DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranma or any of the other series here. This is simply fanfiction.
Chapter One
!!SPECIAL EFFECTS!! "THOUGHTS"
FLASHBACK SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO: At the Juuban hospital. "You have a boy, Mrs. Saotome," the doctor explained. "You have a girl too. Your son is healthy but your daughter is not so well."
"Aaah." Ranko's spirit left her own body and joined itself to Ranma's, being sublimated in him.
"Your son is fine, Mrs. Saotome. But your daughter has passed away," the doctor said looking over at Ranko's unmoving body.
"Let me see my daughter," Nodoka requested.
"Even though she has passed away I am naming her Ranko. You, I'm calling Ranma," Nodoka said to her son. "Don't forget your sister, Ranma. I have a feeling we will see her again someday. I'll know her when I see her. Of that I'm certain."
In the upcoming weeks Nodoka had kept her supposedly dead daughter in mind. "I've had so many dreams in which I tended to my departed daughter, Ranko. It's all so strange. I obviously miss her a lot, but I'll have to get over it. The grief I'm suffering might well drive me mad if I'm not careful."
XXX
THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: "Wow! I had so much fun with Agatha from America! The milk and cookies she made for me in her dreams were so good! It's too bad she had to die though. She was so much like a grandmother to me, so lonely in that hospital bed. I'm glad to have made her last days so happy," the little girl, Ranko, thought to herself as she traveled to and fro in the dreamscape.
"I think I'll visit my mother again but she seems to be in a lot of pain whenever I try to see her. Daddy wants nothing to do with me. He's never even acknowledged my existence! That makes me so sad. Sniff! I'll just go talk to Ranma. He's always fairly nice to me."
"Hi, Ranma. It's me your sister, Ranko."
"Oh, yeah. Hi."
"You still training to be a martial artist?"
"That''s right. I'm going to be the best!"
"You're getting there, Ranma. I've seen you train while you were awake."
"Good. Let's spar."
"Genma!"
"Yes, dear."
"What exactly are you teaching Ranma?"
"Anything Goes. Just like I told you. Right now he's just learning the basics along with acrobatics and breakfall skills. The last two complimentary skills Ranma has been learning from before he could walk. Those skills have to be learned right away."
"I'm not worried about his acrobatic training. It's this."
What's the matter?"
"Come in here and look."
"So what's the big... What?"
"Do you see that? He's practically fighting in his sleep. I'm not so sure if that's such a good thing. Maybe you should take it easy on him when you train him."
"There's nothing wrong with him practicing in his sleep, Nodoka. In fact I'm pleased to see this. It's like he's sparring with someone. The more he trains the better." "I need to get Ranma away on a training trip. Nodoka just doesn't understand that Ranma must eat, drink and sleep martial arts if he's going to be the best. My training techniques are obviously working better than expected but to be even more effective I have to get the child away from his coddling mother. I'll just have to take him away. As soon as I've figured out where my son and I will travel I'll talk his mother into letting us go. It's for the art after all. Heh. Heh."
XXX
TWELVE YEARS AGO: "Looks like Mom and Dad are arguing again. I wonder why they're at it now."
"Ranma needs to be a great martial artist. So I need to do everything I can to train him to be the best. That means taking him on a training trip. I don't know how long this trip will be but..."
"No! It's bad enough my daughter is gone from me. But I won't allow you to take my son from me!"
"Nodoka, it's for the art."
"I don't like the idea of you just leaving away with him. What am I supposed to do?"
"You want him to become a real man when he grows up, don't you?"
"I do. But what guarantee do I have that he'll be a man among men?"
"Well. How about if I swear to make Ranma a man among men?"
Nodoka demurred for a moment. "All right. But if he doesn't become a man among men both of you will commit seppuku. Do we have an agreement?"
"Gulp! All right. What are you doing?"
"I'm writing up a contract. Both you and Ranma will have to sign it."
"How will Ranma sign it? He hardly knows how to write."
"All I need is his hand print. Ranma! Come here!"
"Yes, Mama?" the wide eyed little boy said innocently, running towards her happily.
"I want you to put your hand print on this paper. It says you promise to become a man among men on pain of death. All right, Ranma?"
"OK."
"Don't sign it, Ranma. No!" Ranko screamed, nobody hearing her. "I'm going to have to do everything I can to help Ranma. But right now. I think I'll visit Myrrh from Joketsuzoku. She's always so nice to me."
XXX
ELEVEN YEARS AGO: "I had so much fun playing dolls with Clarence! The doll house and clothes he made in his dreams were so pretty. He really knew what he was doing," Ranko thought to herself in her astral form as she floated around Japan.
"What's going on over there?"
"You're a wimp just like a thought, Kumo," Hayao Toma said with arrogance. "Your family is the lowest of the all the families in Tokyo, heck in all of Japan," Hayao said as he struck him. "And your martial arts is a joke."
"That arrogant jerk and his friends are a bunch of bullies, beating up on that one kid. I thought the big guy with the reddish brown hair was cute but he's so mean."
Despite the beating he had taken, Kumo responded to Hayao. "You guys out numbered me ten to one. I did all right considering the odds against me."
"Did I say you could speak, wimp?" !!CRACK!! "Keep holding him up. boys!
"Ooh, my head," Kumo moaned.
"You know why your family is low? Because I say it is." Then he knocked the little boy to the ground. "You couldn't beat me one on one anyway." After this he and the students of his father's dojo left.
Kumo Gobancho eventually got up and limped his way home. "I'm such a loser. What can I do? I wish I had never been born!" As soon as he got home he went straight to his room where he cried himself to sleep.
XXX
Later that night in Kumo's dreams, he had a visitor. "Hi, Kumo, my name is Ranko," she greeted him. "I saw what happened earlier today."
"You mean you saw what a pathetic weakling I was and how bad my martial arts was," Kumo retorted sadly.
"Oh, come on, you weren't that bad. But your martial arts need a lot of work. I can help you train; I know a style called Anything Goes. I'll train you in it. I know some other things as well. We'll have you fighting like a master in no time," Ranko said confidently.
"Can I really become that good? I've never been anywhere near that good."
"Of course you can with my help."
"How can you help me? You're a figment of my imagination," Kumo answered back.
"If you change your mind you're the first in line, because now I'm free, take a chance on me. I'll help you train and be a better guy. Help you get stronger and maybe fly," Ranko sang. "So what you say Kumo?"
"All right."
XXX
YEARS LATER: "I'm proud of you son. You managed to come back from humiliating defeats and win the tournament. Your martial arts have improved remarkably," Baki Gobancho said. "But who is this Ranko person you have been talking about in your sleep?"
"She's my girlfriend, Dad! She's the one who's been training me in my dreams. She's helped me out a lot. She's even helped me with my schoolwork."
"Look Kumo, aren't you a little old for imaginary friends? Or is she just the girl of your dreams? I know you have had problems getting a date. But that will change now that you're a much more successful martial artist."
"She's not imaginary, Dad. She..."
"Oh never mind, Kumo," Baki relented. "It's good that my son isn't a weakling anymore and he'll probably get over this dreamgirl of his in due time. But what's even more important is that the number of students in our dojo has grown with each victory."
In the shadows stood a very old man, Toru Gobancho. "Kumo has improved. Maybe he's strong enough to endure the brutal training of Gobancho Kenpo."
"My son, Mutsujyu was more interested in Chinese cooking the the martial arts, even if he used what I taught him to become a more skilled chef. My grandson, Baki, gave a great deal of effort but could not handle the full brutal training of Gobancho Kenpo, even though he's a skilled martial artist in his own right. Do I dare hope my great-grandson has what it takes to endure the full training of the art? If he's willing and able this dreamgirl of his is easily tolerated."
XXX
A FEW DAYS LATER: "Yeah!" Kumo shouted for joy on his way to school, leaping over fences and atop of houses. "Ranko was so wonderful last night! I never thought a girl could make me so happy! Not only has she improved my martial arts but she's so good to me. I'm not sure I even want a girlfriend in real life!"
After landing on the ground, he was about to start a sprint until someone barred his path. "What do you want, Hayao?!"
"I can't believe you beat me in that last tournament Kumo," Hayao Toma spat out with contempt. "But I'll kick your ass right here and now."
"Oh really, Hayao? You and what army?" Kumo answered back confidently.
"Me and this army." Hayao said, backed up by fifty or so guys.
"Gasp! You really do have an army behind you. But that doesn't matter. I won't back down."
"You embarrassed me at that last tournament, Kumo. I'm not going to let it go. I mean that. I'm not going to let it go."
"Where did you get these guys from? They're not all martial artists!"
"These are just friends of mine who work on the street for the mafia. Some of them find your sisters really hot. After they're through having fun with them, they're going to sell them into a slavery ring on the black market."
"What?!"
"You heard me. Your mom's kind of hot too but old chicks don't sell as well on the black market. I'll let the lesser guys in my crew have her."
"NO!"
"After my friends and I have destroyed you, it's gonna happen. What are you gonna do about it?! Attack!" Kumo dodged an attack here and there, blocking as was needed. Then at the right moment, he counterattacked, spinning at super speed while attacking with a flurry of punches and kicks, using the momentum from the spin to add to the power of the blows. Many of his opponents were taken out but some got hits in.
"Ungh!"
"I got him. He's going down!" a thug said.
"Keep on him! We're beat him down eventually!"
"He's out of it!" another called out.
"Hold him down!" Hayao ordered. !!POW!!CRUNCH!!CRACK!!
"Ungh!" Kumo moaned as he bled.
"Don't slit his throat just yet, Yusuke. I want him to suffer. I always knew you were weak, Kumo. You just got lucky at the last tournament. Well, you are out of luck now."
!!WOOOOO!!WOOOOO!! "Shoot, it's the cops! We gotta get out of here! Guys, let's go!" Hayao yelled as he and crew left, the more conscious ones helping the less conscious ones.
"I must act now." Toru Gobancho walked towards Kumo's prone, barely moving and battered form, taking note of his fatal injuries."I have to get him to the inter-dimensional point and hope he's capable of making the journey."
XXX
"Kumo, wake up."
"Where am I?"
"We're in the wilderness. Look, Kumo. You are dying. I did what I could to buy you more time, but you are gravely injured and a hospital can't help you now. Your only hope is to go through this dimensional doorway where you will live a whole different life. You will come back stronger and faster but you must have the ability to traverse alternate universes at least once. Most people can't do that. I hope you can," Toru said gravely.
"What, Great Grandfather? What are you talking about? Dimensional travel? That's preposterous," Kumo said weakly.
"Preposterous? Someone who is in love with someone that does not exist should not be so unbelieving. This is your only hope. I will help you but you must go through this point," Toru said as he pointed at a near by cave opening. "If you make it through you'll live a life there. When you come back hardly any time will have passed. After that I can train you in the full Gobancho Kenpo," Toru explained.
"All right," Kumo assented as Toru helped him up and walked him to the opening of the cave and gently pushed him through.
"It worked," Toru said with relief as the cave opening glowed while Kumo vanished.
As if no time had passed, Kumo returned from where he had just went through, much changed. He was now six feet tall, weighing 200 pounds. He looked somewhat like Conan the barbarian except he had less bulk and more muscular definition. His hair was a long, bluish black. He looked so good to the point he would not be out of place on the cover of a romance or sword and sorcery novel.
"This is exactly what I always wanted to look like! This is what I looked like in my dreams when I make love to Ranko," Kumo said as he looked at his reflection in the water. He was still recognizable but he was very different, being a lot stronger and more agile as well.
"There is no time for you to admire your pretty reflection. Your training begins now!" the old man commanded.
"Yes, Great Grandfather," Kumo answered.
XXX
During this time Ranko had traveled the dreamscape and entered the dreams of many other people in addition to the people she had met with previously, having had relationships with some of guys in whose dreams she entered. At one point she was with a young man who could see in the future. He was round headed and somewhat handsome. After they had love to each other he told her some things.
"I've foreseen that one day you will have a body in the real world," he explained. "But before that happens your brother, Ranma, will go to a place called Jusenkyo and be cursed to turn into a girl when hit with cold water; hot water will turn him back into a man again. He will search for a cure frantically but won't find one."
"Really, my own body?" Ranko asked."That would be great. But does this have anything to do with Ranma being cursed to turn into a girl when hit with cold water?"
"Yes it does," Charlie said. "A guy you know named Kumo has a great-grandfather who will be able to help you and your brother. He will teach you something called merge-separate or something like that. He will also help you and your brother with your fear of cats."
"C-c-c-cats?" Ranko stammered. "Oh yeah, well that would be nice if we could conquer that problem. But how does Ranma figure into all this?"
"Eventually, a year after his curse a samurai with psychic powers will attack your brother. This guy's psychic powers will probably kill Ranma and indirectly kill you too unless I teach you how to build up your mental defenses and heal Ranma's mind after it has been almost decimated. After that point, you will have to take over; Ranma will then be in the dreamscape."
"But Ranma tends to dismiss me as a dream. It's impossible for me to tell him anything. The fact that our father teaches him to despise women doesn't help much," Ranko related.
"Once Ranma finds himself in the dreamscape he will have to deal with you. He will probably figure out who you are by then. Inform him of the fact that he can be cured and he will cooperate. You can then direct him to Mr. Gobancho who will train Ranma in what he needs to know. After that both you and Ranma will have the bodies you want."
"But do you want to train me in psychic defenses even though I will probably be with Kumo after all this?" Ranko asked.
"I knew that you would be with him eventually. I'm OK with that. Besides, I still would like to get that red headed girl. These dreams are nice but I would like to get the real thing," Charlie said, blushing. "Um, no offence Ranko"
Ranko smiled at him. "None taken, Charlie. I'll do whatever I can to help you with that red headed girl. I might find some things out about her that will give you an advantage. And you can train me in what I need to know to help Ranma and myself to deal with this psychic samurai. So do we have a deal?"
"Yes," Charlie answered nodding happily.
XXX
"Huff! Huff! "This is the hardest I've ever worked in my life including the life I had as Spider-Man! I didn't think I needed to learn how to take a beating since I normally avoided getting hit but I think the way things work in this universe is different to the point where dodging for ever and not getting hit isn't as easy. I guess gung fu and iron skin are good things to learn. The tai chi I learned wasn't all too different from the katas I learned from Ranko and the speed hitting was no problem at all."
"The acrobatics and breakfall skills were pretty easy for me to do since my agility was super human to begin with but despite all that I've still learned enough to increase my agility and reaction time. Learning contortionism wasn't so easy but I've learned how to do that. My great-grandfather told me that contortionism would help to escape holds that I might not be able to escape otherwise."
"You're doing fine, Kumo. Your endurance was a lot greater than what it was when you left."
"I thought it was greater too, Great-Grandfather."
"It is a lot greater. That's why you can handle the full training whereas most people can't. I barely was able to do it myself. As it was it almost killed me. But keep up the good work. There isn't a whole lot of time so I've seen to it that you've trained with very little rest. You're strong; you can handle it."
"I won't slack off but I don't understand why I needed to learn so many other martial arts on top of Gobancho Kempo which was difficult to learn," the young man said.
"Normally the family's art would be enough but I wanted to make sure you could handle the various fighting styles on the planet. I felt that American boxing and Thai kickboxing would help to further your ability to go toe to toe. Something at which you weren't too skilled when you returned."
"The jiu jitsu and Greco-Roman wrestling I had you learn was to help increase the grappling skills you learned in our family's style. Many fights end up on the ground. Because you like to leap high into the air it was very important you learned to fight on the ground."
"I guess I understand all that, but what was the purpose of the tae kwon do and wing chun kung fu?"
"The wing chun works well with boxing as it the kicks tend to be low, helping you as you fight toe to toe. The tae kwon do was to give you knowledge of a Korean martial art. I want our art to encompass arts and fighting styles all around the world. I also wanted you to know dirty infighting and commando training because these fighting styles are unorthodox."
"You sure had a lot of different people training me."
"That's right. I want you to be the best you can be. That's also why I increased the intensity of your karate and aikido which are the main components of Gobancho Kempo. I'm not sure how why the ki blasts you've learned to do are so much like venom and webbing but they'll do. In time you'll merge all of what I and the others have taught you into an invincible fighting style."
"I understand, Great-Grandfather. The fighting experience I got from the other universe I inhabited will help this as well. What Ranko has taught me has been very helpful in learning these other arts and fighting styles all the more quickly. I would have never been this good without her."
"Kumo, who is this Ranko person?" Toru Gobancho asked with a sense of grave seriousness. "I've heard you say her name in your sleep. Is she the dreamgirl I have heard so much about?"
"Well Great-Grandfather, she's real enough in my dreams," Kumo said rather embarrassed. "In addition to helping me in my training she has helped me in many other ways as well."
"I was wondering, Kumo. Have you been with any women in the real world?"
"Yes. Ranko taught me how to do that as well. She was never mad or jealous. Since she only visited me only every so often she didn't feel she had any right to exclusivity. But those other girls could not compete with Ranko. Maybe because Ranko is the girl of my dreams she's an unparalleled paragon," Kumo answered.
"How about the other universe you were in? the elder Gobancho asked. "Did you have any women there?"
"There I was an all together different person, an American superhero. I never even thought of my life here while I was there. I had a few women there but I eventually got married. I had a lot of emotional problems and problems of conscious. To tell the truth, I was quite self righteous," Kumo answered.
"All right. We've talked enough. Let's get back to work!"
XXX
"Whom should I visit today? Hmm. I've already visited so many chefs who have taught me so much about cooking. Some of these people can teach cooking in their sleep and so they have! Giggle! It's high time I visit Kumo's grandfather, Mutsujyu Gobancho. From what some of the other chefs told me he's the greatest Chinese food chef in all of Japan. If I tell him I'm Kumo's dream lover he might be willing to teach me how to cook Chinese food. I know a little about Chinese cooking and a lot about other cooking styles. That guy from London notwithstanding. Man that guy was mean! Anyway. Here I am. Good. He's asleep."
!!KNOCK!!KNOCK!!KNOCK!! "Hello in there! Is anybody home?!"
"Who are you, little girl?" a bald man with a moustache who was unusually, muscular for his old age asked, bewildered as he opened the door.
"I'd like to learn how to cook Chinese food from you, Mr. Gobancho."
"I find it strange talking to someone in my dreams. But why should I teach you anything? And who are you?"
"My name is Ranko Saotome. I'm your grandson, Kumo Gobancho's dreamgirl. One day I'll live in the flesh and love world. But in the mean time I'd like to learn how to cook really well for him. Since we're inhabiting your dream, I'll be able to learn how to cook a lot faster than in the real world."
"Well, I'd be happy to help you, Ranko. But I don't have long to live due to my current illness."
"What illness do you have? I travel all over the dreamscape. It's possible I might discover a cure."
"My organs are simply giving out little by little. I don't see how you can help me, child."
"Just give me a chance, Mr. Gobancho. It would be a horrible blow to the culinary world for you to pass away. I'll be back with a cure before you know it."
"Well, Ranko. If you succeed in bringing me a cure I will surely teach you how to cook Chinese food. How much cooking do you know?"
"I know a lot. I even learned how to cook from an old guy named Akiyama but after a few months he lost his temper with me and told me never to bother him again."
"Ah, yes. I know that guy. He's a friend of mine. How is he?"
"He's not doing too well."
"All right. Come back with a cure as soon as possible. Farewell, Ranko."
XXX
"Now, it's time to find that weird doctor. What was his name again? Blackjack! That was it! Now all I have to do is get him to tell me a cure for Mr. Gobancho's ailment."
!!KNOCK!!KNOCK!!KNOCK!! "Who's there?!"
"My name is Ranko Saotome!"
"What do you want?" the man with long white hair and a tan patch over his face asked, not liking his dreams being disturbed.
"A friend of mine's inner organs are failing him despite the fact he looks in perfect health. He really needs a cure and I heard that you can come up with cures almost magically. Won't you tell me how he can get better?"
"No. Not really. I charge very high fees for my services. I know this a dream but despite all that I would still charge you a lot of money even for any advice."
Ranko demurred for a moment. "This guy's like Nabiki." "Is there anything you'd like to know? During the day I float around in an astral form."
"You mean like an out of body experience?" the weird doctor asked.
"Well, yes. But to tell the truth I haven't had an in body experience since the day I was born."
"Hmm. I'd like you to tell me all about how you've been living all this time. That might help me in my practice."
"Will you then tell me how to cure my friend?"
"I'll think of something."
XXX
At the end of his training, Kumo met with his family. He had managed to figure out how to water down the full Gobancho Kempo a little bit so they could learn it. Kumo's parents, younger sisters and younger brother were then able to train in the style. They had already been training in the style for all of their lives but not to the extent they learned after Kumo had finished training under Toru Gobancho, his great-grandfather. Kumo's father then created an even more watered down style that was less brutal and dangerous but more effective than what their students had been learning up until that time.
"There's a good way to advertise the Gobancho Dojo, Kumo. You can participate in the upcoming Street Fighter Tournament."
"The Street Fighter Tournament?! I don't know about that, Father."
"Now hear me out., Kumo. You wouldn't have to win it. You only have to do well. Just make sure you tell everyone that your style is Gobancho Kenpo," his father explained.
"I think I can do well," Kumo replied. "But the fighters there are not just skilled but very powerful as well. Some of these fighters can destroy small mountains."
"You are strong enough to do the same, Kumo. And from what you've told me you have a great deal of experience in combat with powerful opponents. In fact didn't you tell me you beat a guy named Firelord who was far more powerful than you were when you were in that other universe?" Toru Gobancho asked. "And don't forget, with the training I put you through you are even stronger and tougher now."
"Well, yeah, but sometimes in that universe I got really lucky; sometimes I got unlucky and got beat up by someone a lot weaker than me. That's not the case here. But as things are I have a good chance of a victory. I want to study all the other fighters and their techniques so I know what they are capable of," Kumo said with determination.
"That's the spirit son!" his father, Baki, said. "But what's this about another universe?"
"Oh never mind, Dad. It was part of the brutal training Great Grandfather put me through," Kumo said somewhat truthfully.
"It's good you want to know ahead of time what your opponents are capable of," his mother, Nakako, said warmly. "Do be careful. Don't take any unnecessary risks."
"No problem, Mom. I'll do what I need to do. I'm planning to win this tournament and going all the way," Kumo announced with a new surge of confidence.
XXX
ONE YEAR AGO: "You did it, Son," Baki Gobancho said. "You won the Street Fighter Tournament. The other fighters were unusually skilled and powerful. But you managed to become champion. I am very proud of you."
"I am proud of you too, Kumo," his mother, Nakako, said warmly. "I was concerned when you got hit with those dragon punches from Ken and then from Ryu. But I'm glad you came through without being seriously hurt."
"You have gone beyond my hopes, Kumo," Toru Gobancho said. "I didn't think you would have had this much success. All that training I put you through has really paid off. You even managed to figure out how to lessen the brutality of the training so that people less able to endure what you could, would be able to learn the art."
"Thanks, everybody. I'm glad to have won the championship and made all of you proud of me." "I wonder when I'll get to see Ranko again. It's been so long. I've had so many other women throw themselves at me but none of them could compete with Ranko. I love her!"
At that point, Ryu Hoshi walked into the room, "Congratulations, Kumo Gobancho. I was surprised that you defeated me when you were an unknown fighter that came out of nowhere. I will simply have to train harder and not underestimate unknown fighters. But keep this in mind. Now that you are the champion, fighters will challenge you. Some won't announce themselves and will try to surprise attack you; I know this to be true. You have also aroused the wrath of M. Bison. So good luck. I'll be sure to beat you at the next Street Fighter Tournament. Good-bye." With that said he left.
"Wow!" Kumo's younger brother said excitedly. "That was Ryu Hoshi. He's won the Street Fighter Tournament three times in a row. Do you think you'll win that many times Kumo?"
"I don't think I'll be participating in the next tournament, Ishio. I proved the worth of Gobancho Kempo so I don't really need to do it again."
"Are you still thinking of Ranko, Kumo?" Toru Gobancho asked. "I may be able to help her. I can't promise anything. But if you send her to my dreams I might be able to come up with something."
"You still believe this dream girl exists?" Nakako asked incredulously. "I thought you would have been over this by now!" Then she looked at Toru. "Why feed into his fantasies?"
"I believe she is real. During the time when I was training Kumo, he spoke her name in his sleep. When this happened I sensed someone else was there. Now did you say she had a fear of cats, Kumo?"
"Yes, Great Grandfather, her brother who is her link to the real world went through the nekoken training and developed a fear of cats. So Ranko has the same fear," Kumo explained.
"Their father should not have put him through that but I know how to train someone to master the nekoken fully. I'll put Ranko through this training. Eventually I'd like to train her brother as well. The nekoken is very dangerous. It's important that anyone who has been trained in it master it completely."
"Will we get to see this Ranko?" Ishio asked with interest. "What does she look like? Is she beautiful, sexy or stacked?"
"Ishio!" his older, fraternal twin sisters, Kei and Yuri said in unison. "You shouldn't say things like that. That's so perverted."
"Really? The way the two of you dress, especially at any swimming pool or the beach, you shouldn't be judging me," Ishio answered back.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"All right kids no more arguing that's enough," their mother said, putting an end to the argument.
XXX
Later that night in Kumo's dreams he met Ranko there. "I've missed you," Kumo said as he held her in his arms. Then he picked her up, took her to a bed and made love to her.
An hour later. "You won that Street Fighter Tournament, Kumo. I saw the last fight with Bison. He was tough but you beat him. I'm so happy for you," she said to him as she lay on top of him, looking down on him.
"It was a great victory but it wasn't as good as being with you," Kumo said. "Even if it's only in my dreams, I don't care anymore. I love you. We'll find some way of getting you in the real world."
Ranko smiled after hearing this. "I feel same way about you, Kumo. But there's hope." She then told him what Charlie had told her about her brother getting cursed and how she would get to live in the real world.
"How do you know this guy is accurate?" Kumo asked hopefully. "He may not have known what he was talking about."
"He was accurate about my brother being cursed. My brother did go to Jusenkyo and got cursed to turn into a girl who looks a lot like me except she's a lot shorter. Daddy also got cursed to turn into a panda. They turn back into their normal forms with hot water while cold water reactivates the curse," Ranko explained.
"Why did they go to Jusenkyo in the first place?" Kumo asked. "And were you able to talk to Ranma to tell him what else was going on?"
"My father took Ranma on a training trip to make him a better martial artist, training him in Anything Goes. That's what I trained you in. No, Ranma normally dismisses me as a silly dream. Now, since he turns into girl that looks like me, he is really repulsed by me."
"So what happened after that?" Kumo asked. "Did anything else bad happen to Ranma or his father after they were cursed?"
"Yeah. They entered the land of the amazons. I have been there in astral form so I know some things about them. I tried again to talk to Ranma to warn him away from the amazons. But Ranma wouldn't hear me. He ended up beating up their champion and got the kiss of death."
"What happened after that?" Kumo asked. "Did this amazon harm Ranma?"
"No, Ranma and Daddy hightailed it out of there. The amazon chased after them and still is trying to hunt them down. As soon they escaped her they made their way back to Japan to the home of Soun Tendo, a good friend of his. In order to merge the schools Ranma's supposed to marry one of Soun Tendo's daughters."
"Should I go there, talk to Ranma and tell him what's going on?" Kumo asked with concern.
"No. You showing up there would just further complicate things. I doubt Ranma would believe you anyhow. Ranma's a tough survivor. He'll be okay until he needs me. I've also been told that about a year from now a psychic samurai will attack my brother, attempting to kill him with a psychic attack. He'll succeed if not for the fact of me being ready for him. A friend of mine taught me how to heal Ranma of the damage he'll take and resist this would be assassin's psychic attacks."
"There's one more thing," Kumo said. "My great-grandfather says he thinks he might be able to help you get a body in the real world. And also help you both with your fear of cats."
"C-c-cats?!" Ranko shook with dread.
"It's OK, Ranko. I'm here for you," Kumo consoled the frightened young girl. "My great-grandfather wants you to visit him in his dreams so he can train you to master the nekoken fully," Kumo answered.
"Bingo! Charlie also told me that your great-grandfather would be able to help me and Ranma. Things are going to work out just fine," Ranko said happily. "But there's one thing I need you to do for me."
"What's that?"
"Are you a good swimmer?"
"I do OK."
"How long can you hold you breath?"
"For a pretty long time. Why do you ask?
"At the bottom of the ocean near Japan is a substance called Dragon Tears. It will help to heal your grandfather, Mutsujyu Gobancho. His organs are deteriorating and will die if he doesn't get that substance."
"Who told you that?"
"A very unorthodox doctor called Blackjack. That substance is your grandfather's only hope. The problem is it's at the bottom of the ocean. I know you're tough, Kumo but could you survive the pressure at the bottom of the ocean?"
"I've been able to take a lot of pressure under water in the past and I'm a whole lot tougher now but I'm not sure if I can handle that much pressure. Do you know where this substance is located?"
"The closet amount is near the Tokyo coast right at the beach, not too far from here. It would be a lot easier for you if I teach you how to fly."
"Flying, Ranko?"
"Yes. It's a lot easier than what you've been doing, Kumo. If you can fire off ki blasts, you can surely fly. Let's get started."
"All right. But let me hold you in my arms for a little longer. Please?" the handsome young man pleaded, caressing her back gently.
"Oh, Kumo," Ranko gushed.
XXX
AUTHOR'S NOTES: If you didn't guess by now, Kumo was Spider-man/Peter Parker in that other universe he was in. This was the original Spider-man not the new Ultimate Spider-man. He maintained all the powers and skills he got as Spider-man plus his own. And the training he went through made him stronger, tougher and more durable. Also Hayao Toma was a Japanese version of Flash Thompson.
As for the Street fighter tournament and what went on there, I might write a whole new fanfic story for that. Most of the Gobanchos I've made up, but Mutsujyu Gobancho who was the master chef is a character from Iron Wok Jan. It's a great manga. The main character is Jan Akiyama who believes cooking is about winning and sees cooking as a fight. You'll be seeing him in this story soon enough.
Charlie is a parody of Charlie Brown. I wanted to see him get some even if it was only in his dreams. Until next time.