Ranma ½: The Wild Gene

Disclaimer: The following is a fan written parody. Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Media, Studio Deen, Shogakukan and Madman Entertainment. X-men Evolution belongs to Marty Isenberg, Robert N. Skir, David Wise, probably also to Marvel Comics, Marvel Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company. Other IP used have their respective owners as well, I do not own characters and events and they are used without permission. Support the official release, and don't sue me.

[Author Notes:

This is a Ranma + X-Men Evolution fanfic. Ranma is a mutant in this one, although he displays different powers in his two forms. This is Ranma joins X-men, but with a twist fanfic.

Warning: This fanfic changes Ranma's priorities, way of thinking and approach to life in an extreme way. Ranma will act and perform deeds that would be heavily OOC to canon Ranma. He will also act and do things that are cruel or outright evil and wrong. Some of story themes include sexual identity, clash of philosophies, how far can one go for the cause, betrayal and cooking.

Timeline information, happens towards the end of manga, but before the Saffron arc.]

"A single drop can spill the cup. But sometimes the cup shatters."

Prologue

The Shattered Cup

It wasn't like he owned it, but this was his place. The only one where he could do some thinking. Even if for a short while. One of the fiancees would find him soon enough. Ryoga was bound to jump out of nowhere and challenge him. Or the old ghoul would start another 'Marry Shampoo' scheme. But for a short while Ranma Saotome could just sit here, under the bridge and look on the passing water. Peace was a rare luxury for the boy. There were days when he had enough of it. The constant chaos his life was.

He had this stupid curse that turned him into a girl every time he got splashed with cold water. He was engaged to one abusive uncute chick. The boy sighed, what choice did he have, after all it was his duty.

"Water passing under a bridge..." He heard a voice behind and turned around to see Dr. Tofu. He couldn't feel his approach. The chiropractor was a very good martial artist and Ranma couldn't mask his presence as well as him, even with Umi-Sen Ken "...is a pretty good allegory to existence. Time is like a water passing under and we are standing on a bridge called life. We should keep looking forward, for the future is the one we can change and look back only to learn from our mistakes."

"Thanks." He smirked "Nothing like deep zen stuff on a hard day."

"You're having a hard day ?" He sat next to Ranma, holding an envelope in his hand "Let me guess, Akane ?"

"Yeah..." He moved his jaw a bit, it still hurt "I don't really understand her... One minute she's all nice, the next she launches me into a low orbit..."

"As much as I would want to help, matters of the heart are not my specialty and my own experience with this kind of problems is far from stellar." They both laughed "Anyway, you weren't home and I wanted to give you this." He handed the envelope to the young martial artist "The results of your hormonal examination. After all you're spending so much time as a girl I was worried there might be some problems."

"Found any ?" Ranma dropped his usual mask of a dumb jock for a while "That constant changing of genders can't be really healthy."

"Well..." Some while ago he had seen through Ranma. The usual dumb jock was just a facade. Behind it was a keen mind. Anything Goes Martial Arts was style of adaptation... and deception "...it looks like your curse knows how to handle itself. Your balance is perfect, no matter the form, it looks like the magic of Jusenkyo can alter hormone levels very well. But the examination found something else. There is something odd in your body, something either I, or the doctors haven't seen before. It doesn't look like a big problem and doesn't seem to present any risk to your health."

"Great, Doc..." Ranma rolled his eyes, like he had enough of problems "...so what's the situation ?"

"As I say, we don't know what the problem really is if it is a one at all." Tofu said "As for the normal results. You need to maintain balance Ranma. For your body to develop properly you will need to spend some time a girl every day. Without doing it you will stunt your growth in the cursed body and it will also have an effect on your normal body. But don't go overboard. There is a risk that comes with the curse and hormones. If you start to spend too much time as a girl it might start to affect your thinking and behavior, your change is complete, you not only gain a body and plumbing of a girl but also the wiring."

"So If I don't change into a girl for some time It's bad for my health, but If I change too much I risk a shift into being more female, that's it ?" How the kami this could be so complicated.

"There is little risk in changing for an hour or two every day, but spending a month as a girl almost nonstop is not wise, but since I don't imagine you would do it, unless the survival of the whole species would depend on it, I don't really think it is going to be a problem." Tofu threw a stone into the water "I'm going to leave Nerima for a while. I'm going to visit my master and I'll be gone for about six months. For now it's goodbye, Ranma."

"See you again, Doc." He rose up and bowed to him "Have a nice training trip. I should start going. I have private English lessons with Miss Hinako."

XXX

A week later.

"...that will be all for today, Ranma" Miss Hinako said in English "You're getting much better with every lesson. Once you put your mind to something you're really good at it. You already could easily travel to USA and wouldn't have any problems."

"I'm really enjoying these lessons, Hinako-sensei." Anyone who knew Ranma and his approach to academics would be surprised. But Miss Hinako had a good point when she proposed private tutoring. Learning foreign languages had a purpose, the next time someone would try warn him about cursed springs he would understand it "See you next week."

He started to go to Tendo's. Funny even after staying for so long he still couldn't name it home. He slept there, have eaten there, but for some reason he still felt like a guest. Perhaps he would never get accustomed to thinking about it as home...

He was engaged to Akane... He even liked her, a bit. She could be so cute when she wanted too. Sadly she was angry most of time and acting like a tomboy. Every time they got even a tad closer their fathers would pull another stupid 'get our children together' scheme, that would send them apart again.

They were a weird bunch. He saved them, the dojo, he fought for them so many times. Yet the Tendo's treated him like a dumb jock.

Every time it happened it felt like another drop, falling into a cup. There is only a finite amount it could hold...

"I'm home." He shouted as he entered the house, removing his shoes and picking up slippers. The boy went towards the living room, where Nabiki gave him something.

"What's that ?" He asked, holding some kind of a list.

"That's the list of clubs that I have rented you too." She said, like it was obvious "You're rented to archery club for tomorrow. Art club on Wednesday and soccer club the whole next week. I'm getting two thousand yen an hour so..." Another drop went into the cup and it spilled.

Ranma ripped the list into tiny bits, throwing them around. He then walked past the surprised girl, like she was air.

"Saotome !" She shouted angry "Get back here and..."

He turned around, holding one bit of the list in his fingers. A tiny bit of yellow confidence ki flowed through his hand and the paper burned in an instant. Then he went to the dojo leaving the girl behind him.

Akane stormed inside, just a minute later. She found Ranma, sitting in lotus position near one of the walls. He was meditating, but as soon as the short haired girl got closer he opened his eyes.

"Need something..." He said, quietly "...tomboy ?"

"Baka !" She shouted at him "You'll go and apologize to Nabiki right this moment !"

"And if I don't ?" He asked, quietly "Got something planned for such an occasion ?"

She tried to punch him, hard, but he caught her fist. With a single move he was up, twisting the girls hand behind her back, hard, forcing his fiancee to her knees.

"Go and find some one else to use as a punching bag, Akane. I've could catch your every kick or punch, just like that..." He pulled her hand a bit, causing her to hiss with pain "Hurts ? I've thought you'll be more happy. You've always wanted to be treated seriously." He let her go as the girl ran away.

Soun Tendo was the next one to try. But the moment he started to walk towards the dojo someone jumped in front of him.

"Going somewhere, Soun ?" The miniature troll, known as Happosai walked just before him "I wouldn't suggest going in there, boy. A single drop can spill the cup. But sometimes the cup shatters. Give him some time to cool."

"I'm not allowing for this, Master, so move away." He called. Happosai just smiled, Soun was showing some spine. He moved away, starting to count. He got to twelve when he heard the shout "Mōko Takabisha ! " and saw the Tendo patriarch flying out of the dojo.

Happosai went inside himself. He sat before Ranma, pulling his pipe. He started to smoke, waiting for the boy. After ten minutes Ranma finally got bored and asked first.

"Great, now it's the old freak." He was having enough "I guess they asked you to bring me to order ?"

"Nah." He emptied the pipe, filling it a new "I was wondering how much longer you can endure before you snap. I say it's about time."

"Huh ?" That caught Ranma off guard.

"Boy ! How many times did you rescue that girl. How many enemies did you fight on their behalf. How many times did you save this dojo ?" Happosai asked, but did not wait for an answer "What do you get in return ? A spoiled princess for a fiancee ? Akane is even more immature than you. Her idea of a relationship is getting angry because you don't follow her makeup rules. Nabiki can't see past the yen she can get. She misses the big picture and continues to extort you." He drew another portion of smoke from his pipe and send a few circles towards the ceiling "Kasumi is so deeply addicted to the pills she's been taking ever since her mother died, that she only pushes forward, doing her chores in absolute apathy and obliviousness. Soun wants a sensei for his dojo. The only of his daughters that is still practicing in the Art is weak and couldn't teach a duckling how to swim. The house is so mortgaged that the inheritance tax would drive the Tendo family straight into the poor house. So he needs a marriage to happen to give it as a wedding gift and jump around it." The grandmaster watched Ranma's expression as he was revealing the truth to him "Your father ? He is just a lazy bump. All that he has left of ambition is to live of your hard work as you'll be the one to teach at the dojo and he will be the one to sleep, eat and drink. Your mother ? She is as delusional as Kuno. She wants a manly son, but her definition of it is... skewered."

Ranma was just looking on him, silent, slowly getting through all of this. This was something he did not expect of Happosai.

"So this is my question, boy." He emptied his pipe again "Are they really worth your work. Ask yourself, as a heir to the Anything Goes Martial Arts. Are they really worth of your dedication, if they can't show you the respect you're worth ?"

"No." Ranma said, after a few long minutes "But my honor demands that I..."

"Honor ?" Happosai said, interrupting him "Don't you see ? It's how they control you. They honed that sense in you to a fine edge and made it into a leash. Honor is what weak devised to control the strong." He beckoned Ranma to follow him outside, he jumped on the roof and the boy followed.

"You see the city around us ? This is the world in a little pill. The weak are always afraid of the strong. So they plot. Honor, rules, laws, this how they seek to maintain their position. They enslave some of the strong, to make them into guard dogs, that protect them from the other." He moved his hand around "That's what their making you into. A guard dog that will bark and lick their hands for scraps from the table. Just throw the leash away." He turned to Ranma "This is the final lesson a Master of Anything Goes Martial Arts can give to his chosen heir. The strong have the power to take the fate into their own hands. You, boy... You are as strong as they come... So it's time to wake up."

He jumped away, disappearing into the evening.

XXX

The next day morning Ranma did not eat with the rest of the family. His breakfast was given to him in the kitchen. It looked as a way that Kasumi used to show her disapproval. It was like saying behave or... He wanted to laugh, or what ? He could cook himself. He went to school, alone, Akane wasnot coming with him as usual. She ignored him for a whole day and was cold, that was actually fun, whole day at school without the tomboy and her nonsense expectations. Was Akane's behavior supposed to make some effect on him ? So far they were showing him the stick, he waited for a carrot then. Isn't that how you're supposed to tame a wild horse ? That's what their were doing all time, conditioning him to run at their call. Happosai was right.

After getting back home he went straight to his room, only to find his father inside, sitting over a suitcase, full of money.

"Robbed a bank ?" He asked "Or did that fell of a truck ?"

"Oh great you're here, daughter." Genma turned to face his son. The daughter part just threw him off guard "We're rich, we're rich ! Just grab some water and come with me !"

"Sorry, Pops, but you'll need to explain where did you get all that cash first." Ranma was back on guard. This could only mean trouble.

"We're moving out. I found a much better offer than this little engagement to Akane !" Genma picked up the suitcase, there would be at least several million yen inside "Thirty million yen, daughter ! I've just engaged your cursed form to Kuno for all this cash and we are moving..."

Ranma clenched his fists... He must have heard wrong... even his father wouldn't do something like...

"Could you repeat what you just said..." He asked with an edge in his voice, sharp enough to shave.

"I've just got you engaged to the richest family in Nerima !" Genma didn't read the signals correctly "Now your honor demands..."

The cup shattered.

A moment later the wall of the room exploded as Genma landed heavily on the courtyard, Ranma dropped on his father and started to pummel him into the ground, hit after hit. Blood started to appear on his fists as he stood up and threw his old man into the koi pond. He jumped right after and started to strangle the panda, keeping him underwater. His own curse triggered and only the fact that as a busty redhead Ranma wasn't as strong as a boy allowed Akane and Soun to drag her away and save Genma's life.

"Ranma ! Snap out of it !" Akane called to the redhead girl "I don't know what your father did this time, but it's not the reason to act like Ryoga !"

"Think about your honor !" Soun shouted at the redhead girl.

Ranma-chan pushed the short haired girl away and went back to house, upstairs to the guest room. The rest of the house waited, both for the redhead martial artist and for the ambulance that had to be called for Genma.

Once the stocky middle aged martial artist was taken to the hospital, Akane decided that it's time to talk with Ranma and the rest of family. She went to the guest room. She knocked first.

"Ranma... Can I come in ?" There was no answer so she opened the door. There was no one inside. Ranma's stuff, his clothes and backpack were gone. There was only what Genma had, an empty suitcase and a letter. Akane took the letter and went downstairs.

"He's gone... he left this letter..." Her voice was strangely empty.

"What did Ranma write ?" Soun asked. His daughter opened the letter and slowly slumped to her knees, as the piece of paper landed on the floor.

Bie Liao. We'll never meet again.

XXX

A girl walked into the sunset. A classic ending. Or perhaps a typical beginning. The important fact was that those were the outskirts of Nerima. Ranma-chan was leaving her life behind. The sometimes boy, sometimes girl had enough. She wouldn't be controlled ever again. Her destiny was now in her own hands. But it looked like not all elements of her former life were going to give up so easily.

She stopped suddenly, dropping the backpack to the ground and turning around. She sensed their approach. Shampoo and the old ghoul...

Just behind her two people stopped. A young Chinese girl, with long purple hair and a dried up mummy, standing on the top of a heavy staff.

"Shampoo hear what happen." The girl started, she was using some form of a crippled Japanese pidgin "You leave family. Now no obstacles. You come back to China with Shampoo, Shampoo make you very happy husband."

"Not interested." The redhead said. She didn't look at the girl, all time she was watching what the old ghoul was doing, with Shampoo she could deal easily, but Cologne was superior to her "I don't love you. I never did, never will."

The girls hands fell to her sides as she stepped back. She had tears in her eyes.

"Why say you no love Shampoo !" She was starting to cry "Shampoo is cute. Shampoo stronger than Violent Girl, cook better than Spatula Girl. Airen be happy with Shampoo, we have many strong daughters !"

"I have more ambition in my life..." The redhead shouted. She didn't like when girls cried, but the cup was shattered. Ranma no longer cared. Only weak cry, to control the strong "..than being a breeding material ! I'm not going anywhere with you, just to become another nameless male in your village."

"Accept your place in the grand scheme, son-in-law." The old ghoul finally spoke "Come to China as Shampoo's husband. Your curse will be cured and you'll have a happy and fulfilling life."

"No thanks." The redhead was preparing for combat. She knew that was not an offer, it was an order.

The old ghoul lashed at the petite girl, but she was ready to dodge. The combat began in full. Cologne soon discovered that something has changed. Ranma always held back, never fought to his full, unless he was protecting someone. But right now the redhead girl was no longer holding her punches nor kicks, she was going all out. For indeed this time Ranma fought to protect his own fate. She was fast, but the ghoul had an advantage, she had more training and more skill. Ranma was slowly starting to loose.

"Not bad, son-in-law." She chuckled "You will make a fine addition to the tribe, once properly subdued."

Subdued... Controlled... Married against her will... This would not happen... Something inside the redhead girl answered the call...

The silk shirt of the redhead girl ripped in the back as a pair of black, leather wings appeared. Two horns pierced through the skin on her forehead. She also felt tail now. She beat her wings and jumped, not very gracefully, several meters away from the old ghoul.

"Impossible..." Cologne said, watching as amazed Ranma-chan checked her new wings and tail "You... How can you... How could I fail to sense it before !" She shouted in frustration "I've hoped that you would be the someone who could be trained, honed into a weapon, capable of fighting with the strongest of the tainted. But you... you are just one of them !"

"You know what happened to me ?" Ranma-chan asked. She felt those new, strange wings on her back, they were massive, at least twenty feet long, but somehow they felt so light. The girl could feel her new muscles, so strong and powerful. But that was not everything, she could feel Cologne's mind, full of contempt and venom "Tell me what did I turn into ?"

"An abomination !" The elder shouted "To think I've wasted so much time and effort on you. I've taught amazon secrets to one of your kind, filthy mutant !" She beckoned towards Shampoo "The kiss of marriage is void, great granddaughter. It's time to fulfill the kiss of death." Together they lashed on the redhead girl. Ranma-chan felt they minds, killing intent in Cologne and sadness and longing in Shampoo. She tried to dodge one of the attacks, but tripped over one of her own wings, she saw the old ghoul jumping for a strike and instinctively covered herself with the second wing. Cologne stroke with all her might but bounced off. The wing was as durable as a steel plate.

"Xian Pu, hold it's wings !" Cologne shouted, referring to Ranma-chan as if she was an animal "Don't let it fly away, it's almost defenseless on ground !"

Ranma-chan tried to stand and escape, but the wings were getting in her way. The redhead martial artist felt several hits on them, inflicted by Chuí, but they felt like baby taps. The Chinese girl tried to jump on her back and pin her, but a single move of powerful muscles threw her down again.

"Why... don't... you... just..." Frustration rose within Ranma-chan as she shouted "Leave me ALONE !" This was a powerful shout, done not only with voice but all the power of her mind as well. Both Cologne and Shampoo fell like if someone turned their light out. Surprised the redhead moved and saw that they were still breathing. Without looking back she gathered her backpack in her hands and with several powerful beats of her wings she flied away.

XXX

Two days later.

A girl landed by the small camp, placed deep in a forest. A small clearing, near a stream, about thirty miles from the nearest village. It couldn't be called a graceful landing. She approached far too fast and had try to run and stop. She tripped over the wings while attempting to do it, and tumbled several meters ending with her head in the stream in a rather awkward positions, with legs completely tangled by the wings. After spending a minute untangling herself from, well herself, she returned, slowly and carefully to get a kettle. As soon she turned to get some water she tripped again.

"Kuso !" She shouted frustrated "Even Akane is not that clumsy !"

After a while she finally managed to set the kettle on fire. Ranma-chan started to to do some exercise, it mostly involved trying to find a way to deal with wings in some manner that she'd stop to trip on them. Her two new limbs were leathery, surprisingly light despite the incredible wingspan and really strong. They were also very durable, she tested them several times already and they could withstand fire very easily. If only they weren't constantly getting in the way. By the time water boiled she managed to fold them a bit and somewhat safely tuck them on her back. Setting the kettle from the fire she returned for a second to the stream and looked at her own reflection in the crystal clear water. The wings were now folded on her back, making them nearly seven feet tall, towering over her petite body. Ranma-chan had to admit the change did wonders to that form, she was gorgeous before, but now went far away from terms like beautiful or alluring. Her breasts were nothing but firm, perfect and ideally shaped. The legs changed as well, slender, ideal with small feet, they were nothing than shapely and actually appeared to be impossibly long for someone as tiny as her. The arms were perfect, formed like on a Greek goddess. Her face was now less round, more elegant, with full ruby red lips and a her eyes were like mesmerizing pits of beauty. A pair of small, cute horn pierced her forehead and a cascade of fiery red locks fell on her milky white, smooth skin. An another strange addition was the long prehensile tail. Already she did find out it could be used to hold items easily. It was also not a big problem despite being four feet long, as it could be safely wrapped around her waist. While in air it was necessary for steering and had a small leathery fan on it's end. When folded it was very hard, just like the wings, and had to be unfolded while in air. If only the wings could be hidden so easily as the tail. The redhead slowly went to return to grab her kettle back, when she remembered some show from TV. The dinosaurs used their tails for balance. The succubi like girl tried it and discovered that indeed it helped to counterbalance the wings a lot and actually kept her from tripping again. A small success then.

She returned to use the hot water and change her form. As magic of Jusenkyo took its action the girl was gone. The wings, horns, tail, all was gone. The boy had something altogether different. His entire body, sans the face was covered in what looked half like a tattoo, half like something burned right into the skin. It resembled snake, or dragon heads and formed a very complex motive on his body, like a mass of withering monstrosities. Pale white they looked somewhat creepy, but they were artistically complex and actually made him look really bad-ass. Unlike his female form, this could be easily hidden by clothes and even if a part would be visible it was easily dismissed as just some weird tattoo.

Ranma sat in a lotus position and concentrated on the snakes, slowly he felt something awakening, he forced this feeling into something like an invisible claw and stroke towards a nearby tree. He smiled as he saw that the tree was hit hard as his new power ripped bark off it. He awakened another claw and this time used both to lift himself off the ground. It was certainly interesting.

Ranma picked up a notebook from his backpack. This was his, for the lack of a better term, training journal.

"Well, Ranma, my boy." He used a mock-up of Genma's voice "Time to do some training. It looks like I have some new forms and techniques to come with."

He would love every moment of it, for Ranma Saotome enjoyed one thing over any other. Training and learning new techniques and he still felt there was a lot to discover about his new abilities.

Ranma's Mutant Powers:

Male form:

The ability to form invisible astral construct. The forms mastered include: Unlocked in Prologue, claw like tentacles with limited range and power that can be used for striking and moving his body.

Female form:

Unlocked in Prologue, massive, extremely durable leathery wings that grant the ability to fly. Prehensile tail. ESP abilities including, ability to detect minds and feel other people emotions. Psychic blast attack able to knock down a fighter as powerful as Cologne, apparently available only under extreme duress.