Written: Fall '98-January '99
E-mail me at: ranma_otaku@yahoo.com
This story can be found on my writings page:
http://www.oocities.org/Tokyo/Dojo/5075/writings.html
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is, of course, the brainchild of Rumiko Takahashi. Characters and storyline are used without permission or knowledge of the copyright holders.
A Koi Production by
Erin Lee
Ranma 1/2: Secrets
[Start-over][Alternate Universe][Original flavor]
(^_^)
Prolog
A difference that makes no difference...
Rain. To some, it comes as a blessing; to others, a curse. To one particular pair of weary Japanese travelers, the looming clouds seemed particularly ominous. Their pace unconsciously speeded up; as if by doing so, they could flee from the impending storm. Ranma looked crossly at his father as they hurried along. "Okay, so tell me one more time what we're doing back in Japan all of a sudden?"
"Unfinished business, boy." came Genma's curt reply.
Curiosity momentarily overrode anger, driving Ranma to ask "What's so important that we've gotta stop training?"
Genma decided Ranma would have to find out sooner or later; after all, they were nearly to Nermia already. Perhaps giving the boy a little while to get used to the idea would cool him down. Edging forward to give himself a bit of a head start, he called back, "Your engagement."
"WHAT?!?!"
Silently, small drops of rain began to fall as the two martial artists, disappearing into the mists, trading blows.
***
*/I still can't believe I lost him!/* Ranma thought, frustrated. As they entered the city, Genma had managed to escape. For some reason, most of the people were terrified at the sight of a giant panda running around town; during the ensuing chaos, Ranma had lost sight of his father. */How hard can it be to find a panda in a city?/*
Sighing, Ranma decided to give up the search for his stray father; after all, it was almost certain Genma would do something to attract attention. His thoughts turned to finding hot water, and what to do to kill some time. Looking around, he noticed a flyer posted on a nearby telephone pole.
*/Tendo Dojo, huh? Maybe I could pick up some techniques.../* Ranma's train of thought was derailed as he noticed some smaller writing. */ANYTHING-GOES?!?!/* Now Ranma was intrigued. He had thought his family was the sole practitioners, but... Jogging at an easy pace, he started to follow the directions to the Dojo. After all, he had nothing else to do.
***
Turning the corner, Akane almost ran into a short, red haired girl. Apologizing for the near collision, she was about to resume her route when she saw the flash of a familiar light green flyer. "Excuse me, but are you looking for the Tendo Dojo?" she asked.
"Yeah. Can you help me? I think I'm lost." the girl admitted, clearly embarrassed.
Akane examined the girl standing before her. A slightly too-big, red chinese shirt and overlarge black pants seemed carelessly draped over the stranger's small frame. Her entire composure was wary, of someone who never had any place to call 'home'; a frightened, wild animal. For some reason, Akane felt an immediate need to protect the poor girl. "I live there! Why don't you come home with me, I'll get you dried off."
The thankful look on the strange girl's face was enough to tell Akane she had done the right thing.
***
"I'm home!"
Kasumi looked out of the kitchen, and immediately noticed the damp girl nervously standing behind Akane. "Good, Akane. Father said he had something important to tell us later. By the way, who's your friend?"
A guilty flush started across Akane's face as she realized that she didn't even know who the strange girl was. "I never asked your name! I'm Akane Tendo," she said, then gestured to the brunette, "and this is Kasumi, my sister."
Thoughts raced through Ranma's head as he quickly tried to decide what to do. */Great. Pops said he lived somewhere around here before I was born, but who knows what he might've done?/* Knowing some of the crimes his father committed made Ranma reluctant to give his real name. Akane and... what was her name? Kasumi? were looking at him, and he realized they had expected a reply. "Uh, I'm... Ran... ko Saotome." He could only bring himself to lie halfway; and it might be a good test to see if they ever heard of Genma. After all, he could simply deny any relationship...
Kasumi gently smiled. "Nice to meet you, Ranko. You must be soaked, why don't you have Akane show you the bath?"
Akane caught Kasumi's glance and nodded slightly; she would make sure Ranko was properly dried and attired. "Come on, Ranko. This way."
***
After Akane had left him alone in the laundry room, Ranma checked to make sure no one was around; then turned his attention to warming up. A quick shower and wash later, Ranma, now male again, relaxed in the bath. */So what do I do now? Should I look for pop, or let him wander around for a while?/* Recalling events from a few weeks earlier made his decision easy. */Feh. I hope someone decides they need a new fur coat./*
After a few minutes of contented soaking, Ranma's thoughts decided to wander. */I guess it's lucky the Tendos have never heard of pop. This is really ni.../* A faint shuffling outside the changing room, though, broke that thought. */Ack! If anyone finds me in here, there's no way they'd understand!/* Ranma raced over to the shower and splashed himself. */Brr! Cold! I guess I got to used to the bath.../* Glancing over his now very feminine body, Ranma nodded, satisfied, and padded over to the door.
As Ranma stepped into the changing room, Akane looked up from arranging a set of clothes on a chair. "Oh, Ranko! I was going to just leave this for you." She looked apologetic as she continued, "I didn't think any of my other clothes would fit you, so I hope you don't mind..."
Trying to ignore the fact that he was completely nude in front of a girl, Ranma forced himself to act normal. "Um, thank you." He looked at the pile of clothes, and was relieved to see there didn't seem to be a dress anywhere in it.
Akane started to leave, but remembered something and caught herself. "Will you be staying, at least for the night? I mean, your parents won't be worried or anything?"
*/Oh, right. Can't forget pops. I'd better start looking for him sooner or later/* "Um, yeah, I'm sure it'll be alright." Ranma babbled.
Akane smiled and said, "Great. Dinner's in a few minutes." With that, she left.
Ranma sighed in relief, finally, he would be able to get dressed. He pulled on the loaned clothing, frowning in distaste at the pink overalls with red hearts. */Oh, well,/* he reminded himself, */at least it's not a dress/*
***
Kasumi hummed to herself as she carried her cooking into the dining room. Akane and her new friend sat side-by-side, chatting. Nabiki was reading a magazine, probably about business or something else terribly unfeminine. Father, for once, seemed completely in control of himself, more at peace than any time she could remember. Glancing at Akane's new friend, she mentally compared her to the half-wild girl she had seen earlier. Yes, Ranko had needed that bath very badly.
She set the steamed fish alongside the rest of her dishes, and took her seat. The red-head took this as a cue to begin, and was shoveling food onto her plate at an... indelicate rate. Kasumi was a little surprised, Ranko must not have had much to eat recently. She decided it would be best to ignore the breach of manners, and started to serve Father.
Soun, exhilarated at the prospect of reunion with Genma and the unification of their schools, failed to observe the strange fashion of Ranko's feeding. Thus, nobody recognized her use of Anything-Goes Eating, although Akane and Kasumi both warned her to slow down.
After they finished eating, Soun declared, "I have very happy news for you all. An old friend of mine, Genma Saotome, is returning today." Were he paying better attention, he might have noticed Ranko starting to sweat. "In order to insure the lineage of Anything-Goes Martial Arts..."
Ranma started to zone out in shock, getting a very bad feeling of where this was going. His fears were confirmed as Mr. Tendo declared, "... and so, one of you will be marrying Ranma."
"Don't we get some say in who we marry?!" Akane's voice rang out in the shocked silence, palms slamming the table for emphasis.
Kasumi agreed, "Akane's right, Father. We've never even met Ranma."
The middle Tendo, on the other hand, decided in good business sense to gather as much information as possible. "Is he cute? Rich? What kind of guy is he?"
"No idea" came Soun's sheepish reply.
"'No idea'?"
"I've never met him."
Silence again fell over the room as the three sisters digested the news that not only were they possibly engaged to a stranger, their father didn't know the young man either. Nabiki sighed, "Father, do you remember what I've said ab--"
"Oooh! I don't believe you, Dad! He's probably a stuck-up, arrogant, overconfident jerk!" Akane fumed.
Ranko, who had been forgotten in the argument, timidly spoke up, "Come on, I'm sure he's not that bad, if you just give him a chance..." She trailed off as she noticed everyone looking at her. "Eheheh, not that it's any business of mine." she finished lamely.
***
"I'm really sorry about dinner; if I had known, I would've talked to Father before..." Akane's apology drifted off as she noticed Ranko wasn't paying attention. She looked into her friend's eyes, it was obvious Ranko was thinking hard about something. Akane waved a hand in front of her face to try to snap her out of it.
"Huh?" Ranma was startled, not having caught anything Akane said. Inwardly, he cursed at his lack of awareness. A martial artist had to be alert at all times, this was one of the basic tenants of Anything-Goes.
Now that Ranko was back in the real world, Akane continued, "I'm sorry you had to sit through that scene."
Ranma laughed nervously, "Yeah, well, I think I know what you're saying. I mean, it'd be horrible to be engaged to someone you don't even know."
Akane laughed at her friend's understanding, Ranko joining in a second later. After catching her breath, Akane said, "Thanks, I needed that. Say, do you know Ranma? I mean, your name's Saotome and..."
Ranma started to sweat again. Fortunately, he was saved from having to answer by Nabiki walking in at that moment.
"Kasumi asked me to tell you that your clothes are dry, Ranko." Nabiki said, before climbing the stairs.
Idly, Akane wondered why her new friend had seemed so nervous at the mention of Ranma.
***
Early the next morning, Ranko took her leave of the Dojo. Akane made her promise to come back, and, after saying goodbye and thanking them for their hospitality, Ranko jogged out the gate.
Once safely out of sight, Ranma made sure no one was around, then opened the thermos he had snuck out of Kasumi's kitchen. Pouring the contents on his head, he sighed in relief at the familiar sensations, his curse tingling as it faded. A lot of tension had built up while staying at the Tendos; telling half-lies strained his honor, however necessary they might have been. */Although Akane is pretty nice, I wonder.../*
Ranma broke off his thoughts at the sight of a large dust cloud rapidly rising from the street... and it was approaching, fast.
An enraged shopkeeper, white apron flapping wildly, led a crowd chasing after a panda -- a panda with a fish in it's mouth. Ranma watched with interest as they passed, wondering what a panda was doing with glasses looped around its ear. Something clicked, audible if not for the crowds' noise. Panda. With glasses. Carrying stolen food. Followed by an angry mob. There was one thing it all added up to: Genma. Ranma sprinted after his errant father.
***
Ranma peered around the corner, rough brick pressing hard against his cheek. "They're gone," he informed a cowering panda. He looked at the quivering ball of black-and-white fur, wondering briefly how they could possibly be related. "So, whad'jya do *this* time?" As Genma began to pull out a sign and marker, Ranma sighed, exasperated. "Never mind. I probably don't wanna know."
Once again, he took out Kasumi's thermos. After swirling it around to make sure there was still some water left, Ranma casually tossed the liquid at Genma.
"Good job, boy. You may be a credit to me yet." Genma said, grudgingly, looking as if he had swallowed something unpleasant. Under Ranma's glare, however, he quickly relented. "You've seen a bit of Nermia, then?" Pausing for confirmation, he then continued, "We'll be staying here a while. There's an old friend of mine I want you to meet, Sou--"
Ranma interrupted angrily, "Oh, this wouldn't have anything to do with that stupid engagement thing earlier, *would* it?"
"Well, now that you mention it..."
"I changed my mind about wanting to know what you've been doing. Why are you forcin' me to marry..." Ranma paused, imperceptibly. "...someone I don't even know?"
Genma was pleased that Ranma showed no immediate signs of attacking him again. The ability to adjust to unusual conditions was a crucial test of a martial artist's character, and Ranma was progressing well. He probably deserved an explanation -- although not nearly the whole thing, of course. "It's a long story."
Ranma inwardly perked up. Pop was actually going to tell him something, for once. Not that he would have listened otherwise, but he had missed Mr. Tendo's side...
"The Anything-Goes style is so difficult to master that only two families in the world currently practice it. We are one of the two; the Tendos are the other. Anything-Goes is the ultimate unarmed style, and as such, must remain pure and undiluted with the blood of those practicing anything less. Soun, the head of the Tendo family, and I decided before you were born that the best way to do this would be to merge our lines through marriage between our children. And so..." Genma broke off as he noticed Ranma snoring. */Ungrateful child!/* he thought, annoyed. His thoughts turned in another direction */I haven't seen the Tendos in over... twenty years! But I still remember where it is... I think/* Satisfied, he slung Ranma over his shoulder and started off.
End Prolog
Author's Notes:
I have stopped here because the rest of the prolog would play out like in the manga, with a few appropriate differences: Genma and Ranma show up as human males, and they do not explain Jusenkyo. The bath incident still occurs. I just do not think there is anything to gain by retelling it.
The use of male or female pronouns for Ranma depends on the viewpoint. Ranma thinks of himself as male, so he always refers to himself as 'Ranma' and as a guy. On the other hand, when it is someone else's point of view, I use pronouns appropriate for Ranma's physical appearance. In other words, Ranma always thinks of himself as Ranma even in female form, while others see a girl named Ranko.
I realize characterizations are slightly different from the canonical Ranma, while dialogs were mauled slightly. Keep in mind that there are only so many ways one can *initially* change the series in a slight way; I plan to diverge soon. Overall there may be less focus on comedy and fighting, and more on Ranma's relationship with the others of the cast. We will see.
==
Events skipped: Ranma's first day at school and fight with Kuno.
A Koi Production by
Erin Lee
Ranma 1/2: Secrets
[Start-over][Alternate Universe][Original flavor]
Part 1
Old enemies never die...
"Prepare to die, Ranma!"
In a process that would become standard for martial artists over the next few years, one who had tirelessly tracked his quarry across continents for years attacked. However, that standard was all in the future, and the students of Furinkan, including one Ranma Saotome, were taken by surprise. Glare from the bright afternoon sun had concealed an unkempt-looking boy, with a yellow canvas shirt and worn black leggings, until virtually the last instant.
That instant was all Ranma needed, and he twisted in midair to avoid his attacker's weapon. */Wait... that looks like an... umbrella?!/* Deciding to keep his distance until he could find out what was going on, he flipped away as soon as he touched ground.
It proved fortunate that he did, since the force of the stranger's blow created a large crater in the concrete walk. A ragged mop of hair hid his opponent's face, the bandana circling his forehead struggling but failing to keep it back. The impact evidently had taken a great deal of strength, as the unknown assailant paused to catch his breath. After a second, he looked up, swept his hair back into a somewhat normal style and smirked. "You haven't changed a bit, Ranma. I see you're still good at running away."
The subject of his ire, on the other hand, was puzzled. Ranma couldn't quite place where he had seen the other boy before, but he seemed familiar. */Someone I passed on the street? Nah, what could I have done? Worst thing that could've happened, maybe I bumped into his lunch or somethin'/*
"You sent me through HELL and you don't even remember?!" The boy's eyes blazed with anger. "Just what I should have expected."
"Wait! I think I know." Ranma interrupted. "Miki, right? We were in an accident together, something about falling down a sewer..."
"Wha..?" After a moment of surprise at where on Earth Ranma had come up with that outlandish idea, the stranger hefted his umbrella angrily. "No, you fool! It's Ryoga HIBIKI, and I'm gonna kill you for what you've done to me!!"
Ranma noted that as his opponent shouted his challenge, fangs seemed to protrude from his mouth. His examination of Ryoga's dentistry was cut off as Ryoga charged. Their surroundings receded from the fighters' awareness as each concentrated on their opponent.
Meanwhile, Akane, who had been watching the proceedings with interest, found a seat as Ranma and the strange boy began to argue about being late for a fight, or something else equally as pointless. She found herself wishing for Ranko's company again. The red-haired girl not only shared her interest in martial arts, something nobody at her school did, but also somehow had so much raw energy and life that it was hard to be unhappy while she was around. */Unlike some jerk I could name who's not only a pervert but a thoughtless, immature BOY!!/* she thought furiously.
"What's with this umbrella?" A confused shout distracted Akane from her thoughts involving Ranma and serious pain. Nearby, Hiroshi and Daisuke struggled with an umbrella that had gouged out a sizable piece of turf. Akane moved over to see what was happening. As she came closer, she recognized the umbrella as the one Ryoga had threatened Ranma with. To her surprise, she found that she could barely lift the red bamboo -- and she knew she was no weakling. */But... Ryoga swung this with one hand! Ranma's in trouble for sure! ...Well, he probably deserves it anyway. What could happen?/* Satisfied with that, Akane returned to her spot under the tree.
Ryoga was becoming upset. He had waited for this moment for years, and now he was unable to even touch his enemy. How dare Ranma treat this as a game! To make it even worse, he realized that fighting Ranma at school had been a mistake. True, he might not have found Ranma for another month, but at least then Ranma wouldn't know the grounds so well.
Although Ryoga was skilled in unarmed combat, Ranma was clearly better. He found himself regretting training with his umbrella so extensively; it served as a distraction, tool, and a fine weapon, but without it, he had some problems. With this in mind, he started to time his movements to carry them slowly towards the cluster of trees where his umbrella landed, hoping Ranma wouldn't realize his purpose. A few more steps...
Ranma, on the other hand, was still confused about *why* Ryoga was attacking him. It hadn't been the bread, and it wasn't for revenge for the fight, so what was left?
Thankful that his rival didn't seem to care where they were fighting, Ryoga blocked one more kick, then turned and pounced on his umbrella. Weapon comfortably in hand once more, he attacked in a flurry of slashes and jabs, driving Ranma back. He grinned, fate was with him for once. He felt the umbrella connect briefly, but even before he saw the results, he knew from the contact that it was just cloth.
"Hey! This is my favorite shirt!" Ranma protested as he examined a small gash running up the side of his sleeve.
"Stop complaining, Saotome! You sound like a girl!" For some reason, Ranma's eyes had hardened at his comment. In that instant, Ryoga knew he had made a mistake, had gone too far. Ryoga involuntarily assumed a defensive stance, and braced himself for an attack.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' A GIRL?!" Ranma shouted as he lept into a jump kick. Ryoga flipped away, and, seeing Ranma pursuing, jumped high to avoid the enraged teen. Ranma followed, pushing off the top of the fence for a slight boost as he followed. "Who's a girl now, running away? You take it back!"
Ryoga did the sensible thing: he concentrated on surviving the next few minutes, not wasting breath on a reply. He had suspected Ranma was holding back before, and now his fears were confirmed. Even against his umbrella, Ranma was still able to hold his own; but now his opponent was going all out. Alighting on a concrete water fountain, he briefly weighed his options. He could try to reason with Ranma, which wasn't likely. He could hope that his endurance would enable him to outlast Ranma, which also wasn't likely. Or he could retreat and figure out what had gone wrong. Just as he settled on the third option, he noticed Ranma flying towards him, leg extended.
Akane, along with the rest of the crowd, rushed to keep up with the combatants as they left the soccer field. Suddenly, a fountain of water filled the sky ahead of the students. */I *had* to ask what could happen! I guess Ryoga really is a threat.../* A familiar voice that she had hoped to hear earlier cried out, "Who do I look like, you blind, stupid jerk?!"
"Ranko! What are you doing here?" Akane asked. Her friend half turned at her approach, keeping an eye on Ryoga. Noting Ranko's agressive stance, Akane jumped to the conclusion that she was attacking. "You don't want to fight Ryoga! He's got the strength of an elephant!"
*/NOW she tells me./* Ranma thought. */I figured that out on my own -- five minutes ago. Why didn't she say anything?/*
"Who're you? Where's Ranma?" Ryoga demanded, relaxing his dripping umbrella. "I'll bet that coward ran away again!"
Akane knew what would happen next, having seen Kuno accuse Ranma of nearly the same thing in Ranko's presence. Sure enough, Ranko's eyes flashed with anger and she stepped foward, saying, "Who're you calling a coward? Ranma would never run from someone like you!"
"Who're you to talk?" Ryoga challenged. Akane found herself wonderin the same thing. Why DID Ranko defend Ranma so strongly? She wasn't related to him, that much had already been established.
"I'm Ranko Saotome, and anyone who messes with Ranma is messin' with me!" Ranko declared loudly. At this, a murmur passed through the crowd, which had finally managed to catch up.
"Saotome, eh?" Ryoga stepped over to Ranko, examining her. The resembalance was obvious, now that he thought about it. "If you'll just tell me where your brother ran off t--"
Ranma knew that it was dangerous to have anyone, even Ryoga, associate 'Ranko' with him; it would only cause trouble. "Ranma's not my brother. And even if he had 'run off', I'd never tell someone like you!" he spat.
Ryoga grimaced. Ranko obviously knew something, even he knew enough to spot that, and she wasn't telling. Nobody else had been around when Ranma disappeared, so things had to be done the hard way. "I'm going to have to keep you here until Ranma shows up."
Ranko sprang towards him. "What sort of stupid logic is that?" she demanded, as she lashed out with a kick. "What do you have against Ranma, anyways?"
Ryoga almost managed to dodge Ranko's attack, but mistimed his sidestep and was tagged by her foot. He had been willing to reason with the red-haired girl, but she had attacked him without provokation. He growled; now that Ranma had run away *again*, he needed something -- or someone -- to take his fustration out on.
"For your information," Ryoga said as he blocked another kick, then countered with a punch Ranko avoided, "Ranma's actions sent me through the darkest, unimaginable hells!"
"Yeah, so what else? You said that before." Ranko yawned as she parried a few bandanas, vaulting over Ryoga's head.
"Can you imagine what it's like to spend every moment of every day afraid of the most common thing on Earth?" Ryoga demanded. Punch, roll, kick.
"I wouldn't say c... ca... they're the most common thing, but yeah."
Ryoga chose to ignore the pigtailed girl's inane comments. Sweep, kick, jab, block. "After Ranma ran out on me, I followed him for revenge. All the way to China."
Ranko's movements lost their fluidity as she absorbed what Ryoga had just said. Suddenly, things started to fall into place. Why Ryoga didn't care about the bread or the fight. His comment about fear. The way he had shielded himself from the fountain with his umbrella, and why he carried one in the first place.
With satisfaction, Ryoga noticed his opponent's slowing and misinterpreted it. */Good, I distracted her long enough that she's gotten tired. Now all I have to do is make sure she dosen't leave and Ranma will *have* to fight me!/* Encountering no resistance, he took his opponent's hands and swiftly bound them together with bandanas to prevent her from moving.
"Ranko!" Akane cried in alarm as she saw her friend tied up. */Ranko's good, but now Ryoga has her!/* She wanted to jump foward, hit the bully who had attacked Ranko until he was unconcious, but she knew she wouldn't stand a chance. */There's only one thing to do. Much as I hate to do it, Ranma's the only one who can help/* "Hang on Ranko! I'll find Ranma!"
"Akane, wait!" Ranma yelled after the retreating figure. He didn't want Akane to go on a fruitless search for him, only to come back and find everyone gone. Also, there was the small fact that he didn't know where the Tendo Dojo was from the spot he and Ryoga had fought to. "I can handle this guy myself!" He concentrated, willing his hands apart. The bandanas linking his wrists strained, but even twenty layers of hammerspace chi-enhanced fabric is not the sort of binding one can sucessfully use to restrain martial artists.
Ryoga gasped in astonishment as the 'weak' girl ripped apart the cloth equivilent of ten handcuffs, then sprinted off after another, dark-haired girl. His eyes narrowed; this Saotome was becoming an annoyance. Grasping a handful of bandanas, he quickly twirled them into several razor-sharp blades, unconciously reinforcing them with his chi. With his other hand, he snapped what had appeared to be a belt into a solid rod with a flick of the wrist.
He sent the bandannas low, aiming for Ranko's legs to trip her; the belt was spun in a high arc, hopefully to knock her unconcious. Time seemed to slow. Ranko and Akane both looked back, noticing the bandanas swarming towards them. Above them, unseen, the belt reached it's apex and started on the journey downward, tumbling over and over. The girls dodged most of the bandanas, taking a few nicks from the ones they could not. The belt continued falling end over end as Ranko looked up, saw the new threat, and started to call out a warning...
All Akane felt was a slight tugging at her hair, then the soft caress of wind on her neck. Her freed tresses fluttered to the ground, still bound by the white ribbon she had placed in them earlier that day.
Ranma walked over to Akane, his fight with Ryoga momentarily forgotten. "Akane... Yo, Akane." He waved a hand in front of her face, then became worried as it was increasingly apparent Akane had not heard a word he had just said. "She's in shock?"
Fron the crowd, various girls stepped foward in their comrades' defense. "Caught in public with a haircut like that?"
"She's lucky she didn't just die!"
"You should know that!"
"What kind of a girl are you, anyways?!"
Ranko sweated. "Wait! What matters is Akane." she said, trying to draw attention away from herself. She didn't feel up to explaining who she was or where Ranma had gone, so this was the best course of action. Besides, Akane really was acting kind of strange.
"Feh," Ryoga scoffed. "All this fuss over nothing. She wasn't hurt, right?"
"No, but she sure got a bad cut!" Ranko retorted.
There was silence for a moment as everyone took time to get over Ranko's unintentional pun. Ryoga broke the silence, speaking to Akane with his head hung low. "I apologize for my actions. Through my carelessness, I endangered an innocent bystander. If it would make you feel better, miss, please hit me." he said, indicating his cheek and leaving himself open.
"Uh, yeah. 'm sorry, Akane. What he said. It's my fault; hit me, too." Ranko agreed.
Akane slugged Ryoga as hard as she could, then turned to face Ranko. She said nothing, but gestured for the red-head to follow and started walking, slowly. The crowd of Furinkan students parted for their passage, then dispersed as there was nothing more to see.
Several minutes later, Ryoga woke up. The schoolyard was empty; there was no sign of anyone he could ask for directions. He had lost his quarry; been humiliated by not one, but TWO Saotomes; and worst, neither even recognized the pain Ranma had caused. Not knowing which one he meant, he vowed to the heavens, "Saotome, you will pay for this!", before setting out to search again.
Author's Notes:
Kudos to anyone who can identify the passing reference to another manga, and what series it is. I plan to do more passing references in the future, just to see who is awake.
I wanted to condense Ranma's encounter with Ryoga into one episode because I did not see any point in breaking it up. Additionally, this made it easier to write because I could get into a 'fighting story' mindset and not have to leave it; only to have to return later.
VO: Ranma, are you fighting Ryoga again? Well, cut it out already! ...What do you mean, he's just a swine? Next time on Ranma 1/2: Otaku Unleashed, "My Enemy, My Friend: Ryoga, the Pig". See ya there!
============End "A Difference That Makes no Difference"===========
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