CHAPTER 2
AN: "speaking" 'thought' ::poster:: noise
A two days later.
Akane was sitting in her desk. She was having a hard time concentrating on her teacher. She hated this school, she hated the teaching staff, and she hated the fact that she wasn't used to being called by her last name. Never in her life had she had a last name, and now its Tendo-san this and Tendo- san that. She wished that they would stop calling her by her last name. Yeah. she was related to these people, but she wasn't raised by them. The reception that she had gotten was shaky at best. How could her own father keep her entire existence from the rest of the family. She certainly didn't get much of a family feel from them.
"Ms. Tendo. Could you please answer number thirteen in the book?"
"Ms. Tendo?"
"Ms. Tendo!"
It took the fellow classmate's poking to get her to respond.
"hai." Akane glanced down at her math book.
Akane was doing a simple (well. simple for a person who has been training her entire life, so as you can imagine it was actually quite complex) kata in the dojo. She didn't know what to make of this place. She had been thrown here by her Sensei. not like he hadn't done this before. This time was a little different. This time he told her that they were her biological family. HER family, and these people seemed believe it too. They ACTUALLY thought of her as their long lost daughter/sister. It was kind of flattering, but it made her uneasy, she had this bad feeling in her stomach for days. Usually when people got attached to her they were hurt when Sensei came and took her away. She was very confused, Sensei had never really ever meant to lie to her before. Why would he start now? He knew how much she wanted a family to call her own. She wished there was a way they could do a DNA test or something to prove it. That's when she heard a click. It sounded suspiciously like a camera..
"Nabiki-chan? Is that you?" Akane opened up the dojo doors to see her sister with a camera in her hand.
"hai"
"Why are you taking pictures of me?"
"You're my long lost sister! Isn't it natural that I'm just trying to get a good picture of you so I can cherish it always?" Nabiki said this, of course, in her usual business-like manner that made her sound just a little unbelievable. Akane was very perceptive, at least perceptive enough to know when someone is praying on her.
"Nabiki-chan, would you come to my room for a moment? I have something I need to discuss with you." Nabiki nodded and followed Akane to her room.
Once in her room, Nabiki looked around. This room used to be a guest room, but now it is Akane's. As far as Nabiki could see, it looked exactly how it was before there was a person occupying this space, exactly that is, except the battle axe lying in the corner. The more Nabiki looked around the room she realized how true her first glanced turned out to be. There was nothing hanging on the walls, the desk and dresser were barren, the bed perfectly made, and nothing on the floor. She was willing to bet that if she opened up the dresser drawers they would be empty too. The only thing that had changed was the battle axe's new resting place in the corner.
Akane walked into the room. She held the door for her sister and then she closed the door while Nabiki was assessing her room. After Nabiki appeared to be quite finished eyeing her room Akane walked over to the bed and sat on it. She looked her sister who was standing in the middle of the room straight in the eye and spoke.
"That picture you took of me won't come out, you know."
Akane noticed her "sister" trying not to show surprise. It almost made her laugh, but she DID smirk a little.
"A few years ago I had an admirer who just LOVED to take pictures of me. Sempai got so upset over this that he decided to show that person a lesson. He decided to teach me a technique that would use my ki as a protective barrier to warn me of danger. It also has an effect of blurring images on film. I've had this barrier up for so long that my body does it without thinking. There fore no one can take pictures of me without my permission" With this Akane paused to REALLY look at Nabiki she hadn't been here long, but she realized this girl hid her emotion well. Akane wasn't surprised that Nabiki's aura was filled with skepticism.
"Don't believe me? Just develop the film." With that Akane patted the bed and motioned for Nabiki to join her. Nabiki sat down on the bed, but not too close to Akane. She spoke first this time.
"So what's the point of this discussion?"
"I have a business proposition for you." Akane could feel Nabiki's aura change. It seemed to be more intense, but more of a relaxed she-knows-how- to-handle-this aura intensity. That, and the fact that Nabiki's face now had a slight smirk on it. Akane knew that she was no business women, and that she had just thrown the ball into Nabiki's court. So to speak, but Akane was just dying to know if they were really her family or not. Akane was trying to figure out how to word the proposition, when Nabiki's patience wore out.
"So what is it?"
"I want you to find out if we are truly biologically related. You know, take our DNA samples to some lab for analyses. I want to know for sure that you are truly my family."
"What do I get in return?"
"Besides knowing beyond doubt that we are related, and depending on the results I have two separate deals for you."
Nabiki quirked her eye a little almost said "oh?" but bit it back because she was wondering what her "little sister" had to offer.
"If I'm not related to you, I will take you out on a shopping spree. I will treat your entire family out to dinner, thank you profusely and leave you and get out of your hair forever. If I am related to you I will let you borrow pictures of me, I will take our family out to a big dinner, and I'll give you one of my many bank accounts."
Nabiki thought about the deal her "little sister" had made. It sounded sound enough, and she was curious as to whether she was actually related or not. So, why not? But before the deal was final.
"What are these pictures that you speak of?"
Akane's eyes let up and smiled as if at some far off fond memory.
"Oh! This wonderful person I met a couple of years ago. She loves making clothes, especially for me. She insists I call her Auntie Nodoka. She's so nice, a great cook too! Well I was staying at her house, and we kind of made an agreement. She would make clothes for me as long as I sent a thank you card, a picture of me in the outfit and all the information she might need for the next time like weight or height differences. Do you want to see them?"
"Sure." Why not? Might as well see what I'm going to use when we find out we're related..
Akane pulled out a box. Seemingly out of nowhere. It wasn't very big, maybe the size of an average shoe box. It looked like it was wooden with a big red ribbon. Akane gently undid the red ribbon and it revealed a nasty looking lock on the box (one that would take Nabiki hours to open). Akane opened it with a key (again appearing magically out of no where) and combination. When Akane finally opened the box it took Nabiki's breath away.
Inside, the box was about half full of very good of pictures of Akane. The pictures showed her wearing everything from lingerie to evening gowns. From playboy bunny suites to maid outfits. No matter what kind of outfit it was, the picture always seemed to take the viewers attention. They looked like they were professionally taken. Nabiki's hand subconsciously reached out to study the pictures when suddenly the box vanished into thin air. Akane noticed how disappointed Nabiki seemed that she couldn't get her hand on the pictures, and Akane gave Nabiki a warm friendly smile.
"Deal?"
"Deal."
Nabiki picked herself off Akane's bed and went to leave the room. When she was at the doorway she looked over her shoulder.
"I need to 'talk' to some people down at the lab. Meet me at Doctor Tofu's office in a half hour."
"Sure, see you there."
Akane waited for her "sister" to leave the room before she got up. Then Akane remembered that she didn't know where Doctor Tofu's was. 'Guess I'll just have to ask Kasumi.'
Ranma was making breakfast out in the middle of the woods.
"So old man, where did you say we were going again?"
Then we suddenly see that he is actually talking to the person that he has tied up, and is currently using as chair.
"If you untie me I'll tell you."
Figuring the old man couldn't get far, even if he decided to run away. So Ranma untied his father and impatiently waited for his father to explain why they were going to Japan, and why it was more important than finding a cure.
"No where important. only to an old friend of mine's house." (under his breath with slight mumbling) "where you will marry one of his daughters" ::cough:: ::cough::
"WHAT?"
much violence ensued
Akane sat on the edge of patient's bed in Doctor Tofu's office. She was looking down at herself with her legs dangling off and swinging back and forth. Nabiki was sitting in a chair. There was an awkward silence, it was a silence that only almost complete strangers could have taken up. Neither was notorious for being outgoing speakers, both preferred to let others talk, but still it was and oppressing silence that compelled even the mute to speak.
"So."
Akane started to say to Nabiki, when suddenly Doctor Tofu walked in the door with Betsy.
"I just sent your blood samples to the lab. The results will be back in an hour."
"Thank you Doctor Tofu, you can just call us at home with the results." Nabiki and Akane simultaneously started to get up to leave.
"Akane, would you stay for a few minutes?"
Akane looked to Nabiki to give her the answer. Nabiki gave a small nod of assent.
Soun was holding a postcard. The postcard was very kawaii, it showed a panda eating bamboo. Soun didn't even notice as he read what was on it.
"At last, Ranma is coming how I've waited for this day!" There was brief pause in his speech to magnify his dignified tears. "And soon, very soon, Ranma will be here! Listen up Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane!"
Soun was in shock. His long lost daughter and future-son-in-law were coming to his house in a span of only a couple of days. He almost cringed at the thought of telling his daughters another big shocker in under a week. He hoped they didn't kill him. He tried getting images of his body being mutilated by his daughters, as he went to go find Kasumi in the Kitchen.
"Kasumi, I have something important to tell you girls. Please get Nabiki and Akane for me."
"But Daddy they're at Dr. Tofu's. What is it?"
Kasumi turned around with a carving knife in her hand.
"." ::Faints:: I wonder what's with daddy today. Is he alright?
"Oh dear."
Kasumi scooted her father to the nearest room and got out a futon.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??
Doctor Tofu had just finished giving a check-up. The whole thing would have taken about a half an hour, but Doctor Tofu was in no hurry, and she might be related to Kasumi. So they had a pretty good conversation. They mostly talked about little nothings. He asked her how she liked it in Nerima, and how she liked Kasumi. Actually, their topic of conversation often was around Kasumi. Enough, that Akane realized that every time she said "Kasumi" his glasses would fog up a little. Enough that even the densest person could tell that Doctor Tofu had a thing for Kasumi.
Anyway, it was about 45 minutes after the test results had been given to the lab. When a cell phone rang out in the lobby.
"mushi mushi"
"hai"
"hai"
"arigato gozaimasu"
"ja matta"
click
A few seconds later there was a knock on the door where Doctor Tofu and Akane were. Then the door slid open as Nabiki came rushing in.
"Akane that was a person from the lab. and you are undeniably my biological sister!"
Akane didn't really know how to react. She had been training in the woods for sixteen years after all, so of course she doesn't know how to express her happiness. She did however decide that words probably wouldn't do justice to the situation. So she jumped off the patient's table and hugged her newly found sister.
"I'm so.. Happy"
"Hey Akane?"
"Nani?" "Would you like to celebrate and go get some ice cream?"
"Hai."
In the late afternoon in the streets of Nerima, a red head girl was running with a full grown panda chasing right behind her. Finally, the girl turned to confront the panda.
"Hey! You better cut that out!"
The panda started another attack.
"Yah!" The red head blocked the attack
"Wah!"
The red head got in a good kick and sent the Panda skidding on the asphalt on his back. The red head is breathing heavily from the work out and turns to leave. The panda got up and attacked the girl, making her skid into the next street. The red head turns and faces the panda, going into a good defensive position.
"Your move!"
The panda starts indiscriminately throwing punches at the red head.
"Well I still say the whole thing sucks, picking my fiancée for me, without even asking!"
The red head then picks up the panda and throw him. The panda crashes into a nearby sign, and breaks it.
" I'm going back to China now. *SO* *SUCK* *ON* *THAT* old man!"
The panda recovers from being thrown, picks up the sign, and knocks out the red head. The panda picks up the red head and continues to wherever he was intending to go.
________________________________________________________________________
"Fiancé?" Kasumi's concerned voice cut the air like a hot knife through butter.
"Yes, the son of a very good friend of mine. His name is Ranma Saotome. If one of you three girls were to marry him, and carry on this training hall, then the Tendo family legacy would be secure."
"Hey! wait a minute here, don't we have a say in whom we're going to marry?" Akane sounded a little more than slightly peeved.
"Maybe you should wait until you meet him. You never know, he might be really cute! Right daddy?" Nabiki gave her two cents.
Soun does a nervous laugh and looks at the post card.
"He should be here any minute."
The family patriarch turned his back on his three daughters so that he can over look the koi pond.
"Ranma and his father have been on a training mission. Recently, they've crossed into China."
"So he hiked all the way to China, wow, big deal!" Akane is more than a little peeved.
"Father how old is this Ranma?" Kasumi inquired.
"Is he cute?" Nabiki asked.
Soun gives another nervous laugh.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Nabiki's voice was accusingly flat.
"I never met him"
All Akane could do was stare at her father.
'Oh, please, I don't believe this! I will not get mad. I will not get mad.Oh shit, they're going to marry me off aren't they? They've known me for three days and they're already marrying me off. Why? Did I do something wrong? What would Sensei have to say on this matter? He would probably say something corny like: It is not wise to kill your own family in rage; you must do anything possible to protect your family. Damn Sensei, if he only didn't make her promise never to kill or run away from her family. I don't know Nabiki seems really into this, maybe they won't marry me off after all.'
The other girls are shocked into silence. A koi jumps in the pond and the good luck charm rings out in the silence.
"Let go you old fool! I told you. I don't want any part of this. NOW PUT ME DOWN!"
Then there was a sound of a front door sliding open. Kasumi half rises out of her kneeling position.
"Sounds like we have visitors."
Before Kasumi can get up Nabiki jumps up and runs out of the room.
"Ooh! It must be Ranma!"
"Saotome, my friend, We've been waiting!"
Kasumi and Akane were left behind as they went to greet the Saotome's.
"I hope he's older than me."
Kasumi was right in Akane's listening range, the comment earned Kasumi an odd look from Akane.
"AHHH!"
Both Nabiki and Soun run from a very large panda that is just now walking into the hall. He had a very pissed off looking red head on his should, it was hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl.
"Come on Pops! You're scarin' them stiff less!" The voice sounded feminine, but vocal chords can be deceiving. After all, they *were* expecting a *male* guest.
"So father, is this your friend?" Kasumi recovered from her shock first. Soun shook his head frantically.
"Oh! So this panda just decided to drop in. Is that it, huh?" Soun wildly shakes his head. And this time adds a "nuhno, uh no" (slightly stuttered)
The panda got a few feet from the Tendo family clan, when he finally put down the person he was carrying. There was an awkward silence, then Soun decided to take the situation into his own hands.
"You. wouldn't be."
"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."
In the background Akane is looking contemplatively at Ranma. Something is odd about him, she just couldn't place it. Her Sensei had taught her a few chi reading techniques, and this person's chi was very. odd. This sent Akane into a deep thought of where she had felt chi like his before.
Meanwhile Soun was ecstatic.
"At last you're here!"
"OOH! He's cute!" Nabiki exclaimed.
The middle aged father ran up to hug his new 'son-in-law', but then he noticed something. He felt like he was hugging one of his daughters. Why would he feel like that. As he thought about what was wrong with the boy in front of him, his hands made a female shape. Suddenly, he thought he knew what was wrong. He pushed Ranma out at arms length, and studied him closely, almost afraid of what he was about to see. Nabiki finally is knocked out of her reverie, and studies Ranma more closely. Then she does something nobody expects. She pokes Ranma's chest and then gropes it. Then she turned accusingly to her father.
"Ranma's not a boy, he's a girl!"
"A girl?" The shock is too great for Soun and he passes out on the floor. The last thing he hears is Kasumi's concerned voice.
"Father."
Soun woke up to the sounds of his daughters entertaining their guests.
"Oh poor father, he must be so disappointed."
"HE'S disappointed? He's not the only one! Look at her! Some fiancé."
"Stop it you two! He. she is our guest."
"Look everyone, father's coming to."
"This is your fault daddy. Don't you know the difference between a boy and a girl?"
"I assumed my friend Genma's son was a boy."
To prove her point, Nabiki groped Ranma.
"Excuse me, does this look like a boy to you? Huh. Daddy?"
"Please, I wish you'd stop that."
"You heard what she said, Nabiki, now why don't you leaver her alone? A guest is a guest."
Akane had kept out of the whole situation, but something Nabiki was doing irritated her to no end. She didn't want to say anything to sever this newly found relationship with her older sister. There was something about Ranma's aura whenever Nabiki pointed out that she was a girl, that prompted Akane to speak. Besides she wanted to get this Ranma person.
"Would you like to spar with me?"
"huh?"
"I'm Akane, would you like to be friends?" Akane transfixed Ranma with the sweetest smile she could muster.
"sure."
END CHAPTER
Author's note: I have often noticed that people who want to rewrite what was done in the Ranma world often get really lazy, thus never finishing their really good fics! This is the only chapter (I think) that will follow the story line exactly. I want to introduce the characters the same way, so that things won't get out of hand. I actually copied down what was said. It's exactly what was said in the first tape on the first episode in the first five minutes.
AN: "speaking" 'thought' ::poster:: noise
A two days later.
Akane was sitting in her desk. She was having a hard time concentrating on her teacher. She hated this school, she hated the teaching staff, and she hated the fact that she wasn't used to being called by her last name. Never in her life had she had a last name, and now its Tendo-san this and Tendo- san that. She wished that they would stop calling her by her last name. Yeah. she was related to these people, but she wasn't raised by them. The reception that she had gotten was shaky at best. How could her own father keep her entire existence from the rest of the family. She certainly didn't get much of a family feel from them.
"Ms. Tendo. Could you please answer number thirteen in the book?"
"Ms. Tendo?"
"Ms. Tendo!"
It took the fellow classmate's poking to get her to respond.
"hai." Akane glanced down at her math book.
Akane was doing a simple (well. simple for a person who has been training her entire life, so as you can imagine it was actually quite complex) kata in the dojo. She didn't know what to make of this place. She had been thrown here by her Sensei. not like he hadn't done this before. This time was a little different. This time he told her that they were her biological family. HER family, and these people seemed believe it too. They ACTUALLY thought of her as their long lost daughter/sister. It was kind of flattering, but it made her uneasy, she had this bad feeling in her stomach for days. Usually when people got attached to her they were hurt when Sensei came and took her away. She was very confused, Sensei had never really ever meant to lie to her before. Why would he start now? He knew how much she wanted a family to call her own. She wished there was a way they could do a DNA test or something to prove it. That's when she heard a click. It sounded suspiciously like a camera..
"Nabiki-chan? Is that you?" Akane opened up the dojo doors to see her sister with a camera in her hand.
"hai"
"Why are you taking pictures of me?"
"You're my long lost sister! Isn't it natural that I'm just trying to get a good picture of you so I can cherish it always?" Nabiki said this, of course, in her usual business-like manner that made her sound just a little unbelievable. Akane was very perceptive, at least perceptive enough to know when someone is praying on her.
"Nabiki-chan, would you come to my room for a moment? I have something I need to discuss with you." Nabiki nodded and followed Akane to her room.
Once in her room, Nabiki looked around. This room used to be a guest room, but now it is Akane's. As far as Nabiki could see, it looked exactly how it was before there was a person occupying this space, exactly that is, except the battle axe lying in the corner. The more Nabiki looked around the room she realized how true her first glanced turned out to be. There was nothing hanging on the walls, the desk and dresser were barren, the bed perfectly made, and nothing on the floor. She was willing to bet that if she opened up the dresser drawers they would be empty too. The only thing that had changed was the battle axe's new resting place in the corner.
Akane walked into the room. She held the door for her sister and then she closed the door while Nabiki was assessing her room. After Nabiki appeared to be quite finished eyeing her room Akane walked over to the bed and sat on it. She looked her sister who was standing in the middle of the room straight in the eye and spoke.
"That picture you took of me won't come out, you know."
Akane noticed her "sister" trying not to show surprise. It almost made her laugh, but she DID smirk a little.
"A few years ago I had an admirer who just LOVED to take pictures of me. Sempai got so upset over this that he decided to show that person a lesson. He decided to teach me a technique that would use my ki as a protective barrier to warn me of danger. It also has an effect of blurring images on film. I've had this barrier up for so long that my body does it without thinking. There fore no one can take pictures of me without my permission" With this Akane paused to REALLY look at Nabiki she hadn't been here long, but she realized this girl hid her emotion well. Akane wasn't surprised that Nabiki's aura was filled with skepticism.
"Don't believe me? Just develop the film." With that Akane patted the bed and motioned for Nabiki to join her. Nabiki sat down on the bed, but not too close to Akane. She spoke first this time.
"So what's the point of this discussion?"
"I have a business proposition for you." Akane could feel Nabiki's aura change. It seemed to be more intense, but more of a relaxed she-knows-how- to-handle-this aura intensity. That, and the fact that Nabiki's face now had a slight smirk on it. Akane knew that she was no business women, and that she had just thrown the ball into Nabiki's court. So to speak, but Akane was just dying to know if they were really her family or not. Akane was trying to figure out how to word the proposition, when Nabiki's patience wore out.
"So what is it?"
"I want you to find out if we are truly biologically related. You know, take our DNA samples to some lab for analyses. I want to know for sure that you are truly my family."
"What do I get in return?"
"Besides knowing beyond doubt that we are related, and depending on the results I have two separate deals for you."
Nabiki quirked her eye a little almost said "oh?" but bit it back because she was wondering what her "little sister" had to offer.
"If I'm not related to you, I will take you out on a shopping spree. I will treat your entire family out to dinner, thank you profusely and leave you and get out of your hair forever. If I am related to you I will let you borrow pictures of me, I will take our family out to a big dinner, and I'll give you one of my many bank accounts."
Nabiki thought about the deal her "little sister" had made. It sounded sound enough, and she was curious as to whether she was actually related or not. So, why not? But before the deal was final.
"What are these pictures that you speak of?"
Akane's eyes let up and smiled as if at some far off fond memory.
"Oh! This wonderful person I met a couple of years ago. She loves making clothes, especially for me. She insists I call her Auntie Nodoka. She's so nice, a great cook too! Well I was staying at her house, and we kind of made an agreement. She would make clothes for me as long as I sent a thank you card, a picture of me in the outfit and all the information she might need for the next time like weight or height differences. Do you want to see them?"
"Sure." Why not? Might as well see what I'm going to use when we find out we're related..
Akane pulled out a box. Seemingly out of nowhere. It wasn't very big, maybe the size of an average shoe box. It looked like it was wooden with a big red ribbon. Akane gently undid the red ribbon and it revealed a nasty looking lock on the box (one that would take Nabiki hours to open). Akane opened it with a key (again appearing magically out of no where) and combination. When Akane finally opened the box it took Nabiki's breath away.
Inside, the box was about half full of very good of pictures of Akane. The pictures showed her wearing everything from lingerie to evening gowns. From playboy bunny suites to maid outfits. No matter what kind of outfit it was, the picture always seemed to take the viewers attention. They looked like they were professionally taken. Nabiki's hand subconsciously reached out to study the pictures when suddenly the box vanished into thin air. Akane noticed how disappointed Nabiki seemed that she couldn't get her hand on the pictures, and Akane gave Nabiki a warm friendly smile.
"Deal?"
"Deal."
Nabiki picked herself off Akane's bed and went to leave the room. When she was at the doorway she looked over her shoulder.
"I need to 'talk' to some people down at the lab. Meet me at Doctor Tofu's office in a half hour."
"Sure, see you there."
Akane waited for her "sister" to leave the room before she got up. Then Akane remembered that she didn't know where Doctor Tofu's was. 'Guess I'll just have to ask Kasumi.'
Ranma was making breakfast out in the middle of the woods.
"So old man, where did you say we were going again?"
Then we suddenly see that he is actually talking to the person that he has tied up, and is currently using as chair.
"If you untie me I'll tell you."
Figuring the old man couldn't get far, even if he decided to run away. So Ranma untied his father and impatiently waited for his father to explain why they were going to Japan, and why it was more important than finding a cure.
"No where important. only to an old friend of mine's house." (under his breath with slight mumbling) "where you will marry one of his daughters" ::cough:: ::cough::
"WHAT?"
much violence ensued
Akane sat on the edge of patient's bed in Doctor Tofu's office. She was looking down at herself with her legs dangling off and swinging back and forth. Nabiki was sitting in a chair. There was an awkward silence, it was a silence that only almost complete strangers could have taken up. Neither was notorious for being outgoing speakers, both preferred to let others talk, but still it was and oppressing silence that compelled even the mute to speak.
"So."
Akane started to say to Nabiki, when suddenly Doctor Tofu walked in the door with Betsy.
"I just sent your blood samples to the lab. The results will be back in an hour."
"Thank you Doctor Tofu, you can just call us at home with the results." Nabiki and Akane simultaneously started to get up to leave.
"Akane, would you stay for a few minutes?"
Akane looked to Nabiki to give her the answer. Nabiki gave a small nod of assent.
Soun was holding a postcard. The postcard was very kawaii, it showed a panda eating bamboo. Soun didn't even notice as he read what was on it.
"At last, Ranma is coming how I've waited for this day!" There was brief pause in his speech to magnify his dignified tears. "And soon, very soon, Ranma will be here! Listen up Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane!"
Soun was in shock. His long lost daughter and future-son-in-law were coming to his house in a span of only a couple of days. He almost cringed at the thought of telling his daughters another big shocker in under a week. He hoped they didn't kill him. He tried getting images of his body being mutilated by his daughters, as he went to go find Kasumi in the Kitchen.
"Kasumi, I have something important to tell you girls. Please get Nabiki and Akane for me."
"But Daddy they're at Dr. Tofu's. What is it?"
Kasumi turned around with a carving knife in her hand.
"." ::Faints:: I wonder what's with daddy today. Is he alright?
"Oh dear."
Kasumi scooted her father to the nearest room and got out a futon.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??
Doctor Tofu had just finished giving a check-up. The whole thing would have taken about a half an hour, but Doctor Tofu was in no hurry, and she might be related to Kasumi. So they had a pretty good conversation. They mostly talked about little nothings. He asked her how she liked it in Nerima, and how she liked Kasumi. Actually, their topic of conversation often was around Kasumi. Enough, that Akane realized that every time she said "Kasumi" his glasses would fog up a little. Enough that even the densest person could tell that Doctor Tofu had a thing for Kasumi.
Anyway, it was about 45 minutes after the test results had been given to the lab. When a cell phone rang out in the lobby.
"mushi mushi"
"hai"
"hai"
"arigato gozaimasu"
"ja matta"
click
A few seconds later there was a knock on the door where Doctor Tofu and Akane were. Then the door slid open as Nabiki came rushing in.
"Akane that was a person from the lab. and you are undeniably my biological sister!"
Akane didn't really know how to react. She had been training in the woods for sixteen years after all, so of course she doesn't know how to express her happiness. She did however decide that words probably wouldn't do justice to the situation. So she jumped off the patient's table and hugged her newly found sister.
"I'm so.. Happy"
"Hey Akane?"
"Nani?" "Would you like to celebrate and go get some ice cream?"
"Hai."
In the late afternoon in the streets of Nerima, a red head girl was running with a full grown panda chasing right behind her. Finally, the girl turned to confront the panda.
"Hey! You better cut that out!"
The panda started another attack.
"Yah!" The red head blocked the attack
"Wah!"
The red head got in a good kick and sent the Panda skidding on the asphalt on his back. The red head is breathing heavily from the work out and turns to leave. The panda got up and attacked the girl, making her skid into the next street. The red head turns and faces the panda, going into a good defensive position.
"Your move!"
The panda starts indiscriminately throwing punches at the red head.
"Well I still say the whole thing sucks, picking my fiancée for me, without even asking!"
The red head then picks up the panda and throw him. The panda crashes into a nearby sign, and breaks it.
" I'm going back to China now. *SO* *SUCK* *ON* *THAT* old man!"
The panda recovers from being thrown, picks up the sign, and knocks out the red head. The panda picks up the red head and continues to wherever he was intending to go.
________________________________________________________________________
"Fiancé?" Kasumi's concerned voice cut the air like a hot knife through butter.
"Yes, the son of a very good friend of mine. His name is Ranma Saotome. If one of you three girls were to marry him, and carry on this training hall, then the Tendo family legacy would be secure."
"Hey! wait a minute here, don't we have a say in whom we're going to marry?" Akane sounded a little more than slightly peeved.
"Maybe you should wait until you meet him. You never know, he might be really cute! Right daddy?" Nabiki gave her two cents.
Soun does a nervous laugh and looks at the post card.
"He should be here any minute."
The family patriarch turned his back on his three daughters so that he can over look the koi pond.
"Ranma and his father have been on a training mission. Recently, they've crossed into China."
"So he hiked all the way to China, wow, big deal!" Akane is more than a little peeved.
"Father how old is this Ranma?" Kasumi inquired.
"Is he cute?" Nabiki asked.
Soun gives another nervous laugh.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Nabiki's voice was accusingly flat.
"I never met him"
All Akane could do was stare at her father.
'Oh, please, I don't believe this! I will not get mad. I will not get mad.Oh shit, they're going to marry me off aren't they? They've known me for three days and they're already marrying me off. Why? Did I do something wrong? What would Sensei have to say on this matter? He would probably say something corny like: It is not wise to kill your own family in rage; you must do anything possible to protect your family. Damn Sensei, if he only didn't make her promise never to kill or run away from her family. I don't know Nabiki seems really into this, maybe they won't marry me off after all.'
The other girls are shocked into silence. A koi jumps in the pond and the good luck charm rings out in the silence.
"Let go you old fool! I told you. I don't want any part of this. NOW PUT ME DOWN!"
Then there was a sound of a front door sliding open. Kasumi half rises out of her kneeling position.
"Sounds like we have visitors."
Before Kasumi can get up Nabiki jumps up and runs out of the room.
"Ooh! It must be Ranma!"
"Saotome, my friend, We've been waiting!"
Kasumi and Akane were left behind as they went to greet the Saotome's.
"I hope he's older than me."
Kasumi was right in Akane's listening range, the comment earned Kasumi an odd look from Akane.
"AHHH!"
Both Nabiki and Soun run from a very large panda that is just now walking into the hall. He had a very pissed off looking red head on his should, it was hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl.
"Come on Pops! You're scarin' them stiff less!" The voice sounded feminine, but vocal chords can be deceiving. After all, they *were* expecting a *male* guest.
"So father, is this your friend?" Kasumi recovered from her shock first. Soun shook his head frantically.
"Oh! So this panda just decided to drop in. Is that it, huh?" Soun wildly shakes his head. And this time adds a "nuhno, uh no" (slightly stuttered)
The panda got a few feet from the Tendo family clan, when he finally put down the person he was carrying. There was an awkward silence, then Soun decided to take the situation into his own hands.
"You. wouldn't be."
"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."
In the background Akane is looking contemplatively at Ranma. Something is odd about him, she just couldn't place it. Her Sensei had taught her a few chi reading techniques, and this person's chi was very. odd. This sent Akane into a deep thought of where she had felt chi like his before.
Meanwhile Soun was ecstatic.
"At last you're here!"
"OOH! He's cute!" Nabiki exclaimed.
The middle aged father ran up to hug his new 'son-in-law', but then he noticed something. He felt like he was hugging one of his daughters. Why would he feel like that. As he thought about what was wrong with the boy in front of him, his hands made a female shape. Suddenly, he thought he knew what was wrong. He pushed Ranma out at arms length, and studied him closely, almost afraid of what he was about to see. Nabiki finally is knocked out of her reverie, and studies Ranma more closely. Then she does something nobody expects. She pokes Ranma's chest and then gropes it. Then she turned accusingly to her father.
"Ranma's not a boy, he's a girl!"
"A girl?" The shock is too great for Soun and he passes out on the floor. The last thing he hears is Kasumi's concerned voice.
"Father."
Soun woke up to the sounds of his daughters entertaining their guests.
"Oh poor father, he must be so disappointed."
"HE'S disappointed? He's not the only one! Look at her! Some fiancé."
"Stop it you two! He. she is our guest."
"Look everyone, father's coming to."
"This is your fault daddy. Don't you know the difference between a boy and a girl?"
"I assumed my friend Genma's son was a boy."
To prove her point, Nabiki groped Ranma.
"Excuse me, does this look like a boy to you? Huh. Daddy?"
"Please, I wish you'd stop that."
"You heard what she said, Nabiki, now why don't you leaver her alone? A guest is a guest."
Akane had kept out of the whole situation, but something Nabiki was doing irritated her to no end. She didn't want to say anything to sever this newly found relationship with her older sister. There was something about Ranma's aura whenever Nabiki pointed out that she was a girl, that prompted Akane to speak. Besides she wanted to get this Ranma person.
"Would you like to spar with me?"
"huh?"
"I'm Akane, would you like to be friends?" Akane transfixed Ranma with the sweetest smile she could muster.
"sure."
END CHAPTER
Author's note: I have often noticed that people who want to rewrite what was done in the Ranma world often get really lazy, thus never finishing their really good fics! This is the only chapter (I think) that will follow the story line exactly. I want to introduce the characters the same way, so that things won't get out of hand. I actually copied down what was said. It's exactly what was said in the first tape on the first episode in the first five minutes.
