Ranma Dewblossom
Chapter one.
xxx
Genma grimaced as he glanced back at his child. It had taken him almost a year and a half to find him after he'd run off as a child. Actually... he hadn't really found him. It was just that one day, while he was on his desperate search through the countryside of Japan, he'd woken up and his son was back in camp, calmly preparing breakfast.
Even so, after the trouble it had been to attempt to track the boy down in the first place, even though he hadn't actually found him, he'd been more than happy to agree not to continue the Neko-ken training. After all, while the boy was gone, he'd flipped through the manual again, to refresh on some of the finer points of the technique, and realized that two of the pages were stuck together. After reading the warning on those pages, he hadn't intended to continue the training anyway.
The odd thing was, the boy seemed a little... different now. Every so often, Genma would catch him talking to thin air, having conversations with invisible friends or something like that, and his personality... had gone somewhat haywire to be frank. Most of the time he was normal, but sometimes a vapid smile would cover his face and he would start picking flowers and humming sweetly under his breath. Occasionally he would dance. Once, he had tried to interrupt these strange rituals, and for his troubles he had been beaten into submission with a large pink hammer. With daisies and a smily face painted on. And spikes. More disturbing, Ranma hadn't lost the vapid smile the entire time. From that point on, Genma had ceased interfering. Other times, his aura would suddenly go dark and he would begin brooding with a scowl while, of all things, knitting. Where he had picked up that particular skill, Genma had no clue. Once, curious, he'd asked what his son was thinking about, and, still knitting, Ranma had detailed a multi-stage plan to conquer Japan and use it as a stepping stone for WORLD DOMINATION. He'd finished off with threats of death, mutilation, and worse if Genma should reveal, in any way, any part of this plan. The sad thing was, it was actually well thought-out, and seemed like it would work. Suddenly, instead of an easily manipulated meal ticket, he had an apparently schizophrenic child that could really, really scare him on occasion. He cursed bitterly as he recalled that side effects of that technique could include insanity, but they'd never specified what kind of insanity.
For all he knew this could be his fault.
He shivered as the rain clouds overhead suddenly broke, releasing more than enough cold water to activate both his and his son's curses. On reflection, that was actually a pretty dumb idea too. Perhaps he should have learned how to read a little bit of chinese before going to a training site that was labeled in Japanese as 'extremely dangerous' and 'Avoid at All Costs.' How was he supposed to know that he shouldn't have gone there.
He shivered and tried desperately to control his unease as his son's, now daughter's, neutral gaze suddenly became malevolent and one hand slid into the pocket that he knew had a switchblade in it. Genma reflexibly rubbed a patch of fur on his throat, concealing a small scar, and Ranma-chan smirked. Ever since... that incident... he'd been wary of falling asleep before his son did. Thankfully, his son was a heavier sleeper than he was, meaning that Genma always awoke first as well. He had also learned his lesson about morning training... as long as he was allowed to waken by himself, his son would come to in his neutral, or occasionally even his happy personality. Genma paused that line of thought to consider. Happy... wasn't quite the best word for it. More like... cheery? Saccharine sweet? ... Pinkish, maybe? Something like that. But if the boy was wakened forcefully... as he had gained several new scars discovering... he went directly to his... other... personality.
Genma-panda shivered heavily, and Ranma released the switchblade in her pocket as her face went neutral once more. They would be at Tendo's soon... he just hoped his son would take the news well.
xxx
Unseen by everyone, Bruce was sitting on Ranma's left shoulder, and Ribbons was sitting on the right. They had long since grown weary of their human forms and taken up their true bodies, but Bruce had decided to continue the expiriment with Ranma. They allowed him to see them, none else. Should the situation arise, they could disguise themselves as humans once more, but for now the pink and white beings were happy to remain in their true forms. Bruce quickly recapped a little of what he'd learned.
From what he gathered, human children tended to either pattern themselves against someone they liked intensly, or in the case of Ranma, pattern themselves directly opposite to someone they disliked just as intensly. After discovering that, he'd privately been flattered when the boy took up knitting... although he'd been rather disconcerted the first time he'd joined Ribbons in dancing through a field of flowers. Obviously they had both imprinted heavily on the boy.
Bruce ignored the light rainfall as he continued whispering things into Ranma's ear. Not that he actually intended to talk him into killing his birth father... in public... but it was fun to watch the big stupid animal squirm. His idiocy truly grated on Bruce's nerves. To torture your young was one thing, and acceptable to a point, but typically a decent reason was expected if you were to totally destroy their life. All the panda ape wanted was to lazily feast of its youngs efforts. So shortsighted... That was his only longterm goal, and it was vague and poorly planned at best. Not to mention how stupid it was to torture his spawn in such ways if his only plan involved living off its efforts. That was counterproductive at best.
Humans were proving more and more fascinating with every discovery... he was beginning to get a faint glimmer of the First's motives.
Ribbons smiled. Down this street alone, she saw four candy shops, two flower shops and a lingerie boutique.
She blinked, wondering why she'd noticed that last one.
xxx
There was a knock at the door, reprieving Soun from the mutilation that was promised to him in his daughter's eyes. Perhaps springing this on them so suddenly wasn't such a good idea at all. He rushed to the door, leaving his daughters to stew... and immediately rushed back, just ahead of a large panda.
"This... is your old friend, daddy? A panda!?"
Soun rapidly shook his head, indicating a negative response. It would be a moment before he remembered how to talk.
"Oh... so this PANDA just happens to have decided to walk into our home, sit itself down at our table, and... ask for a... cup of hot water?"
Everyone stared at the panda, who had indeed pulled a wooden sign from somewhere with writing asking for just that.
"Hmph. Foolish old man."
Everyone paused to note the boy... raven haired and exceedingly handsome... that had just entered the room and dumped steaming water from a thermos onto the panda's head.
Everyone took a moment to reboot their mental processess as the panda was replaced by a balding, sneaky looking old man in a white gi. Ranma, his face neutral and unchanged at the display, tossed the thermos to land next to the pack he'd brought in and set down before turning to Soun.
"The rain outside... it is very cold. Would you mind terribly to allow a weary traveler use of your furo?"
"Uh... sure... go... go right ahead." Soun was still somewhat dazed and shocked, and his daughters seemed paralyzed. Genma just grunted and made to follow Ranma to the furo, recieving a fist between the eyes for his troubles.
"Did I say you could join me, old fool? Ask for yourself, and wait for me to finish. I will not suffer your prescence a moment longer than necessary."
Genma grunted and sat himself back down. For a moment, he'd considered pushing the issue... but Ranma had begun to frown. For the sake of his skin, which bore far too many scars already, he would leave the boy to his own devices. This would give him a chance to explain some things to Tendo, after all. He'd hate it if his old friend managed to get himself killed over something stupid.
Unnoticed, an invisible figure set itself on top of the shelf, knitting, and carefully listening to everything said. After a moment, when the apes came out of their stupor, he recieved a great deal more information than he'd anticipated. Eventually the conversation degenerated into idle chit-chat and he put away his latest project to go let the snot know what the panda ape was planning. Only then did he realize that he'd left him alone with Ribbons.
He redoubled his pace, but sadly once he entered the furo the boy was already grinning vapidly and discussing his favorite candies with Ribbons.
"Chocolate is yummier."
"But I like lollipops. Chocolate melts and makes such a mess."
"Licking it off is part of the fun."
"Oh... Chocolate flavored lollipops!"
"Yay!"
Bruce resigned himself to beating his head against the wall and waiting for the snot to regain enough brain matter to be able to comprehend anything he had to say.
xxx
Down in the living room, Soun and Genma were going over the plan one more time, as the daughters tried desperately to ignore their idiocy.
"Now remember Tendo... catching him in the right emotional state is important. If he's smiling or giggling, he should be easy to convince. If he doesn't look happy or sad, make a big deal of family honor and how it's his duty to join our schools. It might take some effort, but we'll be able to keep him from dismissing the idea out of hand. If he's frowning or, kami forbid, seems truly upset with the idea then drop it. Let him take over the conversation and steer it in the way he wants it to go. If he's upset... we wait for another chance to broach the subject to him."
Soun nodded.
"... I think I understand, Saotome. But... surely by now you have a firm enough grasp on your son that you can simply order him to marry one of my daughters?"
"... One more thing, Tendo. If you value your life... never allow him to hear you refer to him as my son. Or as a Saotome for that matter... Only refer to him as Ranma. Else... you could make the boy upset. An upset Ranma... it is best to treat him like we did the Master when he was in a bad mood."
Soun paled.
"That bad?"
"Worse at times. Our only chance is to convince him to agree without upsetting him. Use the family honor card, but try to be subtle about it."
A sweat drop appeared on the girls heads as they worked something out, but their father ignored the implications. If Ranma didn't classify himself as a Saotome or Genma's son, how would pressing family honor on him if he seemed reluctant matter? If he didn't think of himself as a Saotome, he could care less about what his actions did to tarnish that families name.
"Shh! He's coming! Remember, the plan!"
Ranma stepped down the stairs, face calm and neutral. Thankfully, Ribbons had left to see if she could find a place that sold chocolate flavored lollipop rose bouquets, giving Ranma enough time to come out of it and for his I.Q. to return to a fascimile of normal before leaving the furo.
"Ranma! Soun and I would like to talk to you about..."
"No."
The two men paused, their plan of attack preemptively countered.
"No? No what?"
Bruce invisibly scowled at the stupidity of the ape panda.
"You've forgotten already, old fool? My senses are much more attuned than most humans. I heard every word of your little plan, and the answer is no."
"But... but... the schools... honor... joined... must..."
"PLEASE! At least allow me to introduce you to my daughters! Waaah!"
Ranma's eye twitched. He hated it when people started crying. It gave him a terrible urge to put the poor bastards out of their misery. Genma noticed it and began sweating nervously.
"My eldest daughter, Kasumi. Age nineteen, an excellent homemaker, and a closet nymphomaniac."
"Oh... Oh my... Father... that was supposed to be a secret."
Soun ignored her and moved on to the next girl.
"My youngest daughter, Nabiki. Age seventeen, and she's secretly into bondage and fetishism."
Nabiki blinked, obviously shocked that anyone had learned of her little hobbies.
"Choose whichever you please."
Ranma arched an eyebrow, Bruce blinked, and Genma stopped quaking in fear for long enough to glance at the third, unmentioned girl, who tried to make herself invisible what with two people looking directly at her.
"What about her?"
"Who?... oh... her. That... is my adopted daughter, Hotaru. Age fifteen. You don't want her."
Ranma openly frowned, causing Genma to mentally beg for forgiveness from the kami.
"Don't I? Do not presume that you know better than I what my own desires are. Cross me, and once I have conquered this pathetic mudball, I will have you publicly executed. What If I do choose her? What then."
If he'd had hands at the moment, Bruce would have palmed his face. He was uncertain how it had happened, but now, for whatever reason, the snot and the mustachioed ape had reversed position. The only question now was how long it would take the ape to realize that and use it to his advantage. Fortunately, he associated with the dumb ape, so it might be a while.
"IF you were to make such a foolish decision? Don't make me laugh. I'll not allow it. You will marry Kasumi or Nabiki. Hotaru is out of the question. Kasumi or Nabiki. Pick."
"I refuse. You have no right to dictate my actions. I choose Hotaru. Take THAT! What do you say now, old man?"
Soun drew himself up straight and tall, and engaged in a staring match with the very upset boy. After a minute he was shivering lightly. After another he was barely containing his urge to run and hide. A few seconds more and he slumped, turning his head to the side, and sighed.
"Very well... I'd much prefer it if you chose one of my real daughters, rather than... her... but it seems you won't be swayed to reason. Excuse me. I must bathe."
Soun stood up and left, a blinking and shocked Genma close behind.
"Heh. I showed... him..."
Slowly, the smirk on Ranma's face faded, turning swiftly into a scowl as he was glomped by a weeping Hotaru, who was babbling nonsense. Slowly he turned a glare towards the door Soun had left through that, by all rights, should have set the thing on fire. He'd changed his mind. Public execution was too good for that trickster. He would have him used for dangerous and unstable experiments for a few decades and then have whatever was left of him publicly burned at the stake. Someone who could manipulate him that easily could not be allowed to live.
"...and I would get beat up at school, and uncle Soun hates me because he thinks I made my real daddy commit suicide to bring me back, and daddy was his favorite brother, and, and..."
The girl degenerated into quiet whimpering once more, and Ranma grimaced and focused on quietly attempting to convince her to stop crying.
xxx
"Tendo... that... that... THAT WAS PURE GENIUS! I've never seen anyone trick my son like that before! I'd suggest writing a will, but I know people that would be impressed enough at that feat to give you a funeral worthy of the emperor himself, and I promise to get in touch with them."
Soun shivered lightly for no apparent reason, but blinked.
"... What are you talking about Saotome?"
"The way you tricked Ranma into marrying your adopted daughter... The MASTER couldn't have managed better. I just hope you have nothing left to live for..."
"Trick? I don't get it."
"Ranma was ready to just walk out until you tricked him! Granted the girl is adopted but half a cake is better than none!"
Slowly, comprehension dawned in Souns eyes, and they went glassy and cold.
"Oh. That. That was no trick. I truly was trying to look out for your son. It's not my fault that he's so stubborn. Give him some time. When he finds out what she is, he'll be begging to have the engagement switched to one of my daughters."
Genma still looked confused, so Soun sighed and sat down at the Shogi table, taking a long drag of Sake before he began to explain.
xxx
"You recall my younger brother Souichiro? I recall he was something of a nerd in school. He didn't get along well with most of the family, what with him focusing on mental pursuits rather than physical. Eventually, he got thrown out of the clan. Changed his last name to Tomoe.
I never had a problem with him though, and he was smart enough that even though he wasn't a martial artist he could help me devise techniques. I'd never have managed to perfect the 'Demon head' to affect my whole body without his help. He was best man at my wedding.
After I was married, my wife, Sakura, had two children. Kasumi and Nabiki. She had just become pregnant with a third when I recieved a postcard that Souichiro was getting married. I was best man at his wedding. Six months later, he attended the funeral for my wife... and our unborn daughter. I would have named her Akane. Those days were terrible for me, but my brother's help let me pull through for my daughters. A few months later, his daughter was born but... his wife began to take ill, and died soon after. It was my turn then, to keep the bereaved man healthy and keep his daughter alive.
A few years later, neither of us could bear the thought of trying to find another wife so we made an oath. That should anything happen to us, the other would take care of their children. A few months later...
Tomoe had gotten himself his own personal laboratory, but every so often he had to do experiments with dangerous substances for the JSDF... there was a problem with one of them. He survived the explosion but his daughter, who'd chosen that day to visit her daddies lab, panicked and rushed into the room. The ventilation from the door opening probably saved Tomoe's life, but his daughter inhaled a lungful of toxic gases. She died shortly afterward.
Once again I tried to comfort the bereaved man but... he was different. It was like he had nothing left to live for and didn't care who knew. That night... Hotaru woke up in the morgue. The coroner nearly had a heart attack, but managed to inform his employers of the incident. They decided it was a miracle. They tried to contact Tomoe only to find that he didn't have a home phone, then they contacted me. I was so happy for him... I left Hotaru with my daughters and went with them to tell him the good news.
What I found in my brother's house... what he'd done to himself... I feel queasy at just the memories. It was ruled as a suicide, caused by grief, but the scientists that looked at him managed to figure out the exact time of Souichiro's death. To the second, it matched when Hotaru had returned to life.
I... I'd known that such things were possible... just from seeing some of the things the master did I'd have known. I'd known that he knew too, and that he would... meddle with some things now and again. 'To better understand it', or so he claimed. I... I'd never... thought he would do something like that though. At first, I decided that the girl had nothing to do with it. I took her into my home, treated her as my own daughter for a time.
But...
After a while, she seemed... odd. She was much weaker than she was supposed to be, and I'd considered martial arts to cure that but... things happened. Kasumi wasn't paying attention when she washed some dishes, she accidentally slashed her hand open to the bone and started screaming. I panicked when I looked in and found her bleeding all over the place and ran to the phone, but before I could call for help the screams stopped. I panicked again and rushed back. There was still blood everywhere, but Hotaru was off to the side and Kasumi was smiling as she explained that Hotaru had 'fixed her boo-boo'. I took a look at her hand. There wasn't even a scar.
There were a few more isolated incidences of it... I never caught her at it myself. I checked her ki myself. Brought her to several prominent spiritualists, some old acquaintances I made when the Master dragged us all over the place, some of Tomoes acquaintance. All of them said generally the same thing. Whatever she is... it's not human. Tomoe sacraficed his life to bring his daughter back... its legally registered as his daughter, it looks like his daughter, acted like his daughter, it may even think it's his daughter... but whatever he brought back wasn't his daughter. As such, I'm under no obligation to treat it like it is."
xxx
Genma sweatdropped as Soun's long-winded explanation drew to a close, fascinated that the man had been able to say so much without having to stop to breath more than twice. Once he'd gotten over that, he began to seriously question his old friend's sanity. The daughter of his own brother, that he'd been entrusted to raise as his own, subconcsiously knew a single healing spell and he shunned and despised her. His old friend, who had an extremely potent chinese curse on him all of a sudden, didn't garner more than a moment of shock He didn't really care to find out what would happen when he realized his son was cursed as well... or about his son's own 'oddities'. So the girl might not be completely human... apparently his old friend had forgotten all about the benevolent non-human entities they'd met in their youth, in favor of vividly recalling the decidedly malevolent. Deep in his mind, Genma was already planning another training trip... perhaps dragging the poor girl along with them. Joining the schools was seeming a less and less attractive prospect by the second.
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A.N.
Wow. This is way different from what I'd intended at the start of the chapter. Nevertheless, after re-reading it a few times, I actually like it. I'd intended to write a Ranma/Hotaru matchup, so this takes care of it. Actually, making Souichiro Tomoe and Soun Tendo brothers works too... From what I understand, Hotaru has that 'Mistress Nine' thing locked up in her soul too... I think that would affect her ki somewhat. Possibly enough to mistake her as something other than human.
I'm probably going to mess all sort of other shit up too. Like, it might not be Shampoo who's the obligatory Amazon, Saffron... might just be the Queen of Ho'o, There may be people stolen from other series. Not sure yet.
And there will be no Akane in this fic. Hmm... What'll I do with Ryoga and Kuno then? I wonder...