Akane 1/2
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or anything related to it. I'm merely having fun with an AU inspired by lineith's drawings and notes on Tumblr.
Author's note: I'll write more at the end, but constructive criticism is more than welcome. At the very least, I hope it's a fun read.
OXOXO
Nodoka didn't mind the rain. With weeks of sunny weather, Nerima needed a little downpour from time to time. She sat on the porch with a cup of hot green tea in her hand. She smiled at the small tea stem that vertically stayed afloat.
A good omen.
The sounds of her husband and son sparring in the dojo barely reached her ears through the rain. They had been at it for hours. It gave her great joy that Ranma readily adopted the life of a martial artist. It turned him into a fine young man. When he was just a toddler, Genma tried to take him away for training but Nodoka gave him a look that could stun even the gods and literally fought him tooth and nail. He only relented when she promised to never interfere with Ranma's training. Martial artist or not, Ranma needed to grow up in a stable home.
"Mail for Saotome residence."
Nodoka noticed the mailman standing there with mail in his hand and an umbrella in another. She thanked him, accepted the delivery, and wished him well on his walk to the next house. She sat down on the porch and sorted through the mail. Bills. Bills. Scam. Coupons. Postcard.
"Hmm?"
She turned the postcard in her hand and her eyes lit up. It was a postcard from Soun Tendo. She never met the man, but she knew who he was. She rushed to the dojo and barged in.
"Genma, dear! We have a postcard from Soun Tendo!"
Genma had Ranma in a headlock, who pried at his arms. Genma looked up and scowled, "Can't you see we're still training?!"
"Ha!" Ranma used his father's distraction to his advantage, got out of his grip, and flipped him over on his back, twisting his arm behind him.
"This doesn't count!" Genma cried out. "Your mother distracted me!"
"Distractions can happen at any moment," Ranma said, smirking. "You have to be prepared for anything. Didn't you say that, Pops?"
"Heh, so you do listen, boy. Let me go; I want to see this postcard."
Ranma let go of Genma. Genma stretched his arms before reaching for the postcard.
"It's been awhile since you heard from him, is it not?" Nodoka said, handing it over.
"Too long," Genma agreed. He skimmed over the message and grinned. "It seems he's on his way here with his daughters. Judging by the date and address, they could arrive any day."
"Some old friend of yours, Pops?" Ranma asked. He stood next to Genma with his hands folded behind the back of his head.
"A lifelong friend," Genma said. "Nodoka, I think we should tell Ranma..."
Ranma blinked. "Tell me what?"
OXOXO
Down a wet road in an unknown neighborhood, a tall teenaged boy of muscular stature and long blue hair tied back in a ponytail ran with his baggage in one hand as his father, a panda, and two older sisters chased after him. People wisely got out of the way.
"There's no way I'm going!" he screeched. In mid stride, he grabbed a rock the size of his fist, flipped around, and aimed it at the panda's forehead. Total knock out. "Trying to marry me off to a boy I've never even met! You're unbelievable!"
"Akane, please!" Kasumi cried out. "Running away won't solve anything!"
"No, sis!" Akane said. "I don't have time for this! Father deserves his fate, but I'm going back to China!"
"You know you can't do that right now," Nabiki said. She carried half of the panda on her back and caught up with Kasumi and Akane, the latter still huffing from running and screaming. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten about Shampoo."
"Of course I didn't!" Akane shot back. "But what does going to their house have to do with her?!"
"It's where we can hide," Kasumi said. She tugged at Akane's sleeve. "It's best we stay with them until this blows over."
Akane lowered his head. Kasumi was right; they couldn't afford to go back to China just yet, but he couldn't stay like this either. He sighed. "I'm sorry, sis." He put down the baggage. "You three can go ahead to the Saotomes. I think I can handle Shampoo if I run into her ag-"
The panda had sprung back to life and nailed Akane in the head with a wooden sign, tears freely flowing down his face.
"Daddy..."
"Who knew you could be so cruel?" Nabiki said.
With watery eyes, he slung his child over his shoulder and held up a sign that said, I did what I must. Now let's go.
OXOXO
"Fiancée?!" Ranma exclaimed.
Nodoka had taken him and Genma out of the dojo and dropped the news in the middle of making dinner; he was helping her set the table while Genma waited outside for the possibility of the Tendos showing up.
"Uh huh!" Nodoka said, seemingly oblivious to Ranma's discomfort. "You've had a fiancée since the day you two were born!"
"B-but...why are you telling me this now?" Ranma asked. He growled in the direction of the front door. Damn you, Pops! You knew if you had told me, I would have throttled you!
"Because they're going to stay with us indefinitely," Nodoka said. "With Mr. Tendo finally staying still for the time being, it'll be an opportunity for you to get to know each other."
"But why didn't she and I have a say in this?" Ranma asked. "We might not even like each other..."
"Oh, I doubt that, dear," Nodoka said. She placed the hot pot of chicken curry down and patted his cheek. "Who wouldn't like a strong, handsome young man such as yourself?" She started working on the salad.
Ranma already knew he could land a wife if he wanted to. The girls swarming him everyday at school told him as much. Not that that mattered much to him. While it was nice to know he was attractive, he could do without the constant attention. He didn't need a fiancée on top of this. Still, for his mother's sake, he decided to keep quiet.
"Your father told me all the stories of his travels with Mr. Tendo," Nodoka said, working on the salad. "The way he talks about him, he sounds like a good man. I'm sure the same is true about Akane."
"Akane, huh."
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
Ranma cringed at the sound of his father screaming and Nodoka almost dropped the salad bowl.
"Dear?!" Nodoka called out. She hastily put down the bowl and ran into the hallway with Ranma following suit.
Genma came from around the corner, practically running on all fours. What followed behind him had Nodoka and Ranma scrambling after him until they cowered at the wall with Ranma holding a protective arm over Nodoka. A giant panda came their way with a blue-haired boy over its shoulder followed by two other girls running after them.
"What's the big idea?! Put me down!" the boy screamed, pounding at its shoulder. "You're in somebody else's house!"
The panda ignored his pleas and set him down before Ranma and his parents. The other two girls caught up with them, huffing and hands on the knees.
"We're terribly sorry about this," the older girl with the side ponytail said.
"We...we're the Tendos," the other girl huffed.
"Oh my," Nodoka said. She gently pushed Ranma's arm down. She dusted her kimono off and approached the four with her hands clasped in front of her. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Which one of you is Akane Tendo?"
The boy with the long hair blushed and looked down, mumbling under his breath, "I...I am, ma'am...sorry about this..."
This boy is supposed to be Akane? His fiancée?
"Uh, Pops?" Ranma said. He turned his head toward his father with one eye twitching. "Can we talk in the dojo for a minute?"
Before Genma could properly answer, Ranma had him by his wrist and dragged him outside until they were in the dojo.
"Daughter, huh?"
"There's no mistake!" Genma exclaimed, "Tendo said he had three daughters and Akane would be the one you marry! He doesn't have a reason to lie!"
"Well, something got lost in translation!" Ranma said. "And where's your friend, anyway? Those three are traveling with a panda!"
"The hell I know, boy!" Genma said. "Your guess is as good as mine!"
Ranma sighed and folded his arms. "Either way, they're our guests and Mother will kill us if we're rude to them. Let's go back and eat."
"And afterwards, we ask the girls and the boy for an explanation."
"Fair enough."
"Um, excuse me?"
Ranma and Genma turned. Akane stood at the dojo entrance, holding his hands in front of him. He could barely meet their eyes.
"I don't know where to begin," he started, "but I-"
"Don't sweat it," Ranma said. He approached Akane and gave him a strong pat on the shoulder. "You guys came a long way, right? It's more important everyone settles down and eat. We can talk later."
Akane curled his lips but he let out a sigh. "Okay..."
The three walked back to the house.
"I'm Ranma, by the way," he said. He offered a hand for Akane to shake. "Maybe we can be friends?"
Akane studied Ranma before accepting his hand. His grip was firm, but gentle. "Sure."
Back at the house, Genma and Nodoka asked the three Tendo children questions about their travels. Kasumi did most of the talking while Nabiki commented from time to time. Akane mostly ate in silence. In turn, that made Ranma feel a bit uneasy. Even the panda looked more comfortable than Akane.
"Hey, Akane, you study kenpo, yeah?"
"Yes, what about it?" Akane asked. He straightened his sitting posture and looked more stiff than ever.
"Do you want to spar?"
Akane's shoulders eased and a genuine smile graced his face. He nodded.
"That's a wonderful idea, Ranma," Nodoka said.
"You're good," Nabiki said. She reached for a rice cracker. "Sparring is the number one way to get Akane to loosen up."
Akane rose to his feet, still wearing that grin. "Can we spar now?"
His excitement was almost contagious. Ranma grinned back. "Of course."
OXOXO
Ranma studied Akane as they both got into their horse stance. It was clear from their posture alone that they studied the same arts. This would be interesting.
"I know we're just sparring," Akane said, "but don't hold back. I can't stand it when people go easy on me."
Ranma raised an eyebrow. Why would anyone go easy on him? He was a boy. A tall and muscular one at that; he even had a few centimeters on Ranma himself! He wasn't someone to take lightly. However, the fire in Akane's eyes told Ranma that he was serious.
"I won't," Ranma said. "I'm ready when you are."
"Good."
Akane attacked first. Ranma easily dodged him and watched Akane's movements. It was clear Akane trained for a good portion of his life. His aim was precise and, judging from the wind that accompanied his attacks, he was strong to boot. But that was also the problem. While he was strong, he wasn't fast enough. Then again, speed was one of Ranma's specialties so maybe it wasn't a fair comparison.
"I thought you said you wouldn't hold back!" Akane said. He aimed another punch. "What are you waiting for?!"
Ranma jumped over Akane, landed behind him, and poked his back. Akane turned his head, frowning. Ranma only smiled. "You're good! But you need to do something about that speed."
Akane dropped his stance and rubbed the back of his head, chuckling nervously. "I get that a lot."
Ranma tapped Akane's arm. "You're just as strong as I am, but if you get faster, you'll be close to my level."
The fire was back in his eyes. He sported a devious smirk. "Close?"
Ranma jumped back and got into position, wearing the biggest smile on his face. "What? You wanna rematch?"
"You're on!"
OXOXO
The panda held up a sign asking for a hot kettle of water and Nodoka came back with the boiled water. The boys had come back from sparring in the dojo with Ranma offering the bathroom to Akane first. Nodoka smiled at the exchange. Even though Akane wasn't the future daughter-in-law that she thought she would get, she found herself growing fond of him. Something about that shy but passionate spirit. It reminded her of her own youth. She returned to the living room with the hot kettle and the panda held up another sign thanking her.
"You're an unusual panda," Nodoka said.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Nabiki said, ignoring Kasumi's soft frown.
"What do you mean, Nabiki?" Genma asked, leaning forward and resting his elbow on the table.
Nabiki simply pointed to the panda. It grabbed the kettle, blew on the water a few times, and poured it over itself. Genma's mouth hung open. Nodoka covered her own. What once was a panda turned into a man with a long hair, tan complexion, and moustache. Though his face was stone hard, tears gushed down his cheeks.
Nodoka lost her voice. She turned to her husband for support, but he was just as dumbfounded, tears matching that of this man before them.
"Where to begin," Nabiki said. One would have to be deaf to miss the amusement in her voice.
OXOXO
Akane tried pouring cold water and, naturally, it was uncomfortable and would do nothing to properly clean his body. He had no choice but to take a warm bath. As the tub filled up, he gingerly undid his bow and used it to tie his hair into a bun. Some wisps fell out but as long as it wasn't all the way down his back, it was no big deal. He turned the water off and sat in the tub.
His long, muscular legs gave way for more shorter, feminine legs that still had muscles. The same happened to his arms. His chest filled out and he no longer had anything hanging between his legs.
She was back to normal.
She hugged her legs to her body and rested her cheek on her knees. After a few seconds of euphoria, she began washing herself. She lost track of time as she replayed the sparring matches with Ranma in her head. Save for her escapade with Shampoo, it had been a while since she fought someone seriously. He even took time to give her pointers and give credit where due. The memory put a smile on her face.
But it's only because he thinks I'm a boy, she thought, said smile quickly dropping.
She considered getting out and splashing herself with cold water. For a second it sounded like a good idea, but another truth remained: they would find out sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. But how to go about it...
She stood up and reached for the nearby towel.
"Hey, Akane! You've been in there a while. Are you o-"
Akane froze. Ranma stood at the door in nothing but a towel over his waist. She didn't know how long they stood there looking at each other, but his eyes slowly diverted to her chest and bottom half. That was enough to snap her out of her own daze. She screamed at the top of her lungs and reached for the closest objects to throw at him. She didn't care what it was as long as it made him leave. Letting out a startled scream of his own, he dodged the objects and slammed the door behind him. She sunk into the bath, hiding her face.
What do I do now?!
OXOXO
What the hell just happened?!
Ranma didn't stop until he was back in his room. The sound of the bucket and other things that girl threw at him rung in his ears along with his own rapidly beating heart. Akane went in there. He saw him go in there! So who was she?! Shock turned into annoyance and annoyance turned into indignance. Who was she to kick him out of his own bathroom?! He rushed into his clothing. He was going to get to the bottom of this and give this stranger a piece of his mind.
He opened the door, still seeing red, but his mother was just about to knock. She had a troubled look on her face and his anger quickly gave way to concern. "What's wrong, Mother?"
She took his hand and led him downstairs.
The fact that she didn't answer his question made him even more worried. Just what was going on?
"Mother...there was a girl-"
"I know."
"...What?"
"I know, dear," Nodoka said. She kept her gaze forward. "It looks like it's going to be a long night."
And he found out why. Genma, Kasumi, and Nabiki were still in the living room, but there was a man with them now.
And the girl he walked in on at the bathroom. She was wearing the same clothes Akane had on before entering the bathroom.
Kasumi rubbed the girl's back as she stared at the table. Her face red.
"Ranma," Nodoka said, "this is-"
"Akane Tendo," the girl said. She turned her gaze toward Ranma, but she refused to make eye contact. "I'm sorry about this."
Akane Tendo? But he already met Akane and he was a guy! Not this short girl with no figure! This couldn't be right.
"I..if you're Akane," Ranma said, pointing at her, "then who were we eating dinner with? And who was I sparring with earlier?!"
"Good question, Ranma," Nabiki said in a chipper tone. "It'll be better to demonstrate." She grabbed Akane by the collar, dragging her to the door. Akane protested and grabbed at Nabiki's hand, but Nabiki ignored her struggles. She opened the door and flung Akane into the pond.
"Nabiki..." Kasumi said, holding her fingers over her mouth.
Akane emerged from the water back into the body of the boy that Ranma had started to consider a friend.
"You didn't have to fling me into the pond!" Akane shouted. "I just bathed!"
"Clearly your fiancé wasn't going to get it until he saw it with his own eyes," Nabiki said, leaning against the door with her arms folded and one leg tucked behind the other. "All there's left now is to tell them what happened."
Ranma had almost forgotten about that stupid engagement and it was back in his face. The person his parents wanted him to marry was a girl who changed into a boy using water. And if Akane really was a girl, then that meant-"
"You're the panda?" he asked, directly addressing the tan man. "Soun Tendo?"
The man confirmed Ranma's suspicion by bowing his head and letting loose the waterworks. "It's a long story; I still haven't found the courage to explain!"
"We have all night, Tendo," Genma said. His voice shook with sadness for his friend. "Take your time."
Akane made her way back to the table and squeezed the water out of her hair. Nodoka left the room and came back with a large towel for her. Akane accepted it with a shy but somewhat irritable thanks.
"If Daddy can't tell the story, then I will," Kasumi said. "Let's see...it was his idea to travel to China..."
OXOXO
Akane let out a loud groan as she and her family dropped their baggage on the ground. They finally arrived at Jusenkyo. Soun had gotten the idea that training here would help her improve her balance. The guide wasn't keen on the idea.
"Few people train here," he said. "Springs have much tragic history."
"So I've heard, sir," Soun said, patting the man on the back. "But nothing to fear! We're martial artists! And my dear daughter Akane has agreed to train here. We'll be fine."
"I not sure..."
"I'm ready when you are, Father!" Akane said. She tightened the belt around her gi and did her pre-exercise stretches.
"Be careful, Akane," Kasumi said, taking a seat next to Nabiki in front of their stuff.
Soon Soun and Akane were standing on top of the bamboo sticks that poked out of the springs. Akane struggled at first to get her balance, but once she found her footing, she was ready to go.
"Remember not to hold back, Father!" Akane said. "I can't get better if you go easy on me!"
"As your father I will give everything I got!" His eyes watered. "Even if it hurts me!"
Akane chuckled. Her father had a flair for the dramatics but she knew it came from a place of love. They all did. "Good! Now let's fight!"
She jumped from bamboo to bamboo to reach him and he blocked all of her attacks, occasionally firing back with some of his own. Great. It meant he was taking this seriously. After dodging another attack, she missed her footing and fell into the spring. It alarmed her how deep the water was and she accidentally let the water come crashing into her lungs. Large hands grabbed her around her waist and pulled her up to the surface.
She coughed out most of the water and struggled to get the rest of the water out of her nose.
"Akane?! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, Father! Thanks for-" She paused. Why did her voice sound so deep? And why did she feel so different?
"Just as I feared!" the guide yelled. "Tragic story behind that spring! 1,500 years ago boy drowned in spring. Now everyone who fall in that spring turn into boy when splashed cold water! Bad luck you have!"
He was lying. He had to be lying! Akane patted her chest. Her face paled. Her breasts were gone! Instead she had a sculpted chest. She checked other places of her body that made everyone around her blush. When it dawned on her that the guide was telling the truth, she let out the loudest scream and ran around in a panic.
"Change me back! Change me back! CHANGE ME BACK!"
"Akane! You have to calm down!" Soun exclaimed. "We'll figure this out!"
She stopped in her tracks. He wasn't any different, but it made sense. Technically he was cursed, but because he was already a man, the curse did nothing to him. This made her blood boil. Sure, she agreed to go to this spring, but he was the one with all of the information. Who was he to tell her to calm down?!
"This is all your fault!" she cried out. In her fit of despair and rage, she flung her own father over her shoulder as far as she could. He came back out as a panda.
"1,000 years ago panda drown in that spring," the guide said. "Very unfortunate..."
"Oh my," Kasumi said. She stood up. "I do believe you went too far, Akane..."
Akane ignored her and chased after their father. If she couldn't get cured right away, then neither could he.
"Things are going to get interesting in China," Nabiki said with a smirk.
OXOXO
"And this led to that and we found our way back here," Kasumi finished. She folded her hands on her lap. "We wish we had time to fix this before coming here, but we've had complications. We're currently hiding from someone but since Akane's been a guy, I believe we've lost them for the time being."
"Anything we should worry about?" Genma asked. Sweat glistened down his face at the story.
"It's more Akane's problem than anything," Kasumi said tentatively. "But you yourselves are not in any danger. Just her."
"So we're in potentially in danger by proxy is what you're saying," Ranma said.
"Ranma," Nodoka said sharply. She smiled at the three sisters. "You're still more than welcome to stay here. After all, the engagement is still valid, yes?"
"If you will still take my daughter as your own, of course!" Soun said. "If you look past this, she's still fit to be Ranma's wife!"
"Hey! I'm not marrying anyone!" Akane exclaimed. "Especially not this pervert over here!"
Ranma's eye twitched. "And who are you calling a pervert?!"
"You! Staring me up and down!"
"I was in shock!" Ranma paused. "Excuse me for not knowing you can change sexes! And you had some nerve! Throwing stuff at me like I was the intruder in my own home!"
Akane opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She settled for huffing and turning her back to him. "Whatever. I felt cheap having someone stare at me like a freak." She gave him a sideway glare. "Was it your first time seeing a female body?" She stood up, faced him again, and patted her chest. "Thanks to being like this for weeks, I'm more familiar with the male body than I care to be, so I don't see it as a big deal anymore. Besides, you see one naked body, you've seen them all."
Ranma snorted. "If that's the case, then I'm not missing out on much."
"Ranma!" Nodoka scolded.
Akane stiffened. Ranma could practically smell the battle aura rolling off of her. Everyone, save for the Saotomes, moved away from the table. Akane had this tight smile on her face.
"Is that so?"
The next thing Ranma knew, she had flipped the table over and knocked his lights out.
OXOXO
Ranma found that he was in his room lying in his bed. His head pounded like crazy. That Akane...who thought she could be faster and stronger when pissed off? He held his head and sat up. He didn't even realize his mother was sitting next to him.
"You know," she said, "it took me a bit to warm up to your father when we were young."
"Did he knock you out with a table?" Ranma retorted.
She let out a hearty chuckle. "No, but just like you, he had a mouth."
Dear gods; she compared him to his father. He was going to have to do something about that habit then.
"I believe that deep down she's really a sweet girl," Nodoka said. She gently pressed a wet towel against his temple. "She's just going through a rough time right now and there was no delicate way to bring these issues to light."
"It's true," Kasumi said. She stood at the door and bowed. "Please don't think badly of Akane, Ranma. Auntie's right. She is a sweet girl; she just also has a violent temper."
"That's not helping her case, sis," Nabiki said, coming from behind Kasumi. She shrugged and sported a small, devious smile. "But judging from your little spat with Akane, you don't have much appreciation for girls, right? Since Akane's half a boy, marrying her shouldn't be a problem for you."
Nabiki, Ranma decided, was already a handful.
"Sorry to disappoint you all," Ranma said. He gazed at his mother earnestly and took her hand. "Mother, I love you, but I have no intention of marrying that macho chick."
"This macho chick came up to apologize for earlier but I guess it's not necessary."
Akane, a girl again, took up the rest of the space at the next door, glowering at Ranma with her arms folded. "But I'm glad we're on the same page about this engagement. I don't have time for fiancés, let alone a jerk like you!" She stuck her tongue out at him and marched off.
Ranma could've sworn he heard her mutter, "So much for being friends."
Kasumi apologized again on Akane's behalf. Nodoka laughed it off.
"Really, it's okay, Kasumi," Nodoka said. "The tea predicted good luck. I think it means the beginning of a new, interesting chapter. These two will be fine; give them time."
That's what you think, Ranma thought. He ignored the rest of the conversation and lied down. It would be a cold day in hell before he even thought of marrying that...uncute girl.
OXOXO
"If I didn't know any better, Akane," Soun said, "I'd say you care what he thought." He and Genma stood watch in the dojo as she took her stress out on cement blocks.
"Like hell!" Akane said. She broke some more cement blocks.
Genma laughed and patted Soun's shoulder. "Let her be, Tendo. It's good that she's spirited! That makes for a good wife. Just give her and Ranma time; they'll come around." He took Soun away to leave Akane alone with her routine. "Make yourself at home, Akane; this will be your dojo someday, too."
Akane stacked more cement to break.
Thank you for your kindness, Uncle, Akane thought. She broke through the cement clean. But I'll die before I marry your son!
Needless to say, this engagement was off to a rocky start.
OXOXO
Author's Note: I have no idea if this will stay a oneshot or if I'll actually continue it as a full on AU story. I mean, going off of lineith's notes, there's a lot to work with for the Shampoo introduction arc and Mousse introduction arc. I even know how I'd write the end of the Herb arc and finale if I ever got that far. But, again, I don't know whether I will or not. I'd love to, though because the ideas are fun and I haven't had this much fun writing fanfiction in months.
I'm literally working with a puzzle here trying to figure out how to write the reversed roles while keeping Ranma and Akane's personalities intact (e.g. Ranma growing up in a stable home and how that will affect his abilities as a martial artist as well as his relationship with Genma and Akane's overall development as the main protagonist). All in all, this is challenging in the best way.
ANYWAY, if you made it to the bottom, I hope it was worth your time. Thank you for reading!
