The tattered old book slid from his suddenly limp fingers. As is often the case in panic situations, his first thought was curiously detached: 'Why wouldn't they put something like that on the first page?' A childish scream pulled his attention back to the pit.
'I'm turning into the Master,' he realized with cold clarity. 'I'm putting my son through training more insane than his! What am I going to do next? Send him to steal underwear?' He was seeing himself -- really seeing what he had become -- and he didn't like what he saw. If the Master had found this book, no doubt he'd have gleefully tried the training on one or both of his disciples. And the idea that he could have anything in common with the Master was... disturbing.
And his son was suffering for it.
With no further thought whatsoever, he leapt into the pit.
------
The world can change with something as simple as the turn of a single page...
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Inherit the Earth
A Ranma ½ Alterverse Fanfic by Shay Caron
Ranma ½ and all characters therein belong to Takahashi Rumiko
Chapter 1: Meet the Tendous! Enter the Accursed Saotome Ranma
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Present Day
Heavy raindrops clattered on the roof and burst against the windows. The constant cadence was remarkably soothing, provided you weren't feeling it against your own body. Tendou Kasumi placed the final dish back in the cupboard and beamed at another job well done. In fact, all of her work for the night was complete. 'It's so satisfying to have accomplished something good,' she thought. 'This must be how Akane feels after mastering a new kata, or how Nabiki feels when she makes a profit on a new investment.'
A timid knock on the front door interrupted her idle imagination. She stepped out to the entryway, wondering who on earth would want to be out in a rainstorm like this. The redheaded girl she found leaning against the wall outside could only be described with the word "bedraggled". She looked as if she'd swum across the Sea of Japan in one night. The girl looked up at Kasumi and asked in a weak voice, "Um... Pardon me for intrudin', but... is this, er... the Tendou home?"
Kasumi's nurturing instincts kicked in at full capacity. "Oh, you poor dear, you look simply exhausted! Yes, this is the Tendou home. Come in and warm up a bit." She swiftly ushered the redhead into the family room, dropping her backpack ('Heavy!') and the large wooden sign she held ('My, how strange.') next to the door. "I'm Tendou Kasumi. Here, sit, sit. I'll bring you a towel to dry off, and a thick blanket, and some tea."
"I..." The girl was caught speechless. "... Wow." She shook her head and called to Kasumi, who had already set off on her mission, "Ah, thank you."
------
"I'm Saotome Ranma. Sorry 'bout this."
"Please, it's no trouble at all. It wouldn't be very kind of me to let you freeze to death, now, would it?"
Ranma smiled and snuggled into the warm blanket Kasumi had wrapped around her. "Guess not. Thank you very much." Somehow she found herself very comfortable talking to Kasumi. It was a rather unfamiliar feeling. Nice, though. Ranma wondered idly if this was a weaker version of love at first sight. "Like at first sight". It wasn't quite as catchy.
Kasumi set the tea tray down on the table and sat across from Ranma, leaning forward over her own teacup. "Now that you're a little drier and warmer, I'm curious. What brings you to the Tendou home?"
Ranma let out a sigh before replying, "Er, my father, he's Saotome Genma, told me he knows Mr. Tendou. Apparently the two a' them were friends while they were trainin' or somethin'. He sent me here to help... 'unite the schools', he said, but I dunno what he meant. I'm s'posed ta talk ta Mr. Tendou, anyway." She coughed and reached for the tea.
"Oh, my, a family friend? How wonderful! I'll have to bring the rest of the family to meet you!"
Ranma nearly panicked. How large was this family? She wasn't good at all around strangers! Well, non-Kasumi strangers, anyway. "No! No, you don't need to, really!" she exclaimed, waving her empty hand in a warding fashion.
Kasumi gave her a winning smile. "Everyone will be happy to meet you, Ranma. There's no need to worry. Nabiki is helping Father with our finances, and Akane should be coming in from the dojo fairly soon. I'll go collect everyone up." With that she left Ranma to her hot tea and her warm blanket.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
------
Saotome Ranma was many things: a talented martial artist, a loyal friend, a fierce defender of honor, a respectful child. At the moment, however, she was a nervous young girl. She sat in the unfamiliar family room of the Tendou home, surrounded by four people she barely knew, and completely out of her element (that element being "battle").
Tendou Soun was easily recognizable from the description Ranma's father had given her. The long black hair and mustache, the angular face, the brown gi were all familiar, in a way. He asked, "So you are really Saotome Ranma?"
"Yes," Ranma replied quietly.
Soun smiled warmly. "The son of my old friend, Saotome Genma?"
"I am," Ranma said, before she caught herself. 'Idiot,' she thought, 'how are you going to explain that?'
One of the two girls Ranma hadn't met yet (she had short brown hair and was wearing a T-shirt and short shorts) leaned over the table and prodded Ranma's chest. "Son? Looks more like a daughter to me."
Ranma could feel her face turning red. "Please don't do that," she whispered.
The girl in the yellow gi (long blue-black hair tied back in a ponytail) slapped the roving hand away. "Stop it, Nabiki!" she exclaimed. "She's our guest, remember?"
"Huh?" Soun looked spectacularly confused. He stared at Ranma, muttering to himself, "But I thought -- Saotome said that -- I assumed that -- Where is your father, anyway?"
"Er, he's back in China right now, workin' off a debt. He... wanted me ta wait for him here."
Finally Soun just sighed and shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't matter. Saotome told me he'd been blessed with a son, that's all. I assumed that his son was a boy."
'Oh, man...' Out loud Ranma said, "Well, um, actually, I can explain that..." She groaned at the pauses and "um"s -- she probably sounded like an idiot. 'At least I don't stutter.'
Nabiki laughed. "Saotome must be pretty dim-witted to mistake this for a boy," she said, accompanying the word "this" with a squeeze at Ranma's chest. Ranma blushed even darker.
"Nabiki, cut it out! Honestly, you're going to make her think you're a pervert." The girl in the gi grabbed Nabiki's wrist this time, pulling her away from Ranma.
Ranma moaned; this was getting out of hand. 'I gotta just show 'em now. Maybe they won't be too freaked out.' She reached for the teapot --
The girl in the gi turned to Ranma and smiled sweetly. "Sorry about my sister, Ranma. I'm Akane. Would you like me to show you around?"
-- and chickened out. Transfixed by Akane's smile, Ranma could only nod, another blush creeping up on her face. 'Wow, she's cute... Stupid! She wouldn't be interested in you anyway.' She took Akane's outstretched hand and hopped to her feet. "... Thanks."
------
The door to the building next to the Tendou house slid open easily. The tour was winding down. "... And this is our dojo! I spend a lot of time in here after school practicing."
Ranma smiled. "Oh, so you're a martial artist too?" And smacked herself. 'You moron! Why the hell else would she be wearing a gi?'
Akane didn't seem to notice Ranma's self-scolding. "Yeah, I'm a student of the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts."
"Anything-Goes? I practice Anything-Goes! Saotome School, a' course."
Akane spun around, a grin on her face. "Really? That's great! You're the first girl martial artist I've known in ages!"
'Ouch.' Ranma had to say something. "Um, look, about that..." And she stopped. She liked Akane. She didn't want to alienate her. Sure, no one in Joketsuzoku had had a problem with her -- well, past the initial reaction -- but they lived near the springs. Of course they'd be used to it. Akane had probably never --
"Ranma? You okay?" Ranma eeped as she realized she'd zoned out. Akane poked her in the forehead. "You looked worried for a minute there."
"Mmh." Gulp. "Sorry." Cough. "I'm fine." Scratch neck nervously. 'I'm such an idiot.'
Akane looked Ranma up and down. "So... You know kempo, then?"
"A little."
"Well, why don't we have a little match? Y'know, just for fun."
Ranma smiled genuinely -- one of the few real smiles Akane had seen on her face so far. "I'd like that."
Akane grinned back and dropped into a battle stance in the middle of the dojo. Ranma stood a few feet in front of her, arms behind her back. "Don't worry," Akane said, "I won't attack you for real."
Akane's first realization that she'd underestimated her opponent came when Ranma nimbly leapt over the first punch she threw. The next two punches Ranma leaned left and right to dodge, still with her arms held behind her. Akane tried a straight kick to the head next, and Ranma actually leaned backward and let Akane's foot pass in front of her face! Akane kept trying to strike her, putting more and more force into it, but she kept slipping past her fists. Abruptly one of Ranma's fists shot out, and Akane was barely able to react in time to protect herself. 'She's amazing!'
Soon the two girls were trading punches, faster and faster, blows striking and blows missing, dodges and blocks, back and forth. Akane couldn't shake the feeling, though, that Ranma was letting her get in most of the hits she got, and she was obviously pulling her punches, too. 'Ow!' Ranma kept hitting her just above her hip; apparently she had a gap in her defenses. The next time Ranma sent a punch there, she grabbed her fist and yanked, pulling Ranma off-balance.
Ranma grinned and flipped over Akane, landing behind her. Before Akane could react, she felt a poke at the back of her head. She spun around to find a smiling Ranma waiting for her to catch up. Akane had to take a moment to catch her breath. "Wow, you're really good!"
Ranma blushed. "Thanks. You too."
"You've gotta be kidding. I could tell you were holding back. Any time you wanted, you could have had me on the ground, right?"
Ranma's blush went redder and darker. "Well, I guess I coulda done that," she said, "but then neither one of us woulda really learned anything, right?" She laughed a little, Akane giggled, and then they were both laughing.
"Seriously, though," Akane said. "How on earth did you get so fast?"
"It's the trainin' Father put me through. If you'd been on a trainin' trip for thirteen years, you'd easily be my equal."
Akane's jaw went slack. "Thirteen years?!"
"Yep. Started trainin' when I was three. A lot of it wasn't fun, but I'm a better m -- person for it."
"Wow. No wonder you're so good!" Akane moved to leave the dojo. "Well, I'm sure glad you're a girl."
Apprehension struck. "W-what?"
Akane turned back to face Ranma. "It's just... I couldn't stand losing to a boy." She smiled a bit.
"Oh."
Ranma was oddly silent for the rest of the tour.
------
"Oh, Ranma? I drew a bath for you, if you'd like to take one."
"Really? Thanks, Kasumi."
------
"Hey, Akane. Kasumi says you should take a bath soon."
"Oh, OK. Thanks, Nabiki."
------
Stepping into the changing room, Akane saw Ranma's distinctive red shirt in the clothes hamper. 'Guess she's already in here.' She reached back and untied the yellow bow at the end of her ponytail.
"Ohhhhhh... What am I gonna do?" Ranma sank down into the hot water of the bath, nose just above the water. 'Should I tell 'em the truth or try ta hide it? Either way I'm gonna have trouble.'
Akane slid her gi off of her shoulders, letting it drop into the hamper.
'The Tendous are so nice... I really don't wanna lie to them, even if it would be easier.' Ranma attempted a groan. "Glub..."
Now completely nude, Akane walked over to the door into the inner bathroom. 'I hope Ranma doesn't mind me joining her.'
'It's settled, then. I go out as I am.' Satisfied that he was making the right choice, Ranma rose from the bath, quickly, so he wouldn't have any time to lose his nerve.
Of course, that's when Akane opened the door.
Ranma was the first to react. He made a noise that sounded like "ack" and dropped down into the water as far as he could, eyes closed and nose pinched shut.
Akane slammed the door shut, eyes wide. For a second, she had -- no, impossible. She could not have seen what she thought she saw. "Ranma? Is that you?"
Ranma panicked. "No! Uh -- yes!" In a falsetto that wasn't the slightest bit convincing, "Yes!" Finally, "Aaaaahhh... Sort of." 'She's going to kill me.'
"Are you okay? You don't sound quite right."
"Yes! Yes I am!" Last chance desperation attempt: Hiyamizu Chouyaku! Ranma leapt out of the bath and grabbed the bucket of cold water that (thankfully) sat next to the sink. Before anything else could happen to him, he dunked his head into it.
Akane opened the door a few inches and tentatively peered inside. Ranma sat next to the bath, arms over her chest, shivering. 'Okay, it is Ranma. I must have gotten steam in my eyes or something.'
When Ranma noticed Akane, she made an "eep" noise and covered her eyes. "Um, could you let me finish my bath, please?"
"Are you... sure you're okay?"
"Yeah! Fine! Just... please, get dressed and wait for me outside."
Akane frowned. "All right, if you insist." She shut the door.
Ranma could hear Akane putting her clothes on. She sighed and slipped back into the bath. "I guess that coulda gone worse," he muttered, "but I can't imagine how."
------
Soun glanced up from his seat across from the koi pond to see Akane standing in the hallway. "Weren't you going to take a bath?" he asked.
"Akane?" Kasumi leaned into the hall. "My goodness, what's the matter?"
Akane shook her head. "That was weird. Ranma was in the bath, and for a second I could have sworn she looked like a boy."
Nabiki stared at her sister. "Um, I think we already established that Ranma's a girl."
"Yeah, by groping her. Anyway, I obviously just imagined it. She seemed really nervous about me being in there, though."
"Oh dear," Kasumi said. "I hope she's all right."
The door to the bathroom opened up. "Um, 'scuse me..."
The Tendous turned -- and stared -- in unison.
He was a boy. Unmistakably. But he was wearing Ranma's clothes, and they actually looked like they fit him better than they'd fit her. He looked like he wanted to turn and run, but he stood his ground. And Akane noticed his eyes -- if she hadn't known better, she'd have said they were Ranma's eyes.
"Who..."
"Who are you?!"
The young man sighed and stared at his feet. "I'm Saotome Ranma," he whispered. "Sorry 'bout this."
------
Some time later, four pairs of eyes stared at the young man claiming to be Saotome Ranma. He was visibly uncomfortable with the attention, fidgeting slightly under the quartet of gazes. They sat around the table in the family room, on which, for some reason, the young man had placed a glass of cold water.
Kasumi spoke up first. "Are you really her? I mean, are you Ranma? The girl we met before?"
"I am," Ranma responded quietly.
"I knew Saotome had a son!" Soun laughed. He quickly turned serious. "But how is this possible?"
"It's pretty obvious that you're not her, no matter how good you are with disguises," Nabiki pointed out. "Same hairstyle, yeah, and your faces look alike, but you're a few inches taller than her."
Ranma sighed. "Yeah, I know. This... This is me. The real me. I turn inta the girl, because of a curse."
"A curse." Nabiki gave off multiple signs of being very not convinced.
"Yeah." Ranma picked up the glass of water. "My father and I were on our trainin' trip, see, and we went to this cursed trainin' ground in China called Jusenkyou. If ya fall inta one a' the springs there, ya get cursed ta turn inta somethin'. Cold water turns ya inta whatever drowned in the spring, then hot water turns ya back ta normal. Long story short, we got attacked, and I got knocked inta the 'Spring of Drowned Girl'. So every time I get splashed with cold water..." Ranma tipped the glass over himself and let the water pour down his head.
Kasumi blinked at just the wrong moment and missed the change. Nabiki stared, rubbed her eyes, stared, then rubbed her eyes again. Akane's mouth hung slightly open. Soun almost fainted. Ranma pushed her wet red hair back and waited nervously for the reactions of the various Tendous.
Kasumi was the first to speak. "Oh, my... He's... a she again."
"I don't believe it. That absurd story was actually the truth," Nabiki muttered.
Akane suddenly realized something. "So are you a boy or a girl?"
"I'm a guy. I look like a girl sometimes, but I was born a guy."
"But... then..." Akane slammed her hand down on the table and shouted, "You pervert! You saw me naked in the bath!"
Ranma winced and gave Akane a hurt look. "I didn't mean to. Sorry."
Akane was ready to pound Ranma, but the prompt -- and as far as she could see, genuine -- apology deflated her anger. 'She -- he's sorry. And he did cover his eyes when I came in...'
Soun stepped into the kitchen and brought out a steaming kettle. "So you say hot water returns you to your regular form?"
He tried to pour some water on Ranma, but she leapt to her feet and let it form a puddle on the floor. "Er, the water just needs to be hot, not boiling!"
Ranma was trying to decide what to say or do now when Soun laughed and clapped her on the back. "Well, now! Your problem isn't so terrible after all! We can continue with the arrangement as planned."
"Arrangement?" Ranma asked.
"Look!" Soun put his arm around Ranma's shoulders and gestured at his daughters, one by one.
"My eldest daughter, Kasumi. She's nineteen." Kasumi looked a bit confused. "My second daughter, Nabiki. She's seventeen." Nabiki frowned and wondered where this was leading. "And my youngest daughter, Akane. She's sixteen." Akane glanced up as attention was focused on her.
Soun smiled and finished up his speech. "Pick any girl you want. She'll be your fiancée."
About to speak, Ranma elected instead to choke. Akane practically shrieked, "WHAT?!" while Nabiki asked archly, "What on earth is this, Father?"
"It's very simple, Nabiki," Soun replied. "Back when my good friend Genma and I were training under... the Master... we promised each other that we would join our schools by the hands of our children, thus ensuring the future of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts."
Kasumi swallowed. "An arranged marriage? Oh, dear..."
Akane was still trying to decide if she was mad at Ranma. She didn't need this too! "I am not going to marry him!" she shouted.
Ranma flinched at that. Surely she would have said that no matter who it was standing across from her, but even so...
"Father, I'd been hoping that -- well, I had had someone in mind already."
"I can't believe you'd do this to us!"
"Now, I think you may be overreacting just a bit."
"Overreacting? We're talking about the rest of our lives!"
"Personally, I don't care what happens as long as I don't have to marry the guy. No offense to him, but I haven't got time for marriage yet."
"Younger men are so... young."
"Why should we have to do this, anyway?"
"It's a matter of honor, dear. Now, Ranma, who --"
"I won't do it."
The subdued but firm refusal had come from Ranma. Soun backed up a step, nonplussed. "But... I thought that was why you were here. To unite the schools, right?"
Ranma turned beet-red, but swallowed and continued. "Unitin' the schools, fine, good, but Father never said anything about me gettin' married. Besides... I can't ask a girl to put up with me while I got..." She gestured at her ample chest. "... this goin' on. Even without the curse I'm hardly marriage material anyway."
Ranma turned and bowed to the three sisters. "Sorry... 'bout me bein' so troublesome. I'll get out of your way." Before they could respond, she walked out of the family room.
The Tendous were silent for a few moments. Nabiki glanced outside and muttered, "Surely he isn't planning on..."
------
"I don't guess that coulda gone much worse." Outside the house, Ranma tugged at the straps of her backpack absently. "So much for stickin' around here. Guess I'd better get movin'." She stared up into the rain and wiped her wet hair out of her eyes.
"Ranma! Where are you going?"
"Back to China," she mumbled. "I'm gonna help my father; maybe the Amazons'll let him go early. After that... I guess I'll... try to find a cure for the curse." Ranma started to leave, but Kasumi's hand on her arm stopped her.
Kasumi pulled Ranma under the overhang, where she and Soun already stood. "Ranma... wait. I know your introduction was a little eventful, but it's only been one night. Why don't you stay here to wait for your father? We don't mind, really. None of us do."
Ranma was so surprised she could hardly speak. "Do... do you really want me to stay?"
"Of course we do, Ranma," Soun put in. "You don't need to worry that you're imposing on us. I can tell that you're a good man, and we'd all like to get to know you better. We can talk about the engagement when Genma arrives."
Ranma's shocked expression slowly shifted into a warm smile. "Thank you. Thank you both," she said. "You don't know how much I appreciate this."
"Really, Ranma, it's our pleasure. Now you go on and get dried off." Kasumi led Ranma back into the house. "I'll clear out the guest room for you, if you'll give me your backpack."
"Okay, I'll do that." Ranma smiled meekly and turned her backpack over to Kasumi (who stumbled a bit, despite being ready for it). "Thanks again, Kasumi." She went to find the towel she'd used earlier that night.
Kasumi tugged ineffectually at the backpack's straps. "Er, Father? Would you help me with this?"
------
Ranma stared up at the ceiling of the guest room, lying on his bedroll. 'The Tendous are so nice... Maybe I'll be able to stay out of trouble while I'm here.'
Kasumi sighed as she tidied up the family room. 'Poor Ranma... He's going to have a hard time. I hope I can help him adjust.'
Nabiki paused on the staircase. 'That guy's had it rough. Maybe I can make things a bit easier for him here.'
Akane curled up in bed, deep in thought. 'He seems really nice, for a boy... But I'm not going to marry him just because of Dad's promise!'
Soun sighed and returned to his newspaper. 'At this rate, it looks as if the schools will never be united.'
The events that followed would, eventually, prove exactly three of these five thoughts wrong.
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[The song "Meet Ranma Saotome..." begins. Scene: in the dojo, Ranma watches Akane punch her practice dummy for a few moments, then walks over to talk to her.]
AKANE: You're coming to school with us?
RANMA: Yeah...
AKANE: Okay, but stay out of my morning fight.
RANMA: Your WHAT?!
AKANE: You'll see.
[Scene: at the school, Kuno poses dramatically as lightning flashes behind him.]
RANMA: And who's that guy?
AKANE: Ugh. That's Kuno Tatewaki. He's a real creep. You should steer clear of him.
[Scene: Kuno bows respectfully to Ranma. Akane nearly falls over in shock; Ranma returns the bow.]
RANMA: I dunno, he looks nice enough.
AKANE: "Nice"? You're in for a shock. Next time on Inherit the Earth: "First Day at Furinkan! Has Kunou Met His Match?" We'll see you there!
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Inherit the Earth, Chapter 1
11/16/2002 -- First draft completed, sent to Fan-Fiction Mailing List
2/8/2003 -- Second draft completed, sent to FFML
2/11/2003 -- Edited slightly, uploaded to FanFiction.Net