Ranma ½ - "Out of Sight"
Drama/Divergent
Deep in the Bayankala mountain range…
A dark-haired boy stood atop a ten-meter bamboo pole, balanced precariously on the toes of one foot at the very end of it. Across from him, likewise, an aging man whose bulk seemed not yet to have caught up with him, was balanced on another pole several meters away.
The man nodded gently, the signal to begin. Without hesitation, the boy leapt powerfully from his position, one leg outstretched in a forward kick. His opponent blocked the strike, countering with his own. In mere seconds, dozens of blows were exchanged, yet the combatants managed to light on another pair of the bamboo shafts. Again they engaged, again they fell back, their cries echoing in the canyon around them. Below the duel, a plump guide in well-worn khakis shouted for their attention.
"Sirs! Be careful! Very bad to fall in spring! All very cursed, each one have own tragic legend!"
The older man took no heed of the warning, instead intent on the waxing battle. His protégé was momentarily distracted, though, trying to make out the guide's words through the deafening wind. Unfortunately, there is no room for distraction in the Art—an unfocused mind can be as much a defeat as an untrained body. The boy was trapped in a whirlwind of blows, breaking free at the last second to deliver a retaliation into his sensei's gut. With a loud splash, the man fell from the heights, landing in one of the hundreds of pools that dotted the ground below their aerial field. And did not come back up.
"Pops?" called the boy. When no response came, he smirked. "Does this mean we're done?"
Another splash sounded, somewhat louder than the last. But the figure that appeared wasn't the overweight man the boy knew as 'Pops.' It was an enormous panda, which, for some odd reason, was wearing 'Pops's sparring gi and glasses.
"It's about time, Pops; I was gettin' worried, thought maybe you'd taken the 'long swim.'" He chuckled at his own joke.
The guide, still watching, shook his head in misery, and hollered up to the pair again. "Oh, Sir, very, very bad… you fall in Spring of Drowned Panda; there is tragic legend of panda what drown there two thousand year ago! Now whoever fall in spring take body of panda!"
Again the guide was ignored—for the most part. The man-turned-panda was in no mood to listen, but his pupil was still pondering the 'tragic legend'… especially the 'take body of panda' part. So that's why they call it the 'cursed springs'…! It also meant that his portly father's larger girth wasn't due to water logging, after all. I'll have to be extra-careful now.
The added caution was in vain, as his teacher was quick to take every advantage of his increased mass, and the boy was blindsided right into another spring. He felt the water wash over him, chilled by the altitude, and a tingling sensation spread throughout his body. He recovered his senses quickly, and stroked his way to the surface of the pool.
Once on dry land, he was aware of a distinct difference in his balance, but was afraid to examine his body to find out what he'd become. Not that it mattered; the guide was only too quick to point it out to him.
"Oh, no, Sir, not that spring! That Spring of Drowned Girl; there is tragic legend of girl what drown in that spring one thousand, five hundred year ago! Now whoever—"
"Yeah, I know," the sudden girl interrupted. "Whoever falls in turns into a girl," she finished with a hoarse whisper.
Soun Tendo called his daughters into the den to share with them the good news. "Now, girls, I want you on your best behavior; my good friend Genma Saotome that I haven't seen for a very long time is visiting, and I'm sure we'll have quite a lot to talk about, what with his son Ranma being your fiancé and all—"
"WHAAAAT?!" screamed the youngest. "Don't we even get a say in who we marry?"
"It's in the interest of the school, Akane," Soun explained. "If one of you three were to marry him and carry on the Tendo training hall, the future of our school is ensured."
"But Akane's right, Daddy. We've never even met him," the eldest, Kasumi, interjected.
"That's easily fixed, they'll be here any minute now. They just returned from a training voyage in darkest China."
"Wow! China?!" exclaimed Nabiki, the middle daughter.
"What's so great about that?" asked Akane.
"Is he cute?" was all Nabiki wanted to know.
"How old is he?" Kasumi questioned. "Younger men bore me."
"Hahaha! Ahehe… heh…. No idea."
"You don't know?" Nabiki asked, incredulous.
"I've never met the boy."
"Pops, has anyone ever told you how stupid you can be sometimes?!"
A giant panda chased a fiery redhead down the main street of the town, trying its best to subdue her and finish the last leg of their journey. The panda held out a sign, to the astonishment of assorted bystanders, which read, "Of course; you have, boy!"
"I can't believe you! Pickin' out a fiancée for me like that?"
The overgrown raccoon finally caught up with her, but the pigtailed girl whipped around and planted a foot in its snout, knocking it backward, slightly dazed. She then turned and walked casually away from the downed panda. The panda, none the worse for wear, ripped a nearby street sign out of the ground and proceeded to knock a little sense—or at least some obedience—into the obstinate girl. He had places to go, people to see, and this ingrate was not about to spoil his plans.
Several of the onlookers gasped, watching the panda heft the girl onto his shoulder and stomp away.
CRASH BONK
"Leggo o' me, jerk!" a voice hollered from the door.
"It seems we have visitors," said Kasumi, a bit nervous at the violent sounds.
"That must be him!" Nabiki exclaimed.
"It's about time, Saotome, old friend!"
"All this fuss over a boy…"
To put it mildly, Soun was a bit disappointed at the complete lack of 'boy.'
Akane, though, was ecstatic to have a new sparring partner; especially one that was a girl. Ever since her mother's death, her father hadn't even set foot in the dojo, except to burn incense at the shrine to his late wife.
"So, let's see just how good you are, after training in China," she told the redhead, taking a stance at one side of the dojo.
"All right," Ranma drawled, a smirk lighting her face.
Akane made the first move, a right cross at Ranma's shoulder. The other girl easily dodged it, returning quickly with a left jab. Akane blocked, but the fist hit her arm painfully; it felt like it was starting to bruise. She's pretty good, Akane thought. She started a sweep kick, but Ranma leapt, landed behind it, and used her own legs in an attempt to scissor the Tendo to the floor. Akane twisted out of Ranma's legs, and retreated a few feet away, breathing heavily. Is… is she reading my moves?
Ranma waited, letting the black-haired girl catch her breath. Again, Akane leapt into action, first with a snap kick to Ranma's side, then a roundhouse with the other leg, both of which Ranma expertly stymied with graceful ease. The redhead's constant smirk was starting to get on Akane's nerves; there was no way anybody could beat her, not a chance, Akane Tendo was the best martial artist in Nerima….
She was also flat on her back on the dojo floor. "You should really pay more attention when you're fightin', Akane," Ranma admonished cheerfully. "Gettin' angry and frustrated just makes things harder for ya." She reached out a hand to help the black-haired girl to her feet.
Akane blushed, then took the offered hand. "Yeah… my dad says the same thing. That I need to be more focused, don't let my emotions get to me, all of that. But, well, you know. It's not easy."
The redhead sighed. "Nah… it ain't. It's damn near impossible. But, once ya are that focused, ya can do things you'd never believe."
The youngest Tendo was intrigued. "Huh? Like what?"
"Like… ya can see things that ya can't really see, and ya can move at incredible speeds, and leap ten stories like it was nothin', and… it's amazin'," she finished, a blissful look on her face.
"W-wow… so, you can do all that stuff?" Now Akane was really interested.
"Yeah. It changed my life, the Art. Can't believe I ever got by without it. I mean, I never woulda…." She trailed off.
"Never would've what?" Akane prompted.
"Ah, ne'er mind, it's nothin'," the redhead said. Her countenance had changed, the earlier happiness replaced with distance, irritation.
Akane felt a chill run down her spine; Ranma's expression was… disturbing.
"Oh, my…." Kasumi blinked as she watched the former redhead blur into the form of a young, but incredibly handsome boy, for the second time this evening.
Soun gasped; he, too, was still unaccustomed to the sight. "Saotome, my friend… until now, the true horror of Jusenkyo has been shrouded in mystery… so this what the legends speak of," he said, his voice reverent.
"Horror, heh," laughed Ranma. "It ain't so bad, once ya get used to it. 'Sides, it makes fer a good conversation, ne?"
"Don't worry, I still think you're cute, Ranma-kun," Nabiki offered, smiling.
Akane just sat on the floor, her arms crossed, staring darkly at the floor, as though it were a prisoner brought in for interrogation. It just isn't fair, she fumed. I finally find a good training partner, and she turns out to be a guy!
Ranma noticed the girl's anger, and strode over to her. "Akane…" he began.
"Go away," Akane told him.
"Akane, I— I'm sorry if you're upset with me. I didn't mean for you to find out that way, but… well, it was the least of my worries."
"So? I'm still mad; you lied to me, Ranma! I thought we could be friends, but— but—" She couldn't finish her sentence, she was so frustrated.
"Does that mean… we can't?" Ranma asked. If he could only help this girl see reason…. She couldn't possibly think that appearance was everything, could she?
"Yes! It does! Now leave me alone!" screamed the black-haired girl. If only this guy would see reason! Boys were all perverts, cute ones even more so!
"Well, then, I'm sorry ta bother ya. Um… though I gotta say, ya look pretty nice in that, uh, green dress—"
"It's not green! It's blue! Jeez, what are you, blind?" Akane screamed again, louder this time. The rest of the group had already stopped talking after her last, to watch the exchange.
Ranma looked directly at her, his face blank, his piercing blue-grey eyes seeming to do just that, staring straight through her, cutting her into ribbons….
"Yes."
Author's Note: A bit anti-climactic, I'm sorry; this was a completely spur-of-the-moment idea, so I just wanted to get it down in writing. Please give me opinions, suggestions, etc.; I would really appreciate it!
I should probably explain this here so that I won't have to later on; I'm almost sure there will be a few people that are wondering, how does Ranma know she's wearing a dress, and a green (blue!) one at that? Remember earlier in the story, he told Akane, and I quote, "ya can see things that ya can't really see"? My explanation (read: excuse) is that his training in the Art in this universe has already advanced well into the Ki-technique stage, which he can use to heighten—and in the case of his sight, simulate—his senses. But, like any prosthetic or synthetic sensor, it's not perfect. Hence the mistake. Um… okay, I'll shut up now, while I'm ahead.
P. S. I won't make any promises, but I'll try to make this my last one-shot before I get out another chapter of one of my series. As a matter of fact, WLY chapter 3 is nearly finished, so I hope to get it done within a few days.