Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi.
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brenda02@sprynet.com. And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at http://home.sprynet.com/~brenda02/Keith/Animeff.htm
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Genma Saotome stood in the front hall of his and Nodoka's house. As much as he missed the open road, he knew how much he'd miss his wife. *But my mind's made up and I can't let anything stop Me.* He adjusted the straps of his pack.
Nodoka walked up to the five-year old boy standing beside him and knelt down to hug him. "I'll miss you Ranma." Her eyes glistened with tears.
"I'll miss you Mom," Ranma replied as he hugged her back as best he could.
Nodoka stood up and walked up to her husband. "I'll miss you both. Please hurry back."
"I'll miss you more than I can put words to, and I'll dream of my return every night. But I owe it to the boy to properly train him in the arts. And I can't do that here."
"Well, try to visit in a few months," She said with a smile appearing on her face. "The doctor called today," She said as she took his hand and placed it on her still flat stomach, "and you're going to be a father again dearest."
Genma froze. He stayed frozen for several minutes. Ranma was looking up at him with a puzzled expression. "Well, the Anything Goes style is very flexible. Indeed I think that periodic short training trips could do just as well as an extended one. Possibly better now that I think of it. . . "
And so the universe changed.


A Ranma ½ Fanfict
Surreal Genius
By Brendan O'Donnell
Part one

In the Tendo home Soun Tendo looked at the postcard in his hands through his tearful eyes. The card had a very short message on it, "Coming to visit, with Ranma." It was signed Genma Saotome.
"Oh, how I've waited for this day!" Soun said as he put down the card "KASUMI! NABIKI! AKANE!"

On a street alongside a canal, a large panda and a girl were fighting. The panda was a typical looking panda, white fur and black fur on a bear like body; it's fighting stance and the speed of it's movements were what deviated from the typical image of a panda. The girl was wearing Chinese style clothes and a large backpack, and her red hair was bound back in a braided pigtail. As she fought she was yelling "I can't believe you only mentioned something like this while we're on the way there!"
The panda growled back at her jumping toward her. She leaped over the panda with a full somersault, she came out of the move precisely timed so her feet lashed down on it's back. The panda was thrown forward to fall in a heap a few feet down the street. The redhead assumed a ready combat stance and waited. The panda came to its feet and assumed a similar stance.
"Oneechan!" A girl ran up to the pair carrying three umbrellas. One umbrella was open to protect her from the rain, and the other two tucked under her arm. She looked a great deal like the young redhead, except she was about ten and her red hair was loose and shoulder length. The redhead stopped, shifted out of her combative stance and looked at the little girl with a slightly annoyed expression. As the girl reached the pair the panda had also relaxed into a non-hostile stance.
The elder redhead suddenly sighed and shook her head. Taking the two closed umbrellas from the young girl she said "Sorry Noriko," as she opened one while handing the other to the panda.
From behind the younger girl a somewhat older looking Nodoka Saotome approaches. "Now you two run ahead and make the introductions to the Tendo's, Noriko and I will follow as soon as we finish shopping."

Soun Tendo was sitting at a low table opposite his three daughters. From right to left he looked over them and thought about how much he wished their mother was alive. *You would be so proud . . .* On his left side of the table sat his oldest daughter Kasumi. She was dressed in a simple dress with a frilly apron over the front. Her long light brown hair was tied in a loose ponytail by a white ribbon, and rested on her left shoulder. Her calm peaceful look reminded him of her mother, but since she always looked like that he could look at all the similarities without breaking down into tears. Most of the time. In the center of the table was Nabiki, Kasumi's younger sister. She was dressed in a fancy kimono, her short hair framing her face with its cheerful, slightly eager look on her face as he explained about his friend. And finally next to Nabiki sat Akane his youngest daughter. She was dressed in her gi, long black hair falling straight down her back tied with a red ribbon. Her annoyed glower worried him slightly, but he felt sure that she'd cheer up when the Saotome's arrived.
"A fiancee?" Kasumi asked in response to his explanations regarding his friend's arrival.
"Yes, his name is Ranma Saotome, and he is the son of my good friend Genma. If one of you marries him and carries on the Dojo, it's future will be certain."
"Wait a minute!" Akane angrily responded, "Don't we have some say in this!"
"Hey, let's meet him first, he could be really handsome." Akane pointedly ignored Nabiki's quiet comment to her. Noticing this Nabiki shifted her focus to her father and added "Right Daddy?"
Soun laughed and stood walking to the sliding doors from the room to the backyard. While he looked out into the garden, he continued his explanations about his friend's son. "Ranma has been training for many years. He recently returned from a two year trip to China."
"Oh, sounds impressive!" Nabiki commented.
"Humph, training in China doesn't automatically mean he's any good," Akane commented in her still annoyed tone.
"So how old is he?" Kasumi asked.
"Is he good looking?!" Nabiki added.
"Younger men are so . . . young," Kasumi continued
"What's he like anyway?" Nabiki finished.
Soun laughed cheerfully for a moment, then looked over his shoulders at his three daughters to reply.
"I don't know."
"You don't know." Nabiki echoed with traces of Akane's annoyance creeping into her voice.
"This'll be the first time we've met."
The three girls looked at their father's back with expressions mixing mild shock with varying degrees of annoyance. Then there was a knock at the front door.
Soun ran to the door shouting "Ah, you're here Saotome-San!" Nabiki was right on his heels.
Kasumi and Akane followed at a slower pace. "I hope he's older," Kasumi said quietly. Then they stopped as their father and sister ran back around the corner with a expression of confusion and slight fear on their face.
Following them was a grim looking panda walking slightly behind a redhead in red shirt and black pants who looked back at the panda and said, "I'll do the talking for now."
Soun looked forward and asked, "You wouldn't be . . ."
"I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry."
"AH! I'm so glad to finally meet you!" he shouted as he grabbed Ranma into a tight embrace.
"He is pretty handsome!" Nabiki added from behind her father.
Who suddenly blinked as his expression shifted from joy to shock. He experimentally tightened and loosened his embrace then grabbed Ranma's arms so he could observe the red head at arms length. What he saw caused him to back up in shock.
Nabiki walked around him and quickly identified the source of her father's sudden reaction, Ranma's rather ample breasts. She prodded one with her finger, then confirmed her suspicions with a squeeze which provoked Ranma to comment quietly "They're real, you can stop that."
Nabiki looked at her father and said in a sarcastic tone of voice. "He is a girl!"
Soun considered this a moment then decided the best response was to faint. Which he did.
Soun opened his eyes. He was lying on his back in the family room with his daughter Kasumi putting a wet cloth on his forehead. She was saying "Poor father, he must be so disappointed."
"He's disappointed! He's not the only one! Look at her! Some fiancee!" Nabiki shouted as she looked at a slightly tired looking Ranma.
"Stop it Nabiki. Whatever the circumstances she's our guest!" Akane replied in a much less annoyed tone.
"Ah, Father's coming around!" Kasumi said.
"This is your fault Daddy! Don't you know the difference between a boy and a girl!" Nabiki said to him.
"My friend had told me he had been blessed with a son."
"Where do you see any sons in this room?!"
"That's enough Nabiki, boy or girl, a guest is a guest!"
"Besides there's some . . . complicated things we'll have to discuss, and I'd rather wait for mom before we start," Ranma added. She then looked at Kasumi and added. "Mom wanted us to come here while she went shopping, she wanted to help with dinner. She should be here soon with my little sister."
"Oh that wasn't necessary, you shouldn't have to exert yourselves like that."
"Mom felt she did. You can discuss it with her, but she's pretty hard to dissuade once she makes a decision."
"Let me show you around," Akane said as she walked to Ranma and offered her a hand up. "Want to be friends?" she added with a smile. Ranma returned the smile.
"This is our Dojo," Akane said as she entered the building in question. Ranma followed looking around in interest. "You study Kempo, right?"
"Somewhat," Ranma replied with a indifferent shrug.
"Well, how about a little match, then," Akane said with a grin.
"A match?"
"Just for fun, don't worry I 'm not going go all out," Akane said as she adopted a ready stance.
Ranma took a very relaxed stance opposite from her and indicated her desire to begin the match with a smile and a nod.
"Ok, start!" Akane said, then shifted her stance and lashed out with a strong punch. Which Ranma avoided by leaning slightly to one side. She followed it up with a roundhouse kick, which Ranma casually leaned back to avoid. A few more blows that were just as easily avoided and Akane was feeling her frustration begin to mount. "What's wrong, fight back!" she cried at him. She was thinking to herself, *How is she dodging so easily, are my moves really that easy for her to read?*
"Ok, try the real thing!" she shouted as she lashed out with a full strength punch. Ranma leaped over the attack, which smashed through two of the boards in the dojo wall. Before she could turn Ranma tapped her in the back of her head. In a real fight the tap would have been a fist knocking her into unconsciousness. She turned realizing how easily she had lost.
Ranma got a slightly sheepish look on her face, and started to laugh a quiet friendly laugh. Akane's laugh joined hers a moment later.
"You're pretty good!" Akane said as she adjusted her gi and started to leave the Dojo. "I'm just glad you're a girl."
"What . . ."
"Well, I'd hate to loose to a boy like that."
Ranma stood in the dojo, her cheer replaced by a look of calculation tinged with worry.

In the bath-room the panda Ranma had entered the house with lowered itself into the hot water of the furo.
"This'll be your room, and your parents can sleep in the other guest room," Kasumi told Ranma as they walked into a room.
"My sister Noriko's also coming," Ranma said.
"Well, she can stay with you. Oh, by the way I drew you a bath."
"Um, that might not be the best idea."
Kasumi handed her some of the bathing supplies, and said "Here, you've been exercising right?"
" . . .ok."

Soun Tendo sat opposite a man in a plain gi, a bandanna tied over his hairless head, and glasses on his face. Tears streaked both men's faces. Soun looked out into the night and said "Ah, the path of a true martial artist is a perilous one."
Nabiki leaned past the doorway into the kitchen and asked, "Hey Kasumi, who's that guy who's talking with dad?"
"I don't know. You tell Akane that the bath's ready."
"OK."

Ranma was rinsed the soap off her body with some cold water, then stood and went to the tub.
Akane entered the changing room, and seeing Ranma's clothing in the hamper thought *I guess I'll have some company* as she began taking off her gi.
In the tub a figure with black hair in the same style as Ranma's was thinking. *So should I stay like this, or change back and explain everything when mom gets here?*
A fully undressed Akane walked up to the door, holding a towel before her.
*Ah, who am I kidding. I'm just waiting for Mom cause I don't like talking about this, I'd better go out like this and deal with it,* the individual in the tub thought as HE stood. As he put his left leg out of the tub, he suddenly swiveled his head to the right. The sound of the door sliding open had called his attention to the fact that Akane Tendo was now standing in the doorway looking at him. Dressed not unlike he was.
The two stood there like statues trying to decide what was appropriate to do in this situation. With a quick downward glance Akane stepped back and closed the door.
*I guess it's time for explanations,* thought the boy in the tub as he looked down in self-contemplation.
In the changing room Akane put on her gi top, stepped out of the room and screamed.

"Why hello Mrs. Saotome!" Kasumi said to her visitor. "And you must be Noriko." she added to the girl standing beside her.
"It's such a pleasure to meet you Kasumi," Nodoka responded with a smile. "I take it my son and husband arrived with no trouble."
"Oh, I'm sorry, our only visitors have been a Panda and a girl who called herself Ranma Saotome."
Nodoka sighed. "I take it they haven't told you yet. Well, I understand their reluctance but it's something you need to know." She stopped to look up in response to Akane's loud scream. "My, you really need to know indeed."

Akane ran screaming into the garden to a very large stone ornament. "I'll drown that pervert!" she screamed as she picked it up.
"Now now, that shouldn't be necessary. Akane right?" said a voice which sounded like a mixture of Ranma and Kasumi. She turned and saw a woman in a kimono looking like an older more mature version of Ranma with brown hair standing next to her sister Kasumi. Her father and another man in a gi with glasses and a bandanna tied to his head were walking out the door with Nabiki.
"There's a pervert in the bathroom! I think it's very necessary!"
"This is just a small misunderstanding," Nodoka said with a smile. "I'll just let my son explain things to you." She sighed. "Like he should have from the start."
"Sorry about that mom," came a remorseful voice from the doorway to the rest of the house. Everyone turned to see the "Bathroom pervert" dressed in the outfit which had been loose on Ranma but which fit him perfectly.
"Who are you?" asked Nabiki in a deliberately detached voice.
"Ranma Saotome, sorry about everything," he responded.
Akane dropped the rock.

"Ok, now it's time for the whole story," Soun said as everyone sat around the table. He considered his daughters, Kasumi's cheerful expression was unchanged, Nabiki had slipped into the poker face he only saw when she was helping him with the books, and Akane was quivering with barely restrained rage. The Saotome's looked a little calmer, Ranma with his weary look, Genma's impassive expression, Nodoka looking like an older version of Kasumi, and Noriko looking at everyone else with a slightly puzzled look on her face. He turned to Genma. "This is my friend Genma Saotome," He began indicating the rest of the Saotome family as he named them, "His wife Nodoka, his son Ranma, and his daughter Noriko"
"Are you really the same girl we saw?" Kasumi asked.
With a sigh Ranma replied "Yes, it's the result of a little training accident."
"Where should I begin?" Genma said aloud in a contemplative voice.
"Try this," Nodoka replied handing him a bucket of water.
"Thank you," Genma replied, before dumping the contents of the bucket on Ranma who immediately turned into a girl. Her expression shifted to strong annoyance.
"Why'd you do that?!" Ranma shouted at her father.
"Oh, what a terrible thing to happen!" Genma started ranting. "Ranma, I am so ashamed of you . . ." Ranma grabbed the front of his Gi and threw him into the carp pond. From which a large panda immediately emerged.
"Watch the hypocrisy Panda!"
"Ranma," said Nodoka. She turned her head to the charging Panda, "Genma," Her quiet words froze them both.
"Sorry mom," Ranma said.

The group was reassembled around the table, with the now father and son contemplating a large teakettle on the table before them.
"I have been training Ranma in the art of Anything Goes Martial Arts for many years," Genma began. "Two years ago we agreed that Ranma needed more focus to truly master the art."
"Actually I was doing a little research on chi, and I felt I needed to totally immerse myself in the subject to really understand it," Ranma interjected.
Genma glared at Ranma. Nodoka looked at Genma. Genma continued. "Anyway it was agreed that we would spend two years traveling for the sole purpose of training in Martial Arts."
"I've skipped two grades, and I thought I could afford to take the time off."
"Ahem, We crossed over to China, and traveled for a long time, searching out and studying at the many martial arts sites. Then one day about three months ago, we arrived at an ancient training ground in the Biankolo Range of Mountains, in Quinghia province. It's name was Jusenkyo."

Flashback:
The Jusenkyo guide was walking down the road followed by a small group. Genma and Ranma were at the front, dressed in white gi's. Following them were Nodoka and Noriko, who were dressed in casual traveling clothes. Everyone but the guide wore a large backpack.
The road ended in a valley who's floor was covered with springs. Bamboo poles stuck up from the various springs, and the ground between them. "Here is Jusenkyo, the famous training ground of cursed springs."
"Cursed?" asked Nodoka.
"Yes, there more than one hundred springs, and each has own tragic story."
"Ranma, lets go!" shouted Genma as he dropped his pack and jumped onto one of the poles.
"No trouble." responded Ranma as he leapt onto another pole.
"AH! SIRS! What you doing?!" the guide cried out as the two adopted a defensive one-legged stance. "I have not finished my tragic story!"
"I won't go easy on you Ranma!" cried Genma.
"You never do," was Ranma's quiet response as the two leaped at each other, clashed, and landed on different poles.
"AH! Please, very bad you fall in spring!"
Ignoring the guide the pair leaped into another confrontation, this one leaving Ranma standing on a pole while Genma was knocked into a spring.
"That was quick," commented Ranma as he looked at the spring Genma had fallen into. Then suddenly a very large panda wearing his father's Gi top jumped from the spring. "Wha- What's that!!"
"That Shanmaonichuan, Spring of Drowned Panda. Tragic story of panda who drown there two thousand year ago. Legend say whoever fall into spring take body of panda.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner!" Ranma screamed, then shifted his attention back to his transformed father who was leaping at him. A second later Ranma flew through the air into another spring.
"Ranma!" screamed Nodoka as she ran to the edge of the spring.
"Oh dear, he fall in Nyanichuan, Spring of Drowned Girl." the guide started as Ranma came to the surface. "Tragic story of young girl who drowned there one thousand five hundred year ago. Legend say whoever fall in spring take body of girl."
Ranma felt the changes to his body, looking down she could see the changes to her chest, and with a quick yank at her gi top the guide's words were confirmed. "AAAAAGH!"
Ranma pulled the top closed. She had the look of someone who's world has just transformed radically. I.E., she was in shock. Then she looked up at the panda on the poles. "OYAJI NO BAAKAAAAA!!!!!"
"Wait! Ranma! Genma," shouted Nodoka, trailing off as she saw her transformed husband leaping across the training ground followed by her son turned daughter.
End flashback.

Ranma was siting there suppressing the rage he still felt when his father reminded him of what had happened. He closed his eyes, focused on his breathing and made himself relax.
"I see," Soun replied as he considered the story. "Well, this isn't so bad after all." He took Ranma by the shoulder and pointed to each of his children in turn. "My oldest daughter Kasumi, she's 19. My middle daughter Nabiki, she's 17. My youngest daughter Akane, she's 16. Choose any one you want, she's your fiancee."
"Akane would be wisest choice," Kasumi said.
"Definitely," added Nabiki.
"What! Why would I . . ."
"Ahem!" Attention shifted to Ranma who had closed his eyes and was touching his right hand's fingers to his forehead. "Let me get this straight. You want me to make a decision that will have a dramatic impact on both my life and the lives of your daughters, based on my knowing them for less than two hours?!" He raised his head to focus a glare he usually reserved for his father onto Soun Tendo.
"Ahhhhh . . ." Soun said as he tried to think of what to say in response.
"Out of respect for you and father I'll make this deal. I'll make a choice in one year. Until then you will not speak of, will not push, and will not mention even the possibility of an engagement. And if everyone decides that we're not compatible the engagement is off." Ranma looked into Mr. Tendo's eyes. "Is that acceptable?" he finished in a tone that said only one answer was acceptable.
"Um, yes . . . But you'll be living here!" Soun said. "You can't get to know them if your living across town!"
Ranma sighed. "Ok, that I can compromise on."
"Hey! don't we have any say in this!" Akane shouted as she stood and walked over to glare at her father.
"Of course," Ranma said. "That's why we're discussing this."
"Well I'm not marrying a pervert like you!"
Ranma glared at her, tightening his fist, wanting to retaliate "You walked in on me, you Uncute Tomboy!" he yelled as he came to his feet and glared into her eyes.
"What did you say!!?" Akane retaliated in a building Rage.
Nodoka was looking at both of them, wanting desperately to stop this but knowing the two of them had to diffuse it themselves. *No wonder they're so angry, the first time they saw each other naked was an accident.* Her thoughts drifted back to the romantic moment when she had first seen Genma hidden in the rafters of the womens bath. She smiled at the memory. *If my son chooses Nabiki or Kasumi, I'll make sure their first time is better.*
Ranma glared into Akane's eyes, eyes who's rage was a mirror to his own. He closed his eyes.
*Damn! Lost it! Well only one thing to do.* "Sorry," he said through clenched teeth, "I meant to say that idiot's an acceptable insult, but pervert is blatantly inaccurate."
"Oh, shut up you lecherous peeping tom!"
"Akane!" said Nodoka in a gentle yet firm voice similar to one she occasionally heard from Kasumi.
"Oh, sorry Mrs. Saotome."
"You're apologizing to the wrong person."
"Let me go first," Ranma said as he walked up to Akane. Bowing he said, "I'm sorry for not telling you about my curse earlier, but even after these three months it's still an uncomfortable subject for me. I'm further sorry for letting myself get so angry just now" *I still want to do something for that Pervert crack!* he thought
Akane stood there for a few moments, felt Kasumi and Mrs. Saotome looking at her and bowed muttering. "sorryicalledyouapervert"
"Not a great apology but it's accepted," Ranma said with a slight grin. Akane turned somewhat red and stormed out of the room.
*Heh.*