Starting Over: Do You Want to be Friends?
Chapter 24
Written by Senshi of Valis
Ranma ½ created by Rumiko Takahashi
Card Captor Sakura created by Clamp
I don't own any of these series or the characters in each.
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It was later the next morning when Akane asked Ranko to help find P-Chan which brought a sigh from the red head. Both Ryoga and P-Chan was cured of the directional curse but the little piglet still managed to get lost too easy.
Now the costume session with Tomoyo, Nabiki and Sakura was officially over as the four and Ryoga were now searching through the city. The question was why did Ranko still have to wear the costume that made her look like a French maid or something while she had to stay neko with her tail and ears twitching. But the worse part was Tomoyo was filming the whole thing while Sakura was with Nabiki and Ryoga was with Akane while the three groups searched.
Apparently Akane was taking the pig to the vet earlier and it knew where it was going, it was still a pig but it kept more human intellect that Ranko thought. The pig freaked and took off running and was now lost somewhere but the question was where.
"Why did the stupid pig have to get lost?" Ranko muttered.
"So, Ranko, where did you get the charm bracelet?" Tomoyo asked, "It looks really expensive."
"Bakura gave it to me." Ranko said, her happy mood returning quickly at getting to talk about one of her favorite subjects, Bakura.
"Oooo…SO that's where you went to last night?" Tomoyo asked in a semi-teasing tone, "Do tell, I want all the details."
"There's nothing to tell." Ranko said with a blush.
"I bet." Tomoyo said, "So what happened seriously?"
"He said he loved me and would wait for me…He said this was his promise to me that he will always be there for me." Ranko said, holding the wrist the bracelet was on gently while looking lovingly at it.
"That's great, Ranko!" Tomoyo exclaimed.
"Then I…kissed him…" Ranko whispered, her face now matching her hair perfectly.
"Really?" Tomoyo asked, a little shock in her voice.
"Yep." Ranko said, "I…I just can't say it to him though…I don't know why…"
"Say what?" Tomoyo asked.
"That I love him." Ranko whispered, "I…I don't know if I do. I like him a lot, Tomoyo, I just don't really know what…what love is…"
"Ranko…" Tomoyo whispered sadly.
"I…I don't even really know for sure if I even deserve to be loved…" Ranko said, bowing her head as they walked. She realized that was what the whole problem was, she didn't know if she deserved him. As happy as he made her she didn't know if she deserved it. Bakura was so wonderful, any girl would be glad to be with him, any girl who wasn't tainted like she was.
"You do deserve it, Ranko." Tomoyo said softly.
"That's just it, Tomoyo, I'm not sure if I do. Any girl would be happy to be with him and they wouldn't be tainted like I was…pop…Genma…he did so much to me Tomoyo, some of it no one knows but…the worst of it…he took something I can't ever get back…made me dirty. Bakura…he deserves more than that, more than me." Ranko said as tears started to fall.
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Akane was worried sick that P-Chan was hurt somewhere and was by now wishing that she never tried to bring him to the vet now. She looked for awhile for him but gave up and ran home for help from the others who were now helping to look for her pet, even Ranko who Akane was sure still didn't like the little pig that much.
Ranko, Akane had been confused somewhat recently about the red head. She wasn't sure how to act around her and it seemed that even her sisters thought that it was time that she grew up out of her boys are perverts phase. Why though, they were, just look at what that bastard who was supposed to be Ranko's father did to her.
'What's the difference though, Akane?' Ranko's question kept running through her mind. What the difference was, is that boys are perverts, all of them…but then that would mean even Ryoga was a pervert too wouldn't it? He wasn't though, he was the most polite and kind boy that she ever met.
Ranko wasn't a guy though, she was a girl so the times Akane walked into the bath on Ranko's guy side Ranko couldn't of been perverted…'When I walked in on her!'
Akane was the one who walked in Ranko most of those times and had beat the red head for it calling the girl turned boy a pervert. But what about when Shampoo glomped Ranko or when Ranko was flirting with Ukyo. Or when Ranko had watched all the girls during gym class, what was up with that.
For once Akane's brain was actually trying to sort this out instead of jumping to her usual conclusions. Shampoo was the one who glomped Ranko who always tried to get away. As for Ukyo…Ranko was just being friendly with the chef. But what about gym class?
'I often watched you and your friends, daydreaming about what it would have been like to just be a normal girl.' Ranko's voice rang through Akane's head. None of the instances was Ranko ever really being perverted but what if Ranko was really a boy? What difference would there have been? Ranma seemed so lonely, maybe if he was real he would just have wanted a friend which was why he would have been watching Akane and the others. The fiancé thing would have been the same still, with Ranma doing nothing wrong. And as for the bath incidents…it would have still been Akane's fault…she walked in on him.
But boys were perverts so if Ranma was real he had to be a pervert, right? Then that would have made Akane right but wouldn't it mean that Ranko was a pervert? Ranko wasn't a pervert though…
"DAMN IT!" Akane swore loudly.
"What's wrong, Akane?" Ryoga asked.
"I…I don't know what's real anymore." Akane laughed bitterly, "I'm beginning to think a need a psychiatrist as badly as Ranko."
"Why do you thing that?" Ryoga asked in a confused tone.
"If Ranma was real then he would have been the king of perverts!" Akane growled, "But…that would also mean Ranko is a pervert and I know she isn't!"
"Akane, Ranma never did anything perverted." Ryoga said.
"How about sneaking into my room at night!" Akane demanded then realized that it was Ranko and not Ranma. Why would Ranko be doing that…was Genma doing something to her those times and Ranko was only seeking shelter from him?
"Akane…Ranko was just trying to get P-Chan…" Ryoga said, "Ranko was worried about you and that pig."
"Wh-Why?" Akane asked, "And how do you know?"
"Ranko…she…I don't know…jealous maybe because you treated that animal better than you ever treated her." Ryoga whispered.
Akane sighed, she wasn't sure what to think but Ryoga was right. Boy or girl, Ranko or Ranma at the time was a human being he didn't really do anything wrong and yet Akane treated her pet much better than she ever treated Ranko. Nabiki and the others were right, she needed to grow up but how? She knew that her reactions were instinct by now from all the crap from the hentai horde and then what Genma had done. She was a poor judge of character, she needed to learn to be patient and give a real chance to people before judging them.
Akane made a very important decision, she was going to see if she could go see that psychiatrist that Ranko was seeing. She needed to get her anger under control and learn from her past mistakes with Ranko…
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Sakura was moving forward very slowly, at least for her since she was wearing her blades but she wanted to stay with Nabiki. Sakura was worried lately because of her dreams but she didn't know who to talk to about them. She kept having two different dreams about Ranko and one of them scared Sakura very much.
The first was okay, most of them were gathered at some school yard at night with a perfect view of the full moon. A man dressed in white robes and silvery hair descended slowly from the sky on large angelic wings with a determined look in his eyes while cards floated around her in a circle. Ranko called the cards to her and went to attack the man but Sakura never could stay awake past that.
The second dream was disturbing her very much, there was a large man with a white gi and glasses with a bandana on his head. Sakura was sure that it was Ranko's father and she was asleep in an unfamiliar room when he came in drunk and started touching her. She whimpered and begged him to stop but he just hit her and climbed drunkenly on top of her and ripped her clothes of and raped her while holding a hand over her mouth as she cried. He then passed out on top of her and she pushed him off and curled into a ball crying herself to sleep.
The next morning Ranko walked through a home that Sakura had never seen before and scrubbed herself for a long time before going to breakfast with her father, Soun, Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi all around the table.
"It's about time you pervert!" Akane snarled, "If you don't hurry we'll be late again."
Sakura could see the pain on Ranko's face as she replied, "It's not my fault you uncute tomboy!"
"Humph…I don't know why I even bother with you! I got up early just to make you something special and all I get is insults by a sex changing perverted freak!" Akane growled.
Sakura watched as Ranko finally looked down at her untouched plate to see a mess of who knows what that looked like it was breathing. "I think it's alive!"
What happened next shocked Sakura, out of nowhere Akane pulled out a huge mallet and hit Ranko hard with it sending her through the roof which is where Sakura usually woke up.
"What's wrong Sakura?" Nabiki asked.
"N-Nothing." Sakura said, looking away from the girl.
"Sakura, I'm not stupid." Nabiki said, "You can tell me."
"Nabiki…" Sakura sighed, "Please don't tell anyone, everyone I do tell this to thinks I'm crazy except for Tomoyo but this time…it's bad."
"What is it?" Nabiki asked.
"I have these dreams, Nabiki." Sakura said, "They…I see the future through them sometimes and I've been having two different ones lately but one of them seems to be okay, it's the other one that bothers me."
"What happens in it?" Nabiki asked.
"I think it was Ranko's father…I don't know where it was at but she was sleeping and then he came in and raped her. Then…the next morning your sister was calling her a sex changing freak and ended up hitting her with a mallet." Sakura said.
"What did the place look like?" Nabiki asked.
Sakura explained what she could remember of the place as she watched recognition flash across Nabiki's face.
"Th-That's my home…" Nabiki said, shocked. "Are you sure it wasn't the past?"
"I never had dreams of the past…" Sakura said, "Wait…why would you ask if it was the past. Akane slammed Ranko through the roof with a mallet!"
"Sh-She used to do that…she…we all believed she was a boy." Nabiki said.
"I don't give a damn if she's your sister or not!" Sakura said cracking her knuckles, "If she even looks the wrong way at Ranko I swear I'll kick her ass!"
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Ranko was feeling pretty depressed when she heard squealing noises and turned looking for where they was coming from. She found the direction the noise was coming from and gasped, there was a thick cloud of smoke coming from the same direction in the park.
"Ranko!" Kero called flying straight for Ranko. "I sensed the Firey Card and came to find you."
"I think I found it." Ranko said pointing towards the smoke as she could see fire spreading toward her.
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Akane and Ryoga froze as the near the park, there was a thick cloud of smoke coming from there. Then Akane heard the squeals of P-Chan and took off toward the fire and her pet.
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"Nabiki!" Sakura cried pointing toward the park where there was a very thick cloud of black smoke now drifting up from it.
"You don't think the others are there do you?" Nabiki asked worried for her friends and family.
"Let's go!" Sakura called as she rushed forward and Nabiki tried her best to follow.
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Ranko ran toward the clearing where she heard the cries of the piglet and stopped as she came to a large wall of fire. She could see a black form just through the fire and it looked like a giant ring of fire surrounding it.
Taking out the key of clow Ranko chanted , "Key of Clow! Power of Magic, Power of Light, Surrender the wand The force ignite! RELEASE!"
Throwing a card out in front of her she called out, "Jump Card, Lend me your powers! Release and Dispell! JUMP!"
Small white wings grew on Ranko's shoes as she jumped, boosted by the cards power very high into the air easily clearing the ring of fire but was stopped as a young boy made out of flames with huge wings flew in front of her. She had to shift her weight and flip out of the way of the boy, the heat too much to get close to.
Landing back on the ground she stumbled back a few paces before regaining her balance. Pulling out another card she threw it in front of her calling out, "Freeze Card, freeze and trap the Firey! Release and Dispell! FREEZE!"
A large ice like fish flew from the card towards the firey boy, sending misty tendrils out to circle the boy only to turn into steam before even reaching. The fish got closer to freeze and let out a cry of pain falling away from the boy. As it fell it changed back into a card which Ranko caught.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Ranko cried, holding the card to her chest.
"It's okay, Ranko." Kero said, "The Freeze isn't hurt, the Firey just forced it to revert to its card."
"We have to stop it before it burns down the whole park." Tomoyo said.
"P-CHAN!" Akane cried as she ran up but Ryoga caught her arm.
"We can't get through there." Ryoga said, "We need to put out the fire."
"We can't." Ranko said, "Not until I can seal Firey."
"Then seal it!" Akane cried, "My P-Chan is in there!"
"I'm working on it." Ranko said, "Maybe Windy?"
"No good." Kero said, "Windy would only fan out the flames."
"Ranko! Tomoyo!" Sakura called as she skidded to a stop.
"What's up with the barbeque?" Nabiki asked.
"It's no barbeque." Li said as Meilin and he ran up to the group. "Don't worry, I'll stop it."
"Li!" Ranko called as he chased after the firey boy that just flew past them, its body setting any trees and bushes it past that wasn't already on fire ablaze.
Ranko was horrified as she was catching up to Li and Firey, Firey was floating in the air before Li with a smirk on its face. Above Li was a large branch that was on fire and looked like it was about to fall right on top of him. "Watch out!" She called, racing to push him out of the way but she was going to be too late. Sakura came flying by on her roller blades and tackled Li just as the branch crashed to the ground.
Firey flew off in another direction as Ranko gave chase, glad that Li and Sakura looked okay. She had to figure out a way to stop the firey before someone really did get hurt. She was afraid of another card getting hurt though. She was tempted to use Watery but was afraid of the same results as Freeze. She needed something else, maybe something that could smother the flames like Sand…or Earthy!
Pulling out a card Ranko threw it in front of her bringing the staff down to it, "Earthy Card, trap the Firey in your confines! Release and Dispell! EARTHY!"
A woman whose dress seemed to be made out of rock and earth appeared then disappeared in streams of power that caused a large hand made from rock to come from the ground and grab the Firey, holding it so it couldn't escape.
"Earthy Card! Firey Card! Return to your powers confined! EARTHY! FIREY!" Ranko cried out. Both shrank and became two cards which flew to Ranko's hand.
"Great job, Ranko." Kero said as he floated up to Ranko.
"P-Chan!" Akane cried, rushing to gather her pet in her arms as the flames died down and disappeared.
A bright light appeared drawing Ranko's attention to Kero whose wings grew until the stretched around him and then pulled back leaving a lion like creature with large angelic wings coming from his back.
"K-Kero?" Ranko asked, startled.
"Yes, now that you have caught Firey I can take on my true form." Kero said, "Keroberos, Gaurdian Beast of the Seal."
"Wow." Ranko said in awe.
"Maybe you should do something about the damage?" Kero said.
"Right!" Ranko said throwing a card out, "Erase Card, erase the damage done by the Firey! Release and Dispell! ERASE!"
Ranko watched in satisfaction as where the Erase passed by the trees and the surrounding area was restored to what it was like before the Firey wrecked havoc on the area.
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Li groaned as he realized someone had just pushed him down to the ground as a large burning tree limb fell where he was just standing. Whoever it was either saved his life or saved him from a lot of pain.
He realized it was a girl as she started to move then looked into his eyes and froze. He was staring into a pair of deep green eyes and he couldn't look away. He felt a strong connection with whoever it was like he always knew her.
"Um…sorry about that." The girl said. Li recognized the voice, it was Ranko's friend Sakura.
"It's okay." Li said.
"Maybe we should get up now." Sakura said, not bothering to move.
"Yeah…" Li said, not able to tear his eyes away from bright green orbs staring back at him.
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AN: Well, the last card has been caught and soon will be the judgment though that won't come for another couple of chapters. The sequel, and I may work on the prequel at the same time though not as much as the sequel, will be coming shortly after the judgment as that will most likely be the last chapter in this part of the story.
Review Responses:
Den Scurman: You did, thank you. I'm glad it all turned out okay with the two chapters. And you wasn't, I like reviews like that one, the only reviews I don't like is straight out flames. Its okay, my little brother wants to see his dad (my ex stepfather) which I don't even want him anywhere near here and neither does my mom but I don't know how to explain something to a little kid like this. Sorry about Bakura's raspy voice thing, I kind of liked it myself. I loved how he sounded. I don't think Kagome ever worked as a waitress but I thought it would make a nice cameo. Good luck with your proofreading. My leg is feeling pretty good right now, just itchy. (pouts) Thank you.
Dragon Man 180: That would be a good idea for a punishment on Genma. I doubt Li could take any of those cards but Ranko did. I haven't written how Ranko caught Earthy or Fight but Ranko did catch Firey this chapter. That would have been a good idea with Ranko's neko side, thanks.
Lov3the3vil: It's very likely, thanks I hope you liked this chapter too.
TheCentauress: Thanks, I wanted to make that scene better than any of the cards that I've written about yet and the firey inthis chapter to be the longest and most detailed one. Thanks for the idea, it would have been great but she already used the Earthy to do it.
Shinigami: This will probably have between three and for more chapters yet to go but I don't have the sequel written yet but I have been putting together ideas and basic outlines though that doesn't mean anything. With every chapter there is a possibility of change and too much change will totally destroy the outline but at least I'll have where the sequel will be heading toward. Akane does need to learn a lesson and she will start to get some help with her temper but she is pretty stubborn. I'm not sure if Akane will find out about Ryoga being P-Chan since they are split now but it could happen.
DigiSim: They have a McDonald's so it's a possibility that they have some kind of Italian restaurant.
Darkman v3: I can't make any promises on it but I really do like it and it's a possibility of doing it in the sequel.
Mgsaintz: Thanks, I'm kind of going with love at first sight with Bakura. I hope that the firey card capture turned out good. Thanks, hope you liked this chapter.
TheWhiteMonk: Sorry, I tried to make this one better but both the prequel and sequel the capturing/changing of the cards I want to make much better. I try to add some unique ideas to my stories but it's so hard anymore with so many ideas already done in so many other good stories. I'm glad that I'm getting so many good responses with the Bakura/Ranko pairing. Thanks, I will.
Isumo 1489: You really did help, thanks and your welcome. That sounds about right, thank you so much. As for the tournament I decided I will do it near the beginning of the sequel and I would love to have your OC do that and your help with doing it. Thank you very much, I hope this one turned out good.
Ebona Nite: Thanks, Li will end up being a part in the trial though I seriously doubt he will win. He is far more skilled than he was when he was a child but then again he has so many less cards than he did in the cannon universe. And the cards he does have won't help him a whole lot. There will be a few more chapter for this story before the sequel, hope you will like both.
RubberNeck: You are right about that, they don't look alike really. I love the idea though but I will have to bring in Naga as well as the most of the others from Next and Try. Thank you so much.
Den Scurman: Yep, thanks and your welcome, I'm glad that you enjoyed it so far. And yep, he is the head Kuno. They may get a chance, I'm not too sure yet though I'm not to sure about Kaiba. Ranko is feeling better about herself but she is having some self doubts that Bakura and her will talk about in maybe the next chapter. As for Kero and Bast, Bast doesn't like Kero a whole lot yet but they will become better friends as time goes on. There may be a cameo with another certain talking white cat in the sequel who isn't quite as annoying as his other feline friend who though annoying at times I still love.
Firehedgehog: That's good but I'm not sure what the yugi gang will think but their thoughts will vary greatly.
Thank you everyone for your reviews and all your support,
Until Next Time,
Ja Ne