A Ranma/Futaba-kun Change crossover fan fiction
Started - 1 February 2001 Completed – 1 April 2001
Last revised - 10 May 2004 Reason - typos
Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and all associated characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. Futaba is also used without permission. This fan-fiction isn't intended for commercial use but is rather a tribute to the 'Ranma-universe' and Futaba ideas.
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Golden Lining by Cloud Dreamer
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Chapter five - Just Curses
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Futana ran, ran for the first time in a long time. He stumbled into his house to see his father sitting at the table with Futaba.
"Futaba," wheess, "Futaba, Yoiko needs our help." He started to pull Futaba towards the door when Futaba pulled back.
"What are you trying to pull? I'm not going to help you make another conquest. Especially not Yoiko, she's my friend." Futaba said as he resisted his sister, ah brother.
"It's not like that, I promise, please." Suddenly realizing that their father was present; Futana sank down before his father. "Dad, I . . . I've met someone really special to me. But her dad got really, really badly injured. He needs blood or he's dead. It's a really rare type – the same as ours in fact. Yoiko's gone to give blood and I promised I'd give some too. But it might not be enough if we don't get there in time. Can you drive us there please?"
Futana felt a hand on his shoulder, "Sis, you sure about this? You know what our blood does to outsiders. It may only be temporary but it could expose our whole tribe."
Futana looked at his brother, "Sure? About doing this, no, about Yoiko, yes. That means I have to try, please?"
Their father wordlessly rose and grabbed his keys, "What's the address?"
As he drove, he asked Futana, "Tell me about Yoiko." Seeing Futana's hesitation, he clarified, "everything."
Futana gulped. It'd been years since he'd heard that tone of voice, but it was unmistakable, it meant non-negotiable, just do it.
"Her name is Hibiki Yoiko; she's a senior student at Futaba's school who started about a month and a half ago. She's a master level martial artist and she has only one other friend in the world besides Futaba and me. I thought she was an orphan but it turns out her folks are alive, she's just disowned them because they treated her so bad."
Futana turned miserable eyes to her brother and father. "I know I've been a playboy and used and tossed girls aside like toys. But she's different." He grimaced, "first, she can and will literally tear me apart if I betray her." He paused and softly continued, "But that doesn't matter, I'm caught. She's an outsider, hates guys and I'm caught in my own trap." Tears of confusion glimmered in his eyes, "you know, she offered herself to me if I would help save her dad. She was that desperate." He paused a moment to let that sink in before continuing, "I turned her down. Can you believe that I said all I wanted was to be her friend?"
"So, I guess I'll get to meet my hopefully soon to be daughter-in-law then?" asked her father.
"Yeah, she should be there waiting for me and my sister . . . Futaba! You've got to change, please."
"I don't have the right clothes," he paused as he noticed his father pointing at the small pack labeled 'Futaba' on the back seat.
Their father grinned, "I always maintain spare clothing for me and my idol daughter."
Futaba sighed and changed, twice.
- - - - Tofu's clinic
Though worried, Nodoka could not but help smile at Genma's position on the table. It was one she'd been in many times, each time she'd had a Pap smear done in fact. He had his legs elevated in the stirrups to help the heart, and spread so that Dr. Tofu could repair the severed artery, too bad he was still unconscious. She really wanted to see his face when he realized his bare-assed position. She was glad that the young doctor had been able to save her husband's leg. A faint pink had finally replaced the blue, though Tofu was obviously worried about the added strain it put on his system.
She sighed, "Kasumi dear, is there anything I can do to help?" She asked as she draped a sheet over Genma's awkward position.
Kasumi smiled, a warmer smile than anybody had seen in recent years. "Well, you can help me prep this other table here so we can be ready to start the blood transfusion when Ranma arrives."
"Thank you dear." As the two women quickly finished the few preparations, Nodoka kept casting side-glances to Kasumi. Finally she could stand the suspense no longer. "Kasumi, are you, ah, well is the young doctor your boyfriend?" She finally blurted just after Tofu had left the room.
Kasumi's smile got a little brighter, "I think so." She glanced toward where Tofu had vanished. "I hope so."
Nodoka smiled at the younger woman, "I'm so glad you're here. It gives me somebody to talk to." She paused, "Why are you here though?"
Kasumi blushed, a very pretty sight. "I, we, I mean Tofu and I were going on another date when we saw Genma get hurt." Turning a pleading look to the older woman, "please don't tell anybody, especially not Akane." Seeing Nodoka's puzzled look she continued, "Akane has a crush on Tofu. It scares him as she has quite a temper."
"But doesn't your family suspect something since you are not at home?"
Kasumi shook her head, "no, I'm supposed to be at a local women's club meeting." She replied guiltily. "They never care about that part of my life."
Both looked up as they heard the front door slam. "TOFU! I'm here, what do I . . . oh, hi mom," hesitantly grinned the petite girl with short dark hair.
"Ranma?" asked Nodoka disbelievingly as she took in the short dark hair and the lovely dress.
Tofu arrived and hustled Ranma-chan onto the table, forestalling any more conversation. "Ranma, your male form is larger. I think it'd be better if you changed for this."
Kasumi hurriedly brought over a hot kettle but Ranma-chan held up her hand to stop her. "Wait!" Ranma-chan yelped, she then quickly changed into the spare clothes in her backpack before self-consciously reaching down to adjust her briefs, "ok."
Ranma's male form appeared, the page boy cut was a bit odd looking but the denim looked good, thank goodness it was a style with a lot of elastic. Nodoka briefly hugged her son, "we've got to talk later." She said with a stern look in her eyes.
"Yeah, later . . . what do I do now doc?" asked Ranma.
As the blood began to drip from one Saotome to the other, Nodoka took a seat next to her son. Catching his eye she simply commanded, "talk to me."
"Just a moment," asked Tofu as he momentarily disappeared from the room only to return almost immediately with a tape recorder. "I've heard this once before. For legal reasons I think this conversation should be recorded."
Nodoka looked stunned. She noticed the sad confirming look on her son's face. She hesitantly nodded.
Ranma paused, "but first, doc, I need to tell ya that I found two other people, Shimeru Futana and Futaba, with my blood type. They'll be here soon." He sighed, "Only trouble is they only know me as Hibiki Yoiko." He looked at Kasumi and his mother, "I'm hiding from Nabiki, after I tell you my story, you'll understand. Ok?" He asked.
Neither woman liked lying but both hesitantly nodded.
Once again, 'hopefully for the last time.' he thought, Ranma began to tell of the events and conversations he'd overheard on the day he'd left Nerima and the Tendou's.
There was a pause while the transfusion line was removed, Ranma having donated all the blood the good doc would allow. Fortunately that was when the Shimeru family also arrived. After transforming back into a girl, Yoiko was able to make introductions.
"Mom, Kasumi, Doc Tofu, these are my friends Futana and Futaba and . . ." Ranma hesitated seeing the older strange blond man with them.
"Yoiko, this is my father" provided Futana. "Dad, this is Yoiko."
Yoiko was puzzled by Futana's father's intent stare, but quickly bowed low. "Thank you for allowing your children to come so quickly to the aid of a stranger Shimeru-sama."
Shimeru-san smiled, "I think I can do more than that, you see, I also have the same blood type."
Since he needed to type test the Shimeru family blood before being able to use it, Tofu and Kasumi quickly set up tables so that blood could be drawn into bags from all three while he verified blood compatibility.
Meanwhile Yoiko finished telling her story in the other room, Kasumi entering in time to hear much of it. To say Kasumi was shocked or that Nodoka was pissed was like saying the sun was bit brighter than a birthday candle, understatement, definitely an understatement.
As her mother began to rave about her planned retribution, Yoiko interrupted her, "No mom, I don't want you to do anything."
"That's not acceptable." She would have screamed were this not a clinic. "A man would of . . ." She was stopped by Yoiko's upraised hand.
"A man is going to." Seeing the stern look on her child's face calmed Nodoka. Yoiko continued, "This is my problem. Revenge is my right and I will satisfy my own honor because I am both a Saotome and a man."
Hearing Kasumi snicker, Hibiki Yoiko looked down at herself and added, "ok, you've made your point."
"So have you my son," smiled Nodoka.
Yoiko grinned and then moved to the next room to talk with her friends Futana and Futaba. They had barely entered the room when Futaba's slight green-haired girl form wavered and shifted to the only slightly taller boy that Yoiko recognized by the same name. Before they could recover, Futana's blond male form also shifted to the helpful teacher's aid that had helped Yoiko catch up in her studies and had set her up on a blind date with . . . her, himself?
Yoiko thought she should be angry but was just too shocked to be able to give it the needed effort. Maybe it was because of the blood she'd just given, anyway she just fainted.
"Oh crud," whispered Futana.
Tofu looked at them, "Hum, I didn't expect you two to have Jusenkyo curses. Oh, well it's shouldn't make any difference since both Yoiko and her father have them too." He looked about puzzledly, "I didn't see you get wet though."
"Jusenkyo!" Shimeru-san started, "Where did you hear that cursed name?"
Yoiko had quickly recovered and was glaring at Futana, popping her knuckles, "What's going on, what are you trying to pull and how come you didn't tell me, you were cursed to turn into a girl, like me?"
"Cursed! You mean you consider being a girl to be curse? Yeesh, have you looked in the mirror lately? You really need some professional help," muttered Futana.
Yoiko quickly advanced on the other girl only to be stopped by Tofu. "Did YOU tell her about yourself Yoiko?" he asked.
Yoiko hesitated and then sighed, "No." She turned to the Shimeru family, "it seems we all have a similar secret. I was at Jusenkyo too; I have a Nyanniichuan or spring of drowned-girl curse." She demonstrated by pouring hot water over herself. "See," he said.
This time Futana fainted while Futaba and his father snickered at her.
Futana quickly regained consciousness to hear her father repeat his question.
"Where did you hear the name Jusenkyo?" He asked again. "How did you hear about the legend of the ancient sorcerer who cursed our entire village?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I was in china and my dumb-ass pop dragged me into this cursed training ground called Jusenkyo. It's got over a hundred springs there and if you fall into one you are cursed to take the form of whatever being last drowned there. I fell into a pool that a girl drowned in over 1500 years ago. Now every time I get splashed with cold water, instant girl. Hot water temporarily undoes the curse magic until the next time." Ranma paused, "yours is different?"
Shimeru-san nodded; "Similar but different. About eight, no nearly nine hundred years ago there was a small village on an island off the coast of Japan. The village and island were named Shimeru. It was in this village where a sorcerer, who was exiled from china, sought to live in peace. Things went well at first until the villagers began to notice something."
He paused and sighed, "he was gay, this during a time of great intolerance. The villagers made his life hell, not only for that but because he was Chinese and a sorcerer as well. They eventually drove him out of Japan and everybody thought that was the end of the matter. A great celebration feast was held in the village to mark the first anniversary of their 'great victory'. Unbeknownst to the village, the sorcerer provided the sweet drink that was such a hit that the entire village sampled it during the feast."
He continued, "The kegs the drink came in only had one word on them, Jusenkyo." He grimaced, "Since that night, every member of that tribe and all their descendants change sex after puberty whenever they get excited. That means those born boys are the ones to give birth while our daughters become fathers." He grinned, "But we cope." His smile became a little forced, "somehow, though I have to really admit that the sorcerer took excellent revenge for my ancestor's homophobia." He finished, "I guess the transformation magic is now in our genes. That ancient village is now our tribe." He looked at them; "Can I trust you to keep our secret?"
The other's quickly agreed that it was a secret that they would gladly keep.
Futana looked at Ranma; "you're really a boy?"
Ranma grinned at her, "Yeah, my name is Ranma, now you see why I wasn't interested in 'blondie'?" He sighed, "Sorry about pounding you when you gave me the roses. I didn't know you were really a girl."
Futaba cleared his throat to get their attention. "There is something else you should know. Our condition is temporarily transferable to anybody we give blood to." He paused, "we wouldn't have given blood if it wasn't a matter of life or death." He muttered something else under his breath.
Nodoka was the only one to overhear and she blushed in surprise, "Really?" She asked the young boy. His blush confirmed what he'd whispered.
Tofu looked at Nodoka, "Auntie Saotome, it's your call, do we use this blood? I doubt that Genma will survive more than another half-hour without it. Only the fact that he's such a superb martial artist like his son Ranma is all that's kept him going this long."
Nodoka paused only briefly, "of course we use it. After all he's already got a Jusenkyo curse so it shouldn't make any difference." You just know the kami were snickering when they heard those words.
Futaba felt uncomfortable wearing a dress as a guy so he gathered his flagging strength, concentrated and shifted to girl form. A process carefully watched by Tofu, Ranma, Nodoka and especially by Kasumi who seemed to be puzzled by the neo-girl. She kept staring at Futaba's pale green hair as if trying to remember something.
Tofu hurriedly started the transfusion. Meanwhile Nodoka cornered Futana and began to ah, 'interrogate' her. Futaba noticed that his father had taken a similar tact with Yoiko, or rather, Ranma, both parents asking nearly identical questions. Being midway between the two pairs, the stereo conversation that he overheard went something like this.
"So you're interested in my child?"
"Well, yes, but please don't say anything Saotome-san."
"Nah, not really, Futana's a nice girl and all but me and romance don't get along anymore Shimeru-san."
"Can I trust you to not break my child's heart?"
"I'd like to hope so, but I really wish I knew what he's so angry about Saotome-san."
"I don't break nobody's heart; I just want to be left alone."
"Did you know that my child has had a very difficult time adjusting to the gender change? Sometimes I'm not sure my child even knows what their true gender is, how about you."
"Saotome-san, I . . . I always thought I was a girl until I hit puberty. The truth hit me pretty hard. I decided that I was going to the manliest man of all. I . . . cut quite a swath through the local girls. But now, now all I want is Yoiko. She's wonderful, maybe she doesn't think she's a girl, but I know she is; at least some of the time she is, even if she denies it."
"Yeah, I noticed. She's a real tomboy, nothing much feminine about her even in a skirt. Heck, I think 'I' may be more of girl than she is," Ranma chuckled.
About that time, two different people made two different connections concerning idols.
Futaba suddenly pointed at 'Yoiko', "You're SAOTOME RANMA, the teenage martial arts idol" she suddenly crowed.
This was just moments before Kasumi asked, "Excuse me are you Shimeru Futaba, the teenage idol and daughter of Iroka Kahoru the super idol?"
"Huh," answered Ranma and Futaba in stereo.
Futana slowly turned her head to look at Yoiko, then she looked at the woman before her as she said "Saotome-san? Saotome, and you called him Ranma. Saotome Ranma," She suddenly snickered and grabbed up a glass of cool water which she then splashed on Ranma, peered at her face and chuckled, "I wondered what there was that seemed 'off' about your face Yoiko." She grinned as she pointed, "you forgot to dye your eyebrows, they're still scarlet!"
Futaba's father loosened his tie and removed his coat revealing a faintly feminine shirt underneath. He placed his hands on Futaba's shoulder after he pulled the fake mustache off, grinned then shifted revealing a beautiful redhead in a (now) nice blouse. Yes, I'm Iroka Kahoru and this is my daughter Futaba."
Kasumi's smile brightened up the whole room. "Could I please have your autograph? I'm a really big fan of yours Iroka-sama."
Sigh, "this just gets better and better" said Ranma sarcastically as she went into the room where her father was and closed the door.
Iroka Kahoru turned to Nodoka and asked, "Can you tell me what has embittered Ranma so badly." Nodoka hesitated but looked into Futana's eyes and then nodded, "There's a tape I want you to listen to," she said.
An hour later a now male again Ranma exited the room, a tired smile on his face. "Mom, the doc said that pop's gonna be . . . alright," he finished uncertainty. The Shimeru's weren't martial artists he knew but there sure seemed to be a strong sense of battle auras present from all of them.
Futana walked over to Ranma, grabbed him by the ears and pulled him down into a kiss before he could react. She looked him in the eyes and said simply, "I promise I will never hurt you. I promise." She looked at him longingly for a moment before walking away.
Ranma froze outwardly, but something started to thaw inwardly.
Shimeru-san grinned slightly, "Ranma, I act as agent for Iroka Kahoru and Futaba, I think you need a new agent . . . I."
He got no further as Futana intervened, "I'm studying teaching and business in college. Can I try being your agent? My dad can help me out but, well, even if we don't get close, I can still be your friend this way, please."
"I believe I approve," added Nodoka "though we may have problems implementing that until Ranma turns 18 due to the foolishness of my husband."
Futana grabbed Ranma's hand and when he glanced at her, she continued. "You said, you'd do whatever I asked. Will you do this?" She snickered, "after all it IS a blood debt, you know."
Ranma grinned hesitantly, before nodding reluctantly, "ok."
Futana then placed herself before Nodoka and asked, "May I also have permission to court Ranma?"
Nodoka thought while the rest of the room waited respectfully. She walked over the Ranma and gently embraced him. "Ranma, my son. I know I wasn't there for most of your life and you have little reason to trust me. I ask for your permission, may I tell her 'yes'?"
Ranma looked at his mother. He glanced at Futana standing there with head hung, fearful of rejection. He didn't want to do this. But they were forcing . . . no, they weren't. Futana could have used his 'blood' debt for this but hadn't. They were actually asking, waiting for his answer. He thought about how 'not' lonely he'd actually been the past month or so. His hand reached up and touched his mother's face, "No, tell her 'maybe' instead."
- - - - Shimeru household
Futana had talked Yoiko into another date, roller-blading this time. Of course, Yoiko didn't have any gear but Futana had a solution, Yoiko could borrow Futaba's gear.
At least that was what Yoiko thought they were doing at his house until she walked into the slightly darkened front room. As Futana turned on the lights . . .
"Surprise!" There was a pause, "Yoiko, Ranma?"
Kasumi giggled and pointed to the ceiling. There was Yoiko, eyes wide as she took in the birthday cake, presents and friends. Even her pop was there, in his wheelchair but he was there too. Of course he was eyeing the cake.
Suddenly he turned into a panda and Nodoka giggled. She explained, "Tofu figured out that the two curses sort of merge. Hot and cold water OR emotion causes Genma to switch now." She snickered and added, "to a female panda."
Yoiko chuckled, "so pop was 'lusting' after my cake and activated his curse. Pretty neat I think. Couldn't happen to anybody that deserved it more."
Yoiko eyed her father speculatively. "Doc, how long do you think the 'Shimeru' part of the curse will last?"
Futaba answered instead, "it happened to my girlfriend when I gave her some blood and she stopped changing after a few months."
Tofu added, "That seems about right. Of course Genma had nearly a complete blood transfusion, most of it Shimeru, so it may be as long as a year before the level of Shimeru serum drops below some critical level as his body renews its blood."
Yoiko grinned, lost in thoughts she wasn't ready to share just yet.
Even the Hibiki attorney was there, his gift was some paperwork for 'Ranma' to sign. The Ranma's, both of them, officially had a new manager/agent now. Yoiko grinned and went into the bathroom for a few moments to emerge with her hair gleaming scarlet again. "Yoiko's a nice name, but I'm really Ranma," she said as she poured hot water over her head to restore her birth form. Futana quickly changed as well and demurely sat next to Ranma. He seemed nervous but grinned slightly at her anyway.
The following day, Ranma showed up at Tofu's office unexpectedly and the two men had a long conversation. Tofu agreed to help, but only so far. No matter how justified it was, he would not violate his medical oaths.
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Author's note: Additional Ranma fan-fiction can be found on my Web Pages.
C & C to cloud (underscore) dreamer2000 (at) yahoo.com
Web-page - www.geocities.com (slash) cloud (underscore) dreamer2000
And - mysite.verizon.net (slash) cloud-dreamer/index.html
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