Ranma Saotome and crew belong to Rumiko Takahashi. The Dual Destinies story is my idea. Please don't sue me.
[]: Thoughts
[" "]: Chinese Language
{" "} Telepathic communication
Chapter 12
Further Revelations
All those in the house of Nodoka listened in on the matriarch of the
Amazons as she began her tale.
"One thousand years ago, during of the time of the ninth Contract
Renewal, twin Amazons were chosen to be the Champions of the Earth
Realm. Their names were Shampoo and Cologne. They were our
ancestors, more than twenty-seven generations ago."
"Whoa!" Both Ranmas remarked.
"As you are being trained now, the Chosen Twins were also
instructed in the mystic arts and elemental power." Soren added. "Their
attributes were remarkably similar to you two. They easily mastered
techniques and could adapt to any situation."
"When the skill levels of our Champions reached a certain point, we
also bestowed to each of them a weapon of power in which they could
use in their battles against the Dark World." Taron added.
"That is right." Cologne nodded. "My namesake was trained in the
mystic arts while the first Shampoo had been granted access to nature's
power. After being prepared to face the Dark Ones, they were given a
mystic sword and a mighty war hammer to use in battle. The legend is
that these weapons were the tools of the gods themselves."
"Actually, they were." Taron smiled. "Both weapons hold tremendous
power and are essential in fighting the Dark World."
"In any case," Cologne continued. "The Amazons defeated the
minions of the Dark World. Afterwards, Taron and Soren entrusted
them to keep these weapons of power in the family, until the time of
the next Contract Renewal. They have remained with the Joketsuzoku
since then. In fact, they are the two treasures that Happosai did NOT
take from us! The responsibility of guarding these artifacts has been my
family's duty for ten centuries.
"So where are these weapons now?" Ranma Blue asked.
"My namesake had hidden the sword in one of the many caves that
are in the mountain regions near our village. Her sister Shampoo had
secretly concealed the hammer in one of the Jusenkyo Springs. Even
the guides of that cursed training ground have no idea that it is there.
They told no one but their eldest daughters. At present, only I know the
location of the two weapons."
"So where are they?" Ranma Red inquired.
"I cannot tell you as of yet, son-in-law." Cologne replied. " It was just
after Happi had stolen from our village…
Two hundred and eighty-two years ago...
On the banks of a river near the village of the Joketsuzoku, an
eighteen-year old Cologne is busy practicing with a quarterstaff. She
has become stern and more hardened after Happosai had betrayed her
trust by stealing nearly all of the village's treasures. Even now, she is
thinking dark thoughts about the little lecher.
[Curse you Happosai! It's all your fault! How dare you betray me,
then take my magic mirror and bracelet? I swear by my ancestors! If I
ever catch you, I will make you suffer! You robbed us all of our most
precious possessions!]
["He didn't get all of the treasures of the Amazons!"]
Cologne whirled around at the sound of that voice. She silently
cursed herself at being caught unawares. She saw that she faced not one
opponent, but two. Both men were lean, yet possessed well-muscled
frames. One wore a white Chinese-style shirt and black pants with Kung
fu shoes. The other was similarly dressed, but had a black shirt. Both
had short black hair and were identical in appearance. Cologne
suspected that she was looking at twins. She had to admit both were
very attractive. Far more so than Happosai was. She began wondering
what she ever saw in the little pervert.
["Who are you? What do you want?"] Cologne demanded as she
took a fighting stance.
Taron smiled. ["Calm yourself Cologne. We mean you no harm."]
["How do you know my name?"]
["We know everything about you."] Soren replied. ["Oh forgive us!
Where are our manners? I am Soren and he is my brother Taron."]
Cologne became a little startled when she heard those names.
Recently, her mother had just told her the legend of the Chosen Twins
and the names of the great warriors who taught them supernatural
powers. She then shook her head. [It's just a coincidence!]
["I repeat my questions! Who are you? What do you want? And how
do you know me?"]
Soren nodded as he answered. ["In order, Soren and Taron. We have
business concerning the Mystic Sword and Elemental Hammer. And we
know you because we have been watching you since you were born."]
["What?!"] Cologne exclaimed. No one outside of her family even
knew of the existence of those sacred weapons. Even the current elders
of the village were in the dark about them. After her ancestors had
defeated the great evil, which threatened the Earth realm, they had kept
their involvement in that incident a secret. Generally, the world was
unaware as to how close it had come to destruction.
["You need not be so shocked Cologne."] Taron said. ["The reason
why we know of the sword and hammer, is because WE gave them to
your ancestors seven hundred and twenty years ago. We were the ones
who trained them to battle the Dark World."]
["I don't believe you!"] Cologne declared as she prepared to attack.
["No one but my mother and my grandmother know of the legend! I do
not know who you are, but you cannot be the ones who trained the
Chosen Twins! I don't know as to how you know about those weapons,
but I swear you won't live long to tell anyone!"] With these words,
Cologne leapt at them.
Taron stepped back as he let his brother handle the Amazon. Soren
simply vanished from view, just as Cologne made her first strike. She
was found herself staring at an empty space where her opponent had
been. Before she realized what was happening, Soren reappeared behind
her and tapped her on the shoulder. Cologne whirled around and tried
another attack. Soren dodged the blow with ease. She then tried a
blinding series of kicks and thrusts. The immortal evaded each attack
with casual ease.
[He's so fast! I don't believe this! Only Happosai could move fast
enough to dodge my attacks! But Happi would be like a snail compared
to this one! Whoever he is, he's good!]
After a five minutes of the one-sided battle, Soren decided to end it.
Lashing forth with a speed that totally caught Cologne off guard, he
disarmed the Amazon in a nanosecond with a blurring hand motion. The
future matriarch found herself weaponless and was nocked off her feet,
as the brother of Taron used her own staff to trip her up.
Cologne found herself flat on her back. Before she could even think
about getting to her feet, Soren lashed forward with the staff and pinned
her down with one end on her chest. His hands glowed with a red light
as he focused his power through his weapon. The energy flowed down
the wooden pole and Cologne was blasted with it, causing her to black
out.
Some time later, Cologne awoke and saw that the twins were sitting
on some boulders near the river. They looked at her casually and Soren
smiled a bit. She looked at Soren with an appraising eye and got up. Her
legs were slightly unsteady as she was still feeling some aftereffects
from the power blast she received. She shook her head to clear it and
then went towards Soren to carry out her duty as an Amazon.
Soren was a bit nervous as she approached him. He knew what he had
done, but there was no help for it. He braced himself as the attractive
woman warrior came forward, wrapped her arms around him and said,
"Wode Airen." Then she promptly kissed him.
[Oh boy!] Soren thought. [This is going to be complicated!]
It took the twins three hours and several displays of magic spells and
elemental power, before Cologne was finally convinced that they were
who they claimed to be. The task was made even more difficult, due to
the fact that Cologne had become lovesick over her supposed new
'husband' and was constantly trying to shower him with affection. But
eventually, Cologne accepted the truth that a marriage between Soren
and herself was impossible, due to the fact that, with the exception of
gods, immortals were incapable of having children.
["I apologize for attacking you Soren."] Cologne said with
disappointment. ["A pity that you will not be my husband. After
meeting Happosai…"]
Soren gave her a compassionate smile as he replied, ["That is all
right Cologne. I know that you have suffered much since then.]
Cologne nodded. Many of the villagers had become a bit hostile
toward her as they blamed her for bringing Happosai to their village in
the beginning. Besides stealing their most sacred treasures, the lecher
was quite the nuisance as he constantly stole their undergarments, food
and whatever things that wasn't nailed down. His nonstop groping of
every female in the village over sixteen had also made him unpopular
with the men as well as the women. However, they did not have his level
of skill and were ineffective in stopping the little pervert.
Cologne sighed as she thought back at her history with the future
master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. She had thought
of him as a young and brash martial artist who was only trying to get by
in the harsh world. She had invited him to stay in the village for a while,
to rest up before continuing on his training journey. His little quirks
and unusual demeanor was somehow… amusing to her. She was the
only one who showed any kindness towards him, when the others
treated him like a disease to be eradicated.
The young Amazon's face became dark as she remembered that dark
time when Happosai finally went too far. It was two days ago that a
strange party came to her village. An extremely old woman who hopped
on what looked like a matriarch's staff had called her by name. What
was surprising to her was that she felt as if she should know that person.
The old woman had come with two middle-aged men, two girls that
were about her age and boy with a pigtail. It was that boy whom she
found most intriguing.
The boy had introduced himself as Ranma and seemed to be very
familiar with Happosai. In fact, whenever the lecher was mentioned, the
boy would frown and denounce anything nice that was said in favor of
her Happi. Cologne could not believe it at the time, but after
Happosai's final betrayal, she had to admit the boy was right.
The situation wasn't made any simpler when the two girls tried to
hook her up with Happosai. The girl with short hair, she did not
recognize, but the girl with long purple hair had aroused her curiosity.
Cologne could not help but notice the resemblance between herself and
the stranger. She spoke in broken Japanese as she did and seemed to
move like an Amazon. Once again, she had that feeling of déjà vu.
When the plan to set her up with Happosai had failed, Cologne began
to have some suspicions about the group. When that boy Ranma
scolded the two girls, she had been listening in on their conversation
from behind the kitchen door. She had become very confused when he
said, "If it was meant to be, don't you think she would have married him
in the first place?"
However, she did not have a chance to find out more as the group
disappeared shortly after Happosai had made off with the treasures of
the village. Snapping herself back to the present, she asked Taron,
["Why are you here? I thought that the Contract renewed itself every
thousand years. There's still more than two hundred and eighty years to
go!"]
["You are correct Cologne. However, some other events are taking
place now and in the future. You will play a part in the next Contract
Renewal. The final one."]
["Huh?"] Cologne said confused.
["Do you remember that boy Ranma?"] Taron asked.
["Yes."]
["He is fated to become our champion during the next Contract
Renewal."] Soren said.
Cologne became even more confused. ["I didn't see any twin
brother. Even so, what does this have to do with me?"]
["It has much to do with you Cologne."] Taron declared. ["You see,
that boy is destined to marry your great-granddaughter."]
["Great-granddaughter? I don't even have a husband, much less a
great granddaughter!"]
["Do you remember that other girl? The one with purple hair?"]
Cologne nodded. Soren became serious as he said, ["That was your
great-granddaughter Shampoo."]
["Shampoo? You mean like the twin sister of Cologne. The one I
was named after?"]
["That is correct."] Taron nodded as he continued. ["You see, in the
future, Ranma and his group had confronted Happosai and got a hold of
your magic mirror, which sent them here. You had just met your future
son-in-law."]
["So that's what Ranma was talking about when he said if it were
meant to be! And I thought Shampoo looked a lot like me!"]
["That's right! Which brings us to the reason for our visit."] Taron
nodded toward Cologne, ["During her sixteenth year, Shampoo will be
defeated by Ranma Saotome. We want you to accompany her to Japan
and aid her in getting him as her husband. Do not be surprised if Ranma
becomes stubborn. Also, do not be surprised if he has a few…
idiosyncrasies. We want you to train him in both the Chestnut
Technique and the Hiryu Shoten Ha, in order to prepare him for the
Contract Renewal."]
["Those are two of our most secret moves! And I still don't
understand why Ranma is the Chosen One! He has no twin!"]
Soren said with a grin, ["Do not worry Cologne! All things will be
explained in time. After you have arrived in Japan, we will contact you
again in several months."]
["Considering what you have told me, I find it all too incredible to
believe! ]
["I know it does, but the final fate of the world rests on that boy's
shoulders! Will you do this?"] Taron asked.
Cologne thought for a long time. What she had been told was too
fantastic to be the truth. However, there was no doubt in her mind that
she was in the presence of the immortals that had trained her ancestors.
With the fate of the world and the future of her tribe at stake, there was
only one decision she could make. After a long silence, she nodded.
["You have my word."]
Both brothers smiled as they said their thanks and disappeared in a
flash of light.
The present…
"So THAT'S why you trained us in the Chestnut technique and the
Hiryu Shoten Ha!" Ranma Red exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Ranma Blue agreed. "I always wondered why you taught us a
method of getting the Phoenix Pill from you, even though it would have
been easier for you to wait until we gave in! It also didn't make sense
that you would train us in a technique that could defeat you!"
"Correct!" Cologne replied.
Taron then began the rest of his explanations. "After Shampoo had
declared not to use any more potions and was going to treat Ranma
better, we sensed that Cologne was beginning to doubt us. So after
Shampoo had left for that… takeout order, we decided to pay her
another visit!"
The Nekohanten, three days ago…
Cologne was in a bit of a huff as her great-granddaughter had left to
deliver the last order of the day. Mousse had already finished his
chores and had gone to bed, leaving the aged Amazon alone in a dimly
lit restaurant to contemplate. Things were not going well. Since Shampoo
had declared not to use any potions, Cologne had become fearful for her
only family. If she were to fail to gain Ranma as her husband, then by
Amazon Law, Cologne would be forced to execute her.
The elder began to curse herself for promising to train Ranma in
those Amazon techniques, knowing full well that she should have just
waited until he had yielded to her will. She started to think that at the
time, she was nothing but a foolish and naïve teenager when she had
made that promise to the immortal twins. With the theft of her magic
mirror and bracelet, not to mention the startling revelations afterwards,
Cologne began to suspect that she was mad to have agreed to such an
oath. It was then that a bright flash suddenly appeared in the room and
Cologne found herself face to face with Taron and Soren.
"YOU?!" Cologne hissed as she grabbed her staff and prepared for
battle. "How DARE you return?!"
Both twins maintained a calm expression as Soren said, "Why
Cologne. I thought you would have been happy to see us! It has been a
long two hundred and eighty-two years."
"Do not patronize me!" Cologne replied in a voice that dripped
venom. "I have done what you have requested! Ranma has mastered both
the Chestnut technique and the Hiryu Shoten Ha! Yet he still will not
wed my Shampoo! I have must have been insane two and three quarter
centuries ago! Now Shampoo jeopardizes her very future with her silly
notions!" She tensed down, intent on delivering a death strike via
pressure points to the twins.
Before she could spring forward to deliver an attack, Soren faded
from view and then reappeared behind her, placing a hand on her
shoulder. His hand glowed with a red light, which washed over her. He
crouched forward and whispered into her ear, "Calm."
Cologne tried to fight the calming spell, but found it too irresistible.
Her body lost all tension as her feelings of anger and doubt vanished.
Her staff fell to the floor from her hand and she felt a sense of serenity
wash over her. In that one moment, all the weight of her many years
seemed to fade away. All emotions of frustration and despair were gone.
Soren released his hand from her shoulder and then spoke to her in a
quiet, measured tone. "Cologne, we are very aware of what you have
suffered through these past several months, but we give you our solemn
word, it will all be over by tomorrow."
Cologne looked up in confusion. "Really?"
Taron nodded. "The time of the Contract Renewal draws near and
Ranma Saotome will soon fulfill his destiny."
"I still do not understand." Cologne said.
"All things will become clear to you by tomorrow night. All that we
ask you now is to wait one more day." Soren stated.
Cologne looked at the immortals with a suspicious eye, then said in
a careful tone, "For two hundred and eighty-two years, I have been
patiently waiting for events to occur as you had told me. I saw the birth
of my great-granddaughter and watched her grow into the girl that I had
seen when I was eighteen. I met my future son-in-law for the second
time in my life, despite the fact that he did not know me at the time. He
had several idiosyncrasies, including a Jusenkyo Curse, the Cat Fist and
multiple engagements! I had met my former self when the magic mirror
sent us back in time to China! I very tempted to alter history and stop
myself, but because of my promise to you, I did not! I have suffered much these many decades because of my oath! If you say that this will be
over by tomorrow, then I shall wait one FINAL day! But I warn you…"
"No need to make threats Cologne. As we had stated before, all
things shall be revealed in due time." Soren assured as he walked back
to where his brother was standing. "We are very thankful for what you
have done for our champion. Do not worry."
The twins nodded toward the aged matriarch and disappeared in a
bright flash. A moment later, Shampoo entered the shop with a dreamy
attitude and humming her favorite song.
"Child, what has come over you?" Cologne asked concerned.
"Oh, nothing great-grandmother! Shampoo just think that tomorrow
will be very big day!" With these words, Shampoo literally floated up
the stairs.
The present…
"So now you know everything." Cologne finished.
Everyone except the immortals and Cologne had been struck dumb
as they digested what they had been told. Finally, Ranma Red spoke up.
"So everything that's happened to all of us was MEANT to happen?"
"That's right Ranma Red." Soren replied. "And now that we've gotten
all that out of the way, it is time that we informed the both of you of
two other things."
"What's that?" Both Ranmas asked.
"First of all, we must now complete the final phases of your training.
What we have so far taught you were the basics." Taron declared.
"BASICS?!" Both Ranmas eeped.
"That's right!" Soren agreed. "The new skills will be harder to master
but are necessary if you are to wield the weapons of power. Furthermore,
these techniques are far more powerful than anything you have learned
previously."
"You mean that the Thunderbolt Strike and the Dragon Spirit were
just… NORMAL MOVES?!" Ranma Blue asked incredulously.
"That's right." Taron said. "These new techniques will take a little
longer for the two of you to master, possibly a week. Mind you, there is
going to be a lot of pain involved. It's going to make your battle with
Happosai look like a warm-up exercise."
Both Saotome brothers looked at each other, then nodded. It was
then that Ranma Blue asked the obvious question, "So what's the second
thing that we have to know?"
Both Soren and Taron looked at each other, then gave the twin
Ranmas a sheepish smile. There was a long silence before Soren
decided to answer.
"When you have completed your training here, we will all need to
travel to China in order to pick up the weapons of power."
"Couldn't you just teleport there, get the weapons, then come back?"
Ranma Red asked.
"No Ranma Red." Taron answered. "The Mystic Sword and Elemental
Hammer can only be held by the Mortal Champions of Earth. Since
we're IMMORTALS, we are forbidden to touch them. Besides, you two
must retrieve them as part of your final training."
"Okay…that doesn't sound too bad." Ranma Red said slowly.
"Actually, getting the sword and hammer is the easy part. It's what
you have to do when you get to the Amazon village. That's the tricky
part."
"What do we have to do?" Both Ranmas said.
There was another one of those long silences. It was then that
Cologne decided to answer for Soren and Taron. "Simply put, you both
have to get married."
Shampoo and Ukyo stared in wide-eyed shock at Cologne's words.
Nodoka became almost giddy with excitement at the prospect. It was
then that everyone turned their gaze to the Ranma twins, who had taken
this information as anyone in their position would have. They fainted.
To be continued…
Author's Notes
Well how's that for a cliffhanger? I had decided to watch that anime
episode with the magic mirror in order to get some ideas on how to
connect Cologne with the Immortal Twins. I feel much better about this
rewritten chapter as it made the rest of the story flow together. What is
happening with Akane, Mousse, Ryoga and everyone else? Just wait and
see as Chapter 13 will go into that.