Echoes in Time (v1.05, 05/02/03)
Chapter 3: Cold Mornings
By AllWhacked
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/
--- Disclaimer ---
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. The characters
of Tenchi Muyo belong to Kajishima Masaki. The characters of Highlander
belong to Davis/Panzer Inc. All other characters and trademarks to
appear are owned by their respective owners. So in other words, I DO
NOT own any of them unless otherwise noted, so please don't sue me
because I have Zero money. Thank You.
Please do not archive this work without the author's permission. Thank
You.
--- Warning!!! ---
Anyway this is an Alterverse fanfic that may or may not have severe x-
over tendencies. If you don't like X-Overs or don't like the idea of
anything but a Ranma + Akane pairing then don't read this. Consider
yourself warned.
Well, I don't know how the hell this turned into a lemon/lime fic but
just to let you know the first part of this story starts out rather
gratuitous. If you're not into guy on guy then don't fret because I
wouldn't write that anyway. But girl on girl, now that's a different
story. In any case, expect to see some sexual references that hopefully
were done in good taste, otherwise I bow in shame for being a hentai.
--- Note to Reader ---
This is an alternate universe/divergence fic with the bulk of the story
occurring after the Nanban Mirror episode (anime only). Now Ranma finds
himself stuck 400 plus years in the past with no means of returning
home.
"..." = spoken speech
'...' = thoughts
--- End Note to Reader, Start of Chapter ---
*Splash*
'Brr, that's damn cold' thought Ranma. He could feel the biting nips
and stings of ice-cold water as it sunk deep into his skin--soaking not
only his person but also his once warm futon.
'Where am I am?' he then asked, his eyes opened only to see darkness and
for a brief second he began to panic, not realizing where he was. But
then memories from last night began to filter into consciousness,
reminding him that he was back in his old bedroom at the Tendo
household.
A relieved sigh then escaped his lips, warming his nose in the process.
Looking forward and still seeing darkness, he could feel the softness of
his thick bed sheets as they covered his head. It then dawned on him
that he needed to remove his covers in order to see who it was that
would dare wake him up so rudely.
So acting on an anger driven impulse, he swiftly pulled down his sheets
only to cover his head back up with them again. He now squinted his
eyes in gritted pain, having exposed his retinas to a room of blinding
light. Now it seemed that the person who threw water on him had also
had the gall to open his bedroom window.
'Grr, whoever did this is going to get it,' he silently vowed. Ranma
now began to ponder who would dare do such a thing. 'Pops?' he first
questioned. 'Naw, it couldn't be. After the beating I gave him last
night, it'd be a miracle if he could move let alone walk.' Opening his
eyes fully, he caught sight of Akane Tendo as she stood in front of the
doorway with a smug look on her face. Dressed in her pajamas, Ranma
half-hazard a guess that either the girl had a death wish or she had
completely forgotten all about the events of last night.
'Bingo' he mentally spoke. He could practically see the mental gears
turning in sequence as the girl's emotions played out across her face.
Her eyes shifted first from him, then to the woman lying in bed next to
him. Akane grew livid at what she saw.
++++++++++
"Who the hell is that!?" Akane barked. She would have flung the now
empty metal bucket at him if she hadn't been so angry and surprised at
what she saw. She was so angry in fact that she didn't even realize
that Ranma hadn't transformed, instead her mind was focused on the woman
lying in bed with her fiancé.
Shampoo or Kodachi she might have expected to see, even Ukyo to some
extent, but this was someone entirely new. 'I bet she's a better cook
and martial artist to boot' she mentally added. 'I already know that
she's beautiful. Damn it, why does Ranma have to be such a pervert?'
Akane just wanted to cry at the injustice of it all. After waking up
from a terrible nightmare in which Ranma was transported and left
stranded in the past, she had wanted to go check up on him immediately.
Instead of finding a sleeping Ranma and his sometimes human or panda
father, she catches him in bed with another woman.
'Why couldn't it have been me? I'm his fiancé after all.' Feeling hurt
and cheated on, Akane did the only thing that came natural to her--she
got violent.
"Ranma!" she started to growl. Ranma hadn't even reacted to her
question; there was no stuttering, no attempt to claim that this wasn't
what it looked like. 'He's going to pay' she thought. 'Most definitely
he's going to pay.'
Stalking towards the pair like a mad gorilla, Akane's fists tightened as
she prepared to deliver a dose of punishment to her errant fiancé.
Progressing forward, the bucket in her hand crumpled under her strength
as her knuckles turned sheer white in clenched furry.
'How dare he do this to me? In my own house no less. And that hussy,
she'll regret ever thinking of bedding with MY Ranma.'
Akane was so mad that she failed to catch herself as she said 'MY
Ranma.' It was something that she wouldn't have admitted to anybody let
alone herself, but with all that had happened between them it was only
natural that she had developed feelings for him.
'First I'm going to pound him senseless and then I'll deal with that
slut. When I'm done with his whore, she'll be so ugly he'll be begging
for my forgiveness.' Crackling her knuckles, she deliberately walked at
a slow gait, approaching them in a way that was akin to a 1950s horror
flick monster.
++++++++++
Watching Akane from his position, Ranma calmly contemplated his options.
'Hmm, perhaps I'll just reason with the girl. Akane was always prone to
extreme acts of stupidity. Perhaps if I just tell her that this is all
just a dream she might just leave.' He was about to speak but was cut
off by Ryoko's voice.
"Ryoko" came her calm reply. Akane paused at this.
"Huh, what are you talking about?" she replied intelligently.
"Ryoko--it's my name. You just asked 'Who the hell is that?' and the
answer's Ryoko."
Akane stood there puzzled. This wasn't going as she had planned.
Normally Ranma would have seen how mad she was, try to get up and reason
with her and while he was distracted she'd pummel him. But instead, the
woman he was in bed with was talking to her. 'What's going on?' Akane
seemed to ask herself.
"We were sleeping" came Ryoko's reply. She briefly leaned forward to sit
herself upright. Her casual movements caused their cotton sheets to
fall away from her chest, revealing that she was naked, or at least
topless.
Furthermore in their current position with Ryoko's head nestled in the
crook of his shoulder and neck and with their legs intertwined it was
easy to assume what the two had been doing the night before. Seeing
this display, combined with Ranma's unconcerned face and Ryoko's lazy
and playful grin, the whole thing seemed mocking to the Tendo girl.
"Ranma!" she all but yelled. Akane wasn't even going to bother talking
with them; instead she was preparing her battle cry. She was about to
finish with a "you idiot!" when Ryoko interrupted her.
"Do you mind?" she began, her voice with a hint of annoyance in it. "We
were sleeping earlier and because of you, you just ruined my chance to
give my-Ranma a proper wakeup call. Now how the hell am I going to
reward him for all that he did for me last night?" Ryoko then grinned
devilishly in remembrance of a fond memory from the night before.
Akane couldn't help but scowl in response. She wanted to do something,
to beat up Ranma and then kill the woman he dared sleep with. With her
anger boiling past critical, her top finally blew when she watched Ryoko
slip her hand below the bed sheets and snake her way towards Ranma's
pelvis.
With her hand on her intended target, Ryoko grasped a hold of it and
gave it a nice firm squeeze. Ranma let out a sudden gasp as he later
groaned at the continued contact, causing his eyes to roll backup into
his head. With a feeling of contented bliss on his face he gave up
paying any further attention to Ryoko and Akane's conversation as he
laid back into his pillow, enjoying immensely Ryoko's vertical
ministrations.
For Akane, she couldn't believe what was happening. 'She.. she's not
really. Oh my, so big! Oh god I'm a pervert.' Too embarrassed at what
she was seeing to be mad anymore, Akane deftly dropped her bucket and
left the room, closing the door behind her with a loud slam. Outside
she panted at the mixture of excitement, fear, and anger that this
confrontation had elicited from her. Feeling an odd sensation of pent
up frustration within her abdomen, Akane rushed off to her room to
alleviate some stress.
++++++++++
Back inside their bedroom, Ryoko gave a feral grin. With her sensitive
ears she listened as she heard Akane's footsteps rush off and away
towards her own bedroom. Feeling proud of herself, she was broken out
of her revelry by the sound of Ranma's voice.
"You know that was plain evil," he said as Ryoko continued to apply
pressure to his member.
She smiled at him as she answered back. "Oh?" she began. "But you
still love me don't you?"
Ranma put on a look of deep contemplation as he prepared to answer.
"Well I don't know..." He didn't finish before Ryoko leaned in and gave
him a playful kiss.
"You best shut up," she began. "Before that big mouth of yours ruins
this."
Ranma nodded his head in agreement. "Quite so, quite so."
Now, with the threat of continued interruptions gone and Ranma's big
mouth pacified by Ryoko's lips, the daughter of Washuu focused her
attention back to the love of her life. Smiling at the look of pleasure
on Ranma's face, she began to heighten the pace at which she was giving
him pleasure. All the while planting bites and kisses on his ears and
lips, then across his chin and cheeks and all along his chest.
As he enjoyed the treatment he was receiving, Ranma knew that this could
not continue indefinitely. "Ryoko" he panted. "You better slow down,
I'm about to..." He didn't get to finish that sentence before Ryoko
gave him another passionate kiss to shut him up. As she kissed him she
worked her way across his body so she could straddle his chest. Leaning
forward, her long hair came down across his face, tickling his nose.
Arching her back, she thrust forward her chest so that she could display
her large assets.
Ranma smiled at what he saw. Without much of a word his lips came down
on one of them as he applied pressure with his tongue across her nipple.
Ryoko moaned at the feeling as she cupped his ears; moving his head from
one breast to another. Ranma in the mean time brought his hands behind
her as he began to massage her back and rear.
Feeling the fire within her somewhat sated yet burning hotter, Ryoko
released her hold of Ranma's head as she snaked her way down his chest
and past his belly button. With a hand along his stiff shaft and the
other on his sack, she proceeded to rub and massage them further as she
watched Ranma close his eyes at the contact.
"Oh that feels so good, but you really got to stop. I can't last much
longer and I still haven't even done you yet." Ryoko merely smirked as
she heard Ranma's comment. 'That's rather sweet of him, but after last
night he really deserves this' she thought.
"Ranma" she purred. "I thought I told you to shut up. So just sit back
and enjoy this and don't worry about me, I'm not going to let you go
until I've had my way with you first."
Ranma's eyes nearly bugged out as he felt Ryoko plant a warm wet kiss on
the tip of his head. Bringing her hand back down his shaft she began to
give him an oral exam as her tongue and teeth proceeded to explore the
rim of his head and the texture of his penis. Feeling all the while the
warmth of her mouth as Ryoko engulfed his member, the combined sensation
of her swirling tongue and massaging fingers caused a tightening within
his groin.
Ryoko smiled as she felt his release. In an odd sense it gave her a
heightened sense of pleasure and arousal to know she was giving the man
she loved a similar feeling, however she was still a woman and she still
had her needs. Swallowing, she looked up to see Ranma's sweaty brow and
the look of love in his eyes. She knew he didn't love her just because
of the sex, but since sex with Ranma was always a mutual experience she
wasn't one to complain.
"Ready for round two, lover?" her eyes conveyed while the words were
left unsaid. Ranma merely smirked as he immediately rose to the
occasion. 'God, I just love how he can just do that' she thought as she
climbed up to embrace him in her arms.
--- Sometime later, Tendo Living Room ---
"So are you planning to go to school with us today?" inquired Nabiki
while Ranma was busy drinking his miso soup. The man paused for a
second as he took in the question.
"You know Nabiki, I wasn't really planning on going back but--" He
didn't get a chance to finish before Akane interrupted.
"Don't bother you pervert. Why don't you just run off with that hussy
you have there? I don't even know why dad is letting you even remain in
this house after what you just did."
"And just what did he do sweetheart?" asked Soun as he held a newspaper
in front of him--acting none too concerned. Next to him, Genma was in a
panda version of a body cast as he was being fed pulverized bamboo
shoots through a straw. Genma would have at least growfed in
disapproval of his son's actions, however after the savage beating Ranma
gave him the night before, Genma was no longer in the position to talk.
What had originally started out the previous night as an altercation
between father and son about sleeping arrangements, soon boiled down to
an all out fight. Genma didn't want his son dealing with that "slut of
a woman" as he put it and Ranma didn't take kindly to any man, let alone
his father calling her that. After demanding that his father apologize,
the two mule headed men failed to resolve their differences through
diplomacy. Neglecting to remember that his son was four hundred plus
years old and probably retained four hundred plus years of martial arts
skill and training, Genma was ill prepared for the savage beating he
received.
While using a great amount of skill, dexterity, and control, Ranma was
able to inflict the most amount of damage and pain onto his father
without actually killing or crippling him. At the moment, Genma was in
a body cast to prevent him from further aggravating his condition. His
body was not damaged in any permanent way, however after being hit along
a series of nerve clusters, Genma would not be able to move without
passing out in pain. To make matters worse, it was decided by the
neighborhood doctor, Tofu Ono that due to the curse, it would be best
for Genma to stay in his panda form, less the transformation further
aggravate and stunt the healing process.
Looking at his father and then at Akane, Ranma put on an amused smirk.
"Don't worry about it Mr. Tendo. Akane here is just upset because she
walked in on Ryoko and I making love. I guess it has been a while since
the girl has gotten any. Hey you know what, maybe you should call Kuno,
Akane. I know he'd be more than willing to 'come' to the occasion." At
hearing the pun, Akane's face turned red in both anger and
embarrassment. Her teeth then began to literally grind together, making
an audible sound as Ranma continued his teasing.
"Oh my Akane" voiced Kasumi in concern. "Is that so? You really
shouldn't be putting out like that. Not only is it not lady-like but
you could develop a reputation or worst yet, catch a disease." Nabiki
and Ryoko just cracked up as Soun developed a demon-head as he began to
reprimand his daughter for being some kind of strumpet. However, Soun's
demon-head served only to further enrage the youngest Tendo daughter.
"I am NO STRUMPET!" screamed Akane. "I'm not a hentai" she then added
quietly. Everyone stopped what they were doing as Akane's face took on
a color of blue.
"Don't worry daddy, Ranma was just joking. Akane's no strumpet"
interrupted Nabiki.
Akane in turn looked at her sister with fondness. 'Finally, someone is
finally supporting me instead of that pervert-Ranma.'
Akane's line of thinking was cut short when Nabiki added. "Yeah, she
hates boys. She'd never do a thing like that with them."
Soun immediately calmed down when he heard that. "Oh well then, if
Akane's a lesbian then that's okay." Soun proceeded to read his
newspaper as if nothing was the matter.
Akane just looked at the smirking Nabiki and then her father in horror.
'No! I'm not a lesbian' she thought. However, Akane was too tongue
tied to deny it. By the time she had the words ready to retort, the
conversation had gone elsewhere.
++++++++++
"So Ranma" Nabiki continued in the meantime. "Are you thinking about
going to school with us today?"
"Nah" he replied. "I'm in no mood to go to school again and besides,
I've already gotten a college education." At hearing that, the room's
interest was piqued.
"Really? Did you have to mail order for your degree or are you talking
about a reputable university?" Nabiki smirked as Ranma narrowed his
eyes in annoyance.
"Haha, that's really funny little girl but you'd be surprised at what I
know and where I've studied." Ranma then eyed her with a stare that
spoke to her as if daring her to ask where. Knowing Nabiki and how
curiosity was always her greatest weakness, Nabiki soon fell for his
trap.
"Okay Einstein, what backwater university did you graduate from or were
you just bluffing?" Nabiki huffed out her chest as she waited for his
response with an evil smile. 'Don't try to bluff me Ranma Saotome or
you're going to get burned' she thought.
However, instead of looking nervous as she had anticipated, Ranma gave
her an equally malicious smirk. 'Okay little girl, here's going to be a
lesson in humility' he thought with a hint of amusement. "Well, Nabiki
I'm not going to bore you with the details of everything I did in the
past, but in the last 50 years I've done the following."
"During World War Two, I fought for the Americans in Europe, then
afterwards I traveled back to the United States and used my GI Bill to
get an education. I decided to get a medical degree after becoming
interested in modern medical techniques when I became good friends with
the field medic in my squad."
"When I got back to the states, I used contacts I had gained during my
extensive travels to get me into the best schools the West had to offer.
I finally settled on John Hopkins University--one of the worlds leading
medical institutions. There I studied medicine as well as Eastern
theology with a minor in philosophy. After I graduated, I sold some of
my holdings in the United States which amounted to quite a sum and came
back to Japan to help rebuild the country from the devastation of war."
"Using the capital I brought with me, along with my new medical degree I
setup a series of clinics to help Japan's population. I also did the
patriotic thing and invested in Japanese heavy industry during the
occupation. I still hold initial stock in Mitsubishi, Honda, Isuzu, and
a few other companies."
"I'm not sure how much those stocks are worth now, especially in lieu of
Japan's ten years of recession, but the dividends alone still pay for
everything I could ever want or need. Combine that with my holdings in
real-estate and other investments I've made across the globe and you're
talking about some serious capital."
"So I guess what I'm getting at, is not only am I a MD and PhD, but I'm
so damn rich that I put the Kuno family fortune to shame." Nabiki just
looked at him as if she were in love. "You know Ranma" she began.
"Have I ever told you how..." Ranma held his hand up and waved off her
attempt to flirt.
"Sorry Nabiki but flattery won't get you anywhere. However, whoring me
like an unscrupulous pimp will." Nabiki looked a bit nervous as Ranma
gave her an unblinking stare. "Uh.. what are you getting at Ranma" she
squeaked out.
"Oh, I'm just getting at the fact that you were selling underage
pornography of me in both my male and female form. I didn't stop you
then because I felt guilty that my father and I were mooching off your
family, however I'm here to pay off our debt with interest." As he
finished talking, he then reached into the folds of his jacket and
pulled out a blank envelope. Handing it to Nabiki, he watched in
amusement as she proceeded to open it and look at its contents.
"My god Ranma, what is this for?" asked Nabiki. She was worried at what
Ranma might do to her, but after looking inside the envelope she was
more puzzled than worried. Ranma had really changed she noted, this
Ranma was a lot different from the one she knew just the other day.
Looking first at the check Ranma had handed to her and then to Ranma
himself, she couldn't understand why he'd be smiling.
"I bet you're wondering what that is for. Well, it's just something I
wish to give to you and your family for putting up with me and my old
man." Ranma watched on as Nabiki sputtered in her reply.
"Bu.. but this is so much. You and your father have only lived here for
a few months, this is enough to buy a mansion..." Ranma proceeded to
wave off Nabiki's stuttering.
"Don't worry about it. If anything, it's more of a gift than a
repayment for a debt. Remember this, although you have on occasions
made my life here unpleasant, you and the rest of the Tendos gave me a
home when I never had one before. You were the first thing I could call
family next to my father, so I feel it's only fair that I give you
something that best reflects my feelings of gratitude." Nabiki smiled
widely as she dreamed of what she could do with Ranma's gift. The rest
of the Tendos looked on puzzled.
"Ranma" Soun began. "Thank you for your gift however it's really too
much." Ranma just looked at Soun and gave him the same dismissing
gesture he used before on Nabiki.
"Mr. Tendo, it is merely a paltry sum. As I said earlier, I'm quite
well off and although the amount I have given you isn't something to
sneeze at, in comparison to what I spend versus what I make, that gift
is merely a drop in the bucket so to speak." Soun looked a bit
hesitant, but with Nabiki constantly nodding her head for him to accept,
Soun soon gave in.
"Thank you for accepting my gift Mr. Tendo" continued Ranma. "It makes
me feel good to know that I can give a little back to you and your
family." Soun just nodded stoically, unsure of how to react to a kind
and considerate Ranma. As the morning breakfast winded down Ranma got
up and made a declaration.
"You know what Nabiki? I've decided that I'm going to go to school with
you today." Before Nabiki or anyone else could ask why, Akane who had
been slowly sweltering in her anger towards Ranma and Ryoko interrupted.
"No you're not! I'm not going to let you. You're just going to go to
school so you can show off that whore of a woman and embarrass me."
Ryoko's hair nearly bristled with electricity as her anger built up at
the comment. She had let Akane get away with a few snide remarks but
even the easy going Ryoko had her limits. She was clenching her hands
in preparation of gathering a small amount of energy into her palm--just
enough she hazard that the pain and damage inflicted would cause the
youngest Tendo daughter to think twice before mouthing off at Ryoko or
Ranma again.
However before Ryoko had a chance to manifest her powers, she felt Ranma
pinch her knee under the table. Turning to face him, she met his light
smirk as he shook his head--implying that he'd handle things for her.
Smiling back at him in understanding, she watched and listened with
satisfaction as Ranma began to berate Akane.
"Akane, her name is NOT whore, it's Ryoko and I want you to apologize to
her RIGHT now" he said sternly. The expression and aura he conveyed,
said to the others that for Akane's best interest, she should cede to
his request with due haste. However, Akane if anything was a proud
individual and she was not going to bow down to anyone's request-
-especially one coming from her 'cheating' fiancé.
"Fuck you! I'm not going to apologize to that WHORE or anyone else you
got that." By now the room had gone deathly quiet as the room's
occupants watched the silent battle of wills--Akane versus Ranma. Ranma
continued to stare at her with a mean glare that never faltered even in
the wake of Akane's harsh words. 'What a pretentious little bitch' he
thought. 'Prideful, arrogant, and condescending. All good qualities to
have when in moderation but you, Akane need to be taken down a notch or
two.'
The two continued to stare daggers at one another for a few more
unbearable seconds until suddenly Akane finally broke her gaze as she
became unnerved by Ranma's piercing blue orbs. 'Damnit! Why does that
asshole have to keep doing this to me!?'
"What are you staring at!?" she finally rebuked. It was the best she
could come up with but she was not about to give in under the pressure
and apologize to any woman who dared bed down her fiancé.
"I'm not too sure, but I think I'm staring at a pretentious snot nosed
punk who doesn't know how to address her elders. That's what I think
I'm staring at, what do you guys all think?" Ranma said this with an
even tone, gazing at Akane with a cold indifference in his eyes.
For those at the table, many were too stunned to reply with words
however all bobbed their heads in unison in their general agreement with
Ranma's assessment. Akane looked on in shock at the seeming betrayal by
her family. Turning her head, she caught sight of Ryoko's smug
expression that caused Akane temper to boil over with renewed anger.
'How dare she laugh at me, that bitch! I'll show her' she silently
vowed. Looking back at her family, she felt the pangs of their act of
betrayal in her heart. 'And my own family, how can they take his side
over mine? I'm their flesh and blood, he's just some tramp we picked up
off the street.'
"I can't believe you guys" she blurted out as she stared incredulously
at her family. "How can you be taking his side, I thought we were
family. He's just some idiot, I'm your daughter, I'm your sister.
Where's the loyalty in this family?"
At hearing that, the normally emotionally weak Soun Tendo raised his
voice to his daughter. "Akane!" he all but yelled. "You will not talk
that way to your family and you will not talk that way to our guests. I
want you to apologize to Miss Ryoko and Ranma, then I want you to
apologize to your sisters and I. I will not have this kind of behavior
in my house."
There was a moment of silence as everyone was stunned to see Soun act
this authoritative, even Soun himself was surprised with his bold
behavior. Finally, after what seemed like forever the silence ended
when Akane's face furled up in clenched rage. Looking at Ranma and
Ryoko, then back to her family she stood up abruptly, almost knocking
over the table.
"Fine then, I see how it is!" she cried back to her father as she made
her way towards the stairs. Akane proceeded to stomp her way up towards
her room, mirroring her behavior the night before. For those down
below, they all listened for the eventual opening then slamming shut of
Akane's bedroom door. A moment of silence passed before someone spoke.
"Well, that went well" remarked Nabiki in a wry tone of voice. Kasumi
merely said "Oh my!" as she debated between rushing upstairs to comfort
her sister, or to remain by her father's side as he cried his eyes out.
"Waah! I'm such a bad father. I'm driving my baby-daughter away from
me. Waah!" Genma would have been there to comfort his old friend,
however he was stuck in his body cast thus leaving Kasumi the only one
there to comfort the man.
"There there father" cooed Kasumi. "Akane is just upset. But she'll
calm down and forgive you. Just wait for her to calm down and go talk
to her." Soun immediately perked at that.
"Yes, that's right. Akane has always been my little-girl. She'll
forgive her father once I apologize." Soun was about to bound upstairs
but Ranma's voice stopped him.
"Mr. Tendo, I suggest that you not do that."
"And why shouldn't he?" asked Nabiki, she was upset at him for bringing
conflict to her family however she was sensible enough to understand
that Ranma had a valid reason to reprimand Akane as he did.
"Well, if your father were to rush off right now and give in by
apologizing, he'll only further encourage Akane's childlike behavior.
She needs to learn that she can't get away with talking to people like
that, especially to her own family and especially to strangers."
"But if I don't go up there right now, she might not forgive me" began
Soun's worried reply. "I don't want my daughter hating me."
Ranma just snorted as he waved off Soun's worries with a brush of his
hand. "From one father to another, I say you shouldn't worry about it.
Kids these days tend to go through these stages of rebellion. By
tomorrow she'll forget all about this and in time she'll grow out of
this behavior, but if you continue to do things like rushing up to her
and begging for forgiveness, you're only inviting more trouble both for
Akane and yourself. Especially in the long run."
"What do you mean?" Soun inquired. The other listeners also wondered
too; for the Tendos and Genma it was a rare occurrence to hear words of
wisdom coming from the mouth of someone like Ranma.
"What I'm getting at is if Akane doesn't learn to control her temper,
you're only going to make it harder for her to interact with the real
world. Do you think people would take half the shit she said to both
you or I? And if she isn't careful she might mouth off to someone with
either the right connections or the power on hand to shut her up
permanently, if you catch my drift."
"Are you suggesting someone would kill my baby-girl?" Soun replied in a
worried tone, he was already in tears from his earlier bought of crying.
Nodding. "As a matter of fact yes I am. I know people who'd snap her
neck for her just looking at them the way she did Ryoko and I. Not only
would they kill her but they wouldn't even feel an ounce of remorse for
doing it. Remember Mr. Tendo, Akane has lived a relatively sheltered
life and for most people that's a perfectly fine way to raise a person,
but since Akane fancies herself the heir of the Tendo School of Anything
Goes Martial Arts, she's bound to meet the occasional martial artist
whose not only powerful but dangerous."
The Tendo patriarch gulped. He was well aware of those types of martial
artists, many of whom Genma and himself had crossed paths with while
under the training of their 'Dreaded Master.' Now years later and
thinking about how scared he was of them and the reasons why, he
realized the truth in Ranma's words.
"I see your point" he finally said. The two remaining Tendo daughters
weren't sure exactly what would spook their father so easily, but they
fathomed that there were martial artists out there who'd make anything
they had seen Ranma do already pale in comparison. They too gulped in
slight fear and apprehension.
"What do you think I should do then?" asked Soun when enough time
passed, allowing him to get over the shock of imagining his daughter's
death at the hands of some merciless Dojo Destroyer or her crying at the
loss of her boyfriend or job.
"Well Mr. Tendo, ultimately it's up to you but if I were in your place,
I'd send her to military boot camp. Preferably to one of those hardcore
Russian boot camps run by former Soviet Commandos in the freezing
forests of Siberia." Eyes immediately bulged as they heard this.
"You got to be kidding" Nabiki blurted out.
Ranma merely shook his head. "Sorry, no joke. I meant every word of
it. Akane is simply too old for us to just tell her that her behavior
is wrong, her belief that she's superior to others is just too deeply
ingrained in her psyche. In my experience, I found that the best way to
deal with people like her is to break them both physically and mentally.
Then build them back up--it's a common practice in military training."
Soun looked sternly at Ranma. "I can't do that to her, she's just a
girl and she'll hate me if I do that."
Ranma just shrugged. "Hey, I told you it's only an idea and that the
decision was up to you. But if you're not game for that, how about I
just take her out on some weekly training trips. After I put her in her
paces, she'll understand just how out of shape she really is and just
how far her skills lag behind her closest rivals. Hopefully the
experience will humble her enough that she'll become a better person
because of it."
Soun nodded at this. "I like this second idea of yours, you don't mind
doing it do you?" Ranma merely shook his head. "Good then, um, and if
it's not too much trouble, perhaps you could bring that heir of yours
along as well. I believe you said his name was Tenchi wasn't it?"
'Feh, always you and that dream of yours isn't Tendo?' Ranma thought as
he smiled at him. "Sure, I wouldn't mind bringing Tenchi, however I'll
probably be bringing a few other people along with me as well. Hey, how
about I bring him here to meet Kasumi and Nabiki, I'm sure you two girls
will like him." The glint in Ranma's eye as he said this sent a slight
shiver of thrill and fear into each girl, Soun was just grinning ear to
ear as he envisioned the future of his school being secured.
Genma just growfed in general disapproval, but given his lack of
mobility, he couldn't sign out that he thought that Ranma should knock
off this nonsense and just marry Akane. Despite what had just
transpired now and the night before, the Saotome patriarch was as
stubborn as he was stupid, forgetting completely that he was in a body
cast because his son failed to see eye to eye with him on this very
subject.
--- On the Way to Furinkan ---
"So Ranma, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" inquired Nabiki.
Ranma didn't even turn to face her as he said yes. Next to him and on
the opposite side of Nabiki, Ryoko walked with her head resting against
his shoulder, her arm wrapped around his.
"Okay then" continued Nabiki. "Could you tell me the real reason why
you're being so harsh to my sister?" Nabiki kept her cool façade as she
waited for his answer. Around her the citizens of Nerima were going
about their morning rituals as Nabiki waited patiently for Ranma's
response. She didn't have to wait long before a reply came.
"A good question. I suppose I'm being a bit harsh with her because of a
number of reasons. One, she's a snot nosed brat. Two, she was being
rude to Ryoko here and when it comes to her I don't tolerate that kind
of crap from no one. Three, despite having problems with Akane's
attitude and behavior, I still like the girl. She reminds me a little
of myself at that age: proud, arrogant, and condescending. God I can
only imagine what an ass I was back then," he said with a slight laugh
at the end, his head still faced the straight path of the sidewalk ahead
of them.
Nabiki looked towards Ranma with a puzzled expression. 'Ranma admitting
that he's rude and arrogant. Has the world gone mad?' Despite her
surprise, she repressed the urge to face fault as the trio continued
walking. Eventually, Ranma continued to elaborate further why he said
what he said.
"Yeah, I was a real punk back then. It's no wonder Akane treated me the
way she did, however when I think back to it, she was no saint either.
I'm not saying that I'm one now, far from it but I'm sure you'll cede
that I have a few more years of experience under my belt to merit the
claim that Akane was heading towards a path of destruction if her temper
wasn't curbed."
"You really think that?" Nabiki asked, she wasn't entirely convinced
that Ranma had Akane's best intentions in mind. However, she wasn't
above herself to completely ignore or discount the words of this older
and possibly wiser Ranma.
"I believe so, though nothing in life is absolutely certain. Akane may
learn on her own to curb her temper, she may be able to have a happy
life where the things I predict might never happen. But.. there is also
the possibility that she won't. That in a year or two, she'll head off
towards college and she'll meet people who won't share her outlook on
life and who won't give a damn about her if she acts like a stuck up
princess."
"Akane is a good girl at heart, she wouldn't be so popular and well
liked if she wasn't. However, she has an over inflated ego that is too
hollow to support what she believes is true about herself. When she
goes out into the real world, she'll meet people or see things that
might not fit well with her perception of herself and her standing in
the world at large."
"A good analogy would be to compare Akane to imperial China during the
Ming and Qing dynasties. Like China, she believes herself to be the
center of the world, which might prove true to a certain extent, but as
history has shown us, that kind of narrow-minded attitude left China
open to foreign incursion and conquest. When people come along with
ideas that are new and sometimes better, Akane's arrogance and
stubbornness will keep her blind to accept them as fact and adapt like
the doctrine of Anything Goes says she should. In time, Akane will be
like China before the revolution: weak, broken, and at odds with
herself."
"One good thing going for her though is she has accepted that she is no
longer the best martial artist in Nerima, but it was something that took
a long time for her to concede and even now she doesn't truly believe
it. She's still too proud and she over inflates her skills. How many
times have you seen your sister rush off to fight a battle she can't
possibly win? I or someone else might not always be there to rescue her
when she does so again."
There was an eerie silence that pervaded through the air as the trio
continued walking. Only the sounds of their footsteps and the
occasional sound of morning birds chirping could be heard. As they
neared greater avenues of traffic, the soft mumbling of students ahead
could be heard along with the occasional car.
Nabiki broke the moments of silence as she faced Ranma again. "Thank
you" she said simply. Ranma merely smiled.
"You don't need to thank me Nabiki, I'm just doing what is right.
Nothing more." As he said that, Ryoko nestled up closer to Ranma
causing Nabiki to furl her brow in annoyance.
"Um.. so Ranma" Nabiki began in the wake of more silence. "Why is it
you've decided to visit Furinkan today? I thought you made it clear
that you don't need the education." Nabiki felt the pangs of jealousy
as she asked that, her eyes darting quick glances at Ryoko as she
wondered how one woman was able to claim such a renowned womanizer as
her own.
Unbeknownst to Nabiki, Ranma felt the slight disruption of her ki flow
that hinted a little of the feelings she was harboring towards him.
Ignoring it with a smirk he replied to her offhandedly. "Well aside
from doing as Akane said and showing off Ryoko here, I'm also going to
at least say goodbye to my friends at Furinkan. It would be rather rude
of me to just up and leave without at least saying goodbye.
Furthermore, I don't like the idea of Kuno claiming victory with my
disappearance. I mean, since I'm already here I might as well leave on
amicable terms with him."
Nabiki just looked at Ranma as if he grew a second head. 'Showing off
Ryoko... Leaving on amicable terms?' she thought. This was definitely
not the Ranma she once knew. Sobering up as they approached the gates
of Furinkan, she was stopped by Ranma's hand on her shoulder.
"Nabiki" he said with a serious note in his tone. "I hope it's
understood that what I've said so far be kept out of the rumor mill. I
didn't just give you a small fortune because I'm being generous. That's
also a payoff to keep quiet. Do you understand?"
Nabiki just smiled as she answered him. "But of course Ranma. Your
secret is safe with me." She proceeded to run her fingers across her
lips as if zipping them shut. Ranma just eyed her and gave her one last
warning.
"Good, however another word of warning. I suggest you get out of the
habit of gathering information about people. It might be lucrative and
it might be fun and exciting, but I've seen what happens to a person who
upsets the wrong sort of people. Trust me Nabiki, it's not pretty. So
if you ever need my help don't hesitate the contact me." Ranma
proceeded to pull out a paper business card from within an inner pocket
of his coat.
Nabiki proceeded to look at it and flip it over. 'Just a phone number?'
she thought. Looking at Ranma she just saw him nod as if answering her
unsaid question. While pocketing the card, Nabiki headed off to conduct
her morning rituals of information gathering and loan sharking. Ranma
in turn headed off with Ryoko towards the main building, preparing to
provide the paper work necessary to retract Ranma from the student body.
As the two neared the center of the courtyard, Kuno appeared. "Halt
there Foul Sorcerer and face the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High."
Lighting thundered off in the distance, causing a large crow to be
electrocuted and fall dead to the ground, landing atop of Kuno's head.
Looking at Kuno and then the smoldering piece of black feathers atop of
his head, Ranma, Ryoko, and the rest of the assembled student body
started laughing. Despite the comical scene, Kuno was non too amused.
"You dare laugh at my noble personage?" he barked. Ranma just nodded
his head, which enraged Kuno further. Lifting his bokken high into the
air, he screamed out his battle cry. "For your insult I shall smite
thee."
Seeing Kuno run towards Ranma, Ryoko tensed up and was prepared to
engage her energy sword. However a nudge from Ranma and the shaking of
his head told her not too. Realizing that she had overreacted again,
Ryoko blushed and walked off to the side to watch Ranma in his fight
with Kuno.
While Kuno charged, Ranma stood motionless as he stared down the
kendoist. As the seconds passed, the crowd grew anxious at what Ranma
would do next.
"Is he crazy?" one student asked. "He's going to get creamed if he
doesn't move."
Another student answered the other. "Don't be such a non-believer.
Haven't you ever seen a kung-fu movie? Whenever the badass martial
artist is about to do something hella cool, he'll just stand there and
wait till the last second before he acts. I betcha that Ranma has
something really awesome planned." Other students proceeded to nod or
shake their heads as bets were made on Ranma's next move.
While the seconds passed in slow succession, Kuno's approach to his
target grew closer and closer. As Kuno got in range to attack with his
bokken, all watched in horror or in awe as Kuno brought it down on an
unmoving Ranma.
--- End of Chapter ---
Please send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com and if you're going to
criticize, please give reasons why. Thanks.
Q1. Why did I change the scene with Ryoko threatening Akane?
A1. I did so because as pointed out by a critic, it was somewhat out of
character with how Ryoko usually deals with people. Normally, Ryoko
would either ignore the threat or just blast it. She wouldn't get
overly emotional unless it involved a serious threat to say Ranma or
some else she really cares for.
Chapter 3: Cold Mornings
By AllWhacked
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/
--- Disclaimer ---
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. The characters
of Tenchi Muyo belong to Kajishima Masaki. The characters of Highlander
belong to Davis/Panzer Inc. All other characters and trademarks to
appear are owned by their respective owners. So in other words, I DO
NOT own any of them unless otherwise noted, so please don't sue me
because I have Zero money. Thank You.
Please do not archive this work without the author's permission. Thank
You.
--- Warning!!! ---
Anyway this is an Alterverse fanfic that may or may not have severe x-
over tendencies. If you don't like X-Overs or don't like the idea of
anything but a Ranma + Akane pairing then don't read this. Consider
yourself warned.
Well, I don't know how the hell this turned into a lemon/lime fic but
just to let you know the first part of this story starts out rather
gratuitous. If you're not into guy on guy then don't fret because I
wouldn't write that anyway. But girl on girl, now that's a different
story. In any case, expect to see some sexual references that hopefully
were done in good taste, otherwise I bow in shame for being a hentai.
--- Note to Reader ---
This is an alternate universe/divergence fic with the bulk of the story
occurring after the Nanban Mirror episode (anime only). Now Ranma finds
himself stuck 400 plus years in the past with no means of returning
home.
"..." = spoken speech
'...' = thoughts
--- End Note to Reader, Start of Chapter ---
*Splash*
'Brr, that's damn cold' thought Ranma. He could feel the biting nips
and stings of ice-cold water as it sunk deep into his skin--soaking not
only his person but also his once warm futon.
'Where am I am?' he then asked, his eyes opened only to see darkness and
for a brief second he began to panic, not realizing where he was. But
then memories from last night began to filter into consciousness,
reminding him that he was back in his old bedroom at the Tendo
household.
A relieved sigh then escaped his lips, warming his nose in the process.
Looking forward and still seeing darkness, he could feel the softness of
his thick bed sheets as they covered his head. It then dawned on him
that he needed to remove his covers in order to see who it was that
would dare wake him up so rudely.
So acting on an anger driven impulse, he swiftly pulled down his sheets
only to cover his head back up with them again. He now squinted his
eyes in gritted pain, having exposed his retinas to a room of blinding
light. Now it seemed that the person who threw water on him had also
had the gall to open his bedroom window.
'Grr, whoever did this is going to get it,' he silently vowed. Ranma
now began to ponder who would dare do such a thing. 'Pops?' he first
questioned. 'Naw, it couldn't be. After the beating I gave him last
night, it'd be a miracle if he could move let alone walk.' Opening his
eyes fully, he caught sight of Akane Tendo as she stood in front of the
doorway with a smug look on her face. Dressed in her pajamas, Ranma
half-hazard a guess that either the girl had a death wish or she had
completely forgotten all about the events of last night.
'Bingo' he mentally spoke. He could practically see the mental gears
turning in sequence as the girl's emotions played out across her face.
Her eyes shifted first from him, then to the woman lying in bed next to
him. Akane grew livid at what she saw.
++++++++++
"Who the hell is that!?" Akane barked. She would have flung the now
empty metal bucket at him if she hadn't been so angry and surprised at
what she saw. She was so angry in fact that she didn't even realize
that Ranma hadn't transformed, instead her mind was focused on the woman
lying in bed with her fiancé.
Shampoo or Kodachi she might have expected to see, even Ukyo to some
extent, but this was someone entirely new. 'I bet she's a better cook
and martial artist to boot' she mentally added. 'I already know that
she's beautiful. Damn it, why does Ranma have to be such a pervert?'
Akane just wanted to cry at the injustice of it all. After waking up
from a terrible nightmare in which Ranma was transported and left
stranded in the past, she had wanted to go check up on him immediately.
Instead of finding a sleeping Ranma and his sometimes human or panda
father, she catches him in bed with another woman.
'Why couldn't it have been me? I'm his fiancé after all.' Feeling hurt
and cheated on, Akane did the only thing that came natural to her--she
got violent.
"Ranma!" she started to growl. Ranma hadn't even reacted to her
question; there was no stuttering, no attempt to claim that this wasn't
what it looked like. 'He's going to pay' she thought. 'Most definitely
he's going to pay.'
Stalking towards the pair like a mad gorilla, Akane's fists tightened as
she prepared to deliver a dose of punishment to her errant fiancé.
Progressing forward, the bucket in her hand crumpled under her strength
as her knuckles turned sheer white in clenched furry.
'How dare he do this to me? In my own house no less. And that hussy,
she'll regret ever thinking of bedding with MY Ranma.'
Akane was so mad that she failed to catch herself as she said 'MY
Ranma.' It was something that she wouldn't have admitted to anybody let
alone herself, but with all that had happened between them it was only
natural that she had developed feelings for him.
'First I'm going to pound him senseless and then I'll deal with that
slut. When I'm done with his whore, she'll be so ugly he'll be begging
for my forgiveness.' Crackling her knuckles, she deliberately walked at
a slow gait, approaching them in a way that was akin to a 1950s horror
flick monster.
++++++++++
Watching Akane from his position, Ranma calmly contemplated his options.
'Hmm, perhaps I'll just reason with the girl. Akane was always prone to
extreme acts of stupidity. Perhaps if I just tell her that this is all
just a dream she might just leave.' He was about to speak but was cut
off by Ryoko's voice.
"Ryoko" came her calm reply. Akane paused at this.
"Huh, what are you talking about?" she replied intelligently.
"Ryoko--it's my name. You just asked 'Who the hell is that?' and the
answer's Ryoko."
Akane stood there puzzled. This wasn't going as she had planned.
Normally Ranma would have seen how mad she was, try to get up and reason
with her and while he was distracted she'd pummel him. But instead, the
woman he was in bed with was talking to her. 'What's going on?' Akane
seemed to ask herself.
"We were sleeping" came Ryoko's reply. She briefly leaned forward to sit
herself upright. Her casual movements caused their cotton sheets to
fall away from her chest, revealing that she was naked, or at least
topless.
Furthermore in their current position with Ryoko's head nestled in the
crook of his shoulder and neck and with their legs intertwined it was
easy to assume what the two had been doing the night before. Seeing
this display, combined with Ranma's unconcerned face and Ryoko's lazy
and playful grin, the whole thing seemed mocking to the Tendo girl.
"Ranma!" she all but yelled. Akane wasn't even going to bother talking
with them; instead she was preparing her battle cry. She was about to
finish with a "you idiot!" when Ryoko interrupted her.
"Do you mind?" she began, her voice with a hint of annoyance in it. "We
were sleeping earlier and because of you, you just ruined my chance to
give my-Ranma a proper wakeup call. Now how the hell am I going to
reward him for all that he did for me last night?" Ryoko then grinned
devilishly in remembrance of a fond memory from the night before.
Akane couldn't help but scowl in response. She wanted to do something,
to beat up Ranma and then kill the woman he dared sleep with. With her
anger boiling past critical, her top finally blew when she watched Ryoko
slip her hand below the bed sheets and snake her way towards Ranma's
pelvis.
With her hand on her intended target, Ryoko grasped a hold of it and
gave it a nice firm squeeze. Ranma let out a sudden gasp as he later
groaned at the continued contact, causing his eyes to roll backup into
his head. With a feeling of contented bliss on his face he gave up
paying any further attention to Ryoko and Akane's conversation as he
laid back into his pillow, enjoying immensely Ryoko's vertical
ministrations.
For Akane, she couldn't believe what was happening. 'She.. she's not
really. Oh my, so big! Oh god I'm a pervert.' Too embarrassed at what
she was seeing to be mad anymore, Akane deftly dropped her bucket and
left the room, closing the door behind her with a loud slam. Outside
she panted at the mixture of excitement, fear, and anger that this
confrontation had elicited from her. Feeling an odd sensation of pent
up frustration within her abdomen, Akane rushed off to her room to
alleviate some stress.
++++++++++
Back inside their bedroom, Ryoko gave a feral grin. With her sensitive
ears she listened as she heard Akane's footsteps rush off and away
towards her own bedroom. Feeling proud of herself, she was broken out
of her revelry by the sound of Ranma's voice.
"You know that was plain evil," he said as Ryoko continued to apply
pressure to his member.
She smiled at him as she answered back. "Oh?" she began. "But you
still love me don't you?"
Ranma put on a look of deep contemplation as he prepared to answer.
"Well I don't know..." He didn't finish before Ryoko leaned in and gave
him a playful kiss.
"You best shut up," she began. "Before that big mouth of yours ruins
this."
Ranma nodded his head in agreement. "Quite so, quite so."
Now, with the threat of continued interruptions gone and Ranma's big
mouth pacified by Ryoko's lips, the daughter of Washuu focused her
attention back to the love of her life. Smiling at the look of pleasure
on Ranma's face, she began to heighten the pace at which she was giving
him pleasure. All the while planting bites and kisses on his ears and
lips, then across his chin and cheeks and all along his chest.
As he enjoyed the treatment he was receiving, Ranma knew that this could
not continue indefinitely. "Ryoko" he panted. "You better slow down,
I'm about to..." He didn't get to finish that sentence before Ryoko
gave him another passionate kiss to shut him up. As she kissed him she
worked her way across his body so she could straddle his chest. Leaning
forward, her long hair came down across his face, tickling his nose.
Arching her back, she thrust forward her chest so that she could display
her large assets.
Ranma smiled at what he saw. Without much of a word his lips came down
on one of them as he applied pressure with his tongue across her nipple.
Ryoko moaned at the feeling as she cupped his ears; moving his head from
one breast to another. Ranma in the mean time brought his hands behind
her as he began to massage her back and rear.
Feeling the fire within her somewhat sated yet burning hotter, Ryoko
released her hold of Ranma's head as she snaked her way down his chest
and past his belly button. With a hand along his stiff shaft and the
other on his sack, she proceeded to rub and massage them further as she
watched Ranma close his eyes at the contact.
"Oh that feels so good, but you really got to stop. I can't last much
longer and I still haven't even done you yet." Ryoko merely smirked as
she heard Ranma's comment. 'That's rather sweet of him, but after last
night he really deserves this' she thought.
"Ranma" she purred. "I thought I told you to shut up. So just sit back
and enjoy this and don't worry about me, I'm not going to let you go
until I've had my way with you first."
Ranma's eyes nearly bugged out as he felt Ryoko plant a warm wet kiss on
the tip of his head. Bringing her hand back down his shaft she began to
give him an oral exam as her tongue and teeth proceeded to explore the
rim of his head and the texture of his penis. Feeling all the while the
warmth of her mouth as Ryoko engulfed his member, the combined sensation
of her swirling tongue and massaging fingers caused a tightening within
his groin.
Ryoko smiled as she felt his release. In an odd sense it gave her a
heightened sense of pleasure and arousal to know she was giving the man
she loved a similar feeling, however she was still a woman and she still
had her needs. Swallowing, she looked up to see Ranma's sweaty brow and
the look of love in his eyes. She knew he didn't love her just because
of the sex, but since sex with Ranma was always a mutual experience she
wasn't one to complain.
"Ready for round two, lover?" her eyes conveyed while the words were
left unsaid. Ranma merely smirked as he immediately rose to the
occasion. 'God, I just love how he can just do that' she thought as she
climbed up to embrace him in her arms.
--- Sometime later, Tendo Living Room ---
"So are you planning to go to school with us today?" inquired Nabiki
while Ranma was busy drinking his miso soup. The man paused for a
second as he took in the question.
"You know Nabiki, I wasn't really planning on going back but--" He
didn't get a chance to finish before Akane interrupted.
"Don't bother you pervert. Why don't you just run off with that hussy
you have there? I don't even know why dad is letting you even remain in
this house after what you just did."
"And just what did he do sweetheart?" asked Soun as he held a newspaper
in front of him--acting none too concerned. Next to him, Genma was in a
panda version of a body cast as he was being fed pulverized bamboo
shoots through a straw. Genma would have at least growfed in
disapproval of his son's actions, however after the savage beating Ranma
gave him the night before, Genma was no longer in the position to talk.
What had originally started out the previous night as an altercation
between father and son about sleeping arrangements, soon boiled down to
an all out fight. Genma didn't want his son dealing with that "slut of
a woman" as he put it and Ranma didn't take kindly to any man, let alone
his father calling her that. After demanding that his father apologize,
the two mule headed men failed to resolve their differences through
diplomacy. Neglecting to remember that his son was four hundred plus
years old and probably retained four hundred plus years of martial arts
skill and training, Genma was ill prepared for the savage beating he
received.
While using a great amount of skill, dexterity, and control, Ranma was
able to inflict the most amount of damage and pain onto his father
without actually killing or crippling him. At the moment, Genma was in
a body cast to prevent him from further aggravating his condition. His
body was not damaged in any permanent way, however after being hit along
a series of nerve clusters, Genma would not be able to move without
passing out in pain. To make matters worse, it was decided by the
neighborhood doctor, Tofu Ono that due to the curse, it would be best
for Genma to stay in his panda form, less the transformation further
aggravate and stunt the healing process.
Looking at his father and then at Akane, Ranma put on an amused smirk.
"Don't worry about it Mr. Tendo. Akane here is just upset because she
walked in on Ryoko and I making love. I guess it has been a while since
the girl has gotten any. Hey you know what, maybe you should call Kuno,
Akane. I know he'd be more than willing to 'come' to the occasion." At
hearing the pun, Akane's face turned red in both anger and
embarrassment. Her teeth then began to literally grind together, making
an audible sound as Ranma continued his teasing.
"Oh my Akane" voiced Kasumi in concern. "Is that so? You really
shouldn't be putting out like that. Not only is it not lady-like but
you could develop a reputation or worst yet, catch a disease." Nabiki
and Ryoko just cracked up as Soun developed a demon-head as he began to
reprimand his daughter for being some kind of strumpet. However, Soun's
demon-head served only to further enrage the youngest Tendo daughter.
"I am NO STRUMPET!" screamed Akane. "I'm not a hentai" she then added
quietly. Everyone stopped what they were doing as Akane's face took on
a color of blue.
"Don't worry daddy, Ranma was just joking. Akane's no strumpet"
interrupted Nabiki.
Akane in turn looked at her sister with fondness. 'Finally, someone is
finally supporting me instead of that pervert-Ranma.'
Akane's line of thinking was cut short when Nabiki added. "Yeah, she
hates boys. She'd never do a thing like that with them."
Soun immediately calmed down when he heard that. "Oh well then, if
Akane's a lesbian then that's okay." Soun proceeded to read his
newspaper as if nothing was the matter.
Akane just looked at the smirking Nabiki and then her father in horror.
'No! I'm not a lesbian' she thought. However, Akane was too tongue
tied to deny it. By the time she had the words ready to retort, the
conversation had gone elsewhere.
++++++++++
"So Ranma" Nabiki continued in the meantime. "Are you thinking about
going to school with us today?"
"Nah" he replied. "I'm in no mood to go to school again and besides,
I've already gotten a college education." At hearing that, the room's
interest was piqued.
"Really? Did you have to mail order for your degree or are you talking
about a reputable university?" Nabiki smirked as Ranma narrowed his
eyes in annoyance.
"Haha, that's really funny little girl but you'd be surprised at what I
know and where I've studied." Ranma then eyed her with a stare that
spoke to her as if daring her to ask where. Knowing Nabiki and how
curiosity was always her greatest weakness, Nabiki soon fell for his
trap.
"Okay Einstein, what backwater university did you graduate from or were
you just bluffing?" Nabiki huffed out her chest as she waited for his
response with an evil smile. 'Don't try to bluff me Ranma Saotome or
you're going to get burned' she thought.
However, instead of looking nervous as she had anticipated, Ranma gave
her an equally malicious smirk. 'Okay little girl, here's going to be a
lesson in humility' he thought with a hint of amusement. "Well, Nabiki
I'm not going to bore you with the details of everything I did in the
past, but in the last 50 years I've done the following."
"During World War Two, I fought for the Americans in Europe, then
afterwards I traveled back to the United States and used my GI Bill to
get an education. I decided to get a medical degree after becoming
interested in modern medical techniques when I became good friends with
the field medic in my squad."
"When I got back to the states, I used contacts I had gained during my
extensive travels to get me into the best schools the West had to offer.
I finally settled on John Hopkins University--one of the worlds leading
medical institutions. There I studied medicine as well as Eastern
theology with a minor in philosophy. After I graduated, I sold some of
my holdings in the United States which amounted to quite a sum and came
back to Japan to help rebuild the country from the devastation of war."
"Using the capital I brought with me, along with my new medical degree I
setup a series of clinics to help Japan's population. I also did the
patriotic thing and invested in Japanese heavy industry during the
occupation. I still hold initial stock in Mitsubishi, Honda, Isuzu, and
a few other companies."
"I'm not sure how much those stocks are worth now, especially in lieu of
Japan's ten years of recession, but the dividends alone still pay for
everything I could ever want or need. Combine that with my holdings in
real-estate and other investments I've made across the globe and you're
talking about some serious capital."
"So I guess what I'm getting at, is not only am I a MD and PhD, but I'm
so damn rich that I put the Kuno family fortune to shame." Nabiki just
looked at him as if she were in love. "You know Ranma" she began.
"Have I ever told you how..." Ranma held his hand up and waved off her
attempt to flirt.
"Sorry Nabiki but flattery won't get you anywhere. However, whoring me
like an unscrupulous pimp will." Nabiki looked a bit nervous as Ranma
gave her an unblinking stare. "Uh.. what are you getting at Ranma" she
squeaked out.
"Oh, I'm just getting at the fact that you were selling underage
pornography of me in both my male and female form. I didn't stop you
then because I felt guilty that my father and I were mooching off your
family, however I'm here to pay off our debt with interest." As he
finished talking, he then reached into the folds of his jacket and
pulled out a blank envelope. Handing it to Nabiki, he watched in
amusement as she proceeded to open it and look at its contents.
"My god Ranma, what is this for?" asked Nabiki. She was worried at what
Ranma might do to her, but after looking inside the envelope she was
more puzzled than worried. Ranma had really changed she noted, this
Ranma was a lot different from the one she knew just the other day.
Looking first at the check Ranma had handed to her and then to Ranma
himself, she couldn't understand why he'd be smiling.
"I bet you're wondering what that is for. Well, it's just something I
wish to give to you and your family for putting up with me and my old
man." Ranma watched on as Nabiki sputtered in her reply.
"Bu.. but this is so much. You and your father have only lived here for
a few months, this is enough to buy a mansion..." Ranma proceeded to
wave off Nabiki's stuttering.
"Don't worry about it. If anything, it's more of a gift than a
repayment for a debt. Remember this, although you have on occasions
made my life here unpleasant, you and the rest of the Tendos gave me a
home when I never had one before. You were the first thing I could call
family next to my father, so I feel it's only fair that I give you
something that best reflects my feelings of gratitude." Nabiki smiled
widely as she dreamed of what she could do with Ranma's gift. The rest
of the Tendos looked on puzzled.
"Ranma" Soun began. "Thank you for your gift however it's really too
much." Ranma just looked at Soun and gave him the same dismissing
gesture he used before on Nabiki.
"Mr. Tendo, it is merely a paltry sum. As I said earlier, I'm quite
well off and although the amount I have given you isn't something to
sneeze at, in comparison to what I spend versus what I make, that gift
is merely a drop in the bucket so to speak." Soun looked a bit
hesitant, but with Nabiki constantly nodding her head for him to accept,
Soun soon gave in.
"Thank you for accepting my gift Mr. Tendo" continued Ranma. "It makes
me feel good to know that I can give a little back to you and your
family." Soun just nodded stoically, unsure of how to react to a kind
and considerate Ranma. As the morning breakfast winded down Ranma got
up and made a declaration.
"You know what Nabiki? I've decided that I'm going to go to school with
you today." Before Nabiki or anyone else could ask why, Akane who had
been slowly sweltering in her anger towards Ranma and Ryoko interrupted.
"No you're not! I'm not going to let you. You're just going to go to
school so you can show off that whore of a woman and embarrass me."
Ryoko's hair nearly bristled with electricity as her anger built up at
the comment. She had let Akane get away with a few snide remarks but
even the easy going Ryoko had her limits. She was clenching her hands
in preparation of gathering a small amount of energy into her palm--just
enough she hazard that the pain and damage inflicted would cause the
youngest Tendo daughter to think twice before mouthing off at Ryoko or
Ranma again.
However before Ryoko had a chance to manifest her powers, she felt Ranma
pinch her knee under the table. Turning to face him, she met his light
smirk as he shook his head--implying that he'd handle things for her.
Smiling back at him in understanding, she watched and listened with
satisfaction as Ranma began to berate Akane.
"Akane, her name is NOT whore, it's Ryoko and I want you to apologize to
her RIGHT now" he said sternly. The expression and aura he conveyed,
said to the others that for Akane's best interest, she should cede to
his request with due haste. However, Akane if anything was a proud
individual and she was not going to bow down to anyone's request-
-especially one coming from her 'cheating' fiancé.
"Fuck you! I'm not going to apologize to that WHORE or anyone else you
got that." By now the room had gone deathly quiet as the room's
occupants watched the silent battle of wills--Akane versus Ranma. Ranma
continued to stare at her with a mean glare that never faltered even in
the wake of Akane's harsh words. 'What a pretentious little bitch' he
thought. 'Prideful, arrogant, and condescending. All good qualities to
have when in moderation but you, Akane need to be taken down a notch or
two.'
The two continued to stare daggers at one another for a few more
unbearable seconds until suddenly Akane finally broke her gaze as she
became unnerved by Ranma's piercing blue orbs. 'Damnit! Why does that
asshole have to keep doing this to me!?'
"What are you staring at!?" she finally rebuked. It was the best she
could come up with but she was not about to give in under the pressure
and apologize to any woman who dared bed down her fiancé.
"I'm not too sure, but I think I'm staring at a pretentious snot nosed
punk who doesn't know how to address her elders. That's what I think
I'm staring at, what do you guys all think?" Ranma said this with an
even tone, gazing at Akane with a cold indifference in his eyes.
For those at the table, many were too stunned to reply with words
however all bobbed their heads in unison in their general agreement with
Ranma's assessment. Akane looked on in shock at the seeming betrayal by
her family. Turning her head, she caught sight of Ryoko's smug
expression that caused Akane temper to boil over with renewed anger.
'How dare she laugh at me, that bitch! I'll show her' she silently
vowed. Looking back at her family, she felt the pangs of their act of
betrayal in her heart. 'And my own family, how can they take his side
over mine? I'm their flesh and blood, he's just some tramp we picked up
off the street.'
"I can't believe you guys" she blurted out as she stared incredulously
at her family. "How can you be taking his side, I thought we were
family. He's just some idiot, I'm your daughter, I'm your sister.
Where's the loyalty in this family?"
At hearing that, the normally emotionally weak Soun Tendo raised his
voice to his daughter. "Akane!" he all but yelled. "You will not talk
that way to your family and you will not talk that way to our guests. I
want you to apologize to Miss Ryoko and Ranma, then I want you to
apologize to your sisters and I. I will not have this kind of behavior
in my house."
There was a moment of silence as everyone was stunned to see Soun act
this authoritative, even Soun himself was surprised with his bold
behavior. Finally, after what seemed like forever the silence ended
when Akane's face furled up in clenched rage. Looking at Ranma and
Ryoko, then back to her family she stood up abruptly, almost knocking
over the table.
"Fine then, I see how it is!" she cried back to her father as she made
her way towards the stairs. Akane proceeded to stomp her way up towards
her room, mirroring her behavior the night before. For those down
below, they all listened for the eventual opening then slamming shut of
Akane's bedroom door. A moment of silence passed before someone spoke.
"Well, that went well" remarked Nabiki in a wry tone of voice. Kasumi
merely said "Oh my!" as she debated between rushing upstairs to comfort
her sister, or to remain by her father's side as he cried his eyes out.
"Waah! I'm such a bad father. I'm driving my baby-daughter away from
me. Waah!" Genma would have been there to comfort his old friend,
however he was stuck in his body cast thus leaving Kasumi the only one
there to comfort the man.
"There there father" cooed Kasumi. "Akane is just upset. But she'll
calm down and forgive you. Just wait for her to calm down and go talk
to her." Soun immediately perked at that.
"Yes, that's right. Akane has always been my little-girl. She'll
forgive her father once I apologize." Soun was about to bound upstairs
but Ranma's voice stopped him.
"Mr. Tendo, I suggest that you not do that."
"And why shouldn't he?" asked Nabiki, she was upset at him for bringing
conflict to her family however she was sensible enough to understand
that Ranma had a valid reason to reprimand Akane as he did.
"Well, if your father were to rush off right now and give in by
apologizing, he'll only further encourage Akane's childlike behavior.
She needs to learn that she can't get away with talking to people like
that, especially to her own family and especially to strangers."
"But if I don't go up there right now, she might not forgive me" began
Soun's worried reply. "I don't want my daughter hating me."
Ranma just snorted as he waved off Soun's worries with a brush of his
hand. "From one father to another, I say you shouldn't worry about it.
Kids these days tend to go through these stages of rebellion. By
tomorrow she'll forget all about this and in time she'll grow out of
this behavior, but if you continue to do things like rushing up to her
and begging for forgiveness, you're only inviting more trouble both for
Akane and yourself. Especially in the long run."
"What do you mean?" Soun inquired. The other listeners also wondered
too; for the Tendos and Genma it was a rare occurrence to hear words of
wisdom coming from the mouth of someone like Ranma.
"What I'm getting at is if Akane doesn't learn to control her temper,
you're only going to make it harder for her to interact with the real
world. Do you think people would take half the shit she said to both
you or I? And if she isn't careful she might mouth off to someone with
either the right connections or the power on hand to shut her up
permanently, if you catch my drift."
"Are you suggesting someone would kill my baby-girl?" Soun replied in a
worried tone, he was already in tears from his earlier bought of crying.
Nodding. "As a matter of fact yes I am. I know people who'd snap her
neck for her just looking at them the way she did Ryoko and I. Not only
would they kill her but they wouldn't even feel an ounce of remorse for
doing it. Remember Mr. Tendo, Akane has lived a relatively sheltered
life and for most people that's a perfectly fine way to raise a person,
but since Akane fancies herself the heir of the Tendo School of Anything
Goes Martial Arts, she's bound to meet the occasional martial artist
whose not only powerful but dangerous."
The Tendo patriarch gulped. He was well aware of those types of martial
artists, many of whom Genma and himself had crossed paths with while
under the training of their 'Dreaded Master.' Now years later and
thinking about how scared he was of them and the reasons why, he
realized the truth in Ranma's words.
"I see your point" he finally said. The two remaining Tendo daughters
weren't sure exactly what would spook their father so easily, but they
fathomed that there were martial artists out there who'd make anything
they had seen Ranma do already pale in comparison. They too gulped in
slight fear and apprehension.
"What do you think I should do then?" asked Soun when enough time
passed, allowing him to get over the shock of imagining his daughter's
death at the hands of some merciless Dojo Destroyer or her crying at the
loss of her boyfriend or job.
"Well Mr. Tendo, ultimately it's up to you but if I were in your place,
I'd send her to military boot camp. Preferably to one of those hardcore
Russian boot camps run by former Soviet Commandos in the freezing
forests of Siberia." Eyes immediately bulged as they heard this.
"You got to be kidding" Nabiki blurted out.
Ranma merely shook his head. "Sorry, no joke. I meant every word of
it. Akane is simply too old for us to just tell her that her behavior
is wrong, her belief that she's superior to others is just too deeply
ingrained in her psyche. In my experience, I found that the best way to
deal with people like her is to break them both physically and mentally.
Then build them back up--it's a common practice in military training."
Soun looked sternly at Ranma. "I can't do that to her, she's just a
girl and she'll hate me if I do that."
Ranma just shrugged. "Hey, I told you it's only an idea and that the
decision was up to you. But if you're not game for that, how about I
just take her out on some weekly training trips. After I put her in her
paces, she'll understand just how out of shape she really is and just
how far her skills lag behind her closest rivals. Hopefully the
experience will humble her enough that she'll become a better person
because of it."
Soun nodded at this. "I like this second idea of yours, you don't mind
doing it do you?" Ranma merely shook his head. "Good then, um, and if
it's not too much trouble, perhaps you could bring that heir of yours
along as well. I believe you said his name was Tenchi wasn't it?"
'Feh, always you and that dream of yours isn't Tendo?' Ranma thought as
he smiled at him. "Sure, I wouldn't mind bringing Tenchi, however I'll
probably be bringing a few other people along with me as well. Hey, how
about I bring him here to meet Kasumi and Nabiki, I'm sure you two girls
will like him." The glint in Ranma's eye as he said this sent a slight
shiver of thrill and fear into each girl, Soun was just grinning ear to
ear as he envisioned the future of his school being secured.
Genma just growfed in general disapproval, but given his lack of
mobility, he couldn't sign out that he thought that Ranma should knock
off this nonsense and just marry Akane. Despite what had just
transpired now and the night before, the Saotome patriarch was as
stubborn as he was stupid, forgetting completely that he was in a body
cast because his son failed to see eye to eye with him on this very
subject.
--- On the Way to Furinkan ---
"So Ranma, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" inquired Nabiki.
Ranma didn't even turn to face her as he said yes. Next to him and on
the opposite side of Nabiki, Ryoko walked with her head resting against
his shoulder, her arm wrapped around his.
"Okay then" continued Nabiki. "Could you tell me the real reason why
you're being so harsh to my sister?" Nabiki kept her cool façade as she
waited for his answer. Around her the citizens of Nerima were going
about their morning rituals as Nabiki waited patiently for Ranma's
response. She didn't have to wait long before a reply came.
"A good question. I suppose I'm being a bit harsh with her because of a
number of reasons. One, she's a snot nosed brat. Two, she was being
rude to Ryoko here and when it comes to her I don't tolerate that kind
of crap from no one. Three, despite having problems with Akane's
attitude and behavior, I still like the girl. She reminds me a little
of myself at that age: proud, arrogant, and condescending. God I can
only imagine what an ass I was back then," he said with a slight laugh
at the end, his head still faced the straight path of the sidewalk ahead
of them.
Nabiki looked towards Ranma with a puzzled expression. 'Ranma admitting
that he's rude and arrogant. Has the world gone mad?' Despite her
surprise, she repressed the urge to face fault as the trio continued
walking. Eventually, Ranma continued to elaborate further why he said
what he said.
"Yeah, I was a real punk back then. It's no wonder Akane treated me the
way she did, however when I think back to it, she was no saint either.
I'm not saying that I'm one now, far from it but I'm sure you'll cede
that I have a few more years of experience under my belt to merit the
claim that Akane was heading towards a path of destruction if her temper
wasn't curbed."
"You really think that?" Nabiki asked, she wasn't entirely convinced
that Ranma had Akane's best intentions in mind. However, she wasn't
above herself to completely ignore or discount the words of this older
and possibly wiser Ranma.
"I believe so, though nothing in life is absolutely certain. Akane may
learn on her own to curb her temper, she may be able to have a happy
life where the things I predict might never happen. But.. there is also
the possibility that she won't. That in a year or two, she'll head off
towards college and she'll meet people who won't share her outlook on
life and who won't give a damn about her if she acts like a stuck up
princess."
"Akane is a good girl at heart, she wouldn't be so popular and well
liked if she wasn't. However, she has an over inflated ego that is too
hollow to support what she believes is true about herself. When she
goes out into the real world, she'll meet people or see things that
might not fit well with her perception of herself and her standing in
the world at large."
"A good analogy would be to compare Akane to imperial China during the
Ming and Qing dynasties. Like China, she believes herself to be the
center of the world, which might prove true to a certain extent, but as
history has shown us, that kind of narrow-minded attitude left China
open to foreign incursion and conquest. When people come along with
ideas that are new and sometimes better, Akane's arrogance and
stubbornness will keep her blind to accept them as fact and adapt like
the doctrine of Anything Goes says she should. In time, Akane will be
like China before the revolution: weak, broken, and at odds with
herself."
"One good thing going for her though is she has accepted that she is no
longer the best martial artist in Nerima, but it was something that took
a long time for her to concede and even now she doesn't truly believe
it. She's still too proud and she over inflates her skills. How many
times have you seen your sister rush off to fight a battle she can't
possibly win? I or someone else might not always be there to rescue her
when she does so again."
There was an eerie silence that pervaded through the air as the trio
continued walking. Only the sounds of their footsteps and the
occasional sound of morning birds chirping could be heard. As they
neared greater avenues of traffic, the soft mumbling of students ahead
could be heard along with the occasional car.
Nabiki broke the moments of silence as she faced Ranma again. "Thank
you" she said simply. Ranma merely smiled.
"You don't need to thank me Nabiki, I'm just doing what is right.
Nothing more." As he said that, Ryoko nestled up closer to Ranma
causing Nabiki to furl her brow in annoyance.
"Um.. so Ranma" Nabiki began in the wake of more silence. "Why is it
you've decided to visit Furinkan today? I thought you made it clear
that you don't need the education." Nabiki felt the pangs of jealousy
as she asked that, her eyes darting quick glances at Ryoko as she
wondered how one woman was able to claim such a renowned womanizer as
her own.
Unbeknownst to Nabiki, Ranma felt the slight disruption of her ki flow
that hinted a little of the feelings she was harboring towards him.
Ignoring it with a smirk he replied to her offhandedly. "Well aside
from doing as Akane said and showing off Ryoko here, I'm also going to
at least say goodbye to my friends at Furinkan. It would be rather rude
of me to just up and leave without at least saying goodbye.
Furthermore, I don't like the idea of Kuno claiming victory with my
disappearance. I mean, since I'm already here I might as well leave on
amicable terms with him."
Nabiki just looked at Ranma as if he grew a second head. 'Showing off
Ryoko... Leaving on amicable terms?' she thought. This was definitely
not the Ranma she once knew. Sobering up as they approached the gates
of Furinkan, she was stopped by Ranma's hand on her shoulder.
"Nabiki" he said with a serious note in his tone. "I hope it's
understood that what I've said so far be kept out of the rumor mill. I
didn't just give you a small fortune because I'm being generous. That's
also a payoff to keep quiet. Do you understand?"
Nabiki just smiled as she answered him. "But of course Ranma. Your
secret is safe with me." She proceeded to run her fingers across her
lips as if zipping them shut. Ranma just eyed her and gave her one last
warning.
"Good, however another word of warning. I suggest you get out of the
habit of gathering information about people. It might be lucrative and
it might be fun and exciting, but I've seen what happens to a person who
upsets the wrong sort of people. Trust me Nabiki, it's not pretty. So
if you ever need my help don't hesitate the contact me." Ranma
proceeded to pull out a paper business card from within an inner pocket
of his coat.
Nabiki proceeded to look at it and flip it over. 'Just a phone number?'
she thought. Looking at Ranma she just saw him nod as if answering her
unsaid question. While pocketing the card, Nabiki headed off to conduct
her morning rituals of information gathering and loan sharking. Ranma
in turn headed off with Ryoko towards the main building, preparing to
provide the paper work necessary to retract Ranma from the student body.
As the two neared the center of the courtyard, Kuno appeared. "Halt
there Foul Sorcerer and face the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High."
Lighting thundered off in the distance, causing a large crow to be
electrocuted and fall dead to the ground, landing atop of Kuno's head.
Looking at Kuno and then the smoldering piece of black feathers atop of
his head, Ranma, Ryoko, and the rest of the assembled student body
started laughing. Despite the comical scene, Kuno was non too amused.
"You dare laugh at my noble personage?" he barked. Ranma just nodded
his head, which enraged Kuno further. Lifting his bokken high into the
air, he screamed out his battle cry. "For your insult I shall smite
thee."
Seeing Kuno run towards Ranma, Ryoko tensed up and was prepared to
engage her energy sword. However a nudge from Ranma and the shaking of
his head told her not too. Realizing that she had overreacted again,
Ryoko blushed and walked off to the side to watch Ranma in his fight
with Kuno.
While Kuno charged, Ranma stood motionless as he stared down the
kendoist. As the seconds passed, the crowd grew anxious at what Ranma
would do next.
"Is he crazy?" one student asked. "He's going to get creamed if he
doesn't move."
Another student answered the other. "Don't be such a non-believer.
Haven't you ever seen a kung-fu movie? Whenever the badass martial
artist is about to do something hella cool, he'll just stand there and
wait till the last second before he acts. I betcha that Ranma has
something really awesome planned." Other students proceeded to nod or
shake their heads as bets were made on Ranma's next move.
While the seconds passed in slow succession, Kuno's approach to his
target grew closer and closer. As Kuno got in range to attack with his
bokken, all watched in horror or in awe as Kuno brought it down on an
unmoving Ranma.
--- End of Chapter ---
Please send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com and if you're going to
criticize, please give reasons why. Thanks.
Q1. Why did I change the scene with Ryoko threatening Akane?
A1. I did so because as pointed out by a critic, it was somewhat out of
character with how Ryoko usually deals with people. Normally, Ryoko
would either ignore the threat or just blast it. She wouldn't get
overly emotional unless it involved a serious threat to say Ranma or
some else she really cares for.