A Heritage of Power: Chapter 1
A Father's Folly
The ideas and characters of Ranma ½ and Dragonball Z are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Akira Toriyama, respectively. I claim no rights to any of the characters portrayed herein.
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Akane woke up slowly. The sun that filtered through her shades brushed the last few cobwebs from her sleep addled brain. Rolling over, Akane cursed fiancées in general and pig-tailed bakas in specific. She used to be a morning person, but with so many distractions, sleep had become more of a necessity than a luxury. This morning she needed to be up early, though. Kasumi had asked her to help with spring-cleaning and Akane was desperate to prove her domestic capabilities.
"Wake up sleepy head." Akane said as she gently prodded P-chan. A small snort was her only reply as she grabbed her bathroom stuff and went to wash up.
Downstairs, Kasumi was humming a cheery tune as she set out the cleaning supplies. The house had become far to disheveled from the constant battles and revelry that had filled the Tendo's days. Luckily Akane and Nabiki (amazingly enough) had offered to help, so cleaning should be a snap.
"Hey Kasumi, where should I start?" Akane inquired as she bounced down the stairs. Cleaning was perhaps the one household activity she was actually good at, and she intended to show it. Though most people wouldn't believe it, and some even said so out loud, Akane knew that she had a delicate touch and a good eye.
Kasumi straightened, "I think the basement probably needs to be reorganized. Do you think you're up to the task?"
"Just wait to you see my Tendo Anything Goes Cleaning technique!" Akane said as she struck a mock stance.
"Only to be matched by your Nothing Goes Cooking technique?" Asked Ranma as he flipped down the stairs and out into the yard, barely dodging the bucket flung by his attacking father.
Akane stopped and watched for a moment as Ranma and his father flew through the air. Their moves were swift and graceful as punches and kicks were exchanged. Despite his bulk, Genma was full of tricks and surprises. If Anything Goes had a branch specifically devoted to dirty fighting, Genma may well have been the Grandmaster. Ranma, to his credit, handled each new move with finesse and skill. Soon, though, Akane's admiration was replaced by sour jealousy and she nearly spat, "Ranma no baka!"
Kasumi moved to intercept a livid Akane while trying to smile as gently as possible, "Akane, could you rearrange Ranma's face after you finish rearranging the basement?"
Akane deflated slightly at Kasumi's bright smile, "Of course, sis." Akane still had time to throw Ranma another dirty look before picking up a bucket of cleaning supplies and moving downstairs.
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In the basement, Akane had begun the task of dusting and restacking the Tendo family memorabilia. From time to time she would come upon a school project or martial arts trophy that she intended to bring upstairs to show everyone. Akane unfolded a rough cloth and found Kasumi's old ballet shoes. Her oneesan would no doubt want to see them. Under that was the first yen Nabiki had ever extorted, framed and signed by the hapless pawn she had bilked.
Akane soon came to the section of family pictures. She smiled as she dusted off old black and white photos of her mother and father when they were younger. Her father had apparently kept his mustache, though it was far scrappier in his younger days. Her mother was a beautiful as Akane remembered. There were many photos: Her mother and father at carnivals and tournaments; her mother at a belt test; her father holding a baby Kasumi above his head; her mother coddling Nabiki; a laughing Nabiki holding something above Akane's head and finally, a photo of the entire Tendo family. In a hospital waiting room Akane's mother was holding a baby Akane, who appeared to have a monkey's tail poking out of her diaper. Beside her a tiny Kasumi, no older than two, was sitting. In one hand, a proud looking Soun Tendo was holding a newborn baby and in the other, a birth certificate. Looking more closely Akane saw the name: Nabiki Tendo.
"Kasumi!" Akane yelled as she ran upstairs, the picture clutched to her breast.
"What is it Akane?" Kasumi asked, poking her head out from the kitchen.
Thrusting the photo before Kasumi, "Have you ever seen this picture?" Akane demanded.
"Why, no. Where did you find it?"
"In the basement with all the old pictures. Am I older than Nabiki? Where is Daddy? Why am I wearing a tail in this picture? Where is DADDY" Akane said, almost shouting the last part.
"Honestly Akane, I don't remember that far back, but I don't think you're older than Nabiki. Just look at yourselves now. She's clearly older than you are." Kasumi said, again using a soothing voice.
Akane, though, was not to be placated. "If Daddy had been lying to me…"
"What have I been doing…oof" Soun puffed as he was assaulted by 110 pounds of questioning martial artist.
"Am I older than Nabiki?" Akane said, pressing the photo into her father's face.
"Now Akane…" Soun chuckled gently as he tried to pry the picture away from his daughter. Soun was a gifted and talented weasel. If he could destroy the evidence, this entire debacle would blow over in a few days. But oddly enough, Akane's fingers seemed to dig tighter into the frame the more he pulled. This was not going well.
"It seems to me, Father, that you have some serious explaining to do." Nabiki said coolly as she stepped out of the Tendo family kitchen. Soun managed to raise his index finger for a dignified response before fainting dead away.
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Later, with everyone around the dining table, the inquisition began. Soun, seated at the head of the table, was sweating much more than the light spring weather demanded. He longed for a cigarette. Just one cool drag would help the anxiety he was feeling. Alas, Akane and Nabiki were staring intently at their father waiting for the explanation to commence. Ranma and Genma, having at last found some presence of mind, sat silently down at their own end of the table.
Finally losing the last of her small measure of patience, Akane began menacingly "Daddy…"
Luckily Nabiki interjected "Honestly Akane, if you push him, he's just going to faint again."
Soun fished around under the table and found one of his hidden packs. With a deft flick of his wrist, he had the single cigarette out and in his lips before the girls could begin speaking again. While lighting a cigarette Soun began, "Girls, it is finally time to reveal the truth about our family. Akane, I know this will come as a shock; even though you are a true member of the Tendo clan, you were adopted."
"WHAT?!?" Resounded through the house.
Obviously cracking under the strain of so many accusatory stares, Soun continued, "When Kasumi was a year and a half old, we decided to adopt you Akane. Kimiko, your mother, wanted another girl. Little did we know that she was already with child when we began the adoption procedure. When Nabiki was born, you were already our child."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Asked Akane. Her lips were trembling and her eyes were moist with tears.
"You must understand, Akane, that I love you. You grew up much more slowly than Nabiki, so we told you that you were born last. Honestly, your mother and I never meant to hurt you. We wanted you to think of yourself as a Tendo, as part of the family." With supream strength of will, Soun finished reassuring Akane. But a task like that took a toll on a body and he finally succumbed to the pressures of the day, dropping blissfully into unconsciousness.
Akane, upon hearing Soun's last words, leapt from the table and sprinted upstairs crying the entire way. Seeing her tears, Ranma made an attempt to follow her, only to be stopped by a restraining hand from Kasumi.
"Give her time." Kasumi implored.
"But…Well…Ok, Kasumi, but I gotta talk to her, ya know." Ranma said sheepishly as he stood up and moved towards the dojo.
"Yes Ranma, I do know." Kasumi said to his retreating back.
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Soun awoke with a start. He was lying on the futon in his room. The covers had been pulled up over his chest and a small ice bag had been hung to rest on his forehead. Perhaps it had all been a dream, induced by some fever. He had just slept late and hallucinated that Akane had found out about her unique origin. The dream gave Soun an idea: it was time to put the truth to rest. As Soun pulled the blankets off of himself, he vowed to make sure that particular picture disappeared from the basement for all time. Sitting up, though, he saw Nabiki fixing him with a feline stare.
"Nabiki, what are you…" He began.
"Can it Daddy! There's just one thing I want to know." Nabiki held up the photograph and pointed to her newest older sister. "Why was Akane wearing a tail when she was visiting me in the hospital?"
It has been noted that Soun Tendo is not the brightest man in the Tokyo area. His skill at Shogi came more from cheating than from any actual mental acumen. The intelligence and grace of his daughters were more from their maternal genetic gifts than from anything of Soun had ever done. It was, therefore, unsurprising that he couldn't think up a lie in time. "I, ah… Well, that is…she…My baby is an alien! Wahhhhhhhh." Soun cried, bursting into tears.
"A what?" Nabiki demanded. Cursed people were one thing. Gods and demons and ghosts were another, but in all her experience with the wacky goings on around Ranma, Nabiki had never heard a peep from the extraterrestrial corner of the paranormal.
"I…well… I guess I have proof." Soun said, resigning himself to letting the entire story come out.
"Show me now." Nabiki said slowly. First cleaning and now aliens. This day was just going from bad to worse.
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The strength of one's toes is an often-overlooked factor in martial prowess. The Anything Goes School, however, taught that movement was essential. Consequently, the feet and toes were the foundation upon which devastating martial techniques were built. Fortunately for Ranma Saotome, his father had not neglected to teach him the 17 toe training exercises that Anything Goes practitioners had accumulated over the years. Hanging from the gutter above Akane's room was as easy as, say, running along a chain link fence.
Inside the room, Akane lay clutching P-chan to her chest. Her drenching sobs had subsided to an occasional sniffle. Still, Ranma noticed that tears continued to leak out of her eyes and slide down to her pillow. Finding the right words for this situation required brains and sensitivity. Unfortunately, both were qualities that Ranma thought were absent in his makeup. Still, to see Akane in pain conjured strong emotions within Ranma's heart. Slowly, he reached a hand up to tap on the window.
At first, Akane had been overwhelmed by her father's… No, Soun Tendo's words. She was alone. No family, no name. While she sobbed on her bed, even the memories of her mother seemed somehow false. As she lay, curled up around her pig, all those thoughts and feelings had congealed into a dull ache in her stomach when she thought about her family. Suddenly she heard a sound from the window.
Pushing herself up off of her comforter and standing to open the shade, Akane knew it was Ranma. Who else could it be?
"You must like seeing me cry." Akane said bitterly as she peered out the window. Her face was puffy and her hair had been matted to one side by her tears.
"Nah, it ain't like that and you know it."
"Why are you here, then?" Akane asked, turning to grab a tissue.
"I just, ya know, want to check if you're ok." Ranma stammered.
"Ok? I just found out I'm nameless. How would you feel?"
"Jeeze Akane, you're not nameless. Didn't you hear your Pops? He just did what he did to make sure you thought of yourself as a Tendo."
"That's just it, I'm not really a Tendo. I just think of myself as one."
"Well, see here's the thing: I was thinking while I was in the dojo. Ya see, your Pops, he cares a lot about martial arts and stuff, right?"
"So?" Akane said, not caring what Ranma was rambling about. She just wanted to return to her bed and cuddle P-chan. Why wouldn't Ranma just leave her alone?
"So both he and your Mamma trained you, right? So, where I'm going with this is that all the honor of the Tendo clan rests in you. Hell you're even more of a Tendo than Nabiki and Kasumi if you think about it that way."
"What?" Akane said turning back to the window and staring into Ranma's inverted face.
"Well, the Tendo's are martial artists. You're the only martial artist in the family, so you have all the honor."
"But I'm not really a Tendo." Akane said again.
"Like fun you aren't. Who am I going to marry?" Ranma demanded, "You of course! 'To fulfill the honor and destiny of the Tendo and the Saotome Clans you and I must wed'" Ranma recited.
"Ranma… Do you really mean that?" Asked Akane slowly.
"Of course. So that makes you a real, honor-bound, butt-kicking Tendo." Ranma said proudly.
"Oh Ranma!" Akane exclaimed as she dragged Ranma in from the window.
"What!" Ranma tried to shout as he was muffled into a bear hug.
Perhaps Ranma would have denied his previous statement or insulted Akane. But before he could stick his foot in his mouth again, Nabiki suddenly burst through the door. "Akane, you are not going to believe this…what's all this?"
"What won't we believe, Nabiki?" Akane said dropping an air deprived Ranma, her face now red with embarrassment.
Nabiki eyed her sister and then looked down to Ranma's crumpled form. "Oh yeah. I got Daddy talking again and well, let me just ask you this: do you have a scar on your lower back?"
"Yes, from where I fell on a rock at the beach. What does that have to do with anything?" Akane asked, a puzzled frown crossing her brow.
"Just come down to the basement."
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Akane, Nabiki and Ranma all stood around a giant wooden crate in the dim light of the Tendo basement. The lid had recently been pried open and a crowbar rested against the side of the crate.
"Just look inside." Nabiki prompted Akane and Ranma.
Inside the crate sat a huge metal sphere with a small window. Seams ran around the window, indicating an opening that a human could pass through. A glimpse inside revealed an array of buttons, switches and levers. The rest of the sphere was colored a silver-grey that was blemished with small pit marks. The bottom of the sphere was also marred with black scorch marks.
"So it's a big tennis ball. What's so unbelievable about that?" Ranma asked, taking the lid down from atop the crate and pulling on one side to open it up further.
"What's so unbelievable, Ranma, is that our Dad says that he found Akane in that thing."
"But Daddy just told me I was adopted." said Akane as she turned away from the crate to face Nabiki.
The middle Tendo sister was dressed casually in sweats and a t-shirt, but by the way she had her arms folded across her chest, Akane knew that Nabiki was definitely serious. "I know, but after you…left, I asked Daddy a few questions."
"Like what?" asked Ranma over his shoulder as he continued to poke at the metal sphere.
"Well, for one, I asked him why Akane had a tail in the picture. Now, Daddy is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I think he was at least telling the truth. He said that when he found Akane, she had a tail: a real, actual monkey's tail. I mean, I wouldn't have believed it, but Daddy said you would have a scar since he cut the tail off, and you do."
"Oh come on, that doesn't prove she's an alien." Ranma said skeptically.
"Well, of course not, Saotome. What proves that my sister is an alien is this ship." Nabiki indicated the contents of the crate. "He told me that he found Akane when he and mom were hiking. They saw a meteorite fall to earth. When they got to the site of the landing, there was this giant orb. They looked inside and there was baby Akane, tail and all."
"But still couldn't this just be some weird thing that Daddy found? This could all be some terrible joke." implored Akane, but even as she said it, she doubted her own words. The facts were becoming annoyingly plain.
"Well, we all know our father is two punches short of a kata, so that's why I wanted to have you and Ranma here. You guys need to make sure this is some elaborate hoax, got it?"
Both Ranma and Akane nodded their understanding. Ranma then turned and pulled off another of the sides of the crate, stacking it with the others. Ranma maneuvered around the side and began to push the sphere out. It was surprisingly light and Ranma was able to roll it over beside the foot of the stairs.
"There's got to be a way to open it." He said, continuing to poke at the orb.
Nabiki knelt down and began to run her fingers around the seam of the sphere. The metal itself felt cool to the touch and had a slightly ceramic quality. "You know, it's odd", Nabiki mused, "You would think there would be some sort of opening mechanism or switch."
"Hey Akane, what do you think?" Ranma said, turning away from the crate for a second to face his fiancée. Akane, however, did not respond. With her palm pressed to her forehead she appeared to be deep in thought.
"I…I think I remember something…Vegetable or vegetation." Akane stammered.
"What are you talking about, ya crazy tomboy?" Ranma said.
Akane, though, would not be dissuaded. She furrowed her brow and concentrated. Just as it seemed that there was no hope, Akane's eyes snapped open and she shouted. "Vegeta!"
There was a click as the door of the sphere hissed open.
"How did you know, sis?" Nabiki said as she stood up and dusted herself off.
"I just remember that word." Akane said, looking as confused as before.
"Well let's see if we can get it to do something." Ranma said excitedly.
"Well this big blue button looks promising." Nabiki said as she pointed to the confines of the ball. Sure enough, a large button was mounted on the ceiling of the orb. It was positioned in front of the seat that took up most of the room inside the sphere. The interior surface of the rest of the orb was devoted to switches and displays. The controls appeared to be dormant, but the complexity of the system gave the trio a feeling that they should not touch anything else until they understood more.
"Here goes." Akane said as she leaned into the ship and depressed the button in question.
Suddenly an image jumped to life on Akane's dress. She stepped back between Ranma and Nabiki and a figure appeared, floating in the air in front of the sphere. It was a man or, more precisely, a man with a tail. He was dressed simply and functionally, in blue ceramic armor that flared to yellow shoulder guards. The man held himself with an air of confidence, though he only stood 15 inches high. He gestured broadly before speaking.
"Princess Vegeta, congratulations! Your Royal Highness has no doubt crushed the people of Elrani-3. We Saiyans are a proud and noble race with a long and glorious history of conquest. We have sent your Royal Highness to Elrani-3 to prove yourself as a capable heir to the throne of planet Vegeta. Your father, King Vegeta will be very proud to know that you have exterminated the lesser beings that inhabited that planet. I am now sending the message of your triumph; it should arrive in at the palace soon. Bear with me as I teach you what you need to know to be our ruler."
"Who are you?" Akane asked, hoping to cut off the vociferous hologram.
"I am Limar of the house of Beans and a program has been made to allow me to teach you all that a Saiyan needs to know. I am not actually there with you, but I will attempt to answer any questions that you might have."
"Am I an alien?" Akane asked, crouching before the small image.
"You are a Saiyan! Proud and strong, you are a member of the best warrior race in the galaxy." Limar finished triumphantly.
"Aren't I human?" Akane implored again, putting her face closer to the hologram.
"You are a Saiyan! Proud and strong, you are a member of the best warrior race in the galaxy." Limar answered again, just as strongly.
Upon hearing this Akane sunk to the floor, crying. Both Nabiki and Ranma stood paralyzed by the new information.
"Princess, do not cry. You are a Saiyan! Proud and strong, you are a member of the best warrior race in the galaxy."
"Put a sock in bean-head!" Ranma said as he bent down and uncharacteristically put his arms around Akane, who cried unabashedly into the silk of Ranma's shirt.
"Um, Nabiki, could you give us a moment?" Ranma looked up imploringly.
"Yeah… Sure thing." Nabiki said as she nearly raced up the stairs and out of the basement.
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The tension in the Tendo house the next afternoon was nearly palpable. Soun had been meticulously avoiding Akane all day despite the long, disapproving looks he was receiving from his daughters. Soun, though, was not a man without a coping mechanism for such strident and earnest condemnation. He had pushed himself so far into delusion that even the great denier, Genma Saotome thought that Soun needed to face the music.
Ranma, dressed in his favorite blue silk shirt, sat on the cold wooden floor of the dojo. The tears that Akane had left on it were still visible as salt stains on the shoulder. For the last half hour, he had been attempting to think of ways to cheer up Akane. Thus far all he had come up with was calling her a tomboy. For some reason Ranma couldn't put his finger on, that name seemed wrong in this situation.
Suddenly the door to the dojo opened and Ranma swiveled to face Akane. She was dressed in her white practice Gi. Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail. All the tears and sadness of yesterday were gone. Instead, the sorrow had been replaced by a look of…cunning? Ranma stood slowly, wondering what Akane was up to.
"Ranma, do you have a minute?" Akane asked in a surprisingly sweet voice.
"Sure thing, Akane." Ranma answered cautiously. One could never be too careful when girls asked for a minute of one's time.
Akane walked into the dojo so that she was standing just a few feet from Ranma. Her face was unreadable. "I have a deal for you. We'll spar and if I land a blow on you, you have to answer one question truthfully."
Danger was flashing red in front of Ranma's eyes. If there was one thing his father had taught him, it was that women were not to be trusted with the truth. The truth was a powerful and dangerous thing: it couldn't be given to just anybody. This could only lead to difficulty… But still, a small voice in the back of Ranma's head whispered, she was Akane and he was Ranma. Either way, it was best to leave before things could go from bad to worse.
"I dunno Akane, I think I need to study or something." Ranma said as he stood to leave the dojo.
"Come on… I challenge you." Akane said provokingly.
"You…challenge…me." It was, as the saying goes, almost too easy.
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Ranma and Akane stood at opposite ends of the dojo. Akane had taken her usual kempo stance, legs bent, one hand chambered at her waist while the other floated defensively out in front of her body. Ranma opted for an almost unconcerned posture. He eyed Akane suspiciously.
"Now remember, you agreed that this is only going to last for five minutes." Ranma reminded Akane.
"Just start already," said an already agitated Akane. Before Ranma could answer, Akane shouted. "Matte!"
Akane charged towards Ranma intent on landing a quick jab. Her fist, however, met solid air. Ranma had already danced out of the way of the strike. Akane then broke into a complex series of kicks and punches. Two quick straight punches were followed by a low, reverse roundhouse. All of Akane's speed and finesse met with the same results: nothing. Ranma had begun to weave between the blows, ducking and leaning so that each strike grazed past him.
"Geeze Akane, you're getting sloppy." Ranma taunted.
"Good." was Akane's angry reply.
Soon, though, Ranma found that the wide punches and kicks that Akane had started using were coming faster and faster. Rather than tiring, it was almost as if Akane were gaining strength. Ranma ducked a hook punch, only to find himself staring at an incoming uppercut. Before the blow could land, though, Ranma threw himself into a back flip. Seeing that her punches had missed, Akane screamed with rage and charged Ranma again. A furious series of blows rained down upon Ranma. He was hard pressed to block, and decided that the best course of action was to escape. As Akane launched a leaping straight punch, Ranma flipped over her head, aiming to poke her as he had done so many months before. As he looked down, though, he saw Akane rising to meet him with a jumping uppercut. For a moment Ranma's world went black.
As Ranma came to, he saw Akane sitting cross-legged beside him. A barely contained look of joy was playing across her face. The words, "Hits like a Gorilla." were on the tip of Ranma's tongue as Akane spoke up.
"Ranma, you promised." Akane's face had changed to a half-glare that silenced any criticism Ranma had been planning.
"Yeah, yeah. Just a minute. What is it you want to ask me?" Ranma groaned as he sat up.
"Just remember Ranma, this has to be the truth." Akane searched Ranma's face for a moment before she decided to continue. "Do you like me, even a little?" Akane asked, her eyes instantly darting towards the floor.
"Well, I…ya know," stammered Ranma as he searched for a suitable retort. Where was that tomboy remark when you needed it? As he looked at Akane, he couldn't help but stare at the way her short hair fell forward over her face, half-masking her blushing cheeks. Akane's expression was coy, but suddenly Ranma found it unbelievably alluring. "I don't really know why you're asking me this, but…um, yeah sure I like you."
"Oh Ranma, I knew you did. I like you too." Akane said as she threw her arms around Ranma, squeezing the air, and any caustic remark, out of him.
"I knew it because you were so nice to me yesterday." said Akane happily.
Perhaps it was the seriousness of yesterday's subject or some spark of maturity within Ranma's makeup, or maybe… just maybe, it was the glow in Akane's eyes as she looked at him. But whatever the reason, Ranma took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, I just wanted to make you feel better."
"Thank you so much Ranma." Akane smiled again. After a few moments of silence, Akane couldn't resist, "So… do you want to know how I beat you?"
"You didn't beat me!" Ranma yelled, jumping to his feet and pointing down at Akane. "I wasn't even attacking."
"Yeah, but I bet even if you were, you'd have lost." Akane said stubbornly, also standing and pointing her finger back in Ranma's face.
"Ok tomboy, how'd ya do it, then? Magic?"
"Well, for your information, baka, I was talking to that hologram in the ship and he told me that the Saiyans have a fighting discipline of their own."
"Discipline? Like technique?" Ranma asked, perplexed. He still held his finger inches away from Akane's nose, but he had temporarily forgetting his rancor.
"Sort of, but it's more like a way to control your emotions in a fight, like your Soul of Ice." Akane took her hand out of Ranma's face and gently grasped his wrist, lowering it. She let her fingers linger on his forearm for a moment, noticing the taught muscles there, before breaking contact.
"Really?" asked Ranma, still able to feel the place where Akane's fingers had been.
"Yeah, I guess it might just be a Saiyan thing, but Limar said that we are better off losing control in a fight. The angrier, the better."
"Nah, it kind of makes sense, like Ryoga's Shi Shi Hokodan only with anger."
It was Akane's turn to ask, "Really?"
"Yeah, I bet you could do some cool things with it once you get some practice… Um, Akane, I noticed that you said 'we.' How're you feeling about this whole Saiyan thing?" Ranma asked tentatively.
"To be honest, I don't feel any different. I guess it was such a shock to find out that I was adopted, that this whole thing doesn't really seem all that strange. I am still a Tendo, right? What does it matter if I'm from here or from Mars?" said Akane wistfully. "What do you think, Ranma?"
"Me…well, you look human enough. Damn, who cares? Weird stuff happens to me all the time and you let it slide. Well, maybe not, but still, you don't really hold it against me." Ranma answered, surprised that Akane had asked for his opinion.
"Yeah, I guess with all the demons and gods around here, I should have guessed there'd be an alien or two. I just didn't think it would be me."
"Aw, Akane, it's no big deal. You could have changed into a monkey or something weird like that. Come on." Ranma said standing up and pulling Akane to her feet. "I think you need a little more work on that new discipline of yours."
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Author's notes:
I looked back at this old piece I wrote under a different name and I thought that I could polish it up a bit. It was just a snippet of an idea I had a while ago, but I'd like to keep it going. Let me know what you think! It is oddly in the same vein as my other story, A Man's Woman, but I can't really figure out why. Akane isn't my favorite character in Ranma ½, but I seem to gravitate towards her when I am writing. Perhaps she has the most room for development? Who knows, but I hope you enjoy!
Remember to take it easy!
Oh, and C+C welcome. The more the better, I always say!