DISCLAIMER The contents of this story are not owned by myself. Ranma ½ is owned by Rumiko Takahashi while The Sandman nameis property of James Fullington and the WWE.
Authors Note: I came upon this idea a while ago while I was watching The Rise and Fall of ECW tape and Ranma ½ at the same time. Please note that this is NOT a songfic, or spamfic, and that even if you don't like wrestling, this fic is definitely for you! Full of Drama, comedy, action, and more...
This takes place after the Failed Wedding Attempt in Ranma ½ and immediately after the new ECW revival.
Enter Sandman
Chapter 1/2: Fuel - Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire
Things were quiet... too quiet. For weeks now, the Nerima district of Tokyo had been peaceful. This differs greatly from the usual chaos that surrounds this accursed town. You're reading this fanfic, so you already know what goes on around this place. From super powered martial artists to shape changing curses, Nerima is chaos incarnate. The absence of chaos is also bad, because that usually means the intangible avatar will catch up with them in a much more fierce way than before. But at this time, no one can be heard complaining, especially the co-hero of this story, one Ranma Saotome. Sure he's still been taking his daily malletings from Akane, but over all, other than Kuno and his Pops, there hasn't been a single fight in well over a week.
But like it was written above, chaos is likely to catch up in a wicked fashion.
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Our scene opens up with a nice clean kitchen on a Thursday morning. A beautiful young Burnett donning an apron is seen cutting vegetables, while humming a small tune to herself quietly. It's early in the morning, and the warm glow of the sun is just now peaking through the window for Kasumi to bask in its nice glow. While early, she knows that she has to get this food ready before everyone wakes up, so she works fast, yet still very carefully so that this breakfast would be extra satisfacto...
"Can I help with breakfast Onee-chan?"
Those dreaded words... even Kasumi noticeably winced to them. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her younger sister, smiling hopefully. "Oh, that's alright Akane, I've got everything handled this morning. But thank you for the offer." She turned back to the counter with a relieved look on her face.
Akane pouted slightly, but her spirits picked up suddenly as she snaps her fingers with realization, "Oh... well that's alright, I can make Ranma's lunch then!" She then walks up to the counter and begins to work on the unholy concoction she refers to as 'lunch'.
With a sweat drop, Kasumi decided not to protest. 'Sorry Ranma.. But better one than many...'
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After so long... his goal had been accomplished, just inches away from the Nannichuan, his year long dream had almost been done with. 'Never gonna be a girl again!' He thought to himself as he leapt into the air, landing in the cold water moments later. The pig-tailed teen kept his eyes closed as he rose from the water, taking a deep breath, hoping to have been cured... the moment of truth awaits him...
He cracked open an eye slowly, seeing a flat chest, instead of the large bosom he had almost been accustomed to, "YAAAAHOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Ranma Saotome leapt from the cursed spring in joy, landing on the ground in front of it, dancing a small jig in happiness. "Never gonna be a girl again!" He sang.
"Ranma!" He heard from beside him. He looked to his side to see his fiancee, staring at him happily.
He smirked widely, "I know, ain't this great?!" He then gave a small twirl to show off his manly physique.
"Ranma..." Akane's look of happiness fades, showing a hint of... anger?
"What's up with you Akane?" Ranma looks puzzled now, wondering what's come over the girl.
"RAAANMAAAA!!!!" She yells now, looking VERY angry, producing a bucket of water from no where and splashing the martial artist...
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"AAAAHH!!!" Ranma screamed as he... or rather she was awakened with a bucket of freezing cold water, jumping out of bed in a panicked state, "Whatcha do that for?!" These common words were heard multiple times on a regular basis from the now red-haired female.
"I was TRYING to wake you, but you wouldn't get up." Akane said, standing slightly taller than the newly turned girl. She held up the bucket in demonstration.
"Ya didn't haveta be evil about it! I just so happened to be having a good dream till you screwed it up!" Ranma was angry this morning... and with good reason.
"Well if you would have just gotten up instead of ignoring me, I wouldn't of had to use this!" Akane yelled in response.
"RANMAAA!" Then, a certain bald headed, gi-clad man known as Genma threw our heroine through the open window, causing her to land back first in the koi pond situated outside.
With a growl from Ranma, and a battle cry from her father, the morning battle got under way.
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"Is this going to happen every morning from now until eternity?" Nabiki stated in her usual cool tone, sipping from a cup of tea. The Ice Queen of Nerima stood just inside the Tendo household, watching the pigtailed martial artist do battle with her father. Kasumi wandered up next to her.
"I'm afraid it's a possibility Nabiki-chan." Says Kasumi.
Nabiki leans against the wall with a calm look on her face, "Well, if they break one more window, I swear I'm going to come down hard on the both of th..." Nabiki is interrupted by a loud splash as Mr. Saotome is kicked face first into the Koi pond, revealing a rather large panda in his wake.
The pigtailed girl smirks as she soundly defeats her father yet another day, "Heh, looks like you're getting sloppy old man." Ranma cracks her knuckles as she turns around, still wearing her sleeping T and her boxers, "Hey Kasumi, is breakfast ready?"
"Why yes Ranma, it is." Kasumi says.
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After a little while later, Ranma is once again male, and Genma is human. The family is seated around the table for breakfast, The father and son once again battled, this time for food. They both moved their hands at blinding speeds, getting as much food in their mouths as humanly possible.
Akane looks at the two with a grossed out look on her face, "Ugh... you two are disgusting, just like a couple of no good pigs!"
Hearing that, Ranma raised his head with a smirk on his face, "Heh, I don't see Ryouga anywhere." He then stabbed Genma's hand with a chopstick as he went for the last bite of his son's plate. Triumphantly, Ranma got the better of his father once again.
"Seriously Ranma, you have to stop picking on Ryouga so much."
"Feh, as if ol' P-chan isn't out there makin' fun of me as we speak."
"Oh come on Ranma, why would you think that?"
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Elsewhere...
"Ranma you coward... when I get my hands on you... ah, ah... ACHOO!" The eternal lost boy rubbed his nose with his sleeve slightly, "Must be catching a cold..."
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Ranma once again walked along the fence on his way to school with his begrudging at his side. "Hey Akane... have you noticed it's been kinda quiet 'round here lately?" He asked thoughtfully.
"As if any day around you is quiet, Ranma..." Akane says.
Ranma looked to Akane from up top,"C'mon, y'know what I mean. It's been months since anything out of the ordinary has happened... and that's usually not good."
"What do you mean?" She asked quizzically.
"I'm sayin' that, every time it's quiet, it's usually building up to something." Ranma rested his arms behind his head as he walked.
"Well, I'm not complaining. Other than Kuno, I've been getting some pretty well deserved relaxation time." She said, "and I've been able to get my grades up."
"I dunno... something just feels off Akane. Things around here have been quiet... too quiet. And somethin' big is gonna happen 'cause of it, I can feel it." Ranma shuddered a bit at the thought of what could be coming next.
"Yeesh Ranma, you're getting a little paranoid, don't you think?" Akane asked, raising an eyebrow.
He shrugged a bit, "I guess... maybe..."
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The rest of the school day was pretty much ordinary for the two. Ranma hurt Kuno, almost got sapped by Hinako-sensei, and got splashed during lunch while avoiding the toxic sludge produced by Akane, getting a mallet for her efforts. And thus, the school day was over, Ranma and Akane returned home, not being bothered by the Kuno's, getting into a confrontation from any rivals or fiancees, or even getting splashed on the way home... Nothing unusual, strange, magical or unwanted, it was a nice and quiet day.
"Tadaima!" Akane said, entering the Tendo household, kicking off her shoes and giving a bit of a stretch. Ranma entered a few moments later, giving a yawn and going to the dojo to perform some kata.
"Welcome home Akane!" Kasumi said with her usual smile on her face, just walking out from the kitchen, "A beautiful day, is it not?" She asked
Akane smiled to her older sister, "It's gorgeous out!"
"How was school?"
"Other than Ranma being a jerk and throwing away the lunch I made for him... it was pretty dull actually."
Kasumi smiled, "That's wonderful news Akane."
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Again, the day trudged on. Akane went upstairs to her room and finished the last of her homework for the night. The girl gave a yawn as she sat in her chair thinking, having just finished. 'Mmm... I wonder if Ranma was right about what he said this morning... It has been pretty laid back around here lately, I haven't even had to fight Kuno at all this week.' She thought, starting to worry slightly before shaking her head a bit, 'Nah, what am I thinking? I don't even believe in karma... but still...'
"Akane," A feminine voice from outside her door is heard by the youngest Tendo, "Dinner is ready."
"Oh, great Kasumi, I'll be right out!" Akane said, getting up and opening her door.
The eldest Tendo smiled warmly to her younger sister, "Would you mind going to the dojo to tell Ranma and his father that their food is ready? I have to serve the plates yet."
Akane smiled in return, "Sure thing." She worked her way past Kasumi and down the stairs, going to the dojo to see Ranma kick his father in mid-air, sending him crashing into the floor, "Hey, Ranma, dinner's rea-" CRAAAASSSSHHHH! Without even being able to finish her sentence, human figure is sent crashing through the roof of the dojo, landing on one Genma Saotome just as he was getting up.
"GAH!" Both Ranma and Akane cried out as they leapt back slightly from the shock of having someone smash through the ceiling like that. Kasumi, Soun and Nabiki all run to the dojo as well to see what caused the ruckus, only to see a gaijin blonde haired figure unconscious face first on top of the gi-clad martial artist. Nabiki blinks as she took a few steps towards the blonde man and crouches down and poked him in the side, "I don't know who he is... but he's out like a light."
With saying that, Ranma got a little closer as well, staring at the back of the white man's black t-shirt, seeing the English lettering. "Huh... I wonder what that says..."
Nabiki thinks momentarily, "I know some English... let me see if I can translate it." She stares at the words on the back of the man's back for a moment, "Ah, here... it says 'Parental Warning: Sandman has been known to promote smoking, drinking and ass kicking. Keep away from children..."
Kasumi blinks, "Oh my..." The only words that could come to mind after hearing what the man's t-shirt says.
Soun stares sternly at the unconscious man that lays atop his best friend.
Akane frowns, staring even more sternly than her father, wondering where this mysterious man came from.
Nabiki stands up and takes a few steps back away from the gaijin, Ranma doing much of the same, everyone perplexed.
He stirs...
The Tendo's and Ranma lean forward as the short haired blonde steadied himself with his hands, slowly standing up. He looks young, wearing a pair of black jeans and what seems to be a t-shirt of himself, the word SANDMAN spelled across a shinai he holds in his shirt. He holds the back of his head in seeming pain, "Fuck... I need a smoke." He looked up, seeing everyone staring at him. "Can I help you?"
Ranma is the first one to step forward, "Who are you?"
Before the man could answer, Nabiki added, "And you broke our roof..."
The man looks to Nabiki with a disgusted look on his face, looking up, seeing the damage he caused, "Huh... so I did." The gaijin pulls out a cigarette and lights it, taking a nice long pull before looking back at the curious people, "I'm The Sandman. What... you looking for a fuckin' apology?"
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: Well, here's the first part of Chapter one. The idea for this fic has been floating around in my head for a long while now, and it feels good to finally write it. Whether you love or hate this, please review and tell me what you think, but please try and keep the criticism constructive. Avoid flaming and whatnot, you know the drill, you're a smart audience