Ranma ½ Live Cosplay!

Chapter 3: Seeking Answers

(Tendo Residence)

Nabiki was studying in the living room while Kasumi was cooking in the kitchen and humming a tune even as the three men, Soun, Happosai, and Genma were talking about what to do next.

Nabiki had been able to talk to Kuno and find out more information about the sword that he'd made Ranma and Akane vanish with.

Nabiki couldn't focus on her studies while the thought of her sister and Ranma were banished to another dimension, possibly to never been seen again were running through her mind.

Soun and Genma were arguing about whether finding the merchant that sold Kuno the sword was important or getting the sword away from Kuno before he could banish anyone else was more important.

Soun wanted to get more information and thought the merchant would have the information while Genma didn't want the fall of Ranma to be for naught and he wanted to take such a dangerous magical thing away from Kuno.

Happosai wasn't happy at all since both his favorite girls to tease were now gone! The thoughts of how he wouldn't be able to grope and nuzzle Akane's breasts or do the same to Ranma were practically torture for him.

Finally having enough of their arguing Happosai yells, "ENOUGH! This pointless bickering isn't going to bring back either of your children and without them there is no way that the School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts will be able to survive! We MUST find a way to return them from whatever wicked dimension that they were cast into!"

Soun cries, "You're so right Master!" before he starts to cry Akane's name over and over like a broken record until Genma shouts, "For the School of the Anything-Goes Martial Arts, we WILL succeed in bringing back our children!"

Genma didn't want to admit it, but he was very worried about his boy, this was unlike anything that any of them had experienced before. He just hoped that the two of them would be ok.

(Cosplay Club)

Jasmine looks in disbelief as she stares at Ranma after having had the whole situation explained by Alice, Akane, and Ranma. She still couldn't get over how fictional character from Japan could end up in her cosplay club of all places!

Jasmine says, "So, you are telling me that the last thing you remember is Kuno attacking Ranma with some sort of magical sword and then waking up here?"

Everyone just nods at her, having already explained this more than twice to her. It wasn't that Jasmine was dumb, she was just still in shock and it was taking a little while to get over the fact that two of her favorite characters from the anime were standing, talking and transforming in front of her.

Jasmine sighs as she brings a hand up to rub her temples and says, "Ok, since this was obviously after the end of the series… there is no way to look up anything about that sword Kuno found."

Alice says, "Are you sure? Maybe…" Jasmine shakes her head with her hand remaining on her temples, "I'm certain, I know every book and video by heart. I can even recite every line from either one and I know that there was never any mention of any such sword or anything like this happening to them."

Jasmine moves her hand from her head and opens her eyes to look at the three of them before she says, "You two already had your botched wedding attempt didn't you?"

Ranma and Akane nod before Akane says, "How'd you know that? That was just a week ago for us."

Jasmine sighs and says, "Great, and the series ends with you two walking away from the house after that. The ONLY person who could possibly be of any help is in Japan and we are in America."

Ranma says, "Who could help us?" Jasmine looks at Ranma with serious eyes and says, "The creator of you both, your friends, and your enemies, a Japanese woman named Rumiko Takahashi… She is the only person I can think of who might know how to return you back to your home dimension."

Ranma and Akane look at each other for a second before they turn to look at Jasmine and shout, "OUR WHAT?"

Alice puts a hand on Akane's shoulder, knowing that she was the more likely person to do something violent and says, "Calm down Akane, Jasmine will explain if you give her a chance but she can't do anything if you sock her into orbit."

Jasmine says, "Well, as near as I can figure it… the reason that she might have ended the series was because she knew that you two might end up here and couldn't follow your adventures. And without the two of you the series just doesn't work anymore because your adventures and unspoken love is what drove readers to continue reading for years."

Jasmine gets up and walks over to a bookshelf and pulls out the final manga from the Ranma ½ series and flips to the last couple of pages before she walks back over to say, "See, this is the ending of the series and the fans were a bit disappointed at the ending because they wanted to see the wedding and you two finally hook up."

Ranma snatches the book very quickly and looks at the book, flipping through it and seeing it all happen again, from when saw Akane in her beautiful wedding dress to the end where they walked off to go to school. It was all there and he couldn't believe it! He was furious because it was like someone had invaded his privacy right down to his thoughts to his very life for who knows how many people!

Jasmine could see that Ranma was getting angry because her battle aura was starting to flare up just like in the anime. On one level she thought it was very cool to be able to see Ranma's battle aura appear just like in the show, yet on another level she was a bit scared because she KNEW the kind damage Ranma could do if she put her mind to it.

Jasmine says, "Calm down Ranma, getting angry won't help and you do want to go home don't you?" She takes the book from Ranma's hands and puts it back up on the shelf while Ranma calms down.

Jasmine walks over to the sink and heats up some hot water from the tap and then splashes Ranma back into his male self before she says, "Now, I have a plan to see her but we're going to need some serious money to fly out to Japan. Fortunately I have a solution but it won't be easy."

Ranma says, "What? A plan? What is it?" Akane joins in and says, "Yeah, tell us how we can go home!"

Jasmine points to something on the wall and everyone turns their head to look at it to see that she's pointing to a cosplay poster. She says, "See that? That is a contest poster and the winner of it gets a all expenses paid trip to Japan as well as $500 US dollars which, I'm not sure translates into but it should still be enough for us to get around to visit your creator and find out what she knows about that sword of Kuno's."

Akane smiles and says, "Did you hear that Ranma! We'll be home in no time!"

Alice says, "I'm afraid it won't be that easy. You see it is a cosplay contest and so the club with the best costumes is going to be the winner."

Jasmine looks at the two and says, "I'm sure we'll win though. We have something no other club could possibly have. The two of you!"

Akane and Ranma look at Jasmine in confusion. Alice says, "What Jasmine means is that no other club will have anyone that looks as real as the two of you or have anyone that can transform like Ranma can."

Ranma and Akane come to understand what they mean but Ranma says, "No way! I ain't pretending in front of others!"

Alice says, "But Ranma! It won't really be pretend for you! All you have to do is act your normal self and let us splash you with hot and cold water! We will be the hit of the contest for sure then!"

Ranma shakes his head, "No way! I am not just some toy that you can put on display and be made to perform on command!"

Jasmine says, "I guess it'll be all right, we still have Akane with us and there's nothing like the genuine article when it all comes right down to it."

Akane puts up a fist in the air and says, "Don't you worry! I won't let you girls down! I want to go home even if the jerk Ranma doesn't!"

Ranma yells, "Hey, don't you go calling me a jerk, you tomboy!"

Akane yells back, "Who're you calling a tomboy!"

Ranma yells right back at Akane, "I'm calling you a tomboy! You're SO un-cute!"

Akane growls and then yells, "Oh! I've had enough of you Ranma!" and punches Ranma in the face and sends him sailing right through the front door with it flying off its hinges from the impact of Ranma hitting it so hard!

Both Alice and Jasmine make a mental note, "#1. Do NOT get Akane mad at them! #2. Remember that Akane is VERY strong!"

Suddenly there is a loud yell and a crash, which was followed by some rather loud cursing.

Alice, Jasmine and Akane all ran out of the club, which was located on the second floor. A fact that neither Jasmine nor Alice had mentioned to Akane or Ranma before she'd sent Ranma sailing out the door.

All three stopped at the railing that was just outside the door, which in thanks to Akane was now dented by the door, as it had been knocked off its hinges quite hard when Ranma hit it.

They look down and see Ranma lying on top of another one of their members and she did NOT look happy. Ranma was covering his ears while she continued to curse loudly at the top of her lungs and she was using language that even Ranma who had traveled a lot with his father to become the best martial artist he could be, was not familiar with but with the way she was using the words, he got the idea behind them.

Jasmine shouts loudly from the railing, "CALM DOWN PEPPER!" which got the result she wanted almost immediately.

Pepper shut up and looked at the railing to see Jasmine, Alice, and some girl dressed up really good as Akane while Ranma was able to get up now that his hands weren't busy covering his ears from her verbal attack.

Pepper shouts, "Calm down? Are you kidding? I was on my way to the club when WHAM! This guy comes out of nowhere and lands on me!"

Ranma says, "Hey, I'm sorry about that…Akane and I got into a little fight and she punched me right out the door."

Pepper looks at Ranma and shouts, "She punched you out the door and right into me? Don't be ridiculous! She'd have be super-strong to be able to do that!"

Alice shouts down, "Pepper! Look over here!" Pepper looks up to see Alice pointing at what used to be their club door, only it is now half-wedged into the rail not far from her!

Pepper says in light awe, "T-that's impossible!" before she looks at Akane who looks somewhat embarrassed before Akane says, "Sorry about the door."

Pepper looks at Ranma and wonders how he could survive a punch that did all that and NOT be horribly hurt? As it was, the one that looked like Ranma didn't even have a hair out of place.

She wonders who these people were as a part of her mind whispers, "They're the real Ranma and Akane! That's the only explanation!" but she quickly dismisses that thought as irrational.

Jasmine shouts down, "Ranma, are you ok? You're not hurt are you?"

Ranma looks up at the three girls and says, "I'm ok! Akane's hit me lots harder than that before!"

Jasmine looks relieved, she had thought for a second because that they were in a different dimension, that he would be just as easily hurt as they could be but apparently they were just as tough in her dimension as in their own.

Pepper and Ranma stand up while Pepper gives Ranma a very thorough look over and as far as she could tell, he looked like the real article but that in itself made no sense!

Jasmine yells down, "Come on up Pepper! You too Ranma!" to which Pepper nods to and starts to walk to the stairs. Ranma follows alongside her and mutters something about "Uncute fiancée's."

Alice says, "Hi Pepper", when they reach the second floor and Pepper says, "Hey Alice" and then looks at Jasmine and Akane before she says, "Ok now… will someone please explain to me what the heck is going? Why are there two people who act and look very much like the real characters from Ranma ½?"

Jasmine says, "Well Pepper, that is because they really are the genuine article and it seems that it is all Kuno's fault."

Pepper raises an eyebrow up and says, "Kuno? What'd he do? Get some magical item that he thought would help him defeat Ranma and Akane got swept up in it?"

Alice nods as she says, "You got it right on the button, Pepper."

Pepper puts her hand over her face and sighs, "I knew it… I'm in a dream, no… a nightmare."

Jasmine puts her hand on Pepper's shoulder and says, "Trust me, this isn't a dream or a nightmare. This is very much real."

Pepper shrugs off the hand on her shoulder and says, "Do you really expect me to believe that somehow Ranma and Akane just 'happened' to show up at our club in America when they lived in Japan? How do you explain that?"

Jasmine and Alice look at each other, then at Ranma and Akane before looking back at Pepper before Jasmine says, "Well, that's just it… I don't know the answer to that question and neither do they. I can only guess that there was something in our club room that drew them to here in the first place but I can't even begin to guess what it was."

Akane says, "You didn't mention that part to us Jasmine!"

Jasmine looks apologetic at Akane and says, "That's because it was just a hunch Akane, even if there was something in the club that drew you both across space, time and dimension to land right in our club. I haven't the faintest idea what it could be."

Pepper crosses her arms and says in a low voice, "Why couldn't it have been Kuno that got sent here? I always thought he was the cute one from the series."

Jasmine, Alice, Akane and Ranma all look at her as if she'd just said the most insane thing they'd ever heard of. Pepper looks back with fire in her eyes and says, "What? I happen to like the way he talks in poetry. He could claim me as his girlfriend and I wouldn't mind the least bit because he likes strong-headed girls and I happen to think I am just that."

Jasmine and Alice look at each other wondering if their club member has lost her mind before Akane suddenly says, "Look, if Ranma and I ever get back home I will make sure that Kuno is sent here. Then you can have him all to yourself!"

Pepper does something she didn't usually do unless she was cosplaying, and that was she smiled big! This surprises Jasmine and Alice but it isn't anything compared to the surprise they got when Pepper actually seemed to squeal in delight!

Pepper smiles at Akane and says, "You've got a deal Akane! You two get to go home and I get Kuno!"

Ranma pulls Akane to the side and whispers to her, "Akane! What are you doing making that kind of promise?"

Akane looks at Ranma and whispers back, "After this, I don't want to ever have to deal with Kuno again! The nerve of him using such a dangerous weapon on us and then sending us to another dimension! It'll be a lot better than if I ever get my hands on him!"

Ranma could tell that Akane was very serious and very, very angry at Kuno. At this point, he wonders how their families were holding up after learning about what had happened to them?

AN: Well, as everyone can see... Ranma is just as tough in our dimension as he is in his. After all he IS still just a human guy. Anyway, I hope I haven't upset any of you with Kuno being thought of as desirable to someone... lol.

I wonder who any of you would want as a bf/gf in your life if you could have any of the characters from the series? I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts!