It was cold and dark in the pit. The young boy, about six years of age, shivered even as the claws tore into his body, trying to get at the fish products tied to his body. Nothing could help the boy. Calling for his father didn't help. Calling for his mother hadn't helped for the six or so months he'd had to put up with his father's....methods. Crying was the next best way, but if he cried, he wouldn't be manly. If he wasn't manly, he was sure his father would hurt him again. So the boy settled for crying out in pain and shivering, waiting for the cats to finish their food and leave him alone. Sometimes, he just wished Kami-sama would get enough of let him die. Suddenly, as he felt the tearing claws moving up from his chest, he saw a single claw arcing towards his face, right at his eye....
----------Egyptian Pantheon-----------
A sheen of sweat covered Ranma's brow as he shot up in his futon, panting and gasping for breath. Shivering, Ranma reached a hand up to his face, tracing the scar that that particular cat had left. If Ranma closed his eye, you could see the scar continuing down in an unbroken line. It was sheer luck that Ranma had not lost his eye to that cat. He sighed, getting up and doing his stretches. He looked out the window, smiling gently. It had been forever since he'd had that dream, he knew, and it no longer scared him as much as it used to. Where once it caused him to actually go cat in his sleep, now, it merely woke him up from his already-disturbed sleep. Ranma shook his head and walked out to the bathroom, stripping off his clothing, a tank top and boxers, and stepped into the bathroom. Sleep fogging his brain, he failed to notice the difference of the room from the Tendo furo. It wasn't until he slipped and fell into the large, open-air bath that he found himself in a large, lavishly decorated bathroom. The Egyptian decor instantly shocked Ranma's mind back to the present even as he absently moved his hand over to the side of the bath, grasping a bottle of 180-proof whiskey and bringing it to his mouth. With a quick slug, Ranma was feeling completely reenergized as he scrubbed his body. The last two Asgard weeks (which, to him, were even longer as he'd been putting up with virtual training with his new parents in something called the "Hyperbaulic Time Chamber" on some "Kami's Lookout". As such, Ranma had a full two years with his new family.) had been a brutal, unforgiving Hell on Ranma's poor body. Or so he would have liked to claim. Though he would still become extremely nervous in the presence of any member of the feline culture, the Neko-ken would no longer come to the fore and he would no longer run in terror. As he was musing over all of this, he sighed and shook the water out of his hair. It was very nice hair, he absently thought, and it was true. The long, black mane was tied in a red-highlighted ponytail whose length had grown to hang to about his mid-back. The twin tails that Kasumi had hung at his temples were a solid silver, which mixed surprisingly well for his red-and-black mane. As Ranma climbed out, he grinned when he saw two male figures in his peripheral vision droop in disappointment that Ranma was so easy to sneak up on. With a quick focus of his relatively new inner energies, Ranma dropped a globe of freezing water onto his brothers, Raiden and Fujin. Turning around, he recognized the grins on their faces as predatory and ran like hell.
"Oh, CRAAAAAAAAAAAA-uh..CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUDDDD!"
Let it never be said that Ranma swore in the presence of divinity. But that's beside the point.
Five goddesses sat down to enjoy a nice, warm breakfast. Fifty percent of which wound its way off of the table as a terrifyingly powerful gust of wind (which was NOT of Fujin's making) blew past. As the gust receded, the sound of a naked sound-barrier-breaking God of Martial Arts, Rain, and Cats echoed in the goddesses ears.
"HiBell-chan,HiSkuld-chan,HiUrd-chan,HiBast-okaasan,Hi-Sekhmet-okaasan,sorry'boutbreakfastgottagobye!!!!!!!!"
Belldandy was in the process of picking up the food when a pair of soaking wet half-demon gods ran into the kitchen. Without prompting, five goddesses pointed in a direction in which Ranma HADN'T run, and the gods quickly dashed off, not noting that each goddess had pointed in a different direction. Skuld sighed sadly.
"Stupid storm gods. Why can't they leave Ranma-chan alone?"
Urd raised an eyebrow at the "chan", but said nothing of it. She knew Skuld had developed a crush on Ranma the instant she saw him. As Skuld and Urd ruminated about their wayward brother and HIS wayward brothers, two very feline goddesses grinned toothily at the thought of what today would bring. They just LOVED mischief. Especially when they made it.
----------Nifleheim----------
Mara was not in a good mood. She hadn't been in a good mood since she'd failed her last assignment. Belldandy and that mortal had gone and gotten married, and were doing well for themselves. Mara sighed as she looked over the file. Keiichi was right now in Hokkaido sealing a deal with a motor company or something, and Belldandy was with Urd, Skuld, Bast, Sekhmet, Raiden, and Fujin in the Egyptian pantheon. She scowled as she thought about Urd, but pushed that thought away. No, now she was focusing on the task at hand. Lightening her mood with her new assignment. Apparently, there was a new god who was only just getting the grasp of his powers and for some reason, Hild was paying personal attention to him. It was Mara's job to keep tabs on him and on the district where he lived.
Oh, yes. It was going to be a "fun" day for her. Hardy, har, har.
Sighing in resignation, Mara grabbed her last bottle of whiskey and headed for the empty apartment she'd be using for a temporary home since Hild had told her to get out of Nifleheim until she completed her curret assignment. Damnit, life could be so unfair sometimes. Maybe she'd have time to grab some grub before she had to find the little bastard. After all, how much trouble could one untrained, unfocused god be?
---------------Nerima--------------
One untrained, unfocused god was being trouble. He was being very much trouble, in fact. Especially to the three women that were leading him to the door of the Tendo home.
"Aw, c'mon, Mom! Why do I hafta be here ta split with them?! Why can't I just vanish outta their lives and be done with it?"
A harsh glare from the two women he called mother quelled the divine martial artist significantly.
"Because, Ranma, as a new god, you must accept your responsibility fully. You cannot do that if you cannot face the responsibility of breaking PEACEFULLY with your old life, from which, I might add, you've been missing from for about a Midgard week."
Ranma and Urd both gave the two Egyptian goddesses skeptical looks at the "peacefully" part. As Sekhmet rang the doorbell, a loud stomping could be heard descending the stairs. Ranma's "Heeeeeeeere's 'Kane!"(1) was cut short as a fuming, red-faced girl in a gi threw open the door. Noticing the three "girls", the not-so-well oiled machine that was Akane Tendo's mind went to work. If one paid any attention to her inner workings, which, thankfully, none have, one would have seen something like this.
#Program: Scan.
Scanning....four life forms detected.
Life form one: Tall, beautiful, long hair. Bust size: huge. Threat level: large.
Life form two: Ditto. Bust size: Above average. Threat level: large.
Life form three: Slightly shorter, gorgeous, very long, platinum hair. Bust size: Don't know what's holdin' 'em back. Threat level: Annihilate now!
Life form four: Tallest, handsome, ponytailed. Status: droolin' gorgeous. Analysis: wayward fiance.
Suggested Action: Command Line four.
Analyzing....analyzing.....recommended action accepted.
Initiating program "Bash the Pervert Mode".
End Program.#
"RANMA NO HENTAI!!!!!!"
And lo and behold, for Kami-sama said let their be light! And there was light.
Actually, Sekhmet and Bast had given Ranma a nice, long lecture about standing up for himself. And so, as Mallet-sama began to fall(2), Akane did not expect Ranma to sidestep the blow, grasp the handle of the building implement, and twist it out of her grasp, then bring his elbow into Akane's gut. The blow, while not powerful enough to give Ryouga pause for thought, was enough to make the unpracticed Akane Tendo drop to her knees in shock and pain.
-----------------Nifleheim---------------
A great many shivering demons wondered which impossibility had made itself known on Midgard even as Hild-sama ordered a massive, no-holds barred snowball war.
-----------------Nerima-------------------
"Chill out, Akane. They ain't my girlfriends, just my family. I ain't got nobody for a girlfriend."
This being said, Ranma entered the kitchen, where a blubbering former martial artist and a blubbering panda could be seen drinking sake over a shogi board, a calculating middle Tendo was shuddering uncontrollably at the thought of the profits she'd lost in the last few days without Ranma under her thumb, and an irate Saotome matriarch and a worried eldest Tendo were fixing supper. All eyes fell onto Ranma and a variety of actions clicked into motion.
"RANMA, HOW DARE YOU TREAT YOUR FIANCE LIKE THIS!!!"
Soun's demon flared as he hissed his now snake-like tongue at his would-be future son-in-law.
"GROWF!!!"
The panda held up a large sign, flipping it so "speak" in a long, unbroken sentence how Ranma should apologize to his fiance and marry her today to make it up to her, and how he was ashamed to have such a dishonorable young man for a son.
"FINALLY!! Saotome, you owe me two-hundred and fifty-thousand yen for your little stunt!"
Nabiki was sauntering over to Ranma, her hand outstretched and her familiar, self-confident smirk securely back in place.
"Oh, my, Ranma, I was so worried about you!"
Kasumi stopped wringing her hands and rushed forward to give her "little brother" a hug. Amazingly, she was the only person in the house to notice Ranma's rather taller stature.
Ranma smirked. With a quick jab, he rendered Soun's illusion null as the crybaby slumped to the floor, unconscious. In one fluid motion, the jabbing hand flew forward and grabbed the panda's still-flipping sign and within a single instant, Genma Saotome had all he needed of his monthly required fiber. Still in the same motion, Ranma grabbed Nabiki around the neck, swept her legs from under her, and dropped her to the ground, her dignity somewhat mussed. Finally, Ranma spun from Nabiki and let Kasumi hug him, crying into his shoulder. Though he'd had significant training with his new parents, Ranma still had a soft spot for crying girls. Kami-sama knew HOW many times Urd had gotten him with that over the last few days...
"Aw, c'mon, Kasumi-neechan, don't cry. I'm fine."
The girl in question suddenly pulled back and smiled, leaving Ranma dumbfounded. What the hell had just happened? Ranma sighed as Kasumi dutifully returned to fixing breakfast, no longer shaking with worry. However, just as Ranma was opening his mouth to speak to the inhabitants of the household, he heard a sound that left his blood frozen in his veins.
"AIREN!! Hiba-chan say you gone, Shampoo say she too too wrong!"
The dreaded call of the Amazon, closely followed by an attempted Amazon Glomp. Now, it is through no fault of her own that Shampoo found herself embedded in the Tendo dining room table. Oh, no, Shampoo had not seen Ranma in a week, Midgard Time, and always before, Ranma had not attempted to dodge her glomp. This time, however, she had no such luck. Ranma had grown, albeit a little, but it was enough for him to realize what he wanted. So Shampoo missed as Ranma dodged.
(Leave me alone, Xian Pu. Your laws have no hold over me, and I have no love for you or your kind.) The sound of Ranma speaking perfect Mandarin shook Shampoo to the core. He couldn't have mastered the language in a week, he just couldn't have! He must have been under a spell. Turning around in her anger and confusion, she beheld three new figures, each of which, Shampoo noted with great ire and envy, beat even HER out in the chest department. Shampoo drew her bobori.
"Obstacles place spell on Ranma, make him not know what want! Obstacles, you I KILL!" Shampoo lunged forward, swinging her bonbori down for a killing strike...
Only to sputter and meow vehemently when Ranma stepped in front of Urd, whom Shampoo was attacking first, and splashed her with water from where nobody, save the four deities, knew. Angry, Shampoo leapt at Ranma's face, not thinking clearly, while the rest of the household save Kasumi ran for the hills. Or at least cowered behind a table. Akane, however, sauntered into the dining room, ready to prove superiority over Shampoo when Neko-Ranma leapt into her lap and kissed her like the sla...er...pervert he was.
Everyone blink-blinked when Ranma yawned and grabbed Shampoo around the scruff of the neck only to hand her to the short, wizened figure attempting to sneak up on him. "Mom, was THAT the last training exercise? Puttin' up with an enraged feline Amazon?"
Even Cologne blink-blinked at the "Mom" comment, but recovered quickly enough. "So, son-in-law, you have achieved mastery over the Neko-ken. Now, Shampoo's curse is no longer repelling to you, so you may come with us and consummate your marriage to her."
Ranma turned to Cologne slowly, and flashed a grin that everyone, including Kasumi and the three goddesses, did not like.
"Cologne, if you attempt to bring me back again, I will destroy your village. You will find that I am rather hard to hold in any one place."
To demonstrate, Ranma walked through the doorway leading to the home's entryway and promptly vanished, making everyone blink-blink. The instant he was completely through that doorway, he reappeared in the doorway leading from the dining room to the porch. Cologne finally saw the marks on Ranma's face, which he was no longer hiding, and gasped. And swore.
"Very well, so...Ranma. You leave me no choice. If you shall not marry Shampoo, you shall die."
Again, that evil grin. "Wait, Cologne. Wait for just a moment and try to reverse Shampoo's curse."
She did. She poured hot water, provided by Kasumi, over the purple-furred cat again and again to no avail. Shampoo was a cat for good.
"What have you done to her, Ranma?! How...oh, kami, no!"
This time, a more prominent grin. "Exactly."
The Tendo household blink-blinked as Ranma lifted the hold on Shampoo's curse, leaving the girl shaking and crying as she and her great-grandmother left as quickly as they could. Akane leapt forward.
"You pervert! I saw you looking!"
And found herself embedded into the floor, unconscious. At that moment, a knocking on the door rose through the house. Ranma smirked and strode in, allowing his mother entrance into the house. The instant she saw the three gorgeous women who seemingly flocked protectively around Ranma, she saw stars.
"WAI!! MY SON IS SO MANLY!!!"
Leaving Ranma's two goddess mothers blink-blinking while Urd rolled on the ground laughing. Until the implications hit her. Then she stood up in disgust.
"Hey! I ain't har up enough to screw my own brother!!!"
That made another audible blink-blink make itself known.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I ever had a daughter, so you're quite mistaken. Unless Genma got unscrupulous on the training trip..."
Said panda was shaking his head, unable to produce a new sign so long as his current one was embedded in his throat. Of course, everyone in the house, save Akane, was wondering why she'd allow her son to have sex with mulitple women while allowing her husband only herself. That was blown away when Ranma stood and confronted his mother.
"Nodoka Saotome, right now I am giving you a choice. I am honoring none of the promises made by Genma Saotome. To do so would be to dishonor numerous families and your own. Do you accept this, or will you demand the life of your own child?"
Ranma turned to Bast who nodded approvingly. Ranma smiled, he'd been rehearsing that speech for three days straight. Nodoka, however, was shocked beyond words.
"Wh-what?! Ranma, you must honor the Tendo-Saotome agreement! If you cannot, you must commit seppuku. It is not manly to break an honorable promise."
Ranma snorted before grabbing the Saotome honor blade. He looked to the skies and said in a loud, resonating voice.
"In the name of Kami-sama, if this family's honor is worth keeping, I shall keep the agreement. If the family's honor is shattered beyond redemption, may this blade be broken and my name be forsaken!"
Before the eyes of everyone, a bolt of lightning struck from the clear sky and cleaved the katana in two. Ranma looked to his birth mother sadly and shook his head.
"Your choice has been made. By Kami-sama's will, I am no longer Saotome."
As Ranma began to leave, Kasumi tugged on his sleeve. Ranma looked up and grinned.
"Say, Kas-chan, wanna come with us? You could pursue your own dreams."
Kasumi merely smiled, nodded, and walked to the doorway with a suitcase in hand. Ranma blinked at that. Where'd the case come from? Ranma shrugged as his godly family stood and accompanied him to the door. Ranma shook his head once more as they made their way to the streets of Nerima, plus one more. Bast looked at her son and Urd.
"Ranma, son, why don't you head to that apartment we arranged for you while we take Kasumi to meet your sisters?"
Ranma looked up to his mother and smiled, giving her a hug. After he released her, he quickly looked around nervously. He was still skittish about showing affection in public. "Sure, mom. Where is my apartment, anyway?"
Bast handed Ranma an address nearby and took Kasumi's arm. "Don't worry, Ranma, we'll tell her the whole story when Belldandy and Skuld get back. you go get settled in and come back later for dinner."
Ranma smiled and nodded, bounding to the rooftops in one leap, leaving the goddesses staring in awe. Sure, they could fly, but they couldn't believe a former mortal could do that without any kind of magical enhancement. This said, the three goddesses shook their heads in wonder simultaneously, netting a giggle from Kasumi. All four girls smiled.
---------------Back to Ranma-------------
Ranma smiled broadly. He was free. He was FREE!! It felt so good to finally be free, Ranma did a few flips in midair out of sheer joy. As he sped through the district, he couldn't help but enjoy the feel of wind brushing thorugh his hair. With a final jump, Ranma landed a two-pointer on the sidewalk in front of the landlord's office, striding into it and ignoring the hungry look in the secretary's eyes. As he entered, Ranma subconsciously cast a spell to hide his marks from other deities. It wouldn't do for his life to get hectic again all too soon.
Within minutes, Ranma had all the nessecary paperwork filled out and the key to his apartment in hand. Striding up the stairs, Ranma met his apartment door at the very highest floor, where nobody else lived. It was Nerima, after all, and you really didn't want to live on the top floor of a building in a district where a roving martial artist was capable of destroying a city block with one finger. Ranma shrugged and entered his apartment.
It was perfect. A view of all of Tokyo took up a whole glass wall, and the rest of the apartment was just as breathtaking. Furnished comfortably, Ranma strode forward to take in the plants basking in the sunlight. Apparently someone was here to take care of them. Ranma shook his head and turned around at the sound of the door opening, coming face to face with a VERY sexy blonde in leather wearing a surprised look and carrying a bottle of whiskey. Ranma reacted in the only two ways he knew possible. One physical and very visible in his tight jeans, the other verbal.
"Who the hell are you?!?"
------------------Now to Mara-----------------
Mara was still grumbling slightly at the injustice of it all as she entered her apartment. Sure, she wasn't paying for it, but she doubted anybody cared. She did, after all, take care of those plants. Mara smiled a little. It wasn't like she was all bad. She had a soft spot for plants. She thought of the view of Tokyo through her large, bulletproof glass wall and hurried to open the door.
Her view was filled with hunk, hunk, and more HUNK. The young man before her wore his hair in a long, attractive raven-and-garnet ponytail, a pair of silver tails hanging at his temples. He wore a tight black muscle shirt and a pair of tight blue jeans tucked into his combat boots, showing off his rather chiseled physique. That wasn't the point, however. She didn't know him, he didn't belong here. So she reacted in a way aside from drooling, though she did that, too.
"Who the hell are you?!?"
-------------------End Chapter One-----------------
(1) Johnny Carson was on while I wrote this a while back. I had to put that in.
(2)I was listening to Queen's "Hammer to Fall", leave me alone....
Please send me reviews and comments! And if anybody could draw an anime pic of Ranma's new appearance, it would be greatly appreciated! Full credit will be given in my signature at !!