[Hi. Brining Ranma from China. Saotome]
"R-Ranma... Coming here? Oh how I have waited for this day." Said a man, his tears as evident as his joy as he read the post card.
Ranma ¼
By
Allan Bryant
[Here's Ranma!]
"Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane!" Soun Tendo stuck his head into the kitchen. "Kasumi." A long browned haired woman, who was very soft on the eyes looked back from her chores.
"Yes, Father?"
"Nabiki!" He popped his head in on a slightly younger but no less attractive girl with short black hair. She looked up from her magazine.
"Yeah?"
"Akane!!" The sounds of footsteps are heard through the air. "Where is that girl?"
A girl of sixteen with long bluish-black hair came into sight, while she was the youngest; her looks still had matured to where you could see she would be a knock out when older. She headed into her room and quickly changed. She ignored her father's summoning and began setting blocks onto some rail boards. With a loud Hiyaa, the bricks were smashed and she anger that had built up that morning was released.
"It's no wonder why all the boys think your strange Akane." Said Nabiki, Akane looked up from were she was with annoyance.
"Some of us don't think the world revolves around men, Nabiki."
"Gee, then I guess what pop has to say won't interest you." Nabiki saw the flicker of interest in her younger sister's eyes.
* * *
"--And so if one of you marry Ranma, and take over this school the Tendo family legacy would be secure."
"But father we haven't even met Ranma yet." Said Kasumi, Soun had brought them to the dinning room table and had begun telling them of this arrangement that had occurred many years earlier. Soun chuckled and held up the post card.
"That's easily fixed."
* * *
"Hey! Quit running away and tell me the rest of this... Engagement, Pop!" Screamed a boy with a long, pure white pigtail. While that was strange, the most disturbing facts were he had instead of normal human ears; he had two furry ones on top of his head, very sharp looking claws for fingernails, and his eyes were almost a demonic gold. Every oddity seemingly made him look more doglike than man. He was chasing a panda, running on its hind legs in a vain attempt to get away from the monster. Finally it seemed the demon lost its patience and jumped into the air, seemingly to fly towards the animal and caught it by the scruff of the neck and held it's monstrous form inches off the ground without effort. "Now then, tell me." The panda brought out a sign.
[Need hot water.] The boy tossed the panda into the mud.
"Well then lets go to their house, scare the living daylights out of them because of how I look, explain why I can't marry his daughter, and change back to make sure they understand."
[No.... We go there, explain and get you hitched.] The cursed boy sighed wistfully, his ears going flat against his head.
"Yeah right, like anyone could like a freak like me. Alright... We see how they take the curses then we'll decide. Nothing more."
[Fine.] The panda marked the way and the two began walking towards a familiar House. The rain had finally stopped.
* * *
"So what's this Ranma like?" Said Nabiki interested. "Is he cute?"
"Is he younger than me, I don't like younger men." Said Kasumi, almost out of character. They received no answer except Soun's laughing.
"So just what is Ranma like?" Demanded Nabiki, Soun laughed some more then deadpanned.
"I have no idea."
"What do you mean no idea?" Said Nabiki.
"I've never met him." The three sisters looked at each other in mute fear.
"Dammit old man, that's it. CLAWS OF STEEL!" [SLAAAAASH!]
"GROOOOFFFFF!" A panda came flying over the wall surrounding the dojo and splashed into the pond. One could tell it was scratched all over. A shadowy figure hopped over and landed by the pond, it's golden eyes staring at the family. Soun seeing the slightly bloody claws moved in front of his family. The figure took a hesitant step towards the group and his features were shown. His slightly pale face with glowing gold eyes, framed by silver hair with dog-like ears poking out gave him the appearance of a monster, but his eyes were ones of sadness, somehow making him seem more human than monster. He bowed and raised a claw, opened in a sign of peace.
"Hello... My name is Ranma. Ranma Saotome, are you Mr. Tendo?" Soun shook at the sight of his future son-in-law and fainted on the spot. The girls took a step back from the demon. Ranma's eyes grew even sadder at that and he walked over to the pond and clonked the panda. "Dad, come on... I've seen enough, I told you this was gonna happen..." The panda held up a sign, determination in its eyes.
[Please let us explain! –Genma Saotome.]
"Saotome?" Soun looked at the panda, his eyes were misty but had yet to spring the inevitable stream of tears. The panda nodded. "H-how?"
[Please Soun, if we could have hot water.] Soun nodded to Kasumi who ran for the kitchen and came back to the living room with a kettle. Hesitantly she held it out for Ranma, since the panda was struggling to raise itself out of the pond. Ranma slowly, every move was of extreme caution and slowness, to be careful not to frighten the poor woman. After a few seconds his claws came into reaching distance of the kettle and he moved his fingers around the edges of the handles, still moving with the same consistency. Kasumi's hands began shacking as the tips of his claws hit the handle, every time making a clinking sound as his nails hit the metal. Kasumi let go and Ranma withdrew his arms from the area. He bowed his gratefulness and poured himself with it. The demon changed and took on the form of a boy about Akane's age, the ears returned to normal and the hair grew short and black, still in the pigtail. His hands returned to normal human hands. Ranma, the human, looked to the crowd of people next to the door as they stood in shock of what just happened.
"Sorry about this." Was his reply.
* * *
"I'll explain it one more time." Said Soun. "This is my dear old friend..."
"Genma Saotome." Said the balding old man next to Ranma. "And my son, Ranma." Ranma looked to the ground, totally withdrawn. Akane looked him over with a critical eye; it didn't make sense how someone like Ranma could be that thing.
"Are you really that, that--" Asked Kasumi. Ranma cut her off, finishing her sentence in a pain filled voice.
"Monster? Yes, I am." He clenched his fist. "I'm a monster."
"Ranma." Genma laid a hand on Ranma's shoulder. He looked to the Tendo's "He has taken the curse a lot harder than I did."
"You're just a teddy bear compared to the demon I become."
"A demon?" Asked Nabiki, interested.
"I fell into spring of drowned dog demon, Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha was the half-demon's name that fell in injured and almost drowned, 500 years ago. Now when cold water hits me I turn into him."
"Half-demon?" Said Soun a glint in his eye, something a truly sparked his interest now. Ranma sighed.
"Inu-Yasha was born of a noble human mother and the noblest of male demon wolves. He was one of the most powerful demons in all of early Japan. He was the one who helped the priests gather the shikon jewel shards. We did research because I remembered some of his attacks but not enough to understand."
"That demon!?" Cried out Soun. "Everyone, follow me." They stood and followed him. "You are in luck, I have had interests in that particular demon before, he once had a run in with my family many, many, years ago, ever since I found out that, I have been researching him, gaining facts and such. VERY interesting... I even found his weapon--"
"The TETSUSAIGA!? YOU have the FANG!?" Said Ranma.
"One of two. Apparently there are two, the one I have, and the one the real Inu-Yasha has. I cannot understand the reason why there are two."
"Whatever, this is cool, if I could have that blade then those lower demons will be easier to handle!"
"l-lower demons?" Soun froze.
"Yeah, they've been coming after me thinking I'm the real thing."
"If you plan on marring one of my daughters, you better be able to defend her!"
"Hold it!" Ranma stopped, a vein popped out on his forehead. "When did I say I would marry one of your daughters?"
"Foolish boy, that's why we're here!" Spoke up Genma, walking past and towards the dojo.
"Come let us discuss this inside the training hall."" Said Soun.
"Don't we have a say in this?" Said Ranma pointing to himself and the girls behind him as they walked into the training hall.
"This is the Tetsusaiga." Said Soun, plucking a sheathed sword from the wall, Ranma felt the power behind the blade.
"I can feel the aura around it. So it's true. It was meant to protect humans." Said Ranma amazed, Soun handed him the weapon and Ranma pulled it out of the scabbard. A rusty blade was all he saw.
"It's not much." Said Nabiki but, she remembered when she had touched it many years ago, the coldness of the blade but the warmth around the whole sword, as if it wanted her safe, it wanted to help her. She shivered. She saw the same reactions from the other girls, they remembered when their father brought that cursed blade home. Ranma put the blade back in it's scabbard and gave it to Soun.
"I'll be right back." Ranma ran out and a splash was heard. A clawed hand opened the door wider and in came the quarter demon. Ranma again took the blade from Soun. The scabbard pulsed brightly then quieted. Ranma took a hold of the hilt and pulled the blade free, a white almost tooth like blade came free of the scabbard, it was over tree times the size of the scabbard.
"So it's true form is this. Inu-Yasha's fathers fang, the fang of steel." Said Soun, he had waited ten years for this moment.
"The steel cleaving fang. I can feel it's power." Ranma's ears perked up, like a dog who had caught a whiff of something. "I smell them."
"Again?" Said Genma. Soun went defensive.
"Demons?" Ranma nodded and sniffed the air, easily putting the fang away.
"Rat demons." He smiled. "I hope their fire rats, I need a new set of clothes." They walked outside and saw three monstrous forms. If they were rats they were huge, they had red fur and golden red eyes. "Alright fire rats. It's my lucky day. Mr. Tendo, keep them away from these things. They aren't called fire rats for nothing."
"Ready boy?" Ranma nodded and took off into the air. Genma ran behind the beasts. Two rats turned on Genma while the biggest fired a blast of red flame up at Ranma. Ranma flew right through it and crushed the head of the beast. Genma dodged blasts and swipes and managed to knock one out. Ranma still on fire caught the unconscious one and tried desperately to cut the head off with his claws. He was caught with a fire blast straight from behind. He and the head of the rat flew off into the wall where the head exploded.
"Ranma!" Screamed Genma, the only one alive turned back to Genma. Genma grabbed the reverted Tetsusaiga from the ground and bashed trough a fire blast. He smashed the thing over the head and began to pound the head in of the beast. Finally the beast was killed. Genma tiredly sat up and wiped off the brains of the demon off of his face. He shakingly walked over to where Ranma lay burning. "Get off your ass boy and put yourself out." Ranma sighed and stood. The girls watched amazed as he walked unfazed by the crackling of his body and dumped himself in the Koi pond. Getting up he walked over to his father and clasped him on the shoulder. He then found a hand on his shoulder and saw Soun point towards the dojo. Once there he sat down with his father as the girls did with the still raven haired man.
"Well then you seem to have everything in control and the curse is not so bad.." Ranma was about to disagree when Soun laid out his hand in front of his daughters.
"My eldest daughter, Kasumi, nineteen." The beautiful long haired one.
"Nabiki, my second, seventeen." The cute short haired one.
"And youngest, Akane." The angry Kasumi clone. Soun smiled. "Pick one, she's your fiancé." Ranma's features fell, he looked to the ground.
"I'm not forcing me on anyone." He said quietly. "No way."
"Boy, make a decision!" The Elder Saotome whapped the back of his son's head.
"NO!!!" The cursed boy flew up and over the roof of the house. The girls were shocked but the two men were un fazed by the display.
"Insolent boy." Grumbled Genma.
"Now Genma, it's been a rough couple of months for him. Let him have some cooling down." Hushed Soun. The man turned to his daughters. "Girls, I would like you to sort out what you think about this. And decide if you would be up to marrying Ranma." He stalled any complaint by adding in a slightly stern voice. "I am not asking you to sell your soul, just what do you think about him." The girls nodded and left.
"You have three wonderful daughters, Soun."
"You have a very considerate and kind son, Genma." Genma scowled.
"I'm afraid that these coming months will tear whatever amount of normality remains away from the boy. Horrors he has seen, but more still will come. My poor son. So much because of you father." Soun smiled slyly.
"Come Saotome, it will be dark soon, let us adjourn into the dining room and have diner, my Kasumi is a wonderful cook." The elder man nodded and rose with his longtime friend.
To be continued...
"R-Ranma... Coming here? Oh how I have waited for this day." Said a man, his tears as evident as his joy as he read the post card.
Ranma ¼
By
Allan Bryant
[Here's Ranma!]
"Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane!" Soun Tendo stuck his head into the kitchen. "Kasumi." A long browned haired woman, who was very soft on the eyes looked back from her chores.
"Yes, Father?"
"Nabiki!" He popped his head in on a slightly younger but no less attractive girl with short black hair. She looked up from her magazine.
"Yeah?"
"Akane!!" The sounds of footsteps are heard through the air. "Where is that girl?"
A girl of sixteen with long bluish-black hair came into sight, while she was the youngest; her looks still had matured to where you could see she would be a knock out when older. She headed into her room and quickly changed. She ignored her father's summoning and began setting blocks onto some rail boards. With a loud Hiyaa, the bricks were smashed and she anger that had built up that morning was released.
"It's no wonder why all the boys think your strange Akane." Said Nabiki, Akane looked up from were she was with annoyance.
"Some of us don't think the world revolves around men, Nabiki."
"Gee, then I guess what pop has to say won't interest you." Nabiki saw the flicker of interest in her younger sister's eyes.
* * *
"--And so if one of you marry Ranma, and take over this school the Tendo family legacy would be secure."
"But father we haven't even met Ranma yet." Said Kasumi, Soun had brought them to the dinning room table and had begun telling them of this arrangement that had occurred many years earlier. Soun chuckled and held up the post card.
"That's easily fixed."
* * *
"Hey! Quit running away and tell me the rest of this... Engagement, Pop!" Screamed a boy with a long, pure white pigtail. While that was strange, the most disturbing facts were he had instead of normal human ears; he had two furry ones on top of his head, very sharp looking claws for fingernails, and his eyes were almost a demonic gold. Every oddity seemingly made him look more doglike than man. He was chasing a panda, running on its hind legs in a vain attempt to get away from the monster. Finally it seemed the demon lost its patience and jumped into the air, seemingly to fly towards the animal and caught it by the scruff of the neck and held it's monstrous form inches off the ground without effort. "Now then, tell me." The panda brought out a sign.
[Need hot water.] The boy tossed the panda into the mud.
"Well then lets go to their house, scare the living daylights out of them because of how I look, explain why I can't marry his daughter, and change back to make sure they understand."
[No.... We go there, explain and get you hitched.] The cursed boy sighed wistfully, his ears going flat against his head.
"Yeah right, like anyone could like a freak like me. Alright... We see how they take the curses then we'll decide. Nothing more."
[Fine.] The panda marked the way and the two began walking towards a familiar House. The rain had finally stopped.
* * *
"So what's this Ranma like?" Said Nabiki interested. "Is he cute?"
"Is he younger than me, I don't like younger men." Said Kasumi, almost out of character. They received no answer except Soun's laughing.
"So just what is Ranma like?" Demanded Nabiki, Soun laughed some more then deadpanned.
"I have no idea."
"What do you mean no idea?" Said Nabiki.
"I've never met him." The three sisters looked at each other in mute fear.
"Dammit old man, that's it. CLAWS OF STEEL!" [SLAAAAASH!]
"GROOOOFFFFF!" A panda came flying over the wall surrounding the dojo and splashed into the pond. One could tell it was scratched all over. A shadowy figure hopped over and landed by the pond, it's golden eyes staring at the family. Soun seeing the slightly bloody claws moved in front of his family. The figure took a hesitant step towards the group and his features were shown. His slightly pale face with glowing gold eyes, framed by silver hair with dog-like ears poking out gave him the appearance of a monster, but his eyes were ones of sadness, somehow making him seem more human than monster. He bowed and raised a claw, opened in a sign of peace.
"Hello... My name is Ranma. Ranma Saotome, are you Mr. Tendo?" Soun shook at the sight of his future son-in-law and fainted on the spot. The girls took a step back from the demon. Ranma's eyes grew even sadder at that and he walked over to the pond and clonked the panda. "Dad, come on... I've seen enough, I told you this was gonna happen..." The panda held up a sign, determination in its eyes.
[Please let us explain! –Genma Saotome.]
"Saotome?" Soun looked at the panda, his eyes were misty but had yet to spring the inevitable stream of tears. The panda nodded. "H-how?"
[Please Soun, if we could have hot water.] Soun nodded to Kasumi who ran for the kitchen and came back to the living room with a kettle. Hesitantly she held it out for Ranma, since the panda was struggling to raise itself out of the pond. Ranma slowly, every move was of extreme caution and slowness, to be careful not to frighten the poor woman. After a few seconds his claws came into reaching distance of the kettle and he moved his fingers around the edges of the handles, still moving with the same consistency. Kasumi's hands began shacking as the tips of his claws hit the handle, every time making a clinking sound as his nails hit the metal. Kasumi let go and Ranma withdrew his arms from the area. He bowed his gratefulness and poured himself with it. The demon changed and took on the form of a boy about Akane's age, the ears returned to normal and the hair grew short and black, still in the pigtail. His hands returned to normal human hands. Ranma, the human, looked to the crowd of people next to the door as they stood in shock of what just happened.
"Sorry about this." Was his reply.
* * *
"I'll explain it one more time." Said Soun. "This is my dear old friend..."
"Genma Saotome." Said the balding old man next to Ranma. "And my son, Ranma." Ranma looked to the ground, totally withdrawn. Akane looked him over with a critical eye; it didn't make sense how someone like Ranma could be that thing.
"Are you really that, that--" Asked Kasumi. Ranma cut her off, finishing her sentence in a pain filled voice.
"Monster? Yes, I am." He clenched his fist. "I'm a monster."
"Ranma." Genma laid a hand on Ranma's shoulder. He looked to the Tendo's "He has taken the curse a lot harder than I did."
"You're just a teddy bear compared to the demon I become."
"A demon?" Asked Nabiki, interested.
"I fell into spring of drowned dog demon, Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha was the half-demon's name that fell in injured and almost drowned, 500 years ago. Now when cold water hits me I turn into him."
"Half-demon?" Said Soun a glint in his eye, something a truly sparked his interest now. Ranma sighed.
"Inu-Yasha was born of a noble human mother and the noblest of male demon wolves. He was one of the most powerful demons in all of early Japan. He was the one who helped the priests gather the shikon jewel shards. We did research because I remembered some of his attacks but not enough to understand."
"That demon!?" Cried out Soun. "Everyone, follow me." They stood and followed him. "You are in luck, I have had interests in that particular demon before, he once had a run in with my family many, many, years ago, ever since I found out that, I have been researching him, gaining facts and such. VERY interesting... I even found his weapon--"
"The TETSUSAIGA!? YOU have the FANG!?" Said Ranma.
"One of two. Apparently there are two, the one I have, and the one the real Inu-Yasha has. I cannot understand the reason why there are two."
"Whatever, this is cool, if I could have that blade then those lower demons will be easier to handle!"
"l-lower demons?" Soun froze.
"Yeah, they've been coming after me thinking I'm the real thing."
"If you plan on marring one of my daughters, you better be able to defend her!"
"Hold it!" Ranma stopped, a vein popped out on his forehead. "When did I say I would marry one of your daughters?"
"Foolish boy, that's why we're here!" Spoke up Genma, walking past and towards the dojo.
"Come let us discuss this inside the training hall."" Said Soun.
"Don't we have a say in this?" Said Ranma pointing to himself and the girls behind him as they walked into the training hall.
"This is the Tetsusaiga." Said Soun, plucking a sheathed sword from the wall, Ranma felt the power behind the blade.
"I can feel the aura around it. So it's true. It was meant to protect humans." Said Ranma amazed, Soun handed him the weapon and Ranma pulled it out of the scabbard. A rusty blade was all he saw.
"It's not much." Said Nabiki but, she remembered when she had touched it many years ago, the coldness of the blade but the warmth around the whole sword, as if it wanted her safe, it wanted to help her. She shivered. She saw the same reactions from the other girls, they remembered when their father brought that cursed blade home. Ranma put the blade back in it's scabbard and gave it to Soun.
"I'll be right back." Ranma ran out and a splash was heard. A clawed hand opened the door wider and in came the quarter demon. Ranma again took the blade from Soun. The scabbard pulsed brightly then quieted. Ranma took a hold of the hilt and pulled the blade free, a white almost tooth like blade came free of the scabbard, it was over tree times the size of the scabbard.
"So it's true form is this. Inu-Yasha's fathers fang, the fang of steel." Said Soun, he had waited ten years for this moment.
"The steel cleaving fang. I can feel it's power." Ranma's ears perked up, like a dog who had caught a whiff of something. "I smell them."
"Again?" Said Genma. Soun went defensive.
"Demons?" Ranma nodded and sniffed the air, easily putting the fang away.
"Rat demons." He smiled. "I hope their fire rats, I need a new set of clothes." They walked outside and saw three monstrous forms. If they were rats they were huge, they had red fur and golden red eyes. "Alright fire rats. It's my lucky day. Mr. Tendo, keep them away from these things. They aren't called fire rats for nothing."
"Ready boy?" Ranma nodded and took off into the air. Genma ran behind the beasts. Two rats turned on Genma while the biggest fired a blast of red flame up at Ranma. Ranma flew right through it and crushed the head of the beast. Genma dodged blasts and swipes and managed to knock one out. Ranma still on fire caught the unconscious one and tried desperately to cut the head off with his claws. He was caught with a fire blast straight from behind. He and the head of the rat flew off into the wall where the head exploded.
"Ranma!" Screamed Genma, the only one alive turned back to Genma. Genma grabbed the reverted Tetsusaiga from the ground and bashed trough a fire blast. He smashed the thing over the head and began to pound the head in of the beast. Finally the beast was killed. Genma tiredly sat up and wiped off the brains of the demon off of his face. He shakingly walked over to where Ranma lay burning. "Get off your ass boy and put yourself out." Ranma sighed and stood. The girls watched amazed as he walked unfazed by the crackling of his body and dumped himself in the Koi pond. Getting up he walked over to his father and clasped him on the shoulder. He then found a hand on his shoulder and saw Soun point towards the dojo. Once there he sat down with his father as the girls did with the still raven haired man.
"Well then you seem to have everything in control and the curse is not so bad.." Ranma was about to disagree when Soun laid out his hand in front of his daughters.
"My eldest daughter, Kasumi, nineteen." The beautiful long haired one.
"Nabiki, my second, seventeen." The cute short haired one.
"And youngest, Akane." The angry Kasumi clone. Soun smiled. "Pick one, she's your fiancé." Ranma's features fell, he looked to the ground.
"I'm not forcing me on anyone." He said quietly. "No way."
"Boy, make a decision!" The Elder Saotome whapped the back of his son's head.
"NO!!!" The cursed boy flew up and over the roof of the house. The girls were shocked but the two men were un fazed by the display.
"Insolent boy." Grumbled Genma.
"Now Genma, it's been a rough couple of months for him. Let him have some cooling down." Hushed Soun. The man turned to his daughters. "Girls, I would like you to sort out what you think about this. And decide if you would be up to marrying Ranma." He stalled any complaint by adding in a slightly stern voice. "I am not asking you to sell your soul, just what do you think about him." The girls nodded and left.
"You have three wonderful daughters, Soun."
"You have a very considerate and kind son, Genma." Genma scowled.
"I'm afraid that these coming months will tear whatever amount of normality remains away from the boy. Horrors he has seen, but more still will come. My poor son. So much because of you father." Soun smiled slyly.
"Come Saotome, it will be dark soon, let us adjourn into the dining room and have diner, my Kasumi is a wonderful cook." The elder man nodded and rose with his longtime friend.
To be continued...