Disclaimer: You know the drill and I hate repeating myself. We all know that this isn't mine and never will be. May also cause spots, seizures, sterility, and loss of all nostril hair.
Author's Notes: I pray that you enjoyed the rewrite more then the original. I decided that the pointless fight at the end of the original chapter 1 should be removed. I did say this would be more light-hearted and I keep my word. Another thing, don't scream at me if I mention mana instead of MP since real people don't have magic points. Well, always remember to tip your waitress (shudders as he waits for impact). Thank Kami we seem to have lost the literal moron. Anywho, on with the show!
A Different Side: Wild Half
Chapter 2: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
(But some bastard always drinks it)
The furo was quickly becoming the place for the two martial artists to talk. It was a refuge for the gender confused individuals so that they could sort out the bizarre events of the day. Since it was only morning, they shouldn't have much to talk about, but Ryoga's transformation sure needed addressing.
"You're saying that a friend of yours taught you about transforming people?" Ranma inquired of the other boy (currently girl) as they scrubbed up.
"Yep. It takes a lot of mana out of me, though." Ryo replied just before the two slid into the water. It was still early enough in the morning that they had some peace.
"Why not transform yourself out of your female form?" the pigtailed boy asked.
"Because then I would end up transplanting the curse. I would wind up in guy form from cold water and girl form from hot. Not as good as it sounds because it would make my true gender female." The fanged martial artist said to his bathing buddy. His friend seemed to be somewhat crestfallen. "But I am working on a way to separate the cursed halves. Only problem with that is that they would die without a proper body."
"Hey that's not cool! I wouldn't wanna cure if someone had ta die for it!" Ranma exclaimed. He could see that his friend seemed strangely proud of him. "Maybe we could talk to Cologne about it." He said.
"Not a bad idea, if ya don't got school today we could go."
"It's summer break. Let's go!" he replied enthusiastically. Ryo had the feeling this day was going to end up somehow stranger then the previous one.
The Displaced Boy was beginning to wonder if he was having prophetic visions. There sat Kasumi at the head of the table in an almost sleeveless black t shirt, her baseball cap turned around on her head, and positively radiating tomboy. Her hair was in a tight single braid down her back. The residents of the madhouse…er… Tendo – ke, were reacting in varying degrees of shock.
"K-Kasumi?" whimpered a disturbed Akane (we know she's disturbed but this time it's worse).
"What's up, 'kane?" she quipped in response. Nabiki's eyes were bugging out from her head. This was too much for even her cold façade to withstand. Their startled eyes also noticed she was wearing very short jean shorts. The two young martial artists sat down at the table. This time Akane was correct was she accused Ranma of changing her sister, even if he did it indirectly.
"Hey, cut it out ya kawaiikune macho chick! I didn't do anythin' to her!" Ranma shouted with more fury then they were used to. Kasumi actually seemed to smile a little brighter as he stood up for himself.
"Ranma no Baka!" she screamed before whipping out a steel mallet, her Mallet – Sama Version 2.0, and aiming it with lethal efficiency at Ranma's head. What was not in the script was him grabbing the head of the weapon, twisting the metal easily, and whipping her out into the koi pond. Genma wisely ate from his own plate this morning as Soun cried. All they heard was "My poor baby" over and over again.
"Where's my mom today?" the pigtailed martial artist asked. His father mentioned something about her being called out to the Nekohanten. Everyone's eyes suddenly widened noticeably. Even Nabiki choked on that. "How can you be so calm ya damn panda?" the boy shouted. The Baka Panda finally seemed to realize what had passed through his lips and started stammering incoherently. It was no secret that the Amazons believed that if they convinced Nodoka Saotome of the validity of the forced engagement, then it would happen. Their track record wasn't very encouraging either. Cat's Tongue pressure point, drugs, magic herbs, and even Amazonian laws that didn't exist.
"We need to rescue your mom, huh?" Ryo said.
"Damn straight!" was the boy's frantic sounding cry. He had only just begun to heal his relationship with his mother and he'd be damned if anyone hurt her. It was decided that the rescue party would set off after breakfast, because neither fighter could even move without eating. As they assembled the team, a few excuses cropped up.
"I have a council meeting today!" Soun said before bolting off.
"Sorry, but my whole leg is numb! Darn leg!" Genma said before rapidly crawling away.
Akane was still unconscious.
"I have betting pools to set up." Nabiki said, having the (decency?) to tell the truth.
The two boys refused to let Kasumi go. The eldest girl, not caring who was watching, grabbed Ranma's hands before kissing him hard enough to make his knees tremble.
The two boys set off for their confrontation at the Cat Café. Neither speaking since words were unnecessary. They even dodged the ladle lady without any effort. The building looked more frightening then Jusendo in Ranma's opinion. To Ryo it reminded him of the End of Worlds. A look of perfect understanding passed between them as they entered the Chinese Amazon's stronghold to rescue the fair damsel. When they entered, it appeared almost normal. A few customers were scattered about and Shampoo was busily hurrying from table to table. If not for the shifty looks around the room they might have bought it. If pigs could fly (P – chan doesn't count). The purple haired girl looked up with a big smile on her face.
"Airen!" she cried as she went to hug Ranma at high speed, but was shocked when he sidestepped the attack and sent her into a wall with a casual back kick. The fanged boy sweatdropped at his friend's ruthless efficiency.
"I guess you're not in the mood, eh Son – in – Law?" the elderly matriarch quipped as she came out. The old woman knew that the boy's patience was wearing thin, but had hoped it would have waited for a better time.
"Where's my mom?" he asked in a voice as cold as death. The boy beside him radiated a similar feeling of power. The crone couldn't help but notice how similar the two seemed. He had not deigned to introduce himself and didn't seem to care about courtesy.
"She's fine. We were just discussing you as a matter of fact. I am curious, who is your friend?" she asked. The answering grin from the boy was far from reassuring. The feeling emanating from him told her that he had fewer inhibitions then the pigtailed martial artist.
"My name is Ryo Hibiki. I'm the Ryoga from another world." He said as he bowed with a flourish. Ranma grew impatient.
"Show me my mother, now!" was the barely controlled command. The elderly one nearly fell over from the aura of command, but she was made of sterner stuff then that. With a smile, she waved the two into the back just as a disheveled Shampoo reentered the shop. They saw Ranma's mother sitting at a table, her back to them. "Mom!" he cried out in relief as he embraced his mother from behind, but she remained still. Her body felt impossibly rigid. He stumbled back in confusion. "What is this?" he demanded.
"We never invited her here, it was all a ploy to get you to come. It hardly matters that you brought help, he won't be enough to save you." The woman said smugly. "Come out NOW!" she cried as the trap sprung into place. Over twenty Amazon warriors suddenly appeared, surrounding them with swords drawn. "They are the absolute finest our village has to offer. Receiving training that I wouldn't even waste on my own offspring. She has proven too unreliable." The woman said coldly.
"Great Grandmother?" the Chinese girl said brokenly, having heard the elder clearly.
"You failed. Such a worthless scrap of flesh. You are sentenced to death for your failure." The woman said coldly. A rasp of chains could be heard coming from everywhere at once.
"I don't think so, old woman. I'm through with this worthless charade. If I have to prove my love for Shampoo like this, then so be it you dried up old stick!" Mousse said in quiet fury.
"Four against twenty and one Matriarch. Seems kinda unfair." Ryo commented. The cracking of knuckles was all the response he got from Ranma. At the Amazon Elder's signal the brave warriors leapt to the attack. The four martial artists took off in different directions, drawing the warriors apart. Mousse was hurling his chains at the seasoned warriors, snagging their weapons and tangling up their feet. Revealing his true prowess as the undisputed Master of Hidden Weapons as he subtly infused his chains with ki, making them almost seem alive as the lashed without warning. That's not to say it was easy, they seemed able to squirm out from whatever he hurled at them, but the blind martial artist seemed unconcerned. In the back room where he engaged them, the warriors suddenly found themselves in the dark, literally. He laughed at them as they milled about in confusion in the enclosed space.
"Afraid of the dark, ladies?" he inquired just before the chains rattled wickedly. With a despairing scream the warriors were suddenly put of action. When Cologne flung the door open, she gaped in shock at the sight. Five of her best were strung upside down, painted piñata colors with clown noses on. A sign on the breastplate of one said "Festive, ne?" The old woman screamed in rage before rushing off to check the other fights.
Shampoo was hard pressed by the warriors after her. She was still injured from Ranma's attack and could barely defend herself, but the warriors discovered she is still dangerous. One found herself flung through the wall of the Nekohanten with a coke bottle twist of the neck. The others backed up to reassess the danger, but couldn't help but smirk when they saw she was favoring her left leg and an arm was nearly useless. As they closed in, a rapidly whirling staff took them all in the jaw and laid them out. "I may not like Shampoo, but I won't let you gang up on her." A female voice said. The Chinese girl was getting ready to thank her rescuer when her jaw dropped in shock. Her rescuer smiled at her confusion before slipping off, silent as smoke.
Ryo was totally in his element. Melee combat is his specialty as the cocky girls soon discovered, much to their chagrin. He waded in like a brawler and tore through them like a cyclone. Weapons were useless against one whose whole body was a weapon. A deft punch here, a quick kick there, and she was ready to bring down the last one. A powerful hammer blow hurtled the broken Amazon into a wall and out into the main part of the restaurant, where a thoughtful soul evacuated everyone from. He was just in time to see Ranma in the role of a war god and playing havoc with the puny warriors. Not too surprising, really, considering he did slay a god. The plan of the Amazon's seemed flawed, but everyone knew this was only the opening act. When the last warrior was dispatched, the four weary warriors met. Shampoo still seemed shell shocked. Ryoga cast Curaga to fix her injuries. "I'd heal everyone, but if I need mana for combat casting we'd be screwed." He apologized. The others nodded before a voice disrupted their thoughts.
"That was more impressive then I expected. You should be congratulated, but all you did was exhaust yourselves." She smiled at them, absently noting that the healing power didn't seem to restore energy, just injury. The tired warriors faced the ancient woman with a mixture of apprehension and loathing. At an unseen signal, more Amazons suddenly filled the room. Things were beginning to look grim until they noticed the Amazon's near the back dropping one by one as if an invisible assailant was bringing them down. Ryo let his aura flare, bringing on a temporary burst of power. Ranma followed suit as did Mousse and Shampoo. The effect was incredible as they all glowed the same determined blue before it settled down to just an outline of features. "Get them!" Cologne shouted in fury, but the turnout to her call shocked her more then a bit. Her warriors had been reduced by half and the other half were rapidly succumbing to the chi infused attacks of the weary individuals. As Ranma was about to take a blow to the head, the same rapidly twirling staff sent the impudent Amazon spiraling away.
"Hey thanks!" he shouted as he turned to grin at his rescuer, all set to say "Ryo" before his mind went into sleep mode. Thankfully, instincts kicked in and he fought on. The battle wound down gradually, the teens glared at the Matriarch. They knew she had weakened them intentionally to finish them off herself. Well, the obstacles, not their prime breeding stock. Though Cologne seemed to have forgotten how to speak as she took in the surprise fighter.
"Kasumi Tendo?" she exclaimed. In all her years she never expected this shock.
"What? Ya thought I couldn't fight just because I'm a 'homemaker'? It takes martial arts discipline to run as tight a ship as I've got!" she twirled her staff into a ready position for emphasis. Ranma actually could picture it perfectly now. She practiced with the broom when no one was watching as she cleaned.
"This is more then I bargained for, but no matter. The situation is a moot point. Ranma will come back with me and the rest of you will be eliminated." She said in a matter of fact tone. There was only one chance, and Ryo knew it.
"Everyone! Focus your energy on Ranma! Hurry!" it was the only chance, his ki manipulation was good, but nowhere near as good as Ranma's. It was easy to detect, besides, wasn't this world Ranma's? Let him be the hero, he's had enough of that for a lifetime. When everyone began glowing brightly, focusing on the pigtailed martial artist, Ryo shouted "Trinity Limit!" and united their power into one person. As his reserves began to swell with new power, his hair floated in a lazy halo around his head. The old woman stared in horrified comprehension.
"You've had this coming for a long time now…" Ranma said before shooting in front of the old woman faster then an eye blink and blasting her through the wall. The Amazon Elder got to her feet in righteous fury, pointing her staff towards the newly empowered pigtailed boy, and launching a bolt of ki directly for his chest. The irritated martial artist brushed the attack away with a charged fist before throwing it forward in an energy punch that the Matriarch found difficult to dodge. She stared at the scorched wall next to her head with dawning horror. He fully intended to kill her! Before the deathblow could come, Ryo called out "Stop!" to the enraged fighter. Everyone looked to him as if he was crazy. Ryo drank down a bottle of green liquid, his energy visibly returning.
"I have a much better idea for what to do with her." He said with an evil smirk. The old woman backed away frantically as he detailed his insidious plot.
The Grandmaster of the Anything Goes Style of Martial Arts was bouncing along with frenzied energy, out on the hunt once again for his favorite thing, beautiful women. He found himself staring wide-eyed at the vision before him. A beautiful Chinese girl, dressed in a short dress that clearly showed her gorgeous legs. Her hair was done up in twin ponytails, much like Shampoo. The girl seemed clearly agitated by something. With a cry of "Sweeto!" he sought to ease her distress with a loving fondle, maybe a grope, and a cuddle. With a terrified screech, the girl took off running along the rooftops. "Ooh! Feisty!" he exclaimed and chased the girl out of town.
"So, you can even change a person's age, huh?" Ranma said to Ryo.
"Yep. It's easy to do, easier then a full transformation anyway." The fanged martial artist replied.
"That was simply mean." Kasumi remarked, but Shampoo and Mousse were clearly laughing over the "Elder's" discomfort.
Ranma turned to look at Kasumi. "That reminds me, Kasumi. How did you do all that?" he asked the normally gentle girl.
"Did you really think that Akane was the only talented martial artist in the family? I never stopped training. Did you really think all I was doing was cooking and cleaning? That was also part of my training." The eldest Tendo girl said. Somehow it made sense to everyone listening, even though it did sound bizarre. This is the place where perverts, insanely strong martial artists, and even Martial Arts Tea Ceremony practitioners live. A housekeeping warrior girl certainly didn't seem weird. The girl suddenly seemed to break down, the events crashing back on her. She had hurt people, even if it was to protect Ranma, she still felt guilty. With a sob, she suddenly clung to the startled martial artist. He was stammering about "Don't cry Kasumi.", but she ignored him as she relieved her stress, comforted in his arms. Ryo finally told Ranma to just let her cry.
Later on that night in the furo…
The two boys sat once again to talk about their day. Tonight's conversation wound up turning to another problem that has been bothering the pigtailed boy. What happens if you're in female form during "that time of month."
"The same thing that happens to normal, uncursed girls. Though to many girls that seems to be enough of a curse in itself. Yes, we can experience the cramps, the bloating, and the other good stuff." Ryo said sarcastically about the last part. Ranma actually had a horrified look on his face.
"We go through exactly the same thing? Geez, that's rough." He replied. The Displaced Boy could only nod. "Hey, when we spar tomorrow, could we do it in our cursed forms? I'm curious how the two forms stack up." Ryo suggested. Ranma seemed to consider it before saying.
"It's a deal."
The day of the match was dark and rainy, even if they had wanted to fight as guys, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Nabiki was once again taking bets on the outcome of the fight. Akane was peering curiously at the strange girl with the braid who resembled her sister, Kasumi. There was no way it could be her, Akane thought. If she had been down for dinner last night she would've known it was her. Her eyes were only focused on her perverted fiancée as the currently female jerk was limbering up. The other pervert, Ryo, was doing stretches and backflips. Shampoo and Ukyou were providing food for the fight and doing excellent business from inside a wide pavilion. The air was filled with excitement as everyone remembered the battle between Ryo and Ryoga. The mindless, battle crazed sheep also knew how great a martial artist that Ranma was. The two friends looked at each other. There was an agreement between the two that they would hold nothing back and it was barehanded only. At a signal from Nabiki, the battle began in earnest.
Ryo took up a hidden ready stance, noting as Ranma did the same. To ordinary people it appeared as if they were just standing there, but to the experienced eye, they were visibly tensed. He felt as if the whole battle could be decided with a simple look in his eyes, but he knew that was ridiculous. At an unspoken signal, the two battle hardened warriors leapt at each other with speed so amazing, it actually made the fight boring. All they could hear was the sounds of blows and muffled grunts. What fun is that? The opening move was sharp snap kick, countered by a punch, then turned around into a throw. The surprising thing was after just the first pass, it was Ranma getting up from the small crater in the ground. Ryo was actually shaken, and excited, to find that his opponent was light years beyond anyone he'd fought before. With a grin, he got ready for the next attack.
Ranma was thinking along roughly the same lines. As se got to her feet, she made a big show of stretching and working the kinks out. All the boys in the audience were goggling at the display. She was ruefully reminded of how painful it could be without at least a sports bra in girl form. Ryo obviously had taken care of that before the fight. As she got back into a ready stance, she decided to use an old standby technique. Vaulting forward, using chi to enhance her speed to near Amaguriken speed, she let loose an old favorite. The Shish Kabob Kick. Ryo at first was thrown off by the sudden speed boost before dropping down into a basic defensive stance. Just as the kick reached the fanged girl, the redhead noticed a sudden motion and a sense of flying. As she tumbled through the air, she angled her body to land safely. She managed to see that her opponent didn't escape unscathed from the attack, she was clutching her arm painfully. Unsure whether it was a feint or not, she decided to press her seeming advantage.
Ryo snarled softly from the pain in her arm. There was no doubt about it, it seemed that Ranma's girl form was stronger then her own. Their speed seemed similar, but that was a lie too. Ryo was happy to note she was faster as she faded from the pigtailed girl's follow up attack and performed a spinning back kick to her head. The redhead stumbled as she grabbed her head. It felt like a truck crashed into her skull. To the people watching it seemed as if it was all blurs and flashes of light. Finally Ryo began to have enough.
"One last pass. The one still standing is the winner." She suggested.
"You're on." Ranma agreed and dropped into a horse stance. The two stared at each other from across the practice field, gathering in their energy for the last strike. With a final cry, the two sped towards each other, much faster then the first pass. A sonic boom actually developed from the sudden motion. It looked like a ball of gold energy slammed into a ball of red energy. If they could see inside it, they would have stared in true shock and awe at the display. Ranma shouted out Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken while Ryoga cried out Renzokuken. The rapid fist maneuvers were converted to kicking attacks as well. The two domes of energy were releasing intense waves of power across the field. The fanatical fight watchers actually fled for cover at the display. Akane gaped in shock, this was the power used to defeat Saffron! When the light cleared, the two valiant youths stared each other down before breaking into laughter and grabbing each other in a hug as they wheezed from hilarity. No one knew what to think as they watched the two neo-girls laughing their fool heads off. Nabiki cleaned up on that bet, the inside bet she made that it would end in a draw. As the two separated, Kasumi came over to check their injuries. Once satisfied, with a mischievous smile, gave the redheaded neo-girl a kiss that made her pigtail stand on end. Ryo just smiled before looking to the sky.
"What lies in store tomorrow?" he mused out loud, the smile dropping from his face as an angry rumble greeted his words.
The End
Author's Notes: Go ahead and flame me over Kasumi being OOC. I actually am braced for impact. I always figured she had to do more then cook and clean. What automatically makes her unable to fight? I think that given the opportunity, she could be a fighter. She is graceful and well balanced. Okay, I'm through ranting. I hope you enjoy the chapter as much as I enjoyed reading it. I'm taking votes about whether Ryoga should be fixed or not (and I don't mean spayed either). Any suggestions welcome! Well, ja ne!