A Ranma by any Other Name

"For a rose by any other name smells just as sweet." -William Shakespere

Author notes: This is just a series of one-shots, spamfics, and omakes that I occasionally get in my head. Some are funny, some are sad, while others are dark, dramatic, action packed, or just plain weird. There's no rhyme or reason, so if you feel like a quick chuckle or a brief sob, get on board. One other note, this is the first fic that I'm posting online. Comments and criticisms are appreciated, flamers however will be hunted down and put down like the rabid dogs that they are. Thank you, that is all.

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and all of it's characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. Other series and their characters belong to their respective owners. I own nothing, not even the clothes on my back, so for God's sake don't sue me! Original characters and the stories do belong to me, and aren't to be used without my permission.

Acknowledgements: This fic is dedicated to kaleskid, who got me hopelessly addicted to anime; my folks, who encouraged me to read and write and haven't disowned me over my anime collection yet; my little sister, who puts the fear of God into me so I get off my arse every so often and actually write; Hung Nyguyen a.k.a. Animeaddiction, who showed me that fanfiction didn't have to be restricted by the original creator's ideas; and metroanime, Kami of chaos, cloud dreamer, and all of the others who've inspired me in one way or another. Now on with the show!

Story 1: The Hunter

The boy slowly trudged through the deep snow banks. As he walked, he thought how it was odd that white colored bears would be in Kyoto. But it was no matter, he would ignore all obstacles and find his quarry! His honor would be avenged, and the coward who had fled from him would be put in his place!

"RANMA SAOTOME, I WILL FIND YOU!"

So screaming to the wind, Ryouga began his seemingly endless journey anew.

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Good Eye watched the prey in puzzlement. He knew that prey was scare on this part of the planet, but had decided to come here on his Hunt in order to let the elements themselves challenge him. It was good that he had too; the small outpost and native village belonging to the dominant species of this planet, humans they were called, had been far too easy. He had six spines from the crew of the research station, and thirteen skulls of the best warriors the native tribe had to offer. Despite the harsh winds, biting cold, lack of cover, his invisibility fields being rendered useless from the falling snow, and his footprints showing clearly in the snowdrifts, the hunt had been too easy for his tastes, and he was preparing to return to his ship when the razor sharp vision which had earned him his name picked out a dot on the horizon, a dot which he discovered to be a lone human.

The Hunter couldn't figure out what the prey was doing out in the brutal wilds by itself, and on foot no less! The small group of humans from the outpost had used treaded vehicles to rapidly cross the tundra, and the natives had employed strange devices on their feet and sleds pulled by trained canines, but neither ventured far from their settlements on foot and never by themselves! And the human wasn't even dressed the same way as the locals were! They bundled themselves with thick animal furs and warm synthetic fabrics to shield themselves from the biting cold which threatened to freeze even his body into a solid hunk of ice, but this human didn't even so much as shiver despite his thin garments! Was this being insane, or the sort of hunt that he'd been searching for?

His decision was made for him as the human turned it's face into the wind, towards his direction, and screamed out in what could only be a war cry. Impossible, these creatures didn't have developed enough senses for the human to have caught his scent! So how did he discover that he was being watched? Without another thought, the Hunter flipped the energy cannon mounted on it's shoulder into position, aimed, and fired a beam of brilliant light straight into it's target's chest.

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Ryouga's senses, honed by countless dangerous encounters across the globe, warned him of the danger just as the beam impacted with his chest, actually managing to push him back several feet but not dropping him to the snowy ground. Gingerly he felt his skin through the neatly burned hole in his shirt, confirming the blistering of the fist sized patch of burned skin located right over his sternum. Alerted to the danger, he easily dodged the next blast, pinpointing the location of his assailant and blindy throwing a handful of bandanna shuriken towards his unseen enemy before charging forward to confront his foe.

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Sparks mingled with greenish blood as Good Eye clutched his shoulder. It was impossible, it couldn't be happening, but somehow it was. The prey survived his attack with little damage, dodged the second attack, and despite appearing to be unarmed sent several projectiles similar to his own kind's throwing disks flying in his direction, destroying his cannon and severely injuring his shoulder. And now the prey was rushing forward to meet him in close combat! Throwing away the now useless weapon, he pulled a halbred with a wicked blade on it's end off of his back, and roared as he leapt over the snowbank to meet his prey face to face.

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Ryouga nearly stopped in his tracks when he heard the animalistic roar and saw an armored form that couldn't possibly belong to a normal human being, but there was an enemy before him and he charged forward to meet it. The weapon the figure held whirled in a circle above it's head before dipping down, scoring several cuts along Ryouga's already wounded torso. Screaming in pain, rage, and battle lust, the martial artist pulled his umbrella from his back and swung with strength and precision, breaking the staff of the weapon in two and shattering the blade as the heavy weapon pounded against it's dull edge. Before he even completed his swing and the shards of metal hit the now bloody snow, the figure dropped it's broken staff and lashed out with a pair of blades that popped out from a guantlet on it's wrist, slicing the bamboo shaft of Ryouga's umbrella in two and sending the weighted head spinning off into the distance. Not even pausing from the sudden change in weight, Ryouga continued the swing of his arm, smashing his fist into the armored face plate and shattering it as he pulled his belt away with his other hand and used it's now firm and razored edge to cut off his opponent's gauntlet, taking the lower part of it's arm with it. As the severed arm dropped to the ground and the broken face plate fell away, Ryouga recoiled in horror at the first sight of his opponent's face.

Tusks jutted out from it's misshapen, tooth lined mouth. A high, bony forehead jutted above it's beady eyes, and it's skin was a leathery, mottled brown and yellowish-green. So stunned was the boy, who thought that he'd seen everything in his many travels, that he didn't notice the remaining arm rush up until the bony fist hit him precisely in the temple, sending him spiraling into unconsciousness.

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Good Eye cradled the stump of his arm as he looked down at the prey... no, at the Warrior lying before him. The human had not only exceeded the limits of it's species by leaps and bounds, it had even surpassed most of Good Eye's kind. Good Eye was a veteran Hunter and Warrior, undefeated both on the hunting field and in the Honor Circle. This human had hurt him, nearly beaten him, a feat none of his kin could claim. He eyed the human's neck as his finger played across the knife at his side. No, though he'd value the trophy greatly, he would not dishonor himself or such a worthy fighter by such an act. Reaching down with his one arm, he slung the human over his shoulder and strode away towards his ship.

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Two Terran years later...

Short Fang was crouched upon the rooftop, unseen by those below even without his invisibility field activated. Behind him, four figures armored in the same manner as himself watched his every motion carefully, respect evident in their gaze. Quickly Short Fang turned to face his team, and they bowed before their Hunt leader as his eyes swept across them, going from left to right. First, there was Squash Head. He'd formerly been called Blood Stripe for the red colored stripe running across his chest, but he'd challenged Short Fang to a fight in the Circle of Honor shortly after the new comer's arrival, a fight that Short Fang had won by shattering his opponent's skull with a single punch, earning the Predator his new name and earning Short Fang his respect and friendship. Next was Shorty, who'd quickly become friends with Short Fang since they were both small by Predator standards. After him was the only female in their group, Silver, a silvery colored Predator who'd broken the traditional taboos concerning females and became a Hunter, earning her place among the other Hunters after she brought back the head of a gigantic Zervian Wargbeetle. Like Shorty she'd quickly bonded with Short Fang since neither of them fit inside of the normal standards for Hunters, and recently she'd expressed a desire to become Short Fang's mate. And finally was the oldest, most honored Hunter aside from the Hunt leader himself, Bug Stomper, one of the honored few Predators who were named based on their accomplishments rather than their physical attributes and appearance. More than any other Predator alive, he was an expert on the Hunters favorite prey, the Bugs, black, humanoid creatures with an exo-skeleton capable of withstanding the rigors of open space, acid blood, lightning reflexes, and a strict hive mentality. He'd gone on and survived over thirty Bug Hunts, and his walls were crammed full with over eighty-seven Bug heads, including the heads of three Queens. It was on the last such Hunt, one year ago, that Short Fang earned his loyalty and friendship. The two of them had managed to breach the hive and had cornered the Queen, who managed to trick Bug Stomper and had him at her mercy, before Short Fang ripped off it's head. Normally, to have your life saved is the ultimate dishonor, for every Predator longs to die gloriously on the Hunt, but in this case Short Fang begged forgiveness for his actions, promising not to tell the rest of their tribe and offering Bug Stomper the prized trophy which rightfully belonged to him. Ever since that day, Bug Stomper had acted as both subordinate and mentor to Short Fang, although only the two of them knew the reason why.

Short Fang regarded these four, his closest friends, the people he Hunted beside and trusted his life with. Normally no words were needed between them on a Hunt, but this time was special. This Hunt was about their most sacred value, honor. A series of growls, grunts, and clicks emanated from beneath the leader's mask.

You all know my story, of how Good Eye found me, took me as his apprentice, and taught me to become a Hunter. When he found me and brought me into the tribe, I was already on a Hunt, a Hunt for a person who beat me in many fights before I challenged him to an Honor Match and he left before we had the fight.

Angered growls and snarls met this statement. Running away from an Honor Match was considered to be an unforgivable crime in their culture. Short Fang raised a hand, silencing their outburst.

Back then, I was much like I was when I first came into the tribe, before I was taught the art of tracking. I can admit now that it was my fault that the match never took place, but despite that I must finish what I started, or my honor shall forever be tainted. The Hunt has led me here, to my prey, and we will finish this!

As one the five Hunters roared into the night sky, declaring to all the world that they were here and that the Hunt had begun.

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Ranma cursed to himself as he trudged along the top of the fence. For the past two months, his life had been a living hell, and he wasn't even counting the curse anymore. First his idiot old man engaged him to a tomboy who seemed to share Genma's philosophy of "showing affection through pain", then that moron Kuno develops a crush on his girl side, then Shampoo shows up looking to kill his female form but winds up married to him after learning he was really a boy, the old ghoul comes to Nerima to help Shampoo claim Ranma as a husband, Mousse came to kill him for "stealing Shampoo", the old freak gets out of his imprisonment and moves into the Tendo home, and finally his old friend Ucchan shows up looking for revenge and turns out not only to be a girl but is also engaged to Ranma because of Genma. All in all, not a pleasant time. Oh well, at least he hadn't tangled with that Kodachi chick that attacked Akane a while back, or found himself fighting with the "Golden Pair of Skating" that he'd heard about. Still, it felt like something was missing, that things were not exactly as they should be. Thinking about his friend, Ukyo, Ranma's thoughts soon turned to the only other friend he ever really had, and the only one who hadn't shown up looking for his scalp. Silently, he wondered how good ol' Ryouga was doing.

Suddenly his head whipped up from his musings, his blue eyes snapping back and forth as he scanned the horizon. Somebody was watching him, and in his experience the only people who bothered to watch him wanted his head on a pike or wanted other parts of his anatomy for other reasons. Slowly his eyes panned back and forth, back and forth, looking for the smallest disturbance, for the littlest thing that was out of place. He couldn't see anything, but his instincts told him that somebody was nearby, and he always listened to what his gut told him. Then he noticed it, a small ripple in the air, like when the sun pounded down on asphalt on a hot day. But it was a cool November afternoon, and heat ripples usually weren't shaped like human beings. Pulling back his fist, he willed his energy into it just like he'd seen Cologne do when she fought Happousai, and lashed out, sending a stream of blazing energy straight towards the strange disturbance in the air.

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Short Fang, Silver, Bug Stomper, and Shorty were busily constructing the Circle of Honor for the upcoming fight, when they all heard Squash Head's agonized scream coming over the radioes built into their face plates. As one, they dropped what they were doing and ran towards where their companion was supposed to be keeping an eye on the prey. Within minutes they arrived, to find the prey standing over Squash Head's prone form. Without hesitation, Bug Stomper and Shorty slammed into the pigtailed human and pinned him to the ground, while Short Fang and Silver attended to Squash Head. The first thing that was apparent to them was, without his armor Squash Head would most likely be dead or severely wounded. Bits and pieces of his weapons and armor were scattered all about, and there were even some puddles of silver where the metal had actually melted off. Carefully removing the armor from his friend, Short Fang winced when he saw the burns and bruises covering the leathery skin and blotting out the familiar red stripe.

"Is he going to be ok?"

Short Fang looked up from his work to stare at his prey, who was being held between Bug Stomper and Shorty. Standing up, Short Fang pressed the release catch at the side of his face plate, allowing it to drop off of his face as he shook his hair, sending the long dredlocks flying as his heavily tanned but undeniably human features were revealed. Short Fang gazed silently at his prey as Ranma looked at him in shock.

"Ryouga, is that you?"

"Yes, Ranma. It's been a long time. Now, explain why you attacked and injured one of my Hunters."

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... I sensed that somebody was watching me from nearby, and I saw what looked like these ripples in the air, so I fired a ki blast at it. Everyone who comes after me is more than tough enough to take a blast like that without serious injury, so I thought it would be a good way to end a fight before it even began. I didn't know that he wasn't a martial artist, I didn't know, I'm sorry..."

The other Hunters shifted uncomfortably as their translators went to work, deciphering the musical tones into the grunts and howls they understood. If there were more humans like this, that could put a Hunter's physical abilities to shame, then the Elders were obviously right when they decreed that no Hunts should be conducted on this planet from now on. It made hunting Bugs seem easy!

Ryouga just nodded as he listened to Ranma's explanation. Poor Squash Head got careless, it was as simple as that. While most humans would never have a chance of spotting a trained Hunter with a working invisibility field, more and more humans with extraordinary abilities kept popping up, people like Ranma and Ryouga himself. That was what made the human race so very dangerous, their ability to adapt and evolve at an alarming rate; why, they went from steam power to nuclear power in just over a century! Every human being had the potential to become an awesome force in and of themselves, and some had more potential than others. The only reason that humanity didn't already rule the stars was because far too many people let their potential go to waste, but they were swiftly approaching the point where no other race would be able to compare to them, and that's why the Elders had declared Earth off limits for Hunts; no sense in pissing off the future dominant species. Shaking his head free of such thoughts, Ryouga returned his attention to his rival.

"Squash Head was watching you, under my orders. Ranma, remember our fight, the one I didn't show up for on time? I'm here to finish it."

"WHAT?!"

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Silver stood stoicly, totally void of emotion as she watched Short Fang remove his armor and climb up onto the raised circle. But inside, she was excited and scared. Excited by the exotic look of her potential mate as his muscled frame was hidden only by the leather loincloth commonly worn by their kind when not on a Hunt or in the Circle of Honor, but scared for his safety, something she'd never experienced before. Many had heard the tale of how Short Fang took a laser blast directly to the chest during his first meeting with Good Eye and survived it with little harm. Many younger Hunters held Short Fang in awe for such feats, and considered him to be invincible. She had thought him to be invincible as well, but no she wasn't as sure and it frightened her. The human facing their Hunt Leader and taken down a veteran Hunter in full armor with a single attack. What could something like that do to Short Fang's unprotected skin? And worse, what if this Ranma, who Short Fang admitted to have been the superior fighter years ago, could still beat Short Fang? It would mean the dishonor of the adopted Predator, and possibly even his expulsion from the tribe! And so for the first time in her life, Silver felt fear as she watched the male she'd come to love face off against his greatest adversary.

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"Here are the rules for this Honor Match, Ranma. No weapons, armor, or other equipment are allowed, this is purely a hand to hand fight. The loser is the one who touches the ground outside of the ring, submits, is knocked unconcious, or gets killed. The winner decides the loser's fate, and the loser has to accept it on their honor. There are no other rules. Do you accept?"

Ranma gulped as he watched Ryouga stretch his muscles as he calmly related the rules of the fight. What had he gotten himself into this time? But he'd been taught never to refuse a challenge, and there was no way he could lose; after all, he used to beat Ryouga all the time, right? Besides, this was his friend, Ryouga. This was not only important to him, it was vital. After all, it was about honor. With a jerk of his head, the pigtailed fighter nodded his compliance with the rules. Finished with his stretches, Ryouga stood and faced his opponent. This was it, everything was at stake. Only by defeating Ranma could he ever hope to truly consider himself one of his adopted people. This was the day he'd waited and trained two long years for. He swore that he wouldn't let it go to waste.

The two rivals stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, judging their opponent, and then at an unspoken signal they charged at one another. The first to score a hit was Ranma, who was still the quicker of the two and had gained a great deal of strength after his dealings with the Amazons. Ryouga let out a faint grunt as the punch connected, and he felt his rib shatter. Ranma was even better than he remembered, but then again so was he. While Ranma had trained to become the better fighter, Ryouga had trained to become a warrior and had tested that training in battle. The difference between a fighter and a warrior is a simple one that carries a profound weight. While the fighter puts his strength into a fight, a warrior gives their heart, soul, and life. A warrior is one who has stared death in the face and brought death to others; a fighter is one who never had to pass that hurdle, and so their spirit is the weaker. The fighter will hold back, fearing to experience or cause death; the warrior has no such restrictions or fears. And so it was that when Ranma threw another punch, rather than try to dodge it Ryouga stepped into the swing and accepted the hit, grabbing the outstretched wrist and breaking it in two before throwing the student of Anything Goes Martial Arts towards the edge.

Ranma was barely able to fight through the pain and alter his trajectory so that he stayed within the circle when he landed. Cradling his broken wrist, he stared at Ryouga in shock before the Hunter was on him again. Quickly, he crossed his arms and blocked the jab to his face. However, in doing so he couldn't see Ryouga's real attack, and was sent reeling when the veteran Warrior spun around behind him and hammered his elbow into the base of Ranma's skull. Again the pigtailed boy was sent skidding across the ring, and again he barely managed to stay inside it. He tried to pause and catch his second wind, but Ryouga's assualt was relentless. All he could do was defend and attack as best he could without having any time to collect himself.

For five minutes straight, the two fought with an ever growing ferocity. On the sidelines, Shorty and Silver watched horrified as they saw blood trickle from Short Fang's mouth while Bug Stomper gazed in excitement and awe. Throughout the history of their kind, there was never an Honor Match that lasted more than three minutes, and never one of this intensity. How magnificent was Short Fang and those like him! Finally, after several minutes more, the battle between the two came to the point where a single mistake would decide the outcome of the match. Tired, hurt, and with his vision starting to go hazy, Ranma overextended his arm just a little too much. It was more than enough for Ryouga to grab it, pull Ranma in, and smash his face in with his forehead. His hand around his foe's neck as he lifted him into the air, Ryouga growled into Ranma's broken and bleeding face. "Do. You. Yield."

His answer was a defiant glare and Ranma spitting a mixture of blood and saliva into his face. With a primal scream, Ryouga smashed Ranma headfirst into the hard metal of the ring and threw him with all his might across the fighting arena. This time, Ranma didn't pull out some skilled acrobatic manuver to keep his body in the ring. As he looked at his rival lying barely concious on the grass, Short Fang collapsed to his kness, spread his hands wide, and howled into the air. "It is done! No longer am I Ryouga! Now and forever after, I am only Short Fang!"

Staggering to his feet, he waved off his comrades' aid as he strode off of the arena and to Ranma, who'd managed to bring himself up to his knees. Snatching a knife from Shorty's belt, he held the blade to Ranma's throat and growled into his terrified face. "Your life is mine, on your honor."

In an instant, Ranma's face went from scared to determined and resigned. He'd lost in a fair contest, a contest where he'd agreed that the loser would accept the victor's will for him. Ranma had known that he might be forced to give his life for the Art; now that day had come, and he would meet it with whatever dignity and honor he could muster. Nodding his acceptance, he closed his eyes and arched his neck, clearly exposing the jugular. Short Fang inhaled deeply, and brought the blade darting in.

Instantly, Ranma felt pain welling from his forehead and could trace the trails of blood running down his face. Opening his eyes, he fingered the carving on his forehead, a carving of a stubby, curved triangle; a short fang. He looked up into Short Fang's grim face and saw the excitement sparkling in his old friend's eyes. Towering over the postrate boy, Short Fang spoke to him in a voice of command. "I have marked you, Ranma. Your life is mine. You are mine. And with me, you will Hunt."

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Five Terran years later...

Short Fang, the newly made leader of his tribe, looked at the Hive in front of him. There were at least a thousand Bugs held within it, ready to charge out and overwhelm any intruder at the first sign of attack. And behind that veritable wall of teeth and claws were the Royal Guards, the elite warriors of the Bug's Hive, and the all-powerful Queen herself. Turning around, he looked behind him to see his tribe, the hundred Hunters who were willing to wade into hell itself on his order. Looking to his left, he saw his mentor and father figure, the one who had made him a part of the tribe in the first place after sparing his life, Good Eye. Standing beside him was his mate Silver, the old Hunter Bug Stomper, the cheerful but deadly Shorty, and Squash Head, who proudly exposed his misshapen head and the burn scars on his chest, wearing them as badges of honor. And turning to his right, Short Fang saw a figure about his height and build, covered in red and black armor, kneeling to him, awaiting his order.

He remembered the shock he felt when he learned about the curse, but that hadn't stopped him from making Two Bodies a Hunter. His fellow human being had been a loyal servant and friend, quickly learning the ways of the Hunters and becoming the strongest of them, second only to Short Fang himself. Turning away from his fellow warriors, his comrades, his family, Short Fang once again studied the massive Hive. Then, a grin formed underneath his faceplate, and he bellowed out his war cry as he rushed forward, his kinsmen and friends right beside him. The Hunt was on, as it would always be.

End

Author Notes: Ok, this is inspired by three things. One, a Ranma ½ and Predator crossover written by another fanfiction writer, the names of which I can't remember. Two, the fact that Aliens versus Predators is coming out this summer. And three, because the title of the manga episode in which Ryouga appeared for the first time is in fact titled, The Hunter. The results of these things is the above fic. Be sure to give me a shout if you liked this or have anything you might like to see in the future. Next up is a Ranma and GI Joe crossover based on my lost work, Soldier's Vow. 'Til then, ja ne!