Abandoning One's Manhood
Part 2: Meet Ranma... or Not...
by Minako
All of the Ranma 1/2 characters and related stuff belongs to Rumiko
Takahashi. Any original characters I may decide to stick in here are
mine, steal them and I'll cry. Then I'll get over it and steal them
back, after sending you flames until your email account is full. ^_^
-------
The panda sighed. His son was useless. Why hadn't he said
anything about the curse yet? And he was... he was acting so... so...
female... his SON! The panda let out another sigh as it thought about
what it's wife would think of this.
"How about something to eat? Then we can talk about the
engagement." Suggested Tanima.
"Um... alright Mr. Hibiki." The man smiled.
"Please, just Tanima's fine, I never could stand formalities,
alright Ranma-chan." Ranma winced, but nodded. "Good... um now
where..." Ranma wordlessly pointed at the doorway behind him. He
laughed. "Oh thank you!" The panda sighed for the third time. Was it
just him or had Tanima gotten worse?
-------
Tanima walked into the kitchen, thinking of what a charming
young girl Ranma seemed to be, though she was a bit shy. But then
again, shy wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He smiled. Walking to the
cupboard, he began to search for something to make. There was very
little food in the cupboards, a downside to never being home.
"Well, looks like we don't have much, I'll have to go the
store. What would you like, Ranma-chan?" He didn't notice Ranma's wince
at the name Ranma-chan.
"You really shouldn't go to the trouble..." She started, and
Tanima marvelled at how polite she was, considering she was related to
Genma....
"No dear, we have no food in the house I'm afraid I haven't
been home in a while." He shrugged. "So unless you want me to cook your
pet pig, it looks like I'll have to go shopping." He barely got his
hands up in time to catch the pig as Ranma tossed it to him.
"Go for it." She said, "that's the only reason I've been
keeping it." Tanima blinked. 'Ok...' he thought to himself, 'so I guess
she isn't the sweet innocent girl she appears to be...'
-------
Tanima was boiling the water to cook the pig in. Ranma sat up
on one of the counters watching as he tried to convince the pig it
wasn't afraid. The pig looked terrified. Ranma grinned. She still
thought it was weird the pig was so afraid, but shrugged it off as
coincidence.
She glanced over at the panda, who was glowering at her for all
it was worth. She sighed. She really hadn't had the chance to tell him
about the curse.
"Um... Mr. Hibiki...?" The name was still oddly familiar to
her, though she couldn't place it for the life of her.
"Tanima, dear." She winced again, she couldn't help it, she
hated being referred to as a girl, even if he didn't mean it as an
insult. "You must be wondering why you haven't met your fiance yet."
Ranma sighed, this wasn't what she'd meant, but a complaint about how
he'd thought she was a guy would work. "You see, at this time, I have
no idea where my son is." Ranma's eyes widened. 'SON!?'
Oblivious to Ranma's obvious shock, Tanima placed the small
black pig into the pot of now heated water. A moment later, a boy came
out, his skin red from the heat. He was nude, and trying for all he was
worth to cover himself. There was silence, and Ranma began to wonder
how much more she could take.
"Um... Never mind here he is." Ranma paled a bit. His son
was... It was about now that everything snapped into place. Why the man
looked familiar, the bad feeling that had been following her since they
arrived, the name 'Hibiki', and all the other things that had seemed
odd or familiar.
"Ryouga..." Ranma said the name softly, in surprise more than
anything else. Tanima turned to stare at Ranma.
"You two have met?" Ranma nodded, while Ryouga just looked
confused. After a long moment of everyone staring at everyone else,
Ranma shook her head.
"Man, Ryouga... how did you end up in Jusenkyou?" She asked
him. Ryouga blinked, then blushed, trying to cover himself again.
"Ummm... can I please have some clothes?" he asked, ignoring
her question.
"Yes, I guess it is rather improper for you to be with your
fiance like this." Ryouga's father looked thoughtful, while Ranma paled
even more.
"Fiance... you mean Ryouga... and me... no...." She looked
seriously distressed. Then she turned on the panda. "What the hell was
this!? Some kinda joke!?" She yelled. The panda began to scribble on a
sign.
*I had no idea! Truly! I thought it was a girl!* Ranma
continued to seethe.
"Yeah right!" Tanima studied the sign.
"That writing, it looks just like my friend Saotome's."
"That's because it is!" Ranma grabbed the pot off the stove,
ignoring the way it burnt her hands, and dumped the boiling water over
the panda's head. The panda promptly turned into a man.
"Sao... Saotome..." Tanima promptly collapsed. Ranma sighed.
Why had she seen this coming?
-------
'Saotome?' Ryouga couldn't believe it... the panda's name was
Saotome? The something occurred to him.
****
//In the Forest Travelling with the panda and the girl...//
*Alas, my son now keeps cute things as his pets...* The rest of
the sign was quickly becoming illegible due to the rain. Ranma sighed.
"Gimme a break Pop, I was thinkin' we could eat it later, I
mean, when was the last time we ate?"
****
'Pop? Son? Saotome? Ranma!?' Ryouga now found himself staring
at the girl. She had a pigtail, and seemed to know who he was, though
he could swear he'd never met her before, but she looked so familiar...
could it be... had Ranma been cursed at Jusenkyou!?
"STUPID BOY!!" The panda who was now a man slammed Ranma over
the head, "It didn't have to be THAT hot!!" Ranma ignored the panda/man
and glowered. Sighing, she reached into her bag and pulled out a pair
of Chinese style black pants.
"Here." She said, thrusting them at Ryouga. He took them
gratefully, and was amazed that they seemed to fit, another point in
the direction of Jusenkyou, since she was a lot shorter than he was.
Ignoring the arguing pair, he put some more water on the stove, and
waited impatiently for it to heat. While he was waiting, he dragged his
father away from the fight that appeared to be breaking out between the
panda-man and Ranma.
It had been a long time since Ryouga and his father had been
home at the same time. It was odd to see him now. He had cut his hair
for one thing....
"I had no idea! Really!" Ryouga blinked, remembering the
situation at hand.
"Yeah right!" The girl was glowing an interesting red colour by
this time. Carefully, Ryouga tip-toed around them to the stove, where
he removed the kettle of now hot water. Sneaking up behind the girl, he
dumped the hot water over her head. She yelped in surprise when the hot
water touched her, and her voice went down mid-yelp.
"Whatcha do that for!" The now male Ranma snapped at Ryouga.
Ryouga stared at Ranma for a long moment. He watched in absent
amusement as surprise erased the anger on Ranma's face as he realized
he'd figured him out.
Ryouga found a little amusement in that, but right now, his
mind was focused on the fact that his worst enemy was standing in front
of him in the flesh. This was his chance, his chance to pay Ranma back
for all the suffering he'd caused him. Yet all he could do was stand
there, staring at Ranma, marvelling at the fact something in his life
had gone right.
-------
Tanima groaned and rubbed his head, forcing himself to sit up.
He blinked as he stared at the scene in front of him. His son and
another boy, who happened to a look remarkably like Ranma were staring
at eachother in the middle of the kitchen. Ryouga in a pair of pants
now, and the other boy dripping wet. In the background, his old friend
Genma Saotome stood staring at the two boys. Ranma was nowhere to be
seen.
Tanima cleared his throat as he stood up, causing both boys and
Genma to turn to him in surprise. Ryouga walked over to him, ignoring
the other boy for the moment.
"Dad, are you ok?" Tanima nodded once, then looked around
again, he still couldn't see Ranma.
"Yes, I'm fine. What happened to Ranma?" The other boy cleared
his throat.
"Uh... I'm Saotome Ranma." Tanima blinked at him for a moment.
"What did you say?" The boy looked uncomfortable.
"I'm Saotome Ranma." He repeated. Tanima swallowed hard.
"Ok... that's nice." Tanima smiled at the boy, then promptly
collapsed again.
-------
Genma winced as Tanima hit the floor again. His best friend's
son turned to glare at Ranma.
"Ranma... THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!" Genma blinked, and wondered
how the two knew each other. He carefully inched his way over to where
Tanima lay on the floor, hoping they wouldn't notice him as they
started fighting in the kitchen. 'Why did I know something like this
would happen...?' He sighed, and cowered over in the corner near his
unconscious friend as the Ryouga boy began to glow.
-------
Ranma winced as Ryouga began to glow a dark blue shade. He took
a step back.
"Ranma!" Ryouga charged at him, and Ranma barely had the space
to dodge out of the way in the cramped kitchen.
"Hey! Ryouga, calm down man!" Ryouga glared at him, and
attacked again.
"Calm down!? How can you say that! You ruined my life, and now
you expect me to CALM DOWN!?" Ranma blinked. 'When did I ruin his
life?' He wondered to himself, ducking under a kick.
"Whaddya mean 'ruined your life'?!" He yelled, jumping over a
punch and nearly cracking his head on the ceiling, then wincing as he
smashed through one of the counters.
"Don't pretend you don't know! You put me in a living hell, and
now you'll pay for it! DIE!" Ranma winced as Ryouga rushed him again.
"Excuse me..." Ryouga stopped with his fist barely an inch from
Ranma's face. They both turned to look at Tanima, who had once again
awakened. "Could someone please explain to me what's going on, and if
that's too difficult, could you at least find somewhere other than my
kitchen to hold your fight?" Ryouga glared at Ranma for a long second
before stepping back, and Ranma released a breath he hadn't realized
he'd been holding.
"We'll finish this later, Saotome." Ryouga stated before
walking over to where Tanima and Genma were on the other side of the
room. Ranma sighed and walked over to join them.
-------
"Do you mean to tell me that you're the same girl I met
before!?" Ranma nodded.
"Yeah, I am." Tanima turned to Genma.
"And you're the panda she brought in with her?!" Genma nodded.
"Yes, I'm afraid so." Tanima swallowed and turned to his son.
"And your Ranma's pet pig." Ryouga sweatdropped.
"I am NOT Ranma's pet." Tanima nodded. "But I am the pig."
Tanima shook his head.
"How is this possible?" Genma sighed, and shifted his position
on the floor in the dining room.
"Well, you see Hibiki, there's this place in China called
Jusenkyou, and it's a training ground full of cursed springs. The curse
of the springs is that whoever falls in them, shall take the body of
the last thing to drown there. Both Ranma and I fell in." Ranma glared
at Genma, but made no comment.
"But, why would you go to such a place!?" Genma coughed.
"I read nothing of a curse in the tourist guide." Ranma slammed
his fist into the side of Genma's head.
"That's because you can't read Chinese." Genma nodded.
"Of course not." Tanima nodded.
"So, how does this curse work?" He asked, curious, now that he
knew some of the background.
"Well, you see, cold water activates the curse, and hot water
reverses it." Genma grabbed Ranma by the front of his shirt and threw
him into the small pond in the yard. Tanima's eyes widened as the young
red haired girl from earlier that day came out. "As you can see, cold
water turns him into a girl," Genma lifted the kettle of tea off the
table and poured it over the girl's head. "And hot water turns him back
into a boy, like so." Tanima nodded.
"And you, Ryouga?" Ryouga cleared his throat.
"I went to Jusenkyou, looking for Ranma, when I was kicked into
a spring by a red haired girl," he said, glaring at Ranma, "then she
ran off, and I came out of the spring a pig!" Tanima nodded.
"Why were you looking for Ranma, son? Did you two know each
other?" Ryouga nodded.
"We were in school together for a while, until he skipped out
on our fight." Ranma glared at him.
"I waited for you for 3 days!"
"I was there on the fourth!"
"Gimme a break, you expected me to sit around and wait THAT
long!?"
"YES! A REAL man would've! "
"What the hell did you just say!" Ranma stood up and glared
down at Ryouga. Ryouga stood up as well.
"I said you're a WOMAN!"
"Yes, I guess one could see it that way." They both turned to
Tanima. "Don't you think Saotome?"
"I guess so, a promise is a promise, and I have to protect my
family honour." Ranma's eyes narrowed.
"What're you two talkin' about?" Tanima smiled, and poured a
glass of water over Ranma's head.
"Your engagement, of course."
-------
Ta da! Part 2! Poor Ranma, it gets worse for the guy too, but that's
yet to come, ne? the storyline up to this point is the same as in the
anime. Ranma and Ryouga knew each other in school, Ryouga challenged
Ranma and didn't show up, after three days, Ranma left, and Ryouga
followed him to Jusenkyou to finish their 'man to man fight'. C&C're
very welcome, daybreak_impression@yahoo.ca kind criticism's ok, but flames
make me cry.
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