Here's the potential outline for the fic I'm going to begin after finishing
"U-Jin's Ranma Diaries" (the final chapter, of which, should appear in about
two weeks) and will alternate with between "Melted Hearts." I'm going to
try to avoid massive OOC here, so any C&C about this outline and how the
characters react would be appreciated:
Prolouge: Six months have passed since Vol. 38 of the manga. The
relationship between Ranma and Akane (as well as between Ranma and Nabiki)
has deteriorated since the failed wedding. Akane is furious that Ranma still
hasn't admitted his love for her, while Ranma, having come so close to
marriage, has started to question whether or not living a quite life with
Akane at the Dojo is really what he wants. Ranma's whole life has been full
of adventure and he's not sure that raising a family with any of the girls he
knows is what he really wants. (He also doesen't want to become Shampoo's sex
slave.)
Ukyo, meanwhile, has started to grow frustrated with Ranma's seeming lack of
interest. She's even started to notice that Konatsu fawns over her, making
her realize that there are more fish in the sea than Ranma.
Ryoga has been selected to participate in a trial program for a new drug that
partially cures his lack of direction. Ryoga decides to fully commit to
Akari, and move in with her.
Chapter 1: Ranma, Akane, Akari and Ukyo head to Furinkan High where they are
all shocked to learn that their test scores are high enough to get into
Sapporo University. SU is a prestigious liberal arts college that offers
degrees in Drama and Communications. (Note: I have no idea if there really
is a Sapporo U, and if so, what degrees they offer.)
Akane goes to enter the Drama program, while Ranma is forced by Genma and
Soun to accompany his fiancee. SU offers a degree in Phys Ed., so Ranma
takes that.
Ukyo, who's doubts about Ranma are still in their formulaic stage, decides to
go to SU in a last-ditch attempt to win Ranma. She doesen't even know what
degree she wants, she's certain she'll have Ranma falling for her by the time
she gets her Associates Degree (or the Japanese equivalent of it).
Akari goes to get a Marketing degree so she and Ryoga can open their own Sumo
Pig Training School. She and Ryoga decide to get off-campus housing and live
together.
Shampoo, meanwhile, has run up a considerable debt to Nabiki. When Shampoo
proves unable to pay the bill, Nabiki has her, Cologne and Mousse deported
back to China, effectively removing them from this fic.
Chapter 2: The Wrecking Crew arrives in Sapporo! The parents had arranged
for Ranma and Akane to share a co-ed dorm (do the Japanese even have these?)
but the two secretly make arrangements to get seperate room-mates.
Akane ends up with Utena Tojou, who is on the rebound from a bitter breakup
with Anthy.
Ranma, meanwhile, winds up with a girl named Noriyo. Noriyo is a wild "goth"
chick who alternates dying her hair between blue and green. Noriyo spends
more time at raver clubs than in class, and thinks that Ranma's curse is the
coolest thing since Led Zeppelin songs were digitally remastered. (Note: I
may end up switching the character to FLCL's Haruko)
Chapter 3: Ranma and co. settle into day-to-day life at college. Akane and
Ranma begin training together.
Akane and Utena get off to a bad start. Akane whines and moans about her
"baka finacee" while Utena spends most of her time depressed over her split
with Anthy.
Ranma and Noriyo get off to a more bizarre start. Noriyo is open about her
sexuality in ways that Shampoo never was. Ranma often walks in on Noriyo
having sex with members of both sexes (Noriyo is an open bisexual).
Chapter 4: The tale shifts to focus on Ryoga and Akari. Their life is not
one of domestic bliss that Ryoga pictured. Now that Ryoga has been partially
cured of his lack of direction (it comes in flashes, now, at the worst times
of course) he gets to spend a lot of time with Akari and discovers her to be
a needy and pushy girl, who has to dominate her "Ryoga-sama."
Ukyo, meanwhile, starts to find herself attracted to one of her teachers,
30-year old
Shoji Onita.
Chapter 5: Homecoming time! Akane's attempts to get Ranma to ask her to the
dance backfire, and Akane ends up going alone. At the dance, she bumps into
Utena, who jokingly asks her to dance. The entire school is shocked when
Akane accepts and dances the night away with the Revolutionary Girl.
Ranma, meanwhile, is set upon spending the night in his dorm room watching
TV. Noriyo will have none of that, however, and drags him off on a wild
night on the town.
Back at the dance, Akari has become obsessed with her and Ryoga winning
"Homecoming King and Queen." When they fail, she and Ryoga have a bitter
argument.
Ukyo has also showed up at the dance alone, convinced that she would be
leaving with Ranma. Disappointed when he doesen't show up, she ends up
spending the night talking with Onita-sensei.
Chapter 6: The day after. Akane and Utena have become fast-friends now that
the ice has been broken between them.
Ranma, meanwhile, wakes up naked, in girl-form, in bed with Noriyo.
Suffering from a bad hangover, Ranma can't remember anything from the night
before. Noriyo is equally tight-lipped, refusing to admit whether or not she
and Ranma had sex the night before.
When Ranma goes to Ryoga and Akari's apartment to try and talk about it with
the pig boy, he notices that the relationship between Akari and Ryoga has
chilled considerably.
Ukyo spends the day thinking about how great Onita-sensei is.
Chapter 7: We fast-forward to Christmas Eve. Akane takes Utena with her
back to Nerima because Utena's Aunt Yurica is out of the country.
Ranma decides to take a later flight back to Tokyo, but Sapporo gets caught
in a bad snow blizzard and Ranma winds up stuck in his dorm with Noriyo. The
two end up having dinner at a bad fast-food restaurant, then spend the night
walking around the campus. The two let their guards down and Noriyo admits
that she didn't actually sleep with Ranma that night. Ranma is relieved and
confesses that he's grateful for Noriyo opening up his eyes and exposing him
to the wilder side of college life. Noriyo admits that she's come to
appreciate Ranma's friendship. As the two pause on a bridge to admire the
city at night, Noriyo says she has a Christmas present for Ranma. Ranma asks
what it is and Noriyo responds by kissing him.
Ranma responds to the kiss at first, until Akane's image appears in his mind.
Freaking out, Ranma runs off into the night.
Akari shows up at home. When her grandfather asks where Ryoga is, Akari says
that Ryoga went to his own home.
Chapter 8: Three weeks have passed and classes have resumed. Ranma has not
been back to his dorm room since that night. Noriyo is relieved when he
shows up for one of the classes they share.
When she confronts him back at the dorm, Ranma reacts with hostility towards
Noriyo. He accuses her of trying to seduce him that night and of trying to
trap him into marriage.
Expecting Noriyo to react like Akane usually does and belt him in the face,
he is horrified when Noriyo breaks down in tears. Not sure what to do, Ranma
stands there numbly as Noriyo explains that she would never force Ranma to do
anything he didn't want to, and that she really does like him.
Touched by this, Ranma forces himself to help Noriyo to her feet and hug her.
(This would be a huge, cathartic scene where Ranma's pride and heart wage a
pitched battle inside of Ranma, with his heart finally winning out and
pushing him to a new level of maturity).
Meanwhile, it's time for Akane and Utena's day of reckoning. Akane shows up
at the dorm complaining of back spasms from training. Utena gives her a back
rub, and pushes her luck when she starts fondling Akane's breasts. Akane
stiffens at first, but then relaxes, turns around and begins kissing Utena.
Chapter 9: Ranma and Akane have a meeting, both intent on breaking off the
engagement with the other. They are both shocked and relieved when they find
out the other has taken up with somebody else. While Akane is amused that
Ranma has ended up with somebody as completely different as him as Noriyo,
Ranma is confused and hurt that Akane has decided she is a lesbian.
Ranma feels depressed and embarrassed, viewing Akane becoming a lesbian as
the ultimate sign of his lack of manliness. Noriyo tries her best to comfort
him, but this is still Ranma we're talking about here, and her efforts fall
on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, Ukyo volunteers to be Onita-sensei's student-assistant. Ukyo
claims it's because she needs the credit, but there is an obvious attraction
between the two.
Ryoga finally decides to move out of the apartment he shares with Akari. His
pain is doubled when he learns of Akane's recent "awakening." Emotionally
distraught, he throws away his medication and wanders off into the dark,
deciding he needs to get lost for a couple of years to forget all the pain
he's suffered.
Chapter 10: Ranma starts to get over his depression and sits down with
Noriyo to define what boundaries their relationship will have. They both
agree that their will be no pressure about marriage, and that they won't
become too serious, too fast. Noriyo also agrees to not push the idea of sex
between them, Ranma is still somewhat shy when it comes to that area. Noriyo
also agrees, that once they do go to that level, she won't push for sex with
Ranma's girl-half. Ranma may or may not do that eventually, but he's still
years away from accepting the idea of him having sex as a girl.
Just as the two agree on the rules and kiss, a messenger shows up at the door
with a telegram from Nodoka. Both the Tendos and Saotomes are coming to
Sapporo for a week, and the parents are all eager to see how well Ranma and
Akane are getting along as finacees....
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. How will a traditional woman like
Nodoka react to Noriyo? How will Soun react to Akane as a lesbian? How will
the fathers react to both Ranma and Akane refusing to honor the agreement to
merge the clans? What happens when Principal Kuno gets appointed School
Provost? Will Ukyo allow herself to forget Ranma and fall for an older man?
How will the school react if the scandal should break out? Where will Ryoga
end up? What about when Shampoo returns and gives Noriyo the Kiss of Death?
How will Noriyo react when her best friend dies of an Extasy overdose at a
rave party? All this and more in the forthcoming "Ranma 1/2: A Far Off
Place...."
Coming in 2000 from W*ING Higley. Any C&C about this outline would be
appreciated.