Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or To Love-Ru. I am not profiting from this story in any way. So there!
Introduction: This is just a short prologue to set the stage for my first real crossover. I don't have a lot to say right now, but I will warn Akane-haters that this story probably won't be to their liking. But for everyone else, I hope you enjoy it!
(Special thanks to Noy Telinú, Narsil, Richard Ryley, zeltronica and Fionn the Otaku for their input.)
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The Troubles of a Tomboy
by tuatara
Prologue: Let's See How You Like It!
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"Hey, Akane! Wait up!" a pigtailed boy called to his female companion as she rushed on ahead of him.
"Why should I, jerk? So you can insult the size of my thighs some more? Or would you rather pick on my waist? Maybe my chest? Oh, I know! How about the size of my feet? At least that would be something different!" the short-haired girl snapped as she forced her tired legs to speed her ascent to the top of a mind-numbingly long stairway. "Besides, it's almost noon! You'd better hurry up if you want to make it!"
"I'm comin', I'm comin'. And I didn't mean it like that! I was just saying that with your calves, this hill should be no problem," the boy, Saotome Ranma, protested.
"Suuure. Whatever you say, baka. But I'm impressed…walking up 5000 steps on your hands backwards on the morning after a new moon so you can make a wish to the kami of the temple at exactly midday? You've done some crazy stuff for a cure in the past, but this is on a whole new level! Talk about dedication," observed his ostensible fiancée, Tendo Akane, with a shake of her head.
"Well, I'm tired of it!" Ranma grunted, hopping backwards onto the next step. "I hate having to pretend I'm your cousin Ranko when my mom shows up! I hate worrying that she'll make me and Pop slice our bellies open if she finds out how 'unmanly' I am! It sucks! How many steps left?"
"Five more, but you only have about three minutes left to get up here and stand on your fingertips on the big stone in front of the temple!" Akane exclaimed, anxiously checking her watch.
"No problem!" the Saotome boy shouted, hopping to the next step and then the one following it. However, his hand began to slip upon his landing on the next step after that. Yet he was thankfully able to keep his "footing"; a single mistake would have rendered his grueling morning trial completely moot.
"Careful, Ranma! Only two steps to go!" Akane called.
"Got it!" he announced, quickly hopping up the final two steps to the courtyard of the temple. "Yes!" he whooped.
"Two minutes, Ranma. Hurry to the stone!" she urged, looking at the site about ten meters away.
"Don't worry, Akane. I got this," Ranma said with a grin as she backed up towards the circular stone slab at the center of the courtyard.
"I hope you won't be too disappointed when this doesn't work. It's probably just one of those legends shrine keepers spread to get people to visit their temples."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
"Is it…is it really worth all this grief, Ranma? You put yourself through all sorts of nonsense to try to find a cure, but it always ends with you getting let down in the end," the Tendo girl noted, trying to be sympathetic. "I mean, things could be worse, right?"
"Aw, what would you know about it?" Ranma growled. "You have no idea what I put up with day after day!"
"Oh, really? I have no idea? Who is it that gets dragged into your ridiculous escapades all the time, huh! ?" Akane shouted.
"Yeah, only 'cause you're such a clumsy tomboy who can't keep her nose outta stuff that ain't her business anyway," he groused.
"Oooh! Why, you! …Just forget it," the blue-black-haired girl sighed. "We're here. Get up on the stone, alright? You have less than a minute to make the wish."
Ranma complied, hopping onto the platform and raising himself up on the tips of his index fingers. "Sometimes I wish you'd know what it's like to have my problems," he muttered under his breath.
"What was that, Ranma?" Akane asked sharply.
"Nothin', nothin'! Relax. Is it time?" Ranma asked, his mumbled complaint already forgotten.
"Yeah, make the wish now! The scroll said you only have about thirty seconds!"
"Alright, here it goes. I wish I wasn't cursed and would never turn into a girl again!" he yelled, bracing himself as he waited for something to happen.
And waited.
"Uh…did it work?" he asked.
"How should I know? You're in your regular form already. So get down from there and we'll test it," Akane explained, retrieving a bottle of water from the backpack she wore and sitting down next to the platform.
Still on his fingertips, Ranma hopped down next to the Tendo girl.
"You can stop walking like that, you know," a smirking Akane pointed out.
"Oh! Oops. Heh," the black-haired boy chuckled, pushing off with his hands into a somersault before landing on his feet.
Akane offered him the bottle of water. "It should still be cold enough to trigger the curse…if you still have it, that is. Give it a try."
Taking it, Ranma unscrewed the cap and held the bottle up high. Closing his eyes, he poured the cool water over his head.
As Ranma opened his eyes, he was greeted by the familiar yet unwelcome sight of a generous bosom tenting his shirt and strands of wet, red hair hanging down in front of his face.
"DAMMIT!" the red-haired girl screamed.
"Sorry, Ranma," Akane sighed, "but I-"
"Don't say 'I told you so!'" Ranma snapped, cutting her off.
"I, I wasn't going to say that!" Akane sputtered.
"Uh huh. Oh well…you brought lunch, right?" the cursed girl asked, wiping the water from her face and taking a seat next to her companion.
Akane nodded, pulling out a pair of bento from her backpack. As she was about to hand one to Ranma, she noticed the wary look on the redhead's face. "Don't even say it! Kasumi made these, okay?" the Tendo girl snarled.
"I wasn't gonna!" Ranma protested.
Rolling her eyes, Akane handed Ranma her lunch without further comment. With a call of "Itadakimasu!" they both dug into their meals (the pigtailed girl with much more gusto).
Unnoticed by either teen, two bright lights streaked across the horizon….
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Author's Note: The crazy temple visit was in part inspired by the lovely gender-bending body-swap manga Orange Chocolate. Check it out!
The first proper chapter will follow shortly, as will the princess of Deviluke! The story's title is something of a work in progress, so please feel free to share if you have any better suggestions. Thank you for reading!