"Hey! Hey! Wake up already!" A boyish voice cried next to him.
He groaned and opened his eyes, squinting as a bright light entered in. "So bright," he mumbled, blinking out small tears and rubbed his eyes.
"Hey, Poppa, he's awake! Stop napping and wake up already!" The same voice cried, accompanied by the sound of slapping, a half-snort, a yelp, and a crash as something toppled to the floor.
"…Huh?" He blinked again, and craned to the side, momentarily ignoring the fact that he was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. It was clean and white and he took comfort in that fact, it made him feel safe. And there were other beds too, all occupied with people suffering a variety of wounds.
Most of them were burns. He guessed he must be in a hospital or something like that. Though, he didn't know what a hospital was, but he was definitely in one.
He knew it. And as he looked down upon himself, he saw that he wasn't hurt at all, unlike everyone else in the other beds. He pinched his pink skin just to be sure, and winced, hissing as a sharp pain ran up his body.
No, he wasn't hurt. People are wounded when they are hurt a-
"Hey, are you gonna stare at your skin all day or what?"
He blinked, and looked up to see a raven haired boy staring at him with curious blue eyes as he tilted his head. The boy wore a small white gi and his hair was tied back into a short ponytail.
"…Um, no," He answered after a second of blinking and thinking.
"Hmm, but your pink skin is pretty cool to look at." The boy commented as he leaned in closer to examine the skin in question. He stared at his arm, and back at him. A frown slowly formed as the boy's brow furrowed in concentration. And after a second of heavy thinking the ponytailed boy jabbed a finger against his chest.
"If you have pink skin, does that mean you're a girl?"
"…"
"…"
The stunned silence was broken as fist met skull and the ponytailed boy crashed atop the bed.
"Ranma, can't you tell he's a boy!?" A burly, middle aged man chided. He wore a dull white gi exactly like the boy, now wore. Only his had seen far better days. A pair of glasses with wide frames that wrapped around his ears decorated his eyes. There was a white bandanna that covered his bald, shaking head.
He tsked. "Oh woe me, I'm so ashamed that my son is so ignorant about the two different genders of mankind." The father sniffed and looked at him. For split second small, bright smile graced his face, before vanishing just as quickly.
"Oh, come on, Poppa. His skins pink and all girls love pink!" Ranma pointed out, rubbing the spot where his father hit him. The father just sighed as Ranma rose and hopped off the bed.
"Boy, the only reason his skin is so pink is because it's recently healed skin. I should know, I'm the one who healed him." The father explained. Ranma nodded, satisfied.
"Umm… who are you two?" He asked as he stared at father and son.
The father crossed his arms. "I'm Genma Saotome."
"And I'm Ranma Saotome, the Best Martial Artist Ever!" Said person boasted, puffing out his chest with fists planted on his hips.
Genma chuckled and Ranma pouted.
"What, it's true you know, Poppa."
Genma chuckled again. "When you can beat me in your sleep, then we'll talk."
Ranma huffed, eyes narrowing in a tiny, fierce glare. Genma quickly pulled out a camera out of nowhere, snapping a picture and made it disappear with a flick of the wrist. Ranma blinked, He blinked, and Genma smirked.
"…What was that?" He asked, crawling out of his covers to get closer to Genma, staring at him with wide, fascinated eyes.
"That… is a secret." Genma answered cryptically. Ranma frowned, still glaring. The Elder Saotome smiled. "But, I can tell you that I'm a martial artist and not just any martial artist. But I'm a true Martial Artist and my boy is on the path to becoming one as well."
"Wow, you're awesome." He said in awe, taking in Genma's words as the truth, and nothing but the truth. Ranma nodded vigorously in agreement.
"That I am." Genma grunted, nodding in turn and paused. "…Tell me, do you remember your name?"
"Shirou," He replied after a long, silent minute of thinking.
"Nothing else?" Genma asked, frowning.
Shirou shook his head and Genma sighed, running his hands through his head. Ranma kept looking at both of them.
"So… what are you two here for? To visit me?" Shirou asked, breaking the returning silence.
"Na, you're going to be my new brother!" Ranma cheerfully answered, pointing at Shirou with a single finger as he hopped up and down, brimming with excitement. "Poppa promised me after he found you in that big, nasty fire! Cause he couldn't get that super, ultra, ultimate martial artist manual. Cause it went up in flames!"
"…Oh," Shirou tilted his head, blinking. "Do I call you big brother, or little brother?"
"Just Ranma, but if you must then I'll be your Big Brother." Ranma answered, smiling.
Shirou nodded and turned to Genma, "Father?"
He sighed and turned to the exit. "Come along, boys. We've got to collect our stuff at a friend's house and then we'll visit your mother."
Ranma cheered as Shirou climbed down the bed with a little assistance by his new brother. Both chased after Genma as he went ahead of them.
And thus, Shirou became Shirou Saotome.
