Ranma the Wonder – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: "Ranma ½", "Wonder Woman" and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is crossover/AU story.
Special note: This is a revision story of "An Amazon named Ranma".
Chapter 8: Thrown Gauntlet.
Later…
As Ranma soaked himself in the furo, he relaxed…
SHHHHHHHH…
Long ago, he gave up his male form when the Olympian gods initiated him, as a price, into the ranks of the Amazons as "Ranko". Later, the Titaness Rhea made Ranko her avatar…
"Ah," Rhea said, as she relaxed. Already, the bathroom was taken on the qualities of a Greco-Roman bath decked with flowers and cute animals that wanted to serve her needs. Rhea, being a Titan, was naturally a giant. However, even when she is human size, Rhea was over 6'5, and built like a goddess…literally. Her physical size did not lend her the ability to "hide" amongst the local populace-
"Hey, babe!" Happosai said, as he soaked into the furo with Rhea. "Isn't this neat?"
"What the heck are you doing in here?" Rhea said, as she grabbed the demented martial artist by the throat.
"I just wanted to be with my best girl, that's all!"
And then, using an old martial arts trick, Happosai channeled ambient chi into his body as a means of pumping his size and muscles.
"See?" Happosai said, as he checked out his Adonis-like body. "Now, we're ready to have some proper fun!"
Rhea lifts an eyebrow.
"Well, in THAT case-"
POW!
CRASH!
"Hootcha-!" Happosai sailed away.
Rhea huffed, as she stares at the hole in the roof.
"Is everything okay?" asked Kasumi through the bathroom door.
"It is now, Kasumi," Rhea said, as she relaxed. Already, nature was repairing the hole that the Titaness had made with Happosai's body. Ever since she merged with the original Rhea, she had to deal with nonsense like this…although, at the time, she understood the circumstances…
FLASHBACK!
Ten years ago…
"Wonder Girl"—aka Donna Troy—sat with the dying Rhea, as the Titaness rested comfortably. One of the Titan seedlings (each one named after ancient cities of myth in and around the Aegean Sea), a demi-alien named Sparta, was on a rampage, and has been on one since learning that her mother was really Rhea. Unfortunately, Sparta's ire extended to her adopted brother and sisters, which included Donna. Donna was the younger sister of Princess Diana of Themiscyria, aka "Wonder Woman", and had been chosen by the Titans to learn from them. In the future, all the Titan seedlings were to become "New Titans", and were to serve as replacements for the Titans when they leave the mortal plane behind for good. Sparta was supposed to be Rhea's replacement, but now…
"Donna!"
The raven-haired beauty looks up to see-
"Auntie!" Donna says, as she runs into Ranko's arms. "It's…awful!"
"I know, Diana told me what had happened," Ranko replied. Ranko wore her stylized "Wonder Woman" costume that mixed in Eastern influences. After all, she did "fill-in" for the Amazon Princess at one point in time.
"What are we going to do? Spart had already idestroyed both the Titans AND the other 'seedlings'. I'm...all that is left."
"I promise you that we'll do what it takes to remedy this situation-"
"Ran-ma..."
Ranko looks down at the sickly Rhea. The energy cost in escaping to Earth had considerably drained the Titaness.
"Rhea, you shouldn't speak-" Ranko began.
"Please...I...know...what...I...am...doing-!"
"You must listen to Ranko, great Titan," Donna says.
"It's...much...too...late...for...me...but...I...can...bestow...the...last...of...my...power...to...deal...with...my...child."
"Rhea, if you do that, you will return to the Source...which basically means death," Ranko replies.
"Not if...we...become...as...ONE..."
"Uh-uh, NO WAY," Ranko said, as she gets up. "Bad enough I'm stuck as a woman most of the time, but I don't WANT to become one. And I certainly don't want to develop your taste in men...as evident by your fawning over Happosai!"
"Heh...always...the same...that's...why...I...liked about you."
"Please, Ranko," Donna pleade. "I know that this is hard for you, but what choice do we have?"
Ranko sighed. She had come to help her step-daughter (of sorts), not sacrifice any more of her own worth. But then, Rhea DID save her life those many years ago, and it would only be fitting if she returned the favor.
"Fine, but if I get the hots for THAT pervert, I'm going to curse your name!"
Rhea tried to chuckle, but relaxed a bit, as she began to glow...
Outside of the room where Donna and Ranko were tending to Rhea, Robin seems to pace back and forth just outside of Rhea's room.
"Relax, Robin," Beast Boy says, as he looks at his team-mate with worry.
"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be FINE," Cyborg interjects.
"Wait," Raven says, as she suddenly looks up. "Something just...happened."
"Oh, I hope that Miss Rhea is okay," Starfire says with worry.
And then, Wonder Girl opens the door.
"Donna, is everything-?" Robin asks.
"It will be...fine," Donna says sadly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"She means that Rhea and I have been...remade," said a voice behind Wonder Girl. Stepping out was a much more womanly Ranko...
"I sense...a dual aura?" Raven says.
"Man, you look hotter than ever, Miss Ranko," Cyborg says.
"Uh, yeah," Ranko replied.
"What happened?" Robin asked.
"And why do you talk funny?" Beast Boy asked.
"It's what happens when two people merge, kiddo," Rhea replied. "So...are we ready to go, 'Boy Wonder'?"
"For Donna...we ALL are!" Robin says, as he and the others go into the large waiting room filled with the entire Teen Titans...past and present.
END FLASHBACK!
'And to think 'Little Donna' would become a hero in her own right as 'Troia'...who happens to be my REAL daughter Drusilla," Rhea mused with a sigh. 'And it's hard to believe that I am Rhea...and Ranma-'
"Ranma!" says a voice through the door to the bathroom. "You have a visitor!"
"I'll be down stairs, Kasumi," Rhea says, as she shifted to her male, mortal form. Over the years, Ranma has felt more comfortable as female than as male, though he considered that aspect of his personality to be from Rhea's influence...
A few minutes later, Ranma runs down the stairs.
"So, what's up?" Ranma asks.
"Oh, a 'Donna Troy' is here to see you," Kasumi replies.
"Ah, Dru," Ranma says with a smile. "She managed to make it after all..."
Over in the living room, Donna Troy—or Princess Drusilla of Themiscyria, Paradise Island—sits attentively, while being interrogated by-
"So, you are my son's 'brood'," Genma says, as he crossed his arms.
Drusilla sits down her cup of tea on a saucer.
"I am HER daughter, yes," Drusilla replies calmly.
"And what do you do?"
"I work for my people's foreign service."
"Ah, a diplomat. Sounds pretty weak for someone who is a Saotome.
"Are you questioning my skills?"
"Definitely."
"I see..."
"Hey, kiddo," Ranma said, as he went to hug his daughter. "You made it."
"Yes, I need to finalize the guest list for tomorrow night's opening, so I came here in person."
"I cannot believe you can be so unfaithful to my Akane!" Soun cried.
"This must be Soun Tendo?" Drusilla asks her "mother".
"Yes, I am!" Soun replied. "And I want to make it known that no matter what...Ranma will be Akane's fiancee!"
"Speaking of whom, where is she?" Ranma asked Kasumi.
"Oh, she and Nabiki stepped out to pick up groceries, Ranma," Kasumi replied. "So, will Miss Drusilla be staying for dinner?"
"Absolutely NOT!" Genma says. "She is NOT welcomed here!"
"Father?"
Soun wanted to agree with his old friend, but the disapproving look from his oldest daughter's eyes urged him otherwise.
"She...she can stay..."
"Thank you, Mr. Tendo," Ranma says.
"Boy, she is NOT staying!" Genma says. "So that's that!"
Ranma raised his left eyebrow, and then turns towards his oldest daughter.
"Drusilla?"
"Yes, Mother?"
"Show your grandfather 'Technique #43'."
"'43'?"
"43."
"Boy, what are you talking about...?"
That's when Genma notices that his "grand-daughter" took off her left arm-bracers. Drusilla then positioned her arm and fingers in such a way as to 'flick' something off...
FLICK!
BWOOSH!
"Ah!" Genma yelled, as he was blown out of the house, and into the koi pond in the yard.
SPLASH!
"GROWF!" Genma fumed, as he, as a panda, leans against the rocks that lined the pond.
"What was THAT?" Akane said, as she entered the living room area, with groceries in hand, with Nabiki by her side.
"Just a demonstration of a technique that I helped Drusilla to develop."
"'Drusilla'...?"
"You must be Themiscyrian Ambassador-at-Large Drusilla Lords," Nabiki interjects.
"And you must be Miss Nabiki Tendo," Drusilla replies.
"You seem to know me, Ambassador Lords."
"Actually, Ranma...told me stories about many of the residents of Nerima."
"I see..."
"Nabiki, Akane, Drusilla will be staying here for dinner," Kasumi says.
"How come she's here anyway?" Akane says defensively.
"Dru stopped by to finalize tomorrow night's gala," Ranma says.
"Okay, but how did she do what she did, and who is going to pay for the damage she caused?" Nabiki asked.
"My apologies for focusing my father's strength in order to create a 'pressure' point," Drusilla says. "And the embassy will, of course, pay for the damage-"
"Don't bother," Ranma says, as "goddess markings" appeared on his forehead. "I got it covered."
With a flick of Ranma's hand, the make-shift hole was repaired.
"Can you REALLY do that?" Nabiki asked excitedly.
"Yes, I can, but don't bother asking the obvious question. While on Earth, my abilities are somewhat limited. For example, since my domain is 'terran', I can easily manipulate the wood. And even then, unless I or some else is directly threatened, I cannot use my abilities as a Titan."
"But...why?" Akane says.
"It is the will of Heaven."
"Oh."
"If you would like, you can stay with me tonight," Ranma says. He looked at Akane expecting something from her.
"What?" Akane says.
"Um, nothing. Mr. Tendo?"
"Sure, she can stay," Soun replies.
"Thank you."
"Miss Troy, I'll show you to your room," Kasumi says.
"Thanks," Donna replies, as she follows Kasumi out of the living room.
"I have to say that Drusilla is a nice person, considering what, well..." Akane began.
"It's okay, 'Kane," Ranma replied. "THAT...circumstance happened a long time ago."
"You seem so...serene about it, Ranma," Nabiki says.
"Well, what can I say? As long as I was able to reclaim my honor, I can live with those memories..."
Meanwhile…
BOOM!
Where a lightning bolt struck the ground in the vacant yard, a certain immortal demi-god appears.
"Yes, the scion of Zeus has deemed this place worthy for my sacred presence," Herakles boasts. "Now, where is the witch-goddess?"
"You should be careful with what you say, Lord Herakles," says a voice from behind.
Herakles turns around to see a purple-haired Asian girl.
"Circe," Herakles says. "You are here. Why have you summoned my presence to this place?"
"The fiery-haired bane to your existence is here in the land of the East."
Herakles squints his eyes.
"Ranma," he says simply.
"Correct. She and her so-called 'Wonder Clan' will be opening an embassy for Themiscyria this evening, so I will need…all the help I can to ruin their celebration."
"You know that Ranma was once…my brother-in-arms. And he is the mother of my daughter Drusilla. I can say confidently that Ranma will not stand idly by and allow you to 'crash' his party."
"And that is why you are here. You and a few of Princess Ranma old friends will provide a nice distraction for Ranma, while I ruin things for Wonder Woman."
"As ready as I will be to engage in righteous battle with the 'Wild Horse', why should I help YOU?"
Circe brings out a thin, wooden box. Its dark surface was etched with ancient Greek writing and design. She then opens the box to reveal an ornamental pink jewel attached to a leather strap.
"This is called 'The Tear of Eros'," Circe says. "Put this around Ranma's neck, and she will devote her heart and soul to you."
Herakles looks at the jewel. It seemed to…entrance him somehow.
"Are you sure of this?"
"On this, you can trust me on this."
"Good, because I do not trust you otherwise."
Tbc.
Next time: "End Game".