Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the second chapter. I'm sorry though that it took a while for me to update this.
Disclaimer: I wish I do, but I don't own Ranma 1/2 & its characters.
Chapter 2
Ranma suddenly felt guilty at Akane's behaviour. He did not intend to hurt her feelings. He's just not ready yet to get married. Perhaps, he also felt the sudden burden that Akane's father has given her. Wait a minute...he's also sharing this burden now!
"Pops, what's the meaning of this? I thought we're just here to visit your friend?"
"Don't talk to me like that! Of course we're here to see my friend and help him as brothers in martial arts should do!" Genma replied.
"Help him? Or you just want to be a freeloader in their house! You didn't even mention to me about this marriage thing!" Ranma revolted back. "And what made you think they'll just accept us? Do they know that we're a bunch of freaks now?"
Everyone looked at their two guests who didn't seem to care how loud their banters have become. Soun was just plainly amused, Kasumi was shocked, and Nabiki looked really irritated.
"Father, how did you know them? Are they really like this?" whispered Kasumi.
"You mean why they act like they don't have any manners at all!" replied Nabiki as she curiously assessing the two.
"Well I heard they've been out in the road since Ranma was a young boy." said Soun. "Uh-huh, Genma, Ranma why don't you calm down and tell us how have you been?"
The two suddenly stopped arguing and just looked at each other with wide eyes.
"Well you see, as I've mentioned, we just came from China. We swam our way here when I heard of what happened to you!" Genma shortly replied.
"Oh my! Did I hear it right, you just swim? That must be very exhausting! I'll better get you some drinks then!" Kasumi said, about to go to the kitchen.
"Or stupid! Are you out of your minds, swimming all the way from China! Don't you have any money to buy tickets for a ride at a plane or ship? Gah, I knew it, they'll just gonna be here to freeload! I don't think they even had a part-time job to sustain themselves!" rants Nabiki, unimpressed.
"Er, we did that for training of course! Genma replied uneasily. "Besides, it was your father who asked us to come here!"
"That's right Nabiki, they're really taking their training seriously! So Genma my friend, how was your training in China? I heard you went to Jusenkyo where they have these dangerous training pools?" asked Soun.
"Ah haha, you're right we went there! I and my son...aah!" As Genma was about to clasp Ranma's shoulders, he accidentally hit the tray of glasses that Kasumi was holding out for them. The contents of these splattered on both father and son.
There was a deafening silence as the family witnessed the most outrageous, unexplainable & unimaginable thing they've seen in their entire lives. Before their very eyes, where there were Ranma & his father, were now a red-headed pigtailed-girl and a panda.
The three finally got to their senses and made loud gasps while jumping to one corner of the room. The cursed father and son meanwhile were also immobile as it seemed the first time for them to feel defenceless in front of other people. True that they've met a lot of different folks along the way, but they didn't pay attention on their business nor did they care what they think of them. Now however, with their curses switched on, the aura of indifference will not be sufficed. For the first time, they had to explain.
"Um, can we have hot water first please? That would help us to explain." Inquired the seemingly now soft-spoken Ranma.
"O-ok, I'll get it in the kitchen." Said Kasumi, still a little shocked from the odd event.
When Kasumi returned, their two guests explained how they got their curses. Mainly, from Genma's ignorance of the chinese language, greediness, and most of all, for his stupidity for not taking precaution when he already knew how dangerous these pools are.
"That's why I will have to go back now to China to get my cure! I have no time to this engagement thing!" Said the now very male and angry Ranma as he carried his backpack and was heading for the door to leave.
"Ranma! Come back here you ingrate son of mine!
The two have just ran out in the street when the rain started pouring, transforming them immediately to their cursed form. The noise coming from these two caught the attention of Akane who was sulking in her room. She looked outside her window to find a screaming red-haired girl being carried away by a grown panda. "What the?" She was surprised and amused at first at this display of strangeness, then she realized that the girl was screaming for help. Akane immediately run out in the rain to save the seemingly poor girl from the claws of that animal.
"Put me down you idiot!" shouted Ranma while punching the panda. As he was trying his best to free himself, he saw someone fast approaching.
"Hiyah!" Akane threw one of her dumbbells to the the said animal. She must have been a sharp shooter or thrower in this case, as she was able to hit the panda square on the head that made him fall to the ground immediately.
"You're safe now! Are you hurt?" Akane asked the red-head while panting a little from running.
"I-I'm good! Um thank you, but..."
"Oh but you have scratches on your arms! Let me help you put bandages on them! What's with this cruel animal doing to you, how did it get here?"
"Hehe! Well, this panda here is my pet. He was just not in the mood to follow my orders. He's not really harmful, he might be just hungry I suppose!" Ranma answered while scratching his head.
"Oh, ok! How about...why don't you follow me then to our house and I'll find something to feed your pet."
"Ah no-no need for that, thank you! We need to get home now! Ranma doesn't want to go back to the dojo and desperately wanted to head back to Jusenkyo.
"But the weather is really getting worse! Why don't you get some shelter first, eat something & let's also find some dry clothes for you? Oh don't be so stubborn, I'm just concern about you. You look so tired."
"..."
"You poor thing. I can't imagine how your parents just let you roam around on your own with that animal!"
"Oh I bet yah don't wanna know!"
"Well come on then! I can't just let you stay out here. Once the rain stops, I'll let you off! Is that a deal?"
"O-kay! Guess I have no choice! You're...really kind! Thank you so much!" Ranma smiled at her and thought, "I didn't think that she can be really caring to complete strangers!"
Akane led the way to their house as Ranma dragged his panda of a father with them. She decided to just take her new friend to their dojo instead. It will save her the time for a lot of explaining on why she's bringing with her a random girl with a panda for a pet!
"Here we are. Oh by the way, my name is Akane! How about yours?"
"Ah...I'm Ra-Ranko! That's right, I'm Ranko. Nice to meet you Akane!"
"Well then, I'll just get the bandages, a towel and some clothes for you." She smiled at the red-head and went off.
Ranma just watched Akane's back as she retreated the room. He realized that she was not just very kind but actually she was also very pretty.
"Oh my God, that smile!" He was smirking and all when he realized, "Uh-oh, and now she knows me as Ranko!"
Author's Note:
After eons, I got to finally wrote down this second chapter. I'd say, it took a while before I finally managed to filter out all ideas that simultaneously popped into my head. Instead of thinking of plots to continue this story, I somehow started collecting ideas for new ones. Well that was not good because I realized that I won't be able to finish a single story. So, now I'm glad I returned & got to continue this. Please review.