Ranma/ Hannibal
'Mind Games'
Chapter 1
Rain corregated in the lush, green leaves of a tree that contrasted with the dark gray overcast that brought the storm. A lone figure trenched through the heavy downpour, and down an unnamed street, as was common to find in Japan. The figure had an intended destination, and headed with purposeful, yet reserved strides, while keeping the cloak firmly over the head, allowing only a peak of red hair to be visible.
The figure stopped, its vision finding a rather thick drop of rain landing on the concrete before it. A youthful face, baring hard, analytical crystal blue eyes, traced the direction the drop descended from, and then slowly directed to the left. With a seemingly delighted breath, the figure exhaled as it read the sign.
"Tendou Dojo, it appears Pop's directions were good, this time."
The figure casually pushed through the doors. As short as the figure was, it seemed as if it did not heed the potential weight that the large doors most likely held. Keeping the cloak on to protect itself from the menacing rain, the figure stode up to the house that sat in the center of the property that belonged to the Tendou family.
A drop of rain ran down the porch roof, and down the banister of the front right corner. The figure entered the porch, as the drop wound down the banister, and dripped to the wood floor. After turning back to give a passing glance to the rain, the figure turned back, and knocked to announce its arrival. It waited patiently, but did not have to wait long, as it could hear the steps, two people, rather exited in fact, rushed to the door. The figure already surmised that it was expected, but nodded its head at the confirmation.
Its head lifted, as the door swung open to reveal a man and apparently his daughter. The girl, presumably about the figure's age, was excited, and almost missed the figure standing before her, as she was looking for someone taller. It only took but an instance for her to look down.
"Hello, you were expecting me?" The figure stated in a jovial and addressing, yet peculiarly effimate voice. With a bow, the figure announced itself, "I'm Ranma Saotome."
The girl seemed to be appraising the figure, and the figure could tell what she was finding was apparently pleasing, "Oooh, he is cute!"
Ranma coughed, "Well, thanks, I'm glad you approve of my appearance. If we may? I would like to get out of the rain..."
"SON!" Ranma was suddenly in the man's tight embrace, and with a slight begrudging humor, bore it for its duration. As expected, the man tensed, no doubt suddenly finding something amiss, as expected. After feeling the hug weaken, Ranma stepped out of the man's reach.
"Sorry about all this, but it would be best if I explained this inside."
By this time, two other girls joined the man and the first girl; the eldest girl, older than even the first one, had a curious, yet distressed expression on her face, while the younger girl, possibly the same age as the first girl, had an angry and disapproving frown. At least one of them was not pleased by the stranger's arrival, apparently.
The first girl had developed a more intense look to her appraisal, and moved forward. Before a finger could reach Ranma's chest, the stranger lightly slapped it away, "Maybe we should hold on the touching, at least until we've been properly introduced?" The girl stepped back, as a slight bit of nervousness washed over her, when the stranger's eyes met hers.
She quickly regained herself, as the eldest gave her a slightly disapproving look. The first girl turned to look to the father, which Ranma could easily conclude, "Daddy?"
Before the rather puzzled looking man could respond, Ranma gave a slight shiver, to remind them of the current state of the weather.
"Oh! I'm sorry," the eldest girl apologized, "please forgive our manners. Won't you come in?" With a smile of gratitude and a nod, Ranma entered past the man and the three girls.
__________________________
"So, you're Ranma?" the girl with the shortest cut hair enquired.
Ranma nodded, and barely moving the eyes, lest the girls detect it, the red-head gave a sweeping glance to the hosts. The young one with the long hair wearing a gi was behaving openly hostile to Ranma. In return, the red-head gave a disarming smile. Before seeing the results, Ranma's attention turned to the eldest girl. She seemed the very zenith of tranquility, though Ranma could note the slight signs of distress she was trying her best to withold; the red-head would have to admire that. The short-haired one seemed slightly confused, and also a bit angered. Ranma noted the anger didn't come about until recently, which meant it may have been a byproduct of her confusion. Simple enough to profile, she did not like having things confuse her, potentially making her a control freak, or someone with a innately flippant surface attitude, or both.
"My Pop will be along soon, we decided that it would be best if I were to talk to you first," Ranma stated, cupping small, decidedly female hands on the table, "I would guess you were expecting a guy, and found my arrival a bit unsettling."
"You're... you're a girl?" the man studdered, before his eyes rolled into his head, and he slumped backwards.
Ranma seemed to give the man a slight glance, while out of peripheral vision, observing the reactions of the three girls. The eldest one was chagrinned, while the other two girls' faces expressed clear annoyance.
"You know my name..." Ranma trailed off, and looked back at the girls, temporarily ignoring the spectacle the father made of himself.
"Oh, I'm sorry, we haven't be very courteous hosts," the elder girl stated, still displaying chagrinned features on her face.
"It's okay," Ranma placated, "I know this is rather..." Ranma searched for the right word that would provide the best effect wanted from the girls, "...peculiar for you. Please, go on."
"Well, I'm Kasumi Tendou, and these are my sisters Nabiki..." she pointed to the girl with short hair, "... and Akane," she pointed to the other girl with long hair, "That is our father, Soun Tendou."
"You already know my name, and my own Pop, Genma Saotome, you'll meet a bit later," Ranma stated with calculated emotion, "I have to tell you, that me and Pop's situation is a bit wierd, and it's going to take a bit of explaining. That's why he isn't here, since you may find him a bit unnerving."
"Like finding we're engaged to another girl isn't unnerving enough?" the one named Nabiki snapped.
Ranma was careful not to make any surprise visual at the proclamation, but nonetheless was shocked to find that the girls were believing Ranma to be a fiancee. "Yes... well, that's one thing I thought it would be best to discuss without my father present," a quick lie would allow Ranma to get things clear without any prenotions being set into the girls; it would cause a few problems for her if it did.
Akane seemed more inclined to the conversation, now that she found out Ranma was a girl. Her frown was gone, and replaced with a more courteous and lighter expression. Ranma pressed forward, "I think it's in everyones best intrest, if we disregard that predicerment for a while." Before any of them could add the fact that Ranma was a girl, the red-head continued, "I myself have other, more pressing problems. I..."
At that moment, the kettle for tea began to whistle in the kitchen. "I need to prepare the tea, Akane, could you tend to father?"
"Okay," Akane got up, nodding to Ranma with a slight smile, as she followed her sister to the kitchen. Akane was more comfortable with Ranma, now that she realized the other girl wasn't an available fiancee, and was now attempting to be hospitable.
"So..." Ranma turned back to a silently fuming Nabiki, "I take it you were looking forward to this?"
Nabiki turned back to Ranma with a glare. Meeting Ranma's eyes again quickly forced her to turn away, disgusing it as irritation. Ranma new better, she was unnerved by the red-head. Nabiki was weary of the expression Ranma wore; piercing hard blue eyes that held nothing of the slight smile that graced her youthful face. It was like the smile of a wolf; focused on its intende prey and already savoring the taste of its flesh, "Whatever."
"Not one for small talk, I see," Ranma allowed a touch of humor into her voice. Nabiki's eyes flashed back to her for a second, before going back to her act of irritated indifference.
"Ah, thank you," Ranma graciously took the mug of tea offered to him by Kasumi, and sniffed lightly, "Hmm, a very light strain with the best balance of flavor, you make a great cup of tea."
"Thank you," Kasumi replied to the compliment, though she was curious how the girl could be so confident of it without a taste. Ranma bowed her head, as she took a sip from the tea. From the top of her peripheral vision, she noted Nabiki staring at her. She was suspicious of Ranma, good, this will make her presumed indefinite stay all the more interesting. Akane returned with a roll mat, a bowl of cold water, and a washrag. Ranma observed her, as she laid her father on the mat, and put the cold compress on his forehead.
"You had something you wanted to tell us?" Nabiki asked over her own mug of tea.
"Oh," Ranma made a show of slight embarrassment, "Sorry. I'll be curt, I'm not a girl." Ranma barely allowed the information to sink in, "I currently have a curse that changes me from a guy to a girl, while my father has one that changes him into a panda." Ranma looked at her tea with slight distaste, "Could I have some warm water, about thirty five degrees, please? It would probably be easier to digest, if it was demonstrated..."
"Curses, get real!" Nabiki retorted.
"That is pretty far fetched," Akane added. Kasumi didn't say anything, choosing instead to honor Ranma's request. In a short time, she returned with warm water. Ranma took the glass with a nod of thanks, and got up. She walked over to the bowl of cold water for Mr. Tendou's cold compress, and bowed her head over it. She upended the cup over her head, triggering the change. Ranma smiled to himself, at the gasps of startlement from his hostesses.
Wiping the exess water from his hair, Ranma stood to full height, and addressed the girls, "This, is my natural form. I'm sorry about the confusion."
'Mind Games'
Chapter 1
Rain corregated in the lush, green leaves of a tree that contrasted with the dark gray overcast that brought the storm. A lone figure trenched through the heavy downpour, and down an unnamed street, as was common to find in Japan. The figure had an intended destination, and headed with purposeful, yet reserved strides, while keeping the cloak firmly over the head, allowing only a peak of red hair to be visible.
The figure stopped, its vision finding a rather thick drop of rain landing on the concrete before it. A youthful face, baring hard, analytical crystal blue eyes, traced the direction the drop descended from, and then slowly directed to the left. With a seemingly delighted breath, the figure exhaled as it read the sign.
"Tendou Dojo, it appears Pop's directions were good, this time."
The figure casually pushed through the doors. As short as the figure was, it seemed as if it did not heed the potential weight that the large doors most likely held. Keeping the cloak on to protect itself from the menacing rain, the figure stode up to the house that sat in the center of the property that belonged to the Tendou family.
A drop of rain ran down the porch roof, and down the banister of the front right corner. The figure entered the porch, as the drop wound down the banister, and dripped to the wood floor. After turning back to give a passing glance to the rain, the figure turned back, and knocked to announce its arrival. It waited patiently, but did not have to wait long, as it could hear the steps, two people, rather exited in fact, rushed to the door. The figure already surmised that it was expected, but nodded its head at the confirmation.
Its head lifted, as the door swung open to reveal a man and apparently his daughter. The girl, presumably about the figure's age, was excited, and almost missed the figure standing before her, as she was looking for someone taller. It only took but an instance for her to look down.
"Hello, you were expecting me?" The figure stated in a jovial and addressing, yet peculiarly effimate voice. With a bow, the figure announced itself, "I'm Ranma Saotome."
The girl seemed to be appraising the figure, and the figure could tell what she was finding was apparently pleasing, "Oooh, he is cute!"
Ranma coughed, "Well, thanks, I'm glad you approve of my appearance. If we may? I would like to get out of the rain..."
"SON!" Ranma was suddenly in the man's tight embrace, and with a slight begrudging humor, bore it for its duration. As expected, the man tensed, no doubt suddenly finding something amiss, as expected. After feeling the hug weaken, Ranma stepped out of the man's reach.
"Sorry about all this, but it would be best if I explained this inside."
By this time, two other girls joined the man and the first girl; the eldest girl, older than even the first one, had a curious, yet distressed expression on her face, while the younger girl, possibly the same age as the first girl, had an angry and disapproving frown. At least one of them was not pleased by the stranger's arrival, apparently.
The first girl had developed a more intense look to her appraisal, and moved forward. Before a finger could reach Ranma's chest, the stranger lightly slapped it away, "Maybe we should hold on the touching, at least until we've been properly introduced?" The girl stepped back, as a slight bit of nervousness washed over her, when the stranger's eyes met hers.
She quickly regained herself, as the eldest gave her a slightly disapproving look. The first girl turned to look to the father, which Ranma could easily conclude, "Daddy?"
Before the rather puzzled looking man could respond, Ranma gave a slight shiver, to remind them of the current state of the weather.
"Oh! I'm sorry," the eldest girl apologized, "please forgive our manners. Won't you come in?" With a smile of gratitude and a nod, Ranma entered past the man and the three girls.
__________________________
"So, you're Ranma?" the girl with the shortest cut hair enquired.
Ranma nodded, and barely moving the eyes, lest the girls detect it, the red-head gave a sweeping glance to the hosts. The young one with the long hair wearing a gi was behaving openly hostile to Ranma. In return, the red-head gave a disarming smile. Before seeing the results, Ranma's attention turned to the eldest girl. She seemed the very zenith of tranquility, though Ranma could note the slight signs of distress she was trying her best to withold; the red-head would have to admire that. The short-haired one seemed slightly confused, and also a bit angered. Ranma noted the anger didn't come about until recently, which meant it may have been a byproduct of her confusion. Simple enough to profile, she did not like having things confuse her, potentially making her a control freak, or someone with a innately flippant surface attitude, or both.
"My Pop will be along soon, we decided that it would be best if I were to talk to you first," Ranma stated, cupping small, decidedly female hands on the table, "I would guess you were expecting a guy, and found my arrival a bit unsettling."
"You're... you're a girl?" the man studdered, before his eyes rolled into his head, and he slumped backwards.
Ranma seemed to give the man a slight glance, while out of peripheral vision, observing the reactions of the three girls. The eldest one was chagrinned, while the other two girls' faces expressed clear annoyance.
"You know my name..." Ranma trailed off, and looked back at the girls, temporarily ignoring the spectacle the father made of himself.
"Oh, I'm sorry, we haven't be very courteous hosts," the elder girl stated, still displaying chagrinned features on her face.
"It's okay," Ranma placated, "I know this is rather..." Ranma searched for the right word that would provide the best effect wanted from the girls, "...peculiar for you. Please, go on."
"Well, I'm Kasumi Tendou, and these are my sisters Nabiki..." she pointed to the girl with short hair, "... and Akane," she pointed to the other girl with long hair, "That is our father, Soun Tendou."
"You already know my name, and my own Pop, Genma Saotome, you'll meet a bit later," Ranma stated with calculated emotion, "I have to tell you, that me and Pop's situation is a bit wierd, and it's going to take a bit of explaining. That's why he isn't here, since you may find him a bit unnerving."
"Like finding we're engaged to another girl isn't unnerving enough?" the one named Nabiki snapped.
Ranma was careful not to make any surprise visual at the proclamation, but nonetheless was shocked to find that the girls were believing Ranma to be a fiancee. "Yes... well, that's one thing I thought it would be best to discuss without my father present," a quick lie would allow Ranma to get things clear without any prenotions being set into the girls; it would cause a few problems for her if it did.
Akane seemed more inclined to the conversation, now that she found out Ranma was a girl. Her frown was gone, and replaced with a more courteous and lighter expression. Ranma pressed forward, "I think it's in everyones best intrest, if we disregard that predicerment for a while." Before any of them could add the fact that Ranma was a girl, the red-head continued, "I myself have other, more pressing problems. I..."
At that moment, the kettle for tea began to whistle in the kitchen. "I need to prepare the tea, Akane, could you tend to father?"
"Okay," Akane got up, nodding to Ranma with a slight smile, as she followed her sister to the kitchen. Akane was more comfortable with Ranma, now that she realized the other girl wasn't an available fiancee, and was now attempting to be hospitable.
"So..." Ranma turned back to a silently fuming Nabiki, "I take it you were looking forward to this?"
Nabiki turned back to Ranma with a glare. Meeting Ranma's eyes again quickly forced her to turn away, disgusing it as irritation. Ranma new better, she was unnerved by the red-head. Nabiki was weary of the expression Ranma wore; piercing hard blue eyes that held nothing of the slight smile that graced her youthful face. It was like the smile of a wolf; focused on its intende prey and already savoring the taste of its flesh, "Whatever."
"Not one for small talk, I see," Ranma allowed a touch of humor into her voice. Nabiki's eyes flashed back to her for a second, before going back to her act of irritated indifference.
"Ah, thank you," Ranma graciously took the mug of tea offered to him by Kasumi, and sniffed lightly, "Hmm, a very light strain with the best balance of flavor, you make a great cup of tea."
"Thank you," Kasumi replied to the compliment, though she was curious how the girl could be so confident of it without a taste. Ranma bowed her head, as she took a sip from the tea. From the top of her peripheral vision, she noted Nabiki staring at her. She was suspicious of Ranma, good, this will make her presumed indefinite stay all the more interesting. Akane returned with a roll mat, a bowl of cold water, and a washrag. Ranma observed her, as she laid her father on the mat, and put the cold compress on his forehead.
"You had something you wanted to tell us?" Nabiki asked over her own mug of tea.
"Oh," Ranma made a show of slight embarrassment, "Sorry. I'll be curt, I'm not a girl." Ranma barely allowed the information to sink in, "I currently have a curse that changes me from a guy to a girl, while my father has one that changes him into a panda." Ranma looked at her tea with slight distaste, "Could I have some warm water, about thirty five degrees, please? It would probably be easier to digest, if it was demonstrated..."
"Curses, get real!" Nabiki retorted.
"That is pretty far fetched," Akane added. Kasumi didn't say anything, choosing instead to honor Ranma's request. In a short time, she returned with warm water. Ranma took the glass with a nod of thanks, and got up. She walked over to the bowl of cold water for Mr. Tendou's cold compress, and bowed her head over it. She upended the cup over her head, triggering the change. Ranma smiled to himself, at the gasps of startlement from his hostesses.
Wiping the exess water from his hair, Ranma stood to full height, and addressed the girls, "This, is my natural form. I'm sorry about the confusion."