Ranma/NiGHTS
'Into Dreams'
"Honestly, Ranma," Nodoka chided, "if you'd only made up your mind earlier about this..." Ranma stood, chagrinned, as his mother fitted him for his tuxedo. Tomorrow was the Prom thing that everyone in his school was talking about, based on some western custom. He wasn't sure what the big deal was about it, but if taking Akane to it made her happy...
Happy, that was something he hadn't been able to associate with Akane for a while, but the other day when he decided to ask her; she was already in a good mood, but the question just seemed to raise her above the clouds to soar as if she grew wings. And Akane took him along with her.
His current predicerment, however, had him questioning his previous day's sanity.
"Don't slump, or we'll never get this fitted properly, and don't suck in your stomach so much."
"It's so nice that you've decided to take Akane, but what of the other girls?" Kasumi asked, looking Ranma over cautiously. This was to be a memorable night for her little sister, and if the other fiancees still remained a problem, everything would most assuradly be all for naught.
"Uh, Ucchan wanted me to take Akane... I think," Ranma seemed to puzzle out that theory as he said it, and missed the rather surprised expression on Kasumi's face.
"Oh, that's... nice... of her," Kasumi replied, gaining her bearings, "What were her plans?" Ranma shrugged, gaining him a slap on the back of his head in admonishment from his mother.
"Stand still! I'm almost done. Dear, you're worse than your father was when we were fitting him for a wedding tux..."
"Uh, mom," Ranma approached the subject tenatively, knowing something mispoken would quite easily be mistaken, "About wedding tuxes..."
Nodoka blinked, "I thought you and Akane believed it was too soon?"
"Well, I... WAIT A SEC!"
"Stand still Ranma! You're like a child! I have only a few more measurements to make and it will all be over."
"Wait a sec," Ranma began again, resisting the urge to rub the side of his head where his mother rapped him with the sheath of the Saotome Honor Blade, "It weren't anything about that, we said it is too soon. I just wanted to know why you're going through all this work for my tux, when you already have my measurements from the... well..."
Nodoka hid her smirk; her son, for once, didn't outright deny that him and Akane would not marry, "Well, that one was in haste, since we didn't think you would be, well, that is that you would comprehend the nessessity of the situation."
"Uh huh, riiiiight," Ranma drawled.
"Okay, you can lower your arms now," Nodoka stated, "Anyhow, though I'm not completely familiar with this Prom custom, I do think that this is an important night for both you and Akane. So everything has to be perfect, including your tuxedo."
"Oh."
"Now, Kasumi, the corsage you crafted for Ranma...?"
__________________________________
"No, I REFUSE to let my precious plans go to waste!" Zmartwan almost screeched, as she looked over her underlings with disgust, "All of you have failed to subdue TWO children, FOR the second time!"
"Not that you did so well yourself," Jackal grumbled under his breath.
"What was that?"
Reala snickered as his associate began to studder, "Uh, that is, NiGHTS is powerful enough on his own. With the two brats teaming up with him, it makes the task much more difficult. NiGHTS has been helping them raise their confidence more than we've been able to supress them. We were inadequately prepared for either of them."
Zmartwan didn't miss the unstated accusation, "Indeed, *your* incompotence has not assisted us in the least. The girl retains her idealas, and the boy still feels as if he can do something for her." The would be ruler of Nightopia mused for a sec, though her featureless face didn't show it, "Perhaps, of course, there is yet another way..."
"How so?" Reala asked, at risk of drawing attention to himself.
"Maybe I have been looking towards the wrong avenue on this. Maybe, instead of slowly forcing them to submit so that they could possibly adjust to the strain..."
Reala and Jackal looked towards each other in puzzlement.
__________________________________
"So, I bet you feel pretty happy with yourself, lil' Sis," Nabiki commented, glancing sideways toward Akane.
"Well, I guess it's not too big a deal, that Ranma asked me and all," Akane looked down towards the dress bag sitting in a third chair at the table of the cafe they were having a snack at after shopping a bit for the outfit after school.
"I see," Nabiki smirked at the smile her younger sister tried to hide. The middle Tendou sister was happy to see her sister this way. Even though that idiot of a fiancee took his sweet time asking her; the return of the cheerful Akane managed to lighten everyone else's mood since the day the youngest Tendou daughter had her breakdown. Nabiki's smirk faded at that memory, and she looked down towards the slice of strawberry cheesecake with a slice of kiwi on top so that she wouldn't meet Akane in the eyes, "Well, at least you're satisfied."
"Yeah," Akane replied, her voice becoming quieter, as she hadn't missed the slightly more somber tone of her sister's voice. The raven-haired girl shook her head slightly, and perked herself up, "And who are you going with?" Akane questioned, eyeing her sister critically.
Nabiki pondered the question a bit, "Well, Bahn and Akira already confirmed, while Kage's working on it. He's supposed to work his father's store that evening, but it looks promising..."
"Wait a minute, THREE guys?" Akane almost bellowed out.
Nabiki simply shrugged, "They all insisted to pay for the whole evening, who am I to pass up a three for one sale?"
"You're shameless, you know that?" Akane shook her head, as she went back to her cheesecake.
"No, just expensive and high maintnance." Akane couldn't resist the giggle. Nabiki finished off her slice of cheesecake, and stood up, "Well, we better hurry, there are these earrings I saw a ways back that would go great with your dress. Plus we still have to find shoes for you."
__________________________________
"Boy..."
Ranma flinched, and then groaned internally, "Yeah, Pop?"
Genma confronted his son, and looked him square in the eye for a few moments. After those moments were up, he beamed proudly, and slapped his son on the shoulder, "GOOD JOB, MY BOY! It's good to see you finally taking the initiative in your relationship with Akane!"
"Well, somebody had to ask the tomboy out, may as well be her fiancee," Ranma huffed, attempting to sound defensive about the idea. Even if it wasn't his own oblivious father, he would have failed miserably.
"Anyhow, you *better* make sure that this Prom night is a special night for your fiancee. And to make sure of that..." Genma handed Ranma a thin book with the cover, "Saotome secret arts to Making Out."
"Huh? What's thi..." Ranma looked up, and glared at his father, "POP!!!"
"Well, I don't suggest you start with what's on page twelve," Genma commented idly, "it's probably best to take these things slow."
"What? Akane'll KILL ME if I..."
"If you what, Ranma?"
The pigtailed boy jolted at Akane's voice, "Uh, oh, n-nutt'n..."
"Oh," Akane replied, smirking at Ranma's nervousness, "Excuse me, I have to put this up in my room."
Akane made her way by her fiancee, followed by Nabiki. The second girl stopped, as if remembering something, "Oh, and Saotome, if you *do* happen to make it to page twelve..." She handed him a small thin plastic packet, and then winked at him.
"NABIKI!" Akane shouted, embarrassed, despite the coy smile on her face. Nabiki stuck her tongue out at her younger sister, as she followed her up the stairs.
Ranma looked at the package of individually wrapped breathmints, and looked nervously at his dad, "Uh, how long were they standing behind me?"
Genma smiled smugly, "Long enough to see what was on page twelve..."
__________________________________
Ranma looked around in the dark void, one that reminded him of his previously troubled dreams. A wave of fear rushed through him, until he saw the familiar gazebo that contained NiGHTS. The Harlequin was banging furiously on his prison, and beckoning Ranma to set the Nightmaren free so that they could set about their goal.
__________________________________
"I'm coming!" Akane shouted out, anxious to get out of the dim swirling and dizzying lights that were from another, more troubling dream. She frantically rushed towards NiGHTS, needing the Nightmaren to free her from the nightmare as the Nightmaren needed her to free him from his prison...
__________________________________
As soon as Ranma reached in, he found himself jolted back by a tremendous force. It did not hurt him in the least, but it sent him careening away, unable to get his bearings straight.
__________________________________
The dim lights faded into a nearly solid bluish gray with swirls of light gray haze about it, and soon her trip backwards in the air ended with her landing unceremoniously on yeilding grass.
__________________________________
"What the...?" Ranma questioned, picking himself up off the ground. The landing didn't hurt him at all, but it left him confused as to what expelled him away from NiGHTS. The pigtailed boy looked around to see where he was at...
__________________________________
... and she gasped. In the sky hung ripples, like warps in the sky at various angles and placements...
__________________________________
... more like pools, actually. Bamboo poles stuck out from them from the top or the bottom, the other end that went into the ripple disappeared at the other side. It took a while for Ranma's mind to comprehend it, but...
__________________________________
The pools, possibly hundreds of them, surrounded by towering mountain peaks. Realizaton fell upon her like an overwhelming tsunami against soft beach sand..
__________________________________
"Jusenkyo..." Ranma breathed, his eyes wide in shock.
'Into Dreams'
"Honestly, Ranma," Nodoka chided, "if you'd only made up your mind earlier about this..." Ranma stood, chagrinned, as his mother fitted him for his tuxedo. Tomorrow was the Prom thing that everyone in his school was talking about, based on some western custom. He wasn't sure what the big deal was about it, but if taking Akane to it made her happy...
Happy, that was something he hadn't been able to associate with Akane for a while, but the other day when he decided to ask her; she was already in a good mood, but the question just seemed to raise her above the clouds to soar as if she grew wings. And Akane took him along with her.
His current predicerment, however, had him questioning his previous day's sanity.
"Don't slump, or we'll never get this fitted properly, and don't suck in your stomach so much."
"It's so nice that you've decided to take Akane, but what of the other girls?" Kasumi asked, looking Ranma over cautiously. This was to be a memorable night for her little sister, and if the other fiancees still remained a problem, everything would most assuradly be all for naught.
"Uh, Ucchan wanted me to take Akane... I think," Ranma seemed to puzzle out that theory as he said it, and missed the rather surprised expression on Kasumi's face.
"Oh, that's... nice... of her," Kasumi replied, gaining her bearings, "What were her plans?" Ranma shrugged, gaining him a slap on the back of his head in admonishment from his mother.
"Stand still! I'm almost done. Dear, you're worse than your father was when we were fitting him for a wedding tux..."
"Uh, mom," Ranma approached the subject tenatively, knowing something mispoken would quite easily be mistaken, "About wedding tuxes..."
Nodoka blinked, "I thought you and Akane believed it was too soon?"
"Well, I... WAIT A SEC!"
"Stand still Ranma! You're like a child! I have only a few more measurements to make and it will all be over."
"Wait a sec," Ranma began again, resisting the urge to rub the side of his head where his mother rapped him with the sheath of the Saotome Honor Blade, "It weren't anything about that, we said it is too soon. I just wanted to know why you're going through all this work for my tux, when you already have my measurements from the... well..."
Nodoka hid her smirk; her son, for once, didn't outright deny that him and Akane would not marry, "Well, that one was in haste, since we didn't think you would be, well, that is that you would comprehend the nessessity of the situation."
"Uh huh, riiiiight," Ranma drawled.
"Okay, you can lower your arms now," Nodoka stated, "Anyhow, though I'm not completely familiar with this Prom custom, I do think that this is an important night for both you and Akane. So everything has to be perfect, including your tuxedo."
"Oh."
"Now, Kasumi, the corsage you crafted for Ranma...?"
__________________________________
"No, I REFUSE to let my precious plans go to waste!" Zmartwan almost screeched, as she looked over her underlings with disgust, "All of you have failed to subdue TWO children, FOR the second time!"
"Not that you did so well yourself," Jackal grumbled under his breath.
"What was that?"
Reala snickered as his associate began to studder, "Uh, that is, NiGHTS is powerful enough on his own. With the two brats teaming up with him, it makes the task much more difficult. NiGHTS has been helping them raise their confidence more than we've been able to supress them. We were inadequately prepared for either of them."
Zmartwan didn't miss the unstated accusation, "Indeed, *your* incompotence has not assisted us in the least. The girl retains her idealas, and the boy still feels as if he can do something for her." The would be ruler of Nightopia mused for a sec, though her featureless face didn't show it, "Perhaps, of course, there is yet another way..."
"How so?" Reala asked, at risk of drawing attention to himself.
"Maybe I have been looking towards the wrong avenue on this. Maybe, instead of slowly forcing them to submit so that they could possibly adjust to the strain..."
Reala and Jackal looked towards each other in puzzlement.
__________________________________
"So, I bet you feel pretty happy with yourself, lil' Sis," Nabiki commented, glancing sideways toward Akane.
"Well, I guess it's not too big a deal, that Ranma asked me and all," Akane looked down towards the dress bag sitting in a third chair at the table of the cafe they were having a snack at after shopping a bit for the outfit after school.
"I see," Nabiki smirked at the smile her younger sister tried to hide. The middle Tendou sister was happy to see her sister this way. Even though that idiot of a fiancee took his sweet time asking her; the return of the cheerful Akane managed to lighten everyone else's mood since the day the youngest Tendou daughter had her breakdown. Nabiki's smirk faded at that memory, and she looked down towards the slice of strawberry cheesecake with a slice of kiwi on top so that she wouldn't meet Akane in the eyes, "Well, at least you're satisfied."
"Yeah," Akane replied, her voice becoming quieter, as she hadn't missed the slightly more somber tone of her sister's voice. The raven-haired girl shook her head slightly, and perked herself up, "And who are you going with?" Akane questioned, eyeing her sister critically.
Nabiki pondered the question a bit, "Well, Bahn and Akira already confirmed, while Kage's working on it. He's supposed to work his father's store that evening, but it looks promising..."
"Wait a minute, THREE guys?" Akane almost bellowed out.
Nabiki simply shrugged, "They all insisted to pay for the whole evening, who am I to pass up a three for one sale?"
"You're shameless, you know that?" Akane shook her head, as she went back to her cheesecake.
"No, just expensive and high maintnance." Akane couldn't resist the giggle. Nabiki finished off her slice of cheesecake, and stood up, "Well, we better hurry, there are these earrings I saw a ways back that would go great with your dress. Plus we still have to find shoes for you."
__________________________________
"Boy..."
Ranma flinched, and then groaned internally, "Yeah, Pop?"
Genma confronted his son, and looked him square in the eye for a few moments. After those moments were up, he beamed proudly, and slapped his son on the shoulder, "GOOD JOB, MY BOY! It's good to see you finally taking the initiative in your relationship with Akane!"
"Well, somebody had to ask the tomboy out, may as well be her fiancee," Ranma huffed, attempting to sound defensive about the idea. Even if it wasn't his own oblivious father, he would have failed miserably.
"Anyhow, you *better* make sure that this Prom night is a special night for your fiancee. And to make sure of that..." Genma handed Ranma a thin book with the cover, "Saotome secret arts to Making Out."
"Huh? What's thi..." Ranma looked up, and glared at his father, "POP!!!"
"Well, I don't suggest you start with what's on page twelve," Genma commented idly, "it's probably best to take these things slow."
"What? Akane'll KILL ME if I..."
"If you what, Ranma?"
The pigtailed boy jolted at Akane's voice, "Uh, oh, n-nutt'n..."
"Oh," Akane replied, smirking at Ranma's nervousness, "Excuse me, I have to put this up in my room."
Akane made her way by her fiancee, followed by Nabiki. The second girl stopped, as if remembering something, "Oh, and Saotome, if you *do* happen to make it to page twelve..." She handed him a small thin plastic packet, and then winked at him.
"NABIKI!" Akane shouted, embarrassed, despite the coy smile on her face. Nabiki stuck her tongue out at her younger sister, as she followed her up the stairs.
Ranma looked at the package of individually wrapped breathmints, and looked nervously at his dad, "Uh, how long were they standing behind me?"
Genma smiled smugly, "Long enough to see what was on page twelve..."
__________________________________
Ranma looked around in the dark void, one that reminded him of his previously troubled dreams. A wave of fear rushed through him, until he saw the familiar gazebo that contained NiGHTS. The Harlequin was banging furiously on his prison, and beckoning Ranma to set the Nightmaren free so that they could set about their goal.
__________________________________
"I'm coming!" Akane shouted out, anxious to get out of the dim swirling and dizzying lights that were from another, more troubling dream. She frantically rushed towards NiGHTS, needing the Nightmaren to free her from the nightmare as the Nightmaren needed her to free him from his prison...
__________________________________
As soon as Ranma reached in, he found himself jolted back by a tremendous force. It did not hurt him in the least, but it sent him careening away, unable to get his bearings straight.
__________________________________
The dim lights faded into a nearly solid bluish gray with swirls of light gray haze about it, and soon her trip backwards in the air ended with her landing unceremoniously on yeilding grass.
__________________________________
"What the...?" Ranma questioned, picking himself up off the ground. The landing didn't hurt him at all, but it left him confused as to what expelled him away from NiGHTS. The pigtailed boy looked around to see where he was at...
__________________________________
... and she gasped. In the sky hung ripples, like warps in the sky at various angles and placements...
__________________________________
... more like pools, actually. Bamboo poles stuck out from them from the top or the bottom, the other end that went into the ripple disappeared at the other side. It took a while for Ranma's mind to comprehend it, but...
__________________________________
The pools, possibly hundreds of them, surrounded by towering mountain peaks. Realizaton fell upon her like an overwhelming tsunami against soft beach sand..
__________________________________
"Jusenkyo..." Ranma breathed, his eyes wide in shock.