She surfaced suddenly, aware only that something was horribly wrong. She
looked down at herself, confirming one of her greatest fears/hopes....
she had never known which, exactly. She wasn't herself anymore.
Immediately, she tried to figure out what could have caused this. The
last thing she remembered was...
was....
sitting down...
at her computer.........
to write.
To write.....
...what?
Then she noticed that she was reflexively treading water... and there was a funny-looking fat man babbling something at her in Japanese. She didn't know Japanese.
Oh crap.
It was quite ironic really. She could no longer remember this one, yet she knew she had found it the most fascinating of all before this had happened.
I'm in an anime.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------
Passenger
Chapter 1: Welcome aboard.
A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Starblade
Dedicated to those others who have gone before, doing obvious SI.... and not following stereotypes.
Warning: This fanfiction borrows many ideas shown in other fanfictions. Hopefully, those who wrote them, upon reading this, will find my interperetations satisfactory- I don't intend to exactly copy anything. I have the greatest respect for those whose fanfictions I have DLed onto my computer, as they are, in my opinion, the best of the best. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I don't want to own them. BUT THEY MADE ME DO IT!!! WAAAAAAAH!!!! (enters Souun Tendou Cry #46: I've been forced into this against my will even though I find myself mysteriously enjoying it)
Key:
= English
" "=Japanese
[ ]= Jusenkyou Cursed Signs
{ }=Chinese
* * = internal conversation between Ranma and Yasha
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------
She climbed from the pool, noticing the silk she was wearing clinging to her almost uncomfortably. Meanwhile, a panda remained glued to the top of a bamboo pole sticking out of one of the many pools nearby. The fat man in the Mao uniform looked at her a moment, then spoke.
{Aiyaaah! Mr. Customer look very strange for victim of Nyannichuuan! Does Mr. Customer feel alright??}
She stared at the Jusenkyou Guide a moment before responding.
Ah.... I'm sorry, I don't speak Japanese at all.... Would you mind explaining how I got here?
The Guide did a double-take as the panda nearly fell off it's pole. Totally confused, they both carefully moved to the girl, stopping a few feet away, the Guide in case of strange accidents, and the panda in case his son was trying to trick him.
But, Mr. Customer speak Japanese before fall in spring.... the Guide began, thouroughly puzzled. Nothing like this had ever happened before... what was going on, exactly?
That's very interesting, but... the girl looked at herself a moment, then puzzledly at the guide, I really don't think "Mr." applies to me....
The panda, half-understanding this through his panic, pulled a sign out of nowhere and mashed the girl into the ground with it.
[Nonsense, boy, you're a man! And how could you possibly be taking this so calmly?!?]
The only response it got was a strangled groan from the girl before she fell unconscious.
The panda sweatdropped.
[Get up, boy, stop fooling around! You've taken much harder than that before!] :flip: [Take it like a man, and get back up!]
"Aiyaah, Mr. Customer, no think Mr. Younger Customer is fooling.... Something wrong, very tragic...."
The panda suddenly realizing that it was using signs, pulled another one out, pointed at the guide.
[How do you get rid of these curses?!?] :flip: [And how the heck am I doing this, anyway?!?!?]
It was the guide's turn to sweatdrop. "It take Mr. Customer this long to notice??"
******
Ranma sat atop a heavily beaten, unconscious panda in the guide's hut. Meanwhile, every last kami, god, demon, spirit, and mythical creature was doing a take, a double take, or a spit take. The Jusenkyou guide was just cowering in the corner.
Because Ranma Saotome was thinking hard. And he was thinking seriously.
Somewhere else, Lucifer was cursing at a raincloud that had somehow wandered into his domain.
Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bone.... no, not his bones. He could feel it in his head. As though there was a pressure there, in the back of his mind, held back for some reason. He had to figure out what it was... he had an eerie feeling it was related to why he had totally lost control of her... HIS body after falling in the spring. And then blacking out after she... HE got out. Damn, but pronouns were going to be confusing for a while.
He remembered a meditation technique taught to him by a wandering medical student, as a matter of fact, the only meditation technique he knew. As far as his Oyaji was concerned, meditation was for sissies who would rather talk than fight. Fortunately for him, Genma had been off.... obtaining... food when the young man had happened on him a few years ago. The student had sensed the ki imbalance caused by Ranma's Neko-ken training, and had taught him the meditation to help him keep it under control. Now he merely ran screaming from cats, instead of instantly lapsing into the Neko-ken. The meditation was used to relieve stress and encourage freedom of thought. And that pressure felt almost confining. He just hoped it would work.
******
As his body slipped into sleep-function, Ranma's mind coalesced in his imagination. He stood there and looked around his psyche (not that he knew it was called that...), and noted that everything seemed pretty much the same, with the strange monuments and trees.... except for one place. He could see, just at the limit of vision, a hill.
A hill that hadn't been there last time. A hill just beyond where he had sequestered the Neko-ken. Ranma shuddered at the thought. Oh, well. He'd have to go through it to get there.....
And with that, Ranma steeled himself, heading in the direction of the hill.
Halfway there, he almost lost focus, walking past what seemed to be a deserted training hall.... from which issued yowls of hunger and screams of agony. With a final shuddering step, it was again out of hearing..... and Ranma stood at the bottom of the hill.
The hill was very large, but low, and evenly domed. Easily walking up it, Ranma found something very interesting. At the top of the hill was.... a building.
It was a small, two-story, Victorian-style house, and it looked very comfortable. Except for the steel bars over the doors and windows. After a short examination, Ranma decided that the only apparent way to get in was to break something.
Looking over the bars more carefully, Ranma noticed that there was a window left almost totally unobstructed on the swinging garage doors... almost inviting him in. He resolved to be careful, while nothing here could physically harm him, immense mental damage could be done.... he shuddered, remembering the Neko-ken once more. Then he steeled himself, and leapt through the almost-too-small window, shattering the pane of yellow glass.
Ranma was astounded. Inside the house was a forest. But not a forest. The paved pathways through it made it seem as though some sort of park. Yet, Ranma could tell that whatever was here, it did not use the paths much. Instead, there were a great many areas where it was obvious someone had passed through, walking across the very grass and dirt, and apparently in hiking boots, too.
Ranma smiled slightly in spite of himself. Despite the paving, the place was quite nice, and very calm overall. Though the effect WAS almost ruined by the presence of an absolutely huge robot off at one end of the wooded area, he had to admit. Then he heard it. Someone was singing. Someone was here. Someone was here, singing. Very well, as a matter of fact. Ranma paused a moment, then appended it further. Someone was here, singing beautifully, and female, and it apparently wasn't him, as he had his mouth shut.
Ranma was relieved for a moment, as he didn't REMEMBER becoming female, although Jusenkyou had rendered that fear rather solid. Ranma immediately tensed up again, as he realized that whoever it was who was singing wasn't a memory of his.... he'd never heard that song before. He couldn't quite make out the words, but the tune was totally unfamiliar. Ranma counted himself fortunate that whoever-it-was didn't seem to want to stop singing as he followed the sounds to their creator.
Ranma wasn't even halfway prepared for what awaited him in the small clearing. He stopped and rubbed his eyes. Whoever it was he was looking at seemed to have six or seven different forms at once, and yet only one. All of her/them, however, was/were female. She/they was/were also in his head. Without invitation. That was not good.
Silently, Ranma leapt to the attack, nailing the singer in the back of the head with a flying kick. There was a loud *THWAKK* as she/they went flying. Fortunately for her/them, while Ranma didn't really share his father's ideal of never striking a girl as they couldn't defend themselves at all, he did pull his blow partly from her/their gender and partly in case she/they was/were 'nt an experienced fighter.
Ranma was expecting his target to fly forwards and plow into the ground, sensless if not unconscious.
He wasn't expecting to feel like someone had clubbed him in the back of the head.
And yet, both of these happened.
******
"SO," came His voice to Skuld, who was watching the events inside Ranma's head, "HOW GOES IT?"
"Pretty well, actually..." was the twenty-something-looking goddess' reply. "She has a different take on how to do this from the others... she explicitly stated that she didn't want exacting foreknowledge of what would happen... just a general inkling. It should be quite interesting to see how she deals with this whole thing."
******
She groaned, surprised to be feeling pain in what she had assumed a dream. She'd figured that when that chubby guy had doused her from the kettle, he'd put her to sleep or something. Struggling and finally managing to get up, she turned to fix a green/brown/blue/red-eyed gaze on the pigtailed martial artist.
"And what," she fumed, "was THAT for?! Dammit, I can't even get a break in my dreams now? This is insane!"
"Wait...your dreams?" Asked an incredulous Ranma, "Whadda ya mean YOUR dreams?? You're in MY head!"
"In your head?" Her expression changed to one of puzzlement.
"Yes, in MY head. And how'd you take control of my body, anyway? I don't get it... I fall in a spring an' someone else gets control of my body? What sorta training is that?"
Her face shifted once again, this time to apology. "I'm sorry for intruding in your head.. whoever you are... but, I don't seem to have gotten much of a choice here myself... I really have no idea what you're talking about... training? For what?"
******
******
Akane slowed her jogging as she passed the car wreck, just enough to see that noone had been hurt in the accident. Making a note to tell her father about it, as the police were already there, she sped back up, rounded the corner and headed straight for the dojo.
Changing into her gi, the youngest Tendou proceeded to complete her ritual by shattering a set of concrete blocks. She almost didn't hear the soft "click" immediately after she delivered her blow. Looking up, she saw her sister Nabiki lowering a small camera.
"There you go again, Akane." Nabiki began, "It's because of this that all the boys think you're wierd."
"So?" came the swift reply. "Not everyone thinks that *boys* are everything, Nabiki!"
"Oh, really? Then I guess you won't be at all interested in Father's announcement, Akane?"
******
It was raining. Again. It seemed to have done that rather a lot since Jusenkyou.
Surprisingly, she didn't much care for the rain, despite the fact that it allowed her control, and form, of their shared body.
It could have been because she looked even more abnormal in the rain.
It could have been because her traveling companion seemed to not notice the awful smell of wet fur enough to change back right away afterwards.
Although, really, it was just because she couldn't stand being wet while clothed for dry weather.
*Ranma, why does Oyaji keep looking at me like that?*
*I'm not sure, Yasha. Just before it rained, he said something about "engagement in Nerima" and "purge the demon" or something like that... it didn't really make much sense.*
*Oh. Just par for the course, then.*
*huh?*
******
Souun and Nabiki Tendou were scared out of their wits. A panda walking into the house on its hind legs was bad enough. The accompanying horror, however......
"Daddy?" questioned Kasumi, hiding behind the Tendou in question, "This... is your FRIEND????"
The girl was four and a half feet tall, if that, and was staring at them unsettlingly. It was probably unsettling because her irises were blood crimson. She had long, pointed ears, the upper ends of which were probably even with the top of her head. It was hard to tell, however, because the long, brown quills that she had in place of hair stuck up the remainder of the fifth foot. The other really noticably different part of her face was the short fangs, the tips of which barely peeked out from her mouth. Her long, catlike tail poked out from underneath the red, silk tang she wore, seemingly through a hole in her black kung-fu pants. Completing the look were a pair of soft slippers, and all her clothes were far too large for her, making her look even more deformed. Actually, gender was difficult to determine... the clothes hid everything. So, Souun Tendou's mistake was reasonable, given the circumstances, and the panda.
"You.... you aren't *Ranma*..... are you?"
"Saotome.... Ranma desu. S-sumimasen..."
(I'm... Saotome Ranma. Sorry about this....)
Souun Tendou fainted.
Kasumi Tendou jumped at hearing someone with fangs like that produce totally intelligible speech. (Even if there was a thick American accent)
Nabiki Tendou narrowed her eyes.
Akane Tendou got into a stance, preparing to kill the demon-boy.
Yasha-Ranma backed away from Akane a bit.
The panda held up a sign. [Ah. Same old Souun Tendou I remember.] ::flip:: [Would someone like to be a dear and get us some hot water?] ::flip:: [Nevermind, I'll get it myself.]
The panda dropped the sign as it ducked into the kitchen.
Nabiki frowned slightly. She'd seen the sign drop, it only had two sides. How had the panda done that?? For that matter, where had the sign come from?
"Um..." began Yasha-Ranma, nervously staring at Akane, "P... Please don't... I not going to try hurt you, and I don't think I able hurt you anyway..."
Kasumi stepped forwards around Akane, moving to comfort the small... boy? girl? demon? Whoever they were, they weren't too familiar with Japanese, either...
"Please excuse Imoutochan. I'm afraid we're all a bit startled by your appearance. Oh, where are my manners? I am Kasumi Tendou."
Yasha-Ranma, looking relieved to be dealing with someone less openly hostile, smiled nervously at Kasumi. "Is quite all right, Kasumi-san. "Must expect when looking-"
The small girl found herself cut off by a sudden transformation. Genma stood behind her now, empty kettle held over Ranma's head.
Souun Tendou said nothing, having failed to regain consciousness.
Kasumi Tendou stared a moment. "Oh, my...."
Nabiki Tendou jumped, then returned to a neutral expression.
Akane, if anything, became more ready to kill the human boy than she had been to try to kill the seemingly-demon possibly-boy.
Ranma frowned a moment, changing the way he stood almost entirely. He did remain standing on his feet, though. He also did something to his hair, tightening the ponytail before it's bond could slip off the reduced volume.
*like I do to get... oh. Damn it! I hate being cut off mid-sentence!* Yasha continued in Ranma's head.
*You and I both, Yasha, you and I both. Now what do I do? The girl in the gi still looks ready to kill us! Not that she can, but we've already gotten one enemy, and that's plenty for me!*
*Ah.... good question...*
Genma took dramatic stance #2 (Oh, what a tragedy) and proclaimed, "Oh, the horrible things Ranma and I have undergone in our training trip! It is a wonder that my old friend Souun is coping as well as he is! I must wait for him to wake up, so I can explain to all of you!"
"Now this, I've got to hear."
"Please, Nabiki, stop giving our guests a hard time, and help me with father..."
******
"Poor daddy. He must have been so disappointed..."
Nabiki just looked at Kasumi, thinking that the relief on her face was definitely something unusual.
"I'm so embarrassed. Why does Dad have to act so frail?"
Souun Tendou, having just come to, immediately began doing his best impression of God during that whole Noah thing (Souun Tendou cry # 12: My Daughter Thinks I'm Weak And She's Probably Right). Ranma was fortunately far enough away from Souun's head, but Kasumi and Genma only narrowly avoided getting a soaking.
*Wow. Lookit him go. It's a wonder the floor isn't suffering water damage yet...*
*Mmh. Yasha, why do you think that girl is angry at us?* came Ranma's response, as he turned their collective gaze on the girl still wearing her gi.
*Ranma... some people just hate some kinds of other people. I have never been able to figure it out, but I and those I associate with usually fall into the category hated.... Oh well. May as well get back to watching Mr. Portable Niagara Falls here...*
Ranma narrowly avoided an argument and eventual beating by turning his gaze from Akane to her father just before Akane decided to glare at him across Souun again. Right about then, Souun turned off the waterworks and looked around.
"G-genma, old friend? Is that you? Tell me, where are the panda and the foul demon thing? Did you drive them off??"
*Oi! He'd better watch who he's calling a foul thing!*
*Quiet, Yasha, this could be important.*
"I suppose, Tendou, that a full explanation is in order... for now, an introduction." He turned to the three girls. The young one, Akari was it?, looked ready to fly off the handle anytime now. And Nikibi....Kinibi? Natsumi?.... whatever. She was watching the boy like she thought something was wrong. The eldest one, that Kasumi girl, was looking at Ranma really strangely.... oboy, this didn't look like it was working too well. Oh well, nothing to do but bull ahead...
"I'm Saotome Genma, and this is my son-"
"Saotome Ranma. Sorry about this..."
was....
sitting down...
at her computer.........
to write.
To write.....
...what?
Then she noticed that she was reflexively treading water... and there was a funny-looking fat man babbling something at her in Japanese. She didn't know Japanese.
Oh crap.
It was quite ironic really. She could no longer remember this one, yet she knew she had found it the most fascinating of all before this had happened.
I'm in an anime.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------
Passenger
Chapter 1: Welcome aboard.
A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Starblade
Dedicated to those others who have gone before, doing obvious SI.... and not following stereotypes.
Warning: This fanfiction borrows many ideas shown in other fanfictions. Hopefully, those who wrote them, upon reading this, will find my interperetations satisfactory- I don't intend to exactly copy anything. I have the greatest respect for those whose fanfictions I have DLed onto my computer, as they are, in my opinion, the best of the best. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I don't want to own them. BUT THEY MADE ME DO IT!!! WAAAAAAAH!!!! (enters Souun Tendou Cry #46: I've been forced into this against my will even though I find myself mysteriously enjoying it)
Key:
= English
" "=Japanese
[ ]= Jusenkyou Cursed Signs
{ }=Chinese
* * = internal conversation between Ranma and Yasha
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------
She climbed from the pool, noticing the silk she was wearing clinging to her almost uncomfortably. Meanwhile, a panda remained glued to the top of a bamboo pole sticking out of one of the many pools nearby. The fat man in the Mao uniform looked at her a moment, then spoke.
{Aiyaaah! Mr. Customer look very strange for victim of Nyannichuuan! Does Mr. Customer feel alright??}
She stared at the Jusenkyou Guide a moment before responding.
Ah.... I'm sorry, I don't speak Japanese at all.... Would you mind explaining how I got here?
The Guide did a double-take as the panda nearly fell off it's pole. Totally confused, they both carefully moved to the girl, stopping a few feet away, the Guide in case of strange accidents, and the panda in case his son was trying to trick him.
But, Mr. Customer speak Japanese before fall in spring.... the Guide began, thouroughly puzzled. Nothing like this had ever happened before... what was going on, exactly?
That's very interesting, but... the girl looked at herself a moment, then puzzledly at the guide, I really don't think "Mr." applies to me....
The panda, half-understanding this through his panic, pulled a sign out of nowhere and mashed the girl into the ground with it.
[Nonsense, boy, you're a man! And how could you possibly be taking this so calmly?!?]
The only response it got was a strangled groan from the girl before she fell unconscious.
The panda sweatdropped.
[Get up, boy, stop fooling around! You've taken much harder than that before!] :flip: [Take it like a man, and get back up!]
"Aiyaah, Mr. Customer, no think Mr. Younger Customer is fooling.... Something wrong, very tragic...."
The panda suddenly realizing that it was using signs, pulled another one out, pointed at the guide.
[How do you get rid of these curses?!?] :flip: [And how the heck am I doing this, anyway?!?!?]
It was the guide's turn to sweatdrop. "It take Mr. Customer this long to notice??"
******
Ranma sat atop a heavily beaten, unconscious panda in the guide's hut. Meanwhile, every last kami, god, demon, spirit, and mythical creature was doing a take, a double take, or a spit take. The Jusenkyou guide was just cowering in the corner.
Because Ranma Saotome was thinking hard. And he was thinking seriously.
Somewhere else, Lucifer was cursing at a raincloud that had somehow wandered into his domain.
Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bone.... no, not his bones. He could feel it in his head. As though there was a pressure there, in the back of his mind, held back for some reason. He had to figure out what it was... he had an eerie feeling it was related to why he had totally lost control of her... HIS body after falling in the spring. And then blacking out after she... HE got out. Damn, but pronouns were going to be confusing for a while.
He remembered a meditation technique taught to him by a wandering medical student, as a matter of fact, the only meditation technique he knew. As far as his Oyaji was concerned, meditation was for sissies who would rather talk than fight. Fortunately for him, Genma had been off.... obtaining... food when the young man had happened on him a few years ago. The student had sensed the ki imbalance caused by Ranma's Neko-ken training, and had taught him the meditation to help him keep it under control. Now he merely ran screaming from cats, instead of instantly lapsing into the Neko-ken. The meditation was used to relieve stress and encourage freedom of thought. And that pressure felt almost confining. He just hoped it would work.
******
As his body slipped into sleep-function, Ranma's mind coalesced in his imagination. He stood there and looked around his psyche (not that he knew it was called that...), and noted that everything seemed pretty much the same, with the strange monuments and trees.... except for one place. He could see, just at the limit of vision, a hill.
A hill that hadn't been there last time. A hill just beyond where he had sequestered the Neko-ken. Ranma shuddered at the thought. Oh, well. He'd have to go through it to get there.....
And with that, Ranma steeled himself, heading in the direction of the hill.
Halfway there, he almost lost focus, walking past what seemed to be a deserted training hall.... from which issued yowls of hunger and screams of agony. With a final shuddering step, it was again out of hearing..... and Ranma stood at the bottom of the hill.
The hill was very large, but low, and evenly domed. Easily walking up it, Ranma found something very interesting. At the top of the hill was.... a building.
It was a small, two-story, Victorian-style house, and it looked very comfortable. Except for the steel bars over the doors and windows. After a short examination, Ranma decided that the only apparent way to get in was to break something.
Looking over the bars more carefully, Ranma noticed that there was a window left almost totally unobstructed on the swinging garage doors... almost inviting him in. He resolved to be careful, while nothing here could physically harm him, immense mental damage could be done.... he shuddered, remembering the Neko-ken once more. Then he steeled himself, and leapt through the almost-too-small window, shattering the pane of yellow glass.
Ranma was astounded. Inside the house was a forest. But not a forest. The paved pathways through it made it seem as though some sort of park. Yet, Ranma could tell that whatever was here, it did not use the paths much. Instead, there were a great many areas where it was obvious someone had passed through, walking across the very grass and dirt, and apparently in hiking boots, too.
Ranma smiled slightly in spite of himself. Despite the paving, the place was quite nice, and very calm overall. Though the effect WAS almost ruined by the presence of an absolutely huge robot off at one end of the wooded area, he had to admit. Then he heard it. Someone was singing. Someone was here. Someone was here, singing. Very well, as a matter of fact. Ranma paused a moment, then appended it further. Someone was here, singing beautifully, and female, and it apparently wasn't him, as he had his mouth shut.
Ranma was relieved for a moment, as he didn't REMEMBER becoming female, although Jusenkyou had rendered that fear rather solid. Ranma immediately tensed up again, as he realized that whoever it was who was singing wasn't a memory of his.... he'd never heard that song before. He couldn't quite make out the words, but the tune was totally unfamiliar. Ranma counted himself fortunate that whoever-it-was didn't seem to want to stop singing as he followed the sounds to their creator.
Ranma wasn't even halfway prepared for what awaited him in the small clearing. He stopped and rubbed his eyes. Whoever it was he was looking at seemed to have six or seven different forms at once, and yet only one. All of her/them, however, was/were female. She/they was/were also in his head. Without invitation. That was not good.
Silently, Ranma leapt to the attack, nailing the singer in the back of the head with a flying kick. There was a loud *THWAKK* as she/they went flying. Fortunately for her/them, while Ranma didn't really share his father's ideal of never striking a girl as they couldn't defend themselves at all, he did pull his blow partly from her/their gender and partly in case she/they was/were 'nt an experienced fighter.
Ranma was expecting his target to fly forwards and plow into the ground, sensless if not unconscious.
He wasn't expecting to feel like someone had clubbed him in the back of the head.
And yet, both of these happened.
******
"SO," came His voice to Skuld, who was watching the events inside Ranma's head, "HOW GOES IT?"
"Pretty well, actually..." was the twenty-something-looking goddess' reply. "She has a different take on how to do this from the others... she explicitly stated that she didn't want exacting foreknowledge of what would happen... just a general inkling. It should be quite interesting to see how she deals with this whole thing."
******
She groaned, surprised to be feeling pain in what she had assumed a dream. She'd figured that when that chubby guy had doused her from the kettle, he'd put her to sleep or something. Struggling and finally managing to get up, she turned to fix a green/brown/blue/red-eyed gaze on the pigtailed martial artist.
"And what," she fumed, "was THAT for?! Dammit, I can't even get a break in my dreams now? This is insane!"
"Wait...your dreams?" Asked an incredulous Ranma, "Whadda ya mean YOUR dreams?? You're in MY head!"
"In your head?" Her expression changed to one of puzzlement.
"Yes, in MY head. And how'd you take control of my body, anyway? I don't get it... I fall in a spring an' someone else gets control of my body? What sorta training is that?"
Her face shifted once again, this time to apology. "I'm sorry for intruding in your head.. whoever you are... but, I don't seem to have gotten much of a choice here myself... I really have no idea what you're talking about... training? For what?"
******
******
Akane slowed her jogging as she passed the car wreck, just enough to see that noone had been hurt in the accident. Making a note to tell her father about it, as the police were already there, she sped back up, rounded the corner and headed straight for the dojo.
Changing into her gi, the youngest Tendou proceeded to complete her ritual by shattering a set of concrete blocks. She almost didn't hear the soft "click" immediately after she delivered her blow. Looking up, she saw her sister Nabiki lowering a small camera.
"There you go again, Akane." Nabiki began, "It's because of this that all the boys think you're wierd."
"So?" came the swift reply. "Not everyone thinks that *boys* are everything, Nabiki!"
"Oh, really? Then I guess you won't be at all interested in Father's announcement, Akane?"
******
It was raining. Again. It seemed to have done that rather a lot since Jusenkyou.
Surprisingly, she didn't much care for the rain, despite the fact that it allowed her control, and form, of their shared body.
It could have been because she looked even more abnormal in the rain.
It could have been because her traveling companion seemed to not notice the awful smell of wet fur enough to change back right away afterwards.
Although, really, it was just because she couldn't stand being wet while clothed for dry weather.
*Ranma, why does Oyaji keep looking at me like that?*
*I'm not sure, Yasha. Just before it rained, he said something about "engagement in Nerima" and "purge the demon" or something like that... it didn't really make much sense.*
*Oh. Just par for the course, then.*
*huh?*
******
Souun and Nabiki Tendou were scared out of their wits. A panda walking into the house on its hind legs was bad enough. The accompanying horror, however......
"Daddy?" questioned Kasumi, hiding behind the Tendou in question, "This... is your FRIEND????"
The girl was four and a half feet tall, if that, and was staring at them unsettlingly. It was probably unsettling because her irises were blood crimson. She had long, pointed ears, the upper ends of which were probably even with the top of her head. It was hard to tell, however, because the long, brown quills that she had in place of hair stuck up the remainder of the fifth foot. The other really noticably different part of her face was the short fangs, the tips of which barely peeked out from her mouth. Her long, catlike tail poked out from underneath the red, silk tang she wore, seemingly through a hole in her black kung-fu pants. Completing the look were a pair of soft slippers, and all her clothes were far too large for her, making her look even more deformed. Actually, gender was difficult to determine... the clothes hid everything. So, Souun Tendou's mistake was reasonable, given the circumstances, and the panda.
"You.... you aren't *Ranma*..... are you?"
"Saotome.... Ranma desu. S-sumimasen..."
(I'm... Saotome Ranma. Sorry about this....)
Souun Tendou fainted.
Kasumi Tendou jumped at hearing someone with fangs like that produce totally intelligible speech. (Even if there was a thick American accent)
Nabiki Tendou narrowed her eyes.
Akane Tendou got into a stance, preparing to kill the demon-boy.
Yasha-Ranma backed away from Akane a bit.
The panda held up a sign. [Ah. Same old Souun Tendou I remember.] ::flip:: [Would someone like to be a dear and get us some hot water?] ::flip:: [Nevermind, I'll get it myself.]
The panda dropped the sign as it ducked into the kitchen.
Nabiki frowned slightly. She'd seen the sign drop, it only had two sides. How had the panda done that?? For that matter, where had the sign come from?
"Um..." began Yasha-Ranma, nervously staring at Akane, "P... Please don't... I not going to try hurt you, and I don't think I able hurt you anyway..."
Kasumi stepped forwards around Akane, moving to comfort the small... boy? girl? demon? Whoever they were, they weren't too familiar with Japanese, either...
"Please excuse Imoutochan. I'm afraid we're all a bit startled by your appearance. Oh, where are my manners? I am Kasumi Tendou."
Yasha-Ranma, looking relieved to be dealing with someone less openly hostile, smiled nervously at Kasumi. "Is quite all right, Kasumi-san. "Must expect when looking-"
The small girl found herself cut off by a sudden transformation. Genma stood behind her now, empty kettle held over Ranma's head.
Souun Tendou said nothing, having failed to regain consciousness.
Kasumi Tendou stared a moment. "Oh, my...."
Nabiki Tendou jumped, then returned to a neutral expression.
Akane, if anything, became more ready to kill the human boy than she had been to try to kill the seemingly-demon possibly-boy.
Ranma frowned a moment, changing the way he stood almost entirely. He did remain standing on his feet, though. He also did something to his hair, tightening the ponytail before it's bond could slip off the reduced volume.
*like I do to get... oh. Damn it! I hate being cut off mid-sentence!* Yasha continued in Ranma's head.
*You and I both, Yasha, you and I both. Now what do I do? The girl in the gi still looks ready to kill us! Not that she can, but we've already gotten one enemy, and that's plenty for me!*
*Ah.... good question...*
Genma took dramatic stance #2 (Oh, what a tragedy) and proclaimed, "Oh, the horrible things Ranma and I have undergone in our training trip! It is a wonder that my old friend Souun is coping as well as he is! I must wait for him to wake up, so I can explain to all of you!"
"Now this, I've got to hear."
"Please, Nabiki, stop giving our guests a hard time, and help me with father..."
******
"Poor daddy. He must have been so disappointed..."
Nabiki just looked at Kasumi, thinking that the relief on her face was definitely something unusual.
"I'm so embarrassed. Why does Dad have to act so frail?"
Souun Tendou, having just come to, immediately began doing his best impression of God during that whole Noah thing (Souun Tendou cry # 12: My Daughter Thinks I'm Weak And She's Probably Right). Ranma was fortunately far enough away from Souun's head, but Kasumi and Genma only narrowly avoided getting a soaking.
*Wow. Lookit him go. It's a wonder the floor isn't suffering water damage yet...*
*Mmh. Yasha, why do you think that girl is angry at us?* came Ranma's response, as he turned their collective gaze on the girl still wearing her gi.
*Ranma... some people just hate some kinds of other people. I have never been able to figure it out, but I and those I associate with usually fall into the category hated.... Oh well. May as well get back to watching Mr. Portable Niagara Falls here...*
Ranma narrowly avoided an argument and eventual beating by turning his gaze from Akane to her father just before Akane decided to glare at him across Souun again. Right about then, Souun turned off the waterworks and looked around.
"G-genma, old friend? Is that you? Tell me, where are the panda and the foul demon thing? Did you drive them off??"
*Oi! He'd better watch who he's calling a foul thing!*
*Quiet, Yasha, this could be important.*
"I suppose, Tendou, that a full explanation is in order... for now, an introduction." He turned to the three girls. The young one, Akari was it?, looked ready to fly off the handle anytime now. And Nikibi....Kinibi? Natsumi?.... whatever. She was watching the boy like she thought something was wrong. The eldest one, that Kasumi girl, was looking at Ranma really strangely.... oboy, this didn't look like it was working too well. Oh well, nothing to do but bull ahead...
"I'm Saotome Genma, and this is my son-"
"Saotome Ranma. Sorry about this..."