THE CLAN
Ch1 - Nodoka

	The birthday party was a big success by all accounts but
one. Akane had received a wealth of gifts for her seventeenth
birthday, Soun and Genma did not try to force her to marry Ranma
once, and for a change, the other fiancees did not try to ruin
the occasion.

	Nodoka smiled warmly, seeing Ukyou and Shampoo actually
participate willingly in the party games.

	Ranma however, had an expression of melancholy. Nodoka
observed him carefully, not making her presence known to him.

	He had given his fiancee a small statuette of an ice-
skater. While she hadn't said as much, Akane adored the gift,
and had carried it around with her like a small child would a
stuffed doll. To his credit, Ranma had actually managed to get
through the party without insulting her or sticking his foot in
his mouth once.

	Something, however, troubled Nodoka's only child. Was it
that nuisance, Ryouga?

	No, promptly after giving Akane a gift of boxed 'Hokkaido'
pineapples, the bandanna-clad youth disappeared. Nodoka sampled
the air for the familiar scent of pork. No, even 'P-chan' was
gone. It was not his nemesis that was upsetting her son.

	With her sisters and friends, Akane disappeared up the
stairs to try on some of the new clothes she had received.
Ranma's sad expression became pained as he watched her go.

	"Ah," Nodoka breathed. She was not surprised. It had been
two months since the 'wedding', and even if Ranma could not
properly express his feelings, that did not mean they were any
less poignant. She promised herself to... punish... Genma later
for raising her child in such an emotional void. She would have
to take... steps. It simply would not do for her son to spend
his life as an emotional cripple.

	A glance over at her husband confirmed that he was locked
in the deathly throes of 'Go' with Soun. Silently, she went to
the kitchen and poured both men a tankard of cold beer. Along
with a tray of sandwiches, it would keep the two occupied for an
hour or so.

	Now, she could talk to her son.
	
	"Ranma?"

	The youth jumped, not expecting her presence. "Oh! Hello,
Mother." He was picking over a piece of cake, eating the
frosting from around the pastry. "This is pretty good cake.
Thanks for baking it."

	"You are quite welcome, Son. Did you enjoy the party?"

	"Well... Yeah."

	"Waffling, Ranma? That is not very manly."

	The young man jumped, his eyes going to her katana, leaned
up against the kitchen door. That was something else she would
have to correct. It would not do to have a son who would not
face his fears.

	"It's not that, Mom. I just wish... I coulda talked to
Akane some more."

	Nodoka nodded sagely. "It is difficult, is it not?"

	"Hmm?"

	"To be so close, and to have so many walls between you."

	Ranma grimaced. "Ahh... we ain't so close. Me? Why would I
want to get any closer to that tomboy?"

	Nodoka let her expression harden slightly. "It is not
manly to deceive yourself, either, Son."

	Ranma gulped, and turned his attention back to his cake,
and Soun's newspaper, which was lying next to it on the table.

	Seeing the headline story, he grimaced again.

	'TOKYO SLASHER KILLS AGAIN - 6 WOMEN DEAD'

	"That creep better not come around here, or he's in for a
rude surprise." Ranma blustered.

	"I'm certain," Nodoka agreed.

	"Maybe I oughtta get Ryouga and Mousse together and go
find that loser."

	"Perhaps..." Something about the story bothered her
deeply. It was a sensation she had not felt for... "Perhaps you
should make sure you know what you are dealing with before you
strike blindly."

	"Hmmm... Yeah. Maybe."

	She scanned the story, letting her eyes come to rest
against the important details.

	'Apparent sexual assault... multiple stab wounds...
irregular attack pattern...' This bore further investigation.

	"Ranma?"

	"Yeah?"

	"Help me clear the dishes, will you?"

* * *

	While the rest of the house slept, Nodoka made her way
into the shopping district. She carried her bundled katana with
her. While it was not something she'd ever use willingly, there
was danger afoot in this normally serene city.

	If what she suspected was true, however, it would not be
her weapon that would save her...

	While most of the shops were closed at this late hour,
Nodoka located an all-night coffee and book shop. Removing her
sandals at the door, she stepped up into the moodily lit,
carpeted room.

	"Can I help you?" The girl behind the counter asked.

	Nodoka used her best smile and had the girl bring her a
cup of oolong tea, and the evening newspapers from the last few
weeks.

	She paid with a thousand yen note, and settled back to
read.

	The 'Tokyo Slasher' as the papers dubbed him, made his
appearance a little more than two weeks previous. The report was
of a single, unattached medical student who was raped and then
stabbed to death with a sharp instrument. Police found no
physical evidence at the scene, excluding both DNA of the
attacker and the murder weapon. The only thing they did find was
that the poor woman's door was apparently forced off its hinges.

	Nodoka noted the address of the attack, and continued to
browse.

	Three days later, a student teacher was found similarly
mutilated in the basement level of her apartment building's
parking garage. Again, police found evidence of sexual assault,
but no DNA, and nothing to account for the puncture wounds.

	Another three days after that, it was a young waitress. On
the twelfth day, it was an idol singer in a hotel room.

	On the fifteenth day, it was two young women in a youth
hostel.

	Nodoka sipped at her tea thoughtfully. So far, the pattern
matched the one she was looking for. It had taken the police a
day or two to actually find the idol singer, but once the
forensics experts were called in, they pinpointed her time of
death fairly accurately.

	It was growing disturbingly familiar.

	When asked, the counter girl was more than happy to
produce a city map. Using the addresses of the attacks, Nodoka
estimated the location, and drew a dot over each one.

	Her expression became stony as she started to connect the
resultant dots.

	"Ravener..."

	It was time to prepare the girls. Kimiko had given her
leave to do so before she died, but Nodoka had expected to wait
until they all had families. If there were Raveners about in the
city, she had no choice.

	Akane *had* just turned seventeen, so maturity wouldn't be
that large a problem.

	Still... there was Ranma to consider as well. Her biggest
complication had come from her own womb.
	
* * *

	"Auntie?" Kasumi stepped gingerly into the guest room,
followed closely by her younger sister. "Father said you wanted
to see us."

	"That's right, Kasumi, dear. Why don't we wait for Ranma
and Akane?"

	Nabiki raised one eyebrow, but held her silence.

	After a few more minutes, Akane followed into the room,
followed by a sodden, female Ranma.

	"Ummm... This isn't going to be another shopping trip, is
it?" Ranma complained. "I thought we weren't going to do that
anymore after we got rid o' 'Ranko'."

	"Hush, Ranma," Nodoka commanded her child. She understood
that Ranma was horribly curious about why Nodoka had commanded
her presence as a female, since she had been so adamant her son
stay a man as much of the time as possible.

	She waited until they had calmed, and knelt on the futon
closest to the small group.

	"Girls, Ranma, you have to swear that you will never let
pass from your lips what happens here, unless I give you leave."

	Kasumi nodded happily, but Nabiki eyed her suspiciously.
Both Ranma and Akane gave her confused expressions.

	"Your safety depends on it. Ranma?"

	"Okay, I swear," the redhead answered in a huff.

	Akane, looking at her fiancee with something that was
*almost* trust, nodded as well.

	Nabiki held out, her arms crossed defiantly. "Why should
I, Auntie?"

	Nodoka had expected her to balk, and had come prepared.
"If you were about to make a sensitive business deal, would you
not expect everyone involved to stay silent?"

	Nabiki directed a unimpressed expression at her.

	"I promise you child, that the *only* way you can profit
from what I am about to show you is if it remains a secret."

	The girl's expression narrowed dangerously, but she
finally nodded her assent.

	Nodoka exhaled and began. "Ranma? How old do you think
your mother is?"

	The redhead was taken aback. Clearly, she had never
thought about it before. "Ummm... Thirty?"

	Nodoka chuckled warmly. "What a dear child you are! Even
if I was only seventeen when I had you, I would be thirty-four
at the youngest."

	Akane broke into the conversation. "I don't mean to be
impolite, but I always thought that you must have been born
about the same time as our mother."

	"And that would make me?"

	"About forty-two, I guess."

	"Forty-three," Nabiki volunteered. "Mother would have been
forty-three this year."

	Nodoka smiled and pulled a damp cloth out of her sleeve.
She briskly rubbed her face, scrubbing even the most stubborn of
her make-up off. She pulled her short bun apart and ran her
fingers through the coppery brown hair, allowing it to fall
lightly around her shoulders.

	Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi noticed right away. Ranma shook
her head slightly, not really understanding.

	Nodoka allowed her kimono to fall from her shoulders.

	'Eep'ing, Ranma whipped around, the red blush quite
visible on her ears.

	"Look, Ranma..." she commanded.

	The girl shook her head wildly.

	Nodoka fixed the girl with her expression, and repeated
herself. "Look... Ranma......"

	The look of strain was evident as Ranma fought. Such an
incredible person... perhaps she could shoulder the burden after
all.

	Nodoka breathed her commandment a third time.
"Llllloooooookkk....... Rrrraaaannnnmmaaaaaa....."

	The girl's control broke, and she whipped around. Nodoka
chuckled briefly. If she had had any less experience, she
doubted she could have exerted so much control over her child.

	"It's all right, dear. It's nothing you haven't seen
before, I imagine."

	With now all four girls' eyes firmly locked on her, Nodoka
stood up out of her kimono. She nudged it aside with her foot,
and removed her stockings as well.

	Next, after sparing a glance at Ranma to make sure she was
still watching, she unfastened her lace bra and pulled it away
from her bosom. Bending over, she rolled her panties down her
hips and down over her knees. She deposited them on top of her
kimono.

	Ranma's eyes were fairly bulging, but the girl couldn't
turn away from the spectacle. Akane and Nabiki both held similar
expressions of drop jawed amazement, while Kasumi shone her
usual, accepting, smile.

	Nodoka stretched, and stood casually before the four
girls. She placed her open hands on her hips.

	"Now, how old am I?"

	Kasumi spoke first. "You certainly look young for your
age, Auntie!"

	Nabiki shook her head in disbelief. "Twenty four. Twenty
five at the most."

	Akane's jaw simply hung open.

	She strode up to her 'son'. Except for the difference in
their heights, their proportions were identical. Their faces
could have been mirrors if Ranma hadn't been so upset. They
appeared as sisters, rather than mother and child.

	"I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you, Ranma, but it was
important that you see this."

	The compulsion off of her, Ranma whipped around and
covered her eyes. "H-how?" She stammered.

	"I have not aged in seventy years, child."

	"That's impossible!" Akane finally managed to shout.

	"She's right, Auntie," Nabiki interjected speculatively.
"What is it? Jusenkyou? Magic Mushrooms? Shiatsu?"

	Nodoka shook her head and turned back to her kimono. She
pulled it back over her shoulders and belted it.

	"No, none of those. Turn back around, Ranma. You need to
see this as well."

	Trembling, the girl turned. A little bit reassured by her
mother's kimono, she crossed her arms in a display of bravado.

	"This may be upsetting," Nodoka warned, "But I mean no
harm."

	The four girls nodded.

	Nodoka let her head fall back. She worked it around a bit
to loosen the muscles. She stretched her jaw and.... ahh....

	"Oh my god..." Nabiki whispered.

	Nodoka extended her fangs to their utmost. She allowed her
eyes to glow slightly.

	Finally, Kasumi's expression became slightly concerned.
"Should I call a priest, Auntie? Are you possessed?"

	Ranma shuddered in revulsion.

	Nodoka allowed her fangs to recede slightly. "No, child. I
am not possessed. I am a vampire."

	Ranma's stance became defensive. "How long has this been
goin' on? Does Pop know about this?"

	Nodoka sighed sadly. She was afraid that her child might
react this way. "Your father understands that I am not human,
Ranma. In fact, I drank his blood on the night we... conceived
you."

	Ranma shook her head and clenched her fists.

	"My mother was a vampire, as was my grandmother, Ranma. If
you had been born a girl, I would have raised you as one as
well."

	"Auntie, would any of these help you?" Still smiling,
Kasumi had produced a cross, a wooden stake, and a rope of
garlic.

	Nodoka realized she had chosen well when she befriended
Kimiko. With only the most basic of defensive skills, her
friend's eldest daughter had just placed herself in between
Nodoka and the rest of her family. Nodoka reached out and held
the cross. "Do you think I am evil, Kasumi?"

	Kasumi shook her head honestly. "No, Auntie. I just
thought you might like to quit being a vampire."

	Much to everyone's relief, Nodoka allowed her fangs to
recede entirely. "Even if I could, I would not. This allows me
to protect the ones I love."

	She paused briefly, observing Ranma's growing
belligerence. She addressed the four young women.

	"It could allow you to protect yourselves if you would
allow it."

	Ranma snapped. "Un-uh! I ain't fallin' for this! You ain't
my mother!"

	"Ranma, please--"

	"Shut-up! Just shut up! What have you done with my
mom?!?!"

	Akane interrupted the red head. "Ranma I think that--"

	Nodoka held out her hand to cut them off. "Ranma. What
ever you choose to believe, I am your mother, and I always have
been. Is it manly to disrespect your parents?"

	Ranma's mouth shut in shock. Nodoka smiled a steely grin.
There was no doubt in her child's mind now.

	"For a time, I worked as a teacher at your mother's high
school. I watched her grow into a young woman, and finally a
mother. I met Genma because Kimiko befriended both him and your
father. After Genma and I wed, it became obvious that we would
have no female children. Genma wanted a male heir to carry on
his school, and since it was in my power, I gave him one.
Shortly after Ranma was born, I contacted Kimiko again. Genma
and your father had already agreed to the engagement, so I
suggested we strengthen the bond.

	"I can only give what I have to another woman," Nodoka
explained. "Since I could not pass it down to my own family, I
offered to give my power and expertise to your family. Your
mother had already found out what I was, and she agreed."

	"So you want us to become vampires?!?!" Nabiki demanded
incredulously.

	"Only if you want to. I will not force this upon you,
child. There is also the matter of you, Ranma!"

	Ranma pointed at her nose, and shook her head.

	"As I said," Nodoka explained, "Were you born female, I
would have raised you as a vampire maiden, as I was raised by my
mother. Now I believe that I may have the chance to give you
your birthright, regardless of your sex."

	"Me?!?!" Ranma shook her head forcefully. "Un-uh!"

	"At first, I feared your curse would complicate matters. I
wanted you to remain male as much of the time as you could so as
not to tempt myself. Now..."

	"Listen... Mother. I been through all sorts of curses and
possessions and whatnot, but I *ain't* gonna be a vampire, just
so you can carry on."

	"Ranma, listen to me. There is great evil in this city,
and I believe that only I and others like me can counter it."

	"Yeah, right! If it fights, I can beat it!"

	Nodoka sighed remorsefully. "We shall see. I will give you
the opportunity to fight this enemy and we shall know for sure.
Until you or I am gone, the offer stands, Ranma. I urge you not
to dismiss what is rightfully yours."

	Ranma shook her head, and re-crossed her arms.

	"Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane? Will you accept this gift?"

	Nodoka could see the fear and indecision cross the girl's
faces. For Akane, no doubt, it would be for the ability to fight
for her family.

	For Kasumi and Nabiki--

	"Why should we do this, Auntie?" Nabiki asked. "What, do
we all get super vampire powers or something? What about
sunlight? Do we have to avoid holy water for the rest of our
lives?"

	Nodoka chuckled and gestured to the cross she was still
holding. "There are many rumors about what a vampire is. I can
assure you that almost all of them are all false, at least in my
case. I believe the powers are genetic somehow, but I do not
know for sure. To share in them, you would have to drink my
blood."

	Akane shuddered in disgust.

	"The powers manifest differently in different people. You
all just saw me control Ranma a few minutes ago."

	"Is that what that was?" Akane speculated.

	Nodoka nodded. "I am no fighter, but my grandmother once
slew a regiment of renegade samurai. I believe that each of you
will have slightly different powers, should you accept.

	"Some things, I understand, are universal. We don't age.
We can concentrate our strength and heal from even the most
grievous wounds."

	"And you drink blood." Ranma accused.

	"Ranma..." Nodoka paused briefly. "I have never taken
someone's blood without their full permission. I am not a bad
person. I am just... not who you thought I was."

	Ranma sighed, her expression becoming unsure.

	"Auntie?" Kasumi asked. "You said there was a great evil
in the city. How can you fight it?"

	"Alone? I would not even attempt to fight it. They... are
horrid creatures. With only one more like me, though, I could
destroy them one by one. I did, with my mother, the last time
they tried to invade the city."

	"How would... one, protect their family, if one was a
vampire?"

	Nodoka could see the indecision plaguing Kasumi's
expression. "You would have to learn to control your powers,
Kasumi. Your mother thought that you would have no problem doing
so."

	"If mother said it was all right...."

	"Kasumi!" Akane exclaimed. "You're not really considering
this, are you?"

	The older girl's expression became worried. "There have
been many times over the last year when more and more horrible
people have attacked us. We've all been kidnapped more than
once, and each time, there was nothing I could do but hope for
someone to help us. I was possessed by an Oni, and my own family
could do little to help me."

	"Kasumi?" Nabiki's expression became even more
speculative. "Think about what you're getting into, here."

	"Mother said it was okay." Kasumi countered. "But..." The
girl clutched at the thin gold chain around her neck.

	"What is it, dear?" Nodoka asked.

	"I've always heard that vampires are evil."

	"No, Kasumi." Nodoka knew that the Kasumi's chain ended in
a crucifix. She leaned over and whispered into the girl's ear.
"Our powers do not come from the dark one. No matter what you
have heard."

	"Then... I will do what you ask."

	Akane gasped. Ranma glared. "This ain't a good idea."

	"She has made up her mind, Ranma. Now, you must leave us.
This is a private moment."

	"Akane, Nabiki, Ranma, remember! Do not speak of this."

	"Even to Pops?!?!" Ranma demanded as Nodoka hustled them
out of the room.

	"You may discuss this with your father if you must."
Nodoka allowed. The last the three girls saw, was her kind, if
hard expression as she shut the guest room door between them,
and a frightened Kasumi, still clutching at her crucifix.

- To be continued...
* * *
Chris Jones - guilty@arn.net
The Ranma 1/2 Gallery - http://cyberwheel.simplenet.com/ranma

It's 1999. Do you know what your children are?