3-11-99 Rewrite.
I got more than twenty responses to my request for input on
my story (thank you all -- proof that the FFML works). Of
those, five said not to change anything, three said just make the
water hotter, eight said the water thing was annoying but I
shouldn't make major changes, and at least seven suggested
various changes in the curse or magical ways to explain why it
wasn't working (like Shampoo's special soap -- two people
suggested that). I got a lot of interesting ideas thrown at me,
and some of your comments may affect my story down the
road.
One person wrote simply to tell me that my story sucked. How
very helpful of you; I will remember you when the revolution
comes. =P
For those who insist that it's impossible for Ranma to avoid hot
water because his curse makes hot/cold water seek him out, let
me repeat myself. When and where Ranma gets splashed
depends on whether it will advance the plot or produce a laugh.
There are entire story arcs in the manga where Ranma does not
get splashed, because that's not a part of the story, so I don't
buy the idea that it's a part of his curse. It's my experience that
fans will always try to hold fanfiction authors to stricter
standards than the original author held herself to.
In the meantime, I had already begun my rewrite to make it
very clear how the curse works and doesn't work in my story,
when I received, from Scott Pollert, the most logical and
simplest explanation/solution possible. I've implemented that,
as well, and many thanks to you, Scott.
I have not made a lot of changes. Really, the only negative
comments I got were about the hot water thing. My rewrite is
only to attempt to shore up what was clearly a suspension-of-
disbelief problem for some. There will be no more rewrites,
so if this still doesn't work for you, hold your breath, and the
problem will vanish by chapter 3 which I'm posting tonight.
Muyami Academy
What if they ALL went to the same school?
It's alternative history Ranma with multiple crossovers
and lame, filky songfics! I control the vertical, I control the
horizontal, and I have no idea what to do with it. Is it that
obvious? Beware, for all may not be as it seems!
DISCLAIMER: Ranma 1/2 characters and stuff, and Inu
Yasha characters and stuff, copyright 1999 Rumiko Takehashi.
Mamono Hunter Yohko characters and stuff copyright AD
Vision, NCS, Toho Company, LTD, Mad House, and I don't
know whom else. Dilbert characters and stuff, copyright 1999
Scott Adams, and will only appear in the disclaimer.
Chapter One
A Sort Of Homecoming
Well I'm... back in Nerima again,
And I bet you're wondering where I've been,
Got myself cursed out in Jusenkyo,
Got fianc�es waiting here back home,
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right,
Here I am... stuck in Nerima with you
(to tune of: Stuck In The
Middle With
You, Stealer's Wheel)
The two women were clearly related. The younger one
had red hair, tied back in a braided pigtail, and wore a red silk
top of Chinese design with loose black silk pants tied off at the
ankles. She sat nervously, glancing about the living room like
a child in a toy store, her gaze never resting long on any one
object, until it finally returned to the one seated across from
her.
The older woman was dressed in a beautiful white
kimono, with hair a darker shade of red. She sat ramrod
straight, and she looked on the young girl with a mixture of
joy, sorrow, confusion, and not a little wonder.
"Ranma?" she asked. "Is it really you?"
The younger girl nodded her head sadly. "It's really me,
mother. Sorry 'bout this."
The older woman put a hand to her mouth. "Oh, this is
so... strange... to see you like this."
"It's been strange for me, too," the girl said.
"When I got your letter, I didn't believe it. Ancient
curses? Transformations? Who can believe such things? To
think that my son is now a girl, and my husband, a panda..."
she paused, choking back a sob.
The girl looked like a wild animal about to bolt. Her eyes
shimmered, on the brink of tears. "Mother, I... I've wanted to
come home for so long, but I...."
The woman, Nodoka Saotome, suddenly leaned forward
and gathered her daughter in, cradling the girl's head in her
arms. Ranma buried her head and sobbed repeatedly.
"It's okay, Ranma," she said, stroking the girl's hair. "It's
okay. I know it's been hard... it must have been so very hard
for you. I've missed you too, Ranma, I've missed you so very
much. It's going to be all right. I'm here, and I still love you
no matter what. Everything will work out, you'll see."
The sobbing ebbed, and Nodoka patted the girl on the
back. Immediately Ranma stiffened and let out a loud yelp.
"Ow! My back!"
"What's the matter?" Nodoka asked.
"Sunburn," Ranma said, pulling away. "It was so sunny
out, and we were camped by a lake... I sort of fell asleep in the
sun...."
"Let me see," Nodoka said.
"Mom, it's just a sunburn...."
"Ranma," her mother said, "if you're going to live in this
house, then you will not question me. Now, strip!"
"Oh, my, Ranma, that's a very serious burn you have. No
wonder it hurts! You should never take these things lightly;
you might develop an infection if you're not careful. I have
some ointments that should help, once I locate them...."
Ranma stood and pulled her shirt back on. Nodoka
watched with a critical eye.
"Well, Ranma, I must say that, aside from the burn, you're
otherwise a very healthy girl."
Ranma blushed red.
"Mother... what if I'm stuck like this? I haven't found a
cure yet. What will I do?"
"Well," Nodoka said, "we won't know until we reach that
point, Ranma. I won't lie to you; you might be a woman for
the rest of your life. I don't know. A friend, who knows of
such things, assured me that Jusenkyo exists, and that the
curses are real, but he knew no more than that. We'll do what
we can to find a cure...."
"But I don't want to be a girl!"
Nodoka smiled and traced Ranma's jaw line from ear to
chin.
"Ranma, dear, you are a girl, whether you want to be or
not. And you look so much like I did at your age... I would not
have believed it was you, if not for that and your memory of
this house." She smiled warmly. "Oh, Ranma, you are so very
beautiful...."
"I'm not supposed to be beautiful, mother!"
"No, but your beauty cannot be denied at present, child.
Oh, I've waited so many years to see you again, but this... thank
goodness I refused to sign that stupid agreement your father
came up with...."
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Agreement?"
"Never mind, so... child. It was a long time ago."
Nodoka got up, and went to the kitchen, leaving Ranma to
wonder what she'd meant. She stared at the mantle, where the
family sword lay swathed in cloth. That had been the clincher,
of course -- the reason her mother finally believed her strange
tale. Ranma remembered little from when she'd last lived here,
ten years ago, but she knew all about the sword, and the other
family heirlooms.
Nodoka entered the room again, carrying a tray with a
teakettle and two cups on it. She filled the two cups, her
movements graceful and serene, and handed one to Ranma...
...who fumbled, and dropped it into her lap.
Ranma jumped up, yelling, "Ow! Shit! That's hot!"
"Ranma!" her mother said, "watch your language!"
"Ow... sorry mother, it just startled me, I guess."
"Well, a little hot water isn't going to kill you. You are a
martial artist, are you not? But I can see that your father has
not raised you to speak with a civil tongue. That will have to
change."
Nodoka got a towel, and Ranma dried herself off.
"These last three weeks have been a nightmare!" Ranma
complained. "If only pop hadn't heard of that stupid place... we
waltzed right in, like two idiots. Pop had absolutely no idea
what we were getting into! The guide tried to warn us...."
"Did you ask him of a cure?"
Ranma shrugged. "I would've, but pop ran off so fast...
he's been pretty useless since." They both glanced into the
back yard, where a forlorn panda sat waiting. Mrs. Saotome
had flatly refused to allow her husband into the house as he
now was.
"Well, we'll look for a cure, of course, Ranma. I'll start
asking around and see what I can dig up. Perhaps there's a way
to reverse it."
Ranma shuddered. "I... I hope there is. But if there isn't?"
Mrs. Saotome grasped her daughter by the shoulders and
looked her square in the eye. "Listen to me, Ranma. If you're
stuck, it will not be the end of the world. I will love you,
whether you're my daughter or my son. There are far worse
fates than being a girl, Ranma. I was one once, you know!"
She paused to smile at the girl. "I know you have the strength,
Ranma, to see you through whatever lies ahead, and it will get
easier as time goes by.
"Now," she said, standing up, "as for the rest, we'll hope
for the best, but assume the worst. It may take time to find a
cure -- perhaps a great deal of time -- and we can't go around
telling people you're my son when you obviously aren't. So for
now, Ranma, you are my daughter. That being the case, we'll
have to get you some appropriate clothing. I also want to get
you into a good school -- the kami alone know how poorly
your education has been under your father. I have a particular
school in mind. It's private, but I have some money saved up,
and I want your education to be as good as possible...."
"But...."
"No buts, Ranma. You may be a martial artist, but you
will also have an education. Do you understand?"
Ranma nodded her head.
"Good. Now, your first lesson, Ranma, is hygiene. Do
you realize how absolutely filthy you are?" Ranma smiled
weakly. "Being on the road with pops, I've only had lakes and
streams to bathe in."
"Well, I'm afraid the water heater's malfunctioning, so any
bath you take will be lukewarm at best. But at least you can
get yourself clean," Mrs. Saotome said.
"That's fine," Ranma said. "Right now, with my burn,
cool water is all I can stand."
"Now, go on, young lady, while I look for something
clean for you to wear. Perhaps the neighbor girl...."
***
Ranma stepped out of the bath and dried herself off.
Mother was right... the water wasn't exactly cold, but it
certainly wasn't hot. She really ought to get that heater fixed,
but in the meantime, it felt good against Ranma's burning skin.
Ranma stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.
In the three weeks since the transformation, she'd rarely
had the chance to really examine herself, nor the desire to do
so. Looking into her reflected face caused her to flinch. This
was not her face, not her body, not anything her mental image
of herself. This girl that moved when she moved, and smiled
or frowned when she did, was a stranger. And yet....
Her mother was right. She did look a lot her mother.
And... she was beautiful.
At least I'm clean again, she thought. Taking the jar her
mother had provided, she carefully rubbed the white cream
over her back. It stung a little at first, but that faded, leaving
her sore skin feeling much better.
Ranma wrinkled her nose as the smell of the stuff -- sort
of flowery. A girl's smell, or so Ranma imagined -- not like
perfume, but a girl's smell nonetheless.
She stared with some dismay at the clothing that her
mother had brought her.
*Well,* Ranma thought, *I guess I can't really avoid it.*
Ranma padded barefoot down the stairs and into the living
room. Her mom was outside, talking to the panda... Ranma
smiled ruefully at that. If it was hard being treated as a
daughter, imagine being treated as nothing more than a pet
animal....
Served him right, the idiot.
Ranma ran a hand down her stomach, across the buttoned
front of the sundress she wore. It was bright yellow and
sleeveless, with a low-cut front, a hem that reached her knees,
and a sash about the waist, tied in a bow at the back. The
fabric was worn -- mother had borrowed it from next door --
but it fit well enough. Yet it felt strange, as if she weren't fully
dressed.
The rough cotton, where it touched her back, was far more
noticeable than her soft, smooth silk shirt.
Ranma sighed. Her other clothing was in the wash, but
she suspected that, even when dry, she wouldn't be allowed to
wear it. She didn't want to cross her mother, but....
If she stayed here and remained a girl, there would be
more dresses, more strange underwear, and who knew what
else. Ranma knew very little about what it meant to be a girl,
but her mother clearly intended for her to find out.
She opened the front door and walked out onto the lawn.
The new green grass felt cool on her feet, and the sun warmed
her arms and forehead. Ranma smiled, taking in the sights and
sounds of spring. On a whim, she jumped to the roof of the
house and lay back on the warm roof tiles.
*It feels like a dream,* Ranma thought. *This is my
house -- my home. What did that word mean, anyway? I live
here, now. I won't be leaving tomorrow, chasing after some
new training ground in some hidden valley. I'll sleep in the
same place every night. I'll sleep in a bed, with the moonlight
shining through the window curtains....
*It doesn't seem real. I'm wearing a dress. I should be
embarrassed, or depressed, but... I just felt light-headed, like
my body is empty, like I'm adrift on the sea, at night....*
It wasn't the homecoming she'd envisioned, but she was
here, and that was enough. She felt an instant bond with her
mother, unlike anything she'd ever felt for her father. She was
willing to wait and see where it all led.
It was spring, after all -- a time for fresh starts and new
beginnings.
Ranma lay in the sun, her eyes closed, and let her mind
drift away. The next thing she knew, someone was yelling up
at her... a girl's voice, one she didn't know.
Ranma sat up, blinking. *Geez,* she thought, *did I fall
asleep in the sun again? That's brilliant. Well, I was on my
back this time...*
She shaded her eyes and, leaning over the edge, looked
down.
A girl stood there. She wore a sailor-style school uniform,
white with a green collar and skirt and a red sash tied in front.
Her hair was waist length and dark, and she was carrying a
book bag. She looked up at Ranma with a curious expression.
"Hello," she said. "Are you new here?"
Ranma nodded. "My name's Ranma Saotome. I've only
been here since this morning."
"Oh? You must be Mrs. Saotome's daughter, then."
Ranma frowned, trapped between the lie that everyone
would assume, and the truth that no one would believe. She
didn't like to lie, but it seemed the best strategy at present.
"That's right," she said, smiling.
"My name's Kagome Higurashi," the girl said. "I live in
the weird old temple next door. Sorry to bother you, but I just
couldn't help noticing... that dress looks familiar...."
Ranma blushed. "Uh, your mom lent me this, I guess.
She said you didn't wear it much...."
The girl smiled. "Oh, that explains it. Mom's right; I
don't wear it much."
"Thanks, I guess," Ranma said.
"No problem. It looks good on you."
Ranma blushed again. "If you say so."
Ranma leapt from the edge of the roof, as she'd done a
hundred of times before. Immediately realizing her mistake,
she tried in vain to hold her dress down, but it billowed out and
up. Ranma landed unsteadily and smoothed the dress out as
quickly as possible, hoping Kagome had seen nothing.
The girl raised an eyebrow. "My panties as well?"
"Ah..." Ranma said. Her face flushed a bright crimson.
Kagome laughed. "Wow! Almost as red as your back!
That's a nasty sunburn, by the way...."
Ranma only nodded.
"Well, you should keep it. It's not like I've needed it
lately," Kagome said. "The dress, I mean," she added, her own
face flushing red. "Although, really, you should keep the
underwear, too...."
"So," Ranma said, desperate to change the subject, "you
live in a temple? Funny, I never knew my mom lived next
door to a temple. Most of my memories are of being on the
road with her pop. I, uh... I guess living in a temple is about as
strange as being a wandering martial artist...."
"At least," Kagome agreed. "Really, you don't know the
half of it.... So, will you be going to the same school as me?"
"I don't think so," Ranma said, with a shake of her head.
"Mom's sending me to some private school. Muyami
Academy."
"Really? I think Yohko goes there. She lives just down
the street, about two blocks."
At that point, the door opened, and Nodoka Saotome
stepped out on the front porch.
"Ah, Kagome-chan!" she exclaimed with a smile. "How
are you doing this afternoon?"
"Very well, Saotome-san."
"That's good to hear! When your grandfather told me
about the gout, I was so worried for you!"
Kagome's face grew red. "Well, grandpa likes to
exaggerate...."
"I see you've met my daughter Ranma. We were just
about to go shopping. Ranma has just come home from a very
long trip, and she really doesn't have a thing to wear."
"So I noticed," Kagome said. Ranma's face grew red yet
again. "Mind if I tag along?"
"Not at all, dear. I was just about to ask you if you
wanted to."
"Great!" Kagome exclaimed. "Just let me dump my
things at home, and I'll be right out!"
As Kagome ran down the street, Nodoka sighed. "Poor
girl," she said. "She's been so sick lately... I hope you two
become friends, Ranma; you could both use a friend."
***
A week passed, and Ranma remained a girl. She'd
thought that finding a cure was the first order of business, but
her mother saw things differently. "If you haven't changed in
three weeks," Nodoka said, "then there's a good chance you
never will. If a cure does exist, it could be a long time coming,
so the first priority is that my daughter learn to dress and act
like a young lady."
Ranma hated it, at first -- but this was her mother, whom
she hadn't seen in ten years. Her father was occasionally proud
of her -- very occasionally -- but her mother loved her,
unconditionally. She found, quite quickly, that she was willing
to do just about anything to please her mother. She didn't
complain about the feminine clothing, the new gender
pronouns, or the constant instructions on how to be a young
lady. She was almost growing used to it.
The first light of dawn was still stretching its cold,
clammy fingers across the sky when Ranma awoke. She
slipped out of her bed -- funny how you could grow so used to
a soft, warm bed in only a week -- and slipped out of her
pajamas. Her old Chinese outfit still felt more comfortable
than anything else she'd worn lately, but she only wore it early
in the morning, in deference to her mother.
Ranma tiptoed down the hallway, down three steps, and
through the kitchen to the back porch. She slipped outside and
slid the door shut quietly, then stepped to the center of the yard.
As she began her stretching exercises, the panda on the
porch finally rolled over. It stood and waved its arms about in
what passed for kata for a fat, furry martial artist. After a few
moments it lumbered out onto the lawn and took up a position
opposite Ranma.
The panda paused to scribble furiously on a sign, then
held it up. Ranma read, "You're turning into a girl, boy!
You're becoming weak!"
Ranma smirked. These morning training sessions had
been her father's only opportunity to try and counteract the
affect Nodoka was having on her. Ranma was glad the panda
couldn't talk... the signs were much easier to take than her
father's booming voice. Still, the words had stung at the
beginning of the week, but now....
She cracked her knuckles. "Is that all you've got to say,
oyaji?" she growled.
The panda held up another sign. "Foolish boy! You're
acting like a woman!"
"And you're acting like a panda, old man!" Ranma
responded. "Give it a rest, pop! You sound like a broken
record!"
The panda struck, but Ranma leapt back, avoiding the
blow. Her dad was still quick, and very strong, but Ranma was
faster as a girl, and had been the better martial artist for nearly
a year.
Anyway, the sneaky bastard had been trying to hit her in
the back for a week. Her burn, only just now beginning to
heal, smarted every time he landed a blow, so Ranma had
concentrated all week on avoiding them.
Ranma leapt to the rooftop, and the battle began in
earnest. The punches and kicks flew swiftly as they leapt from
rooftop to rooftop. When Ranma had finally had enough, she
took the next opening and clobbered her father into the street.
"See ya back home, oyaji!" she called out, bouncing away.
After a quick, cool bath, Ranma slipped into a bra and
panties and donned a blouse and skirt with hardly a second
thought. She was, however, thinking about her father's insults,
and how little they stung.
*It's only been a week,* she thought. *Am I turning into
a girl so quickly?*
The idea had terrified her after the transformation, but
now, she was almost comfortable with it. She considered this,
probing deep within for an answer to this riddle... and she kept
coming back to the image of her mother, smiling, full of love.
When she looked in the mirror, Ranma saw a girl who
would grow up to be like her mother.
And, really, who wanted to be like pop?
***
Ranma broke the surface of the water and swam to the
side of the pool. She climbed out, shook the water from her
hair, and then lay down on the towel next to her two friends.
"We've been here more than an hour," Kagome said. "We
should probably head back."
"Yeah," Yohko said. Yohko Mano was one of Kagome's
friends, a slender girl with extremely long brown hair, which
she always kept in two braids, which were looped and held in
place with special ornaments of red stone.
Hanging with Kagome and Yohko had seemed weird the
first day. Ranma had never had any friends that were girls
before, but these girls were fun to be with. Both were active
athletes, and very competitive, so they enjoyed many of the
same things Ranma did. She was only uncomfortable when the
conversation turned to subjects like makeup, hairstyles,
clothing, or boys.
"How about we stop at the ABCB kissaten for some ice
cream?" Yohko asked.
"You bet!" Ranma and Kagome both exclaimed. Ranma
had quickly learned to appreciate fancy ice cream sundaes,
something she would have never been caught dead eating as a
guy.
The three headed back to the changing room, Ranma
managing not to stare or blush as they stripped naked.
"Oh, man," Ranma said, as they stepped into the showers.
"You have no idea how long I've been wanting a hot bath or
shower. Maybe I can just wash my front with hot water...."
Ranma turned the handle, and water sprayed out. A
piercing scream echoed off of the tiled walls.
Kagome watched as Ranma jumped to the far side of the
room. "Cold?" she asked.
"It's f-f-freezing!" Ranma said, shivering.
"Ah, all of the hot water's gone," Yohko said. "It
happens."
"Darn it!" Ranma growled. "I swear, when my back's
finally healed, I'm never taking a cold bath or shower again!"
Kagome and Yohko laughed. "I know what you mean,"
Kagome said. "When I was back in... when... I mean..." her
voice trailed off. "I mean, I was stuck where I couldn't get a
hot bath for days and days, and I was so relieved when I finally
got back home...."
The girls finished showering and began to towel off.
"So your mom hasn't fixed the heater yet?" Yohko asked.
"Why not?"
"Well," Ranma said, "to be honest, I think it's me. She
had to buy a lot of new clothes for me, and she's been saving
up money to send me to this private school. I don't even know
why, public school would be fine if you ask me."
"Oh, that's easy," Kagome said. "It's the same school she
went to."
Ranma's eyes widened. "Really? She didn't say. But...
how do you know?"
"Are you kidding? My grandfather gives free fortunes to
everyone on the street, and my mom's a gossip....
"I'll tell you what, Ranma," Kagome said, "When you're
back's healed, in a day or two, you come over to my house, and
I'll let you use our furo. No girl should be without a hot bath
for that long."
Ranma smiled. "That would be nice, Kagome...."
"And grandfather can read your fortune," Kagome said
with a smile.
Five minutes later the three girls were headed up the street
to their favorite ice cream & coffee shop, when Kagome
nudged Ranma's arm.
"Look at that woman," Kagome said, "across the street.
Her face... it's just like a noh mask."
Ranma glanced at the woman, who had two large scars
running down her face, one from forehead to cheek, and the
other across her lips. Kagome was right -- her face was pale
and rigid, as if it were a mask and not actual flesh. There was a
strange look in the woman's eyes: hungry, searching, and yet
somehow vacant, as if she were an empty mug waiting to be
filled.
Ranma shivered, and the three continued up the street, the
strange woman forgotten.
***
Later that evening, Ranma and Kagome followed Yohko
up a short path to the front door of the Mano household.
Yohko paused, her hand halfway to the doorknob, and glanced
over her shoulder.
"Please step to the side," she said. "Just in case."
"In case of what?" Ranma asked, but Kagome was already
pulling her to the side of the path.
"Trust her on this one," Kagome said. "Better safe than
sorry."
Yohko opened the door.
A short, elderly woman, her hair in a white ponytail, came
flying through the doorway, feet first.
"Yohko!" the woman screamed, delivering -- or,
attempting to deliver -- a flying kick to the face. The attack
failed, because Yohko immediately flipped backwards toward
the street. The old woman landed in a defensive crouch, then
launched a series of kicks and punches at the young girl, who
dodged all of them. However, on her last dodge, she
accidentally landed in a thorn bush.
"Ow! Ow! Shit!" Yohko exclaimed, leaping back out.
The old woman used the distraction to tag her lightly on the
forehead.
"Not good enough, Yohko," the woman said. "Again!"
"Aw, come on, grandma...."
"No mercy!" the grandmother growled. "You won't get
any from your enemies, so don't expect it from me!" She
launched into another series of attacks, with Yohko gyrating
and bouncing across the lawn, once again evading nearly every
blow.
Ranma watched the whole spectacle with a bemused
expression on her face. "Wow," she said. "I knew Yohko was
a martial artist, but this... it's like deja vu all over again!"
Kagome laughed. "I know what you mean! I saw you
training, early yesterday -- you're pretty good!"
"Thanks," Ranma said.
"But tell me," Kagome continued, "how did ever you train
your pet panda to fight so well?"
"Ah," Ranma said, "I, ah... it was mostly my pop's doing."
"That's another thing," Kagome said. "You were yelling
at it, calling it 'oyaji'...."
"Well," Ranma said, a giant sweat drop appearing on her
head, "when my pop's not around, I talk to panda-san as if he
were my pop."
"I hope you don't talk to your father that way! That would
be rude."
"Well, yeah, but you don't know my pop...."
"Much better, Yohko! Much better!" the old woman
exclaimed. Ranma glanced back up, realizing that Yohko had
finally tagged her grandmother, bringing an end to the
impromptu fight. "Now, Yohko, I know who Kagome is, but I
don't think I've met your other friend yet. Is this Ranma
Saotome, then?"
"Hai!" Ranma said, bowing. "Pleased to meet you, Mano-
san! And might I add, you are an exceptional fighter! I am
very impressed!"
"My, what wonderful manners! If only my granddaughter
were half as charming and graceful! Pay attention, Yohko!
You could learn a thing or two about being a lady from your
new friend!"
"Ah," Ranma said, as sweat drops appeared on all three
girls' heads. Even after only a few days of being together, they
all knew Ranma was by far the least "ladylike" of the bunch.
"Well," the grandmother continued, "how nice that you've
all dropped by. Are you having a slumber party, Yohko? If so,
why not invite your friend Chikako?"
"Slumber party?" Yohko replied. She looked to her two
friends.
"Hey, that would be fun!" Kagome said. "How about it,
Ranma?"
"Uh, sure... I mean, if it's okay with mother...."
***
"Your grandmother kind of reminds me of my father,"
Ranma said. "I mean, she's always training you, right?"
The girls were sprawled out on futons in the family room,
half-watching a late-night horror movie. There were four of
them, now that Chikako Ogawa, Yohko's self-proclaimed best
friend, had arrived. The girl had blonde hair and large glasses,
and was clearly smarter than anyone else Ranma knew. She
was very self-confident, and at one point proclaimed herself
"Yohko's business manager", whatever that meant.
Chikako had brought her own nightgown for the
sleepover, but Kagome and Ranma had to make due with spare
pajamas of Yohko's, which didn't quite fit. Still, they were
having a good time, and Ranma had managed to avoid any
pitfalls in the conversation. Ranma had slept in a thousand
different places over the years, but this was her first official
sleepover, as a guy or a girl, and she was nervous. She didn't
want to say something stupid that no normal girl would ever
say. She wanted to fit in, as much as possible.
"Yeah," Yohko said, nodding, "that's grandma, all right.
She's always pushing me to train harder. She can be a real pain
at times."
"That's what pop is like," Ranma said. "Always trying to
teach me something new, or find a way to test my skills. He
can be pretty sadistic about it."
The movie ended, and a news show came on. The first
story was about several murders that had happened the night
before, in a park less than a mile away. They'd found blood
everywhere, but only one body... but at least one witness said
four others had been killed.
"There was this strange woman," the witness, a middle-
aged man, said, "with a face like a noh mask... her neck just
grew and grew, and then she ate all four of them!"
"Guy must have been drunk," Ranma said.
"Face like a noh mask?" Yohko said. She glanced at
Kagome and Ranma.
"What?" Ranma asked.
"Oh, that woman we saw earlier today!" Kagome said.
"Oh, come one, you don't really think that...." Ranma's
voice trailed off.
Yohko and Chikako exchanged glances. "You think it
might be...?" Chikako asked.
"I don't know," Yohko said, "but I don't like it."
"What?" Ranma asked.
Yohko laughed, although it sounded forced. "Oh, family
business. You really don't want to know."
By this point, the news show was doing a profile on a boy
who they said had saved the world.
"What, by playing tag with an alien?" Ranma said. "You
gotta be kidding me! Boy, they sure know how to pick 'em."
"But it's true," Chikako said. "Don't you remember? It
was just last fall!"
"First I've heard of it," Ranma said.
"Yes," Chikako countered, "but didn't you say you were
wandering about China with your father at the time?"
"Well, yeah," Ranma admitted. "I guess we didn't pay
much attention to the news."
"I can't believe you never heard of it!" Kagome said. "It
was on every station, in every country! He stopped an invasion
of the earth!"
"All he did is touch her horns," said Yohko. She sounded
supremely unimpressed.
"That's right," Kagome said. "Considering how she could
fly, it was a pretty amazing feat! And then he proposed to her,
right on television! Can you believe it?"
"But," Ranma said, "if she's an oni...."
"She's not a real demon," Yohko said with certainty.
"She's just some weird alien."
"Anyway," Kagome said, "it sure was romantic."
"I suppose," Yohko said, in a voice that suggested she
didn't actually suppose. "Say, Ranma, do you have a
boyfriend?"
"What? Uh... no, no I don't."
"Neither do I. How 'bout you, Kagome?"
Kagome looked doubtful. "I'd have to say no," she said.
"Neither do I," Chikako said.
"I know that," Yohko replied. "So, Kagome, what's your
type?"
"Hmm?"
"What kind of boy do you like?"
Kagome looked thoughtful. "Well, a guy who's not too
wild, not too full of himself, not too angry, not too stubborn,
and is always understanding...."
*Like me,* Ranma thought smugly.
"How about you, Ranma?" Yohko asked. "You like boys,
don't you?"
"S-sure," Ranma replied. "I mean, they're okay." *As
long as I ain't dating them or nothin'.*
"What kind of boy do you like, then?"
Ranma felt a blush creeping up her face. She tried to stay
out of these conversations. She still found girls like Yohko or
Kagome more attractive than any boy. For that matter, she still
turned herself on just by looking in a mirror. Boys? She didn't
want a boyfriend... not now, and perhaps not ever.
"Um..." Ranma tried to reverse the question, to put it in
terms of what kind of a boy she'd like to be herself. She tried
to think of her best qualities. *Okay, you don't really like boys,
of course, but you want to fit in... think. What kind of person
do I want to be? Not like pop, that's for sure.*
"Someone who's strong," she said. "Someone who doesn't
break their promises, who isn't a coward, who isn't afraid of
women...."
"Afraid of women?" Yohko said.
"You're thinking of your father, aren't you?" Kagome said.
"I've heard your mom talking to mine. He's kind of
misogynistic, isn't he?"
"I guess," Ranma replied, wondering what misogynistic
meant.
"It must be strange, having a father like that... but at least
you have a father...."
The girls continued to talk, until finally Yohko's
grandmother showed up and turned out the lights. "No more
television, no more talking," she said. "Time to get some
sleep, or you won't wake up in the morning!"
***
Ranma tossed and turned for more than an hour. Finally
she got up and padded to the nearby open window, and stared
out into the night,
She almost jumped when someone -- Yohko, as it turned
out -- placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sorry," Yohko said. "Can't sleep?"
Ranma shook her head.
"Me either. There's something...."
"Something in the air," Ranma agreed. "Something that's
got me on edge."
Yohko nodded. "Something's going to happen," she said.
"Something bad. Maybe we should wake Kagome...."
"I'm awake, guys," Kagome said, sitting up.
"Look, guys," Yohko said, "I know this might sound
strange, but I'm going outside. Whatever's out there, I need to
know what it is."
"I'm coming with you," Ranma said.
"Oh, heck," Kagome said. "Okay, I'm coming. Just give
me a second."
"Oh, for the love of my ancestors!" Chikako said, rolling
over. "Okay, okay, hang on, I'm coming...."
Several minutes later four girls stepped out into the silent,
moonlit street.
"Full moon," Kagome noted.
"I have to warn you two," Yohko said. "Strange things
happen around me. Really, you don't want to be involved.
Maybe you should go back to bed...."
"And leave you out here alone?" Ranma replied. "Not a
chance!"
"She's right," Chikako said. "I'm her business manager, so
I have to stay...."
A loud crash shattered the night. The girls looked at each
other.
"That came from up the street," Kagome said. "A block
or two away...."
Ranma and Kagome's houses were only two blocks away,
in the same direction.
"Come on!" Ranma yelled, running down the street. The
other three followed as quickly as they could, with Chikako
falling the furthest behind.
"Wait up, you three!" she called out. "If something's
going to happen, I want to get a first-hand account!"
As they neared Kagome's house, they heard more shouts,
and doors slamming. Ranma came to a halt before the shrine.
Someone bolted from the gateway, running straight towards
her, and before she knew it, Kagome's kid brother, Sota, was in
her arms.
Yohko and Kagome came to a halt beside Ranma. "Wow,
Ranma, you can sure move when you want to," Yohko said.
"Now... where is it?"
"Where is what?" Ranma asked.
"That!" Kagome said, pointing to the open gate of the
shrine.
Ranma saw it, and still didn't know what it was. It looked
like a massive, lumpy blob, but as it rolled into the street,
moonlight flashed off of chalk-white skin. Multiple arms and
legs protruded from the mass, and the blob itself was formed
from several heads and torsos, somehow combined into one
huge blob, as if several sumo wrestlers had slammed into each
other too hard, and were now welded together.
One of the faces floated above the rest, on a neck that was
long and thin like a pale snake. It had a spark of intelligence in
its eyes, where the other faces had none. Its face was scarred,
and immobile, like a noh mask.
"Give... me... shards...." the creature moaned. Ranma
backed up, not at all sure what to do. Her training didn't take
into account weird blob creatures.
"Must... have... new... body...." the thing groaned, and
then the noh-mask head darted forward. It split down the
middle, from forehead to chin, revealing a row of large, sharp
teeth on each side of the split. They looked like they were
made of wood, but Ranma sensed they could rip flesh apart
quite easily.
Grabbing the kid, Ranma leapt up and over the head. She
flipped and landed a kick to the back of the head before landing
on the pavement on the far side of the creature.
"Sota!" Kagome yelled. "Run to the well! Call for Inu-
Yasha!"
The kids struggled out of Ranma's arms and started to run
back towards the house. The head swung forward like a
darting snake, whipping right by Ranma, heading towards the
kid.
"Hey!" Ranma yelled, and delivered a powerful two-
handed blow to the long, white neck. It seemed to be just
enough. Rather than biting Sota in two, as the creature was
attempting to do, it merely caught him in the shoulder, then
flung him several feet through the air.
The head whipped about. Ranma leapt over it, delivering
a punch to the side of the face. She landed next to Sota, who
appeared to be unconscious.
"It wants me!" Kagome said, running up the street.
Ranma had no idea why she thought this, but apparently she
was right -- the creature, whatever it was, lumbered after the
girl, with Yohko and Chikako chasing after it.
Ranma grabbed Sota and ran to her own house. She could
see her mother coming out the front door, and her father, the
panda, bounding around the side of the house.
"Ranma?" her mother said, "what's going on?"
"I don't know," Ranma said, "some sort of demon or
something. Watch the kid, mom. Kagome's in trouble!"
His mother nodded numbly as she took the bleeding Sota
in her arms. As Ranma sprinted back to the street, she called
out, "Ranma! Be careful!"
Ranma caught up to the rest at a nearby construction site.
Bare steel girders rose into the night, perhaps six stories high.
A wire fence went around part of the site, but one side was
open. Kagome had apparently headed straight there, and was
now running up a steel staircase. The thing had paused at the
bottom of the stairs... it didn't seem able to navigate them.
"What the hell is it?" Ranma yelled.
"A demon!" Yohko yelled back. "Just as I thought! Stay
back, Ranma, I'll handle this!"
Ignoring her, Ranma ran straight at the creature. "Take
that!" she yelled, attempting a flying kick. The creature
looked up, obviously annoyed. One huge arm rose up and
swatted Ranma away. She landed hard on her hands and
knees, but bounced right back up.
"I'm serious, Ranma!" Yohko yelled. "Stay back or you'll
get hurt!"
"Ranma? Yohko?" Kagome called out. "Get out of here!
It's me it wants!"
"Forget it, Kagome!" Ranma yelled. "We ain't leaving
you!"
Crouched in a defensive stance, Ranma approached the
creature warily. It seemed to be devoting more attention to
solving the staircase problem than in worrying about one puny
martial artist.
*So much the better,* Ranma thought, preparing another
series of attacks. *Although, what I'm supposed to do against a
demon....*
In the background, Ranma heard Yohko beginning some
sort of weird challenge or chant.
"I hold no enmity against those coerced into evil," Yohko
declared, "but to those vile beings who toy with the hearts and
souls of men, we, since the time of the ancient gods, have been
your destroyers! Now the 108th generation devil hunter,
Yohko, is here! Beware!"
Ranma spared a glance her way. What she saw caught her
off guard.
Yohko was spinning about in mid air. Her ring was
glowing, and then her clothing flew off her body. Moments
later a new outfit materialized around her -- a Chinese-style red
silk dress, split up the sides, with a yin-yang symbol on the
chest.
A massive, glowing sword appeared in her hands.
Ranma glanced back at the creature. It's head shot out,
stretching three stories straight up to where Kagome stood. It
bit down on the edge of the metal flooring, and then,
incredibly, it began to pull its body up after it, heading straight
for their friend.
Kagome screamed. Ranma jumped up, hoping to punch
the strange blob creature and distract it. From the corner of her
eye, she saw Yohko also leaping straight up....
*to be continued*
***
Miko!
On the field, Kasumi and Akane were sitting up. Their father hovered
over them, tears rolling down his cheeks and dripping from his chin.
"Kasumi!" He exclaimed. "My poor Kasumi! Tell them you'll forfeit!
Please!"
"Dad?" Akane asked. She glanced over at Kasumi, and froze.
The person next to her wasn't Kasumi. It was a young girl with short,
dark hair in a page cut. She wore a light yellow dress, and she was
looking very confused.
Akane glanced down at herself. She was wearing a red silk Chinese-style
top, and black pants. Her chest was flat and muscular. She reached
behind her head, and found the pigtail that she knew was there.
She glanced back at the girl next to her... at herself... at Kasumi, in
her body.
With Akane's voice, Kasumi said, "Oh, my!"
(Ranma 1/2: Monkey Head Butting)
Nausicaa@sprynet.com Belldandy@angelic.com
Anime RPG at http://come.to/akane/
Fan Fiction at http://listen.to/bell/