[AN: This chapter I had worried about for a few reasons. Previously, I had tried to write a chapter that was about Kirche discovering the curse and her reactions with it, but in the end, I couldn't come up with anything that thought was "right," so I condensed it into what pretty much read like a footnote. After re-reading it, it needed more fleshing out, but again, I worried that it would become its own chapter. So, there was some stalling at this point, but after some deep thinking, and a little gameplaying, I decided to just do the damn thing. And surprisingly, it popped out pretty neatly. Most of the changes are in the first sevenish pages, while the latter half remains about the same. I did carve out a couple of points, though: one thing I nixed was because I don't have a legitimate plan for it at this point now, and as such, it might make for interesting speculation, but it'll remain useless and just a dangling thing; the other thing, well, it was kind of crude and more of a testimony to my own thinking, and I've changed up since I wrote that part. I'm certain people that read the previous version will know what I'm talking about here.
And holy crap, I'd best get the editing done in one turn, based on this new board format. It's like I'm working on making a webpage again, with all the bells and hr whistles.]
Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi. Familiar of Zero (Zero no Tsukaima) is owned by Noboru Yamaguchi. All rights reserved.
Zero Interface
Chapter 5
A Void in the Day
Ranma awoke early again, as per his usual routine since arriving in Tristain. A quick glance at Louise revealed the girl was still asleep, snoring lightly. Her hands were bound in bandages.
Rebuilding the wall in Vestri Court by hand was murder on Louise, who was clearly not cut out for manual labor. And to make matters more complicated, it took almost three days to accomplish the fact – it was a lot of wall destroyed, and Mrs. Chevreuse had exhausted herself in manufacturing the pieces that were too obliterated to be of use.
Surprisingly, there were quite a number of those. It almost made Ranma wish he was wrong about Louise and Void magic. Because, if anything, the damage the wall took from a misfired spell made it abundantly clear to him that she definitely had magical talent – probably a scary amount of it, too – and the only thing that her affinity could lie in was the unknown Void magic.
Of course, getting that unlocked was going to be the tricky part, since he wasn't exactly a knowledgeable magical creature, brimming with wisdom and lore. And the Academy knew probably as much as he did when it came to the legendarily lost element. So he went with what he knew and tried to run things accordingly. Of course, getting Louise on-board was another matter entirely...
It had only been two days since Ranma arrived in Tristain. And already, he managed to end up getting punished for something that he didn't have anything to do with. Well, technically, he didn't; that was all Louise. However, due to this land and their warped views on class, he was still forced into shouldering punishment all the same – rebuilding Vestri Court's damaged wall. And, boy, was there a lot of it to rebuild.
Part of the punishment for destroying so much school property was to keep the offenders outside from sun up to sundown, which meant making them public spectacles. However, with Kirche involved in the punishment detail, there were a lot of her admirers that tried to "give her a hand."
Professor Colbert had chased them off. Well, it was more like a bored bookworm of a student with blue hair and glasses wheeled him after the magic-wielders – Kirche called her Tabitha, Ranma recalled – while he waved his staff around as menacingly as a fully-wrapped human being could, then ordered the entire section of Vestri Court sealed off. Louise certainly didn't mind the peace this move brought, since she could do without her peers alternately mocking and yelling at her for endangering them all. It also made breakfast and lunch much more manageable under the relative silence. Until Ranma proposed his plan to her.
"Training?" Louise asked in puzzlement as she gingerly ate her lunch of lamb chops and potatoes. Her hands ached from moving bricks and applying mortar, which lowered her dexterity with a fork and knife. Stupid Ranma... Stupid Kirche... She had no idea how it happened, but what occurred prior to the incident at Vestri Court.... It was all their fault.
"Yeah, training," Ranma replied before popping the spoonful of beef stew into his mouth. He chewed and let the thick flavor linger on his tongue for a moment before swallowing. If the nobles knew just how good the staff food was...
"What kind of training could you possibly have in mind for a mage?" Kirche inquired while slicing into her dish of pork and creamy mushrooms. For the most part, the redhead kept quiet as Ranma and Louise discussed her "magic," which was a code word for Void. After the explosion that smashed up a supposedly magic-proof wall, she was quite willing to believe that Louise might actually be a Void mage. Stranger things have, and would probably continue to, happen.
"The Book of Emptiness—"
"Yes, yes," Louise quickly spoke, annoyance in her face as she flicked her eyes at her sworn nemesis before returning to the martial artist. "So, what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, like I figure, we get in touch with your magic by becoming aware of it."
"...what does that mean?"
"Y'know... you listen to yourself, you find what your magic is like, and then you learn how to access it through that."
"...that... makes no sense at all."
Ranma huffed. "Okay, I was thinking of something else, but, I guess you'd be better off with this approach – meditation."
"Meditation?" Louise frowned. "What does that do?"
"It's simple. You sit still in a quiet place, and you empty your mind of thoughts."
"Hah?"
"Just sit still and not think. You got a thought coming across your mind, you let it go away. No hanging onto anything. If I'm right, you'll come into contact with your magic when you—"
Louise sighed, having carved away a piece of meat and stabbed it with her fork. "That sounds suspiciously like something my mother taught us when we were younger. It didn't work." She started to chew
He made a dismissive sound. "Sounds like an incompetent teacher to me."
"Gurk!" Both utensils clattered onto the table, with Louise clutching at her throat.
"Louise!" Ranma and Kirche leapt to their feet as the Vallière made faint sounds and violent gestures. The pigtailed boy reacted first, swinging around Louise and grabbing her up from behind. Fist bearing into her stomach, he grabbed it with his other hand and thrust upwards sharply, once, twice. The barely chewed morsel rocketed out of her throat with force and splashed down into his soup, leaving her hacking and gasping for air as she remained held aloft.
"You all right, Louise?"
"I won't break the rules, mother..." she'd pant in between breaths. "I won't break the rules..."
He decided to leave that one alone. That was... just weird.
Ranma shook his head, dispelling the memory, and set about to getting ready for the day. Because today was The Day of the Void, sort of like this world's Sunday, he surmised, though their weeks had eight days instead of seven. Today was the day of rest for the Academy students, a time to get away from their studies and magecrafting and find the time to relax, unwind, or whatever else they did with their free time.
Today, he was invited out to see Tristainia, the capital of Tristain. Not because he was actually all that curious about the land of Halkeginia, but because in inviter thought he needed a break from his summoner. In some ways, that was a nice thought, though if Louise knew what he was up to, she would most definitely lose her marbles, particularly once she learned that it was Kirche who did the inviting.
To be honest, Ranma wasn't certain this was a good idea, but at the same time, Kirche had presented herself to him as a strange mystery that his experiences in this land for such a short time told him shouldn't exist. While it was actually nice that she didn't freak out over his cursed form and looking like Louise, her other reaction worried him on several levels.
Three whole days. It took them three whole days to rebuild a broken section of wall. Ranma thought it'd take another two, what with the pace Louise moved at.
That girl was certainly not meant to work in any field of manual labor. It was a surprise her arms didn't break in two.
"If I never lay another brick again, it'll be too soon," Louise grumbled, weakly shaking her aching hands as she, Ranma, and Kirche left the Vestri Court. After three days of hard, hard labor, the shattered wall was finally restored. All that was left was for Old Man Osmond to work some literal magic on the structure to fortify it against another mishap like before.
Kirche nodded, massaging her own hands. "For once, Louise, we're in agreement."
"Still, too bad we didn't get anything done about, y'know, your magic," Ranma said. The hard labor didn't bother him so much as it left him feeling bored. It wasn't like the time he and Pop helped build a house with a box of nails and their hands. Literally, in this case. It was more training, he said. Plus, it greatly reduced the chances of smashing one's own thumb.
"If your ideas are any dumber than the one after the..." She shivered a little. "—the meditation one —"
"Hey, it was a great idea! Stress the body hard enough, and one can achieve incredible things!"
"You wanted me to run around the courtyard carrying a sack of flour on my back while that woman's familiar chased me!" She harshly cut a thumb over her shoulder at the silently laughing redhead. "Have you taken a leave of your senses!"
Before Ranma could retort, a blast of water slapped him down to the ground like a fist of liquid.
"Stop acting like a fishwife, Danica!" a white-haired girl shouted in zeal as she ran over the floored Ranma. "Continue reading this seedy drivel will rot your brains!"
"Celeste, I will drown you if you don't stop stealing my books!" a peach-haired cried out in fury as she, too, ran over the downed martial artist, her wand charging up another magic spell.
"So scary!" the other student laughed as she furthered her running down the court, her pursuer spitting curses and more magic.
Louise made a face. "Embarrassing."
Kirche shrugged. "I figured all Tristainians were about that refined."
The Zero glared at her nemesis for a second before Ranma's higher-pitched voice roared. "What the hell is with you!"
Curse-triggered, Ranma swore hard under his breath. "Can't wait to leave this dump... no respect for people... no more commoner bull—"
"R-Ranma?"
"What!" Finding two sets of eyes now staring at him chilled off his annoyance in cold memory. He had seen that look on Louise's face before. "What? Is it my face again?"
"..." Kirche approached him slowly from beside Louise, peering closer. He shrank back a little, feeling weirded out by her sudden scrutiny. He supposed she didn't actually see the curse in action before.
"You look like me..." she announced.
He frowned. "What?"
And then, without another word, Kirche turned on her heel and walked away.
It was a deafening silence for several minutes, as Ranma took time to fully digest what had just happened. He looked to Louise, who was just dumbstruck as he was. Then he looked at his own figure.
His Chinese clothing was starting to strain again the fabric, as much development he had just acquired. Noticed his skin tone was far deeply tanned than normal. A check on his pigtail braid showed him a burning reddish tone than pink.
"I've turned into Kirche?"
* * *
The shock of Ranma's new status left him speechless for the remainder of his and Louise's walk back to her bedroom, with a quick stopover in the kitchen for some boiled water. Onbce arriving at their destination, the young woman popped the door open amd threw herself onto her dreamland shelter. All the while, she had been talking incessantly about the good fortune that just landed in their laps.
"Let's just be thankful she left when she did," Louise said with a snort. "Brimir only knows how else she would have infected you."
"But, how..." A restored Ranma spoke, mostly to himself, seated at her desk. "I don't understand."
"And, honestly, I do not care." Louise sat up and seated herself properly. "She's a Zerbst. Enemy of all things Vallière. I will not let her have you. Even if you don't think yourself to be a familiar, I still summoned you here, and as such, she cannot have anything of mine, not even a little bit!" She folded her arms in stern resistance.
He grimaced. "Man, you sure carry some grudges."
Louise huffed in exasperation. "You don't understand! Like I said before, she is a Zerbst! Worse, she jumps onto anything that's male and cute, then throws them away for another and another! She falls in and out of love every ten seconds! I've heard the stories about her! Carries on like a cat in heat!"
"Don't say that!" Ranma hissed at her, eyes wide.
Louise stared at him. "Oh, Founder, you fell for her, didn't you..."
"No!"
"Why are you so defensive, then!"
He clammed up, wouldn't look at her. "Because."
She sighed heavily. "Look, Ranma, I know her. All she does is make trouble, not just for me, but for nearly everyone else in this Academy. Charms all the boys, while all the girls cannot stand her. Why, she's so desperate for attention, she once stripped in front of everyone at a ball!"
Ranma turned to her, suddenly realizing something. "What? W-wait a second, you got it all—"
=KNOCK-KNOCK=
"Darling? Are you in there?"
Louise mouthed the word "no," making slashing gestures to silence the young man.
"Uh, come in. It's still open."
She threw her hands up, making throttling motions towards Ranma. He shrugged, waving her aggression off.
The door swung open. Standing in the entry way was Kirche, only... something about her was off. He couldn't place his finger on it, but—
"Wh-why are torturing me, Zerbst!" Louise snapped, her mood simmering. "It's bad enough you shamelessly throw yourself at everything male and breathing, but to do that with your hair? Are you mocking me?"
She snorted, flicking the thick braid over her shoulder. "Like it was difficult to mock you before."
Ranma blinked. "You... braided your hair?"
"Yes, Darling!" she chirped excitedly, closing the door behind her and throwing herself into his open lap. "Doesn't it look beautiful on me?"
"Um..." He found his thoughts straying in a direction he didn't want them to go right now, so he quickly stood up, pushing her off his lap. "W-why did you braid your hair?"
"Well, after seeing how it looked on you once you took my image, I was so enthralled I had to try it out for myself."
"...okay?"
She hugged the young man warmly. "I'm so happy! To think, you could give me a gift like this!" She let him go, smiling. "I knew there was a reason why I fell for you, Darling!"
"And there's a reason why you're getting out of my room, you damn strumpet!"
Kirche instantly turned a bored, yet smug, expression at the incensed pink-haired room occupant staring daggers at her. "Sure, sure." She snipped a kiss right off of Ranma's dumbstruck lips and jogged off. "Later, Darling."
Once she exited the room, Louise screamed into her hands. "That, that damned Zerbst!" Then fury fell onto Ranma. "And you! Didn't hear what I just said about her!"
He sighed. It was going to be a long night.
After that bit, Louise became even more unreasonable about him hanging with Kirche, going so far as to interrupt them whenever possible. Why should it matter, anyway? Just because her family had a falling out with Kirche's didn't mean he had to suffer, too. He personally opted for the "fuggedaboutit" method; it made life a lot easier.
In the end, Louise's behavior birthed a private conversation Kirche had with him the night before last night.
________________________________________
"Day of Void?" Ranma echoed in curiosity. "What's that?"
"It's the one day we don't have any classes," Kirche explained, her hairstyle having been returned to its unbound freeflowing length. "I thought we could spend some time out in Tristain's capital, Tristainia." She pushed back a lock of hair. "Preferably without Louise."
He shrugged. "Sure, why not?" It wasn't like he had any plans of his own. Maybe he'd come upon something interesting if he went with her.
She beamed. "Good!" A moment later, she laid her lips close to his ear. "Don't let Louise know, Darling," she whispered in a husky voice that nearly seared his ear off.
Come upon something interesting with her... Yeah... Definitely probably would.
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A new yawn broke free, pushing away the memory as he stretched once again. He didn't think Kirche would be up at this hour, even though she wanted to get an early start, so he figured he'd get in some light exercises before the redhead met him outside of the student tower. A shame he was ditching Louise for the day, but, well, it's not like she owned him or something.
As Ranma traveled towards the door, he failed to see one of Louise's eyes crack open and follow him
________________________________________
What was he up to, Louise pondered as she dragged herself into wakefulness. Having a pipeline into some of Ranma's thoughts or feelings – they had to belong to him, as there was no way she could possibly ever think of that Zerbst in such... weird ways – she knew he was up to something. It felt like there was a massive pressure in her head, like holding onto a delicious secret.
It felt suspicious. And given how that woman had been hanging all over him, trying to seduce him with her br-br- her slutty body, not to mention his callous disregard for the simmering two hundred year old animosity between the Vallière and the Zerbst, Louise couldn't trust Ranma to actually look out for her interests. Not on this one.
She had to somehow set that idiot straight. No way could she just let him do as he pleased, especially not with that flippant woman. She had to break things up before too many things went way too far.
Louise yawned as she took to roll out of bed – she practically willed herself to wake up at such an ungodly hour; as a result, her body felt clumsy and heavy, like lead was poured into her. Stumbling around, she sought to get dressed – why couldn't she have been blessed with a familiar that at least pretended to know his place?
________________________________________
One forty-six...
One forty-seven...
There was a yawn close by, breaking Ranma's mental count and causing him to look up. He blinked. "Didn't think you'd be up this early."
Kirche had her hand over her mouth. "I did wish to keep this a secret from Louise. The earlier we make off, the better." She studied him for am moment. "What are you doing anyway?"
Ranma, shirtless, due to lack of any training clothes, was in a push-up position. However, his feet hovered a few inches above the grass. "This? Just a few warm-up exercises. Hold on a sec." He pushed up with his arms, lifting his legs up higher, higher, higher until he was now perpendicular with the ground. Then he slowly lowered himself back into the floating push-up position.
"Two more," he spoke. The action was repeated.
"One more." Push. Lift. Straighten. Return.
"Done." One hundred and fifty floating handstand pushups, complete. He finally let his feet touch the ground, and he stood up. He'd get the other half later. "So, you want to go now?"
Kirche, whose attention had been riveted upon his rippling muscles as he worked out, looked up blankly. "Hmm? Oh, yes! Yes, let us leave before that annoying Vallière wakes up."
"Where are we going?" he asked, wiping the light sweat off his body with one of Louise's towels. Yes, it was girly, but it was the least girly one he could dig out of her linen closet.
"To the stables. Town is a few hours away by horse."
"Horse?" he echoed.
Kirche looked over her shoulder. "Do you not know how to ride one?"
A vague memory come to mind. A young Ranma holding onto the mane of a bucking wild stallion, laughing as Pop chased after him in a panic. There was popcorn and cotton candy everywhere, he sort of remembered.
He slipped his undershirt back on. "...well, it's been a long time," he said while fastening up his tang.
She looked a little surprised before a smile crept into place.
"Let me refresh your memory, then."
________________________________________
It was a dutiful mare he rode, saddled and bridled by the stable boy before they depart. Yet, Ranma couldn't help but feel nervous.
Mostly because Kirche had chosen to situate herself at his back in her bid to "remind" him about riding horses. Of course, this resulted in her body hugging to his, her breasts generously snuggling his back. One arm looped around his waist as she whispered into his ear, easing him into riding the horse as a steady pace.
He couldn't help but note the arm not clasping his body, held onto the saddle's horn. It might have been his imagination, but it sometimes looked like she was caressing it fondly, reverently. And given how it was placed to a certain part of his own body...
It was an epic trial to clear the mind and focus on his horse-riding skill.
________________________________________
Louise was certain she was going to die; all the blood in her body had taken residence in her face and refused to leave.
Th-th-that idiot! Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what the hell was th-that damned w-w-woman doing with him! S-surely not even she would...
The image that came to mind almost sent her over the edge. Why, oh, why did she decide it was a good idea to follow on horseback? She could have just saved herself the trouble and walked!
Oh, she was going to kill that idiot...
________________________________________
White cobblestone rolled under Ranma's feet as he looked around the already bustling city. Already, it felt a bit claustrophobic. "Where is this place?" he asked, eyes roving.
"Mmm... I think it's Bourdonné Street," Kirche answered absently, one arm lightly clasped around Ranma's. "This should be the road that leads to Tristain's palace."
"Huh." He filed that info away for future use. "So, where are we going?"
"To find something good around this place."
He shrugged. He was here to get out of having to deal with Louise for a bit. He was really tired of hearing her go on and on about Kirche.
Someone bumped into Ranma, jostling Kirche in the process.
"How—"
Before Kirche could let it be known her displeasure could finish her sentence, Ranma had already grabbed hold of the unshaven man's arm. His eyes were wide on Kirche's mantle.
"Geh! I-I didn't know you were a noble! A thousand apologies!"
She flicked her hair back over her shoulder. "A commoner like yourself should be more mindful of your environment. You may go."
The man nodded profusely. "Thank for your kindness." He turned to go, only to find that Ranma's hand hadn't released. "Wh-wh-what?"
He stuck out his hand. "You know what."
The redhead's eyes widened slightly. "Darling, I hardly think shaking him down is the answer."
"Don't care about that. I just want my wallet back."
The unshaven man's eyes popped out of his head.
"Better hurry up; you're starting to draw a crowd."
The unshaven man quickly produced a brown billfold, which Ranma neatly tucked back into his pocket. "Thanks, old man," he said with a smile.
Then he kicked the pickpocketing thief over a building. There was a loud crashing sound from where he landed.
"Don't take what's mine," he muttered. A glance around him had other people scattering quickly.
Beside him, Kirche cooed. "That was so cool...! How did you know?"
He ran his fingers through his black hair. "Eh, learned a couple things from Pop. So, where are we going again?"
________________________________________
Louise grumbled as she once again mounted her horse. It was the third time she had to get off her ride before she... did something that would have gotten her off the horse anyway.
At least she wasn't on the receiving end of any more feelings at the moment. Just one that seemed like annoyance. Or maybe that was herself; she hadn't even made it a third of the way there, due solely to whatever Ranma's stupid thoughts were doing to her!
It was obnoxious, having his feelings in her head. And they absolutely had to be Ranma's feelings. Otherwise, she'd have to go visit a water mage and hope to Brimir they could do something to cure her creeping insanity.
Vallière and Zerbst were enemies, not... th-that. And even more pointedly, K-K-Zerbst was... well, she was still a girl!
That's not right! That's not right at all!
________________________________________
"You do seem to have the worst of luck when it comes to cold water, darling," Kirche murmured, a little dismayed.
Kirche-Ranma wiped his sodden red hair back, annoyed. "Yeah, I've noticed..."
While seeking out a place to eat, some idiot had dumped some used bath water out their window. Right on top of him.
Kirche produced a towel from a small bag she had brought with her. He took it to dry his hair out as they were walking down one of the smaller side streets.
She put a finger to her chin. "Say, I was wondering something..."
"What?" he spoke as he scrubbed his head dry.
"You wouldn't happen to purposely change into me and take advantage of my body, would you?"
He tripped over her question and fell flat on his cursed form's face. Immediately, he shot up, mortified. "Where would you get that kind of idea from!"
He went from outraged to confused seeing Kirche chuckling at him. "Just asking," she said with a smile.
Kirche-Ranma scowled. "Well, gee, have fun at my expense why don'tcha? I'd be glad to not have to lose my manhood every time it rains."
The Germanian smiled. "It's fine as it is..." she spoke, stroking her fingernails lightly across the back of her reflection's neck.
He shivered in response. Then blinked. "Whoa... Doing that kind of stuff when I'm..."
Her face took on a dreamy quality. "Hmmm... It's fine, so long as it's just me."
He blushed at the image she was creating before him.
Cute, most definitely.
________________________________________
"Dammit!" Louise roared. Now she was starting to feel... weird things for her hated nemesis. She threw her head back to face the sky.
"CUT IT OUT, IDIOT!"
Again, she had to dismount her horse. At this rate, she'd be lucky to get to Tristainia by mid-afternoon!
________________________________________
Kirche-Ranma cocked his head to one side. His brows furrowed.
"What is it, darling?" Kirche asked.
"Um, I dunno... feels like..."
She prompted him with her eyes once words weren't forthcoming. "...what?"
"I dunno... but it's like I gotta go somewhere." His legs were already moving him into the direction of one alleyway.
Kirche stepped into the mouth of the alley. "Darling! Where are you going?"
"I don't know, just wherever that vibe is taking me..." He was quickly disappearing from sight.
Kirche quirked her lips, then shook her head slightly. She gave chase after the cursed boy. "Wait up, then!"
________________________________________
He didn't know what it was that he was following after. Just that there was something... there. Like a beacon calling out to him.
Well, not really. It was more like something within him was... seeking something. Like a little ghost whispering in his ear.
He wondered if it had something to do with the curse going all weird on him.
Within minutes, he found himself standing in front of a store. A sign in the shape of a very basic broadsword hung overhead.
Kirche's heels clacked over the cobblestone. "Leblanc's Weapon Shop," she read from the sign. "An arms dealer?" she said, puzzled. "Why would you end up here?"
"I don't know..." He pushed open the door and went in, Kirche following after him.
Inside the shop, it was highly disorganized, various weapons lying together in clumps on shelves and on the walls. A suit of armor stood as centerpiece of the room, its body dusty and a bit tarnished. Behind the counter, an old man in his fifties eyed Kirche and Kirche-Ranma with growing suspicion.
That is, until he caught sight of the Pentagram etched into Kirche's gold button; his entire attitude changed drastically from wary shopkeeper to grateful serf.
"My lady! My noble lady! All items here are real and reasonably priced! There is nothing criminal about my shop, my lady!"
Kirche absently brushed his declarations off. "Seems like we're looking for something."
The old man looked from Kirche to Kirche-Ranma, who was milling about without focus.
"Wh-what kind of weapon, if I may ask...?"
"Here," Kirche-Ranma spoke up, drawing both the shopkeeper and Kirche's attention to a barrel containing a random assortment of weaponry. "Something right here in this stack."
"You've got good instincts, there," someone spoke from beneath the pile of mismatched weapons.
Kirche-Ranma jumped back. "You got someone stuffed down here, old man?"
The shopkeeper palmed his face. "Not a someone, unfortunately. A something."
"I am not a thing," the voice spoke, crossed. "I am the greatest sword you'll ever find in this sorry dump of a weapon shop."
"Derf!" the shopkeeper roared. "Stop belittling my humble business!"
Kirche-Ranma had picked up one sword – a bit on the old side, rusting with nicks and dings all over the body, the single-edge chewed up from constant military application.
"A sentient sword?" the Germanian spoke aloud, very surprised that something like that would be here.
"Aye. A magical, obnoxious, sentient blade that only badmouths every customer that comes to the shop."
"Derf, huh?" Kirche-Ranma said, puzzled as to how a sword could talk. "That's your name?"
"Wrong! I am Lord Derflinger, lady! Remember that!"
The cursed boy looked at the weapon flatly. "You're kidding."
"Absolutely not." If a sword could sniff in disdain, it would have been exactly the reaction it gave the martial artist.
"Well, anyway, Derf, I'm Ranma Saotome. Let's see how you are." He snapped it out of the scabbard and gave it a few light swings.
The song began again in his ears. He scrunched up his face at that.
"Darling," Kirche spoke softly, drawing close by. "Your left hand..."
"Hmm?" He took a glance at his left hand. The runes emblazoned into his flesh glowed like gold. "That's kind of weird."
"You're a user and yet, you do not understand your real power..." the sword Derflinger commented. "Hmm... there's also something... amiss with you."
Ranma's brows scrunched up. "What do you mean?"
"A feeling of magic upon you. So very ancient..."
"Do you know something about the curse?" Ranma asked, his cursed amber eyes wide with hope.
"Mmm... not that I can remember..."
He hung his head.
"Give me time; I'm sure it'll come to me," Derflinger said reassuringly. "Well, providing you buy me from this place, that is."
Instantly, Kirche-Ranma was upon the shopkeeper, a childishly cute look on her face. "Hey, Mr. Shopkeeper! How much can I have Derflinger for?"
He sweated, given the sudden attention. "U-uh... w-well, sw-swords normally go for about 200 gold..."
"Really?" He slightly thrusted Kirche's borrowed form's chest forward while drawing Derflinger's hilt just between them. "That sounds awfully pricey..."
"Ah... well... I um..." He couldn't help but gaze at Derflinger and the surrounding area. "W-well, s-suppose I could let it go for... a hundred gold..."
"Only a hundred gold..." the real Kirche spoke, drawing fingers down along the unbuttoned opening of her own Academy blouse. One button seemed to loosen by itself. "Mmm... I don't know... it has been rather unkept..."
The shopkeeper whimpered, confronted by matching redheaded beauties.
________________________________________
"What a haul," Ranma chuckled as he stretched out on the soft bed, still wearing Kirche's form. After the trip to Leblanc's Weapon Shop Kirche had wanted to see just how much two of her could get away with a little smile and a little something extra. While he wasn't aware of the currency exchange rate in comparison to yen, he was fairly certain he and Kirche had just run through something like hundreds of thousands of yen for damn near nothing. Free meals, cheap potions, even cheaper earrings for Kirche (and, well, him, but since he didn't wear such girly things, he let her have them).
It was about when a clothing shopkeeper really did seem like he might have given over his business to the devastating duo that he decided that maybe there was such a thing as too much of a good thing. It wasn't easy to talk Kirche into scaling back for the day because she now wanted to see if it was feasible to capture most of Tristainia's commerce through their methods. "Aww... you spoilsport," she sighed, making a terribly cute pouting face when he was firm in his resolution.
Oh, yeah, definitely time to scale back, he thought as he tried his best to remain unaffected. Probably failed, but Kirche didn't push the issue anymore, so it was a "win" for him today.
The two found a room at an inn to rest in for a few hours.
Which they got for free, of course.
"You are so wicked," Kirche grinned. "Teasing that poor innkeeper like that. And you were the one that wanted to cut back on such things."
"Hey, I just wanted to know it still worked," he said, pointedly looking away in his supine position. The way she leaned when she spoke like that put a few more ideas into his head. "That's all..."
Her grin widened. "Really..."
He caught sight of the jug of water on the night stand nearby, next to a small vase with a flower he couldn't name dipped into it. "Yeah... could you heat up that pitcher of water? Much fun as that was, I'd rather be a guy."
"Mmm... in a minute."
He looked up to see Kirche approaching him, hips swaying from side to side as she neared. He sobered up from the thrill of today's exploits, his eyes glued to her almost hypnotic actions. "Um..."
The naturally-born redheaded magus slowly straddled his cursed body on the bed, her weight light on his thighs. "You know, you are the most fun person I've ever been with in this land..."
Heat began to rise in Kirche-Ranma's body. "U-um... Kirche?"
"Really..." Her fingertips skimmed along his cursed body's breasts, spreading outward to draw up his arms. Shivers rode throughout his body as she did so. "You know how hard it is to find someone to love like you?"
He shook his head, not certain if he could trust his mouth to not say something unintelligent.
"Almost impossible, darling."
She lightly clawed at the fabric knot of his shirt.
He swallowed. "K-Kirche..."
A slim finger pressed against his lips, silencing him. That same finger then began tracing its shape. Kirche-Ranma unconsciously caught the digit between his lips, sucking on it lightly.
Her amber eyes widened a little as she smiled warmly. "Ranma..."
He released her finger, blushing all over. "U-um... K-Kirche..." His eyes glanced over towards the pitcher of water.
She grinned, lowering her upper half until their breasts touched. He eyes switched from the pitcher to hers. His face felt hot, and his mouth moved, but sound no longer came out.
"I don't mind if it's me I'm looking at when you're like this."
He didn't have any response for her. He'd rather be a guy... He really wanted to be a—
"I love you."
The taste of her mouth on his blew away his weak protesting. It wasn't the same mindblowing kiss she had first laid upon him right after revealing her knowledge of his curse, yet this one almost burned through his very soul. It was like drinking in fire itself and letting consume them both.
God, he wanted more. He wanted so much more, to be reduced to ashes by this woman. This feeling...
=BANG=
Reality fell right on top of him as the kiss was shattered. Drunk on desire, he forced himself to sit up with Kirche to see just what the hell was going on. And whose ass he needed to kick.
He blinked in stunned surprise. It was Louise standing in the doorway. A highly agitated, disheveled, wild-eyed Louise.
"Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y..."
Kirche growled as she slid off Ranma. "What fine timing you have Vallière..." she snorted as she approached the pink-haired girl.
Those wild, unfocused eyes settled upon Kirche. "Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y..."
The Germanian withdrew her wand from between her breasts. "Is that all you can say, Vallière? Envious? Too jealous to—"
Louise pounced onto the redhead before she could blink, knocking her down to ground.
Kirche-Ranma scrambled to his feet to rip them apart before—
He stopped cold upon seeing the sight.
Kirche's eyes were wider than the two moons of Halkeginia as Louise hotly kissed her with all her might. It was like her very soul sought to claim her in whole, passionate desire raging off of the smaller Louise.
Kirche's eyes eventually rolled up towards her hairline before closing abruptly.
Louise broke off the kiss once the Germanian went limp.
Ranma blinked again. "What the—"
He realized his error in speaking aloud as Louise instantly zeroed in on him. Eyes took recognition as before he could get out of the way, she had tackled him onto the ground as well.
"LouiMMPH!"
Hungry lips devoured his with a raging, lustful intensity. She tried to drink in his whole face at that, like she was attempting to cram herself into him.
What the fuck?
His cursed body – busty, tall and tan – he could feel it change, began shrinking, skin tone lightening.
What the fuck!
The last thing he remembered was the pink-haired starting to grope his decreasing bust like a wanton beast lost in its need.
________________________________________
"Oh, mother, father, I've have my innocence taken by the Vallière. I can no longer be a pure bride for my beloved. Ancestors, please accept my modest, humble life into your ranks."
"No killing yourself," Ranma, finally returned to male form, spoke, taking the pen knife from the Germanian before she actually decided to use it in a threatening manner.
"Like you were ever innocent, modest, or humble," Louise grumbled, her face still burning as she sat at the small table in the rented room. "All I did was... was..."
"Made out with us both like your life depended on it?" he supplied with a cross remark. He was still annoyed about Louise charging in like a demented lunatic. That moment with Kirche... still made him shiver. It was addicting, that he knew for certain. Damnit, too much of a good thing...
"Th-th-that... i-i-i-t's your fault in the first place!" Louise both snarled and crimsoned, pointing an accusatory finger at him.
"How the hell is it my fault!" he roared.
"Y-your stupid feelings keep getting sent into my head! I kept telling you to stay away from her, and look what you made me do! If anyone should be upset about losing their innocence, it should be me! Your dirty thoughts kept twisting in my head, twisting and building until I couldn't even think! I just did! I'm out of a pair of panties, my saddle was all sticky, and you two are in here making out as girls! I'm lucky my sanity's still intact!"
The room went silent for several moments before Ranma bewilderedly said, "...What?"
Kirche looked thoughtful. "Huh. That would explain the kiss, then."
Louise reddened again. "It's not like I wanted to..." she said in a small voice.
Kirche beamed at the strawberry blonde. "If you can kiss like that normally, there might be hope for you yet, Louise."
"I don't want that kind of hope!"
Ranma folded his arms, taking on a sagely look. "You know, had you told me about you... um, getting my thoughts or something, we could've just nipped it in the bud a long time ago and avoided this mess."
Wholly embarrassed, Louise didn't look at him or Kirche. "Like you know something..."
"Had you just did the meditation exercises, I'm really certain you'd have been fine."
Her head tilted to one side. "Meditation?"
"Yeah. With a bit of practice, you could've completely blocked out my incoming thoughts or whatever."
She stared at the martial artist. "Really?"
"Really."
She was standing right before him in a burst of speed even he would have had trouble of tracking.
"Teach me, Master," she spoke with wide, shiny eyes. "Teach this humble servant of yours everything she must know."
He blinked, embarrassed while Kirche howled with laughter.
"It seems the master/servant roles have been reversed here!"
Louise glared at the redhead, exasperated. "I really couldn't care less at this moment, so long as I'm not thinking of tying you to the bed with rope and using gryphon feathers anymore!"
Kirche stopped laughing. She glanced at Ranma who stared at Louise uncomprehendingly.
"So, what other things had he been thinking of doing with me?" she asked Louise, pen and paper produced from somewhere in the room in hand.
Louise paled. "Are you insane? I don't want to revisit his thoughts!"
Ranma flushed, mortified. "Why are they my thoughts! I don't even know what a gryphon is!"
Kirche put a finger to her chin. "Hmm... So, Louise is thinking of such things? I have a cousin who appreciates such a kinky girl."
"I AM NOT A KINKY GIRL!"
"Too bad. He's a bit of a masochist, too."
"KIRCHE!"
She ignored Louise and looked at Ranma. "Though I was dismayed to find that you've turned back into Louise again."
Ranma shrugged. "Well, it happened when she kissed me." He scrunched up his face, pondering. "Huh... seems like the only people I turn into are you two. Might have something to do with you two kissing me and stuff."
Kirche's eyes widened slightly. "Is that so..." She hopped into his lap suddenly, arms around his neck. "In that case, let's put it to the test, shall we?"
"Don't you dare touch him until he teaches me how to meditate!" Louise bellowed.
"Aw, don't be that way, Louise. It's only going to be a peck."
"Kirche!"
"A really long peck."
"Kir~che!"
"With maybe a little bit of tongue."
"KIRCHE!"
Ranma lightly palmed his face. "Why me?"
