Sons of the Apocalypse
A Ranma 1/2 alternate fanwork by Wolfye Productions, Inc.
- http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=276284
All Ranma 1/2 characters are (c) Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Communications,
Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., Kitty Films and Fuji TV. Characters are used
without the express prior permission of the aforementioned. Story
concept, other characters and original situations are (c) Wolfye
Productions, Inc.; this fanfic is written for entertainment purposes
only.
=-=-=-=-=
Part 02: The Twisted Hand of Fate
Ranma trotted lightly behind the eldest Tendou daughter as the
two silently ascended the front staircase, an overly large pack slung
over her right shoulder. Behind her treaded the long-tailed wolf, an
equally large pack swinging precariously from its large jaws.
"My," Kasumi said finally, in an attempt to break the awkward
silence, "Your pet really does work hard, doesn't it?"
Ranma merely made a sort of muffled coughing sound behind her,
while the large animal snarled softly in response.
The three finally reached the landing and turned to go down the
short hallway. About three-fourths of the way down, just before the
hall made a sharp turn to the right, Kasumi stopped before a double set
of shouji. Pushing aside the right half, she took a step through the
opened entryway and into a rather large guestroom. Ranma and the wolf
followed in after her.
"Here you are, Ranma," Kasumi said cheerfully, turning around to
face the shorter girl. "You can stay in this room."
Ranma slowly let her pack drop to the floor, which made a loud
thumping noise in the process; the wolf did likewise with similar
results.
*Goodness! What in the world are in those packs?* Kasumi wondered
while she waited for Ranma to take a look around.
Ranma straightened back up, her bright blue eyes quickly scanning
the room's interior. Aside from a large dresser, a low table with a
small lamp perched on it, and a small vase of cherry twigs that sat on
the low windowsill, the large room was virtually barren, radiating an
almost empty atmosphere.
Walking over to the small closet, she pushed the door open and
glanced inside. Within the tiny room were neatly stacked two twin-sized
futons, a couple of blankets, and two pillows. Nodding her head, she
turned back around to face the other girl, shutting the door behind
her.
"Umm... Could we get another bed in here? My, uh, pop and bro are
gonna get here later tonight."
Kasumi frowned slightly at the younger girl's rough language, but
nodded her head. "Sure thing, Ranma. I'll bring it up after dinner."
"Oh no, that's okay," Ranma quickly replied. "I wouldn't want to
trouble you; I can go get it myself."
"Nonsense," Kasumi softly chided, then smiled. She was glad that
she did when she saw Ranma relax a little. She handed the girl the set
of towels she had been carrying.
"Here you go. You can take a bath now if you like."
Ranma's muscles seemingly groaned in delight at the mention of a
bath, and her side muscles ached in remembrance of that one hit Akane
had dealt her earlier that afternoon. But, despite her aching body, a
wave of intense fear and apprehension suddenly overcame her, quickly
drowning out her body's protests.
"Umm... No thanks," she said, trying to keep the fear out of her
voice.
Kasumi smiled. "You've been practicing, haven't you?" she
politely referred to the other girl's obvious body odor.
Ranma blushed and looked down. "Uh... yes," she meekly replied,
suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious in front of the other girl.
She glanced over at the wolf, whose dark blue eyes seemed to be
laughing at her. She quickly looked away in annoyance, muttering
something incoherent beneath her breath.
"Well then," Kasumi said, turning to leave. "Go ahead and take a
bath. Dinner should be ready shortly."
Ranma nodded absently, then paused.
"Uh... 'scuse me..."
The elder girl stopped and turned to look back at the other girl,
her loose ponytail swaying slightly with the movement.
"Yes, Ranma? What is it?"
"Umm..." Ranma hesitated, awkwardly scuffling her feet. "Do you
think I could get another towel?"
Kasumi blinked for a moment at the unexpected request, then
quickly recovered herself, blushing slightly at her apparent rudeness.
If Ranma noticed her social blunder, she made no comment.
"Why, yes, of course," she replied. "Come follow me downstairs.
The linen closet's on the way to the kitchen."
Turning back around, she exited the guestroom and headed for the
stairwell, Ranma and the wolf following behind a moment later.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Kasumi turned to head down the
hallway that led to the kitchen, but stopped first in front of a door
at the head of the hallway. Opening it, she removed another set of
towels, handed them to the girl behind her, then closed the door and
continued on towards the kitchen. She paused just before entering and
turned to face the redhead.
"At the end of this hallway, you'll turn left into the main room.
Just go on through to the other hallway and turn right. The bathroom is
the last door on you right."
With that, she disappeared within the confines of the kitchen.
Ranma watched the other girl disappear, then turned and walked
down to the end of the hallway and through the empty family room to the
other hallway, where she turned right and followed the corridor until
it abruptly ended after making another right turn. As Kasumi had said,
there was a single door to her right with a "Knock First" sign hanging
from its brass doorknob. Hesitating for just a moment, she knocked
loudly on the door when the wolf impatiently nudged her leg with its
great head. Hearing no reply from within, she slowly opened the door
and stepped inside.
"Uh... Hello?" Is anyone in here?" she called out. There was no
answer.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Ranma opened the door a little further
to let the wolf in, then quickly closed it again.
"Looks like the coast is clear, bro," she said aloud, as she
quickly removed her chan saam and pants and recklessly tossed them into
the laundry bin. A pair of boy's boxer shorts soon joined the rumpled
pile. She then dumped a change of clothes and two clean boxers onto the
floor beside the basket and followed the wolf to the adjoining
bathroom.
Pausing once more to knock on the screen door, Ranma slid open
the door when there was no answer. She entered the bathing area,
followed by the wolf, and dumped the two sets of towels down onto the
floor next to the door. She then closed the door behind them and headed
for the faucets. Glancing over at the rather large furo, she noticed
that it was already filled and waiting for an occupant. She smiled. A
long hot soak right now would do her wonders of good.
Sitting down on one of the low stools, she grabbed an empty
bucket and filled it with cold water then dumped the entire contents
over the wolf, which growled softly in return. Taking up a rag and bar
of soap, she began scrubbing the large animal clean of any dirt.
"Looks like we're gonna hafta get our own bath stuff," she noted
absently, to which the wolf nodded in agreement.
When she was done, she filled the bucket again and rinsed off the
animal. Finished with that task, she refilled the bucket and began
scrubbing herself down, then poured the water over her.
"Ooh! That's c-cold!" she cried out when the icy water hit her
flesh. Still shivering, she got up and eagerly headed for the steaming
furo, the wolf following beside her.
---
Nabiki walked slowly to the bathroom, completely lost in thought.
There was something weird about that girl Ranma; she just knew it. But
what? And just what was it with that dog of hers? She knew dogs were
supposed to be protective of their masters, but that girl should really
keep better control over her pet if she didn't want that thing to get
impounded someday. At least keep it on a leash.
Nabiki huffed. What irked her the most about this whole thing was
that she couldn't seem to come up with a logical explanation for what
was bothering her so much about the new guests. It was just... a
feeling.
She finally reached the bathroom door, but just as she was about
to go in she noticed the sign on the door. Someone was using it.
Pressing her ear up against the door, she soon heard the telltale
splashes of water coming from within. Well then, she guessed she could
wait until whoever was in there finished with their bath.
Turning around, she headed back to the main room of the house. As
it was almost dinnertime, she wasn't too surprised to see that Kasumi
had already set the table in preparation for the coming meal.
*Hmmm... Might as well see if Kasumi needs help with anything,*
she thought, as she turned and headed for the kitchen. As she left, she
idly noticed the three extra placesets at the table, instead of the one
she had been expecting. She shrugged. The time for questions would be
later.
As she passed by the tea room, she glanced her father sitting in
the dark with a large overweight man, the likes of whom she had never
seen before. Backtracking, she peeped back inside the room again, the
glow of the setting sun through the open porch doors helping to
illuminate the contents within the darkened room.
Sitting cross-legged upon the richly matted floor of the smaller
room, enormously large hands resting lightly upon his knees, the
stranger sat stoically opposite her father, both turned with their
sides to the open doorway. Her father sat facing the strange man in
similar fashion, but with his arms crossed over his chest. Both faces
were set in grave, yet contemplative, expressions, and, as Nabiki noted
with some curiosity, there was a hint of moisture upon their cheeks
that briefly reflected the late afternoon sunlight. Neither appeared to
notice her presence.
*Crying?* she thought, retracting her head from the doorway.
Pondering this newest turn of events, the middle Tendou girl continued
her trek towards the kitchen, where she found her older sister quietly
humming to herself while she perused the contents of the refrigerator.
"Hey, Kasumi," she called out, pushing aside the door awning as
she took a step into the moderately sized kitchen. "Who's that strange
man sitting in our living room?"
"Who knows," Kasumi answered, briefly glancing up at her younger
sister. She finally straightened back up with two bottles of sake in
one hand and closed the refrigerator door with the other.
"Could you go tell Akane that she can take her bath now?"
"But there's somebody already in there," Nabiki said, moving to
help her sister with the bottles while the other girl reached into the
cupboard for a loaf of bread.
"Oh, that must still be Ranma," the elder girl replied, glancing
over at the digital clock on the microwave. "That's odd. She's been in
there for the past half-hour now. I guess the two of them must have had
a rather rough workout today."
She turned back to her sister. "Go ahead and tell Akane; I'm sure
she'll be out soon. And if not, they're both girls. I'm sure they've
gotten to be good friends by now."
Nabiki raised one delicate eyebrow at her sister's somewhat
casual statement regarding their younger sister's disposition, but said
nothing. She handed the bottles back to Kasumi as she headed back out
of the kitchen.
"Okay."
Heading down the hallway towards the front stairwell, she slowly
ascended the fifteen steps to the second floor. By taking her time, she
hoped that Ranma would have finished and left the bathroom by the time
she reached Akane's room.
Passing by her room, she decided to go in and pick out a magazine
for later browsing. Opening the door, she leisurely made her way to the
bookcase, where she began perusing her collection for a suitable
magazine to read. After a couple of minutes, she found a satisfactory
one and headed back out of her room, closing the door behind her. The
little duck on her door made a soft rattling noise as the door quietly
clicked shut.
*No more avoiding it,* she thought as she slowly made her way to
the end of the hallway where Akane's room was. Hesitating for just a
moment while she tried to push her nervousness back down to her
stomach, Nabiki finally knocked softly on the door.
A soft rustling of movement could be heard from the other side of
the closed door, quickly followed by a rather toneless voice.
"What?"
"Akane, it's me. Can I open the door?" Nabiki called out, feeling
a bit self-conscious standing out in the hallway.
"Go ahead."
Reaching out with a trembling hand, Nabiki carefully turned the
doorknob and pushed open the door just far enough to stick her head
through, which she cautiously did after another moment's hesitation.
"Kasumi said to tell you that you could take a bath now if you
want," she called inside to the figure behind the door.
"Okay," the voice inside replied, although in a much clearer tone
than before.
"And dinner's going to be ready in about half-an-hour."
No answer this time. Nabiki quickly pulled her head back out and
softly shut the door behind her. Her little sister was sure acting
strange today; usually, she'd say a little more than just a few words
at a time.
*I wonder how that sparring match went,* she thought as she
descended the stairs. Something must have happened for Akane to be
acting so skittish all of a sudden.
Passing by the living room, Nabiki saw that the room was now
empty. A quick glance into the family room confirmed that her father
and the stranger had moved locations, and were now toasting each other
with bottles of sake while talking good-naturedly amongst themselves.
Gone now was the sad and melancholic atmosphere that had hung over them
before in the other room.
*So much for reading before dinner,* she thought as she headed
back to the kitchen, pausing to toss the magazine into the tea room
first. She figured she could read it after dinner, as she once again
went to see if her older sister needed her help.
---
Smoke rose like a thick snowy blanket within the heated confines
of the Tendou bathing area, transforming the transparent windowpane
into an opaque wall.
"So then, what are we going to do?" a deep baritone voice echoed
within the smoky expanse of the room.
"I don't know," a second voice answered the first, the tenor
notes likewise reverberating off the steamy walls.
"Well, we just can't sit here forever."
"I know, I know. But, how are we gonna explain us just suddenly
showing up?"
"Well, we can always sneak outside and come in through the front.
That way, it'll be unsuspecting enough not to cause an uproar."
"Hmm... maybe. But then, what about my girl form? They'll still
be expecting her, too."
"You're right. Well, maybe we can..."
Just then, the screen door to the bathing area suddenly slid open
along its tracks, causing the voices to suddenly dissipate along with
the steam, revealing two forms lounging languidly in the furo.
Identical in both face and body, the two looked up in fear and
trepidation at the third intruding figure.
The intruder stood statuesquely in the open doorway, long dark
hair falling loosely about a well-toned frame, one hand on its hip
while the other rested lightly on the metal doorframe. The face was set
in an unreadable expression; but the eyes! The two figures in the furo
gulped audibly at the intensity that burned behind those twin
bottomless pits.
Time seemed to stop as Akane walked slowly towards the furo and
its two occupants, who merely sat there frozen, like deer caught in an
oncoming car's headlights. Each step, each heartbeat, seemed to last
for an eternity, although not more than a second passed with each
movement.
And then she was there, mercilessly grasping the bare throat of
the one closest to the door.
"Who are you?" her voice croaked out with carefully controlled
rage, shattering the very tangible silence around them.
The one whom she was choking reached up instinctively to pry her
fingers from around the choked windpipe, and was surprised at the steel
strength that he found there.
"What's it to you?" the deep baritone voice suddenly shot back in
the resounding silence.
Dark, hate-filled eyes suddenly turned their frightful gaze upon
the speaker, as if noticing the other figure for the first time. The
eyes quickly took in the wet auburn hair pulled tightly back into a
pigtail; the stoic, challenging expression; the bright blue,
unwavering eyes that matched par for par her own.
"Who are you?" she repeated, this time directing the question to
the other boy in the tub.
"Well, first, you're gonna hafta let go of my brother there," he
answered back, his expression unchanging.
Akane merely stared back at the resolute boy before finally
yielding to his unrelenting gaze. Her hand loosened from its death-like
grip around the other boy's throat.
The other boy reached wildly up to his throat, his great lungs
gasping heavily for much needed air. Once his vision cleared of the
dark haze that had settled over his eyes just a scant few moments ago,
he took to glaring daggers at his attacker.
*If she wasn't a girl...* The thought repeated continuously in
his mind as he stared at her.
Akane looked coolly down at her former captive, then blinked. Her
dark eyes looked swiftly from one form to the other in slight
puzzlement.
"Who are you?" she repeated once again, albeit this time not
quite as harsh.
"Kuraima Saotome," the first boy spoke up, politely inclining his
head with the introduction. "And this is my brother, Ranma."
The other boy merely glared back at the girl, his hand still
tenderly rubbing his bruised throat.
Akane peered curiously at the boy called Ranma, her anger long
since forgotten. Except for the differences in hair colour, which was
jet black on this one, he was an exact mirror image of his brother,
right down to the bright blue colour of the eyes.
- Saotome... Ranma... -
"Ranma Saotome is a girl," Akane stated, looking back at the one
called Kuraima.
Kuraima smirked, his blue eyes gleaming with a mischievous light.
"Hey bro, feel like showing her?"
"No," his brother harshly replied.
Kuraima's expression softened a bit.
"Oh, come on. We're gonna have to explain it sooner or later.
Might as well be now."
A disgusted sound issued from within Ranma's throat, but he knew
that his brother was right. Without a word, he rose out of the furo and
walked over to the faucets, steaming water dripping off his glistening
body. He glanced awkwardly at Akane's silent form, but she gave no hint
of any embarrassment towards his blatant nudity.
Grabbing an empty bucket, he filled it with water from the cold
tap, then turned to fully face the girl. Lifting the bucket, he poured
the icy contents over himself.
Akane watched in utter fascination as the boy's naked form
suddenly blurred before her eyes, the broad shoulders narrowing while
the hips noticeably widened. The form dramatically shrunk in height,
while the black colour of his hair lightened to a bright red hue.
The figure suddenly came back into focus again, and Akane found
herself staring wide-eyed at the girl she had met and sparred with
earlier that afternoon. She blinked her eyes several times, but each
time the figure remained the same.
"What the hell just happened?" she whispered in awe and
confusion.
Kuraima chuckled heartily, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"You could say that my little brother here is cursed," he
explained, for which he received a resentful glare from the other.
"Everytime he gets hit with cold water, he becomes a girl."
Ranma mumbled something incoherent under her breath as she
stalked back to the furo.
"What happened to the other Ranma?"
Ranma whirled back around to face the Tendou girl.
"Whad'dya mean, 'other Ranma'? I'm still here!" she said,
referencing to herself with her thumb.
Akane stared coolly back at her. "Where?"
"Argh!" Ranma screamed out in frustration, then stepped back into
the furo, purposely splashing her brother in the face with the steaming
water.
Akane watched as the petite redhead's form once again blurred and
shifted before her eyes. This time, however, she made sure not to
blink. Not a second later, the figure refocused, and Akane found
herself staring back at the black-haired boy of before. One delicate
eyebrow suddenly arched up in curiosity, her lips forming a slight
smile.
"Eep!" Ranma shrieked, finally noticing just what she was looking
at. His hands quickly flew to his front just as he dunked himself neck-
deep back into the water, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Kuraima bellowed aloud at his brother's
predicament, his deep voice bouncing merrily off the wall of the
bathing room. His sides shook forcefully as he laughed, clutching at
his chest. Ranma could only glare at his brother, who didn't even
notice.
Akane smiled with the other boy, her dark brown eyes glinting
with a hint of amusement. But just as quickly as it came, her smile
faded.
"Get out and get dressed," she said, her tone and eyes suddenly
flat again.
Kuraima's laughter was abruptly cut short, Akane's command
finally registering in his ears. He looked up at her, slightly
confused.
"What?"
"Get out and get dressed," she repeated. "Both of you."
The Saotome boys looked at each other in confusion, sheer
puzzlement written across their faces. When they finally looked back to
Akane, the girl had already left the bathing area of the bathroom,
leaving the screen door ajar.
Shrugging their shoulders in unison, they both rose out of the
furo and walked to the door where their towels lay. Just before they
reached them, however, Akane suddenly reappeared in the open doorway
bearing their clothes. Her dark eyes shifted from one boy to the other,
although this time she didn't say anything, nor even smile as she had
the last time. The boys merely stood there, dumbstruck and speechless.
It was then that they realized that Akane had been fully dressed the
entire time.
She handed the pile of clothes to the nearest boy, who took it in
stunned silence. "Go to the main room after you're done," she
instructed, then left the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her.
The sound of the door shutting startled the boys out of their
collective trance. They looked at each other, then down at themselves.
Realization suddenly crashed in on them and they both blushed furiously
in embarrassment.
"Man, what is with that girl?!" Kuraima muttered, voicing the
exact same thought that echoed in his brother's head. He grabbed a
towel and began drying himself off. Ranma did the same, his cheeks an
even darker shade than his brother's.
"Beats me," Ranma muttered, then spoke in a more thoughtful tone,
"There's something wrong with her, though."
Kuraima nodded. "I know whatcha mean. I kinda felt it too, but I
just can't seem to place my finger on it."
The two dressed themselves in silence - Ranma in the familiar red
and black ensemble of before, while Kuraima dressed in the extra outfit
Ranma had brought with them, consisting of a dark blue chan saam and
matching drawstring pants.
The two dumped their towels into the laundry basket as they
exited the bathroom, closing the door behind them. Ranma paused, then
turned the sign on the door back around to the "Vacant" side.
Looking to each other one last time, they slowly headed towards
the main room of the house.
---
"Akane, what is it?" Nabiki asked as she was ushered into the
room by her younger sister, a slight edge to her voice. It was rare for
the youngest Tendou to call family meetings - no, make that any family
meeting. She frowned, slightly worried over what could have happened
that would alarm her sister so much that she would suddenly call them
all together like this.
Sitting down at the side of the low table that faced the open
porch doors, Nabiki noted that her father was already seated at the
head of the table, next to the large television set. The stranger she
had seen him with earlier sat across from her, head and eyes downcast.
She noted with some interest that he now showed no signs of having
cried earlier, unlike her father, whose eyes were still slightly puffy
as he glanced nervously about the room.
Kasumi finally entered the room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel,
and sat down on the matted floor to Nabiki's right. Akane joined the
rest on the floor, sitting to Nabiki's left.
All eyes focused upon the youngest Tendou when she sat down,
waiting for her to state the reason for the sudden meeting; all eyes,
save for the stranger's, who continued to stare at the matted floor in
front of him.
Akane didn't look at anyone, nor give any indication that she
would begin speaking. Her dark eyes focused forward towards the open
porch doors, an expectant look on her face. When everyone realized that
she wasn't going to say anything, they followed her gaze to the porch,
searching for some sort of enlightenment on the situation.
Before long, two figures stepped into the overcrowded room from
the hall that led to the bathroom.
Nabiki's brow wrinkled slightly as she studied the two newcomers.
Of equal stance and height, the two boys stood side by side behind the
other stranger in the room, one with his hands stuffed in his pants
pockets, the other with his arms hanging loosely at his sides. One look
at their faces verified that the two were identical twins, minus the
different hair colours, of course.
*Could that be them?* she wondered, glancing over at her father
for confirmation. The eldest Tendou didn't appear to be very surprised
at their entrance.
"Please, have a seat," Soun finally spoke, breaking the awkward
silence. He nodded towards the vacant spaces next to the stranger.
The boy in the red shirt smiled gratefully at the older man, then
promptly sat down next to the stranger, his legs tucked beneath him.
The other boy sat down next to him in the same manner. Both glanced
nervously around at their hosts.
When the red-shirted boy locked gazes with Nabiki, his face
suddenly set into a scowl and he looked away.
*What the...?* Nabiki thought, but was interrupted by her father.
Soun cleared his throat. "Ahem! Yes... Well then... I believe I
have some explaining to do," he said to his daughters.
He glanced over at Akane, who merely continued to stare blankly
at the newcomers. *No doubt, this is the reason why she called the
meeting. And to think that I was going to wait until after dinner to
tell them,* he added a bit regretfully.
"Girls, this is my dear old friend," he explained, gesturing to
the stranger with his hand.
The stranger bowed slightly from his kneeling position. "Genma
Saotome," he introduced himself, then gestured to the two boys sitting
to his right.
"And these are my sons..."
"Kuraima Saotome." The boy in the dark blue shirt bowed where he
sat.
"And Ranma Saotome." The boy in the red shirt repeated the
gesture.
Nabiki's eyes bulged. *'Ranma Saotome'?!*
"Waitaminute, Ranma Saotome's supposed to be a girl. "That," she
said, pointing to the boy in question, "...is a guy."
To her surprise, the boy glared hatefully at her when she said
that. *Geez, what's eating this guy's shorts?*
"That is Ranma," Akane suddenly spoke up, though still not
looking away from the guests.
"Huh?" Nabiki asked intelligently. She, of all people in that
room outside of the Saotome family, knew that the person known as
'Ranma' was, without a doubt, a girl.
"But we all saw that Ranma was a girl, not a boy."
The stranger that had introduced himself as Genma bowed his
bandana-clad head in shame. "I am so ashamed," he whispered quietly to
himself. The two boys glared daggers at their father.
"There is a misunderstanding," Genma spoke up, finally raising
his head to meet the gazes of his hosts. His features were harsh and
rugged, with the beginning traces of wrinkles peeking out from behind
his wire-framed glasses. His was the face of a man who had seen and
experienced much throughout his forty-something odd years.
"Ya got that right, old man," the boy calling himself 'Ranma'
said, but was quickly shushed by his brother, who put a hand on his
shoulder. To Nabiki's amazement, the black-haired boy immediately
calmed down.
*Whoa...*
"That's right," Soun interjected before any of the others could
speak. "Saotome, would you care to explain this to my daughters?"
Genma looked over at his childhood friend, then nodded. With a
determined look in his eyes, he stood up and grabbed the shirt of the
boy nearest to him, which happened to be Ranma. With a twist of his
hips, Ranma was suddenly sent airborne, flying out through the open
porch doors and into the waiting koi pond beyond.
Ranma, not expecting to be suddenly thrown outside during the
middle of a family introduction, could do nothing more than cry out in
surprise before he hit the icy waters of the pond with a huge splash.
Several seconds went by in which no sound or movement emitted
from the rippling depths of the darkened pond, thereby causing the
Tendou family, save Akane who remained sitting at the low table, to
gather behind Genma as they stared out into the side yard of the Tendou
Dojo.
Before long, a muffled gurgling sound was heard from the vicinity
of the pond, and a figure suddenly burst forth from the glassy depths
of the pond.
"Whadja do that for?!" a high soprano voice suddenly shrieked
from the figure's throat.
Nabiki blinked, as well did the rest of the family members beside
her. Was she seeing things right? She had to be hallucinating, but she
had distinctly followed the boy's entire trajectory into the pond.
Maybe this was the gods' way of telling her that it was finally time to
see the optometrist.
"Oh my!" Kasumi said beside her, one hand to her mouth. "Ranma's
a girl now."
To put it bluntly. But how could such a thing like this be
possible? The laws of Nature simply did not permit for this type of
mutation to occur, and in such a rapid passage of time to boot!
*There's no way!*
"He's right, old man. Ya could've found a better way to break it
to 'em, y'know."
Nabiki looked around for the owner of the voice.
During the little demonstration, the boy named Kuraima had gotten
up and was now leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across his
broad chest. He stared rather bluntly at his father, not a trace of
humour in his expression.
Genma sighed heavily, his large shoulders drooping slightly. "But
it was the easiest way."
Kuraima snorted. "That's right, ya always gotta do it the easy
way, don'tcha Pop?!"
"Stupid old man!" the figure outside shot out as she struggled to
get out of the pond.
"Kasumi dear?" Soun suddenly spoke up, startling the eldest
daughter. "Sorry, dear. Would you please go and heat a kettle up for
me, Kasumi?"
"Sure, Father," Kasumi replied, a rather confused look on her
face. She promptly left the room, heading for the kitchen.
Nabiki squinted hard at the person outside, trying to make out
the details in the dim light of the gathering dusk. The voice sounded
entirely too familiar to her, but she had to know for sure if she was
just imagining things.
The figure finally stepped into the small pool of light cast by
the room's overhead lights, dripping water from head to toe, and socked
Genma in the stomach, who retaliated by hitting the girl over the head.
Kuraima grunted with the impact.
Nabiki gasped when she finally got a clear look of the girl. It
was the same girl that had come to their house with those two very out-
of-place animals as her pets. Her bright scarlet locks flashed in the
fluorescent light, as she brought her foot up to kick the older man in
the shin.
"Stupid old man!" Kuraima cried out, stalking over to his father
and punching him on the back of his head. The old man went down from
the twin blows.
"How many times do we gotta tell ya not to hit us on the head?!"
"You two should get used to it by now," Genma grumbled as he
raised himself off the floor. "It's part of your training, or would you
rather fight amongst yourselves?" he added in a challenging tone.
Both boy and girl glared resentfully at the old man, but said
nothing.
"Here you are, Father."
Soun turned around to find his eldest daughter standing next to
him, a steaming kettle in her hands. He smiled somewhat uneasily; he
hadn't even heard her approaching in all the commotion.
"Thank you, Kasumi," he said, taking the kettle from her. "Girls,
please sit down for a moment."
Nabiki, still contemplating the numerous possible explanations
for the sudden appearances/disappearances of the two Ranmas, obligingly
went back to her spot at the table. She'd hardly taken a step when she
realized that Akane was no longer there.
A quick scan around the crowded room revealed Akane standing next
to their father, a small pitcher in her hands.
"I'll take that," she told her father, removing the kettle from
his hands.
Soun blinked. He hadn't noticed her presence either. Were his
skills finally getting rusty? Or had Akane improved in the ninja arts
since he last checked?
"Uh... sure thing, dear," he said, sitting back down at the head
of the table. Kasumi joined the other two on the floor, meticulously
smoothing out her skirt from underneath her.
All eyes were on Akane as she slowly approached the still
bickering Saotomes. Placing the kettle onto the low table, Akane held
the pitcher out in front of her. Without a word, she splashed both
Genma and Kuraima with the water that had been in the container.
The Tendous watched in shock and amazement as the two males
blurred before their eyes; Soun watched with a thoughtful expression on
his face.
Genma's form seemed to grow and expand in front of them, his skin
suddenly becoming impossibly too hairy for a normal human being. His
fingers retracted somewhat, the nails growing larger and more solid,
while black ears suddenly popped up from either side of his head. They
watched in complete fascination as he developed a sort of black and
white pattern to the amassing hairs on his skin.
Unlike Genma, Kuraima's form shrunk in size, while the front of
his face suddenly elongated. Both his hands and feet retracted in
length, and the tips were replaced with thick, solid claws. From his
rear emerged an extremely long feathered tail, while dark red and white
hairs grew from the rest of his body, covering him completely.
When the two figures finally refocused, the Tendous found
themselves staring at the trio that had walked in through their front
door that very afternoon.
"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed, cupping one hand over her mouth.
"I thought so," Akane said to no one in particular, one corner of
her mouth twisting up into a ghostly mockery of a smile. She went to
sit back down next to Nabiki, placing the pitcher onto the table.
"Wh- What the...?!" Nabiki stammered, her mind chaotically
swirling from what she just saw. It was a good thing she was sitting
down.
Soun sat spellbound by the events of the transformations. When
his childhood friend had told him briefly of his and his sons' ordeal,
he had simply accepted the explanation on good faith. After all, he was
a teacher and student of the art of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, a
vastly unique style of highly adaptive fighting techniques, founded by
an even more unique, if not disturbingly eccentric, master.
His brow wrinkled slightly at the sudden thought of his master,
then quickly pushed the memories to the back of his mind, praying that
they would remain buried as they had been all these years past.
As a practitioner of the Anything-Goes style, he had seen and
experienced much over his twenty-odd years of training, much of which
went beyond the scope of average human comprehension. To him, nothing
was impossible, no matter how incredulous sounding it seemed; it had
always been his experience as such.
But then, to actually witness the transformations his friend had
described was a moment of profound enlightenment to the eldest Tendou.
While Soun sat there, elated at having finally witnessed another
miracle of the impossible, the three under scrutiny began to get
extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious. With an unhappy sound, the
panda reached for the steaming kettle on the table. Picking it up, he
poured the hot contents over his two former sons, then over himself.
Everyone watched again, although this time in curiosity and
amusement, as the three figures underwent transformation once more.
When the forms refocused again, they found themselves staring back at
the three human, and male, figures of the Saotome family. Two of them
quickly put their scattered clothes back on.
"I can explain this," Genma spoke up, readjusting his glasses
back over his eyes.
"What in the world was that?" Nabiki inquired, having regained
her cool composure. She crossed her arms in front of her and gave the
eldest Saotome a very skeptical look; a look quite the contrary to what
she was feeling.
"It is a long story," Genma began, sitting down once again, his
sons following suit. They all adopted a cross-legged position on the
floor, sitting side by side in the same order as before.
"It all began two fateful months ago, when my sons and I were
traversing the mountains of China, in search of some legendary training
grounds. It was there, in the Mount Quanjing Region of the Bayankala
Range, Qinghai Province that we finally found what we were looking
for... Jusenkyou."
(End of Part 02)
---
1. chan saam - Cantonese word for shirt; used to describe the Chinese-
styled shirts that the Saotomes seem to prefer to wear.
2. furo - a Japanese bath.
3. shougi - a wood and rice paper door, typical of a traditional
Japanese household.
A Ranma 1/2 alternate fanwork by Wolfye Productions, Inc.
- http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=276284
All Ranma 1/2 characters are (c) Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Communications,
Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., Kitty Films and Fuji TV. Characters are used
without the express prior permission of the aforementioned. Story
concept, other characters and original situations are (c) Wolfye
Productions, Inc.; this fanfic is written for entertainment purposes
only.
=-=-=-=-=
Part 02: The Twisted Hand of Fate
Ranma trotted lightly behind the eldest Tendou daughter as the
two silently ascended the front staircase, an overly large pack slung
over her right shoulder. Behind her treaded the long-tailed wolf, an
equally large pack swinging precariously from its large jaws.
"My," Kasumi said finally, in an attempt to break the awkward
silence, "Your pet really does work hard, doesn't it?"
Ranma merely made a sort of muffled coughing sound behind her,
while the large animal snarled softly in response.
The three finally reached the landing and turned to go down the
short hallway. About three-fourths of the way down, just before the
hall made a sharp turn to the right, Kasumi stopped before a double set
of shouji. Pushing aside the right half, she took a step through the
opened entryway and into a rather large guestroom. Ranma and the wolf
followed in after her.
"Here you are, Ranma," Kasumi said cheerfully, turning around to
face the shorter girl. "You can stay in this room."
Ranma slowly let her pack drop to the floor, which made a loud
thumping noise in the process; the wolf did likewise with similar
results.
*Goodness! What in the world are in those packs?* Kasumi wondered
while she waited for Ranma to take a look around.
Ranma straightened back up, her bright blue eyes quickly scanning
the room's interior. Aside from a large dresser, a low table with a
small lamp perched on it, and a small vase of cherry twigs that sat on
the low windowsill, the large room was virtually barren, radiating an
almost empty atmosphere.
Walking over to the small closet, she pushed the door open and
glanced inside. Within the tiny room were neatly stacked two twin-sized
futons, a couple of blankets, and two pillows. Nodding her head, she
turned back around to face the other girl, shutting the door behind
her.
"Umm... Could we get another bed in here? My, uh, pop and bro are
gonna get here later tonight."
Kasumi frowned slightly at the younger girl's rough language, but
nodded her head. "Sure thing, Ranma. I'll bring it up after dinner."
"Oh no, that's okay," Ranma quickly replied. "I wouldn't want to
trouble you; I can go get it myself."
"Nonsense," Kasumi softly chided, then smiled. She was glad that
she did when she saw Ranma relax a little. She handed the girl the set
of towels she had been carrying.
"Here you go. You can take a bath now if you like."
Ranma's muscles seemingly groaned in delight at the mention of a
bath, and her side muscles ached in remembrance of that one hit Akane
had dealt her earlier that afternoon. But, despite her aching body, a
wave of intense fear and apprehension suddenly overcame her, quickly
drowning out her body's protests.
"Umm... No thanks," she said, trying to keep the fear out of her
voice.
Kasumi smiled. "You've been practicing, haven't you?" she
politely referred to the other girl's obvious body odor.
Ranma blushed and looked down. "Uh... yes," she meekly replied,
suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious in front of the other girl.
She glanced over at the wolf, whose dark blue eyes seemed to be
laughing at her. She quickly looked away in annoyance, muttering
something incoherent beneath her breath.
"Well then," Kasumi said, turning to leave. "Go ahead and take a
bath. Dinner should be ready shortly."
Ranma nodded absently, then paused.
"Uh... 'scuse me..."
The elder girl stopped and turned to look back at the other girl,
her loose ponytail swaying slightly with the movement.
"Yes, Ranma? What is it?"
"Umm..." Ranma hesitated, awkwardly scuffling her feet. "Do you
think I could get another towel?"
Kasumi blinked for a moment at the unexpected request, then
quickly recovered herself, blushing slightly at her apparent rudeness.
If Ranma noticed her social blunder, she made no comment.
"Why, yes, of course," she replied. "Come follow me downstairs.
The linen closet's on the way to the kitchen."
Turning back around, she exited the guestroom and headed for the
stairwell, Ranma and the wolf following behind a moment later.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Kasumi turned to head down the
hallway that led to the kitchen, but stopped first in front of a door
at the head of the hallway. Opening it, she removed another set of
towels, handed them to the girl behind her, then closed the door and
continued on towards the kitchen. She paused just before entering and
turned to face the redhead.
"At the end of this hallway, you'll turn left into the main room.
Just go on through to the other hallway and turn right. The bathroom is
the last door on you right."
With that, she disappeared within the confines of the kitchen.
Ranma watched the other girl disappear, then turned and walked
down to the end of the hallway and through the empty family room to the
other hallway, where she turned right and followed the corridor until
it abruptly ended after making another right turn. As Kasumi had said,
there was a single door to her right with a "Knock First" sign hanging
from its brass doorknob. Hesitating for just a moment, she knocked
loudly on the door when the wolf impatiently nudged her leg with its
great head. Hearing no reply from within, she slowly opened the door
and stepped inside.
"Uh... Hello?" Is anyone in here?" she called out. There was no
answer.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Ranma opened the door a little further
to let the wolf in, then quickly closed it again.
"Looks like the coast is clear, bro," she said aloud, as she
quickly removed her chan saam and pants and recklessly tossed them into
the laundry bin. A pair of boy's boxer shorts soon joined the rumpled
pile. She then dumped a change of clothes and two clean boxers onto the
floor beside the basket and followed the wolf to the adjoining
bathroom.
Pausing once more to knock on the screen door, Ranma slid open
the door when there was no answer. She entered the bathing area,
followed by the wolf, and dumped the two sets of towels down onto the
floor next to the door. She then closed the door behind them and headed
for the faucets. Glancing over at the rather large furo, she noticed
that it was already filled and waiting for an occupant. She smiled. A
long hot soak right now would do her wonders of good.
Sitting down on one of the low stools, she grabbed an empty
bucket and filled it with cold water then dumped the entire contents
over the wolf, which growled softly in return. Taking up a rag and bar
of soap, she began scrubbing the large animal clean of any dirt.
"Looks like we're gonna hafta get our own bath stuff," she noted
absently, to which the wolf nodded in agreement.
When she was done, she filled the bucket again and rinsed off the
animal. Finished with that task, she refilled the bucket and began
scrubbing herself down, then poured the water over her.
"Ooh! That's c-cold!" she cried out when the icy water hit her
flesh. Still shivering, she got up and eagerly headed for the steaming
furo, the wolf following beside her.
---
Nabiki walked slowly to the bathroom, completely lost in thought.
There was something weird about that girl Ranma; she just knew it. But
what? And just what was it with that dog of hers? She knew dogs were
supposed to be protective of their masters, but that girl should really
keep better control over her pet if she didn't want that thing to get
impounded someday. At least keep it on a leash.
Nabiki huffed. What irked her the most about this whole thing was
that she couldn't seem to come up with a logical explanation for what
was bothering her so much about the new guests. It was just... a
feeling.
She finally reached the bathroom door, but just as she was about
to go in she noticed the sign on the door. Someone was using it.
Pressing her ear up against the door, she soon heard the telltale
splashes of water coming from within. Well then, she guessed she could
wait until whoever was in there finished with their bath.
Turning around, she headed back to the main room of the house. As
it was almost dinnertime, she wasn't too surprised to see that Kasumi
had already set the table in preparation for the coming meal.
*Hmmm... Might as well see if Kasumi needs help with anything,*
she thought, as she turned and headed for the kitchen. As she left, she
idly noticed the three extra placesets at the table, instead of the one
she had been expecting. She shrugged. The time for questions would be
later.
As she passed by the tea room, she glanced her father sitting in
the dark with a large overweight man, the likes of whom she had never
seen before. Backtracking, she peeped back inside the room again, the
glow of the setting sun through the open porch doors helping to
illuminate the contents within the darkened room.
Sitting cross-legged upon the richly matted floor of the smaller
room, enormously large hands resting lightly upon his knees, the
stranger sat stoically opposite her father, both turned with their
sides to the open doorway. Her father sat facing the strange man in
similar fashion, but with his arms crossed over his chest. Both faces
were set in grave, yet contemplative, expressions, and, as Nabiki noted
with some curiosity, there was a hint of moisture upon their cheeks
that briefly reflected the late afternoon sunlight. Neither appeared to
notice her presence.
*Crying?* she thought, retracting her head from the doorway.
Pondering this newest turn of events, the middle Tendou girl continued
her trek towards the kitchen, where she found her older sister quietly
humming to herself while she perused the contents of the refrigerator.
"Hey, Kasumi," she called out, pushing aside the door awning as
she took a step into the moderately sized kitchen. "Who's that strange
man sitting in our living room?"
"Who knows," Kasumi answered, briefly glancing up at her younger
sister. She finally straightened back up with two bottles of sake in
one hand and closed the refrigerator door with the other.
"Could you go tell Akane that she can take her bath now?"
"But there's somebody already in there," Nabiki said, moving to
help her sister with the bottles while the other girl reached into the
cupboard for a loaf of bread.
"Oh, that must still be Ranma," the elder girl replied, glancing
over at the digital clock on the microwave. "That's odd. She's been in
there for the past half-hour now. I guess the two of them must have had
a rather rough workout today."
She turned back to her sister. "Go ahead and tell Akane; I'm sure
she'll be out soon. And if not, they're both girls. I'm sure they've
gotten to be good friends by now."
Nabiki raised one delicate eyebrow at her sister's somewhat
casual statement regarding their younger sister's disposition, but said
nothing. She handed the bottles back to Kasumi as she headed back out
of the kitchen.
"Okay."
Heading down the hallway towards the front stairwell, she slowly
ascended the fifteen steps to the second floor. By taking her time, she
hoped that Ranma would have finished and left the bathroom by the time
she reached Akane's room.
Passing by her room, she decided to go in and pick out a magazine
for later browsing. Opening the door, she leisurely made her way to the
bookcase, where she began perusing her collection for a suitable
magazine to read. After a couple of minutes, she found a satisfactory
one and headed back out of her room, closing the door behind her. The
little duck on her door made a soft rattling noise as the door quietly
clicked shut.
*No more avoiding it,* she thought as she slowly made her way to
the end of the hallway where Akane's room was. Hesitating for just a
moment while she tried to push her nervousness back down to her
stomach, Nabiki finally knocked softly on the door.
A soft rustling of movement could be heard from the other side of
the closed door, quickly followed by a rather toneless voice.
"What?"
"Akane, it's me. Can I open the door?" Nabiki called out, feeling
a bit self-conscious standing out in the hallway.
"Go ahead."
Reaching out with a trembling hand, Nabiki carefully turned the
doorknob and pushed open the door just far enough to stick her head
through, which she cautiously did after another moment's hesitation.
"Kasumi said to tell you that you could take a bath now if you
want," she called inside to the figure behind the door.
"Okay," the voice inside replied, although in a much clearer tone
than before.
"And dinner's going to be ready in about half-an-hour."
No answer this time. Nabiki quickly pulled her head back out and
softly shut the door behind her. Her little sister was sure acting
strange today; usually, she'd say a little more than just a few words
at a time.
*I wonder how that sparring match went,* she thought as she
descended the stairs. Something must have happened for Akane to be
acting so skittish all of a sudden.
Passing by the living room, Nabiki saw that the room was now
empty. A quick glance into the family room confirmed that her father
and the stranger had moved locations, and were now toasting each other
with bottles of sake while talking good-naturedly amongst themselves.
Gone now was the sad and melancholic atmosphere that had hung over them
before in the other room.
*So much for reading before dinner,* she thought as she headed
back to the kitchen, pausing to toss the magazine into the tea room
first. She figured she could read it after dinner, as she once again
went to see if her older sister needed her help.
---
Smoke rose like a thick snowy blanket within the heated confines
of the Tendou bathing area, transforming the transparent windowpane
into an opaque wall.
"So then, what are we going to do?" a deep baritone voice echoed
within the smoky expanse of the room.
"I don't know," a second voice answered the first, the tenor
notes likewise reverberating off the steamy walls.
"Well, we just can't sit here forever."
"I know, I know. But, how are we gonna explain us just suddenly
showing up?"
"Well, we can always sneak outside and come in through the front.
That way, it'll be unsuspecting enough not to cause an uproar."
"Hmm... maybe. But then, what about my girl form? They'll still
be expecting her, too."
"You're right. Well, maybe we can..."
Just then, the screen door to the bathing area suddenly slid open
along its tracks, causing the voices to suddenly dissipate along with
the steam, revealing two forms lounging languidly in the furo.
Identical in both face and body, the two looked up in fear and
trepidation at the third intruding figure.
The intruder stood statuesquely in the open doorway, long dark
hair falling loosely about a well-toned frame, one hand on its hip
while the other rested lightly on the metal doorframe. The face was set
in an unreadable expression; but the eyes! The two figures in the furo
gulped audibly at the intensity that burned behind those twin
bottomless pits.
Time seemed to stop as Akane walked slowly towards the furo and
its two occupants, who merely sat there frozen, like deer caught in an
oncoming car's headlights. Each step, each heartbeat, seemed to last
for an eternity, although not more than a second passed with each
movement.
And then she was there, mercilessly grasping the bare throat of
the one closest to the door.
"Who are you?" her voice croaked out with carefully controlled
rage, shattering the very tangible silence around them.
The one whom she was choking reached up instinctively to pry her
fingers from around the choked windpipe, and was surprised at the steel
strength that he found there.
"What's it to you?" the deep baritone voice suddenly shot back in
the resounding silence.
Dark, hate-filled eyes suddenly turned their frightful gaze upon
the speaker, as if noticing the other figure for the first time. The
eyes quickly took in the wet auburn hair pulled tightly back into a
pigtail; the stoic, challenging expression; the bright blue,
unwavering eyes that matched par for par her own.
"Who are you?" she repeated, this time directing the question to
the other boy in the tub.
"Well, first, you're gonna hafta let go of my brother there," he
answered back, his expression unchanging.
Akane merely stared back at the resolute boy before finally
yielding to his unrelenting gaze. Her hand loosened from its death-like
grip around the other boy's throat.
The other boy reached wildly up to his throat, his great lungs
gasping heavily for much needed air. Once his vision cleared of the
dark haze that had settled over his eyes just a scant few moments ago,
he took to glaring daggers at his attacker.
*If she wasn't a girl...* The thought repeated continuously in
his mind as he stared at her.
Akane looked coolly down at her former captive, then blinked. Her
dark eyes looked swiftly from one form to the other in slight
puzzlement.
"Who are you?" she repeated once again, albeit this time not
quite as harsh.
"Kuraima Saotome," the first boy spoke up, politely inclining his
head with the introduction. "And this is my brother, Ranma."
The other boy merely glared back at the girl, his hand still
tenderly rubbing his bruised throat.
Akane peered curiously at the boy called Ranma, her anger long
since forgotten. Except for the differences in hair colour, which was
jet black on this one, he was an exact mirror image of his brother,
right down to the bright blue colour of the eyes.
- Saotome... Ranma... -
"Ranma Saotome is a girl," Akane stated, looking back at the one
called Kuraima.
Kuraima smirked, his blue eyes gleaming with a mischievous light.
"Hey bro, feel like showing her?"
"No," his brother harshly replied.
Kuraima's expression softened a bit.
"Oh, come on. We're gonna have to explain it sooner or later.
Might as well be now."
A disgusted sound issued from within Ranma's throat, but he knew
that his brother was right. Without a word, he rose out of the furo and
walked over to the faucets, steaming water dripping off his glistening
body. He glanced awkwardly at Akane's silent form, but she gave no hint
of any embarrassment towards his blatant nudity.
Grabbing an empty bucket, he filled it with water from the cold
tap, then turned to fully face the girl. Lifting the bucket, he poured
the icy contents over himself.
Akane watched in utter fascination as the boy's naked form
suddenly blurred before her eyes, the broad shoulders narrowing while
the hips noticeably widened. The form dramatically shrunk in height,
while the black colour of his hair lightened to a bright red hue.
The figure suddenly came back into focus again, and Akane found
herself staring wide-eyed at the girl she had met and sparred with
earlier that afternoon. She blinked her eyes several times, but each
time the figure remained the same.
"What the hell just happened?" she whispered in awe and
confusion.
Kuraima chuckled heartily, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"You could say that my little brother here is cursed," he
explained, for which he received a resentful glare from the other.
"Everytime he gets hit with cold water, he becomes a girl."
Ranma mumbled something incoherent under her breath as she
stalked back to the furo.
"What happened to the other Ranma?"
Ranma whirled back around to face the Tendou girl.
"Whad'dya mean, 'other Ranma'? I'm still here!" she said,
referencing to herself with her thumb.
Akane stared coolly back at her. "Where?"
"Argh!" Ranma screamed out in frustration, then stepped back into
the furo, purposely splashing her brother in the face with the steaming
water.
Akane watched as the petite redhead's form once again blurred and
shifted before her eyes. This time, however, she made sure not to
blink. Not a second later, the figure refocused, and Akane found
herself staring back at the black-haired boy of before. One delicate
eyebrow suddenly arched up in curiosity, her lips forming a slight
smile.
"Eep!" Ranma shrieked, finally noticing just what she was looking
at. His hands quickly flew to his front just as he dunked himself neck-
deep back into the water, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Kuraima bellowed aloud at his brother's
predicament, his deep voice bouncing merrily off the wall of the
bathing room. His sides shook forcefully as he laughed, clutching at
his chest. Ranma could only glare at his brother, who didn't even
notice.
Akane smiled with the other boy, her dark brown eyes glinting
with a hint of amusement. But just as quickly as it came, her smile
faded.
"Get out and get dressed," she said, her tone and eyes suddenly
flat again.
Kuraima's laughter was abruptly cut short, Akane's command
finally registering in his ears. He looked up at her, slightly
confused.
"What?"
"Get out and get dressed," she repeated. "Both of you."
The Saotome boys looked at each other in confusion, sheer
puzzlement written across their faces. When they finally looked back to
Akane, the girl had already left the bathing area of the bathroom,
leaving the screen door ajar.
Shrugging their shoulders in unison, they both rose out of the
furo and walked to the door where their towels lay. Just before they
reached them, however, Akane suddenly reappeared in the open doorway
bearing their clothes. Her dark eyes shifted from one boy to the other,
although this time she didn't say anything, nor even smile as she had
the last time. The boys merely stood there, dumbstruck and speechless.
It was then that they realized that Akane had been fully dressed the
entire time.
She handed the pile of clothes to the nearest boy, who took it in
stunned silence. "Go to the main room after you're done," she
instructed, then left the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her.
The sound of the door shutting startled the boys out of their
collective trance. They looked at each other, then down at themselves.
Realization suddenly crashed in on them and they both blushed furiously
in embarrassment.
"Man, what is with that girl?!" Kuraima muttered, voicing the
exact same thought that echoed in his brother's head. He grabbed a
towel and began drying himself off. Ranma did the same, his cheeks an
even darker shade than his brother's.
"Beats me," Ranma muttered, then spoke in a more thoughtful tone,
"There's something wrong with her, though."
Kuraima nodded. "I know whatcha mean. I kinda felt it too, but I
just can't seem to place my finger on it."
The two dressed themselves in silence - Ranma in the familiar red
and black ensemble of before, while Kuraima dressed in the extra outfit
Ranma had brought with them, consisting of a dark blue chan saam and
matching drawstring pants.
The two dumped their towels into the laundry basket as they
exited the bathroom, closing the door behind them. Ranma paused, then
turned the sign on the door back around to the "Vacant" side.
Looking to each other one last time, they slowly headed towards
the main room of the house.
---
"Akane, what is it?" Nabiki asked as she was ushered into the
room by her younger sister, a slight edge to her voice. It was rare for
the youngest Tendou to call family meetings - no, make that any family
meeting. She frowned, slightly worried over what could have happened
that would alarm her sister so much that she would suddenly call them
all together like this.
Sitting down at the side of the low table that faced the open
porch doors, Nabiki noted that her father was already seated at the
head of the table, next to the large television set. The stranger she
had seen him with earlier sat across from her, head and eyes downcast.
She noted with some interest that he now showed no signs of having
cried earlier, unlike her father, whose eyes were still slightly puffy
as he glanced nervously about the room.
Kasumi finally entered the room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel,
and sat down on the matted floor to Nabiki's right. Akane joined the
rest on the floor, sitting to Nabiki's left.
All eyes focused upon the youngest Tendou when she sat down,
waiting for her to state the reason for the sudden meeting; all eyes,
save for the stranger's, who continued to stare at the matted floor in
front of him.
Akane didn't look at anyone, nor give any indication that she
would begin speaking. Her dark eyes focused forward towards the open
porch doors, an expectant look on her face. When everyone realized that
she wasn't going to say anything, they followed her gaze to the porch,
searching for some sort of enlightenment on the situation.
Before long, two figures stepped into the overcrowded room from
the hall that led to the bathroom.
Nabiki's brow wrinkled slightly as she studied the two newcomers.
Of equal stance and height, the two boys stood side by side behind the
other stranger in the room, one with his hands stuffed in his pants
pockets, the other with his arms hanging loosely at his sides. One look
at their faces verified that the two were identical twins, minus the
different hair colours, of course.
*Could that be them?* she wondered, glancing over at her father
for confirmation. The eldest Tendou didn't appear to be very surprised
at their entrance.
"Please, have a seat," Soun finally spoke, breaking the awkward
silence. He nodded towards the vacant spaces next to the stranger.
The boy in the red shirt smiled gratefully at the older man, then
promptly sat down next to the stranger, his legs tucked beneath him.
The other boy sat down next to him in the same manner. Both glanced
nervously around at their hosts.
When the red-shirted boy locked gazes with Nabiki, his face
suddenly set into a scowl and he looked away.
*What the...?* Nabiki thought, but was interrupted by her father.
Soun cleared his throat. "Ahem! Yes... Well then... I believe I
have some explaining to do," he said to his daughters.
He glanced over at Akane, who merely continued to stare blankly
at the newcomers. *No doubt, this is the reason why she called the
meeting. And to think that I was going to wait until after dinner to
tell them,* he added a bit regretfully.
"Girls, this is my dear old friend," he explained, gesturing to
the stranger with his hand.
The stranger bowed slightly from his kneeling position. "Genma
Saotome," he introduced himself, then gestured to the two boys sitting
to his right.
"And these are my sons..."
"Kuraima Saotome." The boy in the dark blue shirt bowed where he
sat.
"And Ranma Saotome." The boy in the red shirt repeated the
gesture.
Nabiki's eyes bulged. *'Ranma Saotome'?!*
"Waitaminute, Ranma Saotome's supposed to be a girl. "That," she
said, pointing to the boy in question, "...is a guy."
To her surprise, the boy glared hatefully at her when she said
that. *Geez, what's eating this guy's shorts?*
"That is Ranma," Akane suddenly spoke up, though still not
looking away from the guests.
"Huh?" Nabiki asked intelligently. She, of all people in that
room outside of the Saotome family, knew that the person known as
'Ranma' was, without a doubt, a girl.
"But we all saw that Ranma was a girl, not a boy."
The stranger that had introduced himself as Genma bowed his
bandana-clad head in shame. "I am so ashamed," he whispered quietly to
himself. The two boys glared daggers at their father.
"There is a misunderstanding," Genma spoke up, finally raising
his head to meet the gazes of his hosts. His features were harsh and
rugged, with the beginning traces of wrinkles peeking out from behind
his wire-framed glasses. His was the face of a man who had seen and
experienced much throughout his forty-something odd years.
"Ya got that right, old man," the boy calling himself 'Ranma'
said, but was quickly shushed by his brother, who put a hand on his
shoulder. To Nabiki's amazement, the black-haired boy immediately
calmed down.
*Whoa...*
"That's right," Soun interjected before any of the others could
speak. "Saotome, would you care to explain this to my daughters?"
Genma looked over at his childhood friend, then nodded. With a
determined look in his eyes, he stood up and grabbed the shirt of the
boy nearest to him, which happened to be Ranma. With a twist of his
hips, Ranma was suddenly sent airborne, flying out through the open
porch doors and into the waiting koi pond beyond.
Ranma, not expecting to be suddenly thrown outside during the
middle of a family introduction, could do nothing more than cry out in
surprise before he hit the icy waters of the pond with a huge splash.
Several seconds went by in which no sound or movement emitted
from the rippling depths of the darkened pond, thereby causing the
Tendou family, save Akane who remained sitting at the low table, to
gather behind Genma as they stared out into the side yard of the Tendou
Dojo.
Before long, a muffled gurgling sound was heard from the vicinity
of the pond, and a figure suddenly burst forth from the glassy depths
of the pond.
"Whadja do that for?!" a high soprano voice suddenly shrieked
from the figure's throat.
Nabiki blinked, as well did the rest of the family members beside
her. Was she seeing things right? She had to be hallucinating, but she
had distinctly followed the boy's entire trajectory into the pond.
Maybe this was the gods' way of telling her that it was finally time to
see the optometrist.
"Oh my!" Kasumi said beside her, one hand to her mouth. "Ranma's
a girl now."
To put it bluntly. But how could such a thing like this be
possible? The laws of Nature simply did not permit for this type of
mutation to occur, and in such a rapid passage of time to boot!
*There's no way!*
"He's right, old man. Ya could've found a better way to break it
to 'em, y'know."
Nabiki looked around for the owner of the voice.
During the little demonstration, the boy named Kuraima had gotten
up and was now leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across his
broad chest. He stared rather bluntly at his father, not a trace of
humour in his expression.
Genma sighed heavily, his large shoulders drooping slightly. "But
it was the easiest way."
Kuraima snorted. "That's right, ya always gotta do it the easy
way, don'tcha Pop?!"
"Stupid old man!" the figure outside shot out as she struggled to
get out of the pond.
"Kasumi dear?" Soun suddenly spoke up, startling the eldest
daughter. "Sorry, dear. Would you please go and heat a kettle up for
me, Kasumi?"
"Sure, Father," Kasumi replied, a rather confused look on her
face. She promptly left the room, heading for the kitchen.
Nabiki squinted hard at the person outside, trying to make out
the details in the dim light of the gathering dusk. The voice sounded
entirely too familiar to her, but she had to know for sure if she was
just imagining things.
The figure finally stepped into the small pool of light cast by
the room's overhead lights, dripping water from head to toe, and socked
Genma in the stomach, who retaliated by hitting the girl over the head.
Kuraima grunted with the impact.
Nabiki gasped when she finally got a clear look of the girl. It
was the same girl that had come to their house with those two very out-
of-place animals as her pets. Her bright scarlet locks flashed in the
fluorescent light, as she brought her foot up to kick the older man in
the shin.
"Stupid old man!" Kuraima cried out, stalking over to his father
and punching him on the back of his head. The old man went down from
the twin blows.
"How many times do we gotta tell ya not to hit us on the head?!"
"You two should get used to it by now," Genma grumbled as he
raised himself off the floor. "It's part of your training, or would you
rather fight amongst yourselves?" he added in a challenging tone.
Both boy and girl glared resentfully at the old man, but said
nothing.
"Here you are, Father."
Soun turned around to find his eldest daughter standing next to
him, a steaming kettle in her hands. He smiled somewhat uneasily; he
hadn't even heard her approaching in all the commotion.
"Thank you, Kasumi," he said, taking the kettle from her. "Girls,
please sit down for a moment."
Nabiki, still contemplating the numerous possible explanations
for the sudden appearances/disappearances of the two Ranmas, obligingly
went back to her spot at the table. She'd hardly taken a step when she
realized that Akane was no longer there.
A quick scan around the crowded room revealed Akane standing next
to their father, a small pitcher in her hands.
"I'll take that," she told her father, removing the kettle from
his hands.
Soun blinked. He hadn't noticed her presence either. Were his
skills finally getting rusty? Or had Akane improved in the ninja arts
since he last checked?
"Uh... sure thing, dear," he said, sitting back down at the head
of the table. Kasumi joined the other two on the floor, meticulously
smoothing out her skirt from underneath her.
All eyes were on Akane as she slowly approached the still
bickering Saotomes. Placing the kettle onto the low table, Akane held
the pitcher out in front of her. Without a word, she splashed both
Genma and Kuraima with the water that had been in the container.
The Tendous watched in shock and amazement as the two males
blurred before their eyes; Soun watched with a thoughtful expression on
his face.
Genma's form seemed to grow and expand in front of them, his skin
suddenly becoming impossibly too hairy for a normal human being. His
fingers retracted somewhat, the nails growing larger and more solid,
while black ears suddenly popped up from either side of his head. They
watched in complete fascination as he developed a sort of black and
white pattern to the amassing hairs on his skin.
Unlike Genma, Kuraima's form shrunk in size, while the front of
his face suddenly elongated. Both his hands and feet retracted in
length, and the tips were replaced with thick, solid claws. From his
rear emerged an extremely long feathered tail, while dark red and white
hairs grew from the rest of his body, covering him completely.
When the two figures finally refocused, the Tendous found
themselves staring at the trio that had walked in through their front
door that very afternoon.
"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed, cupping one hand over her mouth.
"I thought so," Akane said to no one in particular, one corner of
her mouth twisting up into a ghostly mockery of a smile. She went to
sit back down next to Nabiki, placing the pitcher onto the table.
"Wh- What the...?!" Nabiki stammered, her mind chaotically
swirling from what she just saw. It was a good thing she was sitting
down.
Soun sat spellbound by the events of the transformations. When
his childhood friend had told him briefly of his and his sons' ordeal,
he had simply accepted the explanation on good faith. After all, he was
a teacher and student of the art of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, a
vastly unique style of highly adaptive fighting techniques, founded by
an even more unique, if not disturbingly eccentric, master.
His brow wrinkled slightly at the sudden thought of his master,
then quickly pushed the memories to the back of his mind, praying that
they would remain buried as they had been all these years past.
As a practitioner of the Anything-Goes style, he had seen and
experienced much over his twenty-odd years of training, much of which
went beyond the scope of average human comprehension. To him, nothing
was impossible, no matter how incredulous sounding it seemed; it had
always been his experience as such.
But then, to actually witness the transformations his friend had
described was a moment of profound enlightenment to the eldest Tendou.
While Soun sat there, elated at having finally witnessed another
miracle of the impossible, the three under scrutiny began to get
extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious. With an unhappy sound, the
panda reached for the steaming kettle on the table. Picking it up, he
poured the hot contents over his two former sons, then over himself.
Everyone watched again, although this time in curiosity and
amusement, as the three figures underwent transformation once more.
When the forms refocused again, they found themselves staring back at
the three human, and male, figures of the Saotome family. Two of them
quickly put their scattered clothes back on.
"I can explain this," Genma spoke up, readjusting his glasses
back over his eyes.
"What in the world was that?" Nabiki inquired, having regained
her cool composure. She crossed her arms in front of her and gave the
eldest Saotome a very skeptical look; a look quite the contrary to what
she was feeling.
"It is a long story," Genma began, sitting down once again, his
sons following suit. They all adopted a cross-legged position on the
floor, sitting side by side in the same order as before.
"It all began two fateful months ago, when my sons and I were
traversing the mountains of China, in search of some legendary training
grounds. It was there, in the Mount Quanjing Region of the Bayankala
Range, Qinghai Province that we finally found what we were looking
for... Jusenkyou."
(End of Part 02)
---
1. chan saam - Cantonese word for shirt; used to describe the Chinese-
styled shirts that the Saotomes seem to prefer to wear.
2. furo - a Japanese bath.
3. shougi - a wood and rice paper door, typical of a traditional
Japanese household.