Characters from the manga, Ranma 1/2 are the product of Rumiko Takahashi. This fanfiction is not for commercial use and is only for the writer's and readers' imaginations and enjoyment. I've also taken some characters from Tsukumomo as additions to the story (not a crossover per se, just using and abusing them).
A little playing around with names. I switched first and last names of two famous Japanese photographers for the last scene. :)
I hope you enjoy!
Rewind and Replay
Chapter Six: The Burning Egg
0830, Monday, 18 June
Ranma looked at the two bladder bottles in his hands grimly. After the group's return home he had found the package he ordered had arrived. Inside were packets of instant Nyannichuan and Nanniichuan, or Springs of Drowned Girl and Man respectively.
It was time to go onto the offensive finally.
On the way to school, Ranma walked with Akane, detailing what he was going to do with them. She nodded approvingly, as she had seen the suffering he had gone through the past few weeks. Normally she wouldn't have sanctioned this as it was just reversing the positions of bullies, but Ranma's idea was interesting. The six people that had been bothering him would find themselves in the same position as he did when it came to the gender swapping. It was a fitting punishment in her estimation. His other ideas aside from that were not received as well, but she kept her opinion to mild dissatisfaction.
Akane delivered a letter to Hiyori Higashina, the overall leader of the two groups that were pestering Ranma. The contents of the letter stated that Ranma wanted to see the six tormentors at lunch on the roof.
The time seemed to tick by that morning as Ranma anticipated the upcoming escalation of hostilities. Any remorse for the idea had been washed away when he had arrived at school. His locker had been filled with shaving gel again while his desk had explicit and inappropriate graffiti.
When lunchtime did come, Akane assisted by fetching a couple buckets of cold water with him and bringing them up to the roof as quickly as she could. Ranma dumped a quarter of the packet into each bucket, stirring the contents.
The three girls and three boys arrived. Hiding themselves to one side of the roof, the six did not see the two martial artists initially. They centered themselves on the roof, separating into boys and girls that stood two meters apart from each other. Ranma and Akane stepped into sight, blocking the path to the stairwell.
Seeing them, Hiyori called out, "What is it you want now, Saotome?" She sneered at him, casting a dubious eye at the buckets.
"I'm gonna give you one last chance to knock it off. Whaddya say?" He was trying to sound reasonable.
The girl looked even more belligerent. "Piss off. We're not stopping anything."
Picking up his bucket, he snarled, "I warned ya!" He threw his bucket at the girls while Akane did the same at the boys.
The sound of ripping clothing and cries of consternation filled everyone's ears. All six had been hit by the water, swapping their genders. The girls, with the larger, broader figures of young men, found themselves in clothing that was too small. While some seams had broken, some hadn't, and they dug into their flesh painfully. Each one of them looked like an opposite of each other. Hiyori looked much like Masato, Takumi like Kusumi and Ushio like Aruko. The only things that hadn't changed were their eyes and haircuts. It was comical to see how the changes had affected the six.
The girls-turned-boys huddled together, their knees bent in and holding their fists under their chins. Their uniforms hung off of them, shredded and unrecognizable. Their masculine screams rent the air.
The boys-turned-girls were looking down and feeling themselves up to confirm the change by touch. Matching nosebleeds made it obvious they were having perverted thoughts about their own bodies.
"Welcome to being cursed," Ranma cackled. "Now, any time you get hit with cold water, you're gonna change. Be glad that I gave you human curses instead of animals." Turning, he and Akane began walking away.
A baritone voice called out, "Y-you monster! How could you do this to us?"
Over his shoulder, Ranma cast back at her, "And what you were doing to me isn't monstrous?" He ignored anything else the girl was spouting as he and Akane left to enjoy the remainder of their lunch hour.
By the time the end of lunch came about, five students and returned to their homeroom. All had changed back to their original genders, knowing that warm water would do so. Two were wearing their gym clothes due the fact that their uniforms had been ripped to pieces. They appeared uncomfortable at the gazes they were receiving from their classmates. As the two girls had entered, they had stared daggers at Ranma and Akane.
The boys, on the other hand, were more thoughtful in their demeanor. Unbeknownst to others, they had taken time to explore their bodies a bit more than what any of the girls would have been comfortable with. They didn't get to the point of doing anything too perverted, though.
At the end of school, Ranma and Akane leapt out of the first story window and made their way to the entrance of the school. They hid themselves on the overhang of the entrance, waiting for their targets to pass beneath. As the students trickled out of the building, they were able to identify the three girls immediately. They huddled together, talking about what had happened to them earlier. Ranma took careful aim and quickly let out three squirts of water that made their way unerringly towards the three.
Their bodies changed, suddenly stretching out their gym outfits. Other students around them gave out shouts of surprise at the change in the three. Hiyori reddened in anger and embarrassment, looking about to see where the water had come from. The other two tried finding ways to make their clothes less restrictive on their bodies without revealing too much. They ran back inside of the building. As silently as they could, the two on the overhang laughed.
They almost missed their chance as the boys came out. Akane, holding the other bottle, squirted the three below. Her aim was just as good as Ranma's. The three boys looked down at themselves and then laughed, not seeming to mind. Akane looked at Ranma in consternation, who only shrugged in reply.
Again the girls came out of the building, this time looking about with umbrellas they had borrowed from somewhere. Seeing that their targets were on the defense, Ranma and Akane followed them surreptitiously. At an opportune time, Ranma was able to squirt the girls. Mortified at the change, they ran all the way home from there.
Knowing they couldn't follow the three to their individual homes and keep their antics up, the youths went to their own home. When they did manage to get there, they regaled Nabiki with the tale of how they had changed the six, convincing them that their curses were now permanent, along with the follow-up changes. Nabiki howled with laughter at the reaction during their last encounter. It was heartening to the middle Tendo to find her sister and Ranma opening up to her in this way.
"Do you two plan on continuing tomorrow as well?" she questioned.
"If I have to," Ranma admitted.
"You could have asked me for help, you know." Her smile was the customary Cheshire cat type she had cultivated.
He didn't bother feigning how the idea of asking her for help was unappealing. His tone was flat and off-putting, "Nope. Can't afford it and don't want it."
Nabiki felt spurned. She had just ruined the good mood between the two of them with her words. On top of that, she felt a stab at how low of an opinion Ranma had of her and his idea of how her help would cost him. Normally, she knew, it wouldn't have bothered her. But the previous week's events had opened her eyes to the fact that this was an entirely different Ranma that had come back to the past with her sister. He wasn't as ready to fall for being manipulated, especially by her. Added to that, he was thinking things through more thoroughly than what she had read through their timeline journals. A martial artist with both brains and muscle was formidable.
That put an immediate end to their conversation. Ranma left to go do his homework, leaving Akane with her sister. She watched him leave, frowning. Turning back, she addressed Nabiki, "He wasn't like that before. His attitude has gotten worse lately. I guess I shouldn't say attitude, really," she amended. "More like he's a lot quicker to anger. It's...it's not like him." The concern in her voice was evident.
Having difficulty with emotions, especially sympathy, Nabiki just looked at Akane.
Needing to vent her frustrations, even if Nabiki wasn't as sympathetic as she would have liked, Akane continued. "Ever since Jusendo and us coming back, it's been one thing after the next. The things we went through before never affected him like this. As the weeks go by he's been reacting to Kuno, Shampoo and now you differently. Tofu-sensei said he would get us a counselor to help us. I just hope that they can help Ranma. I don't like seeing him like this. Granted, I used to hate the cocky jerk he used to be, but this is worse." Akane rubbed her face, raking her fingers through her hair, pulling on the ends in frustration.
In an attempt to mollify Akane's concerns, "Just give it time, I suppose. He's been through a lot and I can only imagine how much it's affected him." Nabiki floundered for a moment as she tried to think of something that might sound wise. "Provide him whatever support he needs is all I can say. From what I've heard about stuff like this, sometimes just being there is enough."
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Nabiki." She hugged her sister, who reluctantly returned the hug, feeling a bit lame at Akane's affection. Akane left to work on her homework with Ranma.
1900, Monday, 18 June
Akane-otoko sat before the mirror, gazing at her reflection. Near her sat a bottle that Ranma had been using earlier. In front of her now sat a young man that was similar in features to her father. In fact, she looked much like a younger, somewhat shorter body-builder type of him without the long hair and mustache.
Her hairstyle did look a bit ridiculous on this body as it had been styled for a girl. If she had received a permanent curse she would have had to find a hairstyle that was neutral like Ranma had. A slight trimming here and there would make it less feminine.
Standing proved to be a challenge as she found that balancing her body was different from what she was used to. Her center of gravity was higher for one. As she stood, her height showed her a perspective that made the world seem further away. The way she had to hold her body while standing because of the difference in her hips and shoulders felt...off.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw that her shoulders were quite broad and muscular. Her waist, covered by a towel, was thin, accentuating a typical man's V-shaped torso. Her biceps were enormous, almost as thick as her thighs when female. This was likely due to her constant working out, which had transferred to this male body in such a fashion. Her lats looked almost like wings even in repose. Mildly surprised, she noted that her pectoral muscles were actually bigger than her breasts, though they were solid muscle rather than fat and glands.
Flexing and posing, she saw that the toning of her body was worthy of competitions. The definition for each of her muscle groups were so crisp and clear that she was certain she could earn quite a few awards. She wondered how strong she really was. Just having the muscle didn't mean that she had the strength that Ranma had. There were plenty of other men that were beefier but couldn't lift what he could. Even his female side was deceptively strong, as evidenced when he had grabbed Ryoga's heavy umbrella.
The physical changes weren't the only things she found. The hormones coursing through her blood made her feel considerably more aggressive and temperamental. More so than she was normally, at least. Even the thing between her legs reacted to thoughts as if it had a mind of its own. Perturbed at the sensation of its hardening, she sat down to hide it from sight as it began tenting the towel. There were many other sensations going on throughout her body as she sat there staring at herself. Many she couldn't put a name to, they were so foreign. Should she have grown up with them they wouldn't have been noticed, she was sure. But, having only been turned into a young man only a few minutes ago, they were obvious.
Unbidden, she muttered, "I'm a girl!" Her strong baritone voice sounded alien. Taken aback at her own utterance, she realized just how much Ranma's voluble declarations that he was a guy was to mask the changes he felt when turned into a girl. The idea of being cursed to change into a guy whenever splashed with water made Akane queasy. Her gut twisted itself into knots and she gagged. It took a minute, but she was finally able to control herself.
Unable to take it any longer, she stood and sank into the furo, changing back into her original body. She had wanted to test how the change affected her in a way to empathize with Ranma. He had lived with it for over two years. With the issues he had been going through of late she needed to find ways to understand him from a perspective that would be beneficial. This was one of them, she hoped. The revelation that Ranma experienced menstruation among other female issues had given her the idea. With the opportunity presenting itself in the way of a temporary change she had leapt at the chance, so to speak.
She would have to talk to Ranma about this later. Maybe he would be willing to train with her in the form at times, if the powder still worked on her. It couldn't hurt and would be educational for the two of them. She just hoped he wouldn't get freaked out by the idea. Or that she wouldn't chicken out. Being permanently cursed like Ranma sent a shudder through her body. The temporary change had been bad enough.
Sighing, she laid back, resting her head on the edge, sinking into the hot water up to her neck.
1000, Tuesday, 19 June
The telephone rang, its incessant chimes breaking the peace of the household. It was letting all within the sound of its call that someone was attempting to get a hold of a member within the abode. Kasumi came in from hanging the wash up, answering the phone.
"Hello, Tendo residence," she stated pleasantly.
"Oh, thank goodness. This is Nagamichi Honda, from Tokyo University. I am calling regarding Ryoga Hibiki."
Brightening, "Why, yes, he is here. Hold on for just a moment, please." Normally Kasumi might have called him out from the family room. However, due to his issue with going from here to there, she instead sought him out.
Ryoga was sitting with the older men while watching them play shogi. Soun had taken it upon himself to explain the rules and strategies for the game. The young man, with nothing else to do about the Tendo household had taken an interest in the game. There was some trepidation from the men as they were unable to perform their usual cheats...or, rather, taking tactical advantage of distractions.
"Ryoga-kun, the university is on the phone for you."
Standing, Ryoga looked at the shogi board one last time before following Kasumi. Picking up the receiver, "This is Ryoga Hibiki."
"Good morning, Ryoga-san. It is a pleasure to speak with you. I'm the head of the research team that has been assembled to work with you on your...issue. I understand that you have been recovering from an injury?"
"I'm doing much better now, thank you. Practically healed up entirely." It was true, in fact. His recovery would have been another matter of research had anyone bothered to take note of it. The martial artists of Nerima had shown great resiliency and recovery rates from injuries that would have crushed any normal person.
"Oh, that's good to hear. We were wondering when you might be available to come to our facility for some testing. We finally managed to get the funding and approval for this project."
Pausing a moment to ponder the matter, Ryoga admitted to himself that he was beginning to go stir-crazy. Yes, he was getting antsy at being cooped up in the Tendo house day in and day out. The only respite had been on the weekends, as he had mentioned. After having been stuck in one place for so long he was beginning to appreciate his life of wandering. It was reminiscent of many long-haul truck drivers in America. They would have a home to come to, but their wanderlust always drew them back onto the road. "Any time now, really. All I've been able to do is sit around. The Tendo family hasn't let me leave since I got here. The only time I've been out is to help Ranma on the weekends."
Honda hesitated on the other side of the line while he thought. "Okay. Would it be possible to pick you up this afternoon, perhaps? We secured a place for you to stay for the next week while we run some tests with you."
Perking up, "Sure. I can be ready by this afternoon. All I have to do is get my backpack ready."
"Wonderful. We'll have a van there to get you. See you this afternoon then."
Kasumi stood nearby, having eavesdropped on the conversation from around the corner. "All of your clothing is cleaned and I can help you with your backpack if you wish."
Smiling jovially, "Thank you, Kasumi-san."
The two went to get him ready for his ride.
1130, Tuesday, 19 June
The next day was pouring rain and, when they got to their homeroom, the girls they had transformed the day before were not there. While not knowing the actual reason for it, Ranma and Akane surmised that they were frightened to face getting wet throughout the day. There was also the issue of what they would wear at school.
On the other hand, the guys had come to school. When he entered, Masato gave Ranma a speculative look, one that didn't seem to have any animosity in it.
At lunch, Takumi stopped by Ranma's desk, handing him a note before leaving the room.
"What is it, Ranma?" Akane asked, looking over his shoulder.
Opening the note, he read it quickly. "The guys just want to meet up on the roof is all."
They looked outside. The rain had stopped for the time being. With a quick nod, he left the room, Akane on his heels. Exiting the stairwell, they found the three boys standing close to where they had been the day before. Ranma had his bottle of temporary Spring of Drowned Girl hidden but handy.
"Hey, Saotome," Masato called out. He had his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumping and kicking at a puddle at his feet.
"What's up, Matsuda?" Ranma asked.
Masato looked over at his companions, who nodded at him, then back at Ranma. "The three of us got to talkin' last night. Figured out that whatever you did, it isn't permanent. But, well, even if it isn't, we did get to realizin' what you go through. Each of us seemed to get splashed with water a lot on our way home and then to school today. Even after we changed back to guys we were..." He paused, trying to figure out what was the best term to use.
"Water magnets," Takumi supplied.
"Yeah, water magnets. Even with our umbrellas, we couldn't seem to stay dry."
Ranma nodded. "It's like that for me every day," he confirmed. Akane nodded, as she had been having the same problem earlier.
"Well, y'know..." Masato looked back at his buddies, then gave a sharp gesture with his thumb pointing down. The three went down to seiza, trying to find places that weren't too wet. "We're sorry about what we had been doin'." The three gave Ranma a bow, their heads touching the ground, known in Japan as 'dogeza'.
Pursing his lips, Ranma said, "Go ahead and stand up." When they had done so, he continued, "Like I said to the girls before. I didn't wanna have to do this. I'd rather have been friends or at least friendly instead. How about we put this behind us?"
The three boys nodded. "Sounds fine with us," Masato replied. "If you ever need anything, just let us know. We'll do what we can."
Grinning, "Sure thing." Seeing that there wasn't much else to their meeting, Ranma started to turn away.
"And thanks," Masato called out. "It was a real eye-opener not only what you go through but, well, what it's like to be a girl."
"I hope you didn't do anything perverted," Akane growled.
Laughing, Ushio shook his head. "Nah. I've got two sisters. Takumi and I got to talkin' with them when I got home about the stuff. It was..."
"Enlightening, needless to say," Takumi interrupted, finishing again.
Ushio's eyes narrowed, thinking about what Takumi had said. "Yeah, enlightening. They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw me as a girl. I explained it to them, and they had a pretty good laugh at my expense."
Ranma held a thumb up, finishing his turn and left the three.
In the stairwell, Akane commented, "That went pretty well."
"Yep. Didn't figure they'd do that, but at least they learned their lesson."
1600, Tuesday, 19 June
When Akane and Ranma arrived home they found out that Ryoga had been taken to Tokyo University. He would be staying at least until the end of the following week. Gladdened at the development, they went and changed, meeting in the dojo.
"Without Ryoga around, what are we going to do?" Akane wondered.
Ranma continued stretching while he thought. Akane's training had been going so well of late. She had learned to balance on fences without concern, the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken and the Bakusai Tenketsu. One of the issues he had was her temper. If he could get her to gain control over it she might be able to learn the Hiryu Shoten Ha. On the other hand, he didn't have the memory metal to bind her with like Cologne had used on him. That left a few other techniques that he could teach, such as the body switching. Was she prepared to learn ki attacks? She had been practicing her breathing and had learned the Bakusai Tenketsu, which was a ki technique of sorts. When she had woken from being knocked out by their fathers and put into a kimono she had formed a demon head, though not quite as impressive as Soun's. Akane also needed to start working on her aerial combat skills. There were a number of kata she would have to learn and master.
"Earth to Ranma," Akane said, poking him in the forehead and laughing.
Pulled out of his own head, Ranma focused on his fiancée. "What's up?"
"I had asked what we were going to do. You spaced out for a while there."
He grunted. "Just reviewing what you learned so far and trying to decide what you might be ready for next. Aerial fighting, ki attacks, body switching...that sort of thing."
Biting her lip, Akane looked at him curiously. "What if I taught you something?"
Fiddling with his pigtail, he asked, "Like what?"
"Well, Daddy focused on ground combat and weapons. That's the Tendo school's specialty. Also, you get beaten up a lot when you have more than one opponent." She had observed this on many occasions. "When faced with a single opponent, you are able to outclass them. Usually. I, on the other hand, have been able to handle a horde of boys for at least two weeks without losing to any one of them. Only when pulling out the Hiryu Shoten Ha have you been able to defeat multiple opponents. But it required preparation for it to succeed."
Her words had stung throughout, but he did have to admit that she was right on some points. It was a forthright assessment, and he had to appreciate her insight. "So what did you think of startin' with?"
"Start with the basic kata and work our way up from there. Did you have a weapon you wanted to work on first?"
While certainly able to use weapons, and he had on many occasions, mastering them was not a part of the Saotome school. His father had been loath to have his son be reliant on a weapon. There were reasons for it, of course. One example was Tatewaki Kuno. Being versed in only one weapon, he was unable to do anything outside of kendo. And even then Ranma was able to get inside of his guard, take his weapon and use it against him. Usually Ranma was able to adapt to using a weapon, but that was only because he was...well, a great martial artist. His speed, agility and overall aptitude outclassed many others.
On the other hand, Akane had used many weapons in the time he had known her. There was the shinai, bokken, yumi, mallet...yes, a myriad of weapons. Her father also liked to pull out his naginata on occasion. Along with his samurai armor, which was comical at times, since he had trouble moving under its weight. Both of them routinely cared for the equipment they housed.
There was also the Saotome family's katana. When he inherited it, who would be carrying it? Would it be placed on a shelf with the Tendo's or would he keep it with him? Looking at Akane speculatively, he had the insight to think that she would be handling it after...they were...officially married? Without realizing it, while he imagined Akane carrying the Saotome katana and wearing a kimono like his mother, his face broke out into a silly grin.
"How about the katana first?" he asked.
Curious, amused and unsettled at the way he was looking at her, Akane merely nodded. "Uh, sure."
For the next couple of hours Akane began walking Ranma through the forms the Tendo school she was proficient in. As she did so, Ranma was intrigued by the fact that she was calm and helpful throughout. Her form was fluid and centered. She schooled her being into that of a teacher, eliciting the desire for learning from her student. It took little effort on Ranma's part not to say anything untoward to break the mood.
It was after dinner that Genma joined them in the dojo to watch as Akane gave instruction with the katana. During their dinner conversation she had mentioned her bout of training of the Tendo-ryu given to Ranma. Intrigued by the idea he would be able to see the Tendo-ryu being taught, he had followed them back to the dojo silently. Rather than letting his father distract her, she tried her best to focus on Ranma. There was also the comfort of having a gifted student who hardly ever needed anything repeated or shown twice.
She used a shinai to go through the forms. It was revelatory to Ranma that there was a great deal to be learned when it came to just the one weapon. He saw that there were numerous feints, parries, strikes and draws to be mastered. Footwork and body positioning were a must. Advancing and retreating, grip and how to hold it properly.
During the time she was instructing, Akane would occasionally look over at Ranma's father. He was sitting impassively throughout. It was a bit unnerving to have the older man there. Shaking off her feeling of unease, she continued her instruction with Ranma.
At the end of their practice, the two bowed to each other. They beamed brightly at a job well done. More would have likely been done but, with an audience, they had to settle for turning to their towels to wipe off their sweat.
Genma stood up and smiled pleasantly to Akane. "That was great, Akane-kun," the Saotome patriarch praised. "If you don't mind, I wanted to talk to Ranma for a bit."
"Thank you," she said to his praise, her demeanor relaxing. "I'm just going to go get cleaned up, then." Turning to Ranma, "We have those worksheets we have to finish up," she reminded him. He nodded.
After Akane had gone, Genma waited with one finger raised to indicate he wanted Ranma to wait, his head cocked to the side as though listening. Satisfied, he turned to his son. "If I'm not mistaken, she was teaching you kendo, not the Tendo-ryu," he said with some concern.
Shrugging, "Well, of course it's the Tendo-ryu, Pops. They focus on ground combat and weapons." That was the difference of the two schools. Wasn't that what Akane had told him?
"Er, well, yes, that's true. Up to a point, that is. But they focused on the yumi and naginata, really," Genma said somewhat hesitantly. "They picked up the other weapons to expand their school. We'd have to ask Soun about his family's history concerning all that. What I mean, though, is that they practice Indiscriminate Grappling."
"When we were talking about the training earlier, she gave me the choice of weapons to learn. I chose the katana is all."
"While that may be something they picked up, that's not the Tendo-ryu, like I said. She should have started you on either the ground combat. Any of the rest should be counted as Tendo adding to it for the school. And we both know that's not part of the Anything Goes."
Ranma shrugged, not getting the point he was aiming at. "She was teaching me the ground combat kata before dinner." If Akane wanted to teach him kendo, then fine, right? Or was his father's problem with her claiming that kendo was a part of the Tendo-ryu? That last had to be it, then. There was also the issue that Soun hadn't taught Akane for some time. She had relied on the teaching received some time ago. He wasn't familiar with how much or how often Soun had practiced with Akane after her mother's passing and Soun's breakdown. There hadn't even been a challenge to the dojo until after he had come.
Genma looked disappointed at having missed that portion of the training. "Next time, let me know when you're going to be doing that part."
Ranma began analyzing beyond just the Tendo-ryu issue. Whenever there had been an issue that involved the dojo, Soun had always relied on Ranma to take care of it. Never Akane, for some reason. Well, actually, with the dojo destroyer, he had asked the two of them to defeat the giant. The man had tried to get him to turn down the date with Shampoo and help with the dojo destroyer. When he had been off on the "date" with Shampoo, so he could get his hands on a packet of Instant Nannichuan, Soun had reluctantly relied on Akane. Akane had always been ready to fight for the dojo without prompt. As was likely expected of her, he had assumed. Something was nagging at his mind, though.
After Happosai had returned, he had decided that Ranma would be his heir. That had been after he had changed back from being a girl. Was Soun prejudiced in the same way? How about Genma?
Ranma motioned for them to get into their customary meditative stance, that of balancing on their heads. Something was disturbing him, but he was unable to pinpoint it at the moment. "When you and Mister Tendo were training together, the two of you sparred together, right?"
Smiling, Genma grunted, "Certainly. Why, when we were-" He was cut off by Ranma's next question.
"Since that's the case, he must've used his school's forms to fight against you. Did the...no, that's not right. Were the schools separate at one time?"
Genma blinked in surprise at the question. "Ah, well, originally, they weren't part of the Anything Goes, no. They had different masters. The Tendo family has been here for many generations. Like I said, they focused on archery and the naginata. I, uh, studied under another master." His father's tone caused Ranma to glance over, curious. He felt as if the man was dissembling about something, but didn't interrupt. "The Saotome school actually focused on the katana and unarmed combat. Originally they were kaibutsu hunters. That's why we practice the aerial combat because many of the ones they hunted were able to fly out of reach."
Scoffing, Ranma asked, "Kaibutsu hunters? The Saotomes?" Right after saying that, he had the realization about the kitsune's reaction. They had frozen up at the mention of his name. Was it, perhaps, because of his particular family's branch of the Saotome clan that they were afraid of him? A kaibutsu was a generic term for monsters. It included anything and everything from Japanese to foreign creatures. Perhaps even people? That meant the Saotomes were, essentially, an Anything Goes Monster Exterminator. Strangely, it seemed fitting to him.
At this, Genma frowned at the boy. "Yes, kaibutsu hunters. The, uh, erm, our family were very accomplished at this back in the day. They...as I mentioned, we also practiced a form of kendo. That's how I knew what Akane was teaching was the beginning forms of it."
This brought him up short, redirecting his attention from Akane's training to his own family. If the Saotomes had been kaibutsu hunters and also practiced kendo, then was that part of why the Saotome family had a katana? It wasn't just an honor blade? This brought him back to the time when his mother had found out about his curse. He and his father had been fighting over the medal an ancestor had won and had been stored away at the Saotome's family grave. This then led to him remembering that said medal was meant to be given to the firstborn son of the Saotome family. If that were the case, wouldn't Genma have received it years ago?
Suddenly, it felt as if something in his mind had finally been wrenched into place.
Genma was not originally a Saotome! His father's actions indicated that he wasn't the firstborn son. Obviously, if he had been, he would have received the key to the lockbox at the grave when he had come of age. He would have immediately pawned it for money. Instead, he had tried getting Ranma to acquire it, so he could then do so. It had been his mother that had the key, who was the keeper in Ranma's stead until he came of age. That meant that his mother was probably an only child or the eldest, which would preclude a second or any subsequent sons from inheriting the medal. If that were so, he was likely in direct line to inherit the "family business", so to speak. This would include the katana. That might also be why he was prone to meeting up with otherworldly beings on a constant basis, including the curse. Perhaps there was a reason to Genma's original idea of raising him to be "a man among men" and his mother's insistence upon it after agreeing?
Things were now beginning to fall into place for him from just a moment ago.
The Saotome-ryu and Tendo-ryu were each schools of their own. Some time ago, Genma and Soun had met Happosai, becoming his disciples in the Anything Goes. That's why there were two entirely different schools under the Anything Goes umbrella. Which was also why the two fathers wanted to join the schools, combining the two into an all-encompassing martial arts. Now it all made sense. Or, at least, made more sense than it ever had before.
He would have to keep this epiphany to himself until he could talk to Akane in private sometime later. Thinking of her brought him back to their original dilemma.
"Pops," he started, drawing Genma's attention back to him. "If you were to spar with Akane, would you be able to tell if she knew the Tendo-ryu?"
The older man laughed. "Definitely. Soun's particular form was very noticeable to me. Why, it wouldn't take long for her to start drawing on the school to try to get me into place for one of their favorite finishing moves. At least, if she were well-versed in its style."
Another wrenching feeling came to Ranma's head, this time adding it to his chest for some reason. After having been raised by Genma, his trust of anyone, sometimes even himself, was suspect. Whereas before he had merely ignored the fact, he was conscious of himself being the sole heir of the dojo. His eyes narrowed as his anger coursed through his veins. Soun Tendo had just been added to his dislike list. "If...if we're supposed to unite the schools, then why did Mister Tendo offer up any of his daughters to be my fiancée and not just Akane if she were supposed to be his heir?"
The look of shock on Genma's face was answer enough for Ranma. Rolling back into a seated position, Ranma hurriedly left the dojo to get cleaned up. He was extremely upset about what he had just figured out. Genma stared after his son, who had realized that the boy had been the one the two fathers had entirely pinned their hopes on for the school. He only hoped the boy wouldn't figure out his own father had been part of it. Ranma rarely, if ever, got angry. When he did, it wasn't a pretty sight to behold.
1900, Tuesday, 19 June
Akane put her pencil down onto the desk and looked at Ranma in exasperation. He hadn't been paying attention to his schoolwork as much as he should have been. It was obvious he was distracted by something. His fidgeting and constantly looking at her was a distraction to her as well.
"All right, Ranma. Spit it out. What's bothering you?"
With a grimace, Ranma jerked as he was pulled out of his own thoughts, breaking his pencil in half. Laying the halves down, he looked over at Akane, who was glaring at him. He had been trying to think up ways of broaching the subject without alerting Akane to the dilemma he had discovered. "I was just thinkin' about the bout you're gonna have with Pops in the morning is all."
"Huh?" This was the first she had heard of this.
"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you," Ranma grinned. "You and Pops are gonna spar in the morning. We're skippin' the run and everything. We got to talkin' about training after you left and I decided I wanted him to see how good you are. We're gonna have your dad watch, too."
"Oh...okay," she replied. There was a bit of trepidation on her part. Genma was notorious for his trickery during his bouts with Ranma. He was an excellent martial artist, if a bit dense when it came to selecting techniques or training grounds for his son. The right word she could have used for the sparring she was to have would be "dread".
"Yeah, so, what I want you to do is pull out all of your training. Tendo-ryu, that is. I really haven't taught you anything as far as Saotome-ryu yet. We've just been doin' the Amazon stuff. And we know where you are with the basic Anything Goes." Yes, they had gone through the beginner and intermediate kata, but nothing that went into the more advanced training. "Pops and I were talkin' about your training. How much of the Tendo-ryu did you learn?"
"I only received training until my mother passed away. After that, Father practically stopped teaching altogether."
Ranma pressed his lips together tightly as he thought. He wanted to ask if she had been taught individually in the art rather than absorbing it during lesson with Soun's regular students. That would likely alert her to the dark thoughts he was riding upon. Changing tact, he asked, "How about weapons? Did he teach you any?"
"Well, yeah, weapons are a part of our school." She sounded a bit confused at this line of talk. "I guess...no, come to think of it, I learned kendo when I was in junior high. I spent a year in the kendo club in my third year. That's how Kuno found out about me, I believe." She looked pensive as she sifted through her memories. "As far as Tendo-ryu goes, I do remember being in the dojo with Daddy when he was teaching his students. He started with the unarmed combat forms with them, as I recall. After the students left, I was able to practice on my own. Daddy even joined me for most of it. Either to watch and correct me or to spar with me, at least."
"Ahuh." Ranma shifted uncomfortably. "Did he teach you kyudo and the naginata?" Kyudo, the art of Japanese archery using the yumi, a variety of bows developed in Japan independent of most outside influences.
The question brought Akane up short. "Well, no. I guess I learned the weapons I use from the clubs in Junior High. I never did learn the naginata. I only got unarmed training. Kyudo I did my first year of Junior High, judo my second, followed by kendo in my third year, like I said." Turning to face Ranma fully, she asked, "Why?"
Laughing nervously, he replied with, "Oh, just curious. I'm just evaluating each of our training needs is all. In the morning, though, I want you to focus on the Tendo-ryu and only use the Anything Goes if necessary," he tried deflecting.
"Um, sure, no problem. Was that all that was bothering you?"
"Yeah, that's about it, really," he confirmed for her. "Let's finish this schoolwork, by the way." He deliberately turned back to the worksheet, picking up the sharpened end of his broken pencil.
Akane turned back to her own schoolwork, casting a curious glance out of the corner of her eye at Ranma. She felt there was more to the conversation, but it was obvious the pigtailed boy was not going to be forthcoming.
0600, Wednesday, 20 June
Ranma and Soun sat in the dojo, looking at the two martial artists in front of them. The older man had just awoken when Akane, at Ranma's prompting, had implored him to come watch. It hadn't taken much, as he was an early riser anyway. Curious as to the sparring session between his daughter and best friend, he settled to the side of the dojo.
Genma and Akane bowed to each other.
As soon as both had finished their bow, Genma leapt at Akane. She dodged him by leaping backwards and then forwards again. Their fists and feet flew at each other in a blur. As they fought, Genma tried getting Akane to leap higher than she was normally used to aside from her sparring with Ranma.
It was obvious that Akane was much faster than Genma. With the training she had received with Ranma, she was outpacing Genma's fists. Her legs hadn't been trained up like her arms, though they were faster than before she began training with her fiancé. Genma, sensing this, worked at blocking as many of her punches while he focused on her lower extremities. When she followed him up into the air, he used his longer reach to hook her ankles or behind the knee to toss her about.
The pigtailed martial artist had been practicing with Akane on a daily basis. Even so, sparring matches between them had been rudimentary by Ranma's standards. And there was only so much he could do in a month and a half. He had worked on Akane's defense mostly, as she was determined to attack in almost any situation. While that was well and good in most circumstances, her lack of defensive posture would mean her defeat should someone manage to weather her abuses and launch a counterstrike.
Before the Bakusai Tenketsu training, Ranma had merely tagged her with light taps and pokes to vulnerable spots. The last few days he had begun using much more force, as she had to know where he was hitting her. The Bakusai Tenketsu had been so effective that it would require Ranma to use his jackhammer-like punch he had used to pound on Ryoga to do any real damage to his fiancée now. Even punches to the face, if he were to break down and allow himself to do so, could be handled.
Nevertheless, these constant corrections were having an effect on her combat abilities. She was now more calculating, drawing Genma in to attempt strikes at her torso, leading to him taking a beating when she opened up. The second time had taught him how her abilities were improving, upping his own game against her. In the short time he had known Akane, he had thought little of her skill, even if she was his best friend's student. Or so he thought, at least.
Remembering Ranma's instructions from the night before, after the third time she crashed into the dojo floor, Akane stopped following the man into the air. She kept herself planted on the ground, forcing Genma to either leap around and above her or face her head-on. When Genma did face her, she pulled on the knowledge she thought of as being Tendo-ryu. While not considerable compared to her father's, it did show her audience that she had some rudimentary knowledge within that field.
As the fight progressed, Akane's stamina and phenomenal toughness were showing. The time she had been training with Ranma, again, was indicative of the intensive training he had put her through. She was easily weathering all the strikes that Genma was able to slip past her offensive wall and meager guard. He had learned after the first few strikes that she could take a pounding, which he hadn't expected of what he had considered a wisp of a martial artist. Genma was having to put in some serious muscle power to make Akane aware of his punches and kicks. While she was now faster and tougher, Genma was craftier and more skillful. Akane's brute strength was pulverizing Genma when she struck him. It was nowhere near Ranma's, but she didn't have the ability to meter it to the opponent as he could. Genma absorbed the blows as best as he could, bowing with it like a willow in the wind.
All the while, Ranma kept his attention split. On one hand, he watched Akane's movements rather than Genma's. His own father's abilities were well-known to him. On the other, he watched Soun's expressions and posture. What he wanted to see were his reactions when he spotted Akane pulling upon the Tendo-ryu. He could tell only because he would not recognize it as either the Saotome-ryu, which she had absorbed by practice or watching over two years, and the Anything Goes, which both knew.
After fifteen minutes, Ranma's stopwatch rang, indicating that portion of the bout was up. With a hand clap, his signal called the two to separate. Genma had been instructed not to put Akane into any submission holds. Or anything that would knock her out. That is, of course, whether he could manage it with her new tank-like abilities. Well, essentially, he had been told by Ranma to draw the fight out as long as possible. This way Akane had ample time to use the techniques she was supposed to be versed in.
Both bowed to each other. Soun nodded and smiled, impressed at Akane's aptitude. He had not been able to witness most of the sparring sessions with Ranma nor had he understood the training his daughter had gone through on the weekend trips. Standing, Ranma retrieved a wooden staff that had a curved end. It stood a few feet taller than himself. It was, obviously, a training naginata, much like a bokken or shinai was for the katana.
He handed it to a confused Akane.
"Now, what I want you to do is fight Pops with it. It is, as we all know, part of the Tendo-ryu." Still keeping one eye on Soun, he saw the man wince.
"Yeah, but I never learned the naginata," Akane disagreed. "We talked about that last night."
Turning to Soun, Ranma raised an eyebrow to the man. "I thought the heir to the Tendo dojo would know all of the Tendo-ryu," he said, chillingly.
Blanching, Soun stuttered, "Yes, well, I, uh...well, the schools will be joined, of course. Ah-heh." He had the temerity to look embarrassed.
Genma, himself, was trying to act at being neutral concerning what Ranma had discerned the night prior. His son was obviously perturbed, which boded well for the future of the two's marriage prospects. Now that he was Akane's sensei, the older man was letting the boy play out whatever drama he had cooked up. He stood off to the side silently, watching his friend impassively, hoping Soun wouldn't rat him out.
Turning a bit to address his father, Ranma asked, "So, how much of the unarmed Tendo-ryu did Akane know, Pops?"
Smacking his lips, Genma replied, "She knew a fair bit, I'd say. It was nothing at all like fighting her father all those years ago."
"Yeah, I thought so," Ranma assessed. "I only picked out some of her moves as being Tendo-ryu. Some of it was karate or kempo, some judo or aikido." Akane's repertoire was not as verbose as his own. No Mui Thai, numerous kung fu or wushu styles, Angampora, Budokon, Jeet Kune Do, Ledrit...the list he knew would fill up a few pages worth.
Thoroughly confused by the entire conversation, Akane joined in, "What does that have to do with anything? We're the Anything Goes school. Of course there would be all of those other types of combat. I mean-"
Ranma interrupted her. "No, Akane, that's not entirely right. Has your father ever told you about how the Tendo clan came about?" He had further questioned his father about the Tendo's history after finishing his schoolwork. There had been little he could find. Then he had turned to Kasumi, who had been much more enlightening in that regard.
Akane shook her head. Before she could reply, Soun said uncomfortably, "Ah, well, that's neither here nor there."
At this point, Kasumi stepped into the dojo, carrying a tray of refreshments, as if on cue. "Oh, but you loved to tell that story to me when I was little, Father," she said reproachfully. "Why, I remember it as if it were yesterday. You even reenacted it a few times for us and Mother. You would dress in your armor and pull out your favorite yumi and naginata. Then you would regale us with the story of how our little clan fought in five battles for Tokugawa Ieyasu-sama. Because our ancestor was a seventh son of a seventh son in a samurai family, he was relegated to being the captain of a platoon of spearmen, who he taught the yumi to. However, he was courageous and showed this on the battlefield. The platoon would shower the enemy with arrows before they closed on them, where they would then engage them with their naginata. Each man in the platoon was worth ten against their enemies, you would say. The enemy horsemen were cut down like rice in the field. Afterwards, when Tokugawa Ieyasu-sama relinquished the shogunate to take up residence in Edo castle, he was given a parcel of land here. Our home is the last of what remains." She smiled pleasantly. "Though, I think Akane was too small to remember the story. Nabiki might, however."
"Wh-why yes, I do recall telling that story. It's been so many years that I have done so."
The story he had heard the night before had helped to enlighten Ranma of the Tendo's penchant for the two weapons. The unarmed style must have been adopted later. Likely after the Meiji restoration when weapons, swords in particular, had been banned outside of official government duties. This was why this particular branch of the Tendo clan did not have a family katana, perhaps. Either that or something had happened to their family's honor blade in the past that had prohibited them from getting another?
It was strange to Akane to see her father acting the way he was. It was just a story about their past. What did that have anything to do with Ranma's questioning?
"So, if that's the case," Ranma continued with his questioning, "why hasn't Akane learned the yumi and naginata from you? She learned kyudo when she was in Junior High. Then she learned kendo her third year. Now she's learning more of the Anything Goes and then some from me. At what point was she supposed to be your actual heir to the Tendo-ryu?" he asked accusingly, the anger he had been suppressing coming out in his voice.
While Soun tried to stammer out an explanation, Kasumi supplied him with an answer. "Well, I'm not sure if she was really meant to be his heir, actually. He did entertain her fantasies of being a martial artist."
Taken aback at Kasumi's words, "Fantasies?" Akane demanded.
"Well, that is how Father thinks of it. That is how you spoke of it before, isn't it, Father?" Kasumi asked innocently. "It has only been the past two or three years that you have acknowledged her skills even remotely," she added.
The Tendo patriarch looked ill. It was obvious he did not want to be the center of attention at the moment. Had not Kasumi put her hand onto his shoulder he would likely have bolted. As it were, he looked as if he was a cornered puppy, being castigated for having made a mess. "I, well...that's partly true, I suppose," he said lamely. Turning his attention to his friend, who was trying to blend into the background, he entreated, "Saotome-kun..."
Akane's gasp alerted Ranma to the fact that she was now beginning to get an idea to what he had figured out the night prior. Trying to be insouciant about it, he moved over in front of her. She searched his face as he said, "Just hold on. Let it play out for now, okay? I promise that everything is gonna be fine." She nodded, a tremulous smile playing on her lips. Her body quivered as he held her by the shoulders. "I'm just tryin' to figure everything out."
Turning back to Soun, Ranma stood next to Akane, providing moral support. He was also nearby to stop her from doing anything drastic as the scene played out for them.
When Ranma was out of her way, and she could see her father once again, Akane asked, "Is it true, Daddy? You really didn't consider me a martial artist all this time?"
"Oh, Kasumi has seemed to have misinterpreted what I may have said," he deflected. Kasumi, hearing this, furrowed her brow and pursed her lips in displeasure. The backhanded way of him calling her a liar did not sit well with her. "Your sparring session with Saotome-kun obviously shows that you're quite accomplished. It...it makes me proud." This last sounded like a lame attempt, even to Akane. Normally she would be ecstatic at him acknowledging her abilities. The turn of the conversation, however, precluded her from feeling such joy.
"If I remember right, though," Ranma piped up, "you offered any of your daughters to me as my fiancée." Soun's jaw dropped at Ranma's accusation, seeing that the fathers' plan had been recognized for what it was. He continued down this trail of observations. "In fact, after getting to know your daughters, I might instead decide to have Kasumi as my fiancée. I mean, since Akane is obviously not your intended heir. Since she doesn't know the Tendo-ryu, what's the point? Yeah, she's my age and everything. But she's not as great a cook or housekeeper as Kasumi is. All of your daughters are good-looking. I'm sure any one of them could have a lot of kids." Ranma could feel Akane tensing next to him, so he laid one hand onto her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Kasumi doesn't need bridal training like Akane does. Heck, it might be better to have her set aside, so she can learn all of that over the next few years. Why can't I take someone that already has those skills? That way, you can teach me the Tendo-ryu and I don't have to worry about anything else besides teaching." Ranma's look turned evil. "Or I could find the whole deal null and void because you tricked the Saotome family into believing we were joining, rather than taking over the Tendo dojo."
This last remark alarmed the two older men greatly. They were about to protest.
From her position, Kasumi caught Akane's eye, giving her a wink. "Oh dear, what Ranma says really does make sense. Since I've known him, he's shown some maturity above and beyond his age. Look at how he was able to skip through two grades, pulling Akane along with him? While I don't like younger men, I do find myself somewhat attracted to him. Why, what with Akane learning the Saotome-ryu from him, she's just a student to him, obviously. It's not like she cares for him yet, if at all." Putting a finger to her chin, she looked thoughtful. "I'm nineteen now and Ranma has two more years before he could get married. Why, by the time he marries me, I'd be like an old maid. Maybe it would be better for him to bed me now, perhaps? That way we could get started on our family before I get registered as a Saotome. Today's morality has been much looser than in the past." Internally, she felt a wince at her own words. She might actually want a family before she became too much older.
Genma allowed a smile to twitch onto his face as he saw Kasumi's manipulation of her father. He was still wincing inside at Ranma's comment. Soun was looking stricken as he was getting hit from multiple sides by his family and eventual son-in-law. "I think the arrangement could still stand," he choked out hesitantly. "Akane being the martial artist that she is..."
"If I recall correctly, when Akane came home after one of her fights, didn't you say that girls are supposed to be ladylike rather than brawling in the dirt with the boys?" Kasumi was not letting up, much to Ranma's delight.
Soun winced and shrank in on himself. There had been many occasions that Akane had come home scuffed up after a bout with bullies or someone who had been just a bit too arrogant for their own good. He had hoped she would get through that phase so she could be a more attractive catch for potential suitors. Akane's growl of anger was cut off when Ranma dug his fingers into her shoulder.
Ranma put in his own statement, "I thought that, with Akane being the martial artist of the family, she would at least know the Tendo-ryu. Granted, I could have chosen any of your daughters as my bride. But I thought, at least, you would have taught one of them your family's style if you actually wanted the schools to be united. And Akane would have been the obvious choice." With a little bow to Akane's oldest sister, he went on, "Now, even after what I said about Kasumi, I'm willin' to keep Akane as my fiancée."
Nodding, Soun agreed with Ranma's last words.
Ranma continued, "That being said, we need to learn the Tendo-ryu from you. Both of us." Ranma felt odd talking down to Soun, who would be his father-in-law. The situation demanded it, though. "I wanna know, though, why you didn't actually teach Akane."
Loosening his grip from his gi pants, Soun took a deep sigh. He then looked up at Ranma, who had somehow gained a stance of superiority over him despite him being less than half his age. It was a humbling experience. "I love my daughters." He redirected his look at Akane, who he could tell was fuming. "When she was younger, Akane was the only one that showed any interest in the martial arts. As her mother would always joke, she was 'Daddy's little girl'. I allowed her in during the training with my students. I even worked with her afterwards. But I could never bring myself to hurt her."
His voice sounded regretful, "After my wife died, I seemed to have died as well. It took me years to recover. But, by then, I had been displaced. Kasumi took care of everything within the household. She would only bring matters to me if it required an adult's intervention. Nabiki...well, you've seen how independent she is. And then, of course, there is Akane. She reminds me so much of her mother. Every time I thought of taking up training her again, I would see her," he stressed, indicating his deceased wife, "and couldn't bring myself to do it. My daughters remind me so much of my wife, but most especially my little girl, Akane."
The two Tendo girls felt the agony their father was in. They had lived through their mother's death and the shutting down of their father. Kasumi remembered it best of all, of course. Hearing him confess that it was Akane that reminded him of her most of all didn't surprise her. Her youngest sister's looks were closer to their mother's than the older two. Their mother had kept her hair short and Akane had emulated her. Now, with her face matured and sporting short hair again, Akane was almost a mirror image of their mother. She did not feel envious of Akane for this, for she had found her own niche to reflect their mother. Though perhaps Nabiki had felt jealousy for the longest time.
Strangely, Soun was not weeping as he was confessing. "For the longest time, I merely watched my girls grow. Of course, when Saotome-kun wrote me, I was elated to have you coming to fulfill the agreement." He laughed, seemingly at himself, but cast a brief glare at his friend for having left him out to dry, "Though I didn't figure I would be expected to teach the Tendo-ryu as well. I do suppose it should be expected." Sobering, "Give me a few days to polish up," Soun managed. "We can start on Monday. Right after you get back from school." Looking down at his hands, which were clenching the pants of his gi at the knees again, "It's not that I don't consider her a martial artist. Many of the things I said were...I just didn't want my little girl getting hurt. At first, I thought she was going through a little fad. Daddy's little helper," he admitted lamely. "After the passing of my wife, I tried to dissuade her by not encouraging her. But she found other ways to continue improving." As he continued to give his story, returning to how he hadn't trained Akane, his story seemed to contradict itself. Just like his own father, Soun was used to dissembling. Unfortunately for him, not being as well-practiced, he couldn't even keep his story straight within five minutes of telling one and going to the next. Ranma, catching this discrepancy, shook his head in disappointment.
Akane remembered a conversation from her past. It had been during the time the engagement was transferred from her to Nabiki. Her father, as she recalled, had said it didn't matter which Tendo daughter was engaged to Ranma. He would respect the wishes of each of his daughters. Of course, that probably only went only so far. At least one of them was going to marry Ranma. It didn't matter whether she knew martial arts or not. But Ranma hadn't been privy to that conversation. Now he was angry on her behalf.
"Any way you look at it, the agreement was to engage Ranma to any of my daughters," Soun said, confirming Akane's reminiscence. "Not that you would have been receptive to the idea of being engaged, even with recent events at school. You've always been fairly independent."
This last was very true. Originally, Akane had been adamantly against the engagement. Against anyone her age, that is, since she had considered Tofu Ono something of a catch. It had taken two years and many events to finally bring the two's feelings for each other out of hiding.
Taking a step nearer to her father, Akane sank to her knees. She needed to head off any ill will between her father and fiancé. "In the little bit of time we've been together, learning and everything, I've found I'm not opposed to our engagement. We fit together quite well," she confessed to everyone. Ranma clamped down on his own emotions and reactions, including anything his face could betray.
Elated at this news, both Soun and Genma brightened. Finding himself out of the limelight, he took the opportunity for what it was worth. "So, you're not opposed?" he asked hopefully.
Looking back and up to Ranma, she received a slight nod from him. "That's right. Neither of us are opposed."
Soun's eyes sparkled at this momentous news. "We can have the master bedroom ready for you two by this evening," he exclaimed, his emotions bubbling out.
The two youths' breath caught at this announcement. Did this mean what they thought it meant?
"Ah, Daddy?" When she couldn't get his attention because he was now dancing a jig with Genma as they waved victory fans, she grabbed the wooden practice naginata from Ranma's unresistant hand. She bopped him on the head. Not enough to truly clobber him, as she wanted answers, but enough to get his attention. As he looked at her, rubbing the rising bump, she asked, "How can you expect us to sleep together when we're not even married yet? And we just announced we're not against the engagement. It's not like he's proposed, and we've married already."
"What's wrong with that?" he asked in return, looking perplexed. "Since you two are fine with the engagement, I'm perfectly fine with you two sleeping together. Why, in this day and age, many young men and women are doing so. And they're not even engaged." With a knowing grin, "Why, your mother and I-"
Kasumi interrupted, her own sense of modesty kicking in, "Father, please. We don't need to hear about your and Mother's goings-on."
Akane was waiting for her eldest sister to continue, saying it would be improper for them to be moved in together. That was not forthcoming, to her chagrin. After a moment of silence, Akane prodded, "Um, Kasumi...don't you think it's too early for us, too? Don't you think it's improper?"
Placidly, Kasumi looked up at her thunderstruck youngest sister. "Why, no, Akane. He is the man of the house and our father. If Father and Uncle Saotome want you to move in together, then who am I to go against it?" Both Ranma and Akane's jaws dropped, dumbfounded. They would have surely expected Kasumi to be against the idea, but her explanation was beyond anything they thought they would hear from her. The wooden naginata clattered to the floor as it fell from Akane's hands. Continuing, Kasumi placed a finger on her chin again as she remembered something. "Of course, you two will have to use futons. I don't think your bed is big enough for the two of you. Father and Mother never had a bed." Turning to Akane, she said placidly, "If you want to have a bed, you will have to wait for us to get one for you two within the next day or two. Would you prefer that?"
Shaking her head in dismay, Akane couldn't form a response to Kasumi's acceptance. Kasumi's "dutiful daughter" to a patriarchal household wasn't all just for show, apparently. It was hard for her to be upset or find fault with the idea at the moment, as it had become ingrained to agree with Kasumi. Ranma slumped down a though he had been cut down from underneath to sit on the floor.
"I'll have breakfast ready in just a bit," Kasumi said, standing. She gave the two youths a pleasant smile before turning her attention to the other two in the dojo. "Why don't we let them have some time to themselves, so they can talk?"
After their fathers and Kasumi left the dojo, Akane turned to Ranma. "Aren't you going to say anything?" she demanded of her fiancé.
Ranma looked like he had been hit up alongside the head by dimensional lumber. Visibly shaking himself to seemingly cast off the way Kasumi had treated the whole affair nonchalantly, Ranma became reflective. As if he were having an internal conversation, he shook his head and sighed, then shrugged dismissively before saying anything. "What's the point? This way we don't have to sneak around." A sly grin crept onto his face.
"It's...it's the principle of the thing," Akane wailed.
Laughing outright, Ranma held his arms out to Akane, motioning with his hands for her to come to him. She did so, straddling him and wrapping her legs around his torso like a small child. She punched him lightly on the chest with the back of her fist before wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. He gave her a kiss on the neck, nestling his mouth near her ear, so he could ask quietly. "Are you really opposed to it? If you are, I'll do whatever you want to keep them from moving us in together."
This gave Akane pause to think about it. It warmed her heart that he would consider her feelings on the matter. They were already being sneaky about certain...things. Ranma was willing to move in with her, which sent a thrill up her spine and did other things to her as well. She already had a diaphragm that she could use to keep from getting pregnant. While she wanted to have a formal wedding, she didn't know if she, herself, could go on with how the situation was continuing. She wanted everything of Ranma and had been the one to continue the advancement of their relationship.
Even continuing it into the sexual realm, she admitted to herself. This was so unlike her from before Jusendo that she was almost worried about her actions as much as Ranma's had been concerning Shampoo. It wasn't like she hadn't had a libido when she had first met Ranma. In fact, it was her own overactive imagination and distrust that had kept her from admitting her attraction to Ranma. Only once had she broken down and shown how truly worried she was for Ranma's safety. That had been when he had returned from his bout with Herb.
His suggestion at fighting their fathers about the move was gratifying and irritating at the same time. Ranma's willpower was ironclad and could withstand even the amorous advances of Shampoo. If he said he would do something, then he would do everything to the best of his abilities to accomplish it. Even by going to the extreme by staying apart from her if she so chose.
Having had the chance to ponder, the decision by her father to move them in together wasn't so much a bad idea as she had first thought and reacted to a few minutes ago. Knowing their luck they would have been found out at some point. More than likely sooner rather than later.
This line of thought made her grin wickedly into Ranma's shoulder. If they were going to be sleeping together from now on, they could also take baths together, she realized. A good back scrub would be nice after their workouts. And then, of course, the soak in the furo.
"I guess if...if you're not against it, sure, why not?" Akane could feel his smile widen...and other reactions. Pulling back, she kissed him passionately as she realized he wanted the same thing as herself. "We have to lay down some ground rules for those two, though. No children until after we get done with college, at the very least. I guess their attitude about it is to be expected. They're disciples of who again?" she asked rhetorically. "Besides, with this, you shouldn't have any problems with your mother."
Chuckling again, Ranma nodded. "Of course. We have other things in the next two years we have to deal with. We can't be puttin' you and our kids in danger." His expression flashed coldly at the idea of his fiancé or their progeny being put into danger by Herb or Saffron's forces. Much less any of the other oddities that happened to the two of them. Then his thoughts shifted to which room they would be occupying. "The old lech is going to be coming back sometime soon, too. We'll be taking over the room your dad gave to him." This presented a whole new dilemma for the two. What would Happosai do? Being the lecher that he was, would he try being a voyeur? Try sleeping with them? Nodding to himself, Ranma decided that he would deal with the freak when the time came. Akane's reminder of his mother and the contract seemed like a non-issue because of how she had treated him after finding out about his curse. With them together, Akane's claim came before his mother's, in his opinion. They were already planning on how and when they would contact her. This development was a major step towards convincing his mother he was manly.
Akane looked ill at the reminder of the Anything Goes Grandmaster's habits. She shuddered involuntarily as her thoughts paralleled Ranma's related to him. "When he comes back, I suppose he can have my old room. Though even a shoe box is too good for him."
Ranma pulled back, laughing. "It sure is." A thought struck him. Sobering, he said, "We need to pull his stuff out before he gets back. Find anything good he has stashed away for ourselves. Like the moxibustion scroll. We can make copies of it and then return it to the shrine he stole it from. Other stuff like that, too. He likes to use the pages for his fires and it would suck to lose all that knowledge."
Akane's mouth formed a small "O" at this. "Just think, with all of his material, we may find out how he developed the school in the first place." At Ranma's raised eyebrows, she furthered the idea, "If we know all of his techniques, we can beat him. Then the school will transfer to us as the Masters."
"Hmm. You're right. Yeah, let's do that. We can start all that sometime after we get home from school today." Akane's idea had great merit. Gleaning whatever information they could from his stash would work against the evil gnome.
Shifting, Akane looked about, then turned back to Ranma. "Ready to go get cleaned up?" she breathed into his ear, eliciting a pleasurable shudder from him. "I'll scrub your back and you can scrub mine," she singsonged. Then she wiggled enticingly in his lap.
Groaning, Ranma nipped at Akane's earlobe. His hands started roaming to other parts of her body aside from her back. Pulling away and pushing him back, Akane rolled out of his embrace, standing. "Hey, no fair," Ranma whined.
Holding out her had, she helped Ranma to stand. They went to go get cleaned up and ready for school.
0830, Wednesday, 20 June
All three of the girls they had turned into boys returned to school that morning. The two in their class cast glares at Ranma and Akane throughout the morning, but said nothing to them. The martial artists didn't worry about the looks. They had already dealt with much worse than what a dirty look could do.
Ranma sought out Hiyori in her classroom when lunchtime came about, sending Akane out to meet up with their own friends. Hiyori was just leaving to meet up with hers. Upon seeing Ranma, she balked. Casting her eyes about, she sought a way to escape, but found none.
"Go away, you creep!" The animosity in her voice was like venom.
Leaning on the wall just inside and to the left of the door, Ranma held his bottle in his hand. "You wanna talk?"
Hiyori trembled. Whether it was in anger or fear, Ranma couldn't tell. Perhaps both? The remaining students in the room stopped what they were doing, watching the spectacle. "The guys said they're done messin' with me. How about you?"
Lifting her chin, Hiyori looked down her nose at Ranma. "We talked. Cowards. I still say you need to go away. Tendo does, too, after what she did to us."
At the mention of Akane, Ranma's face hardened. "Mess with Akane, it's gonna get worse," he warned. A chill went through the room at his words. Around him, the air cooled, creating a light fog.
Unsettled but still defiant, "Stop bothering me." She went past him out the door, refusing to look at him.
Shrugging, Ranma left to meet up with the group down in their usual spot. When he arrived, Akane looked at him questioningly. He shook his head, a little sad. She shrugged. The others, noticing the byplay, asked what was going on. The two explained the situation.
1530, Wednesday, 20 June
Later, just as they were leaving their class for the day, Ranma said to Akane, "Time for phase two."
Akane shook her head. "I still say it's perverted, but whatever. Get on with it," she huffed.
Chuckling, Ranma hopped out of the window and waited near the entrance, invisible to everyone with the changes to the Umisenken he had managed to develop over the past few weeks. As the three girls exited the building, he stepped up behind them. Each one felt a light breeze under their skirts. Looking around, they didn't see anyone around them.
Ranma ran ahead and leapt into some nearby bushes, hiding so nobody would see him coming out of the Umisenken. As the girls passed him by again, he began following them, making sure they noticed.
As the girls walked, they seemed to start shifting in their clothes uncomfortably. Ranma knew they were starting to feel the effects of the powder he had placed in their underwear. When the effect fully hit them, he laughed, seeing them begin tearing down the road in an attempt to get home as quickly as possible. They didn't realize that the combination of friction and sweating would only make matters worse. He followed Hiyori home. Since she was the ringleader, he had figured that getting her would prove more beneficial than trying to harass all three.
When she got home, Hiyori ran to the bathroom, stripping out of her clothes, then rushing to wash herself. Ranma, once again using the Umisenken, had made it into her house with her noticing. He found and waited in her room as she was cleaning the powder from her body in the shower. Before she could return, he began rearranging her room.
Upon returning in a bathrobe, Hiyori gasped, finding her bed standing up in the corner. The mattress and covers were behind it. On the floor, all of her books were set out like dominoes. Other objects were scattered about seemingly haphazardly. As she took stock of her room, a ball rolled towards one of the books, seemingly on its own. She watched as it knocked the first book over, causing a chain reaction.
Ranma had set up the effect so that, when the last book fell, a stuffed animal flew towards the doorway. As it arced through the air at Hiyori, she screamed, running away. She went to the kitchen, babbling incoherently to her mother. When she returned with her mother in tow, she found that her bedroom had been put back together just as it had been before Ranma had rearranged things. Only Hiyor's mother's reticence and Ranma's inhuman speed allowed him to have done so. She looked around in shock. Her mother, exasperated, called her an idiot and left, returning to the kitchen.
Unsteadily, Hiyori entered her bedroom. Cautiously, she made her way to the center, slowly turning. As she was facing away from the door, she heard it close and lock. Turning quickly, she saw a fierce oni mask she had bought during a festival floating a few feet away from her. Screaming, she jumped back, landing on her bed.
The mask floated closer to the bed. Ranma, hearing Hiyori's mother running at the sound of her daughter's scream, laughed throatily, using a voice as deep and evil-sounding as he could manage. He threw the mask at the girl, who cringed and hid behind her arms, then leapt to cling to the ceiling as the door opened.
"What's wrong?" Hiyori's mother demaned. She ran to her trembling daughter. Ranma, seeing his chance, slipped out of the bedroom and then the house.
On the way home, Ranma couldn't help but laugh hysterically. If Hiyori didn't change her ways he would be doing much more and worse. Next he would ostracize her from her friends followed by more antics directed at her.
At home, he described the pranks he had administered to the girls to Akane. She tried to act stern about his removing their panties, applying the powder and then returning them. However, after he described how they had begun running, she couldn't help but laugh as well. The remainder of the story had her guffawing.
1930, Wednesday, 20 June
Their futons were rolled up in the corner. The dressers had already been stocked with their clothing by Kasumi. Akane's dresses were hung up in the closet. The desk from Akane's room had been brought down so that she could use it for schoolwork. Personal paraphernalia had been left up to them to distribute throughout the room. Almost all of it was Akane's as Ranma had only what he could carry in his backpack. Of which, their camping gear was stored in one of the cubbyholes in the room.
After their bout of training, Ranma and Akane sat in their new room with several boxes they had pulled from the attic. The fathers had left them alone after their return from school. A brief talk about training in the Tendo-ryu had taken place during dinner. Soun would pull the scrolls detailing the Tendo-ryu from his storage chest, which was kept under lock and key.
Now, though, they were going through Happosai's stash of stolen scrolls, manuals and magical objects. It was astonishing to see exactly what he had gathered over nearly one hundred years of pilfering. The moxibustion scroll, as they recalled, had been stolen during his younger years. The picture that had been drawn of him appeared as though he might have been in his early to mid-twenties. The drawing had also belied his assertions that he had been strikingly handsome in his youth.
Their first task was to sort and catalog their findings. Simple scrolls and drawings in one pile. Training manuals in another. Of course, magical objects would have to be packaged in smaller boxes just in case their magic could interact with one another. It would hardly do to have something summoned or an explosion happen in their bedroom. Objects like the love pills, for one, would be destroyed as soon as possible.
There were even the odd pieces of lingerie scattered throughout. It was obvious that they were Happosai's favorites. They had been placed in small boxes, each one pressed carefully. They each came from different eras, Akane realized as she noted the various designs about them. She could not believe her eyes. Happosai was almost like a museum curator with the pieces he had. By the time they were done sorting, she was able to count nearly one hundred and fifty pieces. Likely there were one from each year.
She made note of this to Ranma. Curious, Ranma rummaged through several of them, ones that he hadn't seen already. "Y'know, I think you're right. If that's the case, just think of how much they would sell for." Akane gave him a disgusted look. "Nah, nothin' like what you're thinking," he defended himself. "There's places that show off different designs and stuff. I'm sure there's someone that does the same with underwear. You wouldn't believe the places I've seen when the old freak dragged me and our dads out." He made a gagging motion.
"Like the tea house you found Konatsu at?" she giggled.
"Heh. That wasn't the worst one by far." As he began ticking off the places he had been dragged to in the year and a half Happoai had lived with them, Akane paled. She hadn't realized just how much Happosai had put Ranma through. "Yeah, his so-called training journeys were nothing of the sort. Just him wanting to go out, get drunk and fondle women is all. And, of course, stick us with the bill. For some reason, Pops forced me to come along. Somethin' about all of us sufferin' together is what he tried telling me." Waving his hand at the collection, he said thoughtfully, "If we were able to get a good price on this stuff, it'd be pretty good payback. We could set it aside and call it the "Freak Fund"."
"Let's try not to make him mad. Remember the one time that you did. He started ordering expensive food and charged us for it." It was petty but effective. Ranma had been forced to leave for the night, if she recalled correctly.
"Easier said than done," he said sourly. "He pisses me off more than anything. Maybe this time we'll be able to beat him and be the Masters of the school. Then he can go retire somewhere else. Or we can help him retire," he said menacingly. Never in the time he had known Happosai had he considered him his Master, even though Happosai had claimed him as his heir to the Anything Goes school.
Turning back to the piles they had sorted out, "That's why we're going through these. It will take months to read through all of them."
Slamming his fist into his hand, Ranma cursed silently. "We need to get some folks together soon. Konatsu for one. He knows the Body Doubling Technique. If we were able to learn that, we'd be able to read through everything in no time!"
Dubiously, Akane asked, "Are you sure we could learn it? Konatsu's a kunoichi prodigy."
Puffing himself up, Ranma retorted with, "If anyone could, I can. I just never got a chance to have him teach me. Then again, after seeing it, I might just try learning how he did it on my own." Deflating a bit, "Though it would be easier if he could show me." He grinned. "You up for a trip when we have some free time?"
"Sure, why not?" she agreed. "Konatsu's a sweetheart. He doesn't deserve to be stuck there any longer than he needs to. His stepmother and stepsisters are just too cruel to him."
Ranma agreed. "Okay, so this weekend, we're already booked. We should be able to hike up there the next Sunday, though." Turning back to the piles, he made a wry face. "Might as well finish what we can tonight. At least we are caught up on our homework for now. I guess this is our new project for the time being."
Two hours later, they decided it was time for bed. With their fathers in mind, they stacked boxes in the middle of the room. Essentially, they were making what looked like a wall to separate the room into two living spaces. They placed a futon on each side.
Exiting the room to perform their evening ablutions, they made a show of readying themselves for bed. They talked about it on their way to the bathroom or kitchen, making sure their fathers could hear, who were lounging in the family room. When they were done and entered their room, they saw that futons had been repositioned next to each other. Akane, without a word, moved the futon back to where it had been before. The two said their good nights to each other and turned off the light.
Ranma, lying on the side closest to the family room, could sense their fathers listening with glasses against the wall. He smirked, turned and slammed his fist into it. A startled yelp came from the other side. They were stunned momentarily at the impact of the glass against their ear as well as the booming sound that was emitted. They wouldn't be able to listen to anything for a time from whichever ear they had used.
Akane quietly snuck out of the room, turning the corner to glare at the men. As soon as she came around the corner, they tried fleeing. "And just what do you two think you're doing?" she demanded.
"Oh, ah," Soun laughed, looking somewhat contrite. "We were just making sure you two were getting settled in is all." He tried a disarming smile.
Tapping her foot, Akane glared at them until they sheepishly departed from the hallway. "Don't do it again and let us sleep in peace. Otherwise...," she threatened with a fist. With them shaking their heads manically, Akane watched as they departed. Soun to his room and Genma up the stairs. She hoped they would stay where they were supposed to. When Akane returned to the room, she didn't see Ranma immediately. Upon further inspection, she found him hanging from the ceiling like some spider, peering about at the ceiling. "What're you doing up there?" she wondered.
"Lookin' for holes. I wouldn't put it past Pops to make one or two so he could watch us." He dropped down to the floor. "Go on up and turn the lights on in the room for me, would ya? I'll turn the lights off down here and it'll make it easier for me to find 'em."
Liking the idea, Akane made her way to the guest room. Knocking, she was let in by Genma. "What can I do for you, Akane-kun?"
Peering about, she tried to identify where she and Ranma would be sleeping below the room. Since the light was already on, she didn't need to worry about that. "Ranma said something about you making holes." Her tone was ominous. "We're making sure you didn't do anything like that." Walking to the futon, she rolled it up while Genma watched with half-lidded eyes. She then stomped her foot on the floor. She then retrieved the lamp that Genma used for his needlework when repairing his gi. Flashing it about, she walked around the room.
There was a muffled, "Found it," from below.
Akane replaced the lamp. Crossing her arms, she glared at her future father-in-law. "I do hope we don't have to do this every night," she warned.
Swallowing nervously, Genma bobbed his head. The dangerous glint in her eyes promised much pain. Between both her and Ranma, he was sure to suffer, he knew.
With his acknowledgment, Akane left the room and returned to her own with Ranma. He pointed to an area of the ceiling just above where his futon was. "That's where the hole was. Not sure if he made it or not. I couldn't tell if it was a fresh hole or an old one. But I put a cork in it."
Akane could see that the color of the cork contrasted with the ceiling's darker color. Feeling some relief, she hugged Ranma. "Will they ever stop this idiocy?"
"Eventually," Ranma mollified. "Probably after our first kid."
Akane laughed into his chest. Sighing, "Oh well." Pulling him down so she could whisper into his ear, "Let's wait till they're asleep. Then we can have some fun."
Raising his eyebrows at this, he smiled, one to match her own wicked smile. He waggled his eyebrows in agreement.
0425, Thursday, 21 June
The Land of the Rising Sun. Japan was called this because it was the furthest eastern nation of Asia. The only hills that separated it from the next bit of land thousands of miles away were the swelling waves. A lightening of the horizon began to break up the monotony of twilight. The planet spun on its axis, rotating so that the lands would experience the sun. As it did so, more light began blossoming, turning from a violet to a blue, then showing a variety of other colors. And so it was, in Furinkan, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, that the sun peeked over the horizon. Rays of light speared down upon the waters and land. As the edge of the sun crested over the Pacific Ocean, two youths were lying in bed, enjoying each other's warmth and comfort. It was their first morning sleeping together under the Tendo roof. After they had heard their fathers go to bed, Akane had joined him in his own. This situation had been a long time coming, with its own trials and tribulations making the two appreciate the fact even more.
Ranma, feeling Akane's rising warmth, pushed away from his partner. He had always been a warm person. But the skin-to-skin contact this morning was causing him to sweat uncomfortably. The two were without their tops. No tanktop, bra or pajama top. Just panties and boxers.
The heat coming from Akane became alarmingly hot. Sitting up, he saw that she was actually glowing like red-hot iron. Pulling the covers off of her and grabbing her up, he felt her body beginning to singe the hairs off of his arms. She awoke at the clatter of their door opening violently. Looking about in consternation, she asked, "Ranma, what's going on?"
"You're burning up," he said through clenched teeth. Racing through the family room, he used his foot to slide the shogi open, leaping towards the pond that was beyond. He quickly tossed her into it.
Splashing and sputtering, Akane cried out. "What's the big idea?" She stood, looking at him indignantly.
"Look at yourself," he pointed.
Doing so, she saw that the clothes she did have on were now catching on fire above the water. The water around her legs was bubbling and evaporating at an alarming rate. Steam was beginning to shroud her, making her glowing body faintly indistinct. The koi were huddling on the opposite end, attempting to keep from being boiled alive. "What the...!" she exclaimed.
Above, Genma poked his head out and instantly returned after noting Akane's state of undress.
Soun, also woken by the commotion, stomped out to the engawa. "What's going on," he demanded before seeing Akane. He turned away. "Why...why do you look like you're on fire, Akane?" he exclaimed in mortification.
"I don't know what the heck is going on! Ranma just threw me into the pond, and I was like this." She stepped out of the koi pond. The water hadn't been cooling her off and there was no need to kill the fish.
As soon as she stepped out, her entire body burst into flame. A column of fire rose several feet above her, her hair waving freely within the vortex of heat. As Ranma watched, it began coalescing into what looked like a bird, wings sprouting first as jets and filling out. Akane rose into the air, her eyes going sightless, nestling where the breast of the bird appeared to be. She folded her arms and drew her legs up into a fetal position. Her head rested on her knees. The fire took on a solid form, feathers encapsulating the young woman. Ranma's memory flashed with the sight from a dream.
Stepping forward, Ranma called upon the feeling he had felt when dealing with Shampoo. The surrounding air became frigid. The two auras battled each other. The martial artist's determination was such that he dug furrows into the ground as he advanced against the onslaught. Having used the Hiryu Shoten Sha numerous times, he knew now to pierce through the heat, moving forward.
With a beat of its wings, the bird rose into the air to hover several meters above the ground. Daring to risk his own hide, Ranma leapt after it, latching onto each of its legs with his hands. The aura he was producing somehow protected him, so he thought. The legs he was grasping felt like a bird's, light and scaly. His hands just fit around them, thumbs meeting forefingers. The bird reoriented itself to what seemed its intended destination. Those watching below, as both Soun and Genma had returned their attention to their children, hearing Ranma's grunts of exertion, marveled at how Ranma was able to keep a hold as he was swung about violently. And then they were merely a streak of fire in the sky.
Hanging on for dear life and for fear of Akane's well-being, Ranma tried to see where they were headed. The heated winds distorted his vision too much and forced him to close his eyes. They were traveling so fast that his body was held horizontally and he wondered if he would lose the only piece of clothing he was wearing. The land below, if he had been able to see it, was a blur. Had he been able to know the measurements and destination, he would have questioned the veracity of how fast they were going. In only five minutes they were landing in the bowl of Mount Fuji, a fifty-five-mile trip from their starting location.
The bird pulled its wings for the sudden descent. Ranma, feeling the immediate change in speed, opened his eyes to see the ground rushing towards him. They were obviously headed to the peak's crater with the Hasshin-po, or the Eight Sacred Peaks. Taking a calculated risk, he swung his body in such a way that he would hit the side of the crater. There was gravel or, at least what looked like it, sliding down from the edges to the center that he hoped would soften his impact. No matter where he would land, volcanic rocks were going to be a major hazard. He landed and became like a dart with the impact. His body buried itself into the loose cinders, ash and whatever else had been caught since the last eruption. Luck was with him as he had evaded one of the boulders obscured beneath. Bursting out as soon as his forward momentum was arrested, he stood unsteadily in the small crater his own body had made, shaking himself violently to clear away the dust.
The enormous bird settled into the bowl gingerly. A fierce maelstrom of fire picked up debris. The bird folded its wings, giving a primal scream and began shrinking in upon itself. As Ranma watched in consternation, he saw that the debris and fire were forming what appeared to be an egg. The fire was super-heating the cinders, fusing everything together. The egg was twice the size of Akane's fetal form, which he was unable to see, unfortunately. He began rushing down, only to find a concussive force throw him up and over to the other side of the crater, which happened to be over two hundred meters away. Twisting his body cat-like, he managed to land safely.
By the time he made it back to see what had happened to Akane, the egg had been formed. The surface of the egg was a coruscating flame with vermilion red, tiger orange and goldenrod yellow whipping about like a projector was displayed upon it. Outside of it he could see a shimmering heat, a wall thick and dangerous to anyone that attempted to get close.
Again, he leapt forward, rushing to see if he could save Akane. When he was within five meters of the egg, he was thrown back by another concussive force. It was strong enough to cause much of the free soil and gravel to shift downwards. Some of it reached the egg, nesting around it. Thankfully none of the rock face was damaged or released anything but dust.
The memory of his fight with Saffron came back to him. He had almost been caught in the strands that shot out from his body, which would have given the phoenix boy sustenance somehow. The thought he could become the same for Akane sent a shiver through his body. Realizing that he was unable to get close without endangering Akane or himself more than he dared, he sat down atop a boulder near where he had landed from the last blast. Hikers had not gotten up yet from their campsites from below. None would likely arrive within the next few hours. And thus, Ranma made himself disappear and began his vigil.
While Ranma was combating his roiling emotions, Akane was in a dream-state. She was flying through a cloudy sky. The clouds appeared as if they had been brushed against the blue as an afterthought by some painter. She swooped from one to the next, causing them to swirl about by the convection current her super-heated body created.
Curiously, she looked at herself, noting she had wings stretching off to either side. Each feather was a unique mixture of a deep red, more of a ruby, orange hues and finally a brilliant yellow. The tips of the feathers emitted a wispy flame of the same colors. The sight was magnificent to her mortal eyes.
"It is wonderful to be able to fly once again," a voice echoed in her mind.
Akane tried to speak, but she found she did not have a mouth able to do so. A screeching sound came out of what she supposed was her beak. Instead, she thought, "Who are you?"
The voice chuckled, amused. "I am you and you are me. We are now bound, two souls joined as one for all eternity." She could not tell whether it was male or female.
Wonderingly, Akane asked, "Are you a phoenix? I remember dreaming of one not too long ago." She peered at her body again.
"Yes, I was one of many. I was trapped in what you called the Kinjakan. Your touching me without any form of control or safeguards released me into you. Upon your death we were reborn together. I find it both odd and amusing that we are two years in the past. Ordinarily we should have immediately formed the egg and been reborn. " The tone of the voice became contemplative. "Today is the Summer Solstice, the day our Kind have taken for ourselves. Perhaps the Dragon had a talon in it. Or, in your terms, hand, as it were."
Akane felt a smile form, or what could be counted as such with a beak. The "our" the voice had used included her, she understood. "The Dragon?" she queried. Akane remembered seeing one alongside the Phoenix in her dream.
Amusement tinged the Phoenix's voice. "Yes, our Mate. He has yet to Awaken like we are now. His day of Power has passed and will not come again until the next Spring. We were not cast back far enough for Him to Awaken. Perhaps because the Dragon thought it prudent to keep the Binding with Jusenkyo."
"Would we be able to Awaken him before then?" Awakening Ranma's Dragon sooner would be beneficial to the both of them, she felt. If the Dragon was the one that had chosen their return, it would be able to shed light on what their new purpose was. Apparently it wanted Ranma to remain cursed for some reason as well. Might as well ask while she could anyway. "What or why, rather, are we back two years in our own time?"
The Phoenix gave another chuckle. "As to our first question, we know not. Though we suppose we could ask Him if He were ready and what it would take to Awaken outside of His chosen day of Power. It is likely He is half-awake already. He has seen fit to show His powers recently. He is quite powerful in his own right, much like a bonfire is to a candle. He gathered knowledge and wisdom while we soared the skies and ate of fire to sate our hungers. Also, our Mate called upon His abilities to be able to touch and fly with us here. Though we would never have harmed Him. Now our Mate watches over us like any Dragon would over its hoard. For the second question, only He seems to know, for we do not. When He Awakens perhaps He will tell our Mate this. For now, we are merging into one being finally."
She mentally grumped at this news. It appeared she and the Phoenix were along for the ride, so to speak. As it seemed to always be the case when it came to Ranma. He was also going to be much stronger if what the Phoenix had said was any indication. That was fine. Matching Ranma was a goal she enjoyed now, as it gave her focus and a purpose. Now the bar had been set higher.
In a different bent, it began speaking of its own origins, "We are not of the East, as we thought we might be. There are many incarnations of our type. Our Eastern ideal is much like a peacock with other animal attributes. They are about, surely. But, as we are from the West, this is a foreign land. We have found we like it much as...our birthplace." Akane got the impression that it was implying her birthplace, that of Japan, rather than its own with the last. At times keeping up with how the Phoenix was referring to itself, switching between as an individual to the two combined, was getting difficult. She thought that, with the Dragon's intelligence, Ranma wouldn't have as much difficulty with something of a birdbrain for smarts. That was fine, she assured herself, as she was smart enough for the both of them. "We were caught and carried to Jusendo for the purpose of our powers. This is why we appear as an eagle rather than a peacock."
The Phoenix continued with its instruction, changing the subject once again. "We sensed that, rather than being attuned to Fire like we would have expected, we were originally attuned with Earth. With our coming together, Fire has risen as our dominant attribute. Though Earth has not been lessened. Rather, Fire is now primary and Earth our secondary. We find this combination unsettling. Yet we will endure," it said with resignation.
"Is there something wrong with me having been attuned to Earth?" It was curious that she would be considered attuned to such an attribute. She would have guessed Fire, if anything. Distractedly, she rose higher into the air above on of the smaller clouds. Diving, she began to corkscrew violently. Pulling her wings in just right, she was able to create a vortex that, when she passed though the cloud, she sucked it down with her, creating a trail of super-heated condensation that chased after her.
"It has been so long since we were able to do that," the Phoenix reminisced. "Not since before we were tricked and trapped within the Earth." It paused, correcting itself, "No, not within the Earth, but within the metal, rather. As to being attuned to Earth, nay, there is nothing wrong with such. Fire and Earth are complimentary much like Fire and Air. Water is our opposite, obviously." This made Akane laugh. She couldn't swim and now she was bound with the Phoenix, where Water was, as it said, its opposition. Or, because she was attuned to Earth, she sank like it. Or a rock, actually. Whatever.
Akane felt a strange sadness wash over her. Just as the Phoenix was saying, they were merging. That meant the Phoenix would be trapped inside of her soul and have no freedom once again.
Somehow reading her mood, "Yes, by the time the sun sets in the west, we will be as one fully. We will not be trapped. Until then, we can speak to ourself. Do not be sad, for this is much better than the existence we had before. We are free once again and that is all that matters now." The Phoenix seemed to be content with merging with her? As an individual, herself, losing her consciousness would have seemed like a betrayal.
"What abilities do we have?" Akane asked curiously, turning her thoughts away from her dark imaginings. "Can I...we, rather, turn into a phoenix and fly like we are now?"
"We have already done so. When we stepped out of the water our Mate threw us into, we assumed our form and flew to a suitable place to hatch." Akane felt the Phoenix pause as it searched for words and meanings through her memory. "Mount Fuji, as it is named. We are atop it. Aside from flying, it is likely up to our imagination, strength and what we can do with Fire. And perhaps Earth. We were only concerned about eating and flying after the last time we hatched. Before then...we do not recall." Going back to its earlier talk, it said, "Just because we do not have the wisdom and knowledge as the Dragon does not mean we are not powerful. We just do not know our own capabilities, for we have never been tested."
This made Akane wonder more at what kind of phenomenal cosmic powers she would be able to wield in such an iddy-biddy body. In her limited understanding of how Fire worked, it was a destroyer. Burning and consuming whatever it touched.
"Afterwards, there is Life," her thoughts were interrupted by the Phoenix.
"You can read my mind now?" she asked in wonder. There had been hints, but she was now asking directly in order to confirm this fact.
"Of course. We are merging. More than half of the day has passed while we have flown about."
Either they had been speaking super-slow or Time was different in this dream realm she found herself in. If it were a dream, it may be like any other she had experienced where she had been able to manipulate her dreams. Drawn back to something the Phoenix had aid, she asked, "What did we eat?"
"Fire," it said simply.
"Fire? Did you start forest fires or something like that so you could eat it?"
"No, nothing of the sort," it said disdainfully. "We did not start any ourself unless by accident. Which rarely happened. We preferred going to the spouts...fountains." The Phoenix paused as it accessed Akane's memories for the right vocabulary. "Or, as we call them now, volcanoes. They have the best of fires that they give off. If there were fires we saw elsewhere, we would partake, but not add to. To the Wood or grasses, that is. Wood does not appreciate being burnt. Sometimes we would be asked to consume all the fire that was taking from Wood. When we did this, Wood provided wisdom for us. Our wisdom will slowly seep into our mind over time. To do all at once would hurt us too much."
So, there were other Forces aside from Air, Earth, Fire and Wind. Wood was apparently one of them. "Volcanoes are made of both Fire and Earth," Akane prompted. Perhaps this new part of her soul would find the combination refreshing?
"Hm," the Phoenix said with a dismissive hum. "If we say so."
Apparently the Phoenix was a bit prideful. It considered Fire to be the primary attribute. Or, at least, above Earth. She received the impression that Fire would melt the Earth, not merge.
Akane heard or sensed what could only be a sniff from her companion. "We all have our faults. At least we don't have to contend with Water. We would have gone insane, we're sure. Now, the Dragon, He is Water and will have to deal with Wind. Or Air, as we seem to think of it. What the Forces or Elements are called is of no consequence. They are what they are."
The sky began to darken about Akane. Turning on her wing, she wheeled about, searching for the sun. She was unable to locate a golden orb on the horizon.
"We fly within a dream. Outside of our egg, the sun will be gone soon from our sight. When that happens, we will hatch. Afterwards, we will be one, and we will not be able to converse like we have."
Content with merely flying now, Akane stretched her wings. With the ability to manipulate the heat under her wings and about herself, she was able to increase her speed. They played a game of tag with the clouds or created vortexes like before to disperse them. Others the spun around madly to pull them tighter or into interesting shapes.
"Fare the well," the Phoenix said, eventually.
And then all was black.
0600, Thursday, 21 June
Prince Saffron's chamberlain opened door to the chambers that housed his master. As he was about to putter about and begin setting his master's clothing out for the day, a ruddy glow emanating from the bedroom. In alarm, he rushed to the door, peering inside.
Standing of its own volition was the Kinjakan. It was glowing red-hot and emitting a flame that did not burn any of the cloth that surrounded it. As he watched, wisps of metal from the top leading down were flaking off and disappearing into the air. The stream appeared to be going to the east.
Checking to make sure that Prince Saffron was in no danger, he rushed back to the door he first came in from. Flinging it open, he called out to the guards, "Quickly, find Captain Kiima."
Startled at his sudden appearance and orders, one of the guards took a couple of hops and winged away. As he was about to turn the corner at the end of the hallway, he nearly crashed into the captain. "Hurry, ma'am," he cried, "the chamberlain has called for you.
Fortunately, Captain Kiima had been on her way to see Prince Saffron. Even while the prince was still young, he was the ruler of his people. She was going there to speak with him about a matter of State. Finding that something was amiss by the guard's demeanor, she winged her way to Prince Saffron's chambers.
Inside, the chamberlain was working at pulling the boy out of bed lest something untoward happened to their ruler. Bundling him up unceremoniously, he was on his way out when he came face-to-face with Kiima. "The Kinjakan," he breathed, "something is wrong with it.
Peering beyond the old man, Kiima could see exactly what he meant. They slipped past each other, attending to their requisite duties. Walking around the device, Kiima was shocked to find that, if she tried reaching for the scepter, the heat intensified. Otherwise it appeared content to disintegrate.
A muzzy-headed Prince Saffron woke to find himself being hastily dressed by his chamberlain. Irritated, he pushed the man away. "Leave me be." Taking a step back, the man bowed. "Tell me, what is going on? Why are you manhandling me in such a way," he demanded imperiously.
"The Kinjakan, your Highness, I fear that something is amiss with it," was his reply.
Standing to his full height of three feet, the little king looked at the bowing man imperiously. "Stand aside. I will go to see it for myself."
Unable to disagree with his liege, the man stood aside. Prince Saffron strode to his bedroom where Captain Kiima was still walking about, examining it. Without a care, the boy reached for the Kinjakan.
Almost immediately, he pulled his singed hand back. A look of surprise and pain crossed his features at the betrayal. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded of Captain Kiima.
Bowing, "We do not know yet, your Highness. We only arrived a moment ago and it was like this. Like yourself, I have been unable to reach for it." She wasn't about to tell him he had been careless. In fact, if anyone should have been able to take hold of the device, it would have been Saffron himself. However, the Kinjakan was protecting itself even from its owner, or so it seemed.
Pointing to the wisps that were floating away, "And this. It's as if the staff is disappearing."
Behind him, the chamberlain had followed and replied, "Yes, your Highness, it was doing that when I first saw it. By the looks of it, it will only take a little while before it has evaporated entirely."
Yes, evaporate seemed to be the proper term for what they were seeing. "Fetch some water and douse it."
Complying, Captain Kiima went to the bedside where a half-full pitcher of water sat. She got as close as she dared, splashing the Kinjakan. Steam rose from about it as the water was instantly super-heated. Not a drop had touched the metal.
"What else can we do?" Saffron asked. He was only that of a nine-year-old. Water had seemed to be the best course of action to cool the metal.
"We may try more water, if you so desire, your Highness," Captain Kiima replied.
The youth peered about the room to see if there was anything that might assist them, but found nothing. "Then do so."
Hurrying out of the bedroom, Kiima ordered the two guards to gather more men and bring water to the room in buckets. They scrambled to comply.
In the meantime, the metal was disintegrating faster. This alarmed the two that were watching.
By the time the guards had returned with the appropriate hardware and water, the disc that sat upon the Kinjakan's top was gone and the upper portion had dissolved halfway to the handle-like protuberances. Taking one of the buckets, Captain Kiima threw the water at the scepter. Again, all the water turned to steam.
What could only be described as a warning pulse from the scepter as Captain Kiima grabbed another bucket, she stopped. Looking to Prince Saffron, she was about to ask if he wanted her to try again. Fear and frustration stung his eyes, but he shook his head. It was obvious, even to him, that dousing it was not going to work. Foolhardy, even, if what they had felt was any indication. Over the course of the next half an hour they watched the Kinjakan disappear before them.
Once the Kinjakan was but a memory, Prince Saffron let out a scream. Alarmed at this turn of events, Captain Kiima and the chamberlain rushed to his side. He was breathing heavily, his eyes glowing a golden hue. They were pushed back as heat emanated from his body. To their astonishment, they saw what appeared to be a small firebird the size of a swallow claw its way out of his chest. It peered about before flying towards a window. As it touched the glass, it splashed against the material, bursting into what looked like sputtering flames. Where it had impacted resembled slag, smoke rising from the hole it had left.
Taking as great care as they could, they laid their prince upon his bed, calling for the physician's immediate attendance.
The chamberlain, distraught, decided that he was of no use at the moment. He would have to consult the archives as to what was happening to his master. Scurrying out of the way, he hastily made his exit and headed to the library.
1700, Thursday, 21 June
Ranma took notice of a bird that came streaking in at breakneck speed from the west. It fluttered down to an outcropping overlooking the egg. From his vantage, Ranma could only tell that it glowed with a light of its own and was about the size of a swallow. After several minutes, its head cocked towards him.
Leaping from its perch, the bird landed on a large rock closer to Ranma. With it nearer, Ranma could see that it was made entirely of fire. Like a glass figurine with fire swirling about within. The eyes glowed golden like the sun, its beak a burnt orange like a sunset and hooked to look like a predator, despite its size.
A few hops brought it closer.
Not knowing its intentions, Ranma tensed. He was supposed to be invisible to detection. The firebird flared its wings, beating them and baring its chest. This was a classic display of dominance. It hopped a few more feet forward.
Leaping into the air in front of Ranma, it circled the martial artists several times before landing on another boulder at his back. Like a cliff diver, it hopped forward, falling feet-first while keeping its wings close to its body. As Ranma sought to dodge it, he bird's wings spread out enough to guide it straight to his shoulder, upon which it rested.
The two eyed each other from inches away. The firebird nuzzled his ear with its beak. Reaching up, Ranma found that the heat emanating did not burn or bother him whatsoever. He pet it along its crest, which seemed to make it happy. Holding his hand out, the firebird hopped forward to land on his palm. With his other, he took up his petting again.
Returning to his vigil while absentmindedly petting the firebird, Ranma allowed himself to relax. He could only figure that this was either a chick or a relative of the phoenix that had taken Akane.
As the sun touched the horizon outside of his view, the firebird perked up. This drew Ranma's attention back to it. "Somethin' goin' on, little guy?" he asked it.
Turning its head to him, its body rotated to face him. Once again it flared its wings, beating them as a show of dominance, causing Ranma to smile and shake his head at its antics.
"I'm bigger and meaner," he jokingly growled.
Without warning, it shot at his chest. Unable to react in time, Ranma could only cry out in alarm as it began burying itself into him. He felt a warmth suffuse his body as the firebird reached his heart, seeming to nest there. There was no way he knew of getting it out of his body without actually tearing his heart out. And that, of course, wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Settling back into his seat, he sighed pensively and resumed his vigil.
-=oOo=- -=oOo=- -=oOo=- -=oOo=- -=oOo=-
Gasping for air, Akane sat up. She reached out and found a curved wall surrounding her. It was smooth to the touch. Frantically, she pounded on the encasing eggshell. Her breath was getting short as her body used up the oxygen in the confined space. She stood, hunched over because her ceiling wasn't too far above her head. She tried rocking the egg. Finding that this didn't work, she started punching the walls.
Her exertions were for naught. Finally, remembering that she had Fire at her beck and call now, she lit a small flame upon her fingertip. The inside of the egg looked like the outside. A red with what looked like orange and yellow flames. There were no cracks or weak points that she could see.
Fetching upon the idea of weak points, Akane extended the other hand, calling forth the Bakusai Tenketsu. About her the egg exploded into smithereens. She was able to suck in precious air.
In the instant that Akane broke through the egg, she stood to her full height. She zeroed in on Ranma who was sitting above her, watching intently. Flames wreathed her body, coalescing into armor that was reminiscent of the Edo period of Japan, otherwise known as the Tokugawa Shogunate. It was much like her father's yoroi armor, that being a samurai leader's armor signifying their status. The colors were that of the Phoenix she was now fused with. Deep reds transitioning to orange and then yellow. The helm's crest was a stylized phoenix, a crested eagle's head with flaming wings rising to either side. Hiding her face was a somen, or full-faced mask, shaped like a beak. It made her look like a tengu. Through the holes he could see glowing golden eyes.
On her back was a yumi with quiver and her hip sported a kaiken, or double-edged dagger women had carried back in the heyday of samurai. In her right hand, she was suddenly clutching a ko-naginata, a polearm that was slightly shorter than the one her father typically armed himself with. Absent was the katana and wakizashi he remembered seeing through Soun's obi before as well. With this regalia, she looked ever the onna-bugeisha. These women had been a formidable force within Japan before the influence of peace changed the samurai culture. Women of the noble samurai class that donned armor, wielded the ko-naginata and fought in many battles, most in defense of their homes. Women of Akane's like were known throughout Japan's history, dating back hundreds of years.
Leaping down from his perch, Ranma strode to his fiancée, allowing himself to carefully slip and slide down the embankment. She was at once intimidating and stunning in her outfit, the epitome of a martial artist. Slowing, he edged forward carefully to make sure he was able to go beyond what had been the invisible barrier keeping him away earlier. Satisfied, he quickened his pace and stood in front of Akane.
"How ya feelin'?" he asked in concern.
Akane took off her soumen and kabuto, both evaporating into nothingness. Her eyes still glowed. Looking at herself, Akane replied in awe, "Just great. Awesome, in fact."
He reached out to touch her forehead, "You have white hair here now."
Surprised, Akane pulled at her bangs, looking up to see that, yes indeed, she did have a white lock of hair. She didn't know what it signified, but knew it was more than just a change in color. Or lack thereof. Had it been a natural whitening, the lack of color would have started at the roots and, as her hair grew, and she trimmed it, it would have been like it was now. Instead, it was already fully white. Releasing it, she blew up to make it flutter back in place. She didn't have a mirror to see it in just yet and it wasn't that significant an issue, considering other events.
Knowing Akane was out of danger, Ranma relaxed significantly. He had been sitting on the ledge for fifteen hours, never taking a break or leaving sight of the egg. "You look like Tomoe Gozen from that old story we had to read in Japanese class last year." He walked around her, admiring what she was wearing. "Looks heavy. How does it feel on you?"
Taking a few steps and turning, she started putting her armor through its paces. She bent, crouched, kicked and did a myriad of other exercises. She even swung the ko-naginata around to test its heft. Luckily, Ranma had stepped back out of its reach before it whizzed by in front of him. "Not bad," she effused, smirking at Ranma's seeming alarm at her playing with the ko-naginata. "Of course, it was made to fit me perfectly. I guess I made it unconsciously?" Looking over her shoulder, she spied the yumi. Unslinging it, she let go of the ko-naginata, which evaporated like the soumen and kabuto. Drawing an arrow back, she shot it to the other side of the crater. It flew straight and quickly. She was unconcerned about the arrow, as she could likely conjure more. Shaking herself visibly, she concentrated on changing the armor out for her battle dress. Flames burst around her again, followed by them coalescing into her gi.
Looking up at the darkening sky, Ranma pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "We should get down off of here. See about callin' home and lettin' them know you're all right." Once again they were alone, all the hikers having descended before the dark could trap them at the summit.
Grinning from ear to ear, Akane shooed Ranma away from her. Complying, he moved several meters away. Once again, using her willpower, she was wreathed in flames. This time, however, they did not dissipate. Instead, the flames grew until a full phoenix stood before the pigtailed martial artist. It stood three times his height. Looking at herself, Akane saw that she was lighting the surrounding area. Thinking it would be bad to be noticeable while in flight, she dampened the flames until she was no longer glowing.
"Come on, Ranma. I can fly us there. You don't have to worry about getting burnt, either! Just climb up onto my back," she told him mentally.
Somehow not too surprised that Akane was talking in his head, he complied with her instructions. Akane's feathers were warm to the touch, but not unhealthily so. Sliding his legs in behind her wings, he grabbed onto a cord that appeared in front of him. "Ready when you are," he called out.
Akane looked back, feeling and seeing that Ranma was, in fact, secure. With a mighty leap, she crested the edge of the volcano and pumped her wings to gain altitude. The flying came naturally to her, she realized. Perhaps it was from her flight while dreaming or the ability had been transferred by the merging with the Phoenix. Creating her own warm currents, she spiraled higher into the sky.
Once she reached the five thousand meter mark, which was only twelve hundred meters higher than Mount Fuji, she leveled off and sped off in the direction of Tokyo.
This time, rather than being less of a burden and a much slower speed than before, Ranma was able to enjoy the flight. He looked about himself, seeing the tiny dots of vehicles and buildings below. He laughed in joy at the feeling. At the moment he could only imagine how it felt for Akane.
When he unconsciously tried navigating by using leg pressure as if he were on horseback, Akane looked back at him with a lidded look in her eye. Taking the hint, he stopped, but couldn't help chuckling.
"Do I earn sky miles?" Ranma asked jokingly, attempting to speak with Akane mentally.
Chortling, "Sure. But I get to earn some when you learn how to fly."
Intrigued, he looked down at her as she swayed back and forth on the winds. "When I learn to fly? What's that all about?"
Beginning with a giggle, she began recalling the conversation she had had with the Phoenix. As they flew, Ranma wondered at the fact that he was or would be fused with a dragon. He hadn't felt anything of the sort, much like Akane hadn't. If it were true, he would fully combine with on the coming Spring Equinox, nine months from now. When she finished, he told her about his encounter with the firebird.
"Speakin' of dragons," Ranma said after he finished his own short tale, "Wait till we meet up with Herb. He was all uppity about being a dragon descendant. Ha! By the time we see him I'll be fused with the Gekkajan dragon and able to transform just like you did. Think of what he'll be saying about that!" The two snickered at the idea.
As she looked about, Akane found that she was able to see in the dark quite clearly. Not only was it clear as day, she could see objects below her as if through a telescope. When she concentrated on an area, her vision would zoom into it. She didn't know if this was similar to a bird-of-prey's vision, but she really liked it. Relaying what she was able to do, the two discussed the possibilities her enhanced vision could do for them should such a need arise. Later they would have to get with one of their teachers to learn what focal lengths or whatever was associated with telescopes and how they worked. Then, when they had time, they could test out the ability and determine its strengths and limitations. As well as define its measurements.
Mischievously, she made dives through the sparse clouds. To Ranma's surprise and pleasure, the clouds did not trigger his curse as they streaked through them. Extending a challenge to him to hold on, Akane performed the spiraling dive she had done during the dream. He held on for dear life using the cord and his legs, pressing his body to hers as they spun about. When they came out of the dive he was whooping and laughing hysterically at the thrill. Akane couldn't help but feel pleasure at their shared journey. Both agreed that they couldn't wait till he was able to join her in his dragon form when the time came. A round of challenges of who could fly faster or perform various stunts passed between the two for a short time.
Their flight had taken them just over an hour from Mount Fuji to a park near their home as Akane maintained a light cruising speed unlike what Ranma had endured before. With the occasional detour and round of stunts, of course. Landing gracefully in a park not too far from the Tendo compound, Akane looked back at Ranma. With this cue, he slid down her back and landed on firm ground. His legs quivered momentarily as his body settled. It was not used to being seated in the position he had been. Akane's phoenix form shimmered, and she was back to her natural state, wearing her battle dress once again. Akane entwined her arm with Ranma's, exultant with her new abilities.
When they were within sight of the Tendo's wall, Akane stopped and turned to Ranma. She had been so focused on everything else but what lay at home she had forgotten to consider this problem. "What are we going to say to Daddy?"
"I was thinkin' about that while I was waitin'. A few things came to mind. I figure tellin' part of the truth would be fine." He looked slyly at her. "Let's just say a phoenix needed you to crack an egg for it. With your gorilla strength and all, you were the only one it would allow near its egg."
"Hmm...that's not a bad story," Akane agreed, looking amused. In truth, she had been the one in the egg and the only one able to crack it, so that wasn't a lie or obfuscation. Slightly disgruntled at his description of her "gorilla strength" to break it open, she punched him lightly on the arm.
"Hey, what was that for?" he complained.
"Gorilla strength, my foot," Akane growled, though she couldn't keep up her act and smiled.
Satisfied with the story, the two finished their walk home. Once they entered and called out that they were home, safe and sound, the rest of the family rushed to meet them. Soun was blubbering over Akane while Genma demanded answers of Ranma. Kasumi fussed over Akane, making sure she was whole and hale, noting Akane's white lock with some astonishment. She did comment that it was an attractive addition. Nabiki was the only one that stood back, seeing that both were doing fine.
Once they had settled everyone down and retired to the family room, Akane related the story of her "abduction" and egg cracking. Their fathers and Kasumi bought the story, but Nabiki schooled her expression to one of neutrality. She already knew that the two were lying. She had read their timeline and there hadn't been a phoenix remotely like the one that had taken Akane away. There had been only two. One on top of Kuno's head and Saffron.
With everything settled, Kasumi got the two dinner. Both hadn't eaten since the night prior, and they were famished. Though he hadn't done anything besides watching Akane's egg for fifteen hours, Ranma was tired. The stress and excitement had been too much. Akane had slept that entire time and her body was feeling refreshed. Still, though, she went with Ranma to their room. She didn't mind snuggling up to him. Remembering the Phoenix's description of him watching over her like one of his treasures was comforting, and she wanted to enjoy a some more of it.
As they were undressing, there was a knock at the door. Ranma answered it. Poking his head out, he saw that it was Nabiki. "What's up?" he questioned.
Speaking low enough not to be heard from the family room, Nabiki said, "I just wanted to get the real story from you two."
Shrugging, Ranma let her into the room. He motioned for her to sit in the chair at the desk. Akane looked at her from the closet where she was pulling out fresh undergarments. Her clothes from her fire abilities had yet to be dismissed.
Having heard Nabiki, Akane finished what she was doing and sat down on the futon. Ranma was still standing by the door, listening for any passersby or eavesdroppers just in case. Akane quickly replayed the events for Nabiki.
"So, you're saying that you're fused with a phoenix and Ranma a dragon?" Akane nodded, biting her lower lip to keep from grinning madly. "Wow, you two are just full of surprises, you know that? If anything..." Nabiki sighed, looking at each of them in turn a few times each. Shaking her head in wonder and bewilderment, "Not sure what to make of it or even how I feel. You two are taking it all in stride, though. Seems as though you two actually like the idea."
At this, Ranma let slip a laugh. "Yeah, not so bad, considering other things we could be joined up with. We've fought oni, mirror doubles, possessive dolls, ghosts, ghost cats, phoenix bird-men, a dragon descendant and a whole slew of others. Merging with a dragon and phoenix is actually the best thing we could have hoped for out of all this mess. Like Akane said, when the dragon and I speak together, we'll get the lowdown on why we came back the way we did. At least we hope so." He shrugged as if to dismiss the issue.
Waving her hand in surrender, Nabiki stood up. "Guess there's nothing that can be done about it anyway." Turning to Ranma, she gave him a stern look. "Just make sure my little sister stays okay. It's your job as her fiancé...or husband, whatever you two are now...to keep her safe." Akane was about to retort that she could take care of herself, but was stopped when Nabiki leveled her gaze onto her as well, making her swallow. "Same goes for you. You can be bullheaded sometimes. Listen to Ranma. From what I'd read, he's got a somewhat decent head on his head for tactics and when or when not to do something." Making sure she didn't inflate his ego too much, she finished with, "Unless it comes to women, of course. Then he's a total dope."
Akane snorted at Nabiki's words. "All right."
As Nabiki was slipping out of the room, she poked her head back in. "And keep it down to a low roar. If you're anything like Mother, the neighbors will hear you, too."
Blushing and beside herself, Akane threw her pillow at Nabiki. The pillow only hit the closed door.
Ranma grinned as he pulled the covers down. "She's right, you know. You do tend to get pretty loud."
Turning on him, she complained, blushing as bright as her namesake, "Not you, too." Before she could say anything more, Ranma wrapped her in his arms and kissed her, ending any further complaints.
That night, Akane's last barriers were broken down and she gave herself to Ranma fully. The passionate lovemaking was much like their first night together. With the added power of the Phoenix, Akane's aura caused their feelings to encompass more than what it had before.
Soun's dreams involved his late wife as she called out his name. She embraced him, giving him the consolation he needed after all this time. What had begun to heal before was now whole. Surely his overbearing love for his daughters and the future of the Tendo-ryu would bring tears, but they wouldn't be as overbearing as before. For once, he had the closure he needed with his own soulmate who had left him bereft before he could have a long and fulfilling life with her.
Kasumi and Nabiki dreamt of their mother as well. Kasumi basked in the feeling of pride and joy her mother emitted as she worked with a younger Kasumi in the kitchen, did the laundry and tended to the house. Her mother had instilled in her the need to care for her family. Feelings of accomplishment lifted her into a blissful existence. Meanwhile, Nabiki felt her mother's embrace. Unlike when she was alive, she did not have the jealousy typical of being the middle child. A canker that had festered in her soul was being lanced. It was the disease that would have taken her down a path to perdition. Had not the two's return and, what now seemed new abilities, not healed her, she would likely have found her afterlife in a place she would not have desired. Now she might have a chance at finding a new path, one that was more worthwhile and satisfying.
Genma, on the other hand, was likely too far gone on the path of gluttony and greed. His ultimate aim was that of sloth, where he could live off of the gains of his son. That was his ultimate goal. It was what had fueled his desire to create the greatest martial artist of his generation. While he desired to reconcile with his wife, the matter of Ranma's curse and the contract caused his cowardice to rear its ugly head. Even with Ranma and Akane's fulfillment of the binding of the two schools, he was still worred of her interpretation of the contract. While Ranma might get off, he felt that his fate was still in jeopardy.
At the end of their lovemaking, Ranma propped himself up with knees and elbows, alleviating his weight off of Akane. They kissed for a long time, their mutual love filling their hearts. Finally, Akane pulled him into a tight embrace. "Oh, Ranma," she said dreamily, "that was wonderful. Better than I ever imagined." She sighed wearily, her body relaxed after experiencing Ranma's fullness, which had filled her entirely. More than that, this consummation was the final act that sealed them together. Later, of course, when they were ready to have children and she carried one in her belly, would she feel another sense of similar feelings. Now, though, everything felt right in the world for her.
Ranma planted kisses from her shoulder up to her neck, humming his own feelings to her. Having experienced being inside of Akane was much like what Akane had felt. The non-penetrative intercourse they had been having had not prepared him for the full thing. When he had orgasmed, she had as well, locking him with her legs and feet in as far as he could go, their bodies melding into one. When their lips locked, tongues fighting one against the other, his brain had clouded over, above and beyond the feelings of exhilaration he had felt during a fight. This, he found, he could definitely get used to.
Loosening her hold on her lover, Akane let him pull out. With a few more tender kisses, Ranma stood and opened the shoji that led to their private engawa. The warm, moist air washed over his naked body. It was cooler than he was and it caused goosebumps to rise on his skin. Akane joined him, nestling herself against his side. He, in turn, wrapped his arm around her, his hand grasping the opposite buttock. Akane's hand roamed up and down his back, focusing on the small of his back. This sent another shiver down his spine as it elicited an electric feeling on his skin.
After a short time, Akane noticed that Ranma was stirring again. "Pull the futon over here," she commanded.
A rumbling growl much like a purr came from him as he disengaged and did as she had told him. When she pushed him down onto the futon, he could tell she was ready for more, herself. The hunger in her eyes showed she needed more. In fact, they would demand much more of each other throughout the rest of their night.
0700, Friday, 22 June
The patriarchs and Masters of their own schools were already sitting at the breakfast table when their progeny arrived. Both were of like minds and had been waiting for the two to show up. As Akane walked in, they paid special attention to her. They hadn't been able to do the same the day before because of the youth's
Or, rather, how she was walking. Telltale signs alerted them to certain...facts. Turning to each other, both grinned widely. The joining of the schools was assured!
Upon the three youths heading off to school, they retired to the engawa. Kasumi, noting their pleasant humor, wondered at why they were in such high spirits. She, herself, was feeling quite content, but that didn't account for the two fathers. Curious, she asked, "Father, did something happen that has you looking so happy this morning?"
"Mhm," he hummed. Genma chuckled at the response. "Oh, you could say that there have been some rather good developments," he elaborated.
Her father wasn't one to usually dodge a question from her. Raising an eyebrow, she inquired further. "And that is?"
Coughing uncomfortably, "It's not necessarily a subject one discusses with a, er, lady, Kasumi-dear."
There were only a few subjects that Soun was unable or had difficulty with discussing with his eldest. Or any of his daughters, for that matter. Reviewing the latest happenings, Kasumi finally deduced what might have made them as two pigs in mud. "Oh, you mean Akane and Ranma doing the horizontal tango?"
Shocked at Kasumi's frankness, the two older men looked at her with wide eyes. "H-how did you know?" Soun stuttered.
Exasperated, "You would have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to see it between those two. The way they touched and looked at each other during breakfast? Or how about the entire atmosphere between them? Something happened in the last two days aside from Akane being taken. That's the only logical explanation for Akane to be so...familiar with a boy," she explained.
"Oh...," Soun could only reply.
"Well, she was just a bit bowlegged this morning," Genma stated bluntly.
Smiling benignly, Kasumi rejoined with, "There is that, too. So, I gather from how you two are happy about their relationship has developed, you two will be going out tonight to celebrate?"
"No, we were thinking of celebrating tonight with everyone," Soun replied.
Already knowing Nabiki had set up something that evening, Kasumi said, "Oh, but that won't do. I think they have plans already, so they won't be here for dinner." Her father deflated a little at this. "But I'm sure we can do it tomorrow night."
Both men nodded. At this, the three began preparing for a Saturday night party.
0830, Friday, 22 June
When Akane and Ranma made it to school the next morning after their impromptu trip to Mount Fuji, Hiyori and her two friends were waiting for them near the entrance. Their minds were still hazy from lack of sleep, causing them to not notice the group immediately. Though, once they were several paces away, they felt the animosity directed their way as well as the three figures blocking their path.
"Saotome," Kusumi called out. Surrounding students that were streaming into the grounds stopped to stare at the tone of challenge. Hiyori stood next to her, unable to meet his eyes. "We're through. Got it? Let's just call a truce."
Akane looked over to Ranma, who didn't say anything at first. He stood there a moment, looking at the three girls. Finally, he nodded. "You got it."
Satisfied with his answer, they led the way into the building and went to their respective classes. Surprisingly, Kuno was not present to challenge Ranma, even though he was at school.
At lunch, when queried as to the reason for their absence by their friends, the two dissembled at first by saying that there had been a disturbance they had been required to attend to. It was easy to pick out one of the less zany escapades they had been involved in so as not to unduly alarm anyone. Akane attributed the change in her hair color to the shock she had received while attending to it. All-in-all, it was a relatively quiet day for them at school, which made them looking over their shoulders for something or someone else to pop out of nowhere.
1630, Friday, 22 June
Two Tendos and a Saotome were in the couple's room some time after school. Nabiki held up three tickets in front of her sister and Ranma. She had received them the day before while the two had been away but was just now announcing, "We're going on a double date tonight. A dinner and a play."
Ranma groaned as Akane's eyes lit up. "What's the play?"
Giving Ranma a brumal look, Nabiki intoned, "Romeo and Juliet."
Akane laughed at Ranma, who looked stricken and had facepalmed. "That's wonderful. But I don't think we can afford to go to dinner with you. Your dates always take you someplace expensive. And, well..." Ranma looked up, nodding.
"Oh, don't worry about that. I convinced him to pay for everything. In fact, he was quite interested in meeting and speaking to Ranma." Nabiki was still looking at Ranma, though it had turned to one more predatory than wintry.
His brow furrowed, "Say what? Why me?"
"He's a second year in college going for a psychology degree. And his father is a psychologist that focuses on gender identity patients and studies. He's even written a couple of books about it."
Looking perplexed for a second, the meaning of Nabiki's date's interests finally meshed for him. "Oh, great. You're wantin' me to talk to this guy about my curse and if I ever feel all girly?" His tone did not seem enthusiastic.
Hoping that the friendliness she had been garnering lately hadn't taken a step back, she pressed on. "Oh, don't worry about it. He'll ask some questions and you answer honestly. Besides, you get free food out of it."
The last sounded pleasant. Of course, as Akane had said, they would be going to an expensive restaurant or something to that effect. Ranma Saotome never turned down free food. Well, hardly ever, he amended mentally, casting a glance at his fiancée. The subject of his last thought was looking up at him with puppy-like eyes. She seemed eager to go for some reason. What's a little bit of table talk about my curse anyway? "Sure, why not," he finally agreed.
"Great," both young women crowed.
Akane gave him instructions on what she wanted to wear from his limited wardrobe, so she could coordinate her own outfit to synchronize with his. They had only an hour to get ready before they would have to meet up at the train station.
Ranma, being a guy, was ready within at least fifteen minutes. A change of clothes, brush his teeth, make sure his hair was still pulled back tightly. Yep, too easy.
On the other hand, Akane and Nabiki took the full hour. Since Nabiki already knew which outfit of Akane's she was going to wear, it was easy. Akane had already decided based off of what she knew Ranma had. It was the makeup and hair that just had to be just so that took the longest. To Ranma's delight the girls were ready in time for them to make it to the train station on time.
Outside the station was a young man that, upon spotting Nabiki, waved. He held a small bouquet for her, handing them to her with some eloquent words he murmured as he did so. Akane gave Ranma a significant look, but didn't say anything. She knew he could be thoughtful and romantic when it was warranted. Well, when he was trying to woo himself back into Shampoo's heart, as she recalled. Ranma watched her out of the corner of his eye, confused as she went from pleasant to vexed to neutral in a span of breaths. Not sure what he had or hadn't done, he shrugged it off.
The four of them introduced themselves to each other. After Ranma's introduction, Nabiki's date smiled pleasantly and shook his hand enthusiastically. Conversation was limited at that time due to their need to get onto the train and travel to another part of Tokyo. They were headed to a restaurant that was close to their theater.
When they did make it, Ranma and Akane were impressed that they were going to a French restaurant. As they were sitting down, Akane looked at Ranma, remembering something about Ranma's history with French cuisine. She leaned over to whisper, "We are not here as a martial arts contest. Eat like a person and make sure you don't use the Parlay du Foie Gras."
Ranma chuckled at Akane's chagrin at being in a French restaurant with someone that had learned to feed others without being seen. "Don't worry," he said placatingly, "I wanna eat my food and taste it, too."
The byplay was not missed by Nabiki. She was worried about Ranma's table manners herself. She had watched him and Akane nearly every morning since they had begun their training sessions.
It took some time, but after they managed to get their orders placed, Nabiki's date finally began to let loose with a string of questions for Ranma. Weathering them as well as he could, Ranma answered what he was comfortable with. In the meantime Nabiki and Akane took an interest themselves with the question-and-answer session playing out at the table. Nabiki even got into it by asking a few questions herself.
The meal went well with Ranma maintaining his civility at some of the more intrusive questions. He also ate at a human pace rather than as a human vacuum. When the four were finished with their dinner, Nabiki's date seemed to have pried as much information from Ranma as he had hoped. If not more, even. They left the restaurant pleasantly filled and went to the theater.
To Ranma the idea of the play was boring. He'd acted the part of Romeo already, right? What was the use of sitting there watching some actors dancing around on the stage? Unbeknownst to him, his worldview of the play, Romeo and Juliet, was about to be shattered.
The dialogue was similar to how Kuno talked, but he was quick to realize that this was authentic, archaic speech. Not the faux, want-to-be pontification the kendoist tried to spout. Having read many old manuals for training techniques he was able to decipher the Japanese that the actors were using. While it wasn't Elizabethan English, it was still reminiscent of times when the samurai had been the norm.
When the fight scenes played out, Ranma felt himself leaning forward to watch with a critical eye. He had only received two days' worth of instruction in kendo. This, however, did not stop him from analyzing the parrying, thrusts and footwork of the actors. They had obviously practiced the scenes in order to provide some authenticity to their acting. Granted, it wasn't like they were the same young lords that would have lived during those times in Italy who would have studied the blade, but it was good nonetheless.
Seeing the love scenes and byplay of the two main characters made Ranma want to groan out loud. Noticing how enthralled Akane was kept him quiet as he didn't want to upset her and ruin her evening out. He did note that the story was almost the exact opposite of their own engagement. Romeo and Juliet, two youths that fell in love in spite of familial clashes. He and Akane, whose fathers were the best of friends, who found themselves in an unwanted engagement and often clashed, denying any romantic involvement between themselves.
It wasn't until Juliet began her attempt to flee her home and reunite with Romeo that Ranma found himself becoming agitated. In his experience, setting oneself up in this way had, more often than not, led him to regretting his decision. He was vindicated as he saw that Romeo came in, only to find what seemed to be a corpse of his love lying on a stone slab.
Unable to control himself at this point, Akane noted that Ranma was sitting at the edge of his seat and had a white-knuckled grip on the arms. Alarmed, Akane placed her hand on top of his in an attempt to distract him from the play and relieve him of the obvious stress he was going through. It had no effect. Not wanting to create a scene, she kept an eye on him in case he was about to do something they would regret.
Romeo taking the poison he had bought, died. At this, Ranma could feel pity for Romeo, thinking that his love was dead. He, himself, had cried out and died of a broken heart. Upon seeing Juliet rise, coming back to life, Ranma felt his heart lurch in his chest. While he had caught Juliet's plan, he hadn't expected Romeo do go through with his own poisoning. He had hoped Juliet would awaken in time to stop the boy, but such was not the case. When Juliet plunged Romeo's dagger into her breast, Ranma collapsed into his seat, shocked.
By this time people had taken note of Ranma's tension and quivering body. Some found it amusing to see his reaction to the tragedy, others sympathy. Akane managed to pry one hand off of the seat and held it in her lap, stroking his arm lightly.
Several minutes passed after the curtains fell and the last of the applause had died before Ranma was able to finally turn to Akane. She saw unshed tears there, a frustration and turmoil stirring his mind.
"And you wanted to play Juliet?" he accused through clenched teeth.
Not fully understanding what Ranma was getting at, Akane's temper flared as she asked, "What's wrong with that? I played the Romeo part in elementary. Instead of being the guy, I wanted to play the heroine."
Gaining some control of himself, Ranma looked down at their clasped hands. Knowing he couldn't get his feelings across properly, he shelved them and his thoughts for later. At least Akane had enjoyed herself. Looking back up at her, he shook his head in an attempt to banish any ill will. "It's okay. I'm fine. Nothin' to worry about."
Pursing her lips, Akane knew better. His hand and arm were still stiff, but she didn't want to make any more of a scene. Standing, she pulled on his arm. Nabiki and her date were waiting by the exit already.
Outside, the two couples walked down the sidewalk. Nabiki purposefully led her date past a jewelry store. She stopped to admire what was being shown in the window. On cue, he invited her in to look at the merchandise further. Ranma and Akane followed them inside.
While Nabiki looked, Akane joined her, both cooing over the jewelry. Ranma managed to extricate himself from the trio, standing near a display case. A young woman approached him from the other side.
"Thinking of getting something for your girlfriend?" she asked.
A bit embarrassed at the thought of Akane being called his girlfriend, Ranma cast a furtive glance at their subject. They had decided to treat their second chance as such, but having it spoken out loud was disconcerting. With the most recent developments with their living arrangements, such thoughts were becoming distorted. "Actually, she's my fiancée," he admitted.
"Oh, I didn't realize." She looked over at Akane. From her vantage point she was able to note a lack of something significant. "Could I interest you in these, perhaps?" She reached into the display case, pulling out a set of rings.
Taken off guard, Ranma looked at the rings she was showing him. They were sets of paired rings. Not knowing the differences of such accouterments, he looked at the clerk in puzzlement.
"These are sets. One is an engagement ring and the other is a wedding ring."
Now enlightened, his face brightened. He had thought of buying an engagement ring for her in passing once or twice before. Each one looked dazzling to him until he noted the prices. "Er, I'm...it's arranged," he said lamely, in order to throw the woman across from him off.
Ignoring him the woman began telling him about each of the sets. How the diamond was cut and the meaning behind the various settings. Ranma's eyes glazed over as she continued. Akane turned to check on her fiancé. Seeing his nervous twitching she came over to see if he needed rescuing. The woman wasted no time drawing Akane into the conversation. She quickly had Akane's ring finger sized and was talking animatedly.
Nabiki, noting she was missing her sister by her side, looked over at the couple who were being bombarded with information. Smirking, she tapped her date to get his attention as well. The two watched with mild amusement at the two being overwhelmed. Her own desire for a trinket was put aside for the moment. Sauntering over to them, Nabiki's desire to toy with them came to the fore.
The forgotten date watched with no small amount of amusement at what he was witnessing. He paid careful attention to Nabiki's playful attitude. It hadn't taken him long to realize that he had been played this entire time for her benefit. This fact was of no consequence to him. He had managed to meet Ranma, a gender-changing fellow that had given him more insight into the curse than he could have ever received from talking to anyone else. The conversation he would have with his father would be a topic they could revisit and, perhaps, publish. If they could bottle it or find some way to get some to Japan he, could make a fortune perhaps? Ranma's observations about how it was a curse and the issue of finding oneself constantly harassed with water was noteworthy. Some recipients wouldn't be bothered by it, he was sure. He would have to mull the idea over and approach Ranma at a later time. The subject of his thoughts, he knew, desired a cure if there was one to be found.
Eventually Nabiki grew bored with her teasing. "These two couldn't rub two ten yen pieces together even if they wanted to," she said to the store clerk. The look the woman gave her was less than enthused. She redirected the clerk's attention back to the bracelets she had been admiring before.
Saved by Nabiki's less-than-complimentary observation, Ranma and Akane sighed in relief. After having denied their engagement for two long years the two had ingrained it into their systems to do so during stressful situations. By this point Ranma's nerves were shot, and he was, in essence, a twitching mass of flesh. Akane looked at the rings in the display case with some longing but knew that receiving one was a long shot for the time being.
After Nabiki had cajoled a present from her date the remainder of their evening was spent walking about before heading to the train station, so they could return home.
0800, Saturday, 23 June
The two young martial artists, who had been witness to their own deaths, were now shaking like leaves in the wind. "You sure she's coming?" Ranma asked.
Looking out the window of the family restaurant on the other side of Nerima from the Tendo's, Akane gave her affirmation. "I called her and she said that she got the letter. She'll be here any moment now."
"Man...I guess I better go and get ready." So saying, he turned back into the booth behind where Akane's companion would be sitting.
Just as she had predicted, a moment later a woman wearing a kimono and carrying a silk-wrapped object entered the restaurant. She was beautiful and refined. As she walked, it seemed as though she floated rather than walked in her sandals. The woman's hair appeared short like Akane's at first glance. Upon further inspection, it was braided and speared by a comely hair ornament to keep it fastened in place.
She was greeted by the hostess of the family restaurant and, after a short conversation, was led to Akane's table. At her arrival, Akane stood and bowed. "Good morning, Saotome-san," she greeted. Ranma hid behind his his menu.
Bowing to her hostess, Nodoka Saotome said, "And good morning to you, too, Akane-chan. My, you look lovely." The smile she wore was warm and bright.
Gesturing to the booth, "Please, sit down." The two did so at Akane's invitation. A waiter quickly came up and got them their drinks ordered. When he left, Akane started up her end of the conversation. "I've had word of your son, Ranma."
At this, the Saotome matriarch perked up, leaning forward and the menu she had just begun to open forgotten. "Oh, you have?" she asked excitedly. "It's been such a long time since I've seen my little boy," she said. Covering her mouth as she laughed at her own words, she corrected herself, "Or should I say young man now? Oh, never mind. How is he?"
Sitting behind her, Ranma winced at the longing he heard in his mother's voice. His fist clenched, remembering the antics his father had put him through before when they had feared her blade. That had been eight months of dissembling. Now he and Akane were staging another reunion on their terms. If his mother took the news of his curse well this time they would be meeting again soon. At least he hoped they would be. This time he didn't want to wait a year an a half before seeing her again. Three months being back in this life had been bad enough, but he had other problems he had wanted to manage first.
"Ranma is doing very well," Akane replied. "He's a great martial artist and has been helping me with my own skills."
"Oh, I see," Nodoka interjected. "So you're a martial artist yourself then?" The tone she had set Akane's teeth on edge a little. There seemed to be a hint of disapproval.
Remembering that Ranma's mother was the epitome of womanhood, Akane calmed herself down. After she had gotten to know "Ranko" and Akane, she hadn't had a problem with either of them being as womanly as she herself was. Smiling benignly, she said, "Yes, we've been engaged now for three months."
This brightened Nodoka's eyes even more than they had been before, a little gasp showing her surprise. "Why, that's wonderful! So you're one of Soun Tendo's daughter?" Akane acknowledged her relation. She reached out and grasped Akane's hands. "Is he manly?"
And this was the crux of the whole situation. Was Ranma manly...? Remembering just how manly he had been just a couple of hours before, Akane's face glowed rosily. "Why, yes, very much so," she confirmed.
The proclamation lifted Nodoka's heart. "That's wonderful," she said again. She squeezed her eyes shut and did a wiggle in joy. "I'm so glad to hear that."
At this point, the waiter returned and asked if they were ready to order. Akane, already having looked over the menu while she was waiting, was ready. Nodoka took a moment and ordered quickly so as not to be interrupted again at hearing more of her son.
"Like I was saying," Akane continued, picking up the conversation again, "we were engaged about three months ago. He and his father showed up one day and we had an omiai. For various reasons, I was chosen to be his fiancée." Her eyes grew distant as she became engrossed in the talk she had rehearsed with herself a number of times in the last few days. "We're both the same age and love the Art. It's our life and we wouldn't change it for anything. Because he trained with his father like he did for so long, he's really great at it. He's been teaching me so much. Enough so that I'm almost as fast and as tough as him now. He knows many other things, like how to be self-sufficient because he was on the road for so long." Taking a chance, she elaborated, "Cooking, sewing, first aid, CPR and many other things that he needed to survive." Nodoka nodded at all of this, none of it seeming to surprise her. "Because of that time, though, he's pretty rough around the edges. I blame his father for most of that. He's not the best role model that I've seen," she admitted.
On the other side of the divider, Ranma winced at Akane's last, though he had to agree in part that it was Genma's fault. He did know what manners were, but often ignored or forgot to use them. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to what Akane was saying.
"Even if he can be a bit of a jerk or an idiot sometimes," Ranma winced at this, "I still fell for him. When...when I told my father that I accepted the engagement, he had us move in together." She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Even though admitting this was a part of her plan, it was still something she was having trouble saying.
Nodoka gave a wistful sigh, stars in her eyes at hearing this. "How long ago was that?" the older woman asked, a gleam in her eye.
"Er, about..." Akane counted quickly, "about nine days ago."
Deflating a little, "Ah, I see."
Internally, Akane was slamming her head on the table. "She was wondering if you had gotten me pregnant already," Akane thought to Ranma.
For his part, Ranma mentally balked at the idea, shuddering. They were still too young and were in high school for that to happen. There was training to catch up on, fights and disagreements to resolve over the next two years and a myriad of other problems, to boot. It was definitely not the time for having children. "Just great. Maybe she'll insist on you gettin' knocked up to prove my manliness."
To keep Nodoka from thinking she would be having grandchildren anytime soon, Akane spoke up on the subject. "We're taking precautions. The two of us are still in high school and we don't plan to have children for a little while. We've been talking about going on a training trip together after we graduate."
Akane was graced with what looked like a plastic smile from Nodoka. "Why, that sounds interesting." Again the tone was less than enthusiastic.
Great, just great, Akane thought to herself. I really hope she doesn't become one of those types of mother-in-laws. Her appreciation of Nodoka's treatment of her from before was now being altered. Maybe she hadn't expressed this to her before because she had assumed grandchildren would be forthcoming after their eventual marriage?
"And where is Ranma now?" Nodoka finally asked.
With this question, Akane had two choices. She would either tell her Ranma's story or tell her that Ranma was on a training trip. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in, she let it out slowly. She could feel Ranma's own tension through their link. "Did you know that he and his father went to China?" she started by asking.
"Yes, I did receive word from Genma that that's where they were headed quite some time ago. They were going to some magical springs, as I recall."
Ranma perked up at this. He hadn't heard this mentioned before. This admission showed that Genma knew the pools had been magical. How so, Ranma didn't know, but he would have to review the pamphlet again to see if there had been anything more of note.
"I guess that you could say they were magical. In a way. In fact, they are cursed." Akane clasped her hands in her lap, looking down at the cool drink in front of her. A frown played on her lips. She took the plunge. "Both your son and husband fell into them. Now both of them are cursed to take on another form when splashed with water."
"Oh...oh dear," Nodoka whispered. "Is he...are they all right?"
Ranma felt his mouth twitch into a smile at his mother's slip-up. She had initially started to ask only about her son, but had changed it to include his father as well. So much for her really worrying about his father, right?
"They're both fine," Akane assured her. "Cold water is the trigger and warm water changes them back."
Relieved, Nodoka sat back with a sigh, one hand placed over her heart. With the shock of hearing them being cursed she had completely forgotten that Akane had been talking of Ranma and her together, which would have meant he was fine apparently. "What do they turn into?" she managed.
"W-well, Uncle Saotome turns into a panda."
Nodoka giggled at this. She could easily imagine her husband as one. But she cut it short as she realized that Akane was having trouble getting out what Ranma turned into. Could it be another type of animal, perhaps? "It's okay, Akane-chan, please tell me." She reached out her hand, which Akane took.
"Please understand that it's a curse and not what he really is inside," Akane pleaded. With Nodoka's reassuring nod, she admitted, "He fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl."
Nodoka blinked, the sound of her doing so audible to Akane. Behind her, Ranma held his breath. "I-I see." Releasing Akane's hand, she reached over and touched her bundle, her own hand shaking.
Seeing this, Akane's back stiffened. With some heat in her voice, she growled, "If you're thinking of the contract..." At the word "contract", Nodoka looked sharply at Akane. Continuing with her tirade, "Ranma will not be committing seppuku. He is more man than anyone could ever hope for. Even when he changes into a girl, he's still Ranma inside. I wouldn't change him for the world. I've only known him with the curse and I think he's a better person for it. If it weren't for the curse, he'd probably be an insufferable ass and I would never have gotten along with him. Or fallen in love with him for that matter."
Taken aback at the vehemence of the girl in front of her, Nodoka was mute as she processed what had been said to her. Finally, "And this girl side of his...are you...?" She left the question hanging, but it was obvious to Akane.
Flushing and her eyes narrowing, "No, I don't see Ranma's girl side like that. I'm not...like that," Akane emphasized. "But we've become best friends. His normal self is what I fell in love with and who I sleep with every night now."
This time it was Nodoka's turn to clasp her hands in her lap, looking at them. "I'm glad to hear that," she finally said, a tear making a track down her face. It hung off of her chin before landing on her wrist. "Even if he is cursed to change into a girl, I would still very much like to meet with him. With the two of you sharing a bed together, it's obvious that he is no longer a boy. And...and I suppose the contract has been fulfilled." Her steady voice belied the feelings that were roiling within her. Never would she have imagined magic to have created an issue for her son's manliness. Yet the young woman sitting across from her did not waver in her resolve when she had expressed her estimation of Ranma's manliness. This brought an overwhelming joy to her heart. As a traditionalist, she did not allow her inner emotions to display themselves in public. Instead, she would wait until she was not in public.
Both youths let out a huge sigh, not knowing they had been holding their breath. Akane's plan, as she had explained it to Ranma, had been to declare him her husband and have him made a Tendo if his mother did not accept him and the curse. They would then cut off all ties with her. Now, though, as she had apparently attested to his manliness, they could forego that route. He would remain a Saotome and be reunited with his mother.
Standing from his booth, Ranma walked around to stand next to his mother and Akane. Thinking it was the waiter, Nodoka turned her head away so that he would not see her tears. "Mother?" Ranma said softly.
Hearing his voice, Nodoka turned suddenly. Looking up at him, she realized it wasn't the man from before. Instead it was someone much younger. He was wearing a black Chinese shirt with a mandarin collar and string tied at the neck along with black pants. A white sash wrapped around his waist. She could easily see her own father's face reflected in him, one she had not seen in many years. Quivering, she stood. "R-Ranma?"
At his nod, she grasped his shirt and buried her face into his chest, tears streaming down her face. So much for public displays. She was too overwhelmed to care that she was in public. This was her son, who she hadn't seen in nearly fourteen years.
It hadn't been the slow buildup and reveal like she had received before, the youths realized. Now it was all at once. Not having seen her son in almost fourteen years had broken a dam in her. Awkwardly, Ranma wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He looked down at Akane, who was smiling, her own eyes moist.
Behind them, the waiter did arrive, breaking up the reunion. He hadn't noticed what was going on, as Ranma's body had hidden his mother. Recovering somewhat, Nodoka pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes and nose, then quickly sat down. Ranma followed by sitting down next to Akane. The waiter, seeing that Ranma had changed booths, readjusted immediately. Embarrassed at having interrupted them, he hurriedly left their food.
Nodoka managed to gather herself. Turning to Akane, she held one hand up as if speaking conspiratorially, but still loud enough for Ranma to hear. "My, he sure is handsome." Ranma blushed at her assessment.
Doing the same, Akane rebutted with, "He's passable. If I said something like that, his ego would get too big and he'd be more insufferable than he already is."
The two laughed at this while Ranma looked at Akane indignantly. "Yeah, well, at least I don't need bridal training." As they processed the words he said, they burst out laughing again. Realizing what he had said and its connotations, he slapped a palm onto his forehead. "Ugh. That didn't come out right."
As they sobered, Nodoka asked, "What's this about bridal training?"
Elbowing Ranma, Akane answered, "He's talking about my cooking. At least, that's what I think he's talking about," she growled, glaring at him.
"I think she's gotten about three recipes down now is all," Ranma admitted.
"Oh dear. Yes, we will have to remedy that, won't we?" Ranma's mother remarked.
Ranma grinned as Akane rolled her eyes and elbowed him again, though she was smiling. She couldn't wait to spend time with Nodoka. While they had been stressful before, she had a desire to bond with the woman. In her eyes, she was almost like an extension of her own mother, of whom she missed dearly. She didn't feel it a betrayal, as she was Ranma's mother and, by extension, her own in a way. Nodoka had treated her as if she were her own. The conversation so far was showing Nodoka's attitude would be the same.
"Now," Nodoka said, changing the subject and looking serious, "what's this about you having a curse? Would you be willing to demonstrate it for me?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Yeah, uh, sure." he looked around. "Could we do it at your-" Ranma winced, realizing that Nodoka's abode was also supposed to be his rather than the Tendo's. "I mean, our place? That is, if you can wait? There are some other things we wanna talk about in private."
With a nod of her head, Nodoka acquiesced. After that, their conversation turned to other matters, such as school.
1200, Saturday, 23 June
Home was not what he felt when they walked into the house Nodoka had been residing in since moving out of the tenements. That was sometime after he and his father had left on their training trip so many years ago. That tenement was in another part of Tokyo altogether and it was mere happenstance that she had moved to Nerima. Since he had only lived there for a week or so after his mother had found out about his curse, it had never gotten to be like the Tendo house. Right now, it was...foreign. Like visiting a friend's house. He had only visited Ukyo's, Shampoo's, Ryoga's and Hinako-sensei's, among a few others, so the feeling didn't surprise him. Had it not been for those visits to others' homes, he would have found the feeling disturbing and would have been on edge, questioning what and why he was feeling the way he was.
Had he lived in the house longer, he would have felt more at home. This feeling was, in part, because of three girls and their misunderstanding. Shampoo, Kodachi and Ukyo had ruined the house when they had thought he had an engagement ring. That had all been Nabiki's fault, the memory causing him to feel a flash of anger. It had looked like a ring box with a simple golden ring inside. Instead, the ring had been the handle that opened up to reveal itself as a pill box. His mother had told Akane that, as a martial artist's wife, she would have need of it, since that sort of life had its tribulations and headaches would be an often occurrence. Ranma wondered why that would be the case when it came to his mother. He didn't know, as he and his father hadn't been around to give her headaches. Maybe it had been passed down from her own mother?
Nodoka led them to the family room where she had them sit while she fetched them some tea and snacks. Even after having had a full meal and even dessert, the two were always in need of something. Their metabolisms were so high they burned calories like special forces soldiers out on the toughest of missions. Akane's had been a bit elevated before beginning her training with Ranma, but now it was astronomically high.
The two looked around the room, re-familiarizing themselves with the decor.
Feeling some of Ranma's unease, Akane grasped his hand. He looked down at them, then up at her, smiling. "Eh, it's all okay," he reassured her, in a low voice. "Just doesn't feel quite homey," he admitted.
Nodding in understanding, Akane turned her attention to the kitchen, where Nodoka was just coming out of. Ranma's mother set the tray down. On it was a kettle with several cups. More than what was necessary. When she noticed the two holding hands, she smiled wistfully.
Looking at one of the cups already filled with water, Ranma smirked. He reached for it before his mother could offer it to him. "Well, here goes," he grinned, watching for his mother's reaction.
Like most anyone else that saw his transformation, Nodoka was surprised, to be sure. But she was more impressed with how much Ranma-onna looked like her. Sighing, she cupped Ranma-onna's chin, turning his face one way and then the other. "From handsome to beautiful. Oh, my poor child," Nodoka chuckled.
Nonplussed by the attention, Ranma-onna allowed his mother to look at him. "Yeah, well, it gets me lots of free eats," he commented with a smirk.
"Oh, I'm sure it does," Nodoka laughed. Even so, she released Ranma-onna and rubbed her forehead with a finger where she felt some tension building.
The two looked at each other nervously. "Somethin' wrong, Mom?" Ranma-onna queried.
Smiling for his benefit, "When we signed the contract, the very idea that you could be changed into a girl because of magic never occurred to us at the time. With Akane-chan's insistence, I know that you're manly. This just takes a little getting used to. She did mention," her eyes flicked to Akane and back to Ranma-onna, "that this is a curse? What exactly does that...entail?"
Smiling ruefully, Akane deigned to answer for him as Ranma-onna found himself searching for the right words. "It gets him into situations when one or the other gender would get him into trouble. Like getting sprayed with cold water when in the locker room. In the middle of a fight when he needs a longer reach, but getting changed into a girl makes him so much shorter." Ranma-onna elbowed her lightly, chuckling at the reminder. "It happens the other way around, too. If he's taken up a challenge that he needs to be a girl for, then hot water always seems to find him.
Arching her eyebrows, Nodoka looked pointedly at Ranma-onna. "Challenges as a girl?"
Wilting under her look, Ranma-onna nodded. "Yeah, so like this Kodachi Kuno gal. She likes to take out her opponents before a tournament. She would've done that to our team, but we managed to find out about her beforehand. Akane would've competed against her for Furinken, but we're still workin' on some of her skills and all. Instead, I stepped in and took her down both times. Once when she came to take out the team and then at the tournament. Of course, I won," he said smugly.
With a sigh, "I see," Nodoka commented.
"I've been wonderin' since I got here," Ranma-onna said, pointing up and twirling his hand at the wrist. "How can you afford this place? Pops is cheap and we always had to scrounge for whatever we needed in the first place. I'm pretty sure he never sent you any money. Or, at least, not enough to afford this place."
Brightening at the change in subject, Nodoka stood, "I'll show you. One moment and I'll be right back." So saying, she left the two looking at each other in slight bewilderment. When she arrived, she was carrying large bundles of cloth. Gently, she laid them on the table, taking the uppermost bundle off. Unfolding it and holding it out, she showed them an elegant kimono. "I do sewing for traditional kimonos. I do all hand-sewn work, which actually pays fairly well. These types are expensive because of that. I do my own, but I use the sewing machine for that. It's faster and I don't need to impress anybody."
Akane fingered the silk cloth. It was beautiful and she said as much. Her own womanly arts did not compare.
Folding the kimono and setting it aside, Nodoka pulled the next cloth out. "I also do sashiko and some boro." Laying these aside, she pulled the largest and last out. The two gasped at the intricate stitches. "Then there is my nuido. This one is one of my smaller pieces. A client asked for a crane in a marsh. As you can see, it is nearly finished. When it is, then it will be framed and shipped to the client."
Ranma-onna looked at his hands, flexing them thoughtfully. He was able to mend his clothes to some degree, but such fine stitching was beyond him. The calluses, once-broken bones and large hands couldn't handle anything that complex. Even as a girl, his hands were too rough, he noted. Drawing pictures was difficult enough. He caught Akane looking at her own hands, flexing them thoughtfully. Her own thoughts mirrored Ranma-onna's.
"So you've been able to take care of yourself without Pops and me by doin' all this?"
"Yes," his mother acknowledged. "After having lived with your father for nearly three years and him taking you on your training journey, I knew I had to find something to do. As I had just finished high school but had no real marketable skills, I had to find something to tide me over. Once my work was shown in the right places, I was able to make a decent living. As you can see," she gestured much like Ranma had, "I have done pretty well for myself."
"You never learned the Saotome school's martial arts, then," Akane asked. "Oh, no. My mother dreaded me learning it. She thought it unseemly for a girl to practice. At one time I would have liked to, myself, but becoming Genma's wife was foremost on our minds. I had to become a good housekeeper and mother for our children. Well, child, rather, I suppose." She sounded disappointed at the last, as if she had wanted more than one child.
"So...you had an arranged marriage with Pops?" Ranma-onna inquired.
"Yes, when we were around ten years old. He showed great promise as an heir to the style, so our parents arranged for us to get married and he would become a Saotome to continue the line."
Akane remembered that she had left Genma at the Tendo's when she had taken Ranma home with her. The arranged marriage may not have included any love between the two if her actions and the story she had just told them were any indication. That might also be why her idea of manliness was somewhat skewed. If she had been raised to partake in the "womanly arts", her idea of what manliness would then have a set demarcation of what was right versus wrong. Her own martial abilities had caused her mother-in-law to take pause earlier at the restaurant, she recalled.
Reaching out, Ranma-onna took up the cup he had emptied over his head and filled it with some of the hot water from the pot. With enough of the cold water still in it, the water came out just right for him to change without being scalded. Nodoka watched his movements and change placidly. She noted how his body suddenly filled out his clothes in different ways as opposed to the slightly shorter torso, yet larger chest. His shoulders broadened considerably, making the fit of the shirt more exact and not like he was a kid wearing their father's or older brother's clothing.
"Yeah, well, Pops never talked about you. I only found out because I was goin' through his notebook and found your address. Didn't even know you were alive, much less in Nerima," he lied smoothly.
This caused Nodoka to frown and her brow to wrinkle at the news. Underneath her calm facade, she was roiling with anger. She had gone without her son for so long and he hadn't even known she was alive? That accounted for why he had never written in all of those years. Yes, she had received some of his school projects as mementos from Genma, only at her insistence, but their agreement hadn't included a total shutout. Genma had insisted that Ranma was busy with either school or martial arts. Now, hearing this, she wondered how exactly she should welcome her "husband" home.
Akane, seeming to read Nodoka well enough, tried to stave off any more depressing news by highlighting the obvious. "Well, Ranma's idiot father aside, he's here now. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"
Perking up, Nodoka did, in fact, want to learn more about her son. In the intervening years away, he had grown from a toddler to a young man. "Yes, let's talk more about your training trip all the way up till you moved in with the Tendos. I think you two helped to highlight a lot of what happened since you came to Nerima since then at the restaurant. We can get to some of your other developments since after I hear more about where you went and what you did. Of course, you two will be staying for dinner," she smiled, indicating that she would not take "no" for an answer.
Chuckling, Ranma relaxed and began to regale her with the more pertinent places he and his father had visited. Some of which Akane had heard about, but still listened raptly to his tales, as he hadn't been very forthcoming even in the two years he had lived with her before Jusendo. Unabashedly, he opened up to his mother, as he found himself having been accepted by the only other person aside from Akane whose opinion he cared about.
The afternoon turned into evening as Ranma continued with his rendition of events. The two helped Nodoka with dinner. When she began to insist that she was fine, the two made a point that they wanted to use the time as another way of spending time with her. This brought a mist to her eyes, as she hadn't expected the two youths to be so caring. Ranma made sure to watch over Akane as they helped with the cleaning, preparing and cooking of their dinner so that no mistakes would ruin it. Akane, for her part, enjoyed the time with Nodoka as, once again, she felt nostalgic. Nodoka once again seemed to fit in as a surrogate mother for her in the absence of her own.
Eventually, they agreed upon setting a date when she could come over to the Tendo's residence to see them when her sewing schedule allowed. It likely wouldn't be for a week or two, as she had some orders that required her attention. But the wicked gleam in their eyes at how their plans were formulated to bring Genma to a heart
Author's Notes:
I have to give credit to Pata Hikari for the ideas concerning the Tendo-ryu heir issue. In particular, their story, "(Un?)Necessary Instruction" highlighted some interesting information/ideas that I've grasped upon and played with. When I went back to the manga and re-read the arc where Nabiki takes over the engagement, I really had to think about that one. Also, a reviewer, then clued me in that Akane knew Soun's feelings on the engagement. So I had to go back and juggle how the four directly involved would have handled it.
Onna-bugeisha – (copied from Wikipedia) (女武芸者, "female martial artist") was a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese nobility. Many women engaged in battle, commonly alongside samurai men. They were members of the bushi (samurai) class in feudal Japan and were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family, and honor in times of war. Significant icons such as Tomoe Gozen, Nakano Takeko, and Hōjō Masako are famous examples of onna-bugeisha.
The most popular weapon-of-choice of onna-bugeisha is the naginata, which is a versatile, conventional polearm with a curved blade at the tip. The weapon is mainly favored for its length, which can compensate for the strength and body size advantage of male opponents.
The naginata has a niche between the katana and the yari, which is rather effective in close quarter melee when the opponent is kept at bay, and is also relatively efficient against cavalry. Through its use by many legendary samurai women, the naginata has been propelled as the iconic image of a woman warrior. During the Edo Period, many schools focusing on the use of the naginata were created and perpetuated its association with women.
Additionally, as most of the time their primary purpose as onna-bugeisha was to safeguard their homes from marauders, emphasis was laid on ranged weapons to be shot from defensive structures.