Sorry about that. I ended up sending Revision 1 by mistake. So I had to take the changes I meant to make to Revision 2, add those to the notes from what everyone has said, and then add those to revision 1 as well. At any rate, here's the real revision 2 with some other changes. Akane's anger explained. Nabiki engagement explained a little better. As always, let me know what you think. The beginning is the same, though.
- Katrina
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Ranma 1/2: Ranko's Wings
An AlternaVerse Series
Episode 1: Here, There, and Everywhere.
by Katrina Lee Halbred
Based upon an idea by Gregg Sharp as introduced in Reluctant Bet. Written with permission from Gregg Sharp.
{ With much thanks to both Gregg And Kickaha for their help and their ideas for getting this started. You can think of this series as an offshoot of one of the timelines that were created after the last reset. Though I have tried to keep Ranko somewhat within the parameters of the way Gregg portrayed her, I have changed her to fit the role I have designed as well as the story.}
Disclaimer: All Ranma characters are copyright Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakugan Video, Viz Video, and any others for which I am not aware own the copyrights. The demon-based Ranko originated from one of Gregg's series, but except where noted, the new characters and such are my own. Please don't use them without asking first.
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"Come back here, you vampire FREAK!" came the yell. The girl with red-hair tied in a pigtail and wearing chinese style clothes risked looking behind her as she ran. Her red, bat-like wings flittered nervously as she noticed the bullies were still there. The boys who seemed to think she was some kind of evil creature.
Ranko continue to run. She was still tired from her exertions She wished she could fly right now, but she was too tired to. Pulling that boat across the ocean for Papa and Ranma had really worn her out. She never knew she could pull that much and had had to rest often. Well, Papa had said it was part of her martial arts training. Still it seemed alwfully dangerous for art of any kind. She wasn't sure how she was managing to stay this far ahead of the bullies who were chasing her. She hoped her big brother would be able to stop these guys.
As it was, the ground was still wet from the rain that had fallen earlier that morning and it made the ground slippery in some places.
She looked behind her, noting that the three teenage boys were gaining on her. She realized she needed more speed, but didn't know where to get it from.
Ahead of her, she saw a fence, which she did a front flip over. The teenagers, not being as acrobatic as she was, had to do it the old fashion way and climb over.
Ranko jumped into the air and tried again to fly, her wings flapping tiredly. Although she was able to rise a few feet into the air , she was still too tired to really do more than glide back to the ground. As she landed again, she slipped and fell on the wet ground allowing the three teenage boys to catch up to her.
She began backing away as fear appeared in her eyes. The one she knew to be the leader glared menacingly at her. "Heh. Thought you could get away from us, eh, you demon freak? Now you're going to die."
Tears welled up in Ranko's eyes as she looked at him sadly. "Why do you have to do this? I've done nothin' to you and you insist on treating me like a monster. I'm not a monster."
The teenagers laughed. "Yeah, right, and those aren't vampire fangs, right?"
Ranko missed the sarcasm in the boy's voice. "No, they aren't vampire fangs. At least, not that I am aware of. Come to think of it, I don't know why I have these fangs."
That stopped the boys short. They hadn't expected a thoughtful response like that. They looked at each other for a moment and Ranko chose that moment to bolt. However, she didn't just run. She was gone in a cloud of dust. The boys growled and gave chase.
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Elsewhere
Ranma-chan and Genma panda walked along the area, not paying attention to any of the shops that were there, nor were they paying atttention to all the people who seemed to be gawking at the site of a Giant Panda walking through the streets of Nerima. This was probably because they were too busy arguing.
"What do you mean arranged marriage?" The red-haired girl yelled at the big panda. The panda growfed. People nearby stopped what they were doing and stared at the strange sight of a young girl arguing with a panda. The public at large generally thought that pandas were a protected species and usually only seen in zoos. However, this was Nerima so anything could happen here.
"You've got to be kidding! I can't marry someone while I'm cursed like this!"
"Growf! Grrr Growfgrowl!" The panda continued making motions with its hands, frantically.
"Yeah, right. I'm sure its honorable getting married while I'm a girl part time! Don't they have laws against that sort of thing?"
More growling and paw signals were made.
"Come on, Pop! This is no time to be worrying about stuff like that! I'm only 16!"
The panda started to take up a defensive stance and stopped as it noticed that they had a large audience gathered around them. Nervously, it growfed at everyone who suddenly decided they had more pressing matters elsewhere. It resumed its stance.
"If that's the way you want it. 'sFine with me!" Ranma-chan also took up a battle stance. Neither combatant got a chance to get started as they heard a rather pecular noise. It almost sounded like a large vehicle heading their way at a very fast speed. Ranma frowned. She knew that sound. She didn't like that sound. That sound usually meant intense physical pain to herself, but it also meant that someone else was going to be hurting as well. She was glad that whatever it was that her little sister used to employ that somehow protected herself as well.
"BIIIGGG BRRROTT-erk!"
Ranma looked up in time to be slammed into by his younger sister, Ranko, with enough force that both of them ended up going through the wall of a nearby shop. The shopkeeper was in no position to berate them since he was out cold from the crash.
Ranma got up, dazedly. "Sis, could ya please be more careful where ya're goin'? That hurt you know..."
Ranko looked abashedly at her brother, "sorry, Big Brother, but," here she glared at the big panda who suddenly found his claws very interesting, "due to someone's idea of excercise I am in a bit of a bind." Ranma caught the dagger that one of the boys had thrown at his sister, by its handle, just before it stuck in her sister's back. She narrowed her eyes. Someone was going to pay. She looked up in the direction the dagger had come from, casually tossing the dagger to the panda in the process. She stepped in front of her sister, seperating Ranko from the three teenagers that had been chasing her. Ranma didn't like it when people picked on her younger sister. She especially didn't like it when they were carrying various weapons that had sharp points and edges to them.
The panda was eyeing the fact that the dagger appeared to have a ruby in its hilt along with some smaller diamonds. He could get lots of sake with the sale of this weapon.
Ranma turned from her father to face the bullies. The panda nodded, backing off. She assumed a defensive stance. It was fairly obvious what they had intended. This hadn't been the first time people had tried to kill his sister. It always angered him whenever someone even had the thought of doing that. She wished people could just accept her as she was.
"Move yourself out of the way, red-head, or find yourself hurt. We want the vampire demon that is hiding behind you." One of the bullies said, a menacing look in his green eyes. He brushed back his short, brown hair as if it were something he cherished and made sure looked nice, even if nothing else did.
"If you want my sister, then you'll have to get through me first," was Ranma's reply.
"If she is your sister, then you must also be of demon and vampire descent. Therefore, we must kill you as well." This came from another of the three punks.
"Hey, Shinji, she doesn't have the wings or the fangs, are you sure she is of demon or vampire descent?" This came from the third punk who was standing behind the other two.
"Shutup, Jo," replied the one in front, Shinji, who appeared to be the leader.
Without warning, Shinji yelled "Attack!"
Ranma jumped, spinning in the air and seemingly kicked the leader only once before landing on the other side of him. The leader stopped, dropped his weapons, and fell over. The other two paused at this.
Ranko winced, knowing what Ranma had done. Though she knew nothing would be permanent, she also knew the punk would be hurting in the morning.
The other two looked at their leader, where read foot marks were starting to appear all over his body. They looked at each other, nodded once and attacked Ranma at the same time. Ranma stood her ground as they both approached, there was a flurry of movement and both teens suddenly found themselves eating ground. One of them passed out. The other one knocked senseless.
Ranko got up. "Thanks, big brother!" She gave Ranma an enthusiastic hug. In spite of how he felt he found himself smiling and hugged her back.
Ranma and Ranko walked over to where the Big Panda was watching. He started growfing and making motions with his paws as soon as they were close enough.
Ranma sighed, "No. I could have but I didn't. You taught me better than that, you know. Killing solves nothing. I wanted to really hurt them, though."
The panda nodded at this and growfed again.
Ranko eeped. "Papa! How could you even ask something like that? If Ranma had done that, he would've been as bad as those...bullies!"
The panda growfed some more. "OK, Papa. As long as that is all it was."
The panda turned back to Ranma and the growfing and paw pointing continued.
Ranma frowned. "Well, Pop, she is stronger than me in a lot of cases, you know, but I will work on her training further. No....No...Pop! You know she has developed a defense for almost every move you have taught for Anything Goes!"
Ranko frowned. "Papa, I don't want to fight people. Its bad enough that Big Brother has to fight people to stop them from trying to hurt me, but I can't hurt people. Why should I have to hurt people anyways?"
The panda sighed. This wasn't the first time they had gone through this discussion. His daughter's innocence was incredible to him. Incredible in that she was 14, had the IQ of a genius at times, and yet had no clue as to the way things were in real life. He was amazed that her test scores put her in the same grade as Ranma. She seemed to still have this idea that she could be friends with everyone. And yet, he couldn't deny how she seemed to have this...magic on most people that just seemed to make them want to be more friendly with her. Too bad it didn't work on everyone.
Ranma glared at the Panda, "This argument ain't over concerning the arranged iinazuke. I still think this is a bad idea." The panda shrugged, noncommentally and the party of three continued on their way.
Ranma sighed. This had already been a long day. It had started out raining today and they hadn't had a chance to get some hot water so that she could change back to her male form. She really hated meeting new people in her female form.
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A little later, they arrived at a rather large house. They walked through the gate and stood outside the front door.
Genma-panda started to open the door, but Ranko got in his way. "Papa! You know this isn't polite. We should knock first. You know how important it is to make a good first impression. And we don't have the traditional gifts we are supposed to bring with us..."
The panda shrugged and knocked on the door, he then proceeded to open the wooden door and start walking in, only to find himself blocked by his daughter for a second time.
"Papa, we should wait for them to ask us in first."
Genma-panda, annoyed at his daughter's persistance, bent over and picked up the winged teenager, who started struggling once she realized what the panda was doing. The panda merely ignored her and slung her over his shoulder.
"Papa! Put me down! This isn't proper. We should be making a good first impression!"
Ranma-chan merely sighed, shaking her head. She had a feeling this was not going to be a good meeting.
They heard "Saotome, old friend, is that you?" from inside, shortly before a tall man with black hair and a mustache met them in the hallway. He and his daughter suddenly turned around and ran back into the house, Genma-panda and company following.
"Way to go, pop," mumbled the red-head who was standing next to the panda. "Scare the hell out of them why don't you..."
"Daddy," asked Nabiki. "Don't tell me this is your friend?"
The black haired man, shook his head.
"Well, father, " said Kasumi. "I don't recall ever having a panda over before. Guess, I'll have to change the evening menu slightly." She started looking thoughtful.
Genma-panda gently set Ranko down, who had stopped struggling when she realized they were already inside. Ranma looked nervous.
Soun looked at the redhead without wings. "Don't tell me you're...?"
"Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this-!"
Soun hugged Ranma, tears of joy pouring down his face. "At last, you have arrrived. I am so glad you made it. At last-Eh?" Soun stopped mid sentence and suddenly pushed Ranma back. Something didn't add up. Ranma's body seemed to be... a bit too curvy.
Nabiki looked more closely. Both of the Saotome Siblings wored black pants with black bracers, but the Ranko had a pink shirt and Ranma had a red shirt on. She poked Ranma in the chest a few times, fondling the breast to make sure that what she was feeling was real. She couldn't believe it.
Ranma looked embarassed. Ranko giggled. "You shouldn't do that to Big Brother, he's not used to being a girl."
<Mass silence followed. Akane and Soun sweat-dropped.>
"Excuse me, did you say "Big Brother"?" asked Nabiki. She continued poking Ranma in the chest as if not aware she was doing it anymore. "And what did you mean by 'He's not used to being a girl'? Isn't your "Big Brother" always a girl?"
Ranko giggled again, "not when he can help it".
"Um...Would you please stop that?" asked Ranma-chan. She still looked miserable.
"Well, Daddy, it would appear that our "fiancee" is a girl!"
Kasumi gave an "oh, my!", Soun fainted, and Akane merely shook her head, muttering "morons" under her breath. This whole idea about being engaged to someone she has never even met before was stupid enough but only to find out that there are two daughters? And one of them was a ding-bat? She looked at Ranko more closely noticing the wings and shook her head again. Literally, a dingbat.
Ranma continued looking down. Nabiki had finally stopped poking Ranma in the breast. "Sorry 'bout this," said the nervous red-head.
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Kasumi put another wet washtowel, folded into a strip, onto her father's head. His eyes were open and tears were streaming down the sides of his face.
"Poor Father, he's so disappointed by all this," said Kasumi.
"He's disappointed? He's been talking about getting us engaged to a girl! Some fiance this is." Nabiki looked positively annoyed.
Akane sighed. "Enough of this. He..Er...They are our guests. We should treat them as such." Akane looked at the winged red-head. "I'm Akane, want to be friends?"
Ranko smiled, showing her fangs. "Can we?" She was genuinely enthusiastic.
Akane, however, got a look at the fangs and freaked out. "A vampire! Aaaaa!"
Akane pulled a wooden mallet out which curiously had a sharp end to it and swung it at Ranko's chest. Things seemed to move in slow motion as Ranko screamed and dropped into a crouch, rolling backwards. Ranma ran and stopped, throwing her leg in front of the mallet-spike blocking it with her shin. The look on her face was one of anger. Yet, she stayed in that position, seemingly balancing on one leg while holding the mallet-spike up with the other.
"You've got some nerve, lady, asking my sister to be friends and then attacking her the next."
Ranko was crouching behind Ranma, crying.
Soun started wailing. "Wahh! My youngest daughter has no honor."
"Akane! They are guests. Trying to kill guests is impolite," scolded Kasumi sternly.
Nabiki, for once, couldn't say anything. She was still in shock by what she had just seen. Her jaw was still hanging open, which her sister Kasumi politely closed for her, causing an audible "click" sound when her teeth came together. "Nabiki, please keep your mouth closed, its not nice to make faces at our guests."
Akane fumed. Fine, she thought. Make her look like the bad guy. She tries to protect her family from some vampire and they turn on her. "Fine, then. I challenge you, vampire."
Ranma frowned. "If you challenge her, you challenge me. She won't fight."
The panda growfed at Ranma.
"What do mean 'she has to accept the challenge'?" more growfing and hand signals. "No. You know she doesn't fight. This wouldn't be fair. I know it's about honor and the Saotome name. NO! She is my sister. I will not allow her to be bullied. <sighs> OK, you're right." Ranma turned his gaze towards Akane, seeming to burn it into her. "However, this is a challenge fight, not an attempt to kill."
"Fine, whatever." Akane's thoughts were along a darker line. I'll show her whose the bad guy around here. No vampire is going to try and suck my family's blood and get away with it. And no vampire is going to make a fool of me either.
Akane headed out to the dojo.
Ranma turned to his sister, who immediately grabbed him in a hug, crying her eyes out. Ranma sighed. He never understood why Ranko was so innocent in a lot of things. But, she was his sister. A sister he cared for very much. And a sister he would do his best to protect.
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A few minutes later, Ranko stopped crying and was talking with Ranma on one side of the dojo. Akane was doing warmup excercises on the other. Ranko's wings fluttered, slightly.
Ranko turned to face her opponent as did Akane. Nabiki, having recovered from the shock of her younger sister actually trying to kill someone, stood in the middle, off to the side slightly with her right arm held out in front of her seperating the two combatants.
"Ready!" She said. She paused for a moment as both combatants nodded and then dropped her arm in a slicing motion. "Begin!"
Akane stepped forward, confidently and took a few swings at Ranko who ducked the first one, leaned back so that the second one missed her, and then jumped to avoid the leg sweep, doing the splits as she did, but quickly landing on her feet.
Akane was getting frustrated. "Come on and fight me!", she yelled while doing a power punch, following up with a palm thrust. Both missed their marks as Ranko nimbly did a reverse hand spring to avoid both attacks.
"I don't want to fight you, Akane. I just want to be friends," was the response. Ranko moved to the side of Akane's next foot strike grabbing her foot and pulling slightly causing the black-haired girl to lose her balance momentarily, giving Ranko enough time to put one hand on Akane's thigh and do a handstand, followed with a forward flip over Akane's shoulders. Akane fumed some more, getting madder and madder.
Akane went into a series of punches and kicks, forcing Ranko backwards. Ranko dropped into a ball, rolling backwards and then popping back on her feet with her hands. Akane pressed the attack continuing to force the winged-haired girl backwards. Ranko suddenly found herself backed up against the wall. She looked at Akane, a sad look on her face.
"At last! The final attack!" Akane threw everything into a forward punch. Ranko jumped, landing in a handstand on Akane's shoulders, staying there long enough to look at Akane and smile before doing a backflip off of her shoulders and land on the other side of her. Akane's fist went through the dojo wall, knocking a board loose which promptly fell down and nailed Akane on the head, knocking her senseless as she staggered about a bit.
"Akane! Are you OK?" Ranko ran over to Akane to help steady her. However, Akane would have none of it and as Ranko reached a hand out to help steady the angry girl, she suddenly found herself being thrown over Akane's shoulders in a basic Judo throw.
Ranko curled into a ball as she hit the floor and rolled away from her opponent. Then, she popped back onto her feet. "Akane, STOP IT! This will get you nowhere!"
Akane growled as she jumped, trying a flying back kick. Ranko ducked, and rolled forward. Akane landed, but quickly went into a round house kick catching Ranko in the side as she was turning around. She found herself flung across the dojo and into the wall. Ranko reoriented herself and bounced off the wall. "Ranko Saotome Final Attack! Amazon Teddy Bear Hug!" the red head yelled as she grabbed Akane in a Bear Hug. Akane was too surprised to react as the momentum carried both to the floor, Ranko's hands glowed a slight blueish color while she went down with the angry girl. Ranko looked down at Akane who was now asleep.
Ranko started crying. "Why do they always act this way! All I wanted was to be friends. Why do they keep reacting to me as if I am some kind of freak?? And I thought a hug would make Akane feel better. Instead she was so filled with anger she fell asleep!"
Soun's eye twitched. "Incredible. Its...Its the infamous martial arts move rarely seen outside of the legendary Chinese Amazon tribes. The martial arts move used to defeat an enemy without having to kill him by touching specific nerve points on the back. Oh, to think I should live so long as to see it done in front of me."
Ranma smirked. "Well, Mr. Tendo, you know the Anything Goes Style...Her move seems to be a more...Friendly way of ending the conflict. At least Ranko didn't have to hit your daughter."
At that, Soun's eyes started twitching as the Dreaded Demon-Head Attack was initiated. "You hurt my baby girl!" He snarled at Ranko who stepped back, terrified. "Ahhhh, a demon!! Keep it away!"
Ranma stepped in front of his sister, grabbing the forked tongue of the Demon-Headed Soun. "Mr. Tendo, you remember the fact that your daughter challenged my little sister don't you? You also remember the fact that I am her _big_ brother, right?" Ranma was glaring at the Demon-Head, who was starting to sweat, thinking that maybe this might not have been the best idea. "My sister is terrified of demons. If you do this to her again, or anything threatening towards her, I will take that as a personal insult and we will have a battle of honor. Do I make myself clear?"
The demon-head nodded.
"Oh, and Mr. Tendo?"
"Yeth?" It was hard for him to talk correctly while Ranma still held his tongue in his hand.
"Its not polite to stick your tongue out at people. Especially guests." Ranma threw the forked tongue back in the demon-head's face causing a classic cartoon tongue "fwapping" to occur, whereby the tongue acted as a shade pulled up and rolled back into the mouth rather painfully, smacking the owner of said tongue several times before stopping the rolling. Soun shook his head reducing him back to normal and staggered back into the house.
Kasumi smiled. "How nice. Such pleasant guests, don't you think so, Nabiki?"
"Yeah, sis, whatever." Nabiki's eye was still twitching from what she had just seen.
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After a little while, everyone gathered around the table.
Soun looked at his three "guests" now kneeling at the table with them. "So where is my old friend, Genma Saotome?" he asked, looking from Ranma, to Ranko, to the Panda.
The panda started growfing.
Ranko giggled. "Papa is the panda." She produced a kettle of boiling water from somewhere and poured it onto the panda who went from struggling and growling to yelling in pain as it turned into the slightly bald and overweight form of Genma.
"Ranko, dear, it doesn't need to be that hot," he said, steam rising from his body.
Ranko frowned. "Sorry papa. I sometimes grab the wrong kettle."
Ranma got up and began backing away nervously.
Genma grabbed the kettle from Ranko and eyed the nervous girl. "Where do you think you are going, boy?" The over-weight martial artist asked as he threw the kettle, hot water and all at his daughter...
Ranma grimaced in pain as the boiling hot water landed on her. Then, the Tendos' jaws hit the floor as they watched Ranma's form heighten and straighten into that of a young boy.
"Could someone please explain all this?" Asked a very bewildered Soun.
Genma pushed his glasses back on his face. "Hmm, where to begin. I guess we can start with this." He started to grab Ranma (who had moved back to sit at the table) only to find himself grabbed by the arm and thrown over the shoulder and out the back door by his startled daughter. "Now what made me do that, I wonder?"
Genma landed in the pond. A couple of seconds later, the panda came out, grabbed Ranma and through him into the water as well. The red-head came up a few seconds later, yelling "What'd you do that for?" She charged out and attacked the panda and the two combatants began their sparring match. The red head started yelling "this is all your fault, old man!" of and on during the fight.
Kasumi watched all this with an "Oh, my. Father, you have some interesting friends."
Ranko sighed. "Welll, it all started when Papa got this idea for taking us to these "special training grounds" he had heard of..."
***** Begin Flashback Sequence *****
Genma and the Saotome siblings approached the strange looking valley behind the Jusenkyo Guide. There seemed to be small pools everywhere, each with a bamboo pole sticking out of the middle of it. Most of the pools seemed to be of differing sizes, but each had a strange kind of power which seemed to be emanating from it.
The Guide began telling about the strange land they were at. "Here we arrive at strange training grounds of Jusenkyo. Over 100 pools here and each have its own tragic tale. No one use this place anymore 'cause it too dangerous-Honored sirs what you do?" The Guide looked at Genma strangely as he hopped onto one of the poles.
"Ranma," yelled Genma, from atop the pole, "follow me!"
Ranko watched on, scared, as her brother landed on a pole across from Genma. Both combatants were balancing on one leg.
"Please, sirs, you come down now. Is very bad if you fall in!" The Guide looked sorrowfully at the two fools began fighting on the poles.
Ranko looked at the guide. "What danger is there?" she asked.
"Each pool here is cursed. Years ago, people and things fall into pools and drown. Now, whenever someone fall in pool, they take on body of creature that fall into spring. Many, very tragic stories here."
Genma made an attack which was countered by Ranma.
"Is it permanent?" Ranko winced as she watched Genma and Ranma both attack once more, both blocking each other's attacks as well to land on different poles, still opposite each other.
"The curses usually last a lifetime. Very few people find cure for curses. However, curses caused by water."
"What do you mean?"
"When a person who have Jusenkyo curse come into contact with cold water, they assume cursed form. Hot water changes them back to normal form. But, for some reason, very few people listen to what guide have to say. So, usually, whenever someone come here, they leave with curse of one sort or another. And almost always think cursed form permanent form for life. Is very tragic." The guide shook his head, sadly, looking over at the winged girl he was talking with. "You already have curse, miss?"
Ranko looked startled by the question. "No, " she responded hesitantly. "Why do you ask?"
"Because of your fangs and wings. Look like you fall in spring of drown female vampire."
Ranko frowned...."No, I have had these wings and fangs ever since I was 7. <shrug> I don't even know why I have them. What I do know is that I am _not_ a vampire."
The Guide nodded. "Jusenkyo Guide see many strange things so this not surprise me."
Ranko frowned as she watched Ranma counter one of Genma's aerial attacks, ending up with the overweight martial artist landing in one of the pools.
The guide pulled out a card and looked at it. "Oh, very bad, sir. You fall in Spring of Drowned Panda. Legend say 1 thousand 200 years ago, Panda fall into spring and drown. Now, whoever fall into spring cursed to take Panda form."
Ranko jumped as a large panda erupted from the pool, in Genma's tattered jacket and landed on a pole across from Ranma. Ranma looked startled as he tried to figure out what the panda was doing in his father's jacket and why it looked like it was ready to fight.
"What the hell-?" He began, but the panda leapt at Ranma and kicked him into a far pool.
Ranma opened the front of the gi, and upon seeing what was there, screamed. Ranko could feel the fear and anger boiling off of him. Ranko quickly ran over to the pool Ranma had fallen into and leaned over slightly to grab the paniced youth in a hug. "Big brother, please calm down."
"I'm...I'm...I'm...Gonna kill you, Old Man!" yelled the boy (now girl). He jumped out of the water, accidently knocking his sister backwards. She landed on her rear, painfully.
"Owie!" She yelled, rubbing the pained area. Ranma-chan ran after the panda who was now trying to get away.
"Big Brother!" she yelled. Ranma wasn't listening. She sighed, hoping she could fix any problems that might come from Ranma's anger...
***** End Flashback Sequence *****
"Oh, my," summed up Kasumi, putting her hand to her mouth.
Akane glared at Ranma triumphantly. "I knew it! He is a pervert! With a vampire sister!"
Ranma (male) was sitting at the table with Ranko and Genma. Genma was crying.
Ranma looked at Akane, startled. "I am NOT a pervert!" Ranko nodded her head in agreement.
"Oh, you don't know the shame of it. My son turns into a girl half the time. How can I raise him to be a man-erk?"
Genma was cutoff as Ranma gave him a flying kick into the koi pond yet again. "Geez. You don't have to make such a big deal about this. Its not like I'm a girl all the time."
Kasumi quickly snapped herself out of her reverie. As Soun began talking again. "Well, Saotome, I don't see the problem. He's still a young man, so he can still marry one of my daughters!"
"That's right, Tendo!" Said a suddenly human Genma, who was sitting next to his old friend.
"This is my oldest daughter, Kasumi, " Soun said as he motioned to the tallest, yet most mature acting lady. "She's nineteen. This is my second oldest daughter, Nabiki. She's seventeen." He motioned to the sister who up until that time had been keeping quiet. "And this is my youngest daughter, Akane." He indicated the yound girl in what appeared to be a Karate Gi with long, browne hair. "She's 16. Choose one of them and they will be your bride."
Akane growled. "There ain't no way I want any part of this. I am NOT interested in a pervert with his vampire sister."
Ranma was on his feet! "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said. You are a pervert! I bet you ogle yourself in the mirror while in girl form."
Ranma growled. "I do not! Um...What's ogle mean?"
Akane facefaulted.
Ranko tapped her brother on the shoulder. He waved her off.
Nabiki backed away, thinking this through. There appeared to be more to Ranma than was plainly visible. He was very interesting and there was something about his sister that she liked. The fact that Ranma seemed to care for his sister very much was something that did not go unnoticed by Nabiki. Kasumi arose with "I had better get dinner started," and walked into the kitchen. The two fathers nodded.
"Daddy, I will be the one engaged to Ranma." Fine, thought Nabiki. I hope I am right about this. And that sex change thing he can do might actually fetch a tidy profit.
Nabiki's comment caused total silence to make itself known in the Tendo house. She looked at the father's expectantly. She suddenly started to get very self conscious. Kasumi had stopped halfway to the kitchen. "Oh...my..."
Akane and Ranma continued to glare at each other. "Fine," began Ranma, smiling breifly at Nabiki, before turning to glare back at Akane. "As long as I don't have to marry this uncute, unfeminine, macho tomboy, bitch..."
Ranma never saw the table which Akane suddenly had in her hands and slammed down over his head, causing it to break into several pieces in the process. "Tomboy bitch, am I? Fine! Die, pervert!"
Genma snorted. "Ranma, my boy, you had that coming. Learn to treat your fiance's family with respect next time."
Ranko was at Ranma's side in an instant. "Geez, Akane, you could have seriously hurt him!" she began checking her brother for signs of serious damage.
Akane snorted. "So? Serves him right, the pervert!"
Ranko tried to glared at Akane. "You...you...You...YOU...MEANIE!" she yelled...Akane facefaulted, expecting a worse insult. When she recovered she stormed up to her room, slamming her door when she got there.
After dinner (which was a quiet event), Kasumi asked Ranko if she wanted to help her with the dishes.
Ranko looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Do you mean it, big sister Kasumi?"
Kasumi smiled. She could get used to having Ranko around. "Of course."
The two went in to clean dishes and Ranko began teaching Kasumi the fine art of Anything Goes Dish Cleaning. Needless to say, both were done cleaning up in no time.
"Ranko, would you like to take a bath now?" asked Kasumi after they had finished cleaning?
Ranko nodded her head.
Kasumi led Ranko upstairs to the bathroom flipping the sign over as she did. "I'll get these washed for you Ranko as you take a bath."
Ranko smiled brightly. "Ok, Big Sister. Thanks."
Ranko began her bath. Ranma and Genma began to get comfortable in their guest room.
Ranko relaxed in the bath. It was so nice to be able to soak for a bit after sparring. She sighed, sadly. She never understood why everyone always treated her like she was a monster. She wasn't. She was just...different. Her attention was distracted by the sound of someone knocking on the door.
"Um, come in?" she hesitantly responded to the knocking. She relaxed some as Kasumi opened the door.
Kasumi walked in, carrying a change of clothes. She smiled brightly as she entered, closing the door behind her.
"Your clothes are in to wash. Unfortuneately, we don't have anything that would fit you with your wings as they are. However, we can goto the store and pick you up some clothes if you'd like. They'll have to be modified of course to fit your wings since girls with wings aren't usually in the market for clothes. For now, why don't you try wearing this bathing suit top with these jeans that I borrowed from Akane?"
Ranko perked up at that. "Really? Do you mean it? Travelling with Papa all the time left us with very little money. So we never really had a chance to buy new clothes."
Kasumi giggled. "Yes, Ranko, I do."
Ranko flung her arms around Kasumi's neck in a girlish hug. "You're the best, Kasumi!" Kasumi smiled.
Akane chose that moment to enter the bath thinking that it would be nice to have a nice hot bath herself. What she saw when she walked in was Ranko trying to sink her fangs into Kasumi's neck. The innocent ploy was so obvious to Akane. Ranko acted innocent until she got one of Akane's sisters alone and then she sucked their blood. Simple. Why didn't anyone else see how simple it was? And there was no way Akane was going to let this happen in her family again! Once was enough.
Kasumi was startled out of her hug when Akane kicked Ranko in the face knocking her across the bath. Her head slammed into the far wall and Ranko fell into the water, unconscious. Kasumi was too startled to react just staring at what Akane had just done.
"Keep your fangs out of my sister!" Yelled the angry girl. "Hasn't your kind done enough damage to my family?"
Ranma, Nabiki, Genma and Soun were in the bathroom in a flash before Akane knew what was going on. "Akane, what happened?"
Akane was in a rage, tears coming down the side of her face. "Your kind took my mother from me! Your kind are the ones to blame for her not being here!" By now, her aura had made itself known and tripled in size.
Ranma stepped forward, visibly agitated. "Calm down, Akane. Ranko is NOT a vampire. I wish you would get it through your head. SHE IS NOT YOUR ENEMY!"
Akane launched herself at Ranma. "Like hell she isn't! She has the fangs! She has the wings! She's a vampire!" Ranma moved to the side, catching Akane in seemingly one move. Akane fell asleep in Ranma's arms.
Kasumi ran over to where Ranko's unmoving form was slowly sinking under the water and pulled her out of the bathtub.
"Ranko...Ranko...?" Kasumi put her head over Ranko's mouth and listened, quietly. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. She is still breathing..." Kasumi gently picked Ranko up and got her out of the danger zone.
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Kasumi continued to work on Ranko in her room. As she removed Ranko's shirt to clean the blood which had dribbled down her back, she was startled to find claw marks all over her back. She looked at her own finger nails and at Ranko's. She realized that nothing human could have made those. She wondered what caused them....Kasumi didn't notice that while she was cleaning the wounds, they seemed to be healing up as her hands touched the places where Ranko was injured. She also didn't notice her hands glowing a slight blue-ish color either.
There was a knock on her door.
"Enter."
Ranma-chan entered the room, wet, and looking somewhat annoyed. "Akane is sleeping in her bed."
Kasumi smiled. "Ah, there you are, Ranma. I want your sister to stay in my room. At least for a little while."
Ranma thought about that for a moment before nodding. "That would work fine. I can't think of anyone else who she'd feel more comfortable with. Thanks, Kasumi."
"Oh, and Ranma, one more thing," began Kasumi hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"You still haven't told us why Ranko is like she is? Surely this isn't something that just happenned out of the blue?"
Ranma sighed. He had hoped he could avoid telling people about why Ranko was half demon or how she was.
Kasumi noticed how uneasy Ranma was with the question and smiled. "Ranma, the reason why I ask is because when I laid Ranko down in my bed to rest, I noticed there were strange scratches and cuts all over her back. These didn't look like anything that could have been made by a human. And they felt...Well, demonic...For lack of a better word for it. Your sister is half demon, isn't she?"
Ranma was startled. "How-?"
Kasumi gave that angelic smile again. "It seems to be a trait I inherited from Mother, before she died."
Ranma sighed again. "My sister is the results of one of my Pop's mistresses who turned out to be a demoness who seduced him. He awoke the next morning to her laughing and handed him a baby girl. I didn't find out about this until a few years ago myself. Regardless of where she came from, though, she is still my sister."
Kasumi smiled again. She liked Ranma. She could see a lot of maturity in the person before her. Although at times, it was overshadowed by his immaturity and over-machoness.
"Kasumi, I don't want Ranko to know where she comes from. She has enough problems with excepting the fact she is different. If she knew she was half demon, she would have even more troubles."
Kasumi nodded. "Ranma, I will not give her any reason to believe she is any different then anyone else. And actually, I already consider her like a little sister to me..." Kasumi blushed with this last bit.
Ranma merely smiled before leaving Kasumi's room.
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Ranma and Kasumi rejoined the rest of the families downstairs. "I think Ranma and Nabiki should sleep together." This came from both of the fathers.
"Are you crazy??" yelled Ranma, turning beat red. "Daddy! I don't think that is such a good idea...I don't even know him yet..." Nabiki looked equally uneasy about the whole idea.
Kasumi spoke up. "Father, that wouldn't be proper. They just met a few hours ago. Give them a chance to know each other first. Ranma and Genma will sleep in the guest room. Ranko will sleep in my room. Any objections?"
Noone had any objections. So it was decided.
Kasumi retired to bed, checking on Ranko. Ranko was asleep, but there were tears on her face. She began crying out softly. Kasumi went over and hugged the Saotome daughter, in a motherly embrace. Ranko stopped shivering, a smile on her face. Kasumi fell asleep that night, playing Big Sister to Ranko in her bed.
----- End Episode 1 ----
Well, what do people think so far? Email me your C&C if you would as I would be interested in what people's opinion of all this is.
katrina_lee@enterpriseds.com
Coming up: In Episode 2, The Saotome Siblings start their first days of school. Ranko and Ranma take on Kuno. Ranko displays her "Ki attack". Kuno spends most of the day trimming the jungle in the school yard. Akane continues fighting with Ranko and Ranma. Nabiki makes some attempts to get to know her fiancee.
Also, watch for the side story which should be out pretty soon, called "Ranko's Dreams" its a somewhat dark story and only takes place at night between several episodes. Coming soon.