Story
By Max-chan
Author's Notes: I don't think this is long enough to hold any merit of a one-shot. Just a snippet really. Won't take that much time to read at all. You could call this relax writing or something. Check out my website at http://flamingflight.tripod.com.
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 does not belong to me in any way, shape or form. :) It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
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{There is shuffling as a man with dark hair sits himself down onto a comfortable chair. He then pulls a little boy into his lap. The little boy is no more than four.
"Tell me a story," the little boy begs his uncle.
"A true story?" the man asks.
"A happy story," the boy confirms.
His uncle nods in understanding before starting in on his story. The same story. A familiar story.
His smooth, easily maneuvered voice carries over the attentive child. And so we begin...}
Once upon a time, a long time ago actually, there was a boy.
{"His name was Ranma, right Uncle?" the little boy asks, already knowing this story by heart but loving to hear his uncle tell it.
"Right," his uncle answers.}
Now, Ranma could have been any other boy. He could have been just another average kid. He could have led another average life...but he didn't. After all, what would I be telling this story right now for if he was just another boy? It would be awfully boring.
{"Get to the story, Uncle," the boy commands.
" Oh, right, right, of course, of course," the man mumbles.}
You see, this boy Ranma...he was taken from his mother at a very young age and made to live a harsh life with his Martial Arts father. He grew up learning all about the Art and vowed that one day, he would be the very best. For you see, that was a major failing with Ranma. He could never admit defeat. Of course, it also gave him a great advantage over his opponents.
{"Was he the best though, Uncle? Was he?" the boy asks.
The Uncle looks sad as he answered, "Yes, but that hadn't mattered. It hadn't mattered one bit."}
So, this boy, Ranma, grew up on the road with his father and along the way met some really great people. There was the two boys, Ryoga and Ukyo, whom he called Ucchan, for example.
{"Didn't they try to kill him later, though?"
"Yes, but that was later. When he knew them, he only saw them as two great people. In a way, he still sees them as that."
The man smiles gently at the little boy who looked pleased.}
Then, one day, in his sixteenth year, Ranma's father took him somewhere horrible.
{"Jusenkyo," the nephew and uncle whispered at the same time.}
Yes, and at Jusenkyo were many Springs and in all these springs, something (or at times, many things) drowned. From the Springs of Drowned Rat to the Spring of Drowned Hippopotamus. These springs were also cursed so that whoever fell into them would take the form of whatever drowned there before. Few people dare visit Jusenkyo.
{"That's because a lot of people have sense, right, Uncle?"
The man laughed.
"Exactly."}
Of course, Genma, Ranma's father didn't have much sense at all. Not being able to read a word of Chinese and too dense to bother to listen to anything the guide said, he started to make his son train on the bamboo poles in the pools.
{"Heh...heh...Genma's an idiot," the nephew snickered.
"Never was a bigger one," the man-slash-uncle-slash-storyteller agreed.}
As they trained, Genma was knocked into the Spring of Drowned Panda and Ranma was pushed into the Spring of Drowned Girl. From then on, both were destined to turn into their curse forms at the touch of cold water and turn back into their regular bodies at the touch of cold water. To top it all off, they (and when I say they, I mean the father, Genma) had gotten a chasing Amazon on their trail with the intention of killing Ranma. It would get to be even more complicated when she gets it into her mind to marry Ranma.
{"Shampoo!" the boy squealed. At age four, he was already in love with the purple-haired Amazon in his Uncle's stories.
"Shampoo," the man sighed in resignation.}
Soon, the boy Ranma and his father, Genma came to Japan and settled with an old friend of Genma's and his three daughters. The three daughters that were destined to be Ranma's fiancees.
{"Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane," both storyteller and listener said at the same time.
"...and Akane," the storyteller sighed in pain.}
There was Kasumi, the radiant sister with the golden-brown hair and accepting nature. There was Nabiki, the attractive sister with the chicory-brown hair and cynical air. There was Akane, the sister with the blue-brown hair and-
{"Perfect ways!" the little boy squealed.
The Uncle grinned and asked, "You really like Akane, don't you?"
"Yeah," the boy answered.
The Uncle was beginning to get a sneaking suspicion now.
"Why? She's just another character in the story," he said softly and surely.
"Don't know," the boy answered quizzically. "Familiar. Uh-au-uh." The boy shrugged.}
So, despite protests from the son at first, Ranma and his father settled down at the Tendo home. It was there that they met some of the most interesting people of their lives and Ranma gained more fiancees. It was in Nerima that he met the crazy siblings, Tatewaki Kuno and Kodachi Kuno. It was there that he found out that not only was his childhood friend Ucchan not a boy, but a girl that happened to be engaged to him. It was there that he learned what it truly meant to live for the Art.
{"The Art! Yeah!" the child screamed.
The man smiled. Martial Arts ran in the boy's blood, after all.}
Though his life was full of adventure, the boy had many problems also. There was always somebody trying to kill him.
{"Kill him, Uncle?" the boy asked fearfully. Why would anyone want to kill t he hero?
"Yes, kill him," the Uncle replied gravely.
"They didn't actually kill him, did they?"
"No," the man assured the boy. "Though there were times he wished they had."}
There was another problem that the boy had also. He had numerous fiancees and could not seem to settle on one. This went on for two years before a plan was thought up. The plan that would settle him one fiancee. All of the girls engaged to him agreed to this plan because it meant that would get rid of his other fiancees. They were each so sure that they would win.
{"But he wasn't very nice...I don't think...if he couldn't even...decide...than he shouldn't marry any of them," the boy struggled to word his thoughts.
The man looked at his nephew for a moment in astonishment.
"You're a smart cookie, you know that?" he commented. "Certainly smarter than Ranma was."}
The plan was that the boy would spend one week with each of his fiances and at the end of the week decided if he would want to keep her as a fiancee. It would show him what it would feel like to be married to each of these girls. Hopefully it would show him the one best suited for him.
{"Stupid Ranma," the boy mumbled.
"Stupid Ranma," the Uncle echoed.}
This time there was no backing out for Ranma. This time he had to be serious. So, when asked who he thought the most likely person he would be best with for the first week, he chose-
{"Akane!" the kid squealed.
The Uncle gave a wry grin.
"Playing favorites again?" he asked the child on his lap.
"Yeah! Akane's the best!" the nephew yelled and jumped up and down. The Uncle laughed.
"All right, all right," he said, settling the kid down. "I get it. Akane's the best. Let's get back to the story, shall we?"
The nephew blushed and nodded.}
As stated, for the first week, Ranma chose Akane. Although she fought and protested, she finally did agree that it would be best. So, for a week the two lived alone in the Tendo house without anyone interrupting or bothering them. Ranma thought it was going to be great. He thought they would get past their differences and finally hit it off. He thought about a blushing Akane smiling. He thought that everything would run perfectly and he wouldn't have to go through the other weeks. He was wrong.
{"Can I say it again?" the nephew grumbled.
"Yeah," the Uncle sighed. "In fact, I'll say it with you."
"Stupid Ranma," they both chorused.}
Oh, it was horrible for Ranma. It wasn't at all as he expected. Akane tried to feed him poison and the house was a mess. They argued day in and day out and only rarely did he see her smile that week. They fought and they fought and they fought. It didn't turn out at all as he expected. By the end of the week, he knew that he and Akane were not destined to be together. Maybe he didn't even love her. After all, how could you fight with someone you love? How can you fight your soulmate?
As horrible as it was, at the end of the week, in front of everyone...Ranma dismissed Akane as a candidate. Their engagement was officially broken, no strings attached. Akane cried and she cried. The other fiancees rejoiced. Trying to fix what last went wrong, Ranma decided he needed a soft girl that could cook and would agree with him. A demure wife. Therefore next he chose-
{"Kasumi," the child yelled.
"Are you going to yell out every name?" the Uncle asked.
"Maybe..." the child answered mysteriously. Seeing as how that was going to be all the answer he was going to get, the Uncle continued on.}
For his week with Kasumi, Ranma ate wonderful food and had a sweet presence all around the house. It was wonderful. There was not a single argument...but...something was missing. It was so boring with Kasumi. At the end of the week, Ranma dismissed her with no hard feelings. Ryoga showed up and was clued in on all that occurred. Ranma decided that he needed a girl with excitement. He needed someone with a hint of danger. So in his stupidity he chose...
...he chose...
{Both Uncle and nephew shuddered.}
Kodachi.
That was a very painful and excruciating week. Needless to say, Kodachi was dismissed at t he end of the week. Ranma still thought he was right on the line of thought that he needed an exotic girl so next came Shampoo. It should have been perfect if not for the feeling of instability she seemed to carry with her. Even when she was on his arm promising him her life above all else, he knew they could never be. They were too alike. Shampoo regarded her honor and pride as her number one priority. She would sell her children before she considered giving up her honor. At the end of the week he knew he needed a stable girl...one whose rules of life could be bent a little.
{"Nabiki! Nabiki!" the nephew cheered. The uncle chose to say nothing to that.}
So, next came Nabiki. She really made an effort to like him during the week, Ranma could tell, but it just didn't click. She always gave into the urge to sell him out. Needless to say, she was dismissed at the end of the week. Last came the obvious choice. Ranma wondered how he didn't know that she was the one for him. His friend of a fiancee. His buddy of buddies. Ukyo.
{"Don't you have anything to say to that?" the Uncle asked.
"No,, continue," the nephew said.
The Uncle shook his head as he thought about how odd his nephew was. He continued.}
Ranma spent a week with his Ucchan and everything was perfect. They didn't argue. The food was great. They could even practice sparring with each other a little...but...something wasn't right. He was happy with Ukyo, but something wasn't as it should be. He didn't feel for her what he should feel for a wife. He felt for her what he felt for a friend. So, after much thought, he dismissed her at the end of the week. Needless to say everyone was shocked and his father and mother was very angry. He no longer had any serious candidates to marry. Ranma knew this to and he just didn't know what to tell them.
However....there was something odd going on....everyone was keeping something from Ranma.
{"Oh no!" the nephew squealed.
"Yeah, his thoughts exactly," the Uncle said wryly.}
Akane...Akane was never around anymore. She had a new friend...she started hanging out with him. She started hanging out with Ryoga. After Ryoga came back, she started to talk to him...laugh with him...travel with him. Nobody noticed because all the attention was on Ranma and his other fiancees. It turned out that Ryoga and Akari had a falling out and because of that, the boy learned not to be so shy around Akane. The haze of first love was gone for him. He saw her for what she really was and because of that acted normal around her. Akane finally had someone to talk to. It was wonderful for her.
{"Oh...poor Ranma..." the nephew sighed.}
Unfortunately for Ranma, he didn't like this new development at all. A suspicion nestled into his mind and would not leave. Finally, at the end of the next week he called everyone together. He said that he wished for one more week...with Akane. Everyone was shock, especially the girl in question herself. She was angry beyond and doubt and screamed and shouted. Then, she let loose something that she and Ryoga had kept secret.
Akane was already engaged.
But that just made Ranma even more adamant. Just one week, he told her. One week and then you can decide. It was Ryoga, her fiance, who told Akane to agree to the last week.
{"Ryoga's the best," the nephew laughed.
"Of course you would think that," the Uncle replied.}
Finally, Akane agreed to the final week. It was in that final week that Ranma's suspicions proved true. He noticed things about Akane that he dismissed as horrible the first time. The way they could talk and argue as though they were completely comfortable with each other. The way Akane tried her best (even if she didn't succeed). The way he was happier around Akane then he had been around the others.
Ranma really thought that they made a connection during the week.
Finally, the last day came.
In front of everyone, Ranma asked Akane, "Will you marry me?"
{"Hello? Where is everyone?" a feminine voice called out as the front door closed. The female which the voice belonged to entered the living room with and smiled. The boy jumped out of his 'Uncle's' lap and ran to her.
"Mommy!" he cried and she laughed as she picked him up.
"Hey honey," she greeted, a large, adoring smile on her face just for that little boy. He seemed to bloom under her gaze. She turned her smile to the 'Uncle'. He had the same reaction as the boy.
"What were you two doing?" she asked.
"Oh yeah!" the nephew yelled and twisted to look at the Uncle also. "What happened at the end?"
"Akane told him yes, that she could never love anyone else and they got married," he said softly, looking at the mother.
"Yay!" the boy screamed.
The mother had to use a little bit more effort to keep her smile in place. She put the little boy on the ground.
"Daddy's in the kitchen with the groceries now. He has a treat for you."
The little boy gave a loud yell and ran off towards the direction of the kitchen.
The mother turned to the Uncle and offered him a small smile.
"He's a good kid-" the Uncle said.
"You're going to have to tell him the truth sometime, you know," she told him softly. Her eyes were slightly sad. For him.
The Uncle have a little 'hmph' and look away as he shuffled his feet.
"Aw, he's just a little kid. He hasn't made the connection yet. Let him think that happy endings and second chances still exist," he mumbled.
"But he can't grow up thinking that. He has to realize that sometimes love is a one shot thing. You shoot, you miss, you don't get a second shot. Someone needs to tell him-"
The boy interrupted.
"Hey, nobody told me alright? Nobody told me and-"
The mother reached her hand out.
"Oh...Ranma..." she whispered. There was pity in her eyes. Pity! For him!
"Yeah yeah," Ranma said, turning away. He grabbed his jacket and started towards the door.
"I'll tell him..." he said as he left. "...next time."}
The End