Starting Over: Do You Want to be Friends?
Chapter 2: Truths Revealed
By Senshi of Valis
Disclaimer: Hi everyone, sorry I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter. Well anyways I don't own Ranma or Cardcaptors. I know, what a drag. Anyways, enjoy.
"Would you believe me if I said you was dreaming?" asked Kero. The growl Akane gave him spooked him more than any of the cards or Clow Reeds creations ever did.
"I want to know the whole truth," Akane said, fully intending on pounding one pervert or another before the end of the day. If Ranma was really a girl Akane intended on making a panda skin rug. However, if this was all some sick game of Ranma's then she was going to show him what a true martial artist she was.
"Please Akane," Ranma asked in a soft, almost frightened voice that was so unlike him, even if he was a she at the moment. "Please, just forget about this."
"Either you tell me Ranma or I'll make Genma tell me," Akane said, noticing how much the redheads eyes grew in terror with those words.
"I'll tell you." Ranma said in a defeated voice.
"Are you sure, Ranko?" Kero asked.
"On one condition, Akane…"Ranma said, "You can't tell anyone, not even my dad."
"Okay, for now I won't Ranma but I want the whole truth including the care bear there." Akane said.
"I AM NOT A CARE BEAR!" Kero growled out.
"Relax Kero," Ranma said, "I'm sure she didn't mean to insult you."
"I'm a guardian beast, not a care bear." Kero mumbled.
A few minutes later the three was sitting in the middle of the dojo after making sure the doors was closed and secured. Akane was waiting anxiously as she watched the interaction between the redhead and stuffed toy. Ranma really did seem scared about telling her the truth but Akane felt she had a right to know.
"Where to start?" Ranma asked.
"How about what are you," Akane asked, "A boy or a girl and if you really are a girl why your curse is different than the panda's."
"Well, I am a girl and my name is Ranko not Ranma. Ranma is a name pops came up with on the road not long after starting our training journey. I hated it then and I still do." Ranma explained, "As for the curses, pops isn't as stupid as he lets on."
"What do you mean by that?" Akane asked.
"First off I should tell you there are several places on earth that has Jusenkyo Springs. A couple of them are different though, the magic changing because of one thing or another through the centuries." Ranma explains, "A few weeks before we got to the Jusenkyo pops told you about we stopped off at another Jusenkyo. They was hot springs and he said that he was rewarding me for how good I've been lately."
"Hot springs?" Akane asked surprised.
"Yeah, they are the exact opposite of the springs at the training grounds but there magic is much stronger." Ranma said.
"How do you even know all of this anyways?" Akane asked, somewhat suspicious of it.
"The guide at the training grounds told me, he could speak English." Ranma said, "The guide at the hot springs couldn't…but pops could speak Chinese. As soon as we stepped into the spring I felt something wrong…I looked down and saw…and saw how I changed. I can remember screaming and I think I fainted."
"We?" Akane asked, "So you and your father soaked in the same spring together?" Akane was a little shocked at this, of course they was family but still Genma was a guy and Ranma…Ranko was a supposed girl. Akane noticed how the red head seemed to draw into herself as she hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.
"He…he made me bath in front of him a lot." Ranma said, "He said…he said he wanted to make sure I wasn't being a little slut and doing stuff…I didn't really have a choice in the matter because I learned quickly if I didn't do it, it meant another beating."
"He beat you?" Akane gasped in shock. Of course she heard the red head say something about it to Kero but she was thinking it was probably just sparring or something. But beating Ranma and watching the redhead bathe…it was disgusting. Genma was a sick pervert if what Ranma was saying was true.
"Whenever I couldn't learn a technique, whenever I complained…heck, if I even looked at him wrong he beat me. When I was older though he pretty much cut back on it but he didn't quit." Ranma whispered pain in his voice.
"H-How about the hot spring, why didn't it affect Genma any?" Akane asked, trying to change the subject away from the abuse.
"It was hot spring of drowned boy, and anything that fell into it would take the shape of a human male when splashed with hot water." Ranma said, "Genma wouldn't be affected by it and he knew it and knew what it would do to me. He wanted a son and he made me act like one my whole life growing up Akane. If anyone found out he hurt me…bad. With the spring he could have the son he wanted."
"But if you'd just change back with cold water then how would that make you his son?" asked Akane.
"That's where the training grounds came in and where all pops plans fell apart." Ranma said, it almost sounded like he wanted to cry. That didn't make any sense to Akane either, why would Genma's plans messing up make the redhead sad enough to almost cry?
"Pops said that the guide at the hot springs gave him directions to the Jusenkyo Training Grounds where he said I could be cured of the curse. I-I don't know why I believed him." Ranma sighed, rubbing his eyes…her eyes Akane realized. Akane was starting to believe the redhead before her, there was no way to deny it after watching every movement, every expression he redhead made during all of this. "When we got there I was in my boy form and pops was saying something to the guide in Chinese. When they was done I followed them to a spring where pops told me was my cure. I got in slowly, I guess I was a little worried he was lying but when I changed back to me real form I cried in relief until I noticed pops screaming and shouting to the guide. It took several minutes for the guide to figure out what happened and he told us everything about the springs including the biggest difference between the hot springs and the training grounds. When someone is cursed at the hot springs it makes the person immune to any other curses from jusenkyo magic. The training grounds, they lost some power over the years and now if you step into different pools the curses just mix with each other."
"So you were immune to it?" Akane asked, confused as something wasn't adding up. "Then why did you turn into a girl?"
"I was immune to the magic, Akane." Ranma…no, Ranko Akane realized, said, "I wasn't immune to water. With pops so mad he was walking back and forth and got to close to a spring and the ground crumbled causing him to slip and fall into it. I was just realizing what he tried to do to me, he tried to make me a boy permanently. I was realizing how much he betrayed me when a huge panda attacked me and knocked me unconscious. I woke up later that night hurting all over from the beating he must of given me. We was in the guide's hut and I guess the guide was out because the next thing I knew pops was ranting and raving about how worthless I am. He started hitting me again when…he got this…he got a really hateful expression on his face…he…"
Akane waited for Ranko to continue but noticed the redheads eyes, there was tears running from them just before she snapped them shut tightly. "Ranko..what did he do?" Akane asked softly.
"Nothing Akane," Ranko said, rubbing her eyes, "It's not as if you'd care anyway."
Akane could hear some hostility in the redhead's voice but mostly depression reigned there. A part of Akane was seething in anger at it but she squashed that down as she worried over the girl in front of her.
"Y-You know about the amazons and most everything after that until I came here Akane." Ranko said, "Well, after you knocked me into orbit I needed some time to think and I ended up window shopping until I seen this book. It should of scared me because it had something on the cover that looked like a cat but it seemed to pull me to it. It turned out that I was looking in the window of a junk shop. " Ranko said wistfully while Kero mumbled something a little grumpily. "It took all of my money but it was well worth it because it gave me my only real friend. I opened the book in the park later after leaving the store but it turned out to have a deck of strange cards inside and foolishly I read the top one, the Windy Card. It activated and scattered all the rest of the cards throughout the city which is about the time sleepy head finally woke up."
"Hey, being the guardian beast of the seal is tiring work and I deserve a nap every now and then." Kero said defensively.
"Of course you do Kero and I'm thankful you was napping because I might not of met you otherwise." Ranko said with a smile. "Since then we have been gathering the cards back before they cause some real trouble since they all have awakened and are out there somewhere."
"Ranko, you should tell her about Genma." Kero sighed sadly. "That is one thing she does have a right to know about for sure."
"What do you mean?" Akane asked.
"Well…after finding Kero and he found out what Genma has done to me…he searched through his stuff when everyone was out of the house." Ranko explained nervously. "He found out the reason why pops wanted me as a boy…I don't have anything to do with it and as long as I don't marry any of you he can't do it."
"Do what?" Akane asked feeling a little scared.
"I-If I marry one of you while I'm still a minor pops will get control of the dojo since it is the dowry and he is my legal guardian." Ranko said, "He plans to throw all of us out and sale the dojo and take the money and probably skip the country. I'm sorry."
Akane was really pissed off at hearing that but then again it wasn't Ranko's fault for any of this, it was that stupid panda's fault. Akane remembered all the times she insulted Ranko and hit her. She realized in a way she was kind of like Genma which made her sick her to her stomach. She had beat poor Ranko as well as Genma.
"I know I don't deserve this," Akane said timidly, "But can we start over, do you want to be friends?" At first Akane saw Ranko's eyes brighten but they quickly dulled in sadness.
"You already betrayed me once," Ranko asked, "H-How do I know you won't again?"
Akane was shocked at that, betrayed Ranko but she never…She sighed as she realized in a way she did. She understood the beatings but that hopeful look in the redhead's eyes a moment ago reminded her of another time, a time when Akane first met the redhead and offered friendship. When she found out about the curse Akane thought Ranko was a boy and for the most part realized that it looked like she withdrew that offer when she sent the red head through the floor with the table.
"Ranko, I'm so sorry." Akane whispered. Maybe if she explained about what she was feeling then Ranko would understand and maybe forgive her. "Ranko, you know about the hentai horde, right?"
"Yeah." Ranko said in disgust.
"Well, you also knew that it was going on for awhile before you showed up. It gave me nightmares Ranko, I dreamed of them overpowering me and forcing me to do stuff, stuff I didn't want to do." Akane said.
"I can understand how that feels, Akane." Ranko said so softly Akane almost didn't hear her.
Akane had her suspicions about what Genma did in the hut that Ranko refused to talk about and she realized that more than anyone the redhead probably knew what Akane was feeling about it. "They was so real, Ranko. When you showed up and beat me so easily and I found out…well, thought you was a boy. I was scared Ranko, scared of what you would do to me if you wanted to. I knew I couldn't stop you."
"I would never do something like that to anyone…no one deserves that Akane, no one." Ranko said tearily before she jumped up and ran out of the room. Akane started to get up to follow but Kero's voice stopped her.
"Akane, I think she understands now why you didn't trust her but she needs time alone to sort it out." Kero said sadly floating up to her.
"But…" Akane cried.
"It's okay, Akane, I truly believe she understands and I know she will forgive you." Kero said, "Don't tell her this but I know how she watches you and your friends Akane and there was nothing ever perverted about it…She…She wanted to be with you three and be your friend. She wanted to be your friend and I know she still does but right now she needs some time alone to think things through."
"I understand I guess." Akane said, wiping her eyes, "Thanks Kero."
"No problem, kid." Kero said, "Ranko means a lot to me and I want to see her happy more than anyone."
"She deserves it." Akane said sadly, "No one deserves to be treated the way she has been."
AN: Hi peeps, hope yu liked this chapter. Yay, got some reviews so far.
masaki yang yi1: I'm happy you like it so far and hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much.
TheWhiteMonk: Hi, thanks for the suggestion but I already had the first couple chapters pretty much done but I think your idea was a very good one. Hope you liked how I have it set up and continue to enjoy this story. And don't worry I plan to work on this story a lot though I'm going to try to not neglect my other stories either.
ranger5: Hi, glad your enjoying this so far. As for Li and Meilin, there is a very high possibility of them showing up though I'm not that far ahead yet. However Ms. Mackenzie will be showing up to teach at Furinkan. This chapter had some of what happened and there will probably be more flashbacks of her growing up as others learn of the truth including Ukyo and Ryoga. And as for Akane I hope this chapter cleared it up a little though I know I didn't go into much detail about it which I'm sorry for. I have a lot planned out for this fic and I do plan on continuing my others also.
Well, I guess I don't have much more to say for this chapter but if anyone wants to beta read for me please visit my profile and e-mail me. Thanks everyone, keep the reviews coming.
Until Next Time,
Ja Ne