A rom-com starring Ryoga and Ranma. Big time AU/canon divergence. Ryoga's family is rather well off and runs two branches of martial arts from their own dojo: Rhythmic Gymnastics and Anything Goes Survival Martial Arts. Unfortunately for Ryoga, his father meets a blood-sucking leech who runs his own branch of Anything goes, and they decide to unite their schools into one. Only problem is, they both have sons! Whatever shall Genma Saotome do to ensure a cushy lavish retirement?
Chapter 1: The Impossible Girl
Today is the day.
One last flavored bread to break the camel's back.
Today is the day Ryoga Hibiki puts that smug bastard Saotome in his place once and for all.
His leg was twitching nervously under his desk as he watched the clock count down to lunch. Little by little. Only a few minutes left until the bell freed the class and he set his plan in motion.
First, he'd run as fast as he could to the cafeteria and push his way to the front of the line.
Second, he'd find that rat bastard and eat his bread right in front of the guy's face.
And finally, he'd block Saotome from getting any of his own.
He thought his plan was perfect but he forgot one little problem in his scheming: he tended to get lost a lot.
Lo and behold, a minute after the bell had rung and he'd darted from the room, he found himself in the infirmary. He ran, trying to make up for lost time, and found himself in the gym's locker rooms next. Finally, on his third attempt to reach the cafeteria, he managed to run into the wide hall just in time to hear the lunch lady call out the last loaf of curry bread.
And Saotome was gunning straight for it.
Thinking fast, Ryoga pulled a bandana off his head and flung it towards the loaf of bread. If he couldn't get there in time, surely he could buy a little more by knocking it out of Saotome's way.
Unfortunately for him, he swung the blade-like bandana just a little too hard and it cleaved the loaf of bread in two.
And Saotome caught both halves.
"Yo, Ryoga!" he called, hopping from head to head of the boys gathered around. An all-boys school was so used to the chaos of lunch that nobody seemed to notice someone outright running on top of them. They were too fixated on their own personal bread feuds.
The boy of Ryoga's ire landed casually right in front of him while holding one piece of the bread in his mouth and the other in his hand. With his free hand, he flicked his long black ponytail over his shoulder.
"Didjya wanna share?" the boy asked, offering the second half to Ryoga.
Ryoga's eye twitched. "I don't need more of your pity, Saotome! Every day you manage to get here just in time to take the last bread from me! I haven't eaten lunch at school in weeks since you and that oaf of a father of yours showed up!"
"Hey pal, just tryin' ta be nice is all," Ranma countered. "Here, just take it. You cut it in half before I could get there, so you earned it."
He held the half to Ryoga again, while still keeping that innocent look upon his face that grated on Ryoga's mind. How could he steal his food every day and still act like they were friends or something?!
"I'm not your 'pal', buddy!" Ryoga cried, smacking the loaf from Saotome's hand and straight to the floor. "I said I don't need your damn pity! This ends now, Saotome! Tomorrow. Vacant lot behind my house. High noon."
The challenge caught the attention of the surrounding boys who all turned to watch in silence. In his short time at this school, Saotome had earned a reputation as a keen fighter, and Ryoga already had a reputation he wasn't proud of.
"Isn't that the guy who's always last to school?"
"And to lunch..."
"He's a good fighter too though, but I heard he once got so lost, he ended up in Africa!"
Ryoga fought down the embarrassed blush threatening his cheeks from the not-so-quiet whispering flowing all around him.
If Saotome noticed, he didn't make a point of it.
"Is that a challege, Ryoga?" he asked seriously. Ranma Saotome didn't take much seriously, but a challenge, no matter how small, could not be ignored.
"You're damn right it is! And you better not back out, Saotome!" Ryoga yelled, and thrust his hand out in front of him. "Promise me. A man to man promise. We'll finally settle this like men and you won't be taking my bread anymore!"
The crowd watched in silence as Ranma ran the challenge over in his head. After a moment of contemplation, a confident smirk broke his stoic face and he took Ryoga's hand in a powerful shake.
"Fine. It's a promise."
Ryoga donned a confident smirk thinking, 'the vacant lot's right behind my house! No way I'll get lost this time!'
A moment passed after the handshake where Ryoga began maniacally laughing to himself, to the awkward curiosity of the crowd. Had he suddenly gone insane?
"Hey, um, Ryoga?" Ranma called, finally snapping Ryoga back to reality.
"Yeah? What now?" he barked.
Ranma was taken aback by the force of Ryoga's voice. Was he mad at him? They were friends, right? "Uh... you still need me to walk ya home after school?"
A few snickers from the crowd made Ryoga's face turn red. It was one thing to offer him half the bread that was rightfully his to begin with, but then to remind everyone of his... handicap like that...
"Oooh, bite me, Saotome!" he turned, stomping back towards his classroom and away from the sounds of laughter at his expense.
The next day, Ryoga set out from his house at 8am sharp, giving him plenty of time to find the lot next door. His mother insisted that he simply walk behind the house, but that couldn't be right. As Ryoga remembered it, that vacant lot was miles away! He had to get a good head start if he was going to beat Saotome there and prove he can make it on time if he set his mind to it.
So off he ran, in the complete opposite direction from the vacant lot. As he roamed all over the city, he had no idea that not only was Ranma there waiting for him, he waited for three whole days.
Still, driven by his anger both at his rival and at himself for his lousy sense of direction, Ryoga ran. He ran and ran until he could run no more. And finally on the fourth day after the promised time of the fight, he managed to make it to the empty lot. He was completely exhausted, his clothes were ripped and torn, but he had actually made it.
But Saotome was nowhere to be found.
Lucky for him, Ryoga's father was keeping an eye out on the lot for when his son would return and he immediately ran downstairs to join him before Ryoga ran off again.
"Where is he, dad?! Where is that coward who ran out on our fight?!" Ryoga snarled, but his exhaustion made it seem more of a whimper as he collapsed into his father's arms.
"That Saotome boy waited out here for you, but yesterday his father came. They had an argument that I could hear from the dojo so I went to go see what was happening and they had broken out into quite the viscious spar."
Ryoma Hibiki chuckled to himself, remembering just how much of a struggle the kid had given his father.
"In the end, Genma had knocked his child out cold. Seeing that the fight was over, I finally approached to ask him what it was all about. Y'know, that kid would have been a great student at our dojo. He really would have given you a run for your money!" he guffawed, much to Ryoga's chagrin.
"No way in hell would he beat me at my own school!" Ryoga growled. "So what happened? Where are they?"
"Well, funny story, that," Ryoma continued as they entered the house. He motioned for Ryoga to follow him to the living room where they could continue the conversation in comfort. The house was westernized for a reason! A nice plush couch could go a long way.
"I saw the Saotome kid in the dirt and with that soft face and that ponytail, I honestly thought he was a girl at first! You wouldn't believe my embarrassment when his father corrected me!"
Somehow, that made Ryoga feel a little better. He couldn't help but crack a smile just imagining how mad Saotome would be at being confused for a girl.
"So I was embarrassed and all, but Saotome let it go. We got to chatting but our conversation got cut pretty short."
"Huh? What happened?"
"It was the oddest thing. I mentioned that if he did have a daughter that good at martial arts, she'd be a great wife for you to carry on the dojo with."
Ryoma was going to continue but he got interrupted by a whiney moan from his son.
"Daaad~! I can't be getting married! I'm only twelve!" he cried at his father.
"Ha ha, don't worry about it boy, it wouldn't be for years to come! Anyway, after telling him about our family dojo and your financial inheritance as my only heir, Genma said he had to take his son to China for urgent training, and that he'd be back someday."
"China?! No way! That coward ran out on our fight and now he's off to CHINA?! Where's my pack? I have to follow him!"
"Woah, hold on there boy, you're not going to China all by yourself."
"But—"
"No buts! With your sense of direction, we wouldn't see you for years! What if you got hurt, or worse? How do you think your mother would feel finding out you were eaten by bears or something?"
Ryoga deflated, realizing how ridiculous it would be for him to follow some kid he barely knew all the way to China just to beat him up. Calming down let him realize how stupid that plan really sounded.
"I... ok. But I'm still gonna train hard so when he comes back, I'll be the best for sure!" he roared with a passion, throwing his fist in the air.
"Heh, that's m'boy. Make me proud and someday you'll be the master of this dojo. We'll just have to make sure to pick a wife who can keep up!"
"Daaaaad~!" Ryoga cried while stomping off.
After two closets and a kitchen, he finally found his goal: the furo upstairs. After such a long trek, a nice warm soak sounded great.
"Stupid Saotome, running out on our man to man fight like that..." he quietly mumbled to himself in the tub. "He promised, too! Still... I wonder what kinda training there is to learn in China than you can't just learn here."
His mind wandered to visions of ancient temples with various monks practicing their art in forbidden training grounds, too dangerous for the average person. He thought of the many kung fu masters he'd seen in movies before, performing impossible acrobatic feats that bewildered the mind. And he imagined the girls he'd seen sword dancing on video once. A very deadly art where the dancer entrances her victim with her sensual dancing before slashing him with twin blades.
"Baah, girls aren't tough. They only win by tricking stupid guys," he decided, shaking the memory from his mind. "Like any girl's gonna be good enough to run my dojo with me. Pops is dreamin'."
4 years later
The rain was pounding heavily on Ryoga's red paper umbrella as he made his way from the shopping district to what he hoped was home. The umbrella had been a gift to him on his fifteenth birthday, both as a sign of his coming of age, and as a method of further training. The umbrella weighed a ton, and over the last year and change, Ryoga had managed to build up the strength to carry it and use it like any normal person would use a store-bought umbrella. He was proud of that accomplishment, and was proud that his father was proud of it too.
Over the last four years, Ryoga had trained vigorously in his dojo. He and his master of a father went on many training trips as well and even focused on training the boy's poor sense of direction. He still had his issues, but one thing his father had bore into his head was that he must always trust directions he was given and never second guess them. Think of them like a complex kata. You must perform each step at the right moment to flow into the next and get where you wanted to be. So, too, were directions. He wasn't perfect, but he was a lot better.
In fact, he figured he'd be home in less than an hour! The store he'd bought dinner supplies from was only two blocks away, afterall. Why his mom asked him to buy so much, he hadn't a clue. Were they expecting company tonight?
Ryoga was snapped out of his thinking by the cry of what sounded like a very angry girl coming from the cross-street just up ahead.
Looking ahead, he saw a somewhat short girl around his age and wearing Chinese silks that fit her frame well... a little too well, thanks to the rain. Ryoga had to stop himself from focusing on her chest where the clinging fabric left almost nothing to the imagination in the chilly rain. He darted his eyes up before a nosebleed could kick in and noticed something even more peculiar about the girl: she had red hair tied up in a loose braid.. It was dark when it was wet, but it was definitely red.
"Did she dye it to match her shirt? She doesn't look European..." he said quietly to himself as the scene unfolded in front of him and a dozen other passers-by who stopped to see the commotion.
The girl posed in a stance Ryoga recognized as a well-guarded defense. Whatever was about to attack her would really have to think carefully about where to strike to get past her.
He never expected her attacker to be a bear.
The crowd watching yelled in surprise as a giant panda bear ran out of the alley on its hind legs and threw fists at the small girl, who nimbly dodged each one.
"Am I hallucinating?" Ryoga heard a man say from his right.
"I... I'm not sure," he replied.
"I still say this whole thing sucks!" the girl cried, seemingly to the panda as she threw strike after strike. The panda was good, and dodged or deflected almost all of them. "I'm not gettin' married ta no guy, damnit!"
With that declaration, the girl managed to get a solid roundhouse kick to the panda's jaw, sending it flying into a nearby stone wall.
Smug in her victory, the girl turned and marched angrily towards a travel pack laying on the side of the street. "I'm going back to China, so you can suck on that, old man!" she called behind her without looking back.
Ryoga really wished she had though because the panda roared back to life in an instant and smacked the girl upside the head with a road sign it ripped out of the ground.
The girl let out a small yelp of pain as she slammed the wet pavement.
"That's enough!" Ryoga yelled, launching a kick of his own into the panda's head, sending it flying down the street. He watched for a moment to make sure it wouldn't get up before he skidded to his knees to cradle the poor girl's head under his umbrella.
"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, giving her a gentle shake.
With a moan, her eyes slowly opened and Ryoga was greeted with the most beautiful blue sapphires he'd ever seen. She took his breath away.
"Ow... man, did you get the number of that truck?" the girl joked with a groan, rubbing her head and trying to right herself into a proper sitting position. The bump on her head was still throbbing with pain but it wasn't enough to distract her from the red-faced guy awkwardly silent and holding an umbrella over her head. "...You ok there, pal?" she added with a wave in front of his eyes, but he showed no signs of life.
Frowning, the girl lightly smacked Ryoga's shoulder. "Hey, I'm the one who got hit! Snap out of it!"
The tap must have been a little stronger than the girl intended because Ryoga nearly tipped over. Just before he fell over sideways, he snapped back to reality and faced the girl once again.
"A-are you ok, miss?!" he asked, alarming the girl with his panicked cry. "You were mauled by a bear!"
The girl gave an apologetic smile and a mirthless chuckle and rubbed the back of her head. "Heh, yeah, that happens more often than ya might think. I can handle him just fine though, but thanks anyway."
Ryoga stood up over her and held out his hand.
"Well, I'm glad you're alright. Can I at least help you up?"
The small woman looked at his hand in contemplation and slowly drifted her eyes back to his. Something about the way this guy looked... was it the bandana? Or the fang? She grabbed his hand and was impressed by the strength in which he pulled her light frame to its feet. That settled it. This guy was a martial artist alright, and she probably met him somewhere before.
"Thanks... Say, you look a little familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"
Ryoga had to fight to keep himself from blurting out 'like I would forget a girl as adorable as you' as he stared into those big innocent eyes.
"I-I don't think so, m-miss," he stuttered, trying to control his thoughts. She was a total stranger! Why was he acting like this? Ryoga cleared his throat to steady himself. "My name's Ryoga Hibiki, I'm the heir to the Hibiki School of Survival Martial Arts."
"'Survival Martial Arts'?" she quietly repeated to herself. Had she trained at his dojo before? Why did this all sound so fami- "Wait, did you say Hibiki?!" she suddenly cried in realization.
"Um... yeah?" Ryoga asked with a puzzled expression, tilting his head. "What's your name?"
Suddenly, the girl seemed quite panicked and shy even, looking anywhere but his eyes.
"N-nice to m-meetchya, my n-name's Ran..." she trailed off, mentally chiding herself for almost using her real name. If Ryoga knew who she was... oh boy would that be awkward. "...ko," she finished after an awkward pause. "Ranko. My name's Ranko. Yup, that's it alright."
"Ranko, like the flower, huh?" Ryoga pondered, mostly to himself, thinking about how the name was spelled. "Well, nice to meet you. You gonna be ok on your own? I-I mean, well, it's pouring out and there's plenty of room at the dojo..." he nervously approached the girl. He couldn't just leave her like this. She was injured! "A-and there's no bears there, I promise!"
"Heh, I s'pose I could stay until the rain lets up, if it's no trouble," she quickly replied, knowing from experience that pitching a tent in this storm in some muddy empty lot couldn't compare to a nice warm building. Especially if food was involved. If she'd learned anything in her travels, it was to never turn down a free meal. You never knew when you were gonna get your next. "But tomorrow I really gotta get back to China."
"China, huh?" Ryoga asked. "What's in China?"
"It's, um..." the girl paused. There's no way in hell her old friend would believe who she really was, with an ancient Chinese curse she desparately wanted to find a cure for. "Let's just say, it's personal."
Ryoga took the hint as the girl whipped around to pull up her pack and sling it over her shoulders. She clearly didn't want to talk about it, so he wouldn't pressure her.
"Ok... How 'bout the panda?" he asked, hoping to keep the conversation going. "It's not every day you get attacked by an endangered bear. Why were you fighting it?"
Ryoga looked back across the street where the panda had crashed head-first into the stone and saw that the panda was nowhere to be found. His eyes darted around the intersection and through the remaining gawkers and he saw no sign of the 7 foot tall bear.
"...And where'd it go?"
Ranko gave a mirthless chuckle. "A zoo, for all I care. Trust me, the thing with the panda's a looong story."
"I've got time while we walk," he gently replied with a smile that showed off that little fang of his.
Ranko saw the genuine interest her old friend was giving her and let out a sigh. They had been friends at one point in time, so maybe he could understand. Of course, she'd have to tweak a few details to keep her identity a secret. And remembering his poor sense of direction, she figured they'd have plenty of time to talk, so she started from the beginning.
"Well, y'see, it all began about four and a half years ago when... no, wait, it'd make more sense if I started from the actual beginning. About ten years ago, my father..." she began, and over the course of the next hour, she regaled him with tales of intense martial arts training and traveling the whole country, learning all sorts of techniques from hundreds of dojos and temples and ancient training guides her father found.
"What'd you say your school was again? Survival somethin'?" she asked at the end of her grand tale.
"School of Survival Martial Arts," he proudly answered. "It's kind of like what you're learning. It incorporates a bunch of little bits and pieces from other schools, but it focuses on skills to help you survive in the wild. Things like being fast enough to catch fish with your bare hands, or chop down a tree to make a bridge using nothing but your umbrella, not to mention wrestling with, well, bears to assert your dominance so they don't tear you to shreds."
Ranko was genuinely intrigued. She had no idea his school's philosophy was so deep. She instantly regretted not spending more time with Ryoga when they were younger, but she was not about to pass on this second chance.
"Say, do ya think you could ask your dad to speak with me? I wanna see this new style in action." And maybe pick up a few free lessons.
"Sure!" Ryoga lit up. This girl's tales of exotic martial arts training made him eager to see what she was made of. "We could just spar, but why not ask him yourself?"
Ranko cracked a gleeful smirk of her own. She was just as excited to see what Ryoga had managed to become after all this time, not to mention learn a bit of his skill. "Sure, I'd be up for testin' your skills! But what do ya mean, ask him myself?"
Ryoga stopped walking and thumbed to the large wooden gates next to him.
"We're here."
Ranko was stunned, to say the least. Sure enough, they stood outside a large walled-off property that she remembered leaving Ryoga at many times after school. Their dojo's sign board was still where she remembered, leaning up against the wall and earning its years-old bowing. What stunned her though wasn't the memories flooding back, it was the fact that it had been about fourty minutes since they left the intersection where they met.
"That was... fast," she commented, equal parts surprised and actually proud of her old friend for getting better with his sense of direction. She couldn't let him know that she knew about it, though. Not just yet. With any luck, she'd be back on her way to China so soon that she wouldn't have to tell him.
Into the compound they went.
Past the tall wooden tori gate painted a striking black with gold trim, Ran'ko' was met with a stone pathway lined with small shrubs, each with a traditional stone garden lantern in between, gently lighting the way towards a surprisingly modern doorstep.
"That's one helluva clash," she commented, catching Ryoga off guard.
"Huh? What is?" he asked before he could reach the knob.
"Just... the retro gate but the modern house inside. It's weird," she explained.
Ryoga thought that might be what she was talking about. With a sigh, he explained that while his family ran a fighting school, his eccentric parents wanted to make sure the house itself was the latest and greatest of modern design. The three floors and multiple rooms with several balconies facing a modest courtyard could hardly be seen from the street, aside from its strange roof. The style of it was tall and traditional with edges that curled up, with glossy black tiles and a gold trim running down the seams. The third, smaller floor stuck out above the wider roof skirt below, but matched with its colors.
The roof matched the classical design of the large gate they'd come through, but it perfectly masked the modern wooden door with a knob, hinges, and knocker that lie in front of the duo, complete with a snowed glass viewing pane on either side.
The whole thing just made no sense to the girl, especially those strange roof tiles. Even in the rain, they seemed almost like glass with their sheen.
Wait...
"Is your roof made of glass?" she asked, standing back a bit in the rain to see the lower overhang as clear as she could.
"Heh, yeah, it's kind of a long story, but..." Ryoga started, oddly embarrassed to talk about his family fortune, especially to a girl like her. The last thing he wanted was another girl clinging to him for his money. "The entire roof's a big solar panel array."
Solar panels? Where had she heard that term before? She put her finger to her lip as her mind wandered off trying to remember what that was. 'Peanuts' seemed to pop out in her mind.
After a moment, she grew a smile and slapped her fist down onto her open palm in realization.
"Like that peanut guy had on his big white house in America!" she exclaimed, clearly proud of herself for figuring it out. It still didn't answer what solar panels did, exactly, but she at least knew they had something to do with growing peanuts.
"President Carter, that's right," Ryoga clarified. "When he did that to promote clean energy, my family wanted to jump on the bandwagon. 'It's the power of the future!' my dad always says," Ryoga continued with a soft laugh at the memories of his excentric father. "I was just a little kid so I barely remember the old roof, but I remember a lot of loud construction."
Having never seen the actual house before, the girl was surprised she hadn't put two and two together before. Ryoga's family must have had a lot of money to install something like that.
"That's... really impressive, actually," she said, broaching the subject carefully. The last thing she wanted was for her former friend to think she was only hanging around him for his wealth. It was for his knowledge of martial arts and a free meal. Far more honorable than anything her father would be interested in, like money, and she'd be damned if she ended up like her father. "How'd ya afford it, though?" she asked as innocently as she thought she could, so as not to make the wrong impression.
"Stocks!" a deep voice bellowed from inside the house, catching both teens completely off guard.
Suddenly, the front door slammed open and Ranko was met with a large burly man taller than either of the teens, and about as wide as both side by side. Not from fat, oh no- this guy was pure muscle. He wore a black bandana over his eyes, spotted with little yellow dots all around it, and a big grin coming out from a wirey abyss of a short black beard he sported.
The girl quickly looked to Ryoga's bandana and back to the giant of a man, confirming that their bandana patterns were indeed opposite of each other. Maybe it represented the rank in their school, like with belts in karate? The way he surprised them both proved he was a martial arts master for sure.
"Stocks!" the man said again, proudly puffing his chest up. "The minute I learned about solar technology, I knew it was the future of our planet! No more living off of oil and greed! No more pollution! With solar technology, the possibilities are endless!" he ranted, ending with a loud guffaw that drew a disbelieving grin from the girl and a sigh and a facepalm from the embarrassed boy.
"Dad, she doesn't wanna hear about your side gig, alright?" he nearly snarled. "Now can ya move so we can get out of the rain already?!"
They stepped into the foyer of the house and the girl's eyes grew wide from the sights around her. This first floor had high vaulted cielings with canned lights, a fireplace with ornate marble columns built right into the wall itself, a long dining table in a dedicated space off to the left with a rather ornate chandelier hanging over it, and several wrap-around couches aimed towards the biggest television she'd ever seen in her life.
When she realized she was staring at the tv, she shook her head and drew her attention back towards where they were standing. It was a small tiled enclave next to a small den, and it held two shoe racks for shoes and slippers and some well displayed umbrellas hanging on the wall. Oddly, each hanger they were laying on was bolted into dedicated support beams running from floor to ceiling.
Then it hit her: the amazing scent bellowing from the kitchen.
She had to put this overwhelming entry aside and focus on why she was here to begin with: to get a meal and a match. She slipped off her canvas flats and set them on a rack to dry, borrowing a smaller set of slippers from the end of the other rack labelled 'guest'.
Ryoga's father turned around realizing he was being ignored and focused on the 'we' part of what his son had said.
Very peculiar to see a girl with red hair around here, he thought.
"So, m'boy, aren't you going to introduce me to your latest squeeze?" the man teased, grinning at his flustered son.
"She is NOT one of those heartless gold-diggers!" he yelled.
'I hope,' he mentally added.
"Her name's Ranko, I was hoping she could stay the night until the rain let up," he explained. "She was attacked by a bear of all things, so I stepped in to help."
"Ah, and right you did, m'boy," his father nodded, and then turned his full focus to the girl in question. "Are you alright though, missy? No offense, but you should leave the bear fightin' to those trained in Survival Martial Arts. You're lucky m'boy showed up when he did."
She looked to Ryoga who was clearly fighting his own embarrassment at his father's interrogation. It's not like he was bad-mouthing Ryoga; quite the opposite! She wondered why someone wouldn't he happy to hear their father's praise like this.
Maybe it was just her.
The girl turned to face who she assumed was the grand master of Ryoga's school and gave a confident smirk.
"Not that I don't appreciate Ryoga's help, but I coulda handled it by myself. I'm a martial artist too, y'know," she said.
"Hmm, I had a feelin' you might be," Ryoma said, folding his arms and giving the girl a critical look over, and sure enough, all the muscle toning was there even if she wasn't bulky like they were. Her style must have focused more on being lithe and flowy. "Excuse me for judging your physique young lady, but as a martial artist yourself, I'm sure you understand."
"Of course," she smiled with a nod.
"Now let me guess," he began, circling around the girl with that critical eyebrow raised. "Your top is fitted, yet silk, and your pants seem loose but not loose enough to hinder movement. Good choice on the fabric by the way, it breathes very well in a fight."
"Thanks," she replied, instinctively looking down to check her red and gold top herself. It was a traditional Chinese cheongsam style with a low collar and wooden clasps and a very detailed and proud horse with a flowing mane and surrounded by orchid blossoms, all embroided in a thin gold thread. Though, rather than being a full-length dress like most cheongsam, her top thinned at the waist and widened at the hips before ending just at the top of the thigh.
"It was a gift from a village of warriors I met while training in China," she explained to the master.
"China, you say?" Ryoma paused, looking the girl in the eye with a hint of wonder. 'Could it be? After all this time?'
He cleared his throat and focused his thoughts. The chances of this girl being who he thought she was were slim to none. As far as he knew, that guy only had a son.
"From your muscle tone and stance, I can infer that your school focuses largely on arial or possibly ranged combat... would you happen to be training in Rythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts? My wife is a master of that, y'know."
The girl had to catch herself from laughing at the suggestion. There's a martial arts version of that prissy girl sport? That sounded ridiculous! She wasn't about to argue with a master though, especially after all the ridiculous training she'd been witness to over the last decade.
"Nah, my school's called Anything Goes Martial Arts, and I'm the heir to the Saotome school!" she proudly exclaimed with a thumb pointed at her proud smile.
"Saotome school?!" Ryoma gasped. He couldn't believe it! She was related to Genma! "You wouldn't happen to be Genma Saotome's daughter, would you?"
Ran'ko' instinctively winced at the term 'daughter', but she nodded anyway. "That's right. You know him?"
"KNOW him?!" Ryoma beamed. He pulled a postcard from his back pocket and handed it to her to read. "I've been expecting him!"
The girl flipped the postcard to read it while Ryoga looked over her shoulder to read along as well, curious as to what was going on.
"Mr. Hibiki,
Leaving China and on my way back to Nerima.
Bringing the girl.
Saotome."
Ranko's heart sank. She could feel the blood rush out of her face and she mechanically turned to look at Ryoga, who only looked at her with concerned curiosity.
"Th-then that must mean... you're..." she hoarsely breathed out.
"I'm what?" Ryoga asked, tilting his head and raising a brow. When she didn't respond and just kept staring at him, concealing her panic, he thought maybe she needed a change of subject. "Say, that name 'Saotome' sounds really familiar too. Maybe we have met before..." he trailed off to ponder.
'THIS is where we were going all along?!' she thought to herself. 'Shit! I gotta get outta here before Pops shows up! ...and I can't use the Saotome School Fierce Tiger technique to escape either, these people are too rich to care about a hundred yen coin on the ground! Think, think...'
She could feel her heart beat faster and her breathing grow rash as the panic set in. She was so wrapped up in plotting her escape that she barely comprehended Ryoga wondering if they'd met before.
'Not good, not good! He's about to figure out who I am and then I'll never get out of this damn dojo!'
Wait, dojo?
'That's right, this is a dojo! And a dojo always has a challenger entrance!'
Suddenly, she awkwardly laughed and looked at the blue cuff on her wrist.
"Gee, would ya look at the time! We better get that spar in before I gotta go!" she awkwardly declared.
She looked around quickly to see which way the dojo might be but luckily for her, there was a sign just at the entrance to the hallway with an arrow pointing the right way, no doubt put there for Ryoga's sake.
She quickly grabbed Ryoga's wrist and dragged him off in the direction of the dojo, an act that snapped him out of his thoughts of where he'd heard that name before and instead his mind went blank feeling the cute girl touching him and watching her long braid sway as she rapidly dragged him off to who knows where.
'So it is actually red...' he thought. 'How unique.'
Ryoma bellowed a hearty laugh seeing how embarrassed the girl got once she saw the postcard.
"I guess her father told her about the engagement, but not to who it was!" he laughed again. "Ahh, he certainly kept his promise, alright. A spar would be a great way for them to get to know each other. Shiori!" he called towards the kitchen. "You'll never guess who just walked through the door!"
Once they reached the door to the dojo itself, the anxious girl slammed it shut behind them and began scanning the large empty room for an exit. Once she saw it, she smirked and whipped around to face her erstwhile opponent.
'This'll be easy,' she thought to herself confidently. 'I just gotta play the girl card and then I can knock him out and bail!'
What she saw though wasn't a guy nervous about fighting a girl like she assumed, since experience told her nearly every male challenger in the last few years avoided actually fighting her seriously. It was something that royally pissed her off, but here, she thought she could use it to her advantage to sneak an attack.
'I hate having to do this to an old friend, but I'll gladly do it to a fiance!'
She was surprised to see that instead of fretting about having to fight a girl, Ryoga was doing stretches like it was the most casual thing in the world.
"So, Ryoga- you ready for this?" she asked coyly. "Aren't you afraid of hitting a giiiiirl~?"
The lilt in her voice and batting of her eyelashes didn't win her the war before the battle like she'd thought, though.
Ryoga simply smirked, walked towards the center of the training hall, bowed to his opponent, and took a defensive stance.
"Are you kidding?" he asked with a mirthless laugh. "I thought you were a martial artist too!"
Ran'ko' wasn't following his logic. Perhaps it was because she was caught off guard by her foolproof tactic being fooled. Her coy teasing smirk replaced by an innocent and quizzical look, she asked, "Um... yeah? What's that got to do with it though?"
"I'm the heir to the Hibiki branch of Anything Goes Survivalist Martial Arts. Someday my dad's gonna retire and it's gonna be me teaching classes in here. Do you really think my school would last long if I didn't take female challenges and students seriously?"
The girl in question was stunned by his serious tone. He really meant it.
"This may only be a spar, but you're trained too. What kind of honorless coward wouldn't respect your challenge just because you're a girl?"
Ran'ko' winced at that. 'I can think of several...'
Seeing the girl's eyes fall to the floor in introspection, Ryoga continued.
"If it were me, I'd feel so disrespected as a martial artist by not being taken seriously by another that I'd... I don't know what I'd do. But I sure wouldn't bother with that school again. Respect and honor above all else in martial arts."
'...above all else...' she repeated in her mind, finally looking back into Ryoga's eyes. She could feel herself involuntarily smile at him. Genuinely smile.
For all the crap she's had to put up with for the last four years with dojos and temples not taking her seriously, always having to go the extra mile to be better than all the guys and earn her place, yet still somehow being looked down upon just because of what she was; hearing Ryoga wanted to take her seriously really struck a chord with her.
Blinking away something that caught in her eye, she finally stepped up and returned Ryoga's bow with a deep and respectful one of her own.
"That's... really honorable of you. I appreciate that more than you could know."
Her escape plan was temporarily forgotten as her own honor demanded she respect his. It's not often she meets a challenger who doesn't look down on her, but instead, takes her as seriously as any other challenge. She couldn't help but be moved by that sentiment and return it in full.
"Ready when you are," she said through her still grinning cheeks.
Ryoga nodded and sized up his opponent, but... she was just standing there with her hands folded behind her back. What was she waiting for? Did she know the match started with her bow...?
"Um..." he began, "are you ready?"
The girl nodded and replied, "show me what you've got."
"If you insist," Ryoga replied. 'I hope she knows what she's in for...' he thought to himself as he lunged with a fist out.
The quick jab seemed to go right through her, but it was his eyes playing tricks on him. She dodged so quickly he could swear she was in two places at once. Before he could even turn around to look for her, his legs were swept out from under him and he was down on the wooden floor.
In an instant, he'd rolled with his sudden surprise momentum and snapped back to a defensive stance facing his grinning attacker.
"Point: me," she cockily said. "How many are we playing for?"
Ryoga couldn't help spreading a grin of his own. This girl might actually prove a challenge for him, something he hadn't had outside of his parents in quite a while.
"As many as you want, I've got all night," he replied, and he launched again, this time throwing a feint in anticipation of her quick movements.
She dodged to her left, as planned, and right into a swing to her ribs from his surprise left hook. The girl jumped back in surprise and put a hand over what she assumed would be a bruise later. Still, she couldn't wipe that smile off her face. A boy actually her in a fight, and he didn't even hold back! After all this time, she finally had a male challenger take her seriously. She was going to relish this fight!
"Not bad, bandana boy! Not bad at all!"
Together they fought as a blur for over an hour without even realizing where the time had gone. From all of the rapid swings and ducks and flips and rolls and kicks and snaps, they were both showing their wear and breathing heavily while staring each other down, both poised to block anything the other launched with.
Hardly able to catch her breath, Ran'ko' asked, "So... how many... what's... who's winning again?"
Ryoga's panting was just as ragged. "I lost count... after... I got to... 57..."
"Ready to go... for.. 58?" the girl asked.
Her brilliant and eager smile nearly made Ryoga go for it, but he knew his limits and now, thanks to this spar, he knew hers. He would definitely have to get her back here to train with him sometime.
"I'd love to... but dinner should be ready... any second now..." he breathed.
As if on cue, there came a knock from the dojo's main door and it slid open to reveal a somewhat tall blonde woman with hazel eyes.
"Ryoga dear, dinner's rea- oh, you must be Ranko!" she said, drawing her attention to the sweaty and bruised ginger. "I'm Ryoga's mother. It's nice to meet you."
Ranko bowed her head and replied, "Likewise, Mrs. Hibiki."
Mrs. Hibiki held up a hand and waved her off with a small smile. "Please, call me Shiori. Even my students call me Shiori-sensei."
Ranko couldn't help but grin at the informality of this foreign woman. A martial arts master in her own right, yet still acting casual about it rather than demanding formal respect at every turn. That was definitely more her style.
She nodded in agreement and Shiori continued, "Well, you two had better get cleaned up after a workout like that. You look exhausted!"
Ryoga let out a light chuckle and said, "Yeah, I'm gonna sleep well tonight, that's for sure."
Ranko could only concur with a nod.
"Well, come along. The bath is upstairs, second door on the left. Help yourself to the towels and such," Shiori addressed the girl before turning to her son and adding, "Ryoga, can you help me finish dinner while you wait your turn?"
"Sure, mom."
Ranko was a little surprised at how casually Ryoga agreed, as if he did it regularly. 'Funny, I always thought cooking was women's work,' she thought.
Her eyes wandered past Ryoga to a clock hanging on the wall and realized she'd been here for over an hour. 'Crap! If I don't get out of here soon, Pops will show up...'
"Ah, Mrs.-, um, Shiori," she corrected. "Thank you for the offer, but it's getting late. I really should be going."
Shiori gave her a critical look, noting the girl's sweaty bangs plastered to her forehead. "Nonsense. It's pouring cats and dogs out there and I'll not have a girl your age out on the streets this late by herself. If something happened to you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
Ranko flinched at the mention of cats but looked defeately towards the floor at the woman's words. 'Wouldn't be able to live with herself, huh? Is this what having a mother is like?'
The girl nodded in acceptance. "I suppose, but I really shouldn't be imposing on you like this..."
"You're our guest. Think nothing of it," Shiori said with a smile and a gesture leading the two teens back into the main house where they split off; the girl making her way upstairs and the boy following his mother onward towards the kitchen.
'Great, now how am I going to get out of this?' she thought as she carefully opened a door to find it was indeed the washroom. As she stripped off her wet clothing and made her way to the bathing area proper, she tried to reason with herself that things would be ok.
'From that postcard, they clearly know who I am now... well, not who I really am, but still, they were apparently expecting me. Stupid panda! Why did he have to get me engaged?! To HIM, of all people!'
A cool rinse from a bucket meant she was clean and ready for a soak in the furo.
The steamy furo of warm water would sure sooth her muscles after a real workout like she'd just had, not to mention warm her bones from the chill of wandering in the rain all day. She longed for that relaxation.
Yet, she was hesitant.
To her, the furo was also a stark reminder of where her life was now.
And what her life would never be again.
She sighed and resigned herself to not wanting to be sore in the morning. She'd need all her strength and speed to get out of here the second the rain stopped. As she slid gently down into the massive tub befitting a family as well off as the Hibikis, she only hoped that her father wasn't able to find any hot water himself. The longer he was out in the rain and wandering the streets alone, the longer she had to make an escape without offending her gracious hosts.
It was a shame she had to go, too. Even if he didn't know who she was, it was nice seeing Ryoga once again. It was great catching up with him and seeing how far he'd come. They hadn't sparred in, what, nearly five years now?
"Heh, how time flies," she quietly muttered aloud.
To think, so much had happened in just under five years' time. So much had been gained, and yet so, SO much had been lost. At least Ryoga turned out well. He was a top-notch fighter and evenly matched to her. He used to be so angry when she knew him before, but now he seemed like a happier person overall. He seemed genuinely thrilled that their spar ended in a draw. He also didn't treat her differently just because she's a girl, like she'd gotten oh so used to.
"A girl," she mused to herself. "I wonder if they'll ever find out? Would he still want to be friends with me if he knew who I am?" Ranko couldn't help but pause and look down at her chest partially submerged in the warm water. "Is he only being nice to me because I'm a girl..?" She thought for a moment in silence before answering her own question. "Maybe, but I'll be out of here before he knows the truth. Unless Pops shows up with that damn powd-"
A knock at the outer door cut off her train of thought and she instinctively looked towards it as a voice called out to her.
"Ranko, you've been in there for a while. Are you alright?"
Ranko sighed. It was only Shiori.
"Sorry, I'll be out in a minute," she called back from the warm tub.
"Well, I wanted to let you know that your father's here and he brought you a change of clothes. I'll leave them here for you."
Ranko's heart sank. It was too late. Her father was here and would tell them everything, and she wouldn't be able to look Ryoga in the eye again.
And on top of that, she couldn't escape.
He knew she was here.
"...thanks," she quietly mumbled. When she heard no response, she assumed Shiori had left. "Oh man, why's it always gotta be like this..."
She stayed in the bath for several more minutes, her mind a blank, as she tried to emotionally prepare for the inevitable.
A clock sounding the hour from the laundry room snapped her out of her daze and she knew she had to resign herself to fate.
Slowly, she rose from the water and thought, 'So much for being friends again, Ryoga. After tonight, you'll want me dead for sure.'
Just as she stepped out of the tub and was reaching for a towel to wrap herself in, the door from the laundry room flung open and she stared like a deer caught in headlights at the boy she was just thinking about, standing there frozen in the doorway with wide eyes, and stark naked, just as she was.
With her leg on the side of the tub and his towel slung casually across his shoulder, they both had a completely unhindered view of each other in all their natural glory.
The tense moment was finally broken by a small trickle of blood coming from his nose and a tiny voice escaping his lips.
"It... really is red..."
This comment snapped Ranko out of her daze and her whole body went red with shame. In an instant, her fist collided with poor Ryoga's nose with a sickening crack and down he went onto the ceramic floor, completely out cold.
"What the HELL is red, you damn perv!" Ranko practically screamed at the unconscious boy as she caught her breath, not even so much as blinking in case he stirred.
She grabbed a towel and stalked over Ryoga's corpse into the laundry room and briefly took a look back. Seeing the goofy smile on his bloodied face and... what happened elsewhere, she turned her nose up in a huff and slammed the door shut behind her.
"Damn pig! I can't believe he'd look at me, there of all places!" she fumed aloud. Then the mental image of what she'd just seen flashed before her eyes and her blush deepened when she realized how her body was.. reacting to it. "Damn girl body! Damn girl hormones!"
She shook her head violently trying to get her mind to drift away from his body and back to focusing on his brain.
"And here I was, thinkin' he was a good guy! He's just a perv like all the rest!"
After she finished lightly drying her hair, she looked around to find the change of clothes and found a very familiar over-sized training gi. She knew that gi. Every stain, every rip. Every drop of blood that had ever been spilt on it. Her face paled, knowing that that gi could only mean one thing for her.
"...He's really gonna make me do this the hard way, isn't he?" she gulped. Her face went from a deep blush of embarrassment to completely pale out of fear. So much so that she nearly passed out.
This was going to be a long night.
Ryoga awoke several minutes later in a daze. Slowly, he sat up on the cold tile and grabbed his throbbing nose. He pulled back a bloody hand in confusion for a moment before he remembered what had happened.
Red.
He couldn't help but crack a grin at the amazing memory. 'I'm sure she knows it was an accident, but I can't blame her for hitting me... a broken nose is a small price to pay for that amazing moment,' he thought wistfully. He didn't care if it was perverted or not: he thought he was the luckiest guy alive at the moment.
He cleaned himself up and managed to stop the bleeding with some rolled up paper and, satisfied that it wouldn't come out of his nose, he proceeded to bathe and then hop into the still warm waters of the furo itself.
All the while, he couldn't get that amazing girl out of his mind.
Not only was she a (literal) knock-out beauty, but she knew her stuff. She could actually relate to his life in a way no other girl he'd met could. The others were all interested in him for his family's wealth or his body (which he honestly wasn't sure what was so appealing about it), but this girl seemed to make a connection with him on a personal level in a way he could only have dreamed of.
And it certainly helped that she was gorgeous, to boot.
"And to think, that hair is really natural," he trailed off with a sigh before catching himself and trying to shake the thoughts out of his head. "Snap out of it, Ryoga! She'll only hate you after this!" he chided himself.
If his broken nose was any indication, this amazing girl he'd just met would leave at daybreak like she wanted and never return.
"Heh, it figures I finally meet a girl on my level and I'd do something to screw it up and make her hate me," he sighed, digressing from whatever lucky cloud he thought he was on to see such a sight and falling back to the ground where he was trampeled by his own guilt.
"I bet she didn't even stick around for dinner," he said, rising from his brooding pool. "I wouldn't if I were her."
He dried off and left for the laundry room where he threw on some casual sleep pants and a tee shirt he had set aside in there.
"I wonder if I'll ever see her again."
His mood was almost palpable as he descended the stairs. At first, he caught himself wandering back down the hall towards the dojo before turning towards the living room where he was met with a strange sight.
Sitting there across from his parents were a balding, overweight man and a boy with long black hair in a thick braid reaching his shoulderblades, and they were both wearing dirty training gis.
And both seemed strikingly familiar to him.
Noticing his son standing around and gawking, Ryoma waved him over and bellowed, "Ryoga, m'boy! Sit, sit! I'd like to introduce you to my friend Genma Saotome!" he said, gesturing towards the duo.
Saotome.
There was that name again.
His eyes went from the balding old man who nodded to the shy boy sitting next to him. Their eyes met for a brief moment and the boy's face flushed red and he scowled, whipping his head to face away so hard that his braid swung over his shoulder and down his front.
Ryoga couldn't help but think that hairstyle looked very feminine, and that the face seemed so familiar...
"Wait, Ranma Saotome? The kid who bailed on our fight in middle school?" he deduced aloud.
The scowling boy turned back to glare at him, confirming his suspicions.
"I didn't run out on our fight!" he yelled in a voice that sounded a bit hoarse for him. "I waited three whole days for you to show up and you never did! I'd never back down on a man-to-man promise!"
Ryoga was a bit angry and taken aback. His years of training and therapy to help his direction sense had taught him he was indeed at fault here, but in his anger at Ranma's anger, he blurted out, "and when I got there on the fourth day, you had already run off to China like a coward!"
The three adults in the room couldn't help but laugh at the banter between the two teens.
"See, they already get along so well!" Shiori said to her husband sitting next to her.
"It's nice to have a fiesty fiance boy, keeps ya on your toes!" Ryoma laughed.
"We should reserve a chapel right away, eh Hibiki?" Genma toyed with a laugh of his own.
These comments pulled the kids away from their own argument and towards their parents with utter confusion on their faces.
Well, Ryoga anyway. When he turned back towards Ranma to ask him what the hell they were talking about, Ranma met his eyes, blushed again, and turned away.
Whatever it was, he was too ashamed to even talk about it.
So, Ryoga asked the peanut gallery.
"What are you guys even talking about?"
Ryoma calmed down first and through a series of snickers, he managed to get out, "Well, y'see, Saotome here and I made a deal that he'd train his daughter to be the perfect wife for you to carry on the school."
Ryoga's jaw hit the ground.
"Wife?! I'm only sixteen! How could you set me up with a wife?!"
"Now dear, it's only an engagement for now. We wouldn't have the ceremony until after you graduated," his mother explained. "You can use this time to get to know each other before you're wed!"
Ryoga was incredibly confused. What did the Saotomes have to do with a wife for him? Wait... where was Ranko? That postcard was talking about her, wasn't it?
"I'm glad you finally got a chance to meet her! She's been undergoing special training in China for the last four years to be a worthy heiress to the school," Ryoma added.
"A-are you talking about Ranko?" Ryoga couldn't help but stutter as his heart skipped a beat, instantly remembering the last time he saw her. "W-what kind of special training?"
Genma grinned and looked at his depressed son next to him.
"Bridal training!" he cried, and in a matter of seconds, he'd thrown Ranma by the collar of is well-worn gi through the open sliding glass door and straight into the Hibiki's koi pond. It was all so fast that nobody saw the change that occurred the second Ranma hit the still-pouring rain, but they all saw the results when a soaked girl in a loose gi popped up out of the water.
Ryoga's eyes bugged out of his head.
"Ranma is... Ran... ko..." he quietly muttered. "That's impossible."
The impossible girl launched back into the living room, not caring in the slightest that she was dragging filthy muck water to the nice clean carpets, and laid into her father with a stream of harsh jabs that he managed to mostly block.
"You've RUINED my life, old man!" she screamed. "I can't believe you'd curse your only son to marry him off to a guy!"
Genma roared back angrily, "Quiet, girl! This is for your own good and the future of our two schools! Were you not prepared to lay your life down for the sake of the art?!"
"My LIFE yes, but my MANHOOD is another story!" she cried, finally getting a clean enough hit in to launch Genma through the open door and straight into the pond himself.
When he emerged, he wasn't a man at all, but a giant panda.
The same one he met Ranko fighting in the street.
Ryoga hadn't even noticed the all-out brawl breaking out in his living room between the girl and the panda because this magical transformation was simply too much for his brain to process, so it simply shut down.
When he awoke five minutes later, it was just in time to see his father pour some steaming water from a kettle over the panda's head, instantly transforming him back to the man he was.
"Ah, Ryoga, you're back with us, I see," his father said. "It's a magical curse, and hot water reverses it."
Ryoga, still barely believing what he was seeing, nodded and took the kettle from his father to pour over the jaded girl sitting across from him, who was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even seem to notice until it was scalding her.
"Ahhh, cut it out, jerk!" she cried, making Ryoga jerk back in reflex.
Unlike the panda who changed into a man with hot water, the girl he knew as Ranko did not change back into the boy he used to know as Ranma.
The realization must have been written all over his face because Ranko sighed and once again turned her gaze to the coffee table separating them, and Genma cleared his throat.
"Please, allow me to start from the beginning. When I first met your father and learned of his school, we realized we both practiced alternate branches of Anything Goes Martial Arts. He wanted a fitting wife for his heir, and I wanted to unite the schools, but alas, I had only the one child.
"Fortunately, I remembered talk of a legendary training ground my master, and the founder of our schools, visited several times during his own training as a young man. This training ground was said to be blessed with magical waters of transformation, and my old master had sworn to have seen its magic work with his own eyes. My master may have been a crook, a pervert, and a drunk, but he was no liar when it came to martial arts training.
"So, seeing an opportunity to unite the schools, we made a pact. I'd take Ranma to Jusenkyo and make him into the upstanding, beautiful woman you see before you!" he finished proudly.
Ranko buried her face in her palms and slammed her head into the table in shame.
It was a lot to digest, but Ryoga thought he was following along. At least, until a question popped in his head.
"So... if you went there and got turned into a panda... why is Ranma still a girl?" he pondered, pointing to the kettle on the table between them.
"Please, call her 'Ranko'," Genma corrected. "When Ranma died, Ranko's paperwork was all updated to reflect her new identity. One appropriate to be your wife."
Ranko slammed her face into the table again with a depressed moan leaking out.
"Ooookay..." Ryoga said, still not quite following. "So again, why is Ranko still a girl when you turn back with hot water?"
"Ah, yes. A very fortunate yet unforeseen accident when we arrived in Jusenkyo. It's a very tragic story, in a way..."
"Sirs, very bad if you fall in springs!" the Jusenkyou guide shouted as Genma and Ranma leapt to the top of two long bamboo poles sticking out of the springs. "Each one has tragic legend!"
"Don't go soft on me, Ranma!" Genma shouted, mentally mapping out where the spring he wanted must have been below them.
"Not a chance, Pop!" Ranma yelled back, completely unaware of his father's plans.
They fought atop the poles for several minutes, practically dancing in the air as they traded blows, but the boy's balance was just too good. Genma couldn't slip him up.
'Hmm... I need to think of a new strategy...' he pondered, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw something he just couldn't believe.
Yeah, he'd heard the stories of Jusenkyo from his old master and hoped at least one was true for his own sake, but part of his mind still thought magic such as this had to be fantasy.
But then he saw a group of three boys below, all wearing strange garb and... were those tails? And animal ears? It couldn't be...
Seeing his father's attention wain, Ranma too looked down to see what had dragged his focus away.
The strange boys seemed to be led by one wearing all green, and with unnaturally pink hair. He was carrying a wooden pail with a ladle sticking out of it, and his partners were trying to restrain a monkey that was fighting their grasp tooth and nail but could not get itself free.
The leader took the monkey by the scruff of its neck and tossed it flailing into one of the ponds and when it surfaced, it took the form of a beautiful young woman.
A beautiful and very angry young woman.
She screamed incoherently and launched herself at the boys, but all of them being in their early teens at most, they were distracted by the bits of female flesh they were seeing and two of them passed out from happy nosebleeds on the ground behind the guide's hut.
The third wasn't so lucky.
His distraction was only momentary as he was well aware and helpless to stop it when the monkey girl grabbed him up by the throat and slammed him into the very same pond with a large splash.
When he emerged, he was smaller, with a far more delicate face, and if the bystanders had learned anything by watching the monkey, he was now a girl as well.
Ranma nearly lost his balance in shock and disbelief.
Genma grew a smile and was completely overjoyed.
And the Jusenkyo guide slapped his palm into his face and groaned, "stupid Musk boys, what they doing now?"
In the panic of his trasformation, the boy in green didn't follow as the monkey girl ran off into the woods, leaving the new girl on the side of the pond next to her red bucket hyperventilating.
Ranma didn't know what was going on, but he knew it was a martial artist's duty to protect the weak and those in trouble. He cupped the sides of his mouth and yelled to the boy turned girl, "Hey, you ok down there?" but the girl just turned her head to the side, confused.
"What language was that?" she asked herself aloud in her own native dialect.
"...THREE!" Ranma heard Genma shout but before he could fully turn to see what his father was counting for, he was kicked hard in his gut and straight into the very same pond that the odd looking boy had been chucked into.
When Ranma emerged, the first thing he noticed was that he was smaller and lighter. He pulled himself up on the ledge next to the girl in green that he barely noticed was a girl.
With that green armor, Ranma could only assume by the long pink hair and soft face that it was a girl. And one not much older than himself, maybe three or four years at most.
And she was staring at him incredulously.
"Um, are you alright?" Ranma asked, not noticing his voice had changed at first. The girl still stared at him in shock and didn't say a word. "Yoo-hoo, anyone home?" he continued, waving his hand in front of the shocked girl's face.
By now, both Genma and the Jusenkyou guide had shown up to their sides.
The guide managed to grab the girl's attention by saying something in Chinese and while they had their conversation, Ranma was pulled aside by Genma and examined all over.
"Amazing, truly amazing!" he repeated over and over as he looked his child over. "The hair color changed and... are you budding?"
"Budding? What the heck does that mean?" the small 'boy' asked, unsure why his father was so giddy about looking him over so intensely. "Dad, you're weirding me out here..."
"Do you feel any different? Just how complete- how 'bout this, Ranma, take off your pants."
Ranma immediatley flustered at the request, in part because they weren't at a bath house or hot spring, and in part because there was a girl amongst the strangers watching them.
"N-no, Pops! I just got a bath in that pond there, I'm fine!" he struggled to fend off his father.
"I have to see if it's really true. Please Ranma, our futures are at stake here!" he pleaded to his 'son'. Ranma was just confused as to why it could be so important that he strip, but he rarely saw his father so serious, let alone use the word 'please' when requesting anything.
"O-ok, but I don't see why..." he began, untying the string that held his training pants up. "What the? Hey Pops, it's gone! What happened?!" he began as panic set in. He didn't feel a bite or anything and it was there this morning before they got there... Ranma looked to the pond and back to the girl who was trying hard to force back tears in her wet eyes, then back to the pond.
"...very tragic legend..." he quietly muttered and finally put two and two together. "Pops, did that water... turn me into a girl?"
He didn't know how it was possible, but Genma's delightful smile confirmed it for him.
No, her.
"It's real! It's really real! The schools can be united afterall!" Genma cheered, hoisting his small daughter up in the air. 'And my cushy retirement with a rich family is secure!'
"This calls for a celebration!" he bellowed. "Guide, do you have anything strong in that cabin of yours?" Genma asked in jubilence.
The guide, pulled from his solemn conversation with the other victim, turned to face the cheerful man.
"I no have alcohol sir, but why celebrate curse?"
"I'm not celebrating a curse, I'm celebrating a gift! The gift of a secure future!" he cheered, setting his new and very confused daughter down on the ground. "No alcohol's a shame, but this still calls for a toast!" he said, and then he spied the bucket and ladle that, traditionally, was carried by travelers to hold fresh water that was safe to drink.
It was bound to be better (and cleaner) than anything he'd drunk in the last month.
He picked the bucket up with one hand a spooned some water with the ladle in his other.
"To the future!" he cheered once more, holding the ladle up for a deep drink but the water never touched his lips.
Before it could, the pink-haird girl in scaley armor had launched herself into his gut with a strong kick that was faster than lightning, sending him flying into a pond in the distance with a huge splash.
The two girls, unfortunately, got a much smaller splash of their own when Genma loosed his grip on the bucket and ladle and sent them flying up in the air above the two children.
Ranma simply shook her head and tried to rub the water out of her eyes, while the girl in green screamed in gutteral horror.
"So you see, it was just a happy accident that Ranko here got locked into this form for life. A once in a lifetime miracle, really!" Genma boasted proudly. Everything had gone better than he had hoped.
Ryoga couldn't believe his ears. What a wild tale of magic and water, and... "Wait, if it's permanent, then why was he a guy when I came downstairs?"
"Ah, that, son, was just to prove to your family that this is in fact my only child, in the flesh," Genma smiled, emphasizing the word 'son' and ignoring the deep groan coming from the mess of red hair next to him. "I used a one-time-use powder called Instant Nyannichuan to temporarily turn her back into her cursed body to prove our story."
"...and then you had to go and throw me in the freakin' pond not even five minutes later!" Ranko screamed, finally lifting her head. Her eyes were red and her voice was raw. She'd definitely been crying during the tale. "Do you know how long it's been since I was in my birth form? HUH?! TWO YEARS, OLD MAN! IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE I GOT THAT POWDER FROM COLOGNE!"
Ryoga's parents shared a worried glance for a moment but silently seemed to agree that, while she's hurting now, it was really for the best. She'd adapt sooner or later.
Genma sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, not knowing what to respond with. "Heh, really? That long, huh?"
"How old were you?" Ryoga asked, clearly addressing his old friend turned reluctant fiance.
Her anger didn't dissipate but she turned her attention to Ryoga and snapped, "What?"
"How old were you? When you... well, when you became a girl?" Ryoga asked. He tried to sound as gentle as he could, not wanting that ire turned directly to himself, but he wanted to know.
Ranko digressed a little and her face fell.
"I had just turned twelve," she quietly said, still unable to make eye contact. "It was about three weeks after we went to China... since I last saw you."
Ryoga had a feeling from the story that that was the case, but it still hurt to hear aloud. He'd be livid if such a thing happened to himself, but he had to admit that if it were permanent and he had lived it for four straight years... hell, even had a female puberty instead of a boy's... he might even be able to cope with it.
But he was better able to cope with bad news than his former friend ever was.
"I'm sorry," he finally told her. "I'm sorry you've had to go through this. I can't help but feel guilty since it's me they did this to you for. I... don't think I could forgive myself for ruining your life like this."
Ryoga bowed his head from his sitting position as deep as he could make it go without falling over.
"I'm truly sorry."
Ranko's big blue eyes went wide in surprise at Ryoga's apology. What was he apologizing for? Yeah, this was all done to marry him off, but it's not like he knew about the plan or wanted it or anything. As far as she was concerned, he had just as little to do with this plan as she did.
"Hey, Ryoga," she began with quiet concern. "Thank you, but you don't have anything to apologize for. This is all my dad's fault, not yours."
Ryoga gently raised his head and in his eyes Ranko saw sympathy. Not pity, but actual sympathy for her situation.
She couldn't help but give him a small placating smile, a smile he could see reflected in those eyes, telling him she was truly grateful for his concern.
Just about the second they noticed the room was silent, they turned to see that all eyes were on them. Ryoma and Genma were smiling brightly watching their private little conversation and Shiori couldn't help the tinge that settled on her cheeks.
"Oh, how cute! They were having a romantic little moment together~!" she cooed. "If only I had some popcorn!"
Both teens tensed and Ranko looked away in embarrassment while Ryoga turned his blushy anger on his parents.
"How can you be ok with this?!" he practically screamed. "She used to be a guy, for one!" Then he turned an accusatory finger to Genma. "And YOU should be in prison for child abuse!"
This caught Ranko's attention and again, she tried to ease him off. "Ryoga, please, he's no prize parent, but he's my problem to deal with."
"Besides, son!" Ryoma bellowed. "You already know her! She's a trained fighter who will keep you on your toes, and not to mention she's knock-out gorgeous, eh?" he finished with a wink.
"Literally!" Ryoga cried, pointing to his still-plugged nose.
Ranko's embarrassment deepened and she fidgeted more in her seat with her hands folded in her lap while Ryoma just laughed and laughed.
"So she's got spunk! That only makes her more attractive, don't you think?"
Shiori couldn't help but add, "and think of your kids, they'll be so beautiful."
"K-kids?!" Ranko squeaked. "That's it, I'm out of here!" she cried, bumping the table slightly as she rose.
"Girl! Where do you think you're going?" Genma demanded.
"Back to China, where else?" she answered as if it were obvious.
"Ranko, you know what the guide told you! That kettle's been lost for centuries!"
Ranko froze, knowing that it was true. She'd tried many times to escape her father and look for a cure to what she considered to be a curse, and every time, all she learned was that the only thing that could cure her had been lost for centuries and could be anywhere in the world, if it even still existed at all.
"I- well, even if I have to stay a girl for the rest of my life, there's no way in hell I'm getting married to some boy!" she declared with a wavering and emotional voice. "Just leave me alone!" she added, and frustrated beyond belief with what her life was coming to, she stalked away towards the dojo to be alone.
"Better go after her, boy. See if you can calm her down," Ryoma told his son as they watched the girl disappear down the hall.
"What? Me?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "What makes you think I can do anything? It's you guys who ruined her life, not me!"
"You're her husband now, dear. You should do all you can to help your wife," his mother said.
Ryoga frowned.
"Whatever. I need to get away from you lunatics, too."
When he arrived in the dojo some ten minutes later (he had to be careful, y'know), he found Ranko sitting near a corner facing away from him and with her knees pulled up to her chest... and was she crying? Well, again?
Ryoga wasn't sure what to do. He quietly walked up behind her and cleared his throat, catching her attention.
She turned to glare at him. "Why are you here?" she asked with a sniffle.
'I honestly don't know,' he thought before saying, "I just, uh... wanted to see how you were holding up."
Ranko looked him over and conceded to a conversation with her old friend with a sigh. She patted the floor next to herself and he took the prompt to sit down.
They both sat in silence for a minute before Ranko quietly piped up an apology.
"I'm sorry I broke your nose."
Ryoga looked down to see she still wasn't looking at him.
"It's alright. I can't blame you, but for what it's worth, it was an accident..."
"Yeah, I know... it was just more of a reflex than anything. I didn't have to go that far, though. Sorry."
Silence fell over the two again until Ryoga could think of a way to break the ice. He didn't want to offend her or set her off by going too far, but he was also curious about how she's handled everything that happened to her. Her life's been worse than he could have ever imagined, so it was inevitable she'd break down eventually. He was surprised she held up as well as she had! Still, he couldn't imagine being in her shoes.
He started with, "So, what's it like? Being a girl, I mean."
Ranko let out a mirthless laugh. "Honestly? Just like bein' a guy I suppose. I was just a little kid when it happened and at the time, I didn't even know girls were any different. I'd rarely ever seen a girl before. When you're that young, there's not a lot of difference, y'know?"
Ryoga didn't, having never met any girls until recently. He went to an all-boys junior high and when high school came around, he was sent to an all-boys academy for more well-off students. Despite the occasional forced date, the gold-diggers who randomly showed up, and his friends' sisters, he really didn't know. He knew they were softer, more delicate, and cared a lot about their appearance, and yet this girl was so different to him. Sure, she had soft skin, carried herself with a confident grace, and those loose strands of hair from her braid framing the sides of her face really made her look beautiful, but none of that seemed consciously done. Even the hairstyle seemed more born out of practicality than vanity, but it just so happened to make her cute face look even cuter.
"I guess... I don't," he finally admitted. "Have you really been a girl this whole time? Since you left?"
"Just about, yeah. I've only been a guy again for minutes at a time thanks to that instant powder, but this was only the third time it's ever happened. You're the first person to call me 'Ranma' in almost four years."
"Really? Should... do you want me to call you Ranma?" he asked and she finally looked up into his eyes, first with hope, but then quiet resignation.
"No, it's fine. I'm used to my name now. Ranma was, to me, just some little boy who had his life stolen. Going through puberty as a girl definitely proved that that boy would never grow up to be a 'man', anyway," she scowled, remembering some past event.
"I'm used to it now. I'm not happy with how it happened, but growing up this way, I've come to accept that this is who I am. Being a girl won't stop me from being the best martial artist on the planet!"
Ryoga was glad to see her confident little smirk come back. This was all getting far too moody for him.
"Second best," he corrected. "You still haven't managed to beat me."
The smirk grew into a proper smile and she stood, facing him, and reached out a hand to help him up.
He took it with a smile of his own and stood to face her, finally realizing just how short she was compared to him. It had to be a solid six inches, at least.
"That was just a warm up. You ain't seen nothin' yet!"
"Oh yeah? Show me what you've got, then!"
Ranko launched the opening attack this time and threw a few jabs that Ryoga dodged before countering with a few of his own, only two of which connected. Ryoga saw that he had leverage and put the pressure on, causing her to step back as she tried to block an onslaught until her back was pressed against the wall.
'Crap!' she thought. She had to make an escape, and fast. Only two ways out, over and under.
She chose over.
With a gentle crouch, she gathered all her strength into her legs and bounced five feet into the air and out of Ryoga's reach. He was a little surprised to see her kick off the wall and bound across the dojo, but he had to intercept. He ran to catch up to her and tried to throw a kick mid-air before she could land, but in her twisting to get a good landing, his leg got caught up in hers and they both came tumbling down in a heap.
When Ryoga opened his eyes, they met sapphires mere inches from them. Ryoga realized he was now on his back, and Ranko had every limb pinned. When he tried to struggle to free himself, his eyes landed upon a glorious sight.
In her oversized gi, Ryoga was given a nice view of nearly all of her chest in its generous glory.
He felt his heart begin to pound and face flush more. He even noticed his nose plugs soaking with fresh blood. Slowly he managed to regain rational thought and realized what would happen if she didn't get off him...
"Get... off..." he breathed.
She only grinned.
"I will if you say it."
"What?"
"Say it! Say I'm the best!"
Quietly, he reluctantly growled, "You're... the best..."
"Hmm? What was that? I couldn't hear you."
"I said... get off!"
He pushed and struggled but Ranko never loosened her grip and in an instant, the tables were turned. Their impromptu wrestling match had ended when Ryoga managed to reverse the pin and sat poised on top of her, holding her down.
She was so light that it wasn't that difficult.
He looked down into her surprised face and saw that her cheeks were flushed with the sudden embarrassment of being unexpectedly pinned down herself, with the boy straddling her to keep her down.
"R-ryoga, let me go..." she pleaded, feeling her blush spread to her ears. Being underneath him like this made her feel strange and... uneasy.
"Nu uh, not unless you say it!"
"In your dreams, pal!"
"Oh look, they're getting along so well! Did you bring the camera?"
"Yes honey, I'll capture this memory of their first kiss and we'll cherish it forever!"
"Atta boy, son in law! Way to take initiative!"
They both looked back to see their parents all crowding around the door, with Ryoga's father fiddling with a video camera.
"I-it's not what it looks like!" they cried in unison, and then promptly faced each other again with heated scowls.
Ranko used this opportunity to slip a leg up and kick Ryoga off of her, allowing her roll back to her feet and bounce over the nosey parents.
The fire still burning her cheeks, she smirked and called back, "By the way Ryoga, it looks like I won afterall!"
Ryoga tilted his head in confusion. Hadn't she just bailed and forfeited?
He met her eyes that went from his, slowly down a bit, then back up with a wiggle of her eyebrows accompanying her coy little smirk.
Ryoga followed to see where she had aimed and looked down... to see himself standing at full attention under his thin sleep pants.
He quickly drew his hands to cover up.
"N-not fair, Ranma!"
She winked and took off, leaving a thoroughly embarrassed Ryoga to be encoured and laughed at by their parents.
"D'aww isn't that cute, they're having a moment~!" his mother cooed with her hands clasped wistfully over her heart.
"See? They get along so well!" his father added. "We'll have grandkids in no time!"
Genma crossed his arms and nodded with a beaming smile across his face.
"We should call a priest right now and get it over with!"
Ryoga wanted to fight and yell at the indulgent parents but before his rage could escape, he watched as a knee collided with the back of Genma's head.
"Not happenin', Pops!" Ranko cried.
Ryoga couldn't help the little worm that betrayed his thoughts at the scene.
'But it wouldn't be so bad,would it?'
A/N: So, there ya have it, my little idea that I've been sitting on for quite a long time now. I've read, read, and re-read nearly every RanchanxRyo story on here over the years and I never saw this particular idea of it used, so I decided to write it myself. I don't know when I'll be able to get back to this story though, but I love the premise.
My personal life has been a chaotic mess for the last several months now, with almost no free time. I read these stories in bed to fall asleep but I don't get much time to work on anything anymore. A few months ago, my friend and business partner killed himself and I've been dealing with the fallout since. Things are finally starting to settle down though. I don't have those kinds of thoughts like I did in my early 20s, but I know how hard it can be to get through those moments, so I just wanted to say to anyone here dealing with it: it DOES get better. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem and it's never the right answer, as simple as it may seem in the moment. Seek help. The national suicide prevention hotline is available 24/7 here in the states and in other countries there's similar services. Please reach out, don't withdraw, and please please please don't take such a drastic step. It's never worth it.
It's partially because of that that I decided to go ahead and clean up some of my works in progress to get them posted, so the ideas are at least out there. This one was written in April last year and it has just been sitting in a folder waiting for the moment to proofread it. I've got about a dozen more ideas that are partially written out like this, just the first unfinished chapter and a bunch of notes, that are just sitting here waiting. Hopefully I can get to them sooner than later. Reviews and comments and such may just provide the inspiration to keep going on a specific story.
for my published stories, DRDL has its next chapter skeletoned out and partially done and it's been that way for over a year. Sorry about that. TNFAC is one I have been veeeery slowly going back and updating. The earlier chapters need a LOT more content and things to help them mesh better with the later chapters, and I was having serious trouble with figuring out exactly how the ending would go, so I was hoping that by updating the older chapters, I'd be able to come up with that ending like I had originally planned and forgotten a while back. I've only gone through the first two chapters though, and did some renumbering. What used to be chapter 2 is now 1, and it went from something like 8k words to about 21k lol.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and thanks for being patient with me.
