TRTSS34: Speeding into the Red Zone! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: R1/2, SM, ST, PPG and other properties belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre two-parter.
Special Note: This story is based upon the Power Puff Girl cartoon episode "Speed Demon".
Author's Note: What would happen if Ranma Saotome and Usagi Tsukino disappeared for fifty years? How would Akane Tendo Saotome, wife of Ranma and co-wife of Usagi, handle things? Let's find out, shall we?
Part 1
It was an ordinary day in the city of Tokyo, if you call giant robot fighting giant monsters, alien princesses or goddesses swooning over dorks or magical girls fighting multi-tentacle, perverted demons as "normal". In fact, if the average citizen were not involved in any of these things, or a variation there of, you were considered a freak. After all, when there are vending machines filled with used female underwear, probably sponsored by a certain perverted grandmaster, and having to have separate train cars for males and females as a norm, anything that is considered "normal" in the eyes of the West is seen as abnormal to the average Japanese citizen. At least, in terms of how to deal with it…
At the Nerima Subway Station, Usagi Tsukino steps off one of these gender-designated trains.
"Take care, guys!" Usagi waved good-naturedly, as she leaves the train car filled with men. Unfortunately for the men, when they attempted to accost Usagi, they made the mistake of, well, accosting Usagi. They never knew that within the sweet, innocent figure of a teenaged was a demon princess, a Sith Lord, a goddess of Death, an avatar of Lust, a magical girl of Love and so forth lurking beneath the skin. Making matters worse, all these aspects were a distinct personality within Usagi's mind, and all decided to unite to take advantage of the male passengers' insistence on groping female flesh. So, these separate personalities, untied by the fact that they hadn't been out in the open for a while, decided to indulge the needs of the male passengers. As a result, naked, broken bodies, along with broken souls and minds, were splayed all over the place. Those that were coherent enough to speak prayed to whatever god they worshiped that they would never again engage in bad behavior…
"No, please," said one man, as he rocked himself for comfort. "Don't kill me! I promise I'll be good…"
"Hey, dear," Usagi said, as she kissed her husband.
"Um, hey," Ranma replied, as he looked at what his wife left behind in her wake. "Um, you didn't…"
"Ranma, Ranma Ranma," Usagi said. "We've been over this before. You get to have your fun, and I get to have mine."
"Oh, I'll have mine, alright," Ranma said, as he steps in front of the wrecked train car. "Anyone who's still alive, listen this: your collective butts are MINE, after you guys are healed up."
"Wow, jealous much?" Usagi said.
"In spite of our 'deal', you're still my wife, and it's MY honor that guides me, okay?" Ranma said. "As soon as we get to the house, I want you to get showered up and stuff. No sloppy seconds for me, thank you very much!"
"Only if you join us," Usagi grinned, as her eyes flickered.
"Wha- ah, crap!" Ranma said, as he realized that Usagi was in schizophrenia mode…again. Then again, it did explain the train fiasco…
"Which personality am I speaking to?"
"You'll have to find out," Usagi said with a wink, as she begins walking away in a seductive manner.
"Why can't I have a normal wife?" Ranma said, as followed his wife to the car while shaking his head in resignation…
Upon Usagi and Ranma's arrival, Akane, who had decided to take back the dojo to teach martial arts again, wanted to spar with Usagi, who was staying over at the house that weekend. Usagi, recovering from her schizophrenia somewhat, agreed.
"Um, this is a bad idea," Ranma said, as he sat back and watched from the sidelines.
"Look, if I'm going to teach martial arts, I want to be sure if I can go all out."
"Why not wait for Natsumi and Karume to get here?"
Ranma was referring to his and Akane's daughters, who had been sent into the past in order to be safe from one of their father's enemies, after their mothers died. They grew up mistakenly thinking that they were their mother's half-sisters, and even fought her and her fiancé—their father in girl-guise—for the right to carry on the Tendo Dojo. Now, these days, the sisters, knowing the truth about their parents, have gone on to relatively normal lives; Karume wants to be a chef, while Natsumi wants to go into security, either in the JSDF or the metropolitan police force…or both (she wants to be in the position to protect others). For today, however, they were coming up from Okinawa to help set up the Tendo Training Hall for actual students.
"One, the girls aren't here to spar with me," Akane began. "And, two, I want to see how good Usagi is."
"Look, I don't want to fight you," Usagi said, as she secured her wrist limiters and power dampeners, before stretching her limbs. The limiters were in place to give Akane a fair chance at a fight.
"Maybe I want to YOU," Akane said. "Besides, you practice Women's Anything Goes Martial Arts, right?"
"Not really," Usagi said dismissively.
"You got that right," Ranma replied, still ticked off by what happened earlier. "You're too busy having your 'fun'."
"Just give it UP, Ranma," Usagi said. "No one will ever take your place at my door."
"Humph, more a like a drive-thru window, if you ask me…"
"Hello?" Akane said, as she waved for Usagi and Ranma's attention. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but I want to train."
"Okay, then," Usagi said, as she stuck out her tongue at Ranma, before facing Akane. "Let's spar."
"Right," Akane said, as she moves into a standard fighting stance, by turning to the side while placing one fist to the waist, and pointing another fist up.
"Ready," Akane said.
Usagi, on the other hand, moved into a crescent stance.
"I'm ready," Usagi replied.
"Okay," Ranma said, as he gets up onto his feet. He steps forward.
"Match ends with a submission or a knockout," Ranma said, as he raises his hand, before dropping it suddenly. "Begin!"
Akane went in strong, throw punches and kicks, as Usagi ducks and weaves. What Akane didn't know was that Usagi was reading Akane's moves using a mental discipline known as "Mosh-T". By training her mind to speed up or slow down, Usagi can appear to have faster reflexes than her opponent.
Suddenly, Usagi ducked an intended punch to face, while elbowing Akane in the stomach. Akane bent over, allowing Usagi to reach up, grab Akane by her gi's collar, and then flip her over.
"Oof!" Akane yelped.
Usagi then flips Akane over on her stomach, before hopping on Akane's back. She then grabs Akane's leg while lifting her up.
"Ah!" Akane yelled.
"This is the 'Reverse Back Breaker Technique'," Usagi said. "I learned this while having a job as a ring girl for the Mexican Wrestling League. I even got to spar a bit as the 'Masked Bunny' for a time."
"Ah-!"
Usagi then proceeds to perform more floor-level wrestling moves, until she and Akane were completely entangled in a leg-lock.
"Arrgh!" Akane yelled in pain.
"Usagi, enough," Ranma said, as he raised an eyebrow.
"No more fighting."
"We're fighting?" Usagi asked, as she blinked her eyes.
"Usagi-"
"Alright, but Akane has to tap out, you know."
"Okay, okay!" Akane said, as she slapped the ground repeatedly.
"I win," Usagi said, as she let's go of her opponent, as she rolls off of Akane, and unto her feet. "Thanks for the workout, Akane."
Pause.
"I think I'll get some lemonade or something."
With that, Usagi leaves the dojo.
"Damn it," Akane said, as she sighed. "Why can't I be better than her? She isn't even a serious martial artist, you know!"
"Akane, it's because she has faced hard times that she was forced to be better," Ranma said. "Besides, you're a good fighter."
"But I'm not as good as her, apparently."
"Look, we can go on a training journey or something," Ranma said with a smile. "I know a few tricks that'll help you defeat Usagi the next time you guys spar."
"Humph, I doubt it."
"Look, we'll talk some more," Ranma said. "You want anything? I'm a bit thirsty for some lemonade."
"Well, I haven't gone shopping, so there isn't any."
"Well, then it's off to the store, then," Ranma said.
"If you're going, pick up the groceries I ordered from Mr. Ito, from down the street," Akane said, as she gets up onto her feet. "I'll…close up shop here."
"Alright," Ranma said, as he kisses his wife on the cheek. "I'll be back soon…"
With that, Ranma leaves the dojo, as Akane shuts things down for the day.
Just as Ranma reaches the foyer, he sees Usagi exits the kitchen.
"Oh, Akane just told me that we need to go pick up some groceries that she ordered from the store," Ranma said, as he puts on his shoes.
"Well, that does explain THIS," Usagi said, as she holds up an empty carton of lemonade. "I'll go with ya."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, 'cuz I don't want to be here alone with her."
"You think Akane'll do something?"
"Yeah, that's it," Usagi said, as she shifts her eyes while sweating.
Ranma frowned. He could tell that another evil personality was beginning to surface, and the last thing Ranma needs is an embarrassing situation.
"Okay, let's go…"
Upon going outside, the pair looks up. It appeared to the two that it was about to rain.
"Huh, looks like rain," Ranma said.
"So?" Usagi replied. "It's not like you have to worry about becoming a girl accidentally, you know."
"No, I don't want to get the food wet. We'll have to hurry to the store and back."
"How we race, then?" Usagi said with a grin.
"Why bother?" Ranma replied. "I'm just going to beat ya."
"Ranma, I have direct access to the Speed Force, which means that I am a living embodiment of, well, speed."
"Feh. But I am a master of speed because of training."
"Well, then let's have a wager," Usagi said. "If I win, I get to be the male, while you get to be the female, in tonight's bedroom theatrics."
"And if I win, my dear, you have to abstain from intimacy for a month. That means none of that nonsense that you were involved with earlier, or going to a 'bedroom buddy', even if I happen to like the guy, or gal, as a friend."
"Why not just lobotomize me instead?"
"Usagi?"
"Okay, okay. You have a deal."
"Cool," Ranma said, as he and Usagi get into the middle of the street. They look around.
"Okay," Ranma said, as he squats down. "Ready."
Usagi squats down as well. She was not about to let Ranma take away her favorite recreational sport.
"Steady," Usagi replied.
There was a moment of silence between the two.
"GO!" Ranma and Usagi yelled in unison, as they began to sprint down the street. They had already passed several shops, creating a sonic boom in the process.
"Slow down!" Ukyo yelled, as she picked herself up.
By this point, the pair was determined to beat each other. Ranma wanted to humble his wife, while Usagi wanted to maintain her fun. Ergo, the pair moved faster, as they accidentally broke not just the speed barrier, but the time barrier as well…
With a thunderous roar, Ranma and Usagi reappeared, right back where they started.
"I win," Ranma said, as he did the happy dance.
"Humph," Usagi fumed, as she folded her arms.
"Now, let's get those groceries," Ranma said, as he began to walk towards the direction of the store.
Usagi, who was upset at her misfortune, notices something.
"Um, Ranma," Usagi said, as she yanked on her husband's arms.
"You're not getting out our bet, hon."
"No, look around you," Usagi said.
Ranma then paid attention to what he saw. The skies were red, buildings were destroyed or in a state of decay, and in the center of Tokyo, specifically Juuban Ward, was a dark tower or castle of some kind.
"Huh," Ranma said, as he notices the symbol of the infamous Red Lantern Corps etched on the wall of what was left of the Tendo Training Hall. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
"That's because we're in Japan, I think," Usagi replied.
Ranma could only sigh in reply.
Tbc.
Next Time: As Ranma explores this strange, new world, he discovers the horrifying truth behind what has happened, and it is his entire fault…and Akane is at the center of it all! See you then…