Ranma 1/2
Of Lesser
Chapter 3
Rebecca groggily awoke to the sounds of combat, and hesitantly pulled herself from the futon she was supplied in the dojo. Though waking up so early (early by her standards at least) was not something she would want to constantly repeat, the smell of a morning meal resided her to the fact that it would be well worthwhile.
"I could get used to waking up to that girl's cook'n," thought the American girl to her self as she stretched, and pulled on a sweat suit to wear until she could take a shower. The wayward guest took a detour to the outside to see what the commotion was all about, and was rather impressed by the site of Ranma and his father gaining more hangtime than the whole of the NBA lineup, as they traded blows in their ritual morning sparring.
"Whew, stay up there for too long and you two'll be breaking a few air flight regulations," her reply was greeted by a couple of grunts as both fighters finally came to earth on opposite sides of the koi pond they were fighting over.
"Look at you, Ranma! You've been slacking for far too long!" accused Genma with a pointed finger, while stoicly holding himself up without showing how exhausted he had become keeping up with his son. Ranma just snorted as he lept into the air, ever ready for the continued morning battle. The young martial artist's father followed suit, and once again they were comically defying gravity while attacking one another, until gravity started getting upset and pleaded with the two to at least respect her laws.
Genma was first to comply, as he was sent straight into the koi pond, Ranma following behind as he softly landed on his now panda father's head. "Heh, if you're the biggest challenge I'll ever have to face again, I think I could relax until I'm a Amazon elder," stated Ranma smugly as he balanced on the panda's head.
The disgruntled panda pulled out a sign, "[Ranma, I've seen GIRLS with better moves than you!]"
That got on the wrong side of Ranma's attention, as he pushed a bit down and forced the panda's head back into the water, while maintaining balance and not getting wet, "Oh yeah Oyaji? Name one."
Genma calmly pointed to Rebecca who was looking rather confused and haggard at the two, "Oh no, I'm not in this."
Ranma stood a split second shocked almost to outrage that his father would even think such a ridiculous thing (though the girl was good in her own right, Ranma felt that nobody approached his class), which was enough time for his father to take advantage of the distraction, grab his son by the ankle, and turn Ranma into his daughter.
Rebecca shook her head at Ranma's distraction before turning to hear a string of unsavory Japanese dialect usually reserved for discussions of the Japanese Diet. "Must they go through this every morning, I swear if they weren't already broke I would break them so far they would be more liquid than their curse triggers," quipped Nabiki, as she stood looking equally as disheavaled as Rebecca, her pajama top hung haphazardly off one shoulder with her hair in a mess.
The blonde girl stared at Nabiki with a curious expression on her face that made Nabiki suddenly nervous, "and what, pray tell, are you looking at?"
"They do this EVERY morning?" asked Rebecca incredulously, almost sounding forced with its strength.
"Just about, but those are the pains of living with two inconsiderate money pits. I'm gonna go take a bath, you can have it when I'm done." With that, Nabiki turned towards the bathroom barely before Rebecca stopped her.
"Wait, I'll go with you, I don't feel like waiting too long feeling this grungy," she stated a bit cheerfully.
"Nope, I like to have the furo to myself and besides, Akane broke the second bathstool over Ranma's head last night, don't worry though, since I gotta run to school I won't be long."
Becky watched Nabiki dissappear behind the door and turned to acknowlege Ranma-chan's presence behind her, "sup, Ranma? While I'm waiting, wanna spar for a bit?" Ranma's eyes lit up as if offered a challenge,
"Sure, I'll even go easy on ya."
"Aren't you the gentleman," commented the girl dryly, as she stepped to the middle of the backyard with Ranma a few paces behind her. Both bowed to each other then began.
Akane peered out into the yard and spied the two in combat, "wow, she's probably better than Shampoo," Akane stated out loud to herself, Kasumi coming up behind her to catch a glance of the two fighters in action.
"Oh my, I've never seen Ranma work as hard as he is in a sparring match for a while."
"Huh?" Akane enquired until she looked closer at the two, Ranma's face had a sincere look of concentration, far from the mock one he put on for his father so he wouldn't hurt the Panda's feelings. He was actually being forced to work. Granted, Akane's newfound friend was looking like she was being made to work just as hard, but it wasn't common for anyone to get Ranma so concerned.
Akane turned to the piglet squeal at her ankles, and picked up P-Chan so he could see what she was looking at, "Look P-Chan, I think Ranma's met his match finally," joked Akane to her black pet. The piglet squealed in surprise as he watched Ranma suddenly skidding along the ground from a powerful shoulder charge by Becky that seemed to hit him more than the initial blow. Ranma took a second to get up, and seemed excited.
"What was THAT?" Exclaimed Ranma, who apparently had been introduced to a new technique that he was now eager to find out more about.
"That's Dad's forward defense attack: 'The Charging Star', though my version I call the 'Artillery Shot.' It practically absorbs all attacks without harm while aggressing."
"Wow, not bad, for a girl," stated Ranma smugly, yet with a bit of awe. Rebecca didn't know to be insulted by the comment, or resigned since Ranma actually sounded sincere about it. Becky chose the latter, as she sighed and turned towards the house, idly wondering if Nabiki had finished so she could enjoy a nice nude sweat. She was jolted from her thoughts when she felt a petite hand on her shoulder.
Ranma blinked curiously at the shudder and slight dreamy smile Becky gave, but thought nothing of it, "Hey, um, well... er, you see...." Ranma couldn't finish, and instead flashed a cocky smile at Rebecca that he knew Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodachi, and half the girls at Furinkan High swooned over, no matter what form he was in.
The flaxen haired girl rolled her eyes as she noted what Ranma was trying to do, "Look, this is very flattering and all, but I just wanna get some soaking time done before breakfast is served, okay?"
The girl patted Ranma on the cheek, then walked towards the bathroom just as Nabiki walked out and gave her a nod that it was now free. Ranma stood chalk still for almost ten minutes with an incredulous expression on his face, trying to anaylize the fact that a girl other than Akane had turned him down flatter than 2-D....
Ranma sat, still female, at the breakfast table with the same incredulous expression on his face, the phrase 'it didn't work' scrolling itself visibly in his mind's eye like an old Windows Screen saver (you know, the one called 'marquee'). Genma had stopped attacking Ranma's plate since he wasn't putting up a fight, thus making it any fun for the robust martial artist. So he decided to introduce the newest Tendou guest to this novel game, as Becky squawked indignantly, and fended the overweight man off while resisting the urge just to jam her chopsticks through his hand and pin it into the table like a moth in an elementary school project.
"What's with you, Ranma?" enquired Akane, utilizing a good portion of annoyance to hide the concern in her voice.
"Yeah boy, why're you so shell shocked? I told you that girl got better moves than you. Oh how low my son has fallen to be up-started by a GIRL!" Genma held his concern in check even more so than Akane, and hoped that the goad would bring his daughter out of her stupor.
"Don't get so depressed Ranma, you have four fiancées as it is. I would think my lack o' interest would be a relief to you. 'Sides, it's not like we can't still be friends, right Nabs?"
Nabiki raised an eyebrow at the familiarity of the American towards her, and made a mental note to charge her for it, "I guess, but my friendships usually don't come cheap," she replied, scooping up another bite of rice. Rebecca looked away quickly after Nabiki's reply and was about to comment when Genma's grave voice cut her off.
"You mean to tell me that my boy here has failed to charm this woman? Oh the shame that my only son is not man enough to capture a girl's heart!"
"WAAAAAAHHHH!!! RANMA'S UGLY!!! NOW AKANE WILL NEVER MARRY HIM AND JOIN THE SCHOOLS!" wailed Soun, his comment immidiatly snapping Ranma to attention in time for a stereo reply between him and Akane of "HEY".
"Who EVER said I was gonna marry the jerk now? Just let him date all the women he wants!" retorted Akane in supreme defiance.
"I AM NOT UGLY!!!!" Screamed Ranma, her petite face burning almost as red as that lovely notch on the gauge that signifies "nuclear winter imminent".
"I dunno sonnyboy, you're look'n kinda homely to me. Been getting enough Zinc in your diet?" stated a shriveled pervert that seemed to have magically appeared at the table and was being served by Kasumi. Ranma's reeled like he had recieved a kidney punch from a wrecking ball.
"Oh no, all my meals supply the appropriate amount of nutrients recommended. Maybe he needs some oxy pads to help with her complexion?" asked Kasumi, taking a slight insult to the indirect affront to her cooking. Ranma felt the sledgehammer slam into his cheek.
"I personally think Ranma just needs a new wardrobe, for a price I can help you go shopping for one," commented Nabiki, carefully wording her phrasing for the appropriate effect. Ranma's head snapped back from an invisible knockout blow.
"Now quit it, Ranma's just had a lot on his mind other than hygiene and self grooming," scolded Akane. Congratulations were in order to the girl with jet black hair as Ranma's head fell forward into his rice. He coulda retorted his usual "uncute tomboy" defense mechanism if it weren't for the fact that she said it without any malice.
Ranma shot up to standing with a raw determination in his face, "That's it, I, Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything Goes, shall PROVE to you that I'm every bit as handsome and irresistible as I've always been!" Ranma's inspirational speech was punctuated by Akane's mallet slamming the pigtailed boy back into blissful oblivion.
"Thanks, Akane, he was getting that look in his eye again," stated Becky, shuddering at the remembrance of the sight.
"Oh, um, you're welcome I guess," replied Akane, she didn't actually do it for her other guest. Truthfully, she didn't even recall the reason she hit Ranma in the first place.
.
Of Lesser
Chapter 3
Rebecca groggily awoke to the sounds of combat, and hesitantly pulled herself from the futon she was supplied in the dojo. Though waking up so early (early by her standards at least) was not something she would want to constantly repeat, the smell of a morning meal resided her to the fact that it would be well worthwhile.
"I could get used to waking up to that girl's cook'n," thought the American girl to her self as she stretched, and pulled on a sweat suit to wear until she could take a shower. The wayward guest took a detour to the outside to see what the commotion was all about, and was rather impressed by the site of Ranma and his father gaining more hangtime than the whole of the NBA lineup, as they traded blows in their ritual morning sparring.
"Whew, stay up there for too long and you two'll be breaking a few air flight regulations," her reply was greeted by a couple of grunts as both fighters finally came to earth on opposite sides of the koi pond they were fighting over.
"Look at you, Ranma! You've been slacking for far too long!" accused Genma with a pointed finger, while stoicly holding himself up without showing how exhausted he had become keeping up with his son. Ranma just snorted as he lept into the air, ever ready for the continued morning battle. The young martial artist's father followed suit, and once again they were comically defying gravity while attacking one another, until gravity started getting upset and pleaded with the two to at least respect her laws.
Genma was first to comply, as he was sent straight into the koi pond, Ranma following behind as he softly landed on his now panda father's head. "Heh, if you're the biggest challenge I'll ever have to face again, I think I could relax until I'm a Amazon elder," stated Ranma smugly as he balanced on the panda's head.
The disgruntled panda pulled out a sign, "[Ranma, I've seen GIRLS with better moves than you!]"
That got on the wrong side of Ranma's attention, as he pushed a bit down and forced the panda's head back into the water, while maintaining balance and not getting wet, "Oh yeah Oyaji? Name one."
Genma calmly pointed to Rebecca who was looking rather confused and haggard at the two, "Oh no, I'm not in this."
Ranma stood a split second shocked almost to outrage that his father would even think such a ridiculous thing (though the girl was good in her own right, Ranma felt that nobody approached his class), which was enough time for his father to take advantage of the distraction, grab his son by the ankle, and turn Ranma into his daughter.
Rebecca shook her head at Ranma's distraction before turning to hear a string of unsavory Japanese dialect usually reserved for discussions of the Japanese Diet. "Must they go through this every morning, I swear if they weren't already broke I would break them so far they would be more liquid than their curse triggers," quipped Nabiki, as she stood looking equally as disheavaled as Rebecca, her pajama top hung haphazardly off one shoulder with her hair in a mess.
The blonde girl stared at Nabiki with a curious expression on her face that made Nabiki suddenly nervous, "and what, pray tell, are you looking at?"
"They do this EVERY morning?" asked Rebecca incredulously, almost sounding forced with its strength.
"Just about, but those are the pains of living with two inconsiderate money pits. I'm gonna go take a bath, you can have it when I'm done." With that, Nabiki turned towards the bathroom barely before Rebecca stopped her.
"Wait, I'll go with you, I don't feel like waiting too long feeling this grungy," she stated a bit cheerfully.
"Nope, I like to have the furo to myself and besides, Akane broke the second bathstool over Ranma's head last night, don't worry though, since I gotta run to school I won't be long."
Becky watched Nabiki dissappear behind the door and turned to acknowlege Ranma-chan's presence behind her, "sup, Ranma? While I'm waiting, wanna spar for a bit?" Ranma's eyes lit up as if offered a challenge,
"Sure, I'll even go easy on ya."
"Aren't you the gentleman," commented the girl dryly, as she stepped to the middle of the backyard with Ranma a few paces behind her. Both bowed to each other then began.
Akane peered out into the yard and spied the two in combat, "wow, she's probably better than Shampoo," Akane stated out loud to herself, Kasumi coming up behind her to catch a glance of the two fighters in action.
"Oh my, I've never seen Ranma work as hard as he is in a sparring match for a while."
"Huh?" Akane enquired until she looked closer at the two, Ranma's face had a sincere look of concentration, far from the mock one he put on for his father so he wouldn't hurt the Panda's feelings. He was actually being forced to work. Granted, Akane's newfound friend was looking like she was being made to work just as hard, but it wasn't common for anyone to get Ranma so concerned.
Akane turned to the piglet squeal at her ankles, and picked up P-Chan so he could see what she was looking at, "Look P-Chan, I think Ranma's met his match finally," joked Akane to her black pet. The piglet squealed in surprise as he watched Ranma suddenly skidding along the ground from a powerful shoulder charge by Becky that seemed to hit him more than the initial blow. Ranma took a second to get up, and seemed excited.
"What was THAT?" Exclaimed Ranma, who apparently had been introduced to a new technique that he was now eager to find out more about.
"That's Dad's forward defense attack: 'The Charging Star', though my version I call the 'Artillery Shot.' It practically absorbs all attacks without harm while aggressing."
"Wow, not bad, for a girl," stated Ranma smugly, yet with a bit of awe. Rebecca didn't know to be insulted by the comment, or resigned since Ranma actually sounded sincere about it. Becky chose the latter, as she sighed and turned towards the house, idly wondering if Nabiki had finished so she could enjoy a nice nude sweat. She was jolted from her thoughts when she felt a petite hand on her shoulder.
Ranma blinked curiously at the shudder and slight dreamy smile Becky gave, but thought nothing of it, "Hey, um, well... er, you see...." Ranma couldn't finish, and instead flashed a cocky smile at Rebecca that he knew Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodachi, and half the girls at Furinkan High swooned over, no matter what form he was in.
The flaxen haired girl rolled her eyes as she noted what Ranma was trying to do, "Look, this is very flattering and all, but I just wanna get some soaking time done before breakfast is served, okay?"
The girl patted Ranma on the cheek, then walked towards the bathroom just as Nabiki walked out and gave her a nod that it was now free. Ranma stood chalk still for almost ten minutes with an incredulous expression on his face, trying to anaylize the fact that a girl other than Akane had turned him down flatter than 2-D....
Ranma sat, still female, at the breakfast table with the same incredulous expression on his face, the phrase 'it didn't work' scrolling itself visibly in his mind's eye like an old Windows Screen saver (you know, the one called 'marquee'). Genma had stopped attacking Ranma's plate since he wasn't putting up a fight, thus making it any fun for the robust martial artist. So he decided to introduce the newest Tendou guest to this novel game, as Becky squawked indignantly, and fended the overweight man off while resisting the urge just to jam her chopsticks through his hand and pin it into the table like a moth in an elementary school project.
"What's with you, Ranma?" enquired Akane, utilizing a good portion of annoyance to hide the concern in her voice.
"Yeah boy, why're you so shell shocked? I told you that girl got better moves than you. Oh how low my son has fallen to be up-started by a GIRL!" Genma held his concern in check even more so than Akane, and hoped that the goad would bring his daughter out of her stupor.
"Don't get so depressed Ranma, you have four fiancées as it is. I would think my lack o' interest would be a relief to you. 'Sides, it's not like we can't still be friends, right Nabs?"
Nabiki raised an eyebrow at the familiarity of the American towards her, and made a mental note to charge her for it, "I guess, but my friendships usually don't come cheap," she replied, scooping up another bite of rice. Rebecca looked away quickly after Nabiki's reply and was about to comment when Genma's grave voice cut her off.
"You mean to tell me that my boy here has failed to charm this woman? Oh the shame that my only son is not man enough to capture a girl's heart!"
"WAAAAAAHHHH!!! RANMA'S UGLY!!! NOW AKANE WILL NEVER MARRY HIM AND JOIN THE SCHOOLS!" wailed Soun, his comment immidiatly snapping Ranma to attention in time for a stereo reply between him and Akane of "HEY".
"Who EVER said I was gonna marry the jerk now? Just let him date all the women he wants!" retorted Akane in supreme defiance.
"I AM NOT UGLY!!!!" Screamed Ranma, her petite face burning almost as red as that lovely notch on the gauge that signifies "nuclear winter imminent".
"I dunno sonnyboy, you're look'n kinda homely to me. Been getting enough Zinc in your diet?" stated a shriveled pervert that seemed to have magically appeared at the table and was being served by Kasumi. Ranma's reeled like he had recieved a kidney punch from a wrecking ball.
"Oh no, all my meals supply the appropriate amount of nutrients recommended. Maybe he needs some oxy pads to help with her complexion?" asked Kasumi, taking a slight insult to the indirect affront to her cooking. Ranma felt the sledgehammer slam into his cheek.
"I personally think Ranma just needs a new wardrobe, for a price I can help you go shopping for one," commented Nabiki, carefully wording her phrasing for the appropriate effect. Ranma's head snapped back from an invisible knockout blow.
"Now quit it, Ranma's just had a lot on his mind other than hygiene and self grooming," scolded Akane. Congratulations were in order to the girl with jet black hair as Ranma's head fell forward into his rice. He coulda retorted his usual "uncute tomboy" defense mechanism if it weren't for the fact that she said it without any malice.
Ranma shot up to standing with a raw determination in his face, "That's it, I, Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything Goes, shall PROVE to you that I'm every bit as handsome and irresistible as I've always been!" Ranma's inspirational speech was punctuated by Akane's mallet slamming the pigtailed boy back into blissful oblivion.
"Thanks, Akane, he was getting that look in his eye again," stated Becky, shuddering at the remembrance of the sight.
"Oh, um, you're welcome I guess," replied Akane, she didn't actually do it for her other guest. Truthfully, she didn't even recall the reason she hit Ranma in the first place.
.