Ever since the Neko-Ken training, Ranma had possessed a split personality. His main human personality was dominant, only allowing the Cat personality out when the main personality was terrified beyond reason.
The brain material the X colony had created was fully-functional, but empty of all non-instinctual content. The pieces of Ranma's original brain that had made it into the Ranma/X organism contained a few memories from Ranma's dominant personality, some parts of Ranma's Cat personality and some of the Neko-Ken fighting style.
Since what was there was not a complete personality, a new personality would have to be built from the fragments, the new brain, and future experience. That the fragments contained more material from Ranma's Cat personality than from his dominant personality would greatly effect the nature of the new personality...
His thoughts were jumbled, disjointed, much like a confusing dream. He... or was it "she"...? No, definitely "he". He remembered a few faces, some of which seemed important - but he couldn't remember why. He remembered a fight or two - he was a skilled fighter? He remembered someone calling him "Ranma" - his name?
He knew what he was - a cat. He knew how to jump and land properly, how to hunt prey, and how to produce glowing claws that could slice through anything. He knew he should fight against those that challenged him, unless they were more powerful than him and he could find a way to run away. He knew he needed to protect those things and individuals he cared about - and if he cared about them enough, he needed to protect them at all costs.
He barely understood the concept of language, and didn't remember more than a word or two of Japanese. He didn't remember who his parents were, or how he had lived his life. He didn't remember who his friends were, or who he loved - though he was sure there had been someone...
One thing he knew more surely than anything else - he was very, very hungry.
Ranma the Cat opened his eyes, but it was so dark here that all he saw was featureless black. No matter, he had other senses. He rose to all fours, and examined his surroundings with his other senses.
It was cold here, though not too cold. It was quiet, and the air was still. He could smell dirt and stone, and more faintly strange scents unlike any he had smelled before. There was also an unfamiliar scent on his skin; he could even smell it on his breath when he breathed out.
He let out a quiet "Meow", and could tell from the sound of the echo that he was in a mostly enclosed space. The direction where the echo was the weakest was the direction the strange smells were the strongest - the way out?
Ranma padded of in that direction, navigating by scent and by the echoes of his paws on the stone.
The X was pleased its' host seemed to be working properly, and capable of action despite the loss of memories.
The X was a little surprised that its' host was moving on all four limbs. Not only did the hind limbs seem improperly proportioned for this sort of movement, but the only creature the X knew of that walked on four limbs was the final form of the Enemy (what scientists knew as the Metroid Queen) - and since younger forms of the Enemy did not do so, this was presumably because the Queen was so big and heavy.
The X thought nothing of the rest of its' host's actions, having no idea what this sort of creature was supposed to act like.
Letting the organism act as it wished for now, the X went to work on trying to decipher the its' host's thoughts and memories.
Ranma soon found himself at an intersection; the cave he had awoken in behind him, and a tunnel running to the left and right. Having no idea what was down either one, he chose at random, heading right.
He eventually realized one of the unfamiliar scents was much closer. Stopping and listening, he heard slimy patting against the wall. He wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't sound too big. It smelled vaguely like sea-food, so maybe it might be edible?
In case it was dangerous, he swiped at it with his chi-claws. His claws produced a wet sound, then something hard fell to the floor. There was a swishing sound, followed by a strange sound in the air that kept repeating, some sort of swish/squish/cry. There was also a new scent in the air, similar to what he smelt on himself but stronger.
Ranma felt where his prey should have landed, but there was nothing. Feeling the wall where he had attacked it, he found only his claw marks. The only thing Ranma could conclude was that his prey had changed its' scent somehow, and was the thing now in the air.
The X inside Ranma was pleasantly surprised. This creature could manipulate its' own internal energy to produce energy-claws strong enough to kill a slime-footed spiked wall-crawler (a Tsumuri)! Of course, these were among the weakest inhabitants of these caves (and unless the power of the claws could be increased, more powerful creatures would require multiple strikes if they could be taken down at all), but just being able to manipulate internal energies in such a way was quite impressive.
It was just too bad the wall-crawler had really been a fellow X colony, but this was hardly surprising. The X sent a message to the other colony, asking it to join it in this host. This would be an improvement in hosts for the defeated X, and would allow them to increase the host's size closer to its' original size.
The defeated X returned a message declining the invitation. It still had enough energy to reform, and it was uncertain of possessing such a strange host.
Ranma heard his prey starting to float away. Not wanting to loose his meal, he swiped at it again, and heard a satisfying splat as it fell to the ground. He padded over to it and touched it with his front-left paw; it was soft, bouncy, and a little sticky even where it hadn't been cut. He put his head down, and using the scent to guide him to where it was cut, tasted it. It was a harsh flavor, but it seemed like it would be edible.
Hungry enough to take a chance with such a strange food, Ranma began eating the slimy creature.
The X colony in Ranma was in shock. Nothing but the Enemy had ever been able to harm an X colony in its' true form! Of course, while the other colony had been broken apart, the individual X cells were fine. Left alone, the colony would have re-formed; as it was the cells would instead infect this host through the host's digestive system, and join with the colony already there.
The X was unsure what its' host's actions meant to it, and for the X species. The Enemy had been the Enemy because they killed X and could not be possessed by X. This being could harm X colonies, but could be possessed. Was it a sort of Enemy? Should it be treated like an Enemy? Or was its' power something that could be used against the true Enemy should they return?
Furthermore, an X colony's decisions were only ever overridden for the sake of X as a species. Such a break in protocol as this X had inadvertently done was unheard of, and the X had no idea what the response of other X would be to it.
Even as the X pondered this, it directed the new X cells filtering in from the digestive system to add flesh in where the X had originally left it out due to a lack of mass. Increasing the overall size of the host would have to wait, but at least the host would now be at optimum health.
Ranma licked his lips, then used his tongue and paws to clean himself. It had tasted strange, and burned a little going down, but the meal had definitely taken the edge off his hunger. He also felt much more energetic.
If someone had been in the cave observing Ranma, they would have seen that he no longer had the appearance of being malnourished. In fact, other than his small size and unruly hair, he actually looked like himself again. (Ironic, considering that in more than one way, he wasn't really himself.)
Deciding that he could still eat some more, and that he was thirsty, Ranma headed off down the tunnel in search of more food or some water.
As the consumed colony merged with the one possessing Ranma, the consciousnesses of the two colonies merged as well, producing a new mind. This mind was intrigued by the mysteries of this host and the possibilities it presented, but also concerned about its' dangers.
Even though the X had another form it could assume (the Tsumuri), it decided to stick with this host for the time being - it was too curious about what else this form could do to just abandon it. However, it decided it would need to finish consuming the host soon - if the host had any resistance to possession at all the X species needed to know about it as soon as possible and be warned of a new Enemy.
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(Posted Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:21)
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