough, but I'm not sure how to deal
with this right now. Especially, not after Melissa...No! She's
gone and there's nothing I can do to bring her back. Nothing
that will ever bring her back.> Though she was still smiling, a
single tear fell down Catalina's cheek.
"Miss Tendo, Miss McKallen, and Mr. Saotome, all of you
stand in the hall, now! I will not have my class disrupted in
such a manner!" Miss Hinako did not look pleased at being ignored.
Akane groaned. Catalina looked at her curiously. Ranma
continued to make warding jestures towards Catalina who politely
ignored them.
****
Catalina held her bucket with one hand while leaning
against the wall. Her cap was on her head, backwards.
Akane sighed, holding her bucket with both hands.
Ranma was standing somewhat behind Akane, holding a
bucket in each hand and watching Catalina carefully. His eyes
darted around as if he was expecting someone to attack him at
any minute.
Akane finally turned around and glared at Ranma, a very
angry expression on her face. She carefully set the bucket she
was holding on the ground. "Ranma, you insensitive JERK! Get
ahold of yourself! Catalina is _not_ a cat! Does she meow? Is
she walking on all fours? Is she doing anything that would
indicate that she's a cat?" She grabbed Ranma by the scruff of
the shirt and started shaking him. Ranma somehow managed to keep
a hold of the buckets he was holding without splashing himself.
"B-But...She looks..!" He began.
"And you look like a crossdresser at times!"
That set Ranma off. "Well at least I'm not an uncute
tomboy like you!" His apprehension about Catalina's appearance
suddenly seemed forgotten as he wholeheartedly got into the
argument with Akane.
<This is interesting.> Thought the cat-girl. <The
emotions of both of them are opposite of what their actions are
portraying. I wonder if they are even aware of it. I could say
something, but I won't...At least not yet.>
She let them carry on with their argument. Akane
commenting on Ranma looking and acting like a crossdresser half
of the time. Ranma continued making fun about how slow Akane
was, how she was built like a brick, how she was twice as
stubborn as a mule, that she was an uncute tomboy. Catalina lost
track of all the insults that went back and forth after that.
Akane started to look madder and madder before she
finally started advancing on Ranma, who suddenly realized that
he might be in trouble. Ranma dropped the buckets he was holding
and stepped back a couple of feet before Catalina saw the mallet
appear out of nowhere in Akane's hands.
Catalina decided to step in when she saw the mallet descend
towards Ranma's head. She set the bucket down and moved her hands.
The mallet disappeared with a slight wind.
<I'll ask about where that mallet came from later. Right now,
I need to stop this before someone gets hurt, even though I suspect
Ranma's had plenty of prior experiences with that.>
Akane was startled, as was Ranma when the mallet appeared
to disappear. "Hey!" Akane looked around her. "Where'd my mallet go?"
Catalina calmly handed it back to Akane. "Um, I don't
think this is the place to be fighting right now. I would ask
about the crossdresser remark, but I get the strong feeling that
it is _not_ a short story to be told."
Akane looked at Catalina, a surprised expression on her
face. "How did you do that? Are you a martial artist?"
Catalina blushed. "Um, actually, the only martial arts I
know is some Aikido."
"Then how?" Ranma asked the question, an interested sound
entering his voice, his fear about Catalina's appearance
temporarily forgotten.
"Hyper-metabolism combined with a sped up metabolic rate."
Akane and Ranma both said "Huh?" at the same time.
Catalina sighed. "Let's just say I'm quite a bit faster than a
normal girl and don't put on weight that easily."
Akane suddenly had an envious look on her face. "You don't
gain weight?"
"Nope. Of course, I don't seem to lose weight either."
Catalina looked thoughtful. "In fact, it would seem as though my
weight was always constant...more or less."
Akane looked at Ranma , but the expression on her face told
her she had already gotten lost in the discussion and was getting
bored.
Akane decided to get to know her new friend. "How did you
learn
to speak Japanese so well, if you're from America?" Akane looked
at Catalina, curiously.
"Well, my mother is Japanese and my father is Irish
American. She taught me the language as I was growing up."
Akane's curiosity got the better of her. "I have to know,
why do you look like a cat?" At this question, Ranma looked
_real_ interested, and then started to look _really_ nervous at
having been reminded of what Catalina looked like.
Catalina sighed. She had been alone for so long, she had
almost forgotten what it was like to have a friend. She wondered
if she was ready to tell Akane and Ranma her past.
"If its not my business, I understand." Akane really
wanted to know, but also understood the need for privacy
concerning one's life.
"No, its not that. Its just that...Well, I didn't always
look like this. I was human..." Her voice became very quiet,
almost to the point that neither Akane or Ranma could hear her
"Once..."
Her voice gained strength as she continued. "You see, my
father worked at a nuclear power plant. There were a lot of
people who were against nuclear power plants saying they were
dangerous. I never believed them and neither did my parents.
One day, while my father was at work, my mother had taken me to a
park that had a lake in it. I used to go play in the lake all the
time. This time, however, when I touched the water, I changed."
Her eyes started to water as she remembered the pain and
confusion she felt. "The problem with the lake was that the
plant that my dad had worked at used the stream that came off
the lake for its coolant system. The water was apparently
contaminated as it left the plant. Later, we found out that
there had been a reactor leak." She was almost sobbing. "At that
moment, my life ended. I became this...monster that I am now."
She began crying uncontrollably.
Unsure of what else to do, Akane walked over to her
felinoid friend and hugged her as she cried.
She finally regained her composure and her eyes narrowed
in anger as she remembered what had happened. "I have been poked,
prodded, cut, and everything else imaginable, including some
things not imaginable, by scientists and doctors all trying to
figure out why I can do this or how I can do that. In addition,
they have been trying to figure out why I never died of
radiation poisoning. The dose I received would've killed anyone
else. As it was, no one else was exposed. It was like I absorbed
all the radiation."
"You aren't a monster." Akane tried to smile at Catalina,
but the cat-girl's eyes were downcast and she didn't see.
"Akane's right, cat-girl." Ranma piped up suddenly,
apparently forgetting his fear again. "You should meet my pop.
Half the time, he acts like a panda and the other half he acts
like a jerk."
"Huh?" Catalina looked confused. However, as it
registered what Ranma just galled her, she bristled, her claws
extending and retracting subconsciously. "Don't call me
cat-girl. The name's Catalina and I'm _not_ a cat."
"So you've lived in solitude?" Akane asked her, trying to
prevent an argument from breaking out between Catalina and
Ranma.
Catalina nodded mutely. "Everyone has always either been
afraid of me, or taunted me. No one has ever once stopped to talk
to me." Another tear fell down her cheek.
Akane giggled. "I don't think you'd think of yourself as
a monster if you saw some of the things that went on at my
house."
Catalina looked at Akane, dumbfounded. "What could
possibly happen at your house that could even remotely prepare
you for someone like me? I'm not exactly normal, you know?"
Akane laughed. "If only you knew."
Ranma smirked at Akane's comment.
<There's more to these two than meets the eye.> The
cat-girl thought.
"I'm still surprised that you're not afraid of me.
Catalina and Akane _both_ looked at Ranma who started sweating.
"Why should I be afraid of someone who is different?"
Akane asked quite seriously.
Ranma snorted. Akane glared at him with dagger eyes, but
he wasn't paying attention. "She's not that much different,
Akane. She seems more like she'd fall into the lines of almost
normal for us."
"Normal? Different? Me?" Catalina had an incredulous look
on her face. She snorted. "Different is an _understatement_."
"Yes, different. That's all you are. You aren't a
monster, demon, or anything else like that." She groaned as she
remembered Kuno. "It has always made me mad when some people
have to pick on those who are different to make themselves feel
good."
"Ranma Saotome!" A male voice sounded behind them, suddenly.
<*SPLASH*>
Akane and Ranma-chan both groaned "Kuno."
Ranma sighed, a frustrated look on her face. Catalina looked
like...a wet cat-girl. Ranma-chan tightened the belt on her pants.
Catalina looked annoyed. "I...Hate...Cold...Water!" she growled.
"Ranma Saotome, thou vile sorcerer at last I have found
thee in the company of one of thine demons!" Kuno charged at
Ranma's back, tossing the now empty bucket to the side where it hit a
male student in the head. The student collapsed, unconscious.
"Ah, the beautious Akane Tendo, I will save thine soul
from these two vile beings!" He charged at Ranma-chan who
finally turned around, ready to kick Kuno into low orbit.
"Ah! Pig-tailed girl! I have freed thee of the spell
which that villainous Saotome held you with. Now I will deal
with this demon wench-Oof!" Kuno was cut off as Catalina
suddenly appeared before him and hit him under the chin with an
uppercut that sent him sprawling backwards a few feet.
Akane looked startled at how fast Catalina had moved.
Ranma had an annoyed look on her face. "Hey! What are you
doing? I can fight kuno without your help," she said, glaring at
Catalina.
Catalina turned around briefly and held her right arm out in
front of her, palm facing outward towards Ranma. Ranma suddenly found
herself picked up by an invisible force and thrown back against the
wall where she was knocked senseless.
"Stay out of this!" hissed the cat-girl.
"Ranma!" cried Akane, alarmed as she ran over to check on her
dazed fiance.
Catalina turned back around to face Kuno, her eyes narrowed
and a pissed look on her face. "I am not a demon," her voice was cold.
"I am not a wench. And I sure as hell am _NOT_ a DEMON WENCH!"
Kuno recovered, only to get charged by Catalina as she
slammed her shoulder into him at a rather fast speed. She
miscalculated, however, as Kuno fell onto his back. She rolled
over sideways ending up on the other side of him. Kuno got
up.
"You dare to challenge me, you demon? Where is your
master, that villainous sorcerer Saotome? But no matter, I,
Tatewaki Kuno, age 17, also known as the Blue Thunder fo
Furinkan High shall defeat you!" Outside, thunder and lightning
struck from the clear, sunny sky.
<What the...?> Thought Catalina, confusedly. She shrugged
her questions out of her mind. She began to get mad as she
realized what Kuno had just said. Her brow furrowed, almost to
the point that her eyebrows looked like horns. Her eyes
had a dark, smouldering glow to them.
"Catalina, be careful, Kuno's a Kendo master!" Akane
yelled.
"Ah, the wonderful Akane doth give me just praise."
"I don't know about Kendo, but he sure is a pompous
master." Catalina looked smug with her remark.
"You dare mock the Blue Thunder! Have at thee, thou evil
demon! StrikeStrikeStrikeStrike!" Kuno's bokken was suddenly in
his hands and flashing out, catching Catalina off guard as she
suddenly found herself moving backwards, trying to dodge all the
attacks that headed her way.
<Impossible!> She thought as several of Kuno's strikes
started connecting and she found herself flying backwards. She
looked behind her, realizing in horror she was heading for the
window. <This is going to hurt...>
"Aaaaaaaa-!" She screamed as she went through the third
story window, sending glass flying everywhere.
"Catalina! Oh, my god!" Akane looked frantic.
Ranma was still dazed, but was starting to recover.
"Ah, but she fought the valiant fight. Too bad it were
foretold of mine being the vengeance of Heaven upon all that is
evil." He turned around and started to walk away. Akane glared at
Kuno, ready to punt him through the roof.
Suddenly, there was some sorrowful music emanating
from the window. It sounded almost like a recorder, but was
slightly lower and had a strange wail to it. Everyone turned
around to see Catalina sitting in the window sill, her back
against a side, playing a strange looking instrument. She stopped
playing and leapt to the floor.
Akane gasped at what she saw. Catalina's jacket was
missing, as was her cap and she had blood spots all over her
fur-covered arms. She was wearing a pendant of a Celtic cross
which held a clear quartz crystal beneath it. She did not look
pleased, as the deep frown on her face indicated.
"Hark, what light from yonder window breaks? 'Tis I,
Catalina McKallen here to kick your ass." She glared at Kuno,
flexing her claws." Do you know how long it is going to take me
to wash blood out of my fur?" He looked mildly surprised.
"Ah, so thou doth finally show thine sorcerous self at
last, demon sorceress. No matter, I, Tatewaki Kuno shall
vanquish you as I have vanquished others. For it doth be the
destiny of the Blue Thunder to fight all that is evil-Erk!"
Kuno's soliloque was cut off by a right cross thrown by a mad
Catalina, who suddenly appeared in his face.
"Kuno, what the hell kind of grades did you get in
Shakespeare, 'cause your lingo really sucks! You must've thought they
meant 'shake-a-spear' and started shaking your bokken." Catalina
stared at Kuno intently as he recovered from her punch.
Before he could answer, Nabiki answered from the side. "I
believe he barely passed with a C." She was obviously enjoying
this fight. <This cat-girl has some potential. Wonder if there
is any profit to be made, here.>
Kuno glared at Nabiki. "I hate you."
"I'm glad." Nabiki smiled her reply.
Kuno turned to face Catalina. "Very well, have at thee!
StrikeStrikeStrike!" He went into his infamous bokken attack,
said bokken lashing out at an unbelieveable speed.
Catalina was ready as time seemed to slow down for her.
Each of Kuno's movements seemed to move at a normal pace for
her. She dodged each of his attacks and then finally punched
him. He staggerred back, clutching his face.
"Hey, Kuno," Catalina said as she jumped and swung her
right leg out in front of her. "Your mouth has run up quite a
tab and now it's time to foot the bill." Her foot connected
with Kuno's face. He stood there, looking dazed.
"Even with thine evil sorceries, you wilst defeat me
not." Kuno struck out with his bokken, slashing at Catalina's
neck. She ducked and caught him with a spinning foot sweep.
"Have a nice trip, Kuno," she taunted as he went down. He was
back up almost immediately. He slashed downwards and to her
right, aiming at her midsection. She moved to her right,
spinning. As she completed her spin, her left elbow connected
with Kuno's face. His face became red with rage.
"Yep, definitely a pompous master." Catalina laughed.
"Mr. Kuno, I'd like you-"
<*SWISH*>
Catalina dodged as Kuno slashed at her midsection.
"-to meet-" She leaned back as Kuno slashed at her chest.
"-a friend of mine." She jumped up and kneed Kuno under the
chin. "Mr. Knee meet Mr. Idiot and vice versa." She suddenly
turned her back on Kuno and walked away, a thoughtful expression
on her face. "Or is that the other way around? I always get
those two backwards."
Kuno looked even madder. "You dare mock the Blue Thunder!
DIE DEMONESS!" He charged her.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING CATALINA?!" Akane yelled from the
sidelines. <Gods,> she thought. <She's almost as bad about
underestimating people as Ranma is.>
Catalina coincidently bent over to pick up something on
the floor just as Kuno swung at her head in his charge. He flew
over her back. She suddenly seemed to notice Kuno lying on his
back in front of her.
"Oh, Mr. Kuno, did you still want to play?" she asked
innocently.
"That's upperclassman to you, demon sorceress."
She shook her head, sadly as Kuno got up.
"I will say this one more time, Kuno." She dodged his
next attack and punched him in the gut. "My name is Catalina
McKallen and I am a human girl." She pushed Kuno backwards. "I
am _not_a demoness, demon sorceress, or anything resembling
either of those things."
"Evil shall perish by the Blue Thunder's <*GAK*>" Kuno
was cut off as Catalina grabbed his outstretched bokken and
threw him over her shoulder.
<*WHAM*>
Kuno landed on the floor with a solid thud, a dazed
expression on his face. "T-That is impossible! No one has ever
beaten the Blue Thunder before!"
Ranma mumbled "Yeah, right." under her breath.
"You know, Kuno, I'd tell you to get a grip, but it's
obvious you've already got to good a grip as it is." She glared
down at hin. "You need to loosen up."
Catalina didn't wait for Kuno to get up as she suddenly
flipped into the air and landed on top of him, her elbow
connecting with his abdoman solidly.
She got up. "I am _not_ a demon and Ranma is _not_ my
master. If you insist on harassing me like this, I will give
you a good reason to think of me as a demon!" She started to
walk off.
"The Blue Thunder does not acknowledge defeat!" Kuno got
to his feet. He began to charge Catalina. He didn't get very
far. She turned around and swung her right arm out in front of
her, as if she was throwing something. Her arm moved faster
than the eyes could follow and there was a booming sound as
Kuno fell on his back, knocked out.
Most of the students that had gathered to watch the
fight rushed over to get a look at how Kuno was defeated.
Nabiki merely walked off, smiling to herself. Catalina rejoined
a stunned Akane and Ranma-chan.
"OK, I thought you said you only know Aikido?" Akane
sounded confused. "What was that? That looked like Kung-Fu or
Karate of some sort, but the shoulder throw was the _only_
Aikido move you used on him."
Catalina's face turned slightly red with embarassment.
"Um, I watch a lot of martial arts movies. And I know
gymnastics."
Ranma had a total look of awe on her face. "You've
developed your own technique?"
Catalina shrugged. "I guess you could say that."
"What'd you do to him?" Akane asked, indicating Kuno,
still unconscious on the floor.
The felinoid shrugged, yet again. "Sonic boom," she
answered as if it was common knowledge.
"How'd you do that?" Akane sounded interested.
"Um, I'll tell you what, friends, lets trade stories,
shall we? I want to know why Ranma is now a girl and what the
hell is going on. In return, I'll tell you about my abilties."
Akane smiled. "Fair enough."
Catalina returned the smile, her fangs showing quite
freely. For the first time since her...change, she actually felt
like she might still be human.
Ranma-chan grumbled about trying to find some hot water
as she wandered off.
The bell rang causing students to scramble for their
classes. Catalina sighed as she headed off to her next class
with Akane.
<Wish I had time to wash the blood out of my fur before
class,> thought the cat-girl.
****
Akane ate her lunch in quiet. She looked over at Ranma
noting that he was also quiet. She wondered where Catalina was
since she hadn't seen her around the entire lunch time.
"Ranma, I'm going to look for Catalina, are you coming?"
Ranma nodded to her, muteley. He appeared distracted.
<Wow,> he thought. <I've got a new friend who's a girl, looks
like a cat, and acts like a smartass. I've got no clue how to
make sense of any of this at all...> He looked down at his lunch. <At
least Akane didn't make lunch for me again.>
As they started their search and headed towards the
section of school that was next to a forest, they heard music
coming from that area, feigntly. They approached the side of one
of the buildings, carefully, following the sounds of the music.
As they got closer to the forest, the music grew louder. They
also noticed that the music was that same strange music that
Catalina had been playing in the hall. The music was strangely
beautiful, yet sad. They looked up and saw Catalina sitting in a
tree. In her hands, was what appeared to be a flute of some kind.
She suddenly stopped playing.
"Oh, hi Akane, Ranma. How's tricks?"
"Tricks?" Akane and Ranma asked simultaneously.
Catalina sighed. "Never mind. It's just a strange
American form of greeting. It's like saying 'what's up?'"
"Um, you are, so why ask?" Akane sounded confused.
"Nevermind," Catalina grumbled. "Must lose something in
the translation," she muttered under her breath.
"What is that you're playing?" Akane asked, curiously.
Catalina grabbed onto a branch and flipped down, landing
next to Akane and Ranma with grace and ease. She twirled the
instrument in her hands idly.
"Oh, this?" She asked, pointing to the instrument she
held. Akane nodded. "This is a Xylan."
"A xylan? Is that like a recorder? I've never heard of it
before..."
The cat-girl's cheeks reddened in embarassment, slightly.
"Um, no one has. That's because it's an instrument I invented."
Akane's jaw almost hit the ground. "You invented it?" Her
tone was filled with awe. "Can I take a look at it?" Ranma also
looked interested...until a splash of water came from above and
left her all wet.
Catalina's eyes widened quite a bit as she watched Ranma
shrink in size, grow breasts, change hair color, and develope a
woman's curves.
<First things first. I'll get to that in a minute since
that is obviously _not_ a crosdressing trick.>
"Sure." Catalina handed the instrument to Akane.
"Thanks." Akane examined it, carefully turning it over.
It was the size of a flute, but had three extra holes on top and
appeared to be made of wood with some metal in certain places. It
had a clear quartz crystal on the top portion of it, near the end
and the mouth piece had a slightly larger hole than a
recorder's.
Akane handed the xylan back to Catalina. "Wow," was all
she could say. Ranma-chan looked equally intrigued.
"Now would you please tell me why Ranma keeps changing
sexes when he gets wet?" Catalina was seriously confused.
Ranma-chan sighed. "Have you ever heard of Jhusenkyo?"
Catalina shook her head. She listened to Ranma-chan tell
the story of how her father and her became cursed and the
engagement between herself and Akane.
"Sounds like an interesting place." She wondered briefly
about whether or not, this spring of drowned girl could cure her
of her problem. She sighed as she remembered Zalnea's words
on that. 'There is no way for you to change. None of the
legendary places have the power. There is a reason why you are
like this and not dead. And that is for you to find out.'
"Catalina, what was that you did to Kuno in he halls back
there?" Akane's question snapped Catalina out of her thoughts.
Ranma merely watched with interest.
"Well, I should have died of radiation poisoning when I was
changed, but for some reason, I didn't. Instead, it seems I 've
picked up a few abilties. As far as I can tell, I can always
alter my perceptions so that no matter how fast anything is
moving, I can always keep track of it. I'm not sure how fast I can
move, but the thing I used to KO Kuno was a sonic boom. I moved my
arm fast enough to break the sound barrier in Kuno's driection. And
as
far as my healing," she indicated the fact that although she had
dried blood all over the fur on her arms, she was not cut. "It
would appear that I am impervious to most forms of physical
damage as well as to most poisons. It still hurts, but I heal
fast." She remembered Zalnea's words to her, almost one year
ago: 'You cannot be killed, Catalina, I have seen to this myself.
You will grow old and die like others, but you will not die
before that. Be careful, you are not immortal. And being
unkillable can sometimes have serious pains that go with it.'
Ranma-chan began to look bored. Akane looked impressed.
"Um...How did you find out about your healing abilities?"
asked Ranma-chan before Akane could shut her up.
Catalina turned a very deep shade of red. "Um...I tried
to kill myself about one year ago. All I succeeded in doing
was making a mess."
Akane gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. Ranma-chan
rolled her eyes. "What did you go and do that for, dummy?"
"I'll tell you what, Ranma. When you look at yourself in
the mirror and see a monster, then you can talk. But for now,
SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ranma-chan was taken aback by Catalina's
sudden change in emotion. She decided to be quiet.
Akane shook her head at Ranma's question. "You'll have to
forgive her, Catalina. Sometimes she doesn't think before she
speaks."
Catalina's face brightened. "Oh, it's OK. She just doesn't
want me to take her for a little ride, now does she?" Catalina's
look was of pure innocence, but it was directed at Ranma-chan in
a most devious way.
Ranma looked unimpressed. "Ride? What are you talking
about?"
Catalina got a wicked grin on her face just as Akane put
her hand to her face and mumbled "Ohhhh, boy, here we go
again.." The cat-girl grabbed Ranma's left hand and took off,
Ranma in tow, leaving a dust cloud behind them.
"Aaaaaaaaa!" Ranma's voice could be heard going away from
Akane. Then, Ranma's voice could be heard coming closer to her.
<*ZOOOOOOOOOMMMM!*>
Catalina zipped back by Akane, blowing dust and debree
everywhere. Catalina suddenly stopped next to Akane and set down
a very shocked Ranma-chan.
Akane's jaw was open, but she quickly closed it.
Catalina finally looked at Ranma-chan. <To bad you're
really a guy, Ranma. You look better as a girl.> She brushed the
thought aside, quickly.
Akane slapped Ranma, suddenly. This had the affect of
causing Catalina to jump, having been startled by the sudden
movement, and Ranma stood bolt upright, glaring at Akane.
"What'd you do that for?" she asked, rubbing her cheek.
Catalina could feel the anger in both of them rise as
they started arguing. She stepped in between the two of them.
"Children, could you continue this later?" she asked
gently.
Akane blushed. "Sorry," she mumbled. Ranma looked
sheepish, but said nothing.
Akane glanced around them. "So, is there anything special
about being over here?"
"Actually, I enjoy the silence. It allows me to think and
to play my music. Nobody is over here to bother me." Catalina
seemed quite intent. <And I don't have to deal with the name calling
that usually results,> she added, mentally.
Akane grabbed the cat-girl's hand and started dragging
her towards the main part of school. "Catalina, you are never
going to get to know people if you stay secluded all the time.
Besides, if Ranma can deal with other people and his curse, you
can deal with other people and your form."
Ranma-chan followed Akane and Catalina back into the
populated area of school. <Akane,> he thought. <You're right,
but, I always stay human. Catalina looks only partially human so
there are differences. I only hope you aren't making a big
mistake...>
"But Akane-" Catalina tried to protest.
"No buts, if people can't accept how you look, that's
their problem." Akane hoped she was doing the right thing. She
knew that Catalina would only get more depressed if she stayed
by herself all the time.
Catalina, sighed, but reluctantly let Akane lead her back
to the main part of the lunch area, with Ranma-chan bringing up
the rear. The cat-girl hoped that there weren't any other fights
this day as she was dirty enough as it is.
<I lost one of my favorite jackets and baseball caps.>
thought Catalina. <I wonder if I can find that same stuff here?>
Her thoughts turned to other things. <I wonder why those
two constantly act like they hate eaach other. It's as if they
were actually trying to hide their feelings. But, why would they
want to? It doesn't make any sense. Oh Zalnea, why am I here?> She
shook her head, trying to clear the questions she had no answers to.
****
Akane had been determined to introduce Catalina to some
of her other friends, but everyone seemed to shy away from them. It
was almost as if Catalina had a highly contagious disease. All to
soon, the bell rang and it was time to go to Catalina's worse
nightmare: Gym Class.
She had always hated gym class as it always exposed her
body to everyone.
Ranma, now male, left to go to his PE class as well.
Akane led the felinoid into the girl's locker room where
they suddenly found that they were being given a wide birth.
Everything was quiet once Catalina entered the area, all the
girls in various stages of undress. Catalina suddenly felt all
eyes on her.
Akane's eyes narrowed, slightly as fire started to appear
in her eyes. "What are you all staring at? Haven't you ever seen
a girl before?" Instantly, everyone went back to what they were
doing, but they were still trying to get looks at the new oddity
in the locker room.
Catalina frowned as her feline ears picked up the various
comments directed at her. "Wow, another freek in our class. Just
what we need...Is she a cat or a girl?...I hope she doesn't
attract strays...She has a nice figure, too bad she's covered
with fur...Man, I'd love to get into her DNA..." Catalina gulped
at that last one. There were other comments, but Catalina tuned
out the rest.
Akane led Catalina to an empty locker which was by hers.
"Just a sec', I want you to meet someone." Akane walked around
the corner, leaving the cat-girl looking around her nervously as
she sighed and opened her locker. She set her gym clothes down
on the bench and took off her shirt. She placed it in the
locker, hanging it up on the hook in the back. She then put the
yellow shirt on that was for the PE classes.
About that time, Akane led a tall girl around the corner
with chestnut brown hair tied into a pony-tail with a ribbon.
"Catalina, this is Ukyo Kuonji." Akane introduced the girl to
the felinoid. Ukyo extended her hand in greeting and Catalina
shook it, timidly.
<Wow, she's cute!> Catalina thought.
"So, you're the new weirdo around here, eh?" Ukyo asked,
smiling.
"Weirdo? You make it sound like there are a lot of
those around here." Catalina smiled as she withdrew her hand.
She knew she was going to like Ukyo as the girl's emotions were
quite happy, for the most part. Catalina could sense a deep love
for someone who she was a afraid didn't return it. She brushed
her empathy away, annoyed that it was there.
"Well, let's see. Ranma, Kuno, Kodachi, you..."
"Kodachi? Who's that?" The cat-girl looked at Ukyo, her brow
furrowed in puzzlement.
Ukyo looked at Akane sharply. "You didn't warn her about
being associated with you and Ranma?"
Akane looked a bit embarrassed. "Um, no...Kind of got
sidetracked..."
"Well, Kodachi is Kuno's sister. She's in love with
Ranma-male, totally insane, hates Akane and female Ranma, and
thinks that the way to get Ranma to marry her is to poison him."
Catalina raised her eyebrows. "Back home they'd say she
was ready for the looney bin." Ukyo smirked and Akane laughed.
Catalina looked at her red gym shorts, turning them around
and making sure the hole was cut for her tail. <Well,> she
thought. <At least Mother modified these so that my tail fits
through without bending it.>
Catalina took off her pants as she talked and put the
school shorts on over her pink panties. She looked down at
herself and grimaced. She felt naked without the feel of her
blue jeans. She didn't like the fact that her fur-covered legs
were prominantly displayed.
Ukyo noticed this. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Well, when was the last time you saw a six-foot tall
cat-girl in school colors playing PE in gym class?"
Akane giggled. So did Ukyo. Catalina finally had to join
them as it did sound funny.
"Don't let the way the other girls act bother you. You
get used to it after a while. I was treated the same way when I
first got here."
"Oh? Why would you be singled out, Ukyo?"
"Um, long story. I'll tell it to you sometime at my
restaurant. Deal?"
"Restaurant? _Your_ restaurant? How do you manage to own
a restaurant and goto school?"
"Actually, I _run_ the restaurant, own it, and go to
school."
Ukyo closed Catalina's mouth. "Are you suffering
from Lock-Jaw or something? Your mouth seems to stay open for
an unusually long time."
Catalina blushed an even deeper shade of red then before.
"Um, no, this is all so strange. I just wasn't expecting
anything like this. Are there any other surprises I should
expect?"
Akane laughed while Ukyo smiled. "Well," began Akane, who
was now dressed and ready for class. "Let's see. There's
Shampoo, who rides a bike defying the laws of gravity and turns
into a cat. She's totally in love with Ranma. There's Mousse who
turns into a duck, is blind as a bat, and is in love with
Shampoo. There's Ryoga who gets lost looking for the bathroom,
is Ranma's friend, though why Ranma likes being attacked in the
middle of the night is beyond me."
Akane closed Catalina's mouth, this time. "Are you sure
you're OK, Catalina? That seems to be happening a might bit too
often." Akane was smiling as she said this, but soon broke out
laughing.
"We'd best get out on the field before we're late," said
Akane.
The cat-girl followed Ukyo and Akane.
Catalina let her thoughts wander, briefly as she looked
down at herself, while following the other two girls onto the PE
field. <It is now quite obvious how different I am and I'm
scared again. Why should this school be any different than any
other?>
Catalina tried to keep a positive outlook as they emerged
onto the PE field.
<Well, this will prove to be interesting, to say the
least.> she thought.
-[End part 1]-
Well, that's the end of part 1. Part 2 due out when I finish
it. As always, C&C is appreciated. I always like knowing when
someone reads one of my stories and likes or dislikes them. I
at least like knowing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank You List:
Thanks go to Shadow Dancer for prereading this for me and for
his help on trying to get the perspective descriptions
correct.
Thanks also go to Lisa Prior for her input on Catalina's
abilities being introduced incorrectly.
Thanks go to Nicholas Leifker for his C&C and further input on
the story.
My thanks also go to SMoonUsagi and RyogaLost for writing their
Ranma fanfic series Naisen as it showed me how to introduce a
character into the series who was different. If I hadn't read that
then I would probably still be trying to figure out how to
introduce Catalina into the Ranma-verse. As it is, as soon as I
read that, it kind of all fell into place for the story.
My thanks also go to T.H. Tiger for pointing out that Ranma was
too passive when Catalina decided to fight Kuno.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Coming up next: Catalina plays baseball with the rest of her
class and finds out that she isn't the only one with unique
abilties. It would seem that Furinkan is the name for
weirdness. But, can Catalina cope with the new coach who has
a strict 'no enhanced abilties' rule? Also, Catalina finally
meets the Akane's family. Read in next time for "The Game of
Life"
-Katrina Lee Halbred
austin@keyway.net