CHAPTER 01
-"WHO'S THE NEW GAL IN NERIMA? NEW TROUBLE ARISES"-
THE YEAR IS 20XX…
It was another day in Nerima Japan, where we see two teens coming from school, a boy with red Chinese clothes and black Kung Fu pants, the other is a girl dressed in a blue and white school uniform with short hair. They are Ranma Saotome, heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, and Akane Tendo, his fiancée. As always, Akane's bugging Ranma:
"Geez Akane," Ranma snaps, "Why do you always have to be so violent?"
Akane counters back with, "Cause you're always being a hentai, and a pervert that's why!"
"Now why do you say that?"
"Don't give me that innocent face you jerk! I saw you flirting with that Chinese bimbo Shampoo!"
"For the 12th time Akane, I wasn't flirting! She came onto me and asked me as usual to take her out. It's nothing to get jealous about."
"Who's jealous! You can go out with whomever you want! I don't care!"
"Riiight. I don't know why you can't control yourself, I mean, you blow up at everything."
Akane glares at him. "What did you say to me?"
The next thing Ranma sees is the terrible mallet that Akane takes out and uses to pound Ranma into the pavement. After that she walks away, leaving Ranma on the pavement:
A hurting Ranma groans, "Ugh… Damn Akane and that mallet… I swear, why do I follow this stupid engagement? Man, I got fiancés who want to marry me, people who want to kill me, a crazy family… Things can't get weirder than this!"
Poor Ranma, fate sometimes can be so cruel.
We see a girl in the entrance to Nerima, wearing a blue shirt with black pants, her hair is purple with pink, and she's wearing it in a 'pigtail'…-"At last, I'm here in Nerima! Now to find him"-… the girl says, and proceeds to advance. She walks around the town of Nerima, admiring the view, then she sees that many dark clouds were gathering…-"Hmm, it looks like it's gonna rain, just my luck."-… the girl moans, but that didn't stop her; she was determined to find him.
Ryoga Hibiki was having a bad day, he just got lost, -(no surprise there)- and he didn't know how to get to the Tendo Dojo…-"Damn it, where on earth am I now"-… he curses. While he was walking, he spots a girl in the corner. What Ryoga sees gets him mad, he sees that the girl is wearing a 'pig-tail', has short hair, and immediately he thinks of…-"-(snarling)- RANMA"- Ryoga says and proceeds to attack this girl.
The girl is eating an ice cream cone, when she hears someone yelling…-"RANMA, PREPARE TO DIEEEE"-, the next thing she sees is a boy wearing black pants, an orange sweater with a yellow bandana and carrying an umbrella, charging towards her:
"Wha…?" the girl says, surprised. "Excuse me, what are you doing?"
"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME RANMA AND FIGHT MEEE!"
"Wait! I think that there's a misunderstanding. I'm not who you claim to be!"
"DON'T LIE TO ME RANMA, JUST CAUSE YOU DYED YOUR HAIR PURPLE DOESN'T MEAN I WON'T RECOGNIZE YOU!"
"But I'm not Ranma! Really, I'm not! Please stop this!"
"SHUT UP AND DIE!"
Ryoga begins to throw lots of punches at the girl. The girl was really extraordinary in the martial arts; she dodges all the punches that Ryoga's throwing at her, but her patience is beginning to wear thin.
Now, the girl's irritated. "Listen here, I'm beginning to get annoyed by your attacks! Now stop this before I lose my patience!"
Ryoga:" HAAAA, DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH RANMA, TAKE THIS… SHI-SHI-HOUKODAAAAAAAAAAAN…"
Ryoga releases his ultimate technique at her, the ball hit her hard, but that didn't stop her completely, after that, she was angry with him now:
"Okay, now I'm MAD! NOW IT'S MY TURN BUDDY-BOY! TASTE THIS…GYAAAAAAAAAA!"
Then the girl releases a big wave of red fire at Ryoga. Poor Ryoga didn't have time to move away, so the flame attack hits him dead on and he goes flying like a rocket into the sky, after that:
"Well, that sure takes care of that wacko, now to find 'him'"
And she resumes her mission, but in the middle of the road she began to realize that the blast that she received did indeed hurt her.
At that moment, it began to rain.
It was 8:23 pm at the Tendo Dojo, the family was in their usual routine: Kasumi was cleaning the kitchen, Nabiki was reading some books, Soun and Genma were playing Shogi, Ranma was trying to relax in the living room, but, Akane was always pestering him about his supposed hentai adventures:
"Akane, why can't you find someone else to bother, I'm trying to relax here."
"Ranma you jerk."
Outside the Tendo house the girl, wounded by Ryoga's earlier attack, reaches the door and knocks. Kasumi hears someone knocking at the door, and then she proceeds to open the door. When Kasumi opens the door she sees a girl, all wet and hurt. But what she sees shocks her, then she calls her family:
"Father, Mr. Saotome, everybody please come here!" Kasumi calls out.
All the family storms over to Kasumi. They see her helping a girl to walk into the living room; what they see shocks them, especially Ranma. The girl looks very much like Ranma's girl-side, she even wears her hair in a 'pig-tail', as if she was Ranma's twin sister, except for the color of her hair, which was purple:
Worried, Soun asks, "Kasumi, who is that girl? What happened to her?"
"I don't know father, she was in the door when I opened it."
"What happened to her?" Nabiki asks. "Looks like she was in a fight."
"Looks like that," Akane says. Upon getting a closer look at the girl, "Hey, look at her! She… she looks a lot like… like…"
Nabiki finishes her younger sister's statement. "You're right Akane, she looks a lot like Ranma."
How can that be? Ranma thinks. She looks very much like my cursed form.
"Guess we'll have to wait until she wakes up", Genma says. "In the meantime put her in the bed."
Then, as Genma suggested, they put the mysterious girl in the bed, and they wait for her to wake up.
It was 6:55 am; the girl wakes up and sees she's lying in a soft bed. She looks around and sees Kasumi cleaning the room; Kasumi notices the girl is awake, and greets her with a warm smile. "Oh! You're awake. How are you doing, dear?"
"Fine, thank you," The girl replies. "Can you tell me where am I?"
Kasumi blinks. "Um, you're in the Tendo House, my name is Kasumi Tendo. What's your name, dear?"
"Um, excuse me Miss. Tendo, can you tell me where I can find Ranma Saotome?"
"Ranma? Why, he lives here. Why do you ask?"
This makes the girl happy. "He is? Great! Can you take me to him please?"
"Sure dear, he's in the living room right now, let's go."
"Thanks, Kasumi."
And Kasumi takes the girl to Ranma. Worried, she thinks, Oh my, I hope she isn't another fiancée for poor Ranma. When they arrive to the living room where the entire group is, they see the girl:
"Hey, she's awake now. How are you feeling, girl?" Soun asks.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking," the girl replies. Listen, I'm looking for Ranma Saotome."
The family tenses up at the sound of those words, especially Ranma. Curious, Nabiki questions, "And why are you looking for him? Are you another fiancée?"
"Fiancée? No, I'm not."
Glaring at her, Akane asks, "Just who are you anyway?"
The girl apologizes, "Oh I'm sorry! My name is Ran Hayami, sorry about this…"
Soun ahem'ed, "Well, Miss Ran, why are you looking for Ranma?"
Ran thinks about that for a moment, then says "Well, the truth is…"
"Yeah, yeah…?" everyone wants to know.
"…I don't know."
After hearing this all of them facefault to the floor:
Getting up, Soun asks the girl directly, "What kind of question is that? What do you mean you don't know?"
Ran confesses, "It's the truth, sir, I don't remember. All I know is that I was supposed to find Ranma Saotome."
All of them were beginning to get worried, and then they turn their eyes on Genma:
Soun grabs his friend firmly by the collar of his gi. "Saotome, don't tell me that she's another fiancée that you got Ranma engaged to?"
Sweating, Genma blurts out, "No, I swear I don't know her, honest!"
"Coming from you old man, I doubt that." Ranma snorts.
"I swear I don't know her!" Genma pleads. "You gotta believe me!"
While Soun and Ranma were questioning Genma, Akane glares at Ran. Oh boy, she's mad. "Listen here, you hussy! If you're another crazy fiancée that Mr. Saotome engaged Ranma to, forget it! He has enough girl problems as it is!"
Ran blinks, "Fiancée? Oh no, I'm not a 'fiancée'."
"Then why are you looking for Ranma?"
"Like I said, I don't remember."
"You liar, you are a fiancée! I'm warning you, stay away from Ranma or else!"
"Are you threatening me?"
"You bet your sorry ass I am!"
"Listen, I don't know what's up with that attitude of yours, but I don't like being threatened!"
"Ha, is that a challenge? Then I accept, come on!"
Then Akane gets into a fighting stance before her. "Well, what are you waiting for, fight!"
"Why do I have to fight you?", Ran asks, confused.
"Cause I said so! Either you fight or yield, what's it gonna be?"
"I say you're crazy, girl," Ran comments.
"What! What did you call me?"
"Crazy, I don't have to fight you for a stupid reason."
"Then you're a coward"
"I don't have to fight to prove I'm not a coward. Only ignorant people who are weak in and of themselves try to fight to prove that they're not cowards."
"ARE YOU CALLING ME WEAK AND IGNORANT!"
"Yes, it seems that you like to fight for stupid reasons. A true fighter is brave, not cause of how many fights he wins, but because of his noble heart, strong body, and clear mind."
This was like a big insult to Akane. "WHY YOU... THAT'S IT! TAKE THIS! KYAAAAAAAAA!" Then with pure rage, Akane charges against Ran, but Ran just evades her attacks, Akane couldn't believe the speed this girl has. She's getting very, very, frustrated. "STAND STILL YOU BITCH SO THAT I CAN HIT YOU!"
Ran laughs, "You cannot be serious, girl! Why would I let you hit me? What a joke!"
That only makes Akane even angrier then before. Then with blind rage, she throws punches and kicks, but Ran dodges them all with ease. Ranma was watching the fight; when he sees Ran fighting, he recognizes the moves that she was doing: Ranma thinks, WOW, Ran's fighting skill looks very much like… like the Saotome Special Techniques, but how? How is it that she knows that fighting style?
And Ran was getting tired of Akane, then, she decides to end it. She hits Akane with a powerful punch in her stomach. Akane goes down to the floor, twitching in pain. Soun is by his youngest daughter's side in an instant. "AKANE, PLEASE SPEAK TO ME! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT!"
Out of air, Akane pants, "I… I… ca… ca…"
Then Soun stares at Ran with his demon head technique. "HOW DARE YOU HURT MY BABY!"
Frightened by Soun's angry display, Ran panics. "EEP! Calm down, OK? First of all, she is not a baby! Second, she was trying to hurt me! I just defended myself from her wild attack."
Ranma speaks up. "She's right Mr. Tendo, Akane was trying to hurt her, even if she didn't want to fight her."
Soun roars at his future son-in-law, "RANMA, HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT ABOUT YOUR FIANCEE?"
Ran apologizes, "Please, don't get mad. It wasn't my intention to hurt her on purpose, honest! I was only defending myself. But I must say, your daughter has a really bad temper, it seems that she cannot control herself in battle, and I just hit her with only a little of my strength and she fell down."
Akane hears that, then she gets up and says, "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU CHEATED!"
Ran blinks. "Cheated?"
"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU CHEATED! YOU TOOK ME BY SURPRISE! I WASN'T READY!"
"If that's the truth, that you're a lousy fighter."
"WHAT?"
"You heard right, a true fighter must be prepared before the fight, not during or after the fight. You think that in the real thing your opponent will care if you're ready or not? NO! Once the fight starts your opponent will fight you. He will not care if you're ready or not, and he'll beat you up."
Akane was beyond angry with the girl's insult. She pleads to her father, "Daddy, don't let her insult me! She's lying!"
But unfortunately, Soun couldn't deny anything that Ran said. Everything that she said was true, so he couldn't say anything to defend his daughter: But he tries anyway, so it comes out like, "Well… the thing is… like this…"
"Say Ran, can I ask you a question if you don't mind?" Nabiki asks.
"No, not at all," Ran replies.
"Where do you live?"
"… Actually, I don't remember either"
Nabiki cocks an eyebrow, amazed. "You don't even know where you live!"
Embarrassed, Ran says, "No, I don't know."
Kasumi gently asks, "And, do you have a place to stay?"
Ran thought about it, and it came to her, she didn't have a place to stay:
Ran blushes. "Um, no."
Kasumi cheerfully says, "In that case, why don't you stay here, until we can find out where you live, okay?"
Happy, Ran accepts. "Oh thank you Kasumi-san, but, I hope that that's okay with you guys?"
Ranma smiles. "I have no problem with that, besides, it would be cool to spar with you."
Soun then takes Ranma to the corner of the house. "Ranma, what do you think you're doing? Why are you letting that girl Ran stay here?"
Ranma tells him, "It's because I want to find out who she is and most of all, just where did she learn how to fight –"Saotome Technique"-, you saw it when she fought Akane."
Soun nods in agreement. "Hmmm, you're right Ranma, we better consult the master to see if he hasn't being teaching others."
After that, they return to the living room: "Ran, we would be honored if you stayed here." Soun says.
Ran:"-(happy)- Thank you very much Mr. Tendo."
Akane's mad about this new development. "WHAT? Are you crazy? She can't stay here!"
Kasumi chides, "Akane, don't be a poor host."
"Yes, Akane, let's show a little more hospitality." Soun adds.
"Fine, have your little Ran! See if I care!" With that, Akane storms away. Then Ranma shows Ran to her room. Ran found it quite comfortable.
After that Ranma talks to Nabiki. "Nabiki, can I ask you a favor?"
Nabiki's surprised by this. Ranma's asking her for a favor? "A favor, from you Ranma, and to me?"
"Yeah, you think you can investigate about Ran, you know, where she lives, who's her parents?"
Nabiki thinks about it for a moment, then says, "… Very well Ranma, I'll talk about it with Dr. Tofu and we'll see what I can find out."
Ranma appreciates this. "Thanks. I know I don't have much money, but I promise to pay you."
Nabiki: smiles. "Don't worry Ranma, consider this one a favor with no payments. After all, since you've saved my family dozens of times, I suppose it's time I show a little gratitude to you."
"I'm happy to hear that Nabiki."
The next day, Nabiki went by Dr. Tofu's clinic and explains to him about the situation of the girl Ran. Dr. Tofu begins to look through all the medical files and records. Nabiki, with her computer skills, begins to look for any I.D of Ran.
In the meantime, Ran was having a great time with Ranma. Sparring with him was exciting. Ranma also found out that Ran reminded him so much of him that it was creepy, but he got over it. He was determined to find out just how she knew the Saotome-ryuu fighting style.
Later Soun and Genma interrogate Happosai. "Look, I'm telling you that I didn't have any other students, I only taught the Art to you two, but that's just it.", the old pervert says.
Soun, not convinced, asks urgently, "Are you sure Master? Are you sure you didn't teach it to another person and you don't remember it?"
"I'm sure of it. I may be old, but I have an excellent memory. Whoever this Ran is, I don't ever remember seeing her, much less teach her the Art."
"Then how is it that she knows the Art Master?" Genma asks.
"I really don't know, but I'll find out." Happosai says.
In the night, when everybody's asleep, Ran wakes up screaming out loud…-" NO, STOP THAT PLEASE, I DON'T WANT TO DO IIIIIIT"-… she screams. Everybody rushes over to Ran's room. Ranma's the first to enter. "Ran, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Kasumi asks, "What's the matter Ran?"
Ran, sweating, says, "Ranma, Kasumi… sorry. I..I think I had a bad dream, sorry about this."
Kasumi assures her. "That's okay dear, it was only a bad dream."
"But it's over now," Ranma says "You wanna talk about it Ran"
"N-no, maybe tomorrow, I just want to get some sleep."
"Very well dear, if you need anything let me know okay?" Kasumi informs Ran.
"Thanks Kasumi, I will," Ran gratefully says.
After that all of them go to sleep. The next day, while Ran and Ranma go to the store to buy groceries, Nabiki and Dr. Tofu arrive at the house with the information about Ran. "Nabiki, Dr. Tofu, did you get the info on Ran?" Soun asks.
"Well, yes and no," Nabiki tells her father.
Genma's puzzled. "Yes and no! What do you mean?"
"This girl is really a mystery," Dr. Tofu comments.
"Why is that" Genma wants to know.
Dr. Tofu elaborates. "I checked on every medical record of hospitals all over Japan, and…listen to this… She doesn't have a birth certificate, nor a social security, nor medical file…"
Nabiki adds, "And she doesn't have an I.D. of anything, I checked everything the government had, she doesn't have a register…"
Dr. Tofu follows, "It's like, she appeared out of nowhere. That's very weird."
"Are you sure?" Soun asks.
"Yep." Nabiki says.
"But that's not the worst of it." Dr. Tofu mentions.
"Oh! There's more?" Genma asks, wondering what Tofu's going to say next.
The good doctor explains, "Yes. When I checked her blood sample, it came so close to… Ranma's."
All the Tendo, Saotomes scream in shock after hearing this. Genma yells, "SAY WHAAT?"
Soun "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY DR. TOFU? THAT SHE'S HIS SISTER?"
Dr. Tofu corrects, "I didn't say that. Her sample is close to Ranma's, but it's different. I must look more closely."
Genma tries to take in what Dr. Tofu's just said. He turns to his friend. "What could this mean, Tendo?"
Soun shakes his head. "I really don't know, Saotome, but I don't like it a bit."
Ran and Ranma were coming from the store. Ranma says, "I'm really having a good time with you Ran. You certainly know how to fight, unlike a certain un-cute fiancée that I know, and how did you learn those moves? I'll never know."
Ran smiles back. "I too am having a wonderful time with you guys. Even though I don't know why I came here in the first place, I'm happy that I did."
"Well, we'd better hurry to the house with the groceries, so that Kasumi makes tonight's meal. I'm starving!"
Ran giggles. "Always thinking with your stomach… me too!"
And they go straight to the house. Ranma thought things couldn't get any weirder.
However, in the hills of Nerima there's a person, with long white hair-(Inuyasha Style)- watching Nerima, and only one thought in his mind:
Nerima, at last! Be prepared Ranma Saotome, cause when I find you, it will be your end!
TO BE CONTINUED…
