Intro: Okay, I shall now take a moment from my pessimistic weeping to inform you of a tiny
little important fact. This is going to suck. Big-time. Feel free to contradict that statement.
I know, I'm a BAD boy for starting another fic with one already in progress, but the idea popped
into my head and wouldn't go away. And I'm already a slow writer... Jeeze, this is going to drag
my update times waaaaaay down. Anyway, this one's kind of an Alternate-Universe -because- of
a Self-Insert. The only person who's SUPPOSED to be different is Ranma/Randy. Well, Randy's
not ME, exactly. Just my -character- from my other fic, Finishing Moves. Although, he IS me.
Sort of. I mean if you want to get technical, it's only a SEMI self-insert... I'll shut up now.
Disclaimer: Ranma??? Who's that?
------------{ Chaos 1/2 }------------
------{ Episode 01: Here's Ranma! Or Not. }------
It was a dark and stormy night. Well, actually, it was daytime, and the rain was only a light
drizzle, but it's a start. The few citizens of Nerima that hadn't locked themselves inside and were
outside in this weather were a little nervous, and for a good reason. The Chaos had not caused
anything weird to happen lately. Oh sure, laugh all you want. As any decent, long living citizen
of this particular ward of Tokyo would tell you, The Chaos was real. Oh, there was no real proof
to be seen, but what else could explain the weird happenings that revolved around Nerima. Why,
just last week, there was that incident involving Tokugawa-san and his bucket of cats! Exactly.
Trust me, you don't want to know...
Getting back on track, The Chaos hadn't made anything weird happen lately. Which was more
than a little nerve-wracking to a fine, upstanding, and sane resident of Nerima. Just to clear
things up, you understand. If you avoided thinking about the oxymoron brought about by Chaos
having a pattern, then you could say (hypothetically, of course) that Chaos did indeed have a
pattern. Yes, the strange incidents caused by The Chaos' meddling were random, as were the time
that they occurred. However, it almost seemed as if the incidents happened on a regular monthly
basis, then dwindled down to nothing for another month or so. The reason for the citizens'
concern was now apparent if you considered the fact that it had been a little over a month since
anything REALLY weird had happened. Yeah, and you thought the cats were weird. They don't
happen to count.
Don't worry, be happy. Or try anyway. The Chaos is about to begin! ...... Hey, where'd
everybody go??
Ooookay... Moving right along, let's take the time to introduce to you the ONLY family in
Nerima at least giving the appearance of NOT being affected by The Chaos. The Tendos. That's
right, the Tendos. A rather common name if you actually think about it. But let's not...
The Tendo family was only a LITTLE on the strange side. The father, Soun Tendo, or Tendo
Soun, whichever you prefer, was a part of the district council, so he couldn't have been TOO
weird. Soun was a thin, middle-aged man with shoulder length black hair and a mustache. He
also had a habit of wearing an old brown Martial Arts gi, probably for sentimental reasons. His
wife had died of a severe illness a few years ago and had left the man an emotional wreck.
The first daughter, Kasumi, was a little on the tall side, especially for a Japanese. Being
nine-teen and graduated from high school, she contented herself with filling in for her mother.
She did most of the chores around the house, made the meals, washed the clothes, et cetera, et
cetera... Soft brown hair was pulled into a pony-tail and was kept out of the way by being pulled
over her left shoulder to the front. Being a traditional housewife-ish sort, she wore the traditional
housewife-ish apron over whatever dress she wore for the day. A soft-spoken soul, she never
raised her voice and had a tendency to play peacemaker.
The second daughter, Nabiki, was best described as a mercenary, being well known for her
sarcasm and her confident smirk as she bled you of your money before you could say Nabiki
Tendo. That being her reputation. The real Nabiki put her family first, though she tried not to
show it, and was also a little boy-crazy. She handled the finances, seeing as how her father was
not in any condition to do so, and kept up with the bills with the money she gained from running
the local betting pool at school, among other things. Her short brown hair was kept well
conditioned and had a smooth shine to it. She tended to wear clothes that looked tight on her
admittedly well-toned body. She was seven-teen and in her last year of high school.
The third and last daughter, Akane, was six-teen years old and the most popular girl in school.
Somewhat tomboy-ish, she was still a nice girl, unless her temper got away from her. Long, dark
blue hair framed her face prettily and fell down her back, where she kept it tied in a loose
pony-tail. She tended toward sun dresses and short skirts that let her fight when need be. You
see, this young woman was the heir to her families' style of Martial Arts, the Tendo School of
Anything Goes Martial Arts.
Getting back to the rain. Yes, that rain. That drizzle that nobody wanted to be out in... Well,
there WAS someone out in it... Not that he wanted to be, mind you. But he was. Out in the rain,
that is... The Narrator will shut up now.
A young man walked slowly through the dismal drizzle, arguing with a panda. Yes, a panda.
Remember, this IS Nerima. Now, this being a story about Ranma, you might expect this young
man to be Ranma. Well, you would be right, and you would be wrong. That being such a long
and complicated story, we'll let HIM explain it to you. When he has the time. At the moment, he
was arguing with a panda. The argument itself went something like this...
"Dammit, Pops! What the hell were you thinking, engaging me to some girl without me
knowing about it!!"
The panda, now identified as the boy's father, held up a wooden sign that read, |Be respectful of
your elders, Boy!|
Said boy was tall, with wild red hair that hung in a thin pony-tail down the length of his back.
He was currently wearing a bright red, sleeveless Chinese shirt, and a pair of black Chinese
pants. A long black sash was wrapped around his waist. He was barefoot at the time and a pair of black leather bracers adorned his fore-arms,
indicating that he knew how to fight. He confirmed this fact by smacking the panda a few times.
A second. "I might respect ya if ya didn't keep making stupid mistakes like this one! Now stop
dodging the question! What were you thinking??!"
The panda retaliated by sending a few paw strikes in the young man's direction, who avoided
them casually. |Well, my boy. Old man Tendo and I made a Pact before you were born.| flip
|We promised each other that if one of us had a son and the other a daughter...| flip |that they
would be engaged to marry when they reached marriage-able age.| flip |You are six-teen now
and are eligible to fulfill the Pact.| Let's just ignore the fact that the sign seemed to have four
sides. Thanks.
"Pro'ly made it in a bar, while drunk. Oh well, I'll go along with it for now. But if I find out
you've engaged me to someone ELSE without my consent, I'm outta here." The panda suddenly
started sweating nervously, and the boy noticed. "Oh, great. You DID. Well, I'm gone." He
abruptly did an about-face and began walking in the other direction. The panda panicked and
broke a street sign out of the ground, then turned around and swatted the red-haired boy over the
head with it. Picking the unconscious boy up, he looked around at all the staring pedestrians and
barked angrily. He was just NOT having a good day.
------{ The Tendo home }------
Soun Tendo had just informed his three daughters of the engagement, with
varying reactions, when a knock sounded from the front door. Jumping up, Soun and Nabiki
excitedly ran for the door with Kasumi and Akane following at a more sedate pace. A moment
later, they stopped in consternation as the first two came dashing back down the hall. The
explanation for their panic became apparent a moment later when the panda from earlier walked
calmly down the hallway, carrying an unmoving reddish bundle over one shoulder and a large
hiking pack in the other.
Kasumi nervously looked over her father's shoulder, "Are these your friends, father?" The Tendo
patriarch shook his head wildly.
Nabiki paused in looking over her father's other shoulder to give him a level-eyed stare, "If
they're not your friends, then WHAT is a PANDA doing here??" Not really comprehending the
question, Soun merely shook his head wildly a second time.
It was about that time when a groan embodied from over the panda's shoulder as the young
passenger awakened once more. Finding himself flopping over the panda's shoulder, the boy's
temper burst and he wacked the panda in the back of the head as hard as he could, knocking it
unconscious. He climbed off of the panda as it fell, then straightened his clothes and pony-tail,
and took in his surroundings, mumbling to himself, "Damned panda. Serves him right..." He
blinked as he noticed the small group staring at him, "Uh, hi..."
A loud silence permeated the air until Soun finally regained some sanity, "You... wouldn't
happen to be..."
The red-haired boy suddenly smirked, "Name's Ranma Saotome, but you can call me Red."
"Oh, I see! You ARE Ranma!!" Soun looked especially happy at this point as he went to give
the boy a fatherly hug. About two seconds into the hug Ranma suddenly stiffened and slipped out of the thin man's arms. Soun backed off and tried to appraise the boy's skill.
"Oooh, He's cute!" Nabiki looked a little relieved.
Akane's face took on an irritated hue, "So what, Nabiki?? He's just a boy!! And what about the
panda? What are we going to do about that??"
Ranma's expression flickered toward a scowl at the "boy" remark, but he quickly covered it up
and raised his hand, "Uh, about the panda... That's my Pop. Sort of."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really? I don't see the family resemblance."
"Uh, well... What'd be the best way to explain it? Uh, could I get some hot water, please?" He
shifted uncomfortably, "I guess it'd be best to show ya."
Kasumi smiled sweetly, "But of course. I'll go get it. Meanwhile, please sit down. You must be
tired from your trip."
Soun spoke up, "Yes, make yourself at home."
Ranma smiled, "Thanks." The small group moved to the table and Soun looked back hesitantly,
"What about... your... father?"
The red-haired boy looked back and shrugged, "Ah, leave 'im be. He'll come around sooner or
later. Preferably later." he added under his breath.
Soun looked uncertain, "If... you say so..." Ranma looked around the house, taking in the layout
and the position of the furniture, then turned his gaze toward his hosts, studying them. Ignoring
their uncomfortable silence, he looked over at Soun, who seemed to be studying him back.
Transferring his gaze to Nabiki resulted in the short-haired girl primping herself and trying to
capture his complete attention. Ignoring that, he looked over at Akane, who glared back
spitefully. Suddenly smirking again, he continued to stare her in the eyes until her glare faltered
and she looked away. Something tugged at the back of her mind, telling her that something
wasn't right with those pale blue orbs. Ranma continued to study her for a moment, as he noticed
something of interest about her.
Just as he was about to say something, Akane spoke up instead, "It's not polite to stare, you
know."
Smirking yet again, he replied, "Who was staring? Me, or you? I was studying you. You were
glaring at me. See?? No staring involved."
Unable to take fault with that logic, Akane returned to glaring at him, which he ignored. "So...
you practice martial arts?"
Taken aback, she nodded, "Yeah... So??"
"So how 'bout a quick match? Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya." His perpetual smirk returned.
"Oh, yeah?? I could kick your sorry ass all over town!"
"Wanna bet??"
It was here that Nabiki jumped in. Leaning forward, she smiled at him, "Bets are my forte. How
much?"
Ranma turned to look at her, "What? Oh, sorry. Just a figure of speech."
Disappointed, she sat back down. Ranma was about to say more when Kasumi returned with the
hot water. "I'm sorry it took so long. The hot water heater is broken, so I had to warm up a
kettle."
Getting up, Ranma moved down the hallway, then returned, dragging the panda. Taking the
kettle from Kasumi, he poured a little over the panda, which turned it into a chunky man wearing
a dirty white gi and a bandana over his balding head. Soun gasped in recognition, "Genma??"
The rest of the family stared.
At this, the former panda groaned and sat up, holding his head, "Ungrateful boy... "
Behind him, Ranma snorted, "Like I have anything to be grateful for."
Rising to his feet, Genma was about to unleash the devastating "Attack of the Angry Alligator"
(crocodile tears) on the whelp, when a voice distracted him from behind, "Genma, old friend! It
IS you!"
Turning around, he spotted Soun and his face broke out in a big grin, "Soun, old buddy! How
have you been??" He grabbed the thin man in a bear hug (pun intended), who returned it with
tears streaming from his eyes.
Nabiki finally recovered from the shock of seeing a panda bear turn into a human being before
her very eyes, "So you DO know these people."
Soun released the heavier man and nodded, "Yes. This..." He indicated the chunky man before
him, "Is Genma Saotome, my long-time friend and training partner."
Genma nodded and pulled the red-haired boy up beside him, "And this is my son, Ranma."
Ranma himself just looked down at the floor and tugged at his pony-tail nervously, "Well, sort
of..."
Soun blinked, "Exactly what do you mean by 'sort of'?"
Genma cleared his throat in response, "Yes, well... It all goes back to one month ago when my
son and I crossed over to China to further our training..."
Ranma just rolled his eyes at Genma's attempt to be dramatic and sighed, "A'right, look. Have
you ever heard of Jusenkyo?"
Soun shook his head blankly. Ranma continued to explain, "The Jusenkyo springs are a
legendary training grounds in China. Somewhere in the Bayankala range of the Quinghai
province, I'm told. These springs are also known as The Pools of Sorrow, and for good reason,
too. About a month ago, me and Pops, here, made a trip to see those cursed spring..."
------{ Flashback Insertion Surgery In Progress }------
Their guide moved in front of them and held up a sign, "Here, Honored Customers, we come to
famous Training Ground of Cursed Springs, Jusenkyo."
Ranma and his father surveyed the area as they set their packs down. Many springs littered the
small valley, and bamboo poles grew sparsely here and there, both in and out of the springs. The
morning heat combined with the moisture generated by the springs created a light fog over the
whole valley, giving the viewers a creepy feeling. Genma un-shouldered his pack first, "Are you
prepared, Ranma?" Genma was a large man, pudgy at first glance, but a second glance revealed
that it was mostly muscle. A dirty white gi covered his large frame, and a pair of glasses were
wrapped around his ears, pulling them close to his face. A white bandana covered his head,
mostly concealing his baldness.
Ranma who was also dressed in a white gi at the time, ignored the uneasy feeling that the
springs gave him for the time being, and also un-shouldered his pack, "Yeah, this place ain't near
as bad as I thought it'd be." This Ranma is a little different from the one described earlier, being
the Ranma that we all know and love. Wild black hair was pulled into a short ponytail at the back
of his head and cloudy blue eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
The guide was taken aback, "Oh, Honored Customers, you is strange ones, no? This place very
dangerous, nobody use now, this training ground. More than one hundred spring here, and each
one have own tragic legend!"
Ignoring him, Genma turned toward his son, "Right. Follow me, Ranma!"
Following his father, Ranma leapt up to one of the bamboo poles growing near the springs. The
guide began to panic, "Honored Customers, what you doing? You no go there! I no finish tragic
story yet!"
Genma and son perched, one footed, on the very tops of the bamboo poles, "I'm not going to go
easy on you, boy."
Facing his father, Ranma smirked confidently, "That's just the way I like it!" As one they leaped,
each dodging the other's blows and landing on a different pole.
Below, the guide continued to panic, "Honored Customers!! Very bad you fall in spring!"
Ignoring the pudgy man below, Genma jumped at his son once more, and Ranma did the same.
This time Ranma gained the upper hand, and his father's trajectory was disrupted, sending him
into one of the nearby springs.
"What's wrong, old man? We done already?" he asked the rippling water. A moment later, the
water gushed upward as a large, wet panda jumped from the spring and landed on a pole in front
of the astonished boy. "W- what's THAT???!" he asked the guide, as he pointed at the panda.
The guide was about to answer him when they were all distracted by a bright flash of light
which appeared in mid-air above Ranma. The flash dropped something and disappeared. The
shell-shocked boy had no time to react as the large object slammed into him and dropped them
both through the boards of the spring below them. The waters became still.
Concerned, Genma jumped down beside the guide and started to ask him something, but it only
came out as growls and barks. He stopped and cleared his throat, then tried again, but the only
sounds he could make were growling noises. Finally realizing something was wrong, he walked
over to an untouched spring and stared in astonishment when the still water reflected the image
of a panda.
Realizing the same thing must have happened to his son, he was about to dive in after Ranma
when the guide stopped him, "It okay, Honored Customer. Young sir fall in un-cursed spring.
That why it boarded up."
Relieved, Genma was about to ask the guide something else when he remembered his current
predicament, that being stuck in the body of a panda. Snatching a name sign and marker from the
guide, he wrote on the back of it, |Where do I find a cure??| He tapped the guide on his shoulder
to get his attention, "Groww, growwrow!"
The guide continued to stare at the still pool with concern, "Um, Honored Customer?... Young
Sir not coming up..."
The panda looked toward the pool questioningly, "Growwf??"
The guide started for his hut, "I fear pool may be cursed, now. I go get retrieval tool." Entering
his hut, he returned with a long pole with a blunt hook on the end. Dipping it in the pool, he
began fishing for the missing boy, while Genma looked on with concern.
The guide finally snagged something and began tugging on it. He finally pulled a body to the
surface, and Genma burst into excited barks as he recognized his son, unchanged. However, the
black-haired boy remained unmoving and un-breathing. Genma quickly set about trying to
resuscitate him while the guide went back to dipping in the pool. The panda growfed
questioningly. The guide guessed what he was asking and replied, "I think other thing was
another boy."
After fishing for nearly five minutes, the guide finally snagged something else in the pool and
dragged it up. It was indeed another boy. He was distracted from studying the body when a
coughing sound behind him alerted him to Ranma's awakening.
------{ Eyecatch }------
Genma-panda juggles some pieces of fruit, then catches them in his mouth. He takes a drink a from a nearby cup, then promptly spits it back out.
------{ End Eyecatch }------
Ranma coughed repeatedly, slowly ridding himself of the water in his lungs. Recovering from
his coughing fit, he finally noticed the panda in front of him. "GYAAA!!" He skittered backward
to get away from the beast- and promptly fell back into the pool he had just come from... The
other two just stared in disbelief.
Spluttering to the surface, he suddenly noticed that he felt... different. Fearful of what he might
have turned into, he looked himself over, but could not immediately find anything wrong with
his body. Carefully climbing out of the pool, (on the opposite side as the panda) he proceeded to
look himself over more carefully. [Okay, for one thing I'm taller... ] A strand of wet hair dangled
in front of his face. [Hey, what's with this? My hair turned red!] He ran his tongue around his
mouth to try and get rid of the pond-water taste. [I've got fangs?? What, did I turn into a
werewolf or something?] He looked his hands over for fur. Finding none, he noticed something
else about his hands. [What's with my fingernails? They're harder or something... ] He flicked his
nails a couple of times in fascination. [They're longer, too...]
Across the pool, the panda held up a sign and barked to get his attention, |Ranma? Is that you,
boy?|
Looking up, the red-haired boy stared at the panda, then remembered what had happened before
the panda had come out of the pool, "Pops, is that you??"
The panda growfed happily and held up another sign, |I'm your father, boy! What happened to
YOU??|
Ranma shrugged, "I dunno, Pops. Nothin' happened the first time..."
Meanwhile the guide had given up trying to resuscitate the other boy and had gone back into his
hut. Re-emerging with a pair of kettles, he poured one on the panda. It shrank back into the
familiar shape of Genma, who took one look at his hands and began joyfully dancing in circles.
Carefully making his way around the pool, he poured the other kettle on the red-haired boy.
Who didn't change back. The guide nearly dropped the kettle in shock. "Oh, Sirs! That never
happen before!!"
"What?? Why didn't I ch- Hey, who's that??", he asked, finally noticing the other body lying by
the pool.
"That boy who fall on Honored Customer. You both drown, but no can revive this one. So sad.
Magic turn whatever fall in into whatever drown there last. This un-cursed spring until you
drown. New cursed spring now form at Jusenkyo..."
Ranma's face turned thoughtful, "We both drowned? Then, if this is the cursed form, I must be a
mix of Ranma and Randy."
The guide looked surprised, "Honored Customer, how you know that his name?"
"I dunno. All I know is his name's Randy Donahue. I feel like I should be able to remember
more, but..." Ranma studied the corpse with a strange sense of familiarity. Auburn hair fell to
both sides of its face and its mouth was open, revealing its fangs. [Well, at least now I know
where I got THOSE from...] The boy was dressed in a strange set of clothes. A purple sleeveless
and pants, both ripped in various places. A long black sash was wrapped around its waist and
pair of black leather bracers encased its forearms. A pair of tight black leather boots adorned its
feet.
Genma placed a hand on the boys shoulder, "You okay, boy?"
Ranma looked up and turned to face the heavy-set man, "Yeah, I'm fine, Pops. It's kinda like I
died, but I didn't. Real strange."
"You sure, boy? You're taking this awfully well..."
------{ Flashback Recovery Surgery In Progress }------
The family sat in silence, digesting the story. Finally Nabiki spoke up, "So, to sum it all up, you
and your father went to this Jusenkyo place and started to spar, when a flash of light dropped the
other boy on you and knocked you both out. You both landed in an un-cursed spring, and
drowned, cursing it so whatever fell in it next would turn into an amalgam of you and the other
boy (Randy, you said his name was?). Your father and the guide managed to revive you, but not
Randy, and when you woke up, you saw the panda your father had turned into, freaked out, and
fell into the pool you'd just drowned in, thus permanently cursing yourself to look like both you
and this other boy."
Ranma nodded, "That's about right. 'Cept, if you wanna get technical, the person I am now is
neither Ranma OR Randy, since Pops tells me my personality changed. I kinda decided I'm both,
thus the nickname 'Red'." He suddenly blinked, "Oh, yeah! I told you about the fangs and the
fingernails, right?"
The rest of the family nodded collectively, so Ranma continued, "When we buried the body, we
found out I'd 'inherited' something else from him..." He pulled back the hair at the side of his
head away from his ears, revealing the fact that they tapered to a point at the top. "The other guy
had bigger and longer ears, but they were still pointed, like mine."
It was at this point Akane finally figured out what was wrong with his eyes, "That's it! Your
eyes, they're slitted, like a cat's!!"
The family gathered around him to get a good look as his eyes widened in understanding, "So
that's it! I was wondering why I could see in the dark better after that." He then shrugged and
turned toward Akane, "Oh, well. Just another weird thing in my life. So, when do we have our
match?"
The youngest Tendo looked at him blankly for a moment until she remembered that he had
challenged her to a sparring match before he started his story, "What, right now?? Alright, I
suppose..." She rose from the table and headed toward the dojo, the red-haired boy trailing
behind.
Soun looked after them as they left, tears streaming from his eyes, "Oh they're getting along
already! It's the perfect match! Right, Saotome-kun?" However, the large man had also risen
from the table and was preparing to follow the pair.
"Tendo-kun, there's something I think you should see..." he said seriously. "The boy's fighting
style also changed when he fell in that pool. Even someone who doesn't know his original style
will know the difference. I think you should see for yourself." Puzzled, the Tendo patriarch rose
to follow his friend, his other two daughters trailing behind in mild curiosity.
------{ Out in the dojo }------
Ranma and Akane faced off. Akane glared at the BOY in front of her that dared
to challenge HER. The best martial artist in Nerima! "Get ready, because I'm NOT going to hold
back!"
Ranma merely smirked and sank down a little, "Heh. Wouldn't have it any other way!"
Akane shifted into her own stance and regarded the red-haired boy across from her. [Wha...
What's with his stance?? I've never seen that one before.] Ranma's knees were bent and he
balanced on the balls of his bare feet, toes spread for balance. One foot was slightly in front of
the other, but other than that, there appeared to be no stance at all. Even with his hands in his
pockets, he seemed to project the feeling of a cat, ready to pounce. Akane shook her head to clear
it, shaking off the frightened feeling that had washed over her for a moment. [It doesn't matter.
I'm the best in Nerima."
Dashing forward, she lashed with a forward punch. Ranma merely hopped over it... and hit her
in the face with a standing jump-kick. He landed with a disappointed look on his face, "Hey, I
thought you weren't gonna hold back? Come'on, take me seriously, here."
Stumbling back from the light kick, Akane glared at him and moved forward again, this time
with a punch-punch-kick combo. In response, the pony-tailed boy moved to the side of her
punches and bent over backward to avoid her kick, then retaliated with a quick upward kick from
below, hitting her lightly in the stomach. He straightened up from his bent over position, still on
one foot. His hands were still in his pockets.
Seeming to forget that it was only a sparring match, Akane rushed forward and launched a
full-out assault on the confidently smirking boy before her. Annoyingly, he shifted around every
single one of her strikes, sometimes moving to the side, sometimes moving up or down, but
always avoiding her at the last second. Confident that she had him on the defensive, she
continued to miss him by mere inches, ignoring the fact that he had yet to take his hands out of
his pockets.
As she consistently failed to even touch the boy, her frustration started to swell. Finally she
snapped, a red haze settling over her vision. She screamed a battle cry as an angry red aura
bloomed into existence around her body.
Ranma straightened from his slouched position and finally took his hands out of his pockets,
watching her with interest. [Hmmm... I was right! She does have potential. Lots of it, in fact.] He
released his own aura, which was, at the moment, a pale blue, matching his eyes. He had yet to
take a stance.
Akane jumped forward, even faster than before, and began to attack the glowing boy with
unmatched fury. Punches that blurred and kicks that whistled STILL missed the smirking boy,
who continued to dance around her attacks. This continued for nearly five minutes until Ranma
stopped watching her movements and retaliated. He ducked back from one last punch, and...
shifted. A moment later, Akane dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Soun, who had watched the fight with growing concern, rounded on Ranma, his face swelling
into the Demon-head Technique, "RRRAAAANNMMMMAAAAA!!! How dare you hurt my
little girl!!!!"
Ranma suddenly returned the demon-head glare with a glare of his own, "Ah, so YOU'RE the
one who's been holding back this great fighter. Or she would have been, if you hadn't been so
soft with her training! As a great martial artist yourself, and as a father, it's YOUR duty to make
sure every fighter reaches their full potential, including your daughter!"
Unexpectedly, Soun deflated and began sobbing, "I- I just wanted what was best for my little
girl!"
Ranma's face softened and he placed a hand on the tearful man's shoulder, "Yeah, well your
'little girl' also has the potential to be a great fighter. It'd be a shame to let that potential go to
waste." Off to the side, Genma nodded wisely.
Soun nodded, still sobbing, "You're right, but after my beloved wife died, I just haven't had the
heart to train seriously." Kasumi and Nabiki looked on in sympathy.
Ranma nodded, understanding, "Well, I can't say I understand the loss of a loved one, but I don't
think anyone should let themselves waste away like this. I can tell you used to be a great martial
artist in your own right, and I think with a little training you could be again. You just need to pull
your self together."
Genma stepped forward and put his hand on Soun's other shoulder, "The boy is right,
Tendo-kun. Pull yourself together. We can train together, just like in the old days." Inwardly, he
wondered just where Ranma had gotten THAT little bit of wisdom. It certainly hadn't been from
him.
Kasumi and Nabiki were surprised when their father didn't immediately lash out at the two for
daring to tell him to forget his wife, but instead continued sob, "I- I don't know... I'll think about
it." Ranma nodded and released his shoulder, satisfied.
Genma squeezed the thin man's shoulder and let go, nodding, "That's all we ask, Tendo-kun.
That's all we ask. Now, how about finishing those introductions the boy interrupted."
Taking a moment to come to himself, Soun cleared his throat, "Yes, well... Ranma, my boy, my
name is Soun Tendo, and these are my three daughters. Kasumi, she's 19, Nabiki, she's 17, and
Akane- Akane, my baby!! Someone get an ice pack!" Kasumi immediately headed for the
kitchen.
Ranma smirked and shook his head, "She's fine, Tendo-san. She'll be a little sore when she
wakes up, but most of it was her own fault. Her body's just not used to moving that fast, that's all.
I only hit her hard enough to bruise once, and that was when I knocked her out."
Akane groaned as she came to and Ranma gestured in her direction, "See?" He walked over to
the teary-eyed girl and crouched next to her, "Hey, you okay?"
She abruptly tried to shove him away, then groaned as her muscles protested, "Go away."
He didn't move, "Hey, hey. What's wrong?"
Akane just squeezed the tears out of her eyes and turned away from him, "Nothing a BOY like
you would understand. Go. Away."
The pony-tailed boy merely shifted from a crouch to a kneel, "I don't get it. Why would the fact
that I'm a guy bother you?" The dark-haired girl didn't answer, so he sighed and sat down in a
cross-legged position, "Okay, fine. I ain't movin' 'til you tell me what's the matter." She
involuntarily stared at him in surprise, then quickly looked away again.
The other members of the family suddenly looked at Ranma in a new light, including Kasumi,
who had returned with the requested ice-pack. She walked over to the pair and set it on Akane's
forehead. Silence reigned for several minutes as Kasumi knelt next to them and stroked Akane's
hair, until Akane finally mustered the courage to ask, "...Why?"
Ranma thought for a moment, then shrugged, "I guess it partly has to do with... Well, it seems as
if this thing you got against boys is connected to how angry you got when you fought me. You
lost control of your anger, and that's never a good thing for a martial artist to do... That, and I just
can't stand seein' a girl cry." He tugged his pony-tail in embarrassment.
"Look, Saotome-kun! They're bonding already! Looks like your boy has already chosen who to
marry!" Three guesses who that was, and the first two don't count.
Ranma's head snapped up, "Marry??"
Soun nodded happily, "Yes. I was going to give you the pick of my girls to wed, but it appears
you have already chosen!"
The red-haired boy looked a little disgruntled, "Darn, I was hoping you'd forget about that." He
shrugged, "Oh, well. I just thought you'd like to know, that agreement you made with Pops is
kinda void." The girls looked at him sharply.
That wiped the smile off of Soun's face real quick, "What do you mean by that???"
"Well, see, on the way here I found out Pops engaged me to somebody ELSE, too..."
Soun rounded on Genma this time, "Saotome-kun, what is the meaning of this???!"
"I- I- uh... well..." Genma stuttered for a moment, then regained his composure, "Oh, the boy's
just being rebellious, that's all. Yeah. Besides, even if I had done that, our agreement takes
precedence, since we made it before they were ever born! Right, Tendo-kun?"
The mustached man immediately calmed down, "Of course! You're right Saotome-kun! It does
take precedence, doesn't it?"
"Eh-heh... Right..."
smack The sound drew their attention to Ranma, who was still sitting by Akane and had just
smacked his face in frustration. "Jeeze, I hope the stupidity around here isn't contagious." He
unfolded himself and got to his feet, "A'right. Let's get one thing straight. I ain't marryin' no-one,
no-how. The only reason I'm gonna stay here in the first place, is 'cause I wanna see Akane here
reach her full potential. So if you want me ta stay here, you better start trainin' her seriously."
Genma rose to his full height, which was actually a little shorter than his son, "Now see here,
boy! This engagement is a matter of honor. You will marry a Tendo and be happy about it,
hear?"
"Honor, schmonour. You wouldn't know honor if it came up an' BIT you on the BUTT, old
man!"
The large man's expression turned from sternness to sadness in the blink of an eye. He put an
arm over his face and began to shed crocodile tears, "Why, oh why??? What did I ever do to get
such a disrespectful boy???"
Ranma's face turned dark, "Stuff it, old man."
"Oh, the shame!! The humiliation!!!"
"I... said... STUFF IT!!!!" The red-haired boy's aura burst into existence around him, a dark
purple this time, just before he blurred forward and stiff-armed the unsuspecting man, sending
him through the wall of the dojo and into the koi pond in the yard. He stayed in the strike
position for a moment before his aura blinked out and he took a deep breath to get his anger
under wraps.
Smiling weakly, he turned around and bowed to the startled family, "Sorry 'bout that." He
looked seriously at Akane, "Even MY temper can get away from me at times. The old man's
Pro'ly just gonna have a bruise in the morning, but if that was a normal person, they would have
been seriously injured. Keep that in mind when YOUR temper gets away from you."
Akane nodded slowly as she took in the information, then painstakingly got to her feet, muscles
protesting every step of the way. Kasumi clucked in concern, "Oh dear. You had better go take a
bath, Akane."
Ranma nodded in agreement, "She's right. A nice hot soak 'll do wonders for those sore muscles.
Ya need some help gettin' there?" Akane shook her head stubbornly, to which Ranma smirked
and shook his head in amusement, "Yeah, you're tough. You can make it."
Kasumi escorted the younger girl out of the dojo and into the house, leaving Ranma alone with
Soun and Nabiki. The short-haired girl took this opportunity to latch onto his arm, and mold
herself to his side. Ranma blushed and tried to subtly scoot away from the clinging girl.
Unfortunately, this only had the effect of making her squeeze harder.
"So, Ranma-kun. What's your choice?", she purred throatily.
gulp "Uh, Choice?", he squeaked, then cleared his throat, "Choice?"
"Yes... I don't know about you, but I'M willing to give this engagement thing a try, especially
with someone as -handsome- and -fit- as you..." She began tracing circles on his chest, eliciting
nervous giggles from the beet red boy.
"Eh-heh-heh... Fit? I'm fit. Yeah. Very fit. Uh, fit. Very.", he continued to babble, nearly ready
make a break for it.
"Yeah... So how about I show you my -bedroom-..." With a jerk, a dribble of blood trickled from
his nose and he slumped to the floor in a dead faint, causing the short-haired girl burst into
giggles.
Soun frowned at his daughter in disapproval, "Now, Nabiki. That wasn't very nice."
Still giggling, she managed to reply, "Oh, daddy. You know I wasn't serious. I was just having a
bit of fun, that's all."
He continued to frown, "Still..."
She finally straightened, regaining her breath, "It's okay, daddy. If he doesn't accept the
engagement, I'm pretty sure I can at least get a boyfriend out of the deal. After all, he did say he
was going to stay a while..."
The mustached man brightened at that, "You're right, Nabiki. Good luck with him!"
------{ Eyecatch }------
Ranma juggles a several balls, a small black piglet, and a white-and-lavender cat, then uppercuts a descending Genma-panda under the jaw, knocking it out.
------{ End Episode 01 }------
Author's Notes: And there it is... I hope I don't get flamed TOO badly for this one. As you can
see, the new Ranma still has bits of the old Ranma hanging around, so he won't be TOO
different. I hope. The BIG differences are mostly that he is a lot more devoted to Martial Arts,
and he doesn't take a whole lot of crap. From anyone. (That's not to say he takes NO crap, just
not much.) His views toward honor are also a little looser.
If you're wondering where the Chaos is, it has to do with the other guy that Ranma merged with.
If you want details, either wait until the next chapter or e-mail me at: {ReD2in@hotmail.com}.
I'll warn you again, though. I update very slowly. (Maybe once every two months.)
Poll time!!! Just kidding. Although there are a couple things I want to know, so if you review this
thing, let me know. First off, would you rather I continue Chaos 1/2, or Finishing Moves first?
Second, where do you think Chaos 1/2 should go from here? Finishing Moves is more-or-less pure
Ranma, and that makes it somewhat limited (to me,anyway), whereas Chaos 1/2 is an A/U and could go pretty much anywhere
from here. I've got ideas, but I want to hear YOUR input.
Anyway, Read 'n Review!! Constructive Criticism will be welcomed, Flames will be given to
the neighbor's Rotweilers* (spelled?) to chew on.
Hello??
Anyone out there??
Anybody???
sigh
little important fact. This is going to suck. Big-time. Feel free to contradict that statement.
I know, I'm a BAD boy for starting another fic with one already in progress, but the idea popped
into my head and wouldn't go away. And I'm already a slow writer... Jeeze, this is going to drag
my update times waaaaaay down. Anyway, this one's kind of an Alternate-Universe -because- of
a Self-Insert. The only person who's SUPPOSED to be different is Ranma/Randy. Well, Randy's
not ME, exactly. Just my -character- from my other fic, Finishing Moves. Although, he IS me.
Sort of. I mean if you want to get technical, it's only a SEMI self-insert... I'll shut up now.
Disclaimer: Ranma??? Who's that?
------------{ Chaos 1/2 }------------
------{ Episode 01: Here's Ranma! Or Not. }------
It was a dark and stormy night. Well, actually, it was daytime, and the rain was only a light
drizzle, but it's a start. The few citizens of Nerima that hadn't locked themselves inside and were
outside in this weather were a little nervous, and for a good reason. The Chaos had not caused
anything weird to happen lately. Oh sure, laugh all you want. As any decent, long living citizen
of this particular ward of Tokyo would tell you, The Chaos was real. Oh, there was no real proof
to be seen, but what else could explain the weird happenings that revolved around Nerima. Why,
just last week, there was that incident involving Tokugawa-san and his bucket of cats! Exactly.
Trust me, you don't want to know...
Getting back on track, The Chaos hadn't made anything weird happen lately. Which was more
than a little nerve-wracking to a fine, upstanding, and sane resident of Nerima. Just to clear
things up, you understand. If you avoided thinking about the oxymoron brought about by Chaos
having a pattern, then you could say (hypothetically, of course) that Chaos did indeed have a
pattern. Yes, the strange incidents caused by The Chaos' meddling were random, as were the time
that they occurred. However, it almost seemed as if the incidents happened on a regular monthly
basis, then dwindled down to nothing for another month or so. The reason for the citizens'
concern was now apparent if you considered the fact that it had been a little over a month since
anything REALLY weird had happened. Yeah, and you thought the cats were weird. They don't
happen to count.
Don't worry, be happy. Or try anyway. The Chaos is about to begin! ...... Hey, where'd
everybody go??
Ooookay... Moving right along, let's take the time to introduce to you the ONLY family in
Nerima at least giving the appearance of NOT being affected by The Chaos. The Tendos. That's
right, the Tendos. A rather common name if you actually think about it. But let's not...
The Tendo family was only a LITTLE on the strange side. The father, Soun Tendo, or Tendo
Soun, whichever you prefer, was a part of the district council, so he couldn't have been TOO
weird. Soun was a thin, middle-aged man with shoulder length black hair and a mustache. He
also had a habit of wearing an old brown Martial Arts gi, probably for sentimental reasons. His
wife had died of a severe illness a few years ago and had left the man an emotional wreck.
The first daughter, Kasumi, was a little on the tall side, especially for a Japanese. Being
nine-teen and graduated from high school, she contented herself with filling in for her mother.
She did most of the chores around the house, made the meals, washed the clothes, et cetera, et
cetera... Soft brown hair was pulled into a pony-tail and was kept out of the way by being pulled
over her left shoulder to the front. Being a traditional housewife-ish sort, she wore the traditional
housewife-ish apron over whatever dress she wore for the day. A soft-spoken soul, she never
raised her voice and had a tendency to play peacemaker.
The second daughter, Nabiki, was best described as a mercenary, being well known for her
sarcasm and her confident smirk as she bled you of your money before you could say Nabiki
Tendo. That being her reputation. The real Nabiki put her family first, though she tried not to
show it, and was also a little boy-crazy. She handled the finances, seeing as how her father was
not in any condition to do so, and kept up with the bills with the money she gained from running
the local betting pool at school, among other things. Her short brown hair was kept well
conditioned and had a smooth shine to it. She tended to wear clothes that looked tight on her
admittedly well-toned body. She was seven-teen and in her last year of high school.
The third and last daughter, Akane, was six-teen years old and the most popular girl in school.
Somewhat tomboy-ish, she was still a nice girl, unless her temper got away from her. Long, dark
blue hair framed her face prettily and fell down her back, where she kept it tied in a loose
pony-tail. She tended toward sun dresses and short skirts that let her fight when need be. You
see, this young woman was the heir to her families' style of Martial Arts, the Tendo School of
Anything Goes Martial Arts.
Getting back to the rain. Yes, that rain. That drizzle that nobody wanted to be out in... Well,
there WAS someone out in it... Not that he wanted to be, mind you. But he was. Out in the rain,
that is... The Narrator will shut up now.
A young man walked slowly through the dismal drizzle, arguing with a panda. Yes, a panda.
Remember, this IS Nerima. Now, this being a story about Ranma, you might expect this young
man to be Ranma. Well, you would be right, and you would be wrong. That being such a long
and complicated story, we'll let HIM explain it to you. When he has the time. At the moment, he
was arguing with a panda. The argument itself went something like this...
"Dammit, Pops! What the hell were you thinking, engaging me to some girl without me
knowing about it!!"
The panda, now identified as the boy's father, held up a wooden sign that read, |Be respectful of
your elders, Boy!|
Said boy was tall, with wild red hair that hung in a thin pony-tail down the length of his back.
He was currently wearing a bright red, sleeveless Chinese shirt, and a pair of black Chinese
pants. A long black sash was wrapped around his waist. He was barefoot at the time and a pair of black leather bracers adorned his fore-arms,
indicating that he knew how to fight. He confirmed this fact by smacking the panda a few times.
A second. "I might respect ya if ya didn't keep making stupid mistakes like this one! Now stop
dodging the question! What were you thinking??!"
The panda retaliated by sending a few paw strikes in the young man's direction, who avoided
them casually. |Well, my boy. Old man Tendo and I made a Pact before you were born.| flip
|We promised each other that if one of us had a son and the other a daughter...| flip |that they
would be engaged to marry when they reached marriage-able age.| flip |You are six-teen now
and are eligible to fulfill the Pact.| Let's just ignore the fact that the sign seemed to have four
sides. Thanks.
"Pro'ly made it in a bar, while drunk. Oh well, I'll go along with it for now. But if I find out
you've engaged me to someone ELSE without my consent, I'm outta here." The panda suddenly
started sweating nervously, and the boy noticed. "Oh, great. You DID. Well, I'm gone." He
abruptly did an about-face and began walking in the other direction. The panda panicked and
broke a street sign out of the ground, then turned around and swatted the red-haired boy over the
head with it. Picking the unconscious boy up, he looked around at all the staring pedestrians and
barked angrily. He was just NOT having a good day.
------{ The Tendo home }------
Soun Tendo had just informed his three daughters of the engagement, with
varying reactions, when a knock sounded from the front door. Jumping up, Soun and Nabiki
excitedly ran for the door with Kasumi and Akane following at a more sedate pace. A moment
later, they stopped in consternation as the first two came dashing back down the hall. The
explanation for their panic became apparent a moment later when the panda from earlier walked
calmly down the hallway, carrying an unmoving reddish bundle over one shoulder and a large
hiking pack in the other.
Kasumi nervously looked over her father's shoulder, "Are these your friends, father?" The Tendo
patriarch shook his head wildly.
Nabiki paused in looking over her father's other shoulder to give him a level-eyed stare, "If
they're not your friends, then WHAT is a PANDA doing here??" Not really comprehending the
question, Soun merely shook his head wildly a second time.
It was about that time when a groan embodied from over the panda's shoulder as the young
passenger awakened once more. Finding himself flopping over the panda's shoulder, the boy's
temper burst and he wacked the panda in the back of the head as hard as he could, knocking it
unconscious. He climbed off of the panda as it fell, then straightened his clothes and pony-tail,
and took in his surroundings, mumbling to himself, "Damned panda. Serves him right..." He
blinked as he noticed the small group staring at him, "Uh, hi..."
A loud silence permeated the air until Soun finally regained some sanity, "You... wouldn't
happen to be..."
The red-haired boy suddenly smirked, "Name's Ranma Saotome, but you can call me Red."
"Oh, I see! You ARE Ranma!!" Soun looked especially happy at this point as he went to give
the boy a fatherly hug. About two seconds into the hug Ranma suddenly stiffened and slipped out of the thin man's arms. Soun backed off and tried to appraise the boy's skill.
"Oooh, He's cute!" Nabiki looked a little relieved.
Akane's face took on an irritated hue, "So what, Nabiki?? He's just a boy!! And what about the
panda? What are we going to do about that??"
Ranma's expression flickered toward a scowl at the "boy" remark, but he quickly covered it up
and raised his hand, "Uh, about the panda... That's my Pop. Sort of."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really? I don't see the family resemblance."
"Uh, well... What'd be the best way to explain it? Uh, could I get some hot water, please?" He
shifted uncomfortably, "I guess it'd be best to show ya."
Kasumi smiled sweetly, "But of course. I'll go get it. Meanwhile, please sit down. You must be
tired from your trip."
Soun spoke up, "Yes, make yourself at home."
Ranma smiled, "Thanks." The small group moved to the table and Soun looked back hesitantly,
"What about... your... father?"
The red-haired boy looked back and shrugged, "Ah, leave 'im be. He'll come around sooner or
later. Preferably later." he added under his breath.
Soun looked uncertain, "If... you say so..." Ranma looked around the house, taking in the layout
and the position of the furniture, then turned his gaze toward his hosts, studying them. Ignoring
their uncomfortable silence, he looked over at Soun, who seemed to be studying him back.
Transferring his gaze to Nabiki resulted in the short-haired girl primping herself and trying to
capture his complete attention. Ignoring that, he looked over at Akane, who glared back
spitefully. Suddenly smirking again, he continued to stare her in the eyes until her glare faltered
and she looked away. Something tugged at the back of her mind, telling her that something
wasn't right with those pale blue orbs. Ranma continued to study her for a moment, as he noticed
something of interest about her.
Just as he was about to say something, Akane spoke up instead, "It's not polite to stare, you
know."
Smirking yet again, he replied, "Who was staring? Me, or you? I was studying you. You were
glaring at me. See?? No staring involved."
Unable to take fault with that logic, Akane returned to glaring at him, which he ignored. "So...
you practice martial arts?"
Taken aback, she nodded, "Yeah... So??"
"So how 'bout a quick match? Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya." His perpetual smirk returned.
"Oh, yeah?? I could kick your sorry ass all over town!"
"Wanna bet??"
It was here that Nabiki jumped in. Leaning forward, she smiled at him, "Bets are my forte. How
much?"
Ranma turned to look at her, "What? Oh, sorry. Just a figure of speech."
Disappointed, she sat back down. Ranma was about to say more when Kasumi returned with the
hot water. "I'm sorry it took so long. The hot water heater is broken, so I had to warm up a
kettle."
Getting up, Ranma moved down the hallway, then returned, dragging the panda. Taking the
kettle from Kasumi, he poured a little over the panda, which turned it into a chunky man wearing
a dirty white gi and a bandana over his balding head. Soun gasped in recognition, "Genma??"
The rest of the family stared.
At this, the former panda groaned and sat up, holding his head, "Ungrateful boy... "
Behind him, Ranma snorted, "Like I have anything to be grateful for."
Rising to his feet, Genma was about to unleash the devastating "Attack of the Angry Alligator"
(crocodile tears) on the whelp, when a voice distracted him from behind, "Genma, old friend! It
IS you!"
Turning around, he spotted Soun and his face broke out in a big grin, "Soun, old buddy! How
have you been??" He grabbed the thin man in a bear hug (pun intended), who returned it with
tears streaming from his eyes.
Nabiki finally recovered from the shock of seeing a panda bear turn into a human being before
her very eyes, "So you DO know these people."
Soun released the heavier man and nodded, "Yes. This..." He indicated the chunky man before
him, "Is Genma Saotome, my long-time friend and training partner."
Genma nodded and pulled the red-haired boy up beside him, "And this is my son, Ranma."
Ranma himself just looked down at the floor and tugged at his pony-tail nervously, "Well, sort
of..."
Soun blinked, "Exactly what do you mean by 'sort of'?"
Genma cleared his throat in response, "Yes, well... It all goes back to one month ago when my
son and I crossed over to China to further our training..."
Ranma just rolled his eyes at Genma's attempt to be dramatic and sighed, "A'right, look. Have
you ever heard of Jusenkyo?"
Soun shook his head blankly. Ranma continued to explain, "The Jusenkyo springs are a
legendary training grounds in China. Somewhere in the Bayankala range of the Quinghai
province, I'm told. These springs are also known as The Pools of Sorrow, and for good reason,
too. About a month ago, me and Pops, here, made a trip to see those cursed spring..."
------{ Flashback Insertion Surgery In Progress }------
Their guide moved in front of them and held up a sign, "Here, Honored Customers, we come to
famous Training Ground of Cursed Springs, Jusenkyo."
Ranma and his father surveyed the area as they set their packs down. Many springs littered the
small valley, and bamboo poles grew sparsely here and there, both in and out of the springs. The
morning heat combined with the moisture generated by the springs created a light fog over the
whole valley, giving the viewers a creepy feeling. Genma un-shouldered his pack first, "Are you
prepared, Ranma?" Genma was a large man, pudgy at first glance, but a second glance revealed
that it was mostly muscle. A dirty white gi covered his large frame, and a pair of glasses were
wrapped around his ears, pulling them close to his face. A white bandana covered his head,
mostly concealing his baldness.
Ranma who was also dressed in a white gi at the time, ignored the uneasy feeling that the
springs gave him for the time being, and also un-shouldered his pack, "Yeah, this place ain't near
as bad as I thought it'd be." This Ranma is a little different from the one described earlier, being
the Ranma that we all know and love. Wild black hair was pulled into a short ponytail at the back
of his head and cloudy blue eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
The guide was taken aback, "Oh, Honored Customers, you is strange ones, no? This place very
dangerous, nobody use now, this training ground. More than one hundred spring here, and each
one have own tragic legend!"
Ignoring him, Genma turned toward his son, "Right. Follow me, Ranma!"
Following his father, Ranma leapt up to one of the bamboo poles growing near the springs. The
guide began to panic, "Honored Customers, what you doing? You no go there! I no finish tragic
story yet!"
Genma and son perched, one footed, on the very tops of the bamboo poles, "I'm not going to go
easy on you, boy."
Facing his father, Ranma smirked confidently, "That's just the way I like it!" As one they leaped,
each dodging the other's blows and landing on a different pole.
Below, the guide continued to panic, "Honored Customers!! Very bad you fall in spring!"
Ignoring the pudgy man below, Genma jumped at his son once more, and Ranma did the same.
This time Ranma gained the upper hand, and his father's trajectory was disrupted, sending him
into one of the nearby springs.
"What's wrong, old man? We done already?" he asked the rippling water. A moment later, the
water gushed upward as a large, wet panda jumped from the spring and landed on a pole in front
of the astonished boy. "W- what's THAT???!" he asked the guide, as he pointed at the panda.
The guide was about to answer him when they were all distracted by a bright flash of light
which appeared in mid-air above Ranma. The flash dropped something and disappeared. The
shell-shocked boy had no time to react as the large object slammed into him and dropped them
both through the boards of the spring below them. The waters became still.
Concerned, Genma jumped down beside the guide and started to ask him something, but it only
came out as growls and barks. He stopped and cleared his throat, then tried again, but the only
sounds he could make were growling noises. Finally realizing something was wrong, he walked
over to an untouched spring and stared in astonishment when the still water reflected the image
of a panda.
Realizing the same thing must have happened to his son, he was about to dive in after Ranma
when the guide stopped him, "It okay, Honored Customer. Young sir fall in un-cursed spring.
That why it boarded up."
Relieved, Genma was about to ask the guide something else when he remembered his current
predicament, that being stuck in the body of a panda. Snatching a name sign and marker from the
guide, he wrote on the back of it, |Where do I find a cure??| He tapped the guide on his shoulder
to get his attention, "Groww, growwrow!"
The guide continued to stare at the still pool with concern, "Um, Honored Customer?... Young
Sir not coming up..."
The panda looked toward the pool questioningly, "Growwf??"
The guide started for his hut, "I fear pool may be cursed, now. I go get retrieval tool." Entering
his hut, he returned with a long pole with a blunt hook on the end. Dipping it in the pool, he
began fishing for the missing boy, while Genma looked on with concern.
The guide finally snagged something and began tugging on it. He finally pulled a body to the
surface, and Genma burst into excited barks as he recognized his son, unchanged. However, the
black-haired boy remained unmoving and un-breathing. Genma quickly set about trying to
resuscitate him while the guide went back to dipping in the pool. The panda growfed
questioningly. The guide guessed what he was asking and replied, "I think other thing was
another boy."
After fishing for nearly five minutes, the guide finally snagged something else in the pool and
dragged it up. It was indeed another boy. He was distracted from studying the body when a
coughing sound behind him alerted him to Ranma's awakening.
------{ Eyecatch }------
Genma-panda juggles some pieces of fruit, then catches them in his mouth. He takes a drink a from a nearby cup, then promptly spits it back out.
------{ End Eyecatch }------
Ranma coughed repeatedly, slowly ridding himself of the water in his lungs. Recovering from
his coughing fit, he finally noticed the panda in front of him. "GYAAA!!" He skittered backward
to get away from the beast- and promptly fell back into the pool he had just come from... The
other two just stared in disbelief.
Spluttering to the surface, he suddenly noticed that he felt... different. Fearful of what he might
have turned into, he looked himself over, but could not immediately find anything wrong with
his body. Carefully climbing out of the pool, (on the opposite side as the panda) he proceeded to
look himself over more carefully. [Okay, for one thing I'm taller... ] A strand of wet hair dangled
in front of his face. [Hey, what's with this? My hair turned red!] He ran his tongue around his
mouth to try and get rid of the pond-water taste. [I've got fangs?? What, did I turn into a
werewolf or something?] He looked his hands over for fur. Finding none, he noticed something
else about his hands. [What's with my fingernails? They're harder or something... ] He flicked his
nails a couple of times in fascination. [They're longer, too...]
Across the pool, the panda held up a sign and barked to get his attention, |Ranma? Is that you,
boy?|
Looking up, the red-haired boy stared at the panda, then remembered what had happened before
the panda had come out of the pool, "Pops, is that you??"
The panda growfed happily and held up another sign, |I'm your father, boy! What happened to
YOU??|
Ranma shrugged, "I dunno, Pops. Nothin' happened the first time..."
Meanwhile the guide had given up trying to resuscitate the other boy and had gone back into his
hut. Re-emerging with a pair of kettles, he poured one on the panda. It shrank back into the
familiar shape of Genma, who took one look at his hands and began joyfully dancing in circles.
Carefully making his way around the pool, he poured the other kettle on the red-haired boy.
Who didn't change back. The guide nearly dropped the kettle in shock. "Oh, Sirs! That never
happen before!!"
"What?? Why didn't I ch- Hey, who's that??", he asked, finally noticing the other body lying by
the pool.
"That boy who fall on Honored Customer. You both drown, but no can revive this one. So sad.
Magic turn whatever fall in into whatever drown there last. This un-cursed spring until you
drown. New cursed spring now form at Jusenkyo..."
Ranma's face turned thoughtful, "We both drowned? Then, if this is the cursed form, I must be a
mix of Ranma and Randy."
The guide looked surprised, "Honored Customer, how you know that his name?"
"I dunno. All I know is his name's Randy Donahue. I feel like I should be able to remember
more, but..." Ranma studied the corpse with a strange sense of familiarity. Auburn hair fell to
both sides of its face and its mouth was open, revealing its fangs. [Well, at least now I know
where I got THOSE from...] The boy was dressed in a strange set of clothes. A purple sleeveless
and pants, both ripped in various places. A long black sash was wrapped around its waist and
pair of black leather bracers encased its forearms. A pair of tight black leather boots adorned its
feet.
Genma placed a hand on the boys shoulder, "You okay, boy?"
Ranma looked up and turned to face the heavy-set man, "Yeah, I'm fine, Pops. It's kinda like I
died, but I didn't. Real strange."
"You sure, boy? You're taking this awfully well..."
------{ Flashback Recovery Surgery In Progress }------
The family sat in silence, digesting the story. Finally Nabiki spoke up, "So, to sum it all up, you
and your father went to this Jusenkyo place and started to spar, when a flash of light dropped the
other boy on you and knocked you both out. You both landed in an un-cursed spring, and
drowned, cursing it so whatever fell in it next would turn into an amalgam of you and the other
boy (Randy, you said his name was?). Your father and the guide managed to revive you, but not
Randy, and when you woke up, you saw the panda your father had turned into, freaked out, and
fell into the pool you'd just drowned in, thus permanently cursing yourself to look like both you
and this other boy."
Ranma nodded, "That's about right. 'Cept, if you wanna get technical, the person I am now is
neither Ranma OR Randy, since Pops tells me my personality changed. I kinda decided I'm both,
thus the nickname 'Red'." He suddenly blinked, "Oh, yeah! I told you about the fangs and the
fingernails, right?"
The rest of the family nodded collectively, so Ranma continued, "When we buried the body, we
found out I'd 'inherited' something else from him..." He pulled back the hair at the side of his
head away from his ears, revealing the fact that they tapered to a point at the top. "The other guy
had bigger and longer ears, but they were still pointed, like mine."
It was at this point Akane finally figured out what was wrong with his eyes, "That's it! Your
eyes, they're slitted, like a cat's!!"
The family gathered around him to get a good look as his eyes widened in understanding, "So
that's it! I was wondering why I could see in the dark better after that." He then shrugged and
turned toward Akane, "Oh, well. Just another weird thing in my life. So, when do we have our
match?"
The youngest Tendo looked at him blankly for a moment until she remembered that he had
challenged her to a sparring match before he started his story, "What, right now?? Alright, I
suppose..." She rose from the table and headed toward the dojo, the red-haired boy trailing
behind.
Soun looked after them as they left, tears streaming from his eyes, "Oh they're getting along
already! It's the perfect match! Right, Saotome-kun?" However, the large man had also risen
from the table and was preparing to follow the pair.
"Tendo-kun, there's something I think you should see..." he said seriously. "The boy's fighting
style also changed when he fell in that pool. Even someone who doesn't know his original style
will know the difference. I think you should see for yourself." Puzzled, the Tendo patriarch rose
to follow his friend, his other two daughters trailing behind in mild curiosity.
------{ Out in the dojo }------
Ranma and Akane faced off. Akane glared at the BOY in front of her that dared
to challenge HER. The best martial artist in Nerima! "Get ready, because I'm NOT going to hold
back!"
Ranma merely smirked and sank down a little, "Heh. Wouldn't have it any other way!"
Akane shifted into her own stance and regarded the red-haired boy across from her. [Wha...
What's with his stance?? I've never seen that one before.] Ranma's knees were bent and he
balanced on the balls of his bare feet, toes spread for balance. One foot was slightly in front of
the other, but other than that, there appeared to be no stance at all. Even with his hands in his
pockets, he seemed to project the feeling of a cat, ready to pounce. Akane shook her head to clear
it, shaking off the frightened feeling that had washed over her for a moment. [It doesn't matter.
I'm the best in Nerima."
Dashing forward, she lashed with a forward punch. Ranma merely hopped over it... and hit her
in the face with a standing jump-kick. He landed with a disappointed look on his face, "Hey, I
thought you weren't gonna hold back? Come'on, take me seriously, here."
Stumbling back from the light kick, Akane glared at him and moved forward again, this time
with a punch-punch-kick combo. In response, the pony-tailed boy moved to the side of her
punches and bent over backward to avoid her kick, then retaliated with a quick upward kick from
below, hitting her lightly in the stomach. He straightened up from his bent over position, still on
one foot. His hands were still in his pockets.
Seeming to forget that it was only a sparring match, Akane rushed forward and launched a
full-out assault on the confidently smirking boy before her. Annoyingly, he shifted around every
single one of her strikes, sometimes moving to the side, sometimes moving up or down, but
always avoiding her at the last second. Confident that she had him on the defensive, she
continued to miss him by mere inches, ignoring the fact that he had yet to take his hands out of
his pockets.
As she consistently failed to even touch the boy, her frustration started to swell. Finally she
snapped, a red haze settling over her vision. She screamed a battle cry as an angry red aura
bloomed into existence around her body.
Ranma straightened from his slouched position and finally took his hands out of his pockets,
watching her with interest. [Hmmm... I was right! She does have potential. Lots of it, in fact.] He
released his own aura, which was, at the moment, a pale blue, matching his eyes. He had yet to
take a stance.
Akane jumped forward, even faster than before, and began to attack the glowing boy with
unmatched fury. Punches that blurred and kicks that whistled STILL missed the smirking boy,
who continued to dance around her attacks. This continued for nearly five minutes until Ranma
stopped watching her movements and retaliated. He ducked back from one last punch, and...
shifted. A moment later, Akane dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Soun, who had watched the fight with growing concern, rounded on Ranma, his face swelling
into the Demon-head Technique, "RRRAAAANNMMMMAAAAA!!! How dare you hurt my
little girl!!!!"
Ranma suddenly returned the demon-head glare with a glare of his own, "Ah, so YOU'RE the
one who's been holding back this great fighter. Or she would have been, if you hadn't been so
soft with her training! As a great martial artist yourself, and as a father, it's YOUR duty to make
sure every fighter reaches their full potential, including your daughter!"
Unexpectedly, Soun deflated and began sobbing, "I- I just wanted what was best for my little
girl!"
Ranma's face softened and he placed a hand on the tearful man's shoulder, "Yeah, well your
'little girl' also has the potential to be a great fighter. It'd be a shame to let that potential go to
waste." Off to the side, Genma nodded wisely.
Soun nodded, still sobbing, "You're right, but after my beloved wife died, I just haven't had the
heart to train seriously." Kasumi and Nabiki looked on in sympathy.
Ranma nodded, understanding, "Well, I can't say I understand the loss of a loved one, but I don't
think anyone should let themselves waste away like this. I can tell you used to be a great martial
artist in your own right, and I think with a little training you could be again. You just need to pull
your self together."
Genma stepped forward and put his hand on Soun's other shoulder, "The boy is right,
Tendo-kun. Pull yourself together. We can train together, just like in the old days." Inwardly, he
wondered just where Ranma had gotten THAT little bit of wisdom. It certainly hadn't been from
him.
Kasumi and Nabiki were surprised when their father didn't immediately lash out at the two for
daring to tell him to forget his wife, but instead continued sob, "I- I don't know... I'll think about
it." Ranma nodded and released his shoulder, satisfied.
Genma squeezed the thin man's shoulder and let go, nodding, "That's all we ask, Tendo-kun.
That's all we ask. Now, how about finishing those introductions the boy interrupted."
Taking a moment to come to himself, Soun cleared his throat, "Yes, well... Ranma, my boy, my
name is Soun Tendo, and these are my three daughters. Kasumi, she's 19, Nabiki, she's 17, and
Akane- Akane, my baby!! Someone get an ice pack!" Kasumi immediately headed for the
kitchen.
Ranma smirked and shook his head, "She's fine, Tendo-san. She'll be a little sore when she
wakes up, but most of it was her own fault. Her body's just not used to moving that fast, that's all.
I only hit her hard enough to bruise once, and that was when I knocked her out."
Akane groaned as she came to and Ranma gestured in her direction, "See?" He walked over to
the teary-eyed girl and crouched next to her, "Hey, you okay?"
She abruptly tried to shove him away, then groaned as her muscles protested, "Go away."
He didn't move, "Hey, hey. What's wrong?"
Akane just squeezed the tears out of her eyes and turned away from him, "Nothing a BOY like
you would understand. Go. Away."
The pony-tailed boy merely shifted from a crouch to a kneel, "I don't get it. Why would the fact
that I'm a guy bother you?" The dark-haired girl didn't answer, so he sighed and sat down in a
cross-legged position, "Okay, fine. I ain't movin' 'til you tell me what's the matter." She
involuntarily stared at him in surprise, then quickly looked away again.
The other members of the family suddenly looked at Ranma in a new light, including Kasumi,
who had returned with the requested ice-pack. She walked over to the pair and set it on Akane's
forehead. Silence reigned for several minutes as Kasumi knelt next to them and stroked Akane's
hair, until Akane finally mustered the courage to ask, "...Why?"
Ranma thought for a moment, then shrugged, "I guess it partly has to do with... Well, it seems as
if this thing you got against boys is connected to how angry you got when you fought me. You
lost control of your anger, and that's never a good thing for a martial artist to do... That, and I just
can't stand seein' a girl cry." He tugged his pony-tail in embarrassment.
"Look, Saotome-kun! They're bonding already! Looks like your boy has already chosen who to
marry!" Three guesses who that was, and the first two don't count.
Ranma's head snapped up, "Marry??"
Soun nodded happily, "Yes. I was going to give you the pick of my girls to wed, but it appears
you have already chosen!"
The red-haired boy looked a little disgruntled, "Darn, I was hoping you'd forget about that." He
shrugged, "Oh, well. I just thought you'd like to know, that agreement you made with Pops is
kinda void." The girls looked at him sharply.
That wiped the smile off of Soun's face real quick, "What do you mean by that???"
"Well, see, on the way here I found out Pops engaged me to somebody ELSE, too..."
Soun rounded on Genma this time, "Saotome-kun, what is the meaning of this???!"
"I- I- uh... well..." Genma stuttered for a moment, then regained his composure, "Oh, the boy's
just being rebellious, that's all. Yeah. Besides, even if I had done that, our agreement takes
precedence, since we made it before they were ever born! Right, Tendo-kun?"
The mustached man immediately calmed down, "Of course! You're right Saotome-kun! It does
take precedence, doesn't it?"
"Eh-heh... Right..."
smack The sound drew their attention to Ranma, who was still sitting by Akane and had just
smacked his face in frustration. "Jeeze, I hope the stupidity around here isn't contagious." He
unfolded himself and got to his feet, "A'right. Let's get one thing straight. I ain't marryin' no-one,
no-how. The only reason I'm gonna stay here in the first place, is 'cause I wanna see Akane here
reach her full potential. So if you want me ta stay here, you better start trainin' her seriously."
Genma rose to his full height, which was actually a little shorter than his son, "Now see here,
boy! This engagement is a matter of honor. You will marry a Tendo and be happy about it,
hear?"
"Honor, schmonour. You wouldn't know honor if it came up an' BIT you on the BUTT, old
man!"
The large man's expression turned from sternness to sadness in the blink of an eye. He put an
arm over his face and began to shed crocodile tears, "Why, oh why??? What did I ever do to get
such a disrespectful boy???"
Ranma's face turned dark, "Stuff it, old man."
"Oh, the shame!! The humiliation!!!"
"I... said... STUFF IT!!!!" The red-haired boy's aura burst into existence around him, a dark
purple this time, just before he blurred forward and stiff-armed the unsuspecting man, sending
him through the wall of the dojo and into the koi pond in the yard. He stayed in the strike
position for a moment before his aura blinked out and he took a deep breath to get his anger
under wraps.
Smiling weakly, he turned around and bowed to the startled family, "Sorry 'bout that." He
looked seriously at Akane, "Even MY temper can get away from me at times. The old man's
Pro'ly just gonna have a bruise in the morning, but if that was a normal person, they would have
been seriously injured. Keep that in mind when YOUR temper gets away from you."
Akane nodded slowly as she took in the information, then painstakingly got to her feet, muscles
protesting every step of the way. Kasumi clucked in concern, "Oh dear. You had better go take a
bath, Akane."
Ranma nodded in agreement, "She's right. A nice hot soak 'll do wonders for those sore muscles.
Ya need some help gettin' there?" Akane shook her head stubbornly, to which Ranma smirked
and shook his head in amusement, "Yeah, you're tough. You can make it."
Kasumi escorted the younger girl out of the dojo and into the house, leaving Ranma alone with
Soun and Nabiki. The short-haired girl took this opportunity to latch onto his arm, and mold
herself to his side. Ranma blushed and tried to subtly scoot away from the clinging girl.
Unfortunately, this only had the effect of making her squeeze harder.
"So, Ranma-kun. What's your choice?", she purred throatily.
gulp "Uh, Choice?", he squeaked, then cleared his throat, "Choice?"
"Yes... I don't know about you, but I'M willing to give this engagement thing a try, especially
with someone as -handsome- and -fit- as you..." She began tracing circles on his chest, eliciting
nervous giggles from the beet red boy.
"Eh-heh-heh... Fit? I'm fit. Yeah. Very fit. Uh, fit. Very.", he continued to babble, nearly ready
make a break for it.
"Yeah... So how about I show you my -bedroom-..." With a jerk, a dribble of blood trickled from
his nose and he slumped to the floor in a dead faint, causing the short-haired girl burst into
giggles.
Soun frowned at his daughter in disapproval, "Now, Nabiki. That wasn't very nice."
Still giggling, she managed to reply, "Oh, daddy. You know I wasn't serious. I was just having a
bit of fun, that's all."
He continued to frown, "Still..."
She finally straightened, regaining her breath, "It's okay, daddy. If he doesn't accept the
engagement, I'm pretty sure I can at least get a boyfriend out of the deal. After all, he did say he
was going to stay a while..."
The mustached man brightened at that, "You're right, Nabiki. Good luck with him!"
------{ Eyecatch }------
Ranma juggles a several balls, a small black piglet, and a white-and-lavender cat, then uppercuts a descending Genma-panda under the jaw, knocking it out.
------{ End Episode 01 }------
Author's Notes: And there it is... I hope I don't get flamed TOO badly for this one. As you can
see, the new Ranma still has bits of the old Ranma hanging around, so he won't be TOO
different. I hope. The BIG differences are mostly that he is a lot more devoted to Martial Arts,
and he doesn't take a whole lot of crap. From anyone. (That's not to say he takes NO crap, just
not much.) His views toward honor are also a little looser.
If you're wondering where the Chaos is, it has to do with the other guy that Ranma merged with.
If you want details, either wait until the next chapter or e-mail me at: {ReD2in@hotmail.com}.
I'll warn you again, though. I update very slowly. (Maybe once every two months.)
Poll time!!! Just kidding. Although there are a couple things I want to know, so if you review this
thing, let me know. First off, would you rather I continue Chaos 1/2, or Finishing Moves first?
Second, where do you think Chaos 1/2 should go from here? Finishing Moves is more-or-less pure
Ranma, and that makes it somewhat limited (to me,anyway), whereas Chaos 1/2 is an A/U and could go pretty much anywhere
from here. I've got ideas, but I want to hear YOUR input.
Anyway, Read 'n Review!! Constructive Criticism will be welcomed, Flames will be given to
the neighbor's Rotweilers* (spelled?) to chew on.
Hello??
Anyone out there??
Anybody???
sigh