These characters and situations are the property of 
R. Takahashi and her license holders.  No offense 
intended. 

David Johnston, rgorman@telusplanet.net 

The Way We Weren't

Prologue     

Nodoka's tears crawled down her beautiful, but 
impassive face as she watched her husband die.  He lay 
in a hospital bed, gray and withering, as the tubes to 
his arms and nose testified to his doctor's frustrated 
efforts to curb the drug-resistant infection stealing 
Genma's life away.     

His eyes opened and for the last time he beheld 
his beautiful wife, ripe with the child he would never 
see born and he smiled as he said, "Crying?  Now that is 
something I never expected to see from my iron willed 
wife."     

She brushed her tears away and started to apologise, 
"I-I'm sorry, husband, I-"     

He held out a hand to touch hers, "No, don't 
apologise.  I find it flattering.  I was never truly the 
man you took me for, but it's good to know that I will 
be missed when I'm gone."     

"Don't say that, Gen-chan.  You actually seem to be 
doing a little better today."  Nodoka smiled softly, 
trying to raise her husband's morale.     

"I'm not.  The Master's curse has claimed me and 
medicine has no cure for his malice.  He swore that I 
would never achieve my ambition, to father and train an 
heir who would match and surpass me, a warrior whose 
skill and power would be legendary..."  His voice 
weakened and trailed off.  Nodoka almost twitched in 
surprise as he loudly said, "Nodoka!  Swear to me!  
Fulfill my dying wish!"     

"What is it?"     

"Swear to me that you will do whatever it takes to 
raise the greatest of martial artists!  No matter what 
the...cost."  He faltered, and his eyes began to unfocus.

Nodoka clasped both of her hands around his icy cold one 
and vowed, "I'll do it.  I swear by the honor of our 
family that I will raise our child to be the best of 
martial artists, no matter what that requires.        

"Name...Ranma.  Must never refuse a challenge, aid 
those in need, always...strive for victory."  Genma 
gasped.  His voice gained a little strength as he said 
in dawning wonder, "You know, I am starting to feel 
better."  Then he shuddered and stopped breathing.
_________________________________________________     

The Way We Weren't, Chapter One

The sky was clear again and the sun shone down on 
two weary travellers as they walked through the 
pleasant suburb of Nerima in the spring.  Nice homes 
with immaculate lawns welcomed a woman who seemed 
almost young enough to be the elder sister of the boy 
with a braid of hair reaching to the small of his back 
who accompanied her.  Over her shoulder protruded the 
hilt of a katana, while in her hands she carried a 
closed umbrella.       

Nodoka Saotome looked at the sulking boy beside 
her and sighed inwardly with her everpresent mixture of 
pride and guilt.  She had kept her vow of honor, 
fulfilled her husband's deathbed request and had made of 
their child a great martial artist, the equal of her 
husband at his prime and still improving.  But in 
pursuit of this goal, she'd found herself doing...
questionable things.       

If only Genma hadn't died before Ranma's birth.  
Nodoka was sure in her innermost heart that Genma would 
have done a far better job of training Ranma.  Nodoka 
had been forced to dishonest and extreme measures 
because her own martial arts skills were inadequate 
to the challenge posed by her vow and so she had to 
find other teachers and challenges for her child.  She 
daydreamed about the domestic bliss that would have been 
hers had her husband lived.  Keeping her beautiful 
house while Genma passed on his great skills safely and 
sensibly, then taking her turn to instill the social 
skills which would have made Ranma a well rounded 
individual...ah, she would have been so happy.       

Her line of thought was broken as Ranma interrupted 
it with, "So, how far do we have to go, Mom?"       

"Not far at all.  Why, are you tired?"     

The boy smirked, "Hah!  Not likely.  What's a little 
walk across Japan?  Although I still don't know why we had 
to leave Joketsuzo right before the tournament.  I could
have won."     

Nodoka was, as always, gentle but firm as she 
answered, "We have obligations here, and things were 
becoming more delicate than you realised.  What do you 
think that fight was all about at Jusenkyo?"     

"Yeah, but can't we stop somewhere first, Mom?  I 
don't want to show up like this."  Ranma plucked at the 
front of his androgynous Chinese clothing.           

"We will be staying with them for some time, so 
they'll have to know anyway.  Don't worry, I'll explain 
the situation.  Besides, that's the place up there." 
 
They walked up to a beautiful and spacious two story 
house with attached dojo, framed by lovingly cared-for 
grounds.  It made neighbouring houses of more recent 
construction look tawdry and soulless by comparison.    

The door was answered by a boy of about Ranma's age 
in an hakama, who stared at them briefly before a bitter 
smirk crossed his face. "Aunt Saotome? Ranma-san?  I'm 
Nikkei Tendo.  Please come in.  My mother's been eagerly
waiting for you to show up and I can hardly wait for her
to see you."     

Akiko Tendo wasn't fashion-model lean the way that 
Nodoka was, but was not unattractive in a zaftig 
sort of way.  Never shy about her gestures of affection, 
she immediately embraced Nodoka.  "No-chan!  You haven't
changed at all since I last saw you!  Honestly, you 
make me feel fat and old when I look at you."  

As Nodoka tried to catch her breath, the other two Tendo
boys stared at Ranma.  The first was a giant of a young 
man, almost two meters tall, who looked puzzled as he 
assessed the boy in front of him.  The other was a much 
shorter boy with rather long hair who looked distinctly 
relieved at the sight of the new arrival.  Akiko turned 
to embrace Ranma, swept him into her arms as she effused, 
"Welcome into my home and family, Ranma."  After the 
initial hug, she took him by the shoulders and held him 
at arms length as she said, "Now, let's have a look 
at...you."  There was a pause and then Akiko calmly said, 
"Nodoka.  Your daughter appears to be a boy.

"Nikkei was still smirking as he pointed out, "I did say 
Ranma was an odd name for a girl."

Ranma just blushed and looked at the ground as Nodoka 
calmly answered, "I'm sorry Akiko, but that will take 
some explaining."

Akiko's smile reappeared, "Well that's all right then.  
You can tell me all about it while we make supper."  The
two women went into the kitchen, leaving the three boys
alone in the room.

There was an awkward silence, then the young giant 
broke the silence, "I'm Kaji, and these are my brothers
Akira and Nikkei."

"Pleased to meet you," Ranma said, politely.  

Nikkei shrugged, "Personally, I was sort of hoping to 
meet a cute girl.  One out of two may not be bad but..."  

Noticing the way Ranma reddened and clenched his fists,
Akira decided to nip it in the bud, "So, you were in 
China to study Kempo?"

Ranma nodded, relieved at the switch in topic.  "Yes, for
the last two years."

"So, are you good?"

Ranma shrugged and answered, "I'm pretty good.  I only 
know one little old lady who can beat me up."

Akira laughed, "So modest.  I guess we'll have to spar 
to find out how good you really are."

Once they reached the dojo it didn't take Akira long to 
decide that Ranma was the best martial artist he'd ever
seen.  Akira couldn't even touch the other boy, who 
seemed to effortlessly anticipate every punch and kick,
weaving just enough to avoid contact.  It was with a
mixture of admiration and embarassment that Akira, flat
on hi back with Ranma's fist a centimetre from his 
forehead, conceded, "I guess you are pretty good.  Could 
you get offa me?"

Ranma grinned for the first time since Akira had met him
and helped Akira up.  There was an infectious charisma
to the grin and Akira smiled back as he vowed, "I guess
I'm going to have to put some work into closing the gap.
I'm just glad you weren't a girl after all."

Ranma's smile vanished but his back was already turned
as he bent to pick up his backpack.  "Oh?  Why's that?"

"C'mon, how would you feel if some girl showed you up?
I'd never live it down if Nikkei or someone at school 
found out."

*Damn,* Ranma thought. *He'll never forgive me.  And I 
kind of liked him too.*

It wasn't long afterward that Akira arrived at the furo
to grab a quick bath before supper was ready.  Although
the sign indicating occupancy was on the door, he didn't 
really have time to wait for their guest to finish if he 
wanted to be on time for supper, so he just walked on in,
then stopped dead at the sight of about cutest girl he'd 
ever seen stepping out of bath.  Stunned, he just stared
in disbelief at her naked curves, trying to figure out
who she was, where she had come from, were her breasts
larger than Kodachi's...

For a moment she seemed equally frozen as she stared at
his naked form, then she shrieked, "What're you staring
at?!"  

Kaji had been gardening outside when he heard the female 
scream and immediately charged in to see what was the 
matter with his mother or Mrs. Saotome, only to see an
underclad Akira hastily retreating from the furo, hand
to his bloody nose.

Akira stammered, "There's a naked girl in the furo!"

>From the stairs Nikkei said, "You're kidding.  You mean
you actually get nosebleeds from looking at naked girls?
And I always thought nobody really did that."

Akira snapped, "I do when the girl hits me in the nose
with a bucket!  Who is she?"

"I'm, uh...Ranma Saotome.  Sorry about this," a rather
short and now dressed girl apologised. 

Since the mothers refused to allow discussion of Ranma's
problem until after dinner, it was a rather quiet, but
tasty meal.  Virtually the only conversation consisted
of Nodoka's corrections of her daughter's table manners.
The boys would have found Ranma's combination of 
voracious appetite and dainty mannerisms strange, if 
they hadn't had far stranger things on their minds.  
 
After the dishes were cleared away, Kaji looked at Ranma
with the mild eyes of a big man who had never known fear
or anger.  "Are you really the same person as that boy?"

Ranma looked down at the ground, blushing fiercely under
the pressure of the three boys' gazes.  "I am," she 
replied uncomfortably.  

"But...how is this possible?"

Nodoka took over the task of explaining, "We lived in 
the village of Joketsuzo in China for about a year and
a half.  However, we were forced to leave in a hurry
and at night.  I...I tried to throw off pursuit by 
cutting through the grounds of a place that was locally
considered cursed, the cursed springs of Jyusenkyo.  It 
was a mistake.  Anyone who fell into one of the pools 
would be cursed, and when our pursuers followed us in..."

"So how does it work?" Nikkei asked.

"Let us demonstrate,"  Nodoka suggested as she escorted
Ranma out onto the porch.  

"Do we have to?" Ranma complained, then shivered as
her mother poured a glass over her head and she changed
into the boy they'd first met. 

"That's incredible!" Akiko enthused.  "When dowsed with
cold water, like that of the curse pool, she turns into
a boy and now with hot water..."  She poured out a 
kettle onto Ranma's male whose yelp of pain turned 
soprano as he transformed back.  "He turns back into
a girl."

"It doesn't have to be boiling!"  Ranma complained.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ranma," Akiko apologised and turned to
the boys.  "Anyway, her problem isn't all that bad, after
all.  We can work around it and it shouldn't pose an
obstacle to the engagement."

"En...engagement?" Ranma faltered.

Nodoka explained, "Your father and Soun Tendo made a 
solemn pact to engage their children.  Family honour 
demands that you marry one of these boys and carry on
the Saotome name."

Ranma made a strangled noise.  If her mother decided 
something was a matter of honour, Ranma had no hope of
getting out of it unless the boys let her off the hook
by refusing to go along with it.

Akiko took over again, "Now all we have to do is settle
which boy will marry Ranma...  Kaji can't do it because
he has to carry on the Tendo name."

Kaji nodded, "She's kind of on the short side anyway.
It just wouldn't feel right."

Nikkei was ready to strike first.  "Well, it 
seems to me that Akira's the best choice."

Akira yelped, outraged, "Me?  Why me!"

Nikkei counted the points off on his fingers, "You have
common interests.  You were already getting along well 
until you peeked in on her-"

"That was an accident!"

"You're the same age.  It would let you finally break 
it off with a certain other girl who seems to have 
trouble letting go-"

"Who says I want either of 'em?"

"-and it's about your only chance of getting a date this
century.  You've been complaining about how the girls 
can't look at things from your point of view, so this
must be your lucky day.  Who would be better at seeing
the boys side of things?"

"That doesn't mean I want to marry the ultimate in 
sexless tomboys!"

Nodoka snapped, "Ranma!" just in time to save Akira from
serious pain.  

Balked, Ranma switched to verbal attack, "Oh really?  
You didn't seem to think that I was sexless when you were
staring at me in the furo, you pervert!"

"What did you call me?"

Nodoka put her hands together and her face took on a 
blissful expression, "Oh this is wonderful.  They're the
perfect couple.  It's almost as if they were already 
married.  It reminds me of how I met my dear Genma."  

They chorused, "We're NOT a couple!" glared, and turned
their backs on each other. 
 
Nodoka and Akiko smiled at each other.  Nikkei was right.
Ranma and Akira really were right for each other. 
_________________________________________________________

And Now For a Word From Our Sponsor:  Yes I know it's 
been done before.  But I'm not happy with any of the
previous versions so I'm going to try my way. 

Please send any comments, insults, or requests for 
explanation to rgorman@telusplanet.net.

Oh, and I'd particularly like _anyone_ who has seen a
translation of the Ryu Kumon story arc to get in touch
with me.