Disclaimer: This is a Ranma/Magic the Gathering cross. So the characters and concepts from M:TG aren't mine either! They belong to the Geeklords of Wizards of the Coast. I'll go ahead and let you know if there's anything original though.
edit: Tried to fix the Wall o' Text problem. Hope it's better this way.
Chapter 1
Ranma was watching the Tendo dojo from a roof about two blocks away. You probably know the story already: He said something he shouldn't have. Got knocked into another area code. Was recognized by some tall girl wearing a green skirt that he'd never seen before, honest. Was chased for three hours by her cheerleader squad in the name of "love and justice." And finally managed to get his pants back without picking up any new fiancées. "Oh my! How manly! Ranma you pervert!" yada yada.
Yea well, now Ranma's sitting on a roof two blocks to the east. Nice secluded spot, trees, no lights, no ninjas. Good spot to think. Truthfully, Ranma wasn't really known for thinking. Didn't always get a chance for one. Kinda hard to drop down and "ponder" when dodging mallets and crap. Mostly though, thinking hurt. Yea, laugh it up fucker. It's kinda hard to explain, but dwelling on certain subjects like Jusenkyo, or the amazon village, or his mother's house, especially Mom's house, gave him a splitting headache that would last for hours. Ranma had no idea what caused it. He didn't even know it wasn't normal until he talked to a few people at school. Probably something his idiot father did to him when he was a kid. He didn't want to start running around like Ryoga, blaming his crap on his father and all, but, it's probably a safe bet.
The only reason Ranma would be risking such pain is the benefits that meditation brought to his martial arts. Meditation helped heal wounds and strengthen muscles. While in the proper state of mind, one could shatter steel, jump stories, or take one of Ryoga's hits without flinching. Unfortunately, think of the wrong thing at the wrong time, and bam, instant headache or internal burns. Pump enough ki into a fist and you could punch through a wall, but your arm would ache for a few days afterward. Luckily a different form of mediation, learned from a shrine he stayed at during his travels, taught him to heal his body with the same energy, or something similar at least.
Ryoga proved that ki and emotion could be thrown as a weapon with his horrible Shi Shi Hokudan attack. It was a pretty neat idea, use a wall of negative energy to flatten anything in your way. Too bad Ranma sucked at being pathetic. He had tried to learn the technique himself but had failed to achieve the proper emo mindset. In other words, he was simply too awesome to successfully perform the attack. Knowing that the attack fed on depression, Ranma had experimented with different mental states, finally settling on a haughty form of arrogance that was easier to maintain than crying like a lost child who couldn't get any bread. The effect worked, but it still had some bugs. He had to be winning or at least in good standing to be confident enough to knock the Shi Shi Hokudan out of the way.
Also, contrary to popular belief, Ranma's bravado was merely a front for his lack of social skills. Ranma was confident and arrogant, very much so, but it was more of a hot blooded "yea let's go kick his ass" kinda feel. Rather than the Kunoesque "bow before me you peasants" crap that could really knock someone over from across the room. The two bugs made his Toko Makabisha significantly weaker that Ryoga's Shi Shi Hokudan, but hey, it was a start. besides in order to get a "perfect" Moko Takabisha, Ranma would have to channel the Kunos, and that's just not something he wanted to do. The perfect Shi Shi Hokudan could be defeated by jumping directly above Ryoga's center of gravity and emptying oneself of emotion anyway. So there was no point.
Ranma did learn a lot about mental states though. Different emotions and thought patterns had different effects on one's ki. Depression and arrogance were heavy. Anger , love, Jealousy, all the "Akane" emotions are hot. Logical thought is cold. Which is how Ranma was able to "learn" the final part of the Hiruu Shoten Haa technique on his own. Actually it was cause he was trying to figure it out what to do next when he uppercutted Ryoga in desperation. It wasn't till later when he figured out the whole logic cold thing. Felt pretty stupid at the time. Ranma had also found that his "hot and cold" emotions and memories were more powerful than any other. Like the haughty kuno mindset for the Toko Makabisha for example. Or the calm orderly "one with nature" feeling that accelerated healing. On the flip side, Ranma's "specialties" were what caused the headaches.
That's what Ranma was doing up on the rooftop while he waited for the Tendos and his parents to calm down. Practicing the Soul of Ice, trying to figure out a way to freeze everything but himself. He'd managed to get it colder by dredging up memories, but he had not yet found away to prevent the damage to himself.
"One more time, then I'll try to sneak into bed." Ranma twisted his thoughts and willed his soul cold. Frost started to form on the roof as his breath became visible. He thought of Jusenkyo. Ranma poured himself outward. Cracking could be heard in the trees in the yard. Four meters, getting better.
Ranma was trying to cycle the ki throughout his body this time. The plan was to keep the ki moving to maybe Both his head and body started to scream in pain. In desperation he flung his aura into the surrounding air. A shock of cold blew out shattered frozen leaves, as an unconscious Saotome Ranma slumped onto the slick roof and slid to the edge, tipping over the gutter and coming to rest in the bushes below. The occupants of the house, having heard the crash in the bushes, called the police, who took the pig tailed girl back to the Tendo dojo. They couldn't explain the frost that covered the trees in the front yard however.
Ranma woke to the most horrible headache she had ever experienced. Light from her mother's alarm clock stung her eyes. "3:32 AM" the clock blinked at her. Once, twice, Ranma turned her head before a third beam of green light could stab her eyes. She lay there for a second, exhausted. she would have to get up though, if nothing else to make a trip to the bathroom, otherwise she'd probably still be out of it.
Laboriously rising to her knees, and then placing a aching bandaged arm down to the floor to push herself off her futon. Ranma swayed back and forth before regaining her balance and looked once more at the clock. "3:31" it blinked back. It's hateful green Arabic numbers staring her down. Ranma snorted her disgust at such untrustworthy concepts such as time. Time ebbed and flowed, minutes could take long as days, months could fly by in little more than a week. She had spent more than a year at the dojo hasn't she? Then, when was Akane's birthday? When would Ranma become seventeen? When would the school year end? Even after the power of the Dragon's Whisker had run out Ranma's sealed hair still hadn't grown an inch. She was still too worried to take it down. The sealing knot prevented natural hair growth as well as the growth from the Whisker. Ranma did not want to risk going bald at the age her father had. After all, if she could piss blood once a month as a man, then she could still go bald as a woman.
Still, habit aside, if the Whisker's power had faded, her hair should have been several centimeters longer by now, as the knot would no longer have any power. As she managed to stumble to the bathroom, holding onto the wall for support, she saw that her legs were no better off than her arms. Looking down, she could see bloody bandages covering her shins. She could also see, through her tank top, that her stomach and chest were similarly bound. Guess her attempt at forcing the ki out of her body had been unsuccessful. Ranma made it to the bathroom just in time for her stomach to protest it's mistreatment. Unable to make it to the toilet, she heaved in the sink. She recalled that she hadn't had anything to eat the night before.
A clock in the bathroom, continued to tick rhythmically on the wall. Ranma glared at the offending timepiece. and willed it to shut up. She wished time would leave her alone for a moment of peace. After the smallest red arm clicked backwards twice and stopped Ranma took in herself in the mirror. A beaten mess looked back. Blood shot blue eyes, peaked out amongst a shock of black curls. half bound within her usual pigtail. Dark circles sat under those blue eyes, framed by a pale bruised face. Bandages covered her body. Her white undershirt had blood stains on it, as did the bandages. Curious, Ranma let the water run hot and undid her pigtail. She splashed water into her face, and immediately wished he hadn't. It wasn't that his hair was growing, actually it wasn't, it was his limbs screaming at him in a new pain, that of too tight bandages digging into raw flesh. He yelped in as manly a fashion as possible and switched the water to cold before splashing his face again. Relieved, Ranma sat there and groaned for a while, as she tried to will her abused ki pathways to heal her body.
"Ranma?" Mom was outside the door. "I'm coming in." that wasn't a request but merely a warning to be decent. Ranma ruefully thought that she probably didn't look very manly right now, with her hair down, panting in pain, and covered almost head to to in ruined bandages. She secretly hoped her mother wouldn't be carrying around that stupid sword with her. No dice. Saotome Nodoka, both the most feared and most admired resident of the Tendo household, opened the door and walked into the bathroom, bundled katana and all. Ranma couldn't bear to meet her eyes. Even though she had previously declared her manly, that word still sent chills up her spine. How long ago had that been anyway, a month, three? It couldn't have been that long, it wasn't even autumn.
"Ranma, Doctor Tofu looked after you while you were unconscious. You were brought home by the police two days ago. You had fallen off a nearby roof after the area suddenly froze. You had no broken bones from the fall, but were covered almost head to toe in ragged burns. Dr Tofu mentioned that it seemed that these burns reached throughout your body, as if your ki had been somehow set on fire." Ranma's mother cupped her hand under her manly daughter's chin, forcing Ranma to look into her mother's eyes. "Ranma, I have full confidence in your ability to defeat this new foe if you ever meet him again. There is no reason to be ashamed."
"Mom," Ranma rasped painfully, oh how her throat hurt. "I wasn't in a fight, it was a training accident."
"That's a relief, It's good to know that there isn't some madman running around freezing martial artists alive. Still I want your word that you will be more careful in the future. Now come, lets go to the Furo. I had Kasumi call Tofu as soon as I knew you were up. We should have enough time to get you bathed and your bandages redressed. I'm sure you're eager to be male again." Ranma groaned and forced herself up. She and her mother proceeded back up the stairs too the bath.
An hour later, clean, male, and dressed Ranma was seated at the table waiting for Dr Tofu to show up. Seated was a good word for it. Ranma was asleep, his arms crossed and his head on the table. Akane and Kasumi were up too. Both casting worried looks at the sleeping martial artist. Ranma had fallen back asleep in the furo while his mother was off getting fresh cloths for him to wear. Since then it had been a chore to keep the usually hyperactive young man, well person, on his feet.
Ranma hadn't complained more than the occasional pained groan or sigh, but the way he gingerly moved on his feet, and the almost complete lack of balance were disconcerting. Both remembered the state Ranma had been in two days ago, the odd burns over her skin, and her confused mental state. Dr Tofu had to use some shiatsu points to help Ranma sleep, and had spent hours examining the burns. As he had explained it, the burns were caused by ki, and had burned through Ranma's own ki pathways. Ranma had been in serious danger of dieing, but the doctor had assured them that the boy would recover if given the proper care.
That had been two days ago. Nodoka was currently in the kitchen, making tea. Akane was staring at the purple burns on Ranma's neck when the door bell rang. Kasumi got up and rushed to the door. She came back a minute later with the doctor. Tofu was the same as always, silent yet cheerful, aloof yet alert. The only change since his 4 month sabbatical was his ease with Kasumi, who stood at his side. Tofu's glasses weren't fogged up, he wasn't dancing around the living room with his skeleton Betty. He hadn't misaligned anyone's neck. Perhaps his trip did him some good.
Kasumi cleared her throat, which sounded more like a bird chittering than a person coughing, "Ranma, Doctor Tofu's here. Please wake up." Ranma slept on, dead to the world as a log. Akane was debating with herself whether it would be prudent to wake up her fiancée with a small tap to the head, seeing as he was so sick and all, and since, well, you know, he always looked so peaceful when he slept sprawled out, uncaring. Kasumi was about to try again when Tofu stepped forward, held up a single finger, and spoke.
"Ranma." Although Tofu spoke in barely a whisper, Ranma jolted awake as if he had been attacked by his father. His hand lashed out to his front as if he were grabbing at a lapel, and his off hand was cocked back to deliver a vicious punch. Kasumi "Oh my"-ed. Tofu smiled, a warm smile that wasn't so common in Ranma's life, and spoke again, "Ranma, It's Tofu. How are you feeling today?"
"Like shit" Ranma said as he rubbed the skin above his right eye.
"Excellent, that's quite an improvement since the last time I saw you." Tofu said this with his usual smirk, like he knew something the rest of the world didn't, and that knowledge amused the hell out of him. "So, what have we learned about channeling large amounts of foreign ki through our bodies?" Ranma didn't remember him being this overtly sarcastic though, but then again that was a stupid thing to do, hindsight and all. "Yes, it's very dangerous. In fact it almost killed you." Yea, he's pissed. Ranma's mother handed Tofu a cup, distracting him for a moment. "Thank you Mrs Saotome. Where was I? Oh yes, your mother did tell you that the police found you face down in some old couple's rose bush, correct? Good, then I don't have to tell you why your head hurts so much, aside from the frostbite, the ki burns, and the briars Kasumi and I spent an hour picking out of you." Tofu took a sip from his cup and turned to Ranma's mother, "This Tea is excellent by the way Mrs. Saotome." He turned back to his patient, "So Ranma, you're never going to do that again are you?"
In the short time Ranma had known Doctor Tofu, he had seen him lay into a few patients in a way that the patient felt extremely foolish but had no idea the doctor was actually yelling at him. Ranma had until now, been spared that particular embarrassment. It wasn't like Tofu's "I'm a cute little pand- er, doctor" act could fool him. There was something about Tofu that was very dangerous, Ranma was sure he was at least as strong as his father, if not the two old farts. But Tofu had never openly demonstrated his skills, a side from putting Ranma's spine and ribs back together with a few pokes, or seemingly knowing when Ranma or one of his friends would be getting hurt. He also had that habit of popping up right behind Ranma for no other reason than to see Ranma squeal like a girl. All in all, it was always best to agree with the doctor. Even if he was laying into you in front of your fiancée and her sister
"Yes Doctor." Ranma sighed.
"Good" Tofu beamed. "Now, I'm going to go ahead and tell you that I know what you were trying to do, and that I will help you, but I'm not going to tell you anything until you're healed and in my office for instruction. Now, lets have a look at those burns."
The burns, it turned out, were improving, but still needed time to heal. Tofu had noticed, and was pleased, that Ranma was once again able to accelerate his healing with his small reserves of green ki. He hadn't mentioned this to Ranma yet, as Ranma's body and mind had a long way to go before he would be comfortable risking another case of ki burn on Ranma's part. He just knew Ranma would try to draw green ki from the Chinese jungles or even Mount Fuji if given even a hint of what was going on. Tofu had tried to be subtle with his healing skills, using pressure points and lots of kneading to hide his skills. Even so, he was sure that Ranma would feel something, and just had to hope he wouldn't kill himself before he could get some instruction.
Well, maybe not, the massage had apparently been the straw that broke the horse's back. Ranma snored on the futon, oblivious to the world, so long as said world meant him no harm. Tofu could feel a part of Ranma's mind still active, watching, waiting. Another of Mr Saotome's poorly thought out techniques that Tofu would have to fix. He really should be getting paid for this. Maybe seeing Saotome Genma being brought up on charges of child abuse would be fitting restitution for his efforts; however, seeing Ranma and some of his friends ascend to godhood would make this it all worth it.
A change was coming, a change to the very fabric of the universe, to all universes, but to this universe especially. Most realities are linked, feeding energy and matter across the fullness of a sort of "all-verse". Through death and rebirth, men and women drift amongst the stuff between worlds. Not so with the people of this reality. There are stories. Some about an apple and a snake. Some about the bastard child of a lonely goddess. Some about turtles, and clay sculptures. What it boiled down too, was that in your average plane only one in a million would hold the spark of potential. In this lonely world, that spark had proven to be quite common. The spark that would open doors across worlds, open ones eyes to new dimensions of space and time. the spark of godhood. The spark of a Planeswalker. Earth was literally a cage binding billions of young gods and goddesses. Each one living and dieing without knowing their true potential, or the real state of the multiverse. They were about to see the truth.
Interesting times.