Ranma 1/2
Ranma and Hikaru
by: Kimura Ayame
Disclaimer/Legal Crap:
I make no claim to own Ranma 1/2, nor any characters contained herein which appear in Takahashi's official Ranma manga and/or anime. I merely claim ownership over the characters, situations, and places herein which have come forth from my own creativity. If any attempt is going to be made to steal my ideas, I should point out that some of these characters are adapted from my own original stories, making this attempt a copyright infringement. You've been warned.
Introduction:
This will be the third version of Ranma and Hikaru that I've written. The first version had an introduction called "Onegai", in which the canon version of Saotome Ranma made an accidental wish that caused him to wake up in my version of the Ranma universe, back before the beginning of the Ranma 1/2 series. The second version erased that introduction, and all references to Ranma's "previous life". The edit was kind of rushed, though, and I never got around to actually crafting the story to make more sense with that new basis. Since my recent return to I've been rewriting each of my posted stories whenever the mood struck me. So, thanks to a marathon viewing of the first two seasons of the Ranma 1/2 anime, it looks like I'll get around to this one after all. Hope everyone enjoys it!
Notes:
In this fic, the terms "Onna-Hikaru" and "Onna-Ranma" will be used, as opposed to the commonly used "-chan". Same with "Otoko-Hikaru" and "Otoko-Ranma". The suffixes "-chan" and "-kun" have specific meanings in Japanese, and we will stick to that for this series. This fic does not use the terms "boy-type" or "girl-type," mainly because I think they sound stupid. Other Japanese terms will show up throughout the story, but usually only when the Japanese is important to the plot. Anyway... notes, technicalities, and other boring stuff aside, let's get to the story already!
PART 1: A Rainy Day in Nerima
On the streets of Nerima, two figures walked. Both were within centimeters of the same height -- the taller one was male, and more muscular. His black hair was tied in a pigtail, and he wore Chinese-style clothes. A red sleeveless shirt and dark pants, specifically. The shorter one was female, definitely a bit older, and quite attractive, with waist-length lavender hair tied in a ponytail, and deep violet eyes; she was wearing a black gi with a flaming skull emblem that seemed a few sizes too big for her. Both travellers were drenched from the pouring rain. Ranma asked, "So... where do ya wanna go, Hikaru? I mean... we don't exactly want the confusion of stayin' with my mom, huh? You'd have to pretend to be Hikari, and everything..."
Hikaru frowned, "Where else can we go?"
After a moment's thought, Ranma shrugged, "The Tendou dojo. I hear the owner's an old friend of Pop's."
The girl looked at him strangely, "Hey, don't you want to gain your father's approval before you start making good on his promises?"
Ranma looked back at her and paused. He turned away, "You know... you really do look like your sister..."
"I know that I look like Hikari. We're twins. But I asked you a question, Ranma."
Ranma shook his head, "Nah... Pop's been travelling since I left home. I won't bother going to look for him. But if I go to the Tendous' and become engaged to one of Tendou-san's daughters..."
Hikaru nodded, understanding, "He'll come to us, instead."
"Exactly." Ranma smiled, "Besides, they never said anything about actually marryin' one of 'em. Just an engagement. No sweat, right?"
Hikaru looked down, sensing that Ranma's confidence could be his downfall, "Yeah... no sweat."
Ranma paused, "Hey, what's wrong, Hikaru?" After a moment, a mischeivous glint appeared in his eyes, "You upset that I'm gettin' engaged to another girl?"
Hikaru frowned, "And who exactly are you calling a girl, Saotome?" Her tone indicated that she was not really too angry at being called a girl, but she was upset at the insinuation that there was any chance that she was interested in him... in that way.
Ranma grinned, "That'd be you, Hikaru-chan. But don't worry, I'm sure I could save myself for you..."
Hikaru clenched her fist, "You're paying for that one, Saotome!"
---
Elsewhere in Tokyo, a panda carrying quite a large pack walked around, holding a sign -- "Have you seen Saotome Ranma? Reward available for location of this sixteen-year-old boy." A crude drawing of a head with a black pigtail accompanied the text.
The few people who were watching either didn't know who this Saotome Ranma was, or decided that this panda must be some kind of hallucination. A young man passing by mumbled, "Hm... a Japanese panda in Beijing... that's odd..." On a second glance at the sign, the boy froze, "Saotome... Ranma?"
---
At the Tendou dojo, the family was following their normal routine. Kasumi was in the kitchen, Nabiki was enjoying a manga in her room, and Akane was setting up concrete blocks in the dojo, preparing to demolish them. Tendou Soun gazed forlornly out at the pond, wondering why he hadn't heard from his friend Genma in so long. He heaved a despondent sigh, 'Perhaps our schools will never be joined, Saotome-kun...' Suddenly, the front door opened...
---
Kasumi stopped what she was doing, being extra careful to turn off any potentially dangerous kitchen appliances before answering the door. She smiled her very unique smile at the two guests, "Welcome. Are you dojo challengers? Father prefers challengers to use the back entrance..."
Ranma, now sporting a very nice-looking black eye, courtesy of Hikaru's punishment, interrupted, "No, Tendou Kasumi-san... my name is Saotome Ranma. My father was a good friend of Tendou Soun-san."
"Oh... Father is outside, by the pond. Would you like to talk to him?"
Ranma glanced at Hikaru, an unspoken question in his eyes. Hikaru nodded, understanding Ranma's concern. Ranma turned to face Kasumi again, "You may want to gather your whole family for this, Kasumi."
---
Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi, Soun, and Hikaru sat around the table. Ranma looked at Soun, a serious expression on his face, "I am Saotome Ranma, your friend Saotome Genma's son. I have heard that you and my father had an... agreement, some time ago."
Soun frowned, puzzledly, "But Saotome-kun said..."
Ranma returned the frown, "Said what?"
"Saotome-kun... told me his son was not worthy."
"That was eleven years ago."
Soun's eyes widened, "How... how did you know?! He told me you had left!"
Ranma had expected this reaction, and calmly explained, "Actually, it's a longer story than that. When I was five, my father wanted me to go on a training journey. My mother thought it would be dangerous, and left the final decision up to me. I refused. I didn't want to go traipsin' around China, just to learn martial arts. But Pop refused to train me after that.
"About seven months later, I saw a boy about three years older than me, training. I noticed some similarities between his style and Pop's, so I asked him who was teaching him. The boy's name was Zugaikotsu Hikaru, and he was being trained by his father. Like Hikaru, I only knew him as Zugaikotsu-sensei.
"I asked Zugaikotsu-sensei if he would help me learn my father's style. He agreed, though he warned me that it would require me to observe the Saotome style and learn as much from watching it as I learned from Zugaikotsu-sensei himself. I worked hard at it, and eventually learned mostly my family's style of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, with some Zugaikotsu influence. I had learned from watching Pop that I should incorporate any useful techniques I could. After that, we began to travel -- the Zugaikotsu family and I -- to expand our individual styles and learn some new, possibly more advanced, techniques.
"When I came back to Nerima, I figured I'd drop by." Ranma decided that was enough of the story, leaving out the part that his agreement to be engaged to one of Tendou-san's daughters was actually bait to lure his father to the dojo.
"I see..." Soun's eyes began pouring like faucets, "Finally! The Saotome and Tendou families can be joined! Oh, what a happy occassion!!!"
Nabiki was still skeptical. The newcomer was cute, and probably uncommonly honest, but something about his story wasn't right, "So why isn't this Genma here?"
Ranma grinned, "Oh, I'm sure Pop'll be comin' any day now."
Nabiki was satisfied... for now. She could wait to find out the truth about this Ranma. She turned to her father, who was still doing his best impression of Niagra Falls, "So, Daddy, what's this agreement you had with this boy's father?"
Soun cleared his throat, all signs of tears gone, "Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi... Saotome-kun and I had decided that when we had children, we would engage two of them to carry on the dojo, and unite the Tendou and Saotome schools of Anything-Goes Martial Arts."
Akane was livid, if that were an adequate description, "WHAT?! You mean one of us has to MARRY this guy?!"
Kasumi sighed, "Too young... what a shame."
Nabiki smiled. This was an easy way to get information on Ranma. Plus, he was kinda cute. She didn't say anything... she had to time it just right. Unless the family did the work for her. They were useful like that.
Soun quickly threw his arm around Ranma and motioned to his three daughters in his best game-show "pick-a-door" gesture, "Well, Ranma... which one are you interested in? Kasumi here's nineteen... Nabiki's seventeen... and Akane's sixteen. Pick any one you want."
Ranma was about to answer, but really wasn't sure. He didn't really have any intention of going through with marrying any of them, so any one was as good as another, but he didn't want to hurt anyone either.
While Ranma was distracted, Akane muttered, "Nabiki here seems excited enough..."
Kasumi nodded, "Of course... he's too young for me, and Akane hates boys. Nabiki would definitely be the best choice."
Soun grinned, "Then it's settled! Ranma, meet your new fiancée, Tendou Nabiki!"
Ranma could not explain the chill that suddenly hit his spine... like he had just signed his own death warrant. Nabiki seemed nice enough... what was putting his danger sense on overtime? After all, she was just some girl... right?
Hikaru finally spoke up, sensing Ranma's discomfort, "Ranma... pull yourself together."
Kasumi finally noticed the girl, "Oh! Ranma, you never introduced your friend."
Hikaru didn't stand up and bow, since doing so in her currently oversized gi would have most likely spilled two of her very female body parts out of said gi. She merely said, "Zugaikotsu Hikaru."
Nabiki frowned. She didn't like competition, "Are you... his girlfriend?"
Hikaru was shocked and unable to speak for a moment, while Ranma merely chuckled to himself, all traces of fear concerning Tendou Nabiki gone. Kasumi spoke instead, "I don't think Ranma would have come here with a girlfriend if he intended to be engaged to one of us."
Akane muttered, "Unless he's some kind of pervert..."
Kasumi snapped at Akane, "Akane! He's a guest! You should be more polite."
Akane lowered her head, "Sorry, Kasumi..."
Nabiki parsed her current information through her brain, "Wait... isn't Zugaikotsu Hikaru the name of the boy you said you trained with?" Inwardly, she felt triumphant. She had found the problem... the falsehood in Ranma's story. If this girl was Zugaikotsu Hikaru, then that proved that Ranma was lying.
Ranma looked at Hikaru first to make sure she approved. She nodded. Ranma said, "That's another long story, Nabiki." He heard the sound of a kettle whistling, "Kasumi, would you bring me that kettle, please? It's kinda important."
Kasumi nodded and brought the kettle to Ranma. Ranma took it and poured it over Hikaru. The whole Tendou family cringed, except for Kasumi, who just muttered, "Oh, my..."
Otoko-Hikaru was panting, "A little... less hot... next time..." Unlike his female form, Hikaru was now a somewhat tall and muscular young man with black hair. The gi he wore suddenly fit perfectly.
Akane's whole view of the world was shattered, "You... you turned into a... a... boy?!"
Hikaru decided it was time to tell the story, "I'll explain. Recently, Ranma and I were travelling in China, when eventually, in the Quinghai province, we came upon the legendary cursed training grounds of Jusenkyou. We were fully aware of the dangers involved, and avoided the cursed springs as if our lives depended on it. Eventually, though, while Ranma and I were sparring with my father, he reacted to Ranma's attack by instinct, and accidentally sent him straight toward Nyanniichuan..." The glares he got from the Tendous proved that they didn't know the Chinese term. Hikaru cleared his throat and continued, "The Spring of the Drowned Girl, which transforms any living creature that falls into it... into a young woman. I couldn't let that happen to my best friend, so..." He closed his eyes. His entire body turned pitch black and dashed outside into the garden. Not a second later, a blur dashed from the front door back to the table. Hikaru sat back down, "I used that same speed technique to knock Ranma away. Unfortunately, my momentum had increased to the point that... well, I fell into the spring instead of him. Now, cold water changes me into a girl, while hot water changes me back into a guy." He chuckled, almost nervously, "Too bad cold water seems to be more common."
Ranma interrupted, "We swam back from China, and it's been raining since we got here, so... he's been a girl for days now."
Nabiki decided it was time she started to get to know this Ranma better. After all, these stories were intriguing, but they weren't giving her the information she needed. She clutched Ranma's arm, "So, Ranma-chan... don't you think we should talk... maybe get to know each other better?" Ranma sighed as he stood up to follow her. He couldn't read Nabiki's motives, and he just had to know what was making him so... nervous about being engaged to her.
Kasumi looked at Hikaru, who was now quite taller than she was instead of slightly shorter, "In the meantime, Hikaru, why don't I show you to your room?"
"Wha...?" Hikaru looked at Kasumi, obviously having been interrupted from a train of thought.
"You do intend to stay here with Ranma, don't you?"
Hikaru nodded and followed Kasumi to one of the spare rooms, "Will Ranma be staying in this room too?"
Kasumi blushed slightly, "Oh, my, no! That wouldn't be proper with your... condition."
Hikaru merely shrugged, "I guess not." He sighed, "I've got a lot to get used to..."
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Notes on Japanese terms in this chapter:
1. '-sensei': A suffix and/or title denoting a teacher or a person of great knowledge, most commonly used in martial arts, education, and medicine fields.
2. '-chan': A suffix denoting familiarity or intimacy, or a diminutive when speaking to children or pets. Used between two females to denote close friendship, and also among children in the same context. Between a male and female, it may imply a closer relationship.
3. '-kun': A suffix usually used to refer to younger persons or colleagues, in place of suffixes like '-san' or '-sama'. Other specific usages are hard to pin down.
4. 'dojo': A training hall. Also in common use in the English language.
Added Note on a Chinese term:
1. 'Nyanniichuan': Fans of Ranma should be familiar with this one. Unfortunately, I've seen so many different spellings, official and unofficial, that I can't be sure I got it right. Fellow purists are welcome to email me on this subject.
