Linda looked up from folding the laundry as her daughter came in the front
door looking a little worn and ragged.
"How was school today A-chan?" She asked.
The sixteen year old redhead shrugged, "Better than usual. B-ko only tried to kill me once today."
If only I had as many problems when I was your age, Linda thought. "I don't see why she hasn't been arrested or at least expelled for her behavior."
A-chan shook her head, "Her dad apparently owns almost all of Graviton city and everyone in it, those he doesn't own, he's bribed to ignore his daughter's conduct."
"Well, just do your best to ignore her dear. By letting bullies get to you, you empower them to keep bullying." Linda said.
"I try Mom, really I do. Sometimes I wish Ranma were still around. He knew how to deal with bullies."
"A-ko Megami! You can't always rely on others to solve your problems. As nice as Ranma was, he and his father moved on. You need to do the same. You're only sixteen for kami's sake. There are plenty of boys out there."
A-ko frowned, "I suppose, Mother." She knew her Mom hated being called mother, "It's just that I felt a connection with him I never felt with anyone else."
Linda relented, "I know dear, I felt the same way about your father of course I was a little older than you are now. Now go get changed, we have to go to the gallery opening tonight. They're showing my latest piece remember?"
A-ko brightened, "That's right! Oh, I need to take a shower and then call C-ko..." she trotted off up the stairs to her room.
Linda smiled after her daughter. She was so much like her father, speaking of which, "Come on out Clark, I know you're hiding in the kitchen."
A tall dark haired man wearing thick glasses stepped into the living room with a hand behind his head, laughing nervously, "Never could sneak up on you could I dear?"
Standing on tip toe, Linda kissed her husband, "Dear, C-ko can hear you coming."
Clark looked embarrassed for a moment, "I heard A-ko had another fight today, was it the Daitokuji girl again?"
Linda nodded, "That horrible B-ko keeps picking on our Ariel. Dear, A-chan is sixteen now, don't you think we should tell her?"
"She does seem to be getting stronger, and I was about that age when I started noticing I was different from the other kids. It doesn't help that she was born with your strength and invulnerability to begin with." Clark sighed.
Linda nodded, "Maybe the next time Diana and Kyle come to visit we can let A-ko in on the family secret."
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma got off the train once again in his male form and looked around. Off in the distance he could see the remains of the invader's ship balanced precariously atop the JSDF Space forces control tower. There was evidence of destruction and rebuilding all over the crater of which the train station was perched on the edge. Ranma frowned as he realized finding his old girlfriend would be tougher than he'd thought. Graviton was easily the size of Tokyo proper.
He shouldered his pack and left the train terminal. His first order of business was to get something to eat. Luckily there were quite a few places here due to the commuter traffic. Ranma chose an out of the way ramen stand and took a seat under the awning. He ordered a deluxe bowl and contemplated his next move as he ate.
"That's funny, most people are trying to leave the city not move in." a voice said from the seat next to Ranma. Ranma nearly jumped in surprise. He was positive the seat had been empty a second ago and was sure he'd have noticed if someone had sat down. Ranma looked up at the man seated to his right. Ranma was surprised again to see he was a Gaijin, there was no hint of accent in the man's Japanese. He would have been about six feet tall standing, with brown hair that was graying on the temples. He was wearing a brown leather fight jacket with a white T-shirt and blue jeans. He was calmly blowing on his ramen to cool it.
Composing himself Ranma responded, "I'm just here to visit a friend."
"Oh, I see. You must be waiting for her then." The man replied.
"Uh... well, she doesn't know I'm coming. Truthfully I'm not even sure where she lives." Ranma stammered.
The man seemed to smirk slightly at Ranma's naiveté, "Sometimes you need to let other parts of the body walk instead of your feet."
Ranma frowned and took another mouthful of noodles, trying to figure out what the man meant by that, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He finally said looking back over but the man was gone. "Huh? Where'd he go?"
"Where'd who go?" The booth owner asked.
"The guy who was sittin' next to me." Ranma said.
"I'm afraid you've been the only customer I've had for the last half hour."
Grumbling to himself, Ranma finished the rest of the ramen and set off towards the city center. Up on a nearby roof Hal Jordan stood watching the young martial artist walk off into the crowd.
"Look's like the poor boy will have to be pulled kicking and screaming to his destiny." He said. With a flash of green light, the Spectre faded from sight.
Ranma continued on, occasionally asking people if they knew where Graviton High was. Then he realized he was sounding like Ryouga and almost stopped. It was only because of his need to find his old girlfriend that he continued the humiliating process of asking for directions.
* * * * * * * * * *
Akane was fuming once again. Ranma had left her. She had spent the night alternating between crying and telling herself good riddance to the cross- dressing pervert. At the moment she was breaking bricks (And anything else in the dojo) while cursing Ranma's existence.
"How could he leave me? Me! Akane Tendo! Every male in Nerima wants to go out with me!" *SMASH* "How could that pervert resist me? I swear he's gay or something!" *CRAACK* "How dare he leave me! He can't break up with me! I'm supposed to divorce him!" *THUD*
"You know, maybe he was just tired of being treated as an object to be fought over." A voice came from the door of the dojo.
Akane straightened up from knocking the head off a training dummy with a pigtailed black wig to look at her older sister Nabiki leaning against the doorframe frowning at her.
Akane growled under her breath, "What do you care? He was just a source of money for you."
Nabiki winced a little, "Touché, I treated him pretty bad at first." *Especially when I pushed him off on you* she thought. "However, he was your fiancé. If you didn't want him to leave you should have treated him better."
"Who wants an honorless ronin pervert like him anyway!" Akane screamed.
"Obviously not you. I just came to let you know lunch was ready."
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma walked out of the overnight motel with a page of the local phone directory in his hand, "Let your fingers do the walking... geez, does every guy over thirty have to be vague and mysterious?" He now had the address to Clark Megami's house. He just hoped it was Really Ariel's Dad. How many Clarks could there be in Graviton City?
Heading out he grabbed some breakfast from a nearby vendor and began walking up the road along the crater wall. As he walked he went over what he wanted to say to her when he finally saw her. Just what do you say to a girl you loved only to leave her behind? What would her father say? Megami-san was always nice but he had an imposing aura about him that always made Ranma want to be super polite. A-ko's mom was a little more friendly yet very protective of her only daughter. Even if he could apologize to A-ko and have her forgive him, would her parents do the same?
He brooded on this for a while until he realized he had walked right past the Megami residence. He heard the sound of the school bell off in the distance and realized A-chan wasn't even home right now. That was when he realized there was a chunk of the house actually missing, or more accurately, sitting in a collapsed pile mixed with debris from the spaceship in the distance. He could see Clark-san using a tape measure and writing down figures. There was a supply of lumber and other building materials in the yard stacked neatly. Obviously they were rebuilding the house after the alien invasion.
Ranma realized he had nothing better to do and it might help get back into good graces with the Megamis if he offered to help rebuild. He had practiced martial arts construction after all. He approached the house slowly and noisily (to him) to let Megami-san know he was there. After a moment or so of waiting, Ranma gave a small cough causing Clark to jump a little in surprise.
"Oh, you startled me there for a second. What can I do for you." Clark asked as he readjusted his glasses.
"Ohaiyo, Megami-san. It's been a long time." Ranma replied politely.
Clark looked down at the short boy before him thoughtfully as if trying to place him, "Do I know you?"
"Yes, It's me, Ranma, sorry about this."
* * * * * * * * * *
Genma sat in the dojo staring off into space. His son had renounced the family name and become ronin. He frowned as he tried to come up with some way to bring the disrespectful child home. Ranma could survive on the road easily, Genma had taught him how after all. So it was unlikely Ranma would come crawling back when he got hungry. There had to be an angle that hadn't been looked at. He knew the boy had feelings for the youngest Tendo girl, he wouldn't have gone out like he did against Saffron if he didn't. So why did all his plans to unite Ranma and Akane so he could retire in peace fail? Maybe it was a problem on the girl's side. She did seem to have quite the temper, but so did Nodoka at that age and he got along just fine with his wife. Maybe...
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door slide open on the dojo. He looked up to see his wife enter holding the Saotome honor blade. He cringed slightly but couldn't think of any reason she would want him to use the blade. She had taken Ranma's disappearance rather well, which only added to his confusion.
"Genma, I need to talk to you." She said evenly, no emotion betraying in her voice.
Genma's danger sense was beginning to go off but there were no obvious signs of peril as of yet.
"When you took Ranma on his training trip, not once did you write or call. It was only when bill collectors came looking for money did I even know if you were still alive. When you finally did return you did not contact me out of supposed fear that I would find my only son unmanly. Because you feared for your own safety, I was forced to wait another six months to be reunited with Ranma. Then I find that he's not only afraid of his own mother but that he's engaged to no less than three women! Not counting how ever many other obligations that have been made in his name by you." She sighed as if gathering strength.
"I tried to make things work out even after all this. Then you pulled that fool stunt of a wedding that caused my poor baby to have to make one last attempt before renouncing his name. I'm tired of it all. Genma, I'm getting a divorce and I'm keeping the house." She placed the tanto on the floor before her soon to be ex-husband and stood up, turned, and left.
Genma stared blankly after his ex-wife then picked up the small blade and pulled it from the sheath. Halfway out he realized it was broken, snapped in half. That was too bad, he thought. Might have gotten some drinking money at the pawnshop. He stood up and went towards the house dismissing Nodoka from his mind completely and wondering what Kasumi would be making for dinner.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma chopped another two by four and hammered it into place using his fingers. Clark whistled in awe at the speed Ranma was working. If they could keep up the pace they'd be ready to paint by the time A-ko came home.
"This is amazing Ranma. You said you learned this as a martial art?"
Ranma stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow, "Yeah, it's just one of a bunch of crazy styles I've had to master over the years. I'm glad you're lettin' me help out Megami-san."
"What did I tell you? Call me Clark." He sat down on a stack of siding, "Let's take a break. I'm not as young as I used to be. Come inside and get something to drink, and you can tell me what you've been up to the last two years."
"Well Megami... I mean Clark-san, I'm not sure if you'd believe me if I told you."
"Son, I'm an editor for the Daily Planet Japanese branch, I've seen things that would make your hair turn gray."
They entered through the kitchen door and Clark pulled a pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge. He poured a couple of glasses and turned to give one to Ranma who had stepped up a little too close to the older man. He bumped Ranma, sloshing the drink up and out of the glass and into Ranma's face. A short cute redhead looked up embarrassed.
"I'd say you have a lot to tell." Clark said simply.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ryouga was walking down an empty street when he heard the crash. It came from a nearby building that looked familiar for some reason. Deciding to see if anyone was hurt or needed help he approached the door just in time to duck a broken table as it came flying out the entryway. Ryouga went inside and looked around. It was a small restaurant in shambles. There were broken furniture scattered across the floor and holes in the walls. Then it stuck him why the place was so familiar, this was Ucchan's.
He didn't see anyone around, maybe Ukyou was hurt! Whoever trashed the restaurant may have done something to Ukyou!
"Hello? Is anyone here?" He asked tentatively.
"G'way." A voice said from behind the grill.
"Ukyou?"
"said g'way. We're closed!" the voice shouted.
Ryouga went and looked over the counter. Ukyou was leaning against the counter surrounded by at least five bottles of sake. Her legs were splayed out in front of her and from the way she reeked, Ryouga could tell she'd been drinking heavily.
"Ukyou? What happened?"
The chef looked up and squinted her eyes, trying to focus on the lost boy, "Oh... hello P-chan!" she giggled, "You must be happy happy happy... yessiree. Finally got Akane all to yourself. No more Ranma... nope nope nope."
"What happened? Was it something Ranma did?" Ryouga asked.
"Gone... bye bye. Guess he made his decision."
Ranma was gone? Ryouga needed more info but it was obvious Ukyou was not in the best of shape to relay said information.
"Come one Ukyou, let's get you some coffee." He offered.
"No!" came the angry response, "I'm gonna finish all the booze, then I'm gonna kill Ranma as soon as I's sober. Oh wait, can't kill Ranma anymore... hehehe, too good. Hey Ryouga, Ranma killed a god once, didja know that?"
Ryouga didn't know what to do. On one hand he felt the need to talk to others in the neighborhood to find out what really happened. On the other he felt the need to stay and look after the drunk crossdresser. Finally his vulnerability to a pretty face made the decision for him and he settled down on a moderately intact chair to keep an eye on the cook while waiting for her to sober up.
* * * * * * * * * *
Kasumi tied the bundle nervously. She had worked very hard on the bento she was wrapping in a red silk scarf. She wanted to finish before any of her family came in and found what she was doing. It had taken a lot of courage to finally do this and she knew she'd panic if confronted before she was ready. The funny thing was, she had Ranma to thank for her sudden inspiration. His courage to finally break away and settle everything started her thinking about her own life and what she had set aside to care for her family.
She was just about to leave through the back door of the kitchen when Nabiki came in. Kasumi froze like a deer in headlights.
"Hey sis, where are you going?" Nabiki asked as she grabbed an apple out of a bowl on the counter.
"Um, I...I was just going out for some groceries." She put on her favorite fake smile. Maybe Nabiki would accept that at face value.
She didn't, "I've never seen you dressed up so nice just to shopping before. If I didn't know better I'd say you were going on a date." Nabiki joked.
Kasumi shook her head and was nearly starting to break down in tears, "No, no dates. Just shopping!"
Now Nabiki knew something was wrong, "Kasumi, are you all right? What's the matter?" She put her hand on her older sister's shoulder.
Kasumi pulled her shoulder away, knocking something out of her jacket pocket onto the floor. Nabiki picked it up before Kasumi could grab it.
"What's this? An entrance exam schedule for a medical college? Kasumi, are you going back to school?" Nabiki looked at Kasumi wide eyed.
Kasumi slumped in defeat, she couldn't go now. Her family needed her. Her father would forbid her to go to school, especially this one. Dammit, she was twenty years old! When was her time?
Nabiki handed the entry papers back to Kasumi, "Go. I'll keep father busy while you're gone. In fact I'll let him think Akane is cooking dinner tonight. That will get him and Saotome out of the house for the rest of the day."
Kasumi blinked, then started to reach for her purse, "How much?" she asked.
Nabiki blanched, "I don't want your money Sis. Ranma had an impact on me too." She smiled, "But if you want to pay me back, bake some of those chocolate cookies you make so good. Now go, you've been taking care of us too long, it's time to do something for yourself."
Kasumi grabbed Nabiki in a bear hug then turned to the door, "Thank you." She said as she slipped outside.
Nabiki wiped a tear that had formed at the corner of her eye, "Dammit Ranma, the last thing I needed was a conscience." She smiled at the thought and went to inform her father of Akane's 'plans' for that night.
* * * * * * * * * *
It was shortly after noon when Linda returned from her studio/gallery. She had an appointment with the insurance adjusters about the aftermath of the invasion's destruction. Luckily the building had only sustained minor damage. As she walked up the sidewalk to the house she saw her husband and a younger man placing the last few panels of siding up on the second floor. She wondered a couple of things; one, who was the helper, and two, how had they gotten so much done in just three and a half hours? As she got closer, she recognized the boy. The last time she had seen him, he was wearing his hair in a ponytail. She had mixed feelings on seeing him. She was sure A-ko would be extremely happy to see him again but Linda was worried he'd just leave again with that worthless father of his and break her daughter's heart again. The fact he was helping Clark work on the house was a good sign however.
"Well well, look what the cat dragged in." She said, immediately regretting the cat reference. She remembered he had a problem with cats. Seeing him wince slightly drove the point home, "Sorry, It's good to see you again. A-chan will be thrilled to see you again. How long are you staying?"
Ranma had turned around and bowed politely by this point showing he could use good manners when necessary, "It's good to see you too Megami san. I don't know how long I'll be in the area. I came mainly to visit and apologize to A-chan for being gone so long. I promised her I'd come back but didn't realize it would take so long."
Linda smiled. Ranma was just as innocent and honorable as she remembered him being. Clark came down off the ladder and greeted his wife with a kiss that Ranma looked away from with a blush.
"It seems Ranma here has had quite the interesting couple of years since we last saw him. Maybe we should all go inside and take a break to wait for A- chan to come home." Clark suggested.
It was a full half an hour later when A-ko and C-ko came home from school that she found her mom and dad sitting on the couch talking to some redheaded girl. Her mom had a slightly glazed expression on her face and her father seemed amused.
Ranma turned and saw A-ko come into the house. With a cry of , "A-chan!" She launched himself towards the startled girl and gave her a huge hug.
A-ko looked at the girl giving her a crushing hug and wondered who she was. C-ko looked on with some amusement like she was waiting for her turn to get a hug.
"Um, do I know you?" A-ko finally asked.
At this point, Clark came up behind Ranma and poured the remains of a kettle on Ranma's head. A-ko looked on in shock as the redhead grew and turned into a familiar looking boy.
"Ranma?" she said hesitantly, "Ranma!" She hugged back suddenly and Ranma was now on the receiving end of a crushing hug. Only in this case it was slightly painful.
"Ow! A-chan... a little too tight!" Ranma wheezed.
A-ko let off a little but held on, almost in tears, "You came back! You promised and you came back!"
C-ko, not to be left out joined in the now group hug, "Ranma!" she screamed.
Finally the situation soaked into A-ko's mind, "Wait a minute," she pushed Ranma back to arms length, "Weren't you a girl just a second ago?"
"Well, that's a long story." Ranma began.
"How about saving it until Kyle and Diana show up for dinner, that way Ranma only has to tell it one more time today." Linda finally spoke up.
"Um, even though it's not really a secret...I don't really want the whole world to know" Ranma said.
Clark laughed, "I don't think it will be a problem Ranma, you said your mother was taking back her maiden name and it was Rayner?" Ranma nodded in agreement, "Then Kyle is family, I remember him talking about his cousin Nodoka some time back. I guess they played together as kids. He'd have to tell you more about it himself. Besides, Kyle and Diana are very close friends of the family. We've been together through good times and bad together." He gave Linda a knowing smile.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma had sat quietly and listened to A-ko tell her story about moving to Graviton City, B-ko, and her recent battle to save C-ko from the alien invasion. Ranma was surprised. He knew his ex-girlfriend was strong but this was on a whole new level from what he remembered.
"So how strong are you now?" Ranma finally asked.
A-ko shook her head, "I don't know really. These bracers limit my strength and I didn't have to take them off to fight B-ko and her stupid robots. It's getting so I'm afraid to touch anything."
Ranma nodded, "I think it's just a matter of control. Have you been practicing what I taught you?"
A-ko blushed and looked away, "I kinda forgot."
"I guess that means I'll have to start training you again." He laughed.
C-ko decided to add her two yen, "I want to train too! It'll be just like Junior High!"
Ranma sighed and sat back. C-ko had always acted as if she was addicted to triple shot lattes but in the last two hours even Azuza would have died of sugar shock.
A-ko decided to save her potential once again boyfriend, "Remember what you had to do last time? How sore you were?"
C-ko seemed to remember and slumped down, "But it was so hard! I want to learn martial arts not exercise!"
Ranma was about to respond when Clark came into the room, "A-ko, Ranma... Kyle and Diana are here. C-ko, I'm afraid we have important family matters to discuss tonight. If you'd like though, we can have you over tomorrow night for a special dinner."
Clark had experience dealing with the over emotional bundle of blond hair known as C-ko and hoped she would accept his offer and leave with a minimum of persuasion.
C-ko became real quiet and her eyes seemed to shrink. A-ko prepared herself for the waterworks and Ranma began to back away. Suddenly C-ko broke into a wide grin.
"Ok Megami-san! See you tomorrow A-ko!" The blond terror got up and left without another word.
The three remaining people just stared after her for a moment before relaxing visibly.
"Wow, for a moment I thought she was gonna cut loose." Ranma said. A-ko nodded in agreement.
Clark laughed nervously, "She's pretty unpredictable. Deep down she's a good kid, just a little immature still."
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma nervously came downstairs. He had barely remembered any of his family other than his mother and father so had no idea what to expect from 'Uncle' Kyle after all these years. He saw a black haired woman sitting next to a man that used to have black hair. It was streaked with gray on the temples. The woman appeared to be in her late thirties while the guy with her seemed to be almost Clark's age. Linda was serving drinks and motioned for Ranma to take a seat. A-ko sat down next to him with a smile on her face.
Clark took his seat on the couch across from the other older couple.
"Ranma, this is Kyle Rayner and Diana Prince," he gestured to the duo, "Kyle, this is Ranma Saotome, your cousin Nodoka's boy."
Ranma fidgeted. "Actually its just Ranma right now. At least until I take up mom's maiden name."
Kyle leaned forward in the loveseat with his hands clasped in front of him. "So you're little Ran-ran. You probably don't remember me since you were three years old at the time. Your mother and I share the same grandparents. I came to Tokyo a couple of times as a kid to visit Uncle Leo, your grandfather. Last time I was here on business, I visited your mother when you were just learning to walk."
Ranma blushed at being called Ran-ran, it was something he barely remembered his mother calling him as a kid before his long training trip.
"So how did you come to be with Ariel here, and what did you mean by taking your mother's maiden name?" Kyle asked.
Ranma scratched the back of his head. "It's such a long story, I don't know where to begin."
"The beginning is always a good place." Diana said with a reassuring smile.
Linda nodded. "Dinner will be a while still so go ahead Ranma."
Ranma sat back and prepared to tell his life's story once again. A-ko put her hand on his to comfort him. She too was eager to know what had happened to her boyfriend in the last couple of years.
Ranma began to spin his tale of how Genma had tricked Nodoka with the Seppuku contract, continuing on through meeting Ukyou and the Neko-ken training. All the training hazards and trials he went through. He finally made it to when he was in middle school.
"I was following Ryouga after school one day to keep him from getting lost when I ran into A-chan and C-ko," he said fondly.
"I remember, C-ko had dropped her ice cream cone and was bawling her eyes out when Ranma comes out of nowhere and offers to buy us both another cone," A-ko continues.
"I never could stand to see a girl cry," Ranma blushed, "We hung out a lot after that. We were up to dating when my Pop found out about us. I think that's why he decided to leave for China, that and the fact I think the law was catching up to him again. I had to say goodbye to A-chan but I promised I'd come back someday."
He told them about Ryouga and the bread feud that ended with a final challenge and Ranma waiting for three days for the lost boy to show up. Then came the trip to China and how they had to swim there. The various temples and dojos where Ranma learned he was finally becoming his father's equal was one of the reasons Ranma believed Genma took him to Jusenkyou. As he told what happened at the cursed springs, Diana sat back and shook her head. Kyle just sat there with his mouth hanging open at the thought anyone would level such abuse on a child. Clark got up and went to the kitchen for some water.
After demonstrating the curse for everyone Ranma prepared to continue his story.
"There's more?" Kyle was flabbergasted.
Ranma nodded. "That's just brings me up to the beginning of about the last year. It was after Jusenkyou that we went to the Amazon village to look for a cure..."
Diana perked up at the mention of Amazons then scowled at Ranma's experience among the women warriors. Ranma gulped nervously, wondering if the woman had had any experiences with Amazons before. He continued on telling of meeting the Tendo family, being engaged to Akane, meeting the Kuno clan, Ryouga getting cursed and threatening to kill him. Then there was the part of Shampoo catching up only to be defeated by boy side, Ukyou following him all those years. He kept on with all the challenges and daily crap he had to put up with until Saffron and then the failed wedding.
"After the wedding attempt I saw A-chan on TV and decided to resolve things once and for all. As usual, hardly anyone listened to me so I declared myself ronin and left. Mom is leaving Genma so I guess I'll go with her. I just wanted to keep this last promise I made and come see A-chan again," he said sadly, finishing his tale.
It seemed everyone was in a mild state of shock. Not even Clark had heard this much from Ranma earlier. The Megami family knew most of Ranma's life before from when he dated A-ko but the last two years were too much.
Clark frowned thoughtfully then leaned forward. "So what are your intentions towards my daughter now?" he asked.
Ranma took a moment to think, something his mother told him was worth the effort. "I, uh, I like A-chan a lot. If the last two years never happened I think we'd still be together. I can understand if she doesn't want to date a sex changing ronin but I had to see her anyway."
A-ko leaned in against Ranma. "You idiot, I missed you for two years and you think something as minor as a curse and not having a last name would bother me?"
Linda nodded. "That's true. We're originally from America. While we value family, we don't judge people by their name, or lack thereof."
Ranma seemed puzzled. "You're American? With the name Megami?"
Linda stood up. "That's a story best told after dinner. A-ko if you'll help me set the table we can all eat."
* * * * * * * * * *
Author's Rants:
Yet another piece of writing finished. I actually have a plot for this one believe it or not. It's just been a low priority fic at the moment.
Things become clear next chapter as I finish the back-story for our DC characters and how they managed to end up in Japan. Other anime/manga will rear its ugly head as I start the actual storyline. Be prepared for Tenchi and Gold Digger just for starters. There will be no Sailor Moon in this fic though, I figure it's bad enough to have it in just one of my fics already.
Later.
"How was school today A-chan?" She asked.
The sixteen year old redhead shrugged, "Better than usual. B-ko only tried to kill me once today."
If only I had as many problems when I was your age, Linda thought. "I don't see why she hasn't been arrested or at least expelled for her behavior."
A-chan shook her head, "Her dad apparently owns almost all of Graviton city and everyone in it, those he doesn't own, he's bribed to ignore his daughter's conduct."
"Well, just do your best to ignore her dear. By letting bullies get to you, you empower them to keep bullying." Linda said.
"I try Mom, really I do. Sometimes I wish Ranma were still around. He knew how to deal with bullies."
"A-ko Megami! You can't always rely on others to solve your problems. As nice as Ranma was, he and his father moved on. You need to do the same. You're only sixteen for kami's sake. There are plenty of boys out there."
A-ko frowned, "I suppose, Mother." She knew her Mom hated being called mother, "It's just that I felt a connection with him I never felt with anyone else."
Linda relented, "I know dear, I felt the same way about your father of course I was a little older than you are now. Now go get changed, we have to go to the gallery opening tonight. They're showing my latest piece remember?"
A-ko brightened, "That's right! Oh, I need to take a shower and then call C-ko..." she trotted off up the stairs to her room.
Linda smiled after her daughter. She was so much like her father, speaking of which, "Come on out Clark, I know you're hiding in the kitchen."
A tall dark haired man wearing thick glasses stepped into the living room with a hand behind his head, laughing nervously, "Never could sneak up on you could I dear?"
Standing on tip toe, Linda kissed her husband, "Dear, C-ko can hear you coming."
Clark looked embarrassed for a moment, "I heard A-ko had another fight today, was it the Daitokuji girl again?"
Linda nodded, "That horrible B-ko keeps picking on our Ariel. Dear, A-chan is sixteen now, don't you think we should tell her?"
"She does seem to be getting stronger, and I was about that age when I started noticing I was different from the other kids. It doesn't help that she was born with your strength and invulnerability to begin with." Clark sighed.
Linda nodded, "Maybe the next time Diana and Kyle come to visit we can let A-ko in on the family secret."
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma got off the train once again in his male form and looked around. Off in the distance he could see the remains of the invader's ship balanced precariously atop the JSDF Space forces control tower. There was evidence of destruction and rebuilding all over the crater of which the train station was perched on the edge. Ranma frowned as he realized finding his old girlfriend would be tougher than he'd thought. Graviton was easily the size of Tokyo proper.
He shouldered his pack and left the train terminal. His first order of business was to get something to eat. Luckily there were quite a few places here due to the commuter traffic. Ranma chose an out of the way ramen stand and took a seat under the awning. He ordered a deluxe bowl and contemplated his next move as he ate.
"That's funny, most people are trying to leave the city not move in." a voice said from the seat next to Ranma. Ranma nearly jumped in surprise. He was positive the seat had been empty a second ago and was sure he'd have noticed if someone had sat down. Ranma looked up at the man seated to his right. Ranma was surprised again to see he was a Gaijin, there was no hint of accent in the man's Japanese. He would have been about six feet tall standing, with brown hair that was graying on the temples. He was wearing a brown leather fight jacket with a white T-shirt and blue jeans. He was calmly blowing on his ramen to cool it.
Composing himself Ranma responded, "I'm just here to visit a friend."
"Oh, I see. You must be waiting for her then." The man replied.
"Uh... well, she doesn't know I'm coming. Truthfully I'm not even sure where she lives." Ranma stammered.
The man seemed to smirk slightly at Ranma's naiveté, "Sometimes you need to let other parts of the body walk instead of your feet."
Ranma frowned and took another mouthful of noodles, trying to figure out what the man meant by that, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He finally said looking back over but the man was gone. "Huh? Where'd he go?"
"Where'd who go?" The booth owner asked.
"The guy who was sittin' next to me." Ranma said.
"I'm afraid you've been the only customer I've had for the last half hour."
Grumbling to himself, Ranma finished the rest of the ramen and set off towards the city center. Up on a nearby roof Hal Jordan stood watching the young martial artist walk off into the crowd.
"Look's like the poor boy will have to be pulled kicking and screaming to his destiny." He said. With a flash of green light, the Spectre faded from sight.
Ranma continued on, occasionally asking people if they knew where Graviton High was. Then he realized he was sounding like Ryouga and almost stopped. It was only because of his need to find his old girlfriend that he continued the humiliating process of asking for directions.
* * * * * * * * * *
Akane was fuming once again. Ranma had left her. She had spent the night alternating between crying and telling herself good riddance to the cross- dressing pervert. At the moment she was breaking bricks (And anything else in the dojo) while cursing Ranma's existence.
"How could he leave me? Me! Akane Tendo! Every male in Nerima wants to go out with me!" *SMASH* "How could that pervert resist me? I swear he's gay or something!" *CRAACK* "How dare he leave me! He can't break up with me! I'm supposed to divorce him!" *THUD*
"You know, maybe he was just tired of being treated as an object to be fought over." A voice came from the door of the dojo.
Akane straightened up from knocking the head off a training dummy with a pigtailed black wig to look at her older sister Nabiki leaning against the doorframe frowning at her.
Akane growled under her breath, "What do you care? He was just a source of money for you."
Nabiki winced a little, "Touché, I treated him pretty bad at first." *Especially when I pushed him off on you* she thought. "However, he was your fiancé. If you didn't want him to leave you should have treated him better."
"Who wants an honorless ronin pervert like him anyway!" Akane screamed.
"Obviously not you. I just came to let you know lunch was ready."
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma walked out of the overnight motel with a page of the local phone directory in his hand, "Let your fingers do the walking... geez, does every guy over thirty have to be vague and mysterious?" He now had the address to Clark Megami's house. He just hoped it was Really Ariel's Dad. How many Clarks could there be in Graviton City?
Heading out he grabbed some breakfast from a nearby vendor and began walking up the road along the crater wall. As he walked he went over what he wanted to say to her when he finally saw her. Just what do you say to a girl you loved only to leave her behind? What would her father say? Megami-san was always nice but he had an imposing aura about him that always made Ranma want to be super polite. A-ko's mom was a little more friendly yet very protective of her only daughter. Even if he could apologize to A-ko and have her forgive him, would her parents do the same?
He brooded on this for a while until he realized he had walked right past the Megami residence. He heard the sound of the school bell off in the distance and realized A-chan wasn't even home right now. That was when he realized there was a chunk of the house actually missing, or more accurately, sitting in a collapsed pile mixed with debris from the spaceship in the distance. He could see Clark-san using a tape measure and writing down figures. There was a supply of lumber and other building materials in the yard stacked neatly. Obviously they were rebuilding the house after the alien invasion.
Ranma realized he had nothing better to do and it might help get back into good graces with the Megamis if he offered to help rebuild. He had practiced martial arts construction after all. He approached the house slowly and noisily (to him) to let Megami-san know he was there. After a moment or so of waiting, Ranma gave a small cough causing Clark to jump a little in surprise.
"Oh, you startled me there for a second. What can I do for you." Clark asked as he readjusted his glasses.
"Ohaiyo, Megami-san. It's been a long time." Ranma replied politely.
Clark looked down at the short boy before him thoughtfully as if trying to place him, "Do I know you?"
"Yes, It's me, Ranma, sorry about this."
* * * * * * * * * *
Genma sat in the dojo staring off into space. His son had renounced the family name and become ronin. He frowned as he tried to come up with some way to bring the disrespectful child home. Ranma could survive on the road easily, Genma had taught him how after all. So it was unlikely Ranma would come crawling back when he got hungry. There had to be an angle that hadn't been looked at. He knew the boy had feelings for the youngest Tendo girl, he wouldn't have gone out like he did against Saffron if he didn't. So why did all his plans to unite Ranma and Akane so he could retire in peace fail? Maybe it was a problem on the girl's side. She did seem to have quite the temper, but so did Nodoka at that age and he got along just fine with his wife. Maybe...
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door slide open on the dojo. He looked up to see his wife enter holding the Saotome honor blade. He cringed slightly but couldn't think of any reason she would want him to use the blade. She had taken Ranma's disappearance rather well, which only added to his confusion.
"Genma, I need to talk to you." She said evenly, no emotion betraying in her voice.
Genma's danger sense was beginning to go off but there were no obvious signs of peril as of yet.
"When you took Ranma on his training trip, not once did you write or call. It was only when bill collectors came looking for money did I even know if you were still alive. When you finally did return you did not contact me out of supposed fear that I would find my only son unmanly. Because you feared for your own safety, I was forced to wait another six months to be reunited with Ranma. Then I find that he's not only afraid of his own mother but that he's engaged to no less than three women! Not counting how ever many other obligations that have been made in his name by you." She sighed as if gathering strength.
"I tried to make things work out even after all this. Then you pulled that fool stunt of a wedding that caused my poor baby to have to make one last attempt before renouncing his name. I'm tired of it all. Genma, I'm getting a divorce and I'm keeping the house." She placed the tanto on the floor before her soon to be ex-husband and stood up, turned, and left.
Genma stared blankly after his ex-wife then picked up the small blade and pulled it from the sheath. Halfway out he realized it was broken, snapped in half. That was too bad, he thought. Might have gotten some drinking money at the pawnshop. He stood up and went towards the house dismissing Nodoka from his mind completely and wondering what Kasumi would be making for dinner.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma chopped another two by four and hammered it into place using his fingers. Clark whistled in awe at the speed Ranma was working. If they could keep up the pace they'd be ready to paint by the time A-ko came home.
"This is amazing Ranma. You said you learned this as a martial art?"
Ranma stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow, "Yeah, it's just one of a bunch of crazy styles I've had to master over the years. I'm glad you're lettin' me help out Megami-san."
"What did I tell you? Call me Clark." He sat down on a stack of siding, "Let's take a break. I'm not as young as I used to be. Come inside and get something to drink, and you can tell me what you've been up to the last two years."
"Well Megami... I mean Clark-san, I'm not sure if you'd believe me if I told you."
"Son, I'm an editor for the Daily Planet Japanese branch, I've seen things that would make your hair turn gray."
They entered through the kitchen door and Clark pulled a pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge. He poured a couple of glasses and turned to give one to Ranma who had stepped up a little too close to the older man. He bumped Ranma, sloshing the drink up and out of the glass and into Ranma's face. A short cute redhead looked up embarrassed.
"I'd say you have a lot to tell." Clark said simply.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ryouga was walking down an empty street when he heard the crash. It came from a nearby building that looked familiar for some reason. Deciding to see if anyone was hurt or needed help he approached the door just in time to duck a broken table as it came flying out the entryway. Ryouga went inside and looked around. It was a small restaurant in shambles. There were broken furniture scattered across the floor and holes in the walls. Then it stuck him why the place was so familiar, this was Ucchan's.
He didn't see anyone around, maybe Ukyou was hurt! Whoever trashed the restaurant may have done something to Ukyou!
"Hello? Is anyone here?" He asked tentatively.
"G'way." A voice said from behind the grill.
"Ukyou?"
"said g'way. We're closed!" the voice shouted.
Ryouga went and looked over the counter. Ukyou was leaning against the counter surrounded by at least five bottles of sake. Her legs were splayed out in front of her and from the way she reeked, Ryouga could tell she'd been drinking heavily.
"Ukyou? What happened?"
The chef looked up and squinted her eyes, trying to focus on the lost boy, "Oh... hello P-chan!" she giggled, "You must be happy happy happy... yessiree. Finally got Akane all to yourself. No more Ranma... nope nope nope."
"What happened? Was it something Ranma did?" Ryouga asked.
"Gone... bye bye. Guess he made his decision."
Ranma was gone? Ryouga needed more info but it was obvious Ukyou was not in the best of shape to relay said information.
"Come one Ukyou, let's get you some coffee." He offered.
"No!" came the angry response, "I'm gonna finish all the booze, then I'm gonna kill Ranma as soon as I's sober. Oh wait, can't kill Ranma anymore... hehehe, too good. Hey Ryouga, Ranma killed a god once, didja know that?"
Ryouga didn't know what to do. On one hand he felt the need to talk to others in the neighborhood to find out what really happened. On the other he felt the need to stay and look after the drunk crossdresser. Finally his vulnerability to a pretty face made the decision for him and he settled down on a moderately intact chair to keep an eye on the cook while waiting for her to sober up.
* * * * * * * * * *
Kasumi tied the bundle nervously. She had worked very hard on the bento she was wrapping in a red silk scarf. She wanted to finish before any of her family came in and found what she was doing. It had taken a lot of courage to finally do this and she knew she'd panic if confronted before she was ready. The funny thing was, she had Ranma to thank for her sudden inspiration. His courage to finally break away and settle everything started her thinking about her own life and what she had set aside to care for her family.
She was just about to leave through the back door of the kitchen when Nabiki came in. Kasumi froze like a deer in headlights.
"Hey sis, where are you going?" Nabiki asked as she grabbed an apple out of a bowl on the counter.
"Um, I...I was just going out for some groceries." She put on her favorite fake smile. Maybe Nabiki would accept that at face value.
She didn't, "I've never seen you dressed up so nice just to shopping before. If I didn't know better I'd say you were going on a date." Nabiki joked.
Kasumi shook her head and was nearly starting to break down in tears, "No, no dates. Just shopping!"
Now Nabiki knew something was wrong, "Kasumi, are you all right? What's the matter?" She put her hand on her older sister's shoulder.
Kasumi pulled her shoulder away, knocking something out of her jacket pocket onto the floor. Nabiki picked it up before Kasumi could grab it.
"What's this? An entrance exam schedule for a medical college? Kasumi, are you going back to school?" Nabiki looked at Kasumi wide eyed.
Kasumi slumped in defeat, she couldn't go now. Her family needed her. Her father would forbid her to go to school, especially this one. Dammit, she was twenty years old! When was her time?
Nabiki handed the entry papers back to Kasumi, "Go. I'll keep father busy while you're gone. In fact I'll let him think Akane is cooking dinner tonight. That will get him and Saotome out of the house for the rest of the day."
Kasumi blinked, then started to reach for her purse, "How much?" she asked.
Nabiki blanched, "I don't want your money Sis. Ranma had an impact on me too." She smiled, "But if you want to pay me back, bake some of those chocolate cookies you make so good. Now go, you've been taking care of us too long, it's time to do something for yourself."
Kasumi grabbed Nabiki in a bear hug then turned to the door, "Thank you." She said as she slipped outside.
Nabiki wiped a tear that had formed at the corner of her eye, "Dammit Ranma, the last thing I needed was a conscience." She smiled at the thought and went to inform her father of Akane's 'plans' for that night.
* * * * * * * * * *
It was shortly after noon when Linda returned from her studio/gallery. She had an appointment with the insurance adjusters about the aftermath of the invasion's destruction. Luckily the building had only sustained minor damage. As she walked up the sidewalk to the house she saw her husband and a younger man placing the last few panels of siding up on the second floor. She wondered a couple of things; one, who was the helper, and two, how had they gotten so much done in just three and a half hours? As she got closer, she recognized the boy. The last time she had seen him, he was wearing his hair in a ponytail. She had mixed feelings on seeing him. She was sure A-ko would be extremely happy to see him again but Linda was worried he'd just leave again with that worthless father of his and break her daughter's heart again. The fact he was helping Clark work on the house was a good sign however.
"Well well, look what the cat dragged in." She said, immediately regretting the cat reference. She remembered he had a problem with cats. Seeing him wince slightly drove the point home, "Sorry, It's good to see you again. A-chan will be thrilled to see you again. How long are you staying?"
Ranma had turned around and bowed politely by this point showing he could use good manners when necessary, "It's good to see you too Megami san. I don't know how long I'll be in the area. I came mainly to visit and apologize to A-chan for being gone so long. I promised her I'd come back but didn't realize it would take so long."
Linda smiled. Ranma was just as innocent and honorable as she remembered him being. Clark came down off the ladder and greeted his wife with a kiss that Ranma looked away from with a blush.
"It seems Ranma here has had quite the interesting couple of years since we last saw him. Maybe we should all go inside and take a break to wait for A- chan to come home." Clark suggested.
It was a full half an hour later when A-ko and C-ko came home from school that she found her mom and dad sitting on the couch talking to some redheaded girl. Her mom had a slightly glazed expression on her face and her father seemed amused.
Ranma turned and saw A-ko come into the house. With a cry of , "A-chan!" She launched himself towards the startled girl and gave her a huge hug.
A-ko looked at the girl giving her a crushing hug and wondered who she was. C-ko looked on with some amusement like she was waiting for her turn to get a hug.
"Um, do I know you?" A-ko finally asked.
At this point, Clark came up behind Ranma and poured the remains of a kettle on Ranma's head. A-ko looked on in shock as the redhead grew and turned into a familiar looking boy.
"Ranma?" she said hesitantly, "Ranma!" She hugged back suddenly and Ranma was now on the receiving end of a crushing hug. Only in this case it was slightly painful.
"Ow! A-chan... a little too tight!" Ranma wheezed.
A-ko let off a little but held on, almost in tears, "You came back! You promised and you came back!"
C-ko, not to be left out joined in the now group hug, "Ranma!" she screamed.
Finally the situation soaked into A-ko's mind, "Wait a minute," she pushed Ranma back to arms length, "Weren't you a girl just a second ago?"
"Well, that's a long story." Ranma began.
"How about saving it until Kyle and Diana show up for dinner, that way Ranma only has to tell it one more time today." Linda finally spoke up.
"Um, even though it's not really a secret...I don't really want the whole world to know" Ranma said.
Clark laughed, "I don't think it will be a problem Ranma, you said your mother was taking back her maiden name and it was Rayner?" Ranma nodded in agreement, "Then Kyle is family, I remember him talking about his cousin Nodoka some time back. I guess they played together as kids. He'd have to tell you more about it himself. Besides, Kyle and Diana are very close friends of the family. We've been together through good times and bad together." He gave Linda a knowing smile.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma had sat quietly and listened to A-ko tell her story about moving to Graviton City, B-ko, and her recent battle to save C-ko from the alien invasion. Ranma was surprised. He knew his ex-girlfriend was strong but this was on a whole new level from what he remembered.
"So how strong are you now?" Ranma finally asked.
A-ko shook her head, "I don't know really. These bracers limit my strength and I didn't have to take them off to fight B-ko and her stupid robots. It's getting so I'm afraid to touch anything."
Ranma nodded, "I think it's just a matter of control. Have you been practicing what I taught you?"
A-ko blushed and looked away, "I kinda forgot."
"I guess that means I'll have to start training you again." He laughed.
C-ko decided to add her two yen, "I want to train too! It'll be just like Junior High!"
Ranma sighed and sat back. C-ko had always acted as if she was addicted to triple shot lattes but in the last two hours even Azuza would have died of sugar shock.
A-ko decided to save her potential once again boyfriend, "Remember what you had to do last time? How sore you were?"
C-ko seemed to remember and slumped down, "But it was so hard! I want to learn martial arts not exercise!"
Ranma was about to respond when Clark came into the room, "A-ko, Ranma... Kyle and Diana are here. C-ko, I'm afraid we have important family matters to discuss tonight. If you'd like though, we can have you over tomorrow night for a special dinner."
Clark had experience dealing with the over emotional bundle of blond hair known as C-ko and hoped she would accept his offer and leave with a minimum of persuasion.
C-ko became real quiet and her eyes seemed to shrink. A-ko prepared herself for the waterworks and Ranma began to back away. Suddenly C-ko broke into a wide grin.
"Ok Megami-san! See you tomorrow A-ko!" The blond terror got up and left without another word.
The three remaining people just stared after her for a moment before relaxing visibly.
"Wow, for a moment I thought she was gonna cut loose." Ranma said. A-ko nodded in agreement.
Clark laughed nervously, "She's pretty unpredictable. Deep down she's a good kid, just a little immature still."
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma nervously came downstairs. He had barely remembered any of his family other than his mother and father so had no idea what to expect from 'Uncle' Kyle after all these years. He saw a black haired woman sitting next to a man that used to have black hair. It was streaked with gray on the temples. The woman appeared to be in her late thirties while the guy with her seemed to be almost Clark's age. Linda was serving drinks and motioned for Ranma to take a seat. A-ko sat down next to him with a smile on her face.
Clark took his seat on the couch across from the other older couple.
"Ranma, this is Kyle Rayner and Diana Prince," he gestured to the duo, "Kyle, this is Ranma Saotome, your cousin Nodoka's boy."
Ranma fidgeted. "Actually its just Ranma right now. At least until I take up mom's maiden name."
Kyle leaned forward in the loveseat with his hands clasped in front of him. "So you're little Ran-ran. You probably don't remember me since you were three years old at the time. Your mother and I share the same grandparents. I came to Tokyo a couple of times as a kid to visit Uncle Leo, your grandfather. Last time I was here on business, I visited your mother when you were just learning to walk."
Ranma blushed at being called Ran-ran, it was something he barely remembered his mother calling him as a kid before his long training trip.
"So how did you come to be with Ariel here, and what did you mean by taking your mother's maiden name?" Kyle asked.
Ranma scratched the back of his head. "It's such a long story, I don't know where to begin."
"The beginning is always a good place." Diana said with a reassuring smile.
Linda nodded. "Dinner will be a while still so go ahead Ranma."
Ranma sat back and prepared to tell his life's story once again. A-ko put her hand on his to comfort him. She too was eager to know what had happened to her boyfriend in the last couple of years.
Ranma began to spin his tale of how Genma had tricked Nodoka with the Seppuku contract, continuing on through meeting Ukyou and the Neko-ken training. All the training hazards and trials he went through. He finally made it to when he was in middle school.
"I was following Ryouga after school one day to keep him from getting lost when I ran into A-chan and C-ko," he said fondly.
"I remember, C-ko had dropped her ice cream cone and was bawling her eyes out when Ranma comes out of nowhere and offers to buy us both another cone," A-ko continues.
"I never could stand to see a girl cry," Ranma blushed, "We hung out a lot after that. We were up to dating when my Pop found out about us. I think that's why he decided to leave for China, that and the fact I think the law was catching up to him again. I had to say goodbye to A-chan but I promised I'd come back someday."
He told them about Ryouga and the bread feud that ended with a final challenge and Ranma waiting for three days for the lost boy to show up. Then came the trip to China and how they had to swim there. The various temples and dojos where Ranma learned he was finally becoming his father's equal was one of the reasons Ranma believed Genma took him to Jusenkyou. As he told what happened at the cursed springs, Diana sat back and shook her head. Kyle just sat there with his mouth hanging open at the thought anyone would level such abuse on a child. Clark got up and went to the kitchen for some water.
After demonstrating the curse for everyone Ranma prepared to continue his story.
"There's more?" Kyle was flabbergasted.
Ranma nodded. "That's just brings me up to the beginning of about the last year. It was after Jusenkyou that we went to the Amazon village to look for a cure..."
Diana perked up at the mention of Amazons then scowled at Ranma's experience among the women warriors. Ranma gulped nervously, wondering if the woman had had any experiences with Amazons before. He continued on telling of meeting the Tendo family, being engaged to Akane, meeting the Kuno clan, Ryouga getting cursed and threatening to kill him. Then there was the part of Shampoo catching up only to be defeated by boy side, Ukyou following him all those years. He kept on with all the challenges and daily crap he had to put up with until Saffron and then the failed wedding.
"After the wedding attempt I saw A-chan on TV and decided to resolve things once and for all. As usual, hardly anyone listened to me so I declared myself ronin and left. Mom is leaving Genma so I guess I'll go with her. I just wanted to keep this last promise I made and come see A-chan again," he said sadly, finishing his tale.
It seemed everyone was in a mild state of shock. Not even Clark had heard this much from Ranma earlier. The Megami family knew most of Ranma's life before from when he dated A-ko but the last two years were too much.
Clark frowned thoughtfully then leaned forward. "So what are your intentions towards my daughter now?" he asked.
Ranma took a moment to think, something his mother told him was worth the effort. "I, uh, I like A-chan a lot. If the last two years never happened I think we'd still be together. I can understand if she doesn't want to date a sex changing ronin but I had to see her anyway."
A-ko leaned in against Ranma. "You idiot, I missed you for two years and you think something as minor as a curse and not having a last name would bother me?"
Linda nodded. "That's true. We're originally from America. While we value family, we don't judge people by their name, or lack thereof."
Ranma seemed puzzled. "You're American? With the name Megami?"
Linda stood up. "That's a story best told after dinner. A-ko if you'll help me set the table we can all eat."
* * * * * * * * * *
Author's Rants:
Yet another piece of writing finished. I actually have a plot for this one believe it or not. It's just been a low priority fic at the moment.
Things become clear next chapter as I finish the back-story for our DC characters and how they managed to end up in Japan. Other anime/manga will rear its ugly head as I start the actual storyline. Be prepared for Tenchi and Gold Digger just for starters. There will be no Sailor Moon in this fic though, I figure it's bad enough to have it in just one of my fics already.
Later.