Ranma was sulking. While it had taken a bit of time to sort through the knowledge she had suddenly acquired due to becoming a genie, she now knew why she couldn't change back. Genies of Fire were vulnerable to water. So over the centuries they had developed defenses against water and water-based attacks to protect them as much as possible. These defenses had evolved to the point that they no longer had to worry about being hit by a bucket of water or being caught in a rainstorm, at least not if they were not exposed for a long period of time. Extended exposure was still a problem, as was water-based magic, but casual exposure was protected against.
These defenses had become so ingrained, that they were now automatic for any genie. Unfortunately, while the Jusenkyou curse was water-based magic, the trigger was normal water. The protections were designed to prevent the water from affecting her core, magical nature, and the curse was being covered by those same protections. With practice, she thought it would be possible to override the protections and allow the water to trigger the curse, but at the moment it was beyond her ability.
If this weren't enough, Hobbes was adding to her sulk. The tiger had demonstrated that he could control his curse, changing from sabretooth to normal and back at will. When she had asked how he did it, he had grinned.
[It's a tiger thing. You wouldn't understand.]
No, this wasn't Ranma's happiest day.
-------------------------------------
Hobbes raised his head as a thought came to him. He and Ranma were in the guide's hut, waiting for dinner. The guide had offered them dinner and a place to sleep for the night, and had mentioned possibly guiding them to a local village the next day. Ranma had accepted. Genma hadn't yet returned, but they expected him to show when he got hungry enough.
[Hey, if you're a Magical Girl, where's your Cute Talking Animal Companion?]
"I'm a genie, baka! Who ever heard of genies having a-"
Ranma was interrupted when the door of the hut swung open and Genma-panda walked in. Ranma smirked at seeing her father back in his cursed form, then noticed something. Apparently the panda had decided to do some hunting after he had stopped running, because he was carrying a small animal over to the cook pot. Exactly what it was, Ranma couldn't determine. What parts Ranma could see left her with the impression of an overly cute, fluffy ball of fur.
The creature seemed to have been dazed at first, but the sight of the cook pot caused it to explode in a wriggling, squirming effort to get free. Despite Genma's best efforts, it managed to drop to the floor and immediately shot out the door.
"Ranma! This is all your fault!"
Ranma looked around in confusion. That hadn't been the guide, and her father was still a panda. With a sinking feeling, she looked out the door where the animal had gone.
[You were saying?]
Shaking her head in disgust, Ranma looked around outside. Despite the fact that the hut afforded a clear view of the entire valley, she didn't see any sign of the animal. Hobbes just sat there looking smug.
[Oh well, don't worry. I'll be your mascot. After all, I am cute.]
Ranma looked over at the massive carnivore. Just picturing Hobbes' new form in that role brought an involuntary smile to her face. If she had to have a mascot, Hobbes was the type of mascot she wanted to have. No overly-cute, annoying, useless little fuzzball for her!
"Hmph. Just don't expect to ride on my shoulder."
(Posted Sat, 26 Oct 2002 01:30)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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