I figure it's time I reposted these... It's been about a month since
chapter and someone actually asked for 1! *I'm a happy camper!*

Still, I'm not getting the kind of C&C I'd like - these haven't been proof
read or anything... so if someone sees a really embarrassing type-o, tell
me!

Oh yeah, I also remembered, I want to thank Richard Beaubien for the
original idea of engaging Ranma to Noa!

So here we go... chapter 1!

BEN
--
The Original Sweat Pants-Wearing Man presents
Ben's Heap o' Non-Essentials n' Stuff:
at http://cyniska.ubishops.ca/Benny/
"Keyboard stuck failure. Press F1 to continue."
--
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Her feet dangling a little under 8 meters from the floor of the hanger, Noa
perched herself precariously on Alphonse's shoulder. She pried open the tin
of wax with a nearby screw driver and brought the container to her nose.
She smiled at the scent of the compound and smudged a little bit onto a
rag. Alphonse wasn't usually in the need of a polish, but Officer Izumi did
it as a labor of love (pun intended). With the recent Griffon skirmish, Noa
felt she owed this to Alphonse anyway. The shoulder on the opposite side
from her was still not mounted, so she figured polishing only one side
would do something to at least appease her guilt to the way Alphonse had
been treated at the hands of the Black Labor.
"Eh! Noa!" Asuma was below with his hands cupped around his mouth. Noa
heard him fine even with the noise of the mechanics crew restoring the
second Ingram of the unit. Ohta's labor currently was being hosed down to
have the salt water stains removed from the torso and legs...
Noa gingerly picked her way across the back of Alphonse's neck and dropped
to the walk-way running along the upper level of the hanger. She climbed
down the cold staircase and stepped up to her partner, all the while wiping
the wax polish from her hands. "Good afternoon."
Stepping aside, Asuma brought forward a young man and an older gentleman.
The older man introduced himself. "Hello Miss, I'm Mr. Saotome. And this
here is my son."
Noa eyed the pair of strangers, unsure what to make of the visitors'
outdated clothing. The man wore what she thought was a training dogi and
boy was in some foreign outfit... she guessed it might have been Chinese.
"What can I do for you?"
Asuma's face seemed to contort in apprehension. Noa glanced at him for a
moment, about to regret asking in the first place.
Genma remained business-faced and continued. "Well, we travel a lot and I
ran into your father in Hokkaido."
"Go on..." Noa prompted him suspisciously. 
"Well, I'd like you to meet my boy: Ranma! He's your new fiancee!"


*Noa's New Fiancee - SURPRISE!*
		By: BEN

*All characters attached to the Patlabor label are created by Headgear.
They
are used without permission. All characters attached to the Ranma ½ label
are created by Rumiko Takahashi and are also used without permission.
*Historian's Note: I've avoided giving dates because it would make this
cross-over story virtually impossible. But regarding Ranma and his father,
they took 2 weeks between the time they started on their way to Nerima
(according to the postcard in the manga) - this tale takes place during
that journey home. With regards to Noa and the rest of SV2, this tale takes
place near the beginning of the New OVA following the disaster that was the
"Griffon" Saga.


Chapter 1: Welcome to SV2, Saotome-san!
	Noa's jaw dropped much like her favourite anime character might have
looked in a similar predicament. "Eh?!?!"
	Asuma back-pedaled a few steps hoping that she wouldn't explode at this
news. His fear was unfounded as Noa remained slack-jawed longer than he had
anticipated. In fact, after a while, Asuma began to wonder if drool would
begin to overflow his partner's lower lip. At that, he decided to look a
little more carefully at Noa's mouth.
	Ranma stood back looking on hoping that he could disappear for a moment
and when he reappeared, this entire training journey, was just a silly
dream. He turned towards the sound of footsteps echoing along the walkway
his so-called fiancee had just come down from. A middle-aged man with a
cigarette stepped to the ground floor. He looked like someone in charge -
and he also looked incredibly bored, Ranma decided.
	"Koniichi-wa. Goto-san desu." His relaxed demeanor worried Ranma to no
end. Somehow, he had a feeling he and Genma might actually get along and
marry him to this robot-loving freak...
	The older Saotome clasped the captain's hand and shook vigorously while
Noa's jaw slowly regained composure. Asuma produced a handkerchief from his
uniform vest's pocket and offered it to Noa. And for a moment, Ranma calmed
down enough to grin at Noa's innocent saliva rolling down her chin.
	Ranma's attention drifted back to the two older men and began to cringe
again. He failed to notice however that Noa had begun to shiver as well.
"Sir! You know this man already!?!?"
	Captain Goto jerked his head towards his officer in mock surprise. "Well,
of course." He paused momentarily as if expecting Noa to suddenly remember
a certain conversation that had taken place only in his own imagination.
	<"Well, Officer Izumi. I'm glad you took the time to report to my office
this afternoon. I got a call from your father. He was very happy, and I'm
happy too! O-medeto!" He had told her cheerfully.
	"Sir?"
	"Your fiancee is coming to visit. What was his name... Ranma? Ranma
Saotome.
He sounds like quite the character."
	"But- I've never heard of him before!"
	"Come now, your father spoke of him like you knew him from long ago! Are
you sure the name Saotome doesn't ring a bell?"
	"Oh... maybe... I don't know...">
	Captain Goto was shaken from his reverie by Asuma waving his hands before
his face. Noa continured to stare him in the eye. <Maybe I didn't have that
conversation with her...>
	As for Ranma, it had dawned on him that perhaps this Captain in SV2 wasn't
as sharp as he thought. He watched while his supposed fiancee followed the
Goto man up the stairs and into the office, all the while blasting him with
questions about why she hadn't heard about his visit until five minutes
ago. In the meantime, he considered the feat he himself had just
accomplished... that of having kept his mouth shut.
	Asuma turned to face Genma and Ranma. He tried to look somewhat dignified
in the aftermath of his partners shocked reaction and led the pair to the
hanger's barracks. In his mind, Asuma reasoned that if they really were
martial artists coming home to Japan from a training journey, they wouldn't
mind cramped bunks all that much...

	Noa stood in front of the captain's desk not quite at the text-book
definition of attention, but she held her commanding officer attention in
turn. "You're telling me my father set me up?!?"
	Goto's solemn face remained still; his composure was calm. They had been
at this for the last ten minutes. Noa screaming her anxiety out through him
while he allowed it to just pass out the window like a soft breeze- albeit
a very hot breeze. At last he spoke, "Yes."
	The reply caught Noa off guard. She had just about become accustomed to
Goto's silence and was actually sure if she'd get an answer between the
time she followed him into the office and when she would eventually walk
out. "Well... er..." Her demeanor softened somewhat as it had occurred to
her
that maybe she would have her answers yet. "Then, how did you know?"
	"Your father called."
	"But you didn't tell me!?"
	"He said it was to be a surprise," Goto finished.
	Not so much as the fact that she got her answer, but Noa suddenly felt
angry at the way he said it. That it was so simple, that it should have
been obvious, as if the surprise was supposed to be a good thing... And so,
Noa did the only thing she could think at the moment: she grumbled her way
out of the office and disappeared into the bowels of the SV2 base.
	Captain Shinobu looked up at her office-mate expectantly. "Well?"
	"Well what?" Goto was starting to feel irritated at the events of the day.
After the interrogation of his subordinate, he wasn't particularly
interested in being interrogated by his equal.
	Shinobu brushed aside a few stray strands of hair that invaded her face
and reiterated herself. "Well? What are you going to do about this?"
	Goto sat back in his chair, letting his shifting weight spin the chair on
his axis slightly. "I'm not going to do anything!" His exasperation
exaggerated by his fellow captain's patronizing tone.
	"Of course, you're just going to let the two get to know each other on
their own," Shinobu spoke for him.
	"Right... on their own..." Goto's eyes floated into oblivion.
	Shinobu knew better than to continue the conversation. When Keiichi Goto
got that look, he wasn't just day-dreaming. It was more like plotting. <And
far better it was to just stay out of a fool's way,> she thought in
conclusion.

	Morning struck the lonely hanger. The sun shone onto the east side of the
hanger daring the humans inside to get out of bed and face the new day.
Alone outside, just as lonely and dressed in a simple red Chinese shirt and
black pants tied at his waste and ankles, a figure stood moving from stance
to stance, acting out a silent battle with nothing but his shadow to keep
him company. Ranma's feet slid along the dirt of the reclaimed land as he
went through the paces of a custom kata he had concocted from his own mind.
	The breeze caught his hair, trying in vain to lift his pig-tail. Ranma
didn't feel the tug of the moving air. One arm and then the next waved
across his chest. One foot slid back as the other pivoted. He stood into
his kibidachi quietly, arms relaxed at his sides and tried to meditate.
	In the distance, a side door in the hanger's plain metal wall swung slowly
open. A head of reddish-brown hair poked out and looked across the bare
land. Noa stared intently at Ranma's silhouette on the near horizon where
land met water. From Noa's vantage point, it seemed Ranma's body split the
world, the horizon at his waist with the sky above at his shoulders and the
ground at his knees. The breeze blew a bit stronger and Noa gathered her
coat around her tightly before stepping out into the day.
	Ranma's shirt tails fluttered in the gust of wind while Noa approached
quietly. His body remained unmoving. Noa blinked at his back and tilted her
head side of side hoping to get a glimpse of his face while still out of
his line of sight. She stood just as still as her prey.
	"Ohaiyo, is there something I can do for you?"
	Ranma's voice had surprised Noa. She didn't even suspect he was aware of
her approach. She stepped forward to face him. Ranma remained in his
kibidachi, his legs bent at the knees, making him appear to sit on an
unseen stool. "Oh nothing really. Just wanted to see what you were up to."
	At the sound of the female voice, Ranma blinked his eyes open to see Noa
standing innocently before him. He had been expecting either his father to
have joined him for a quick workout, or that weird captain guy who might
want to interrogate him or something... or who knows what other weirdo he'd
seen around the hanger when he arrived. There was the short stocky guy who
looked a little deranged. There was also that huge quiet guy. Then there
was the one who seemed normal until the point where his father had by
accident mentioned that avoiding Mrs. Saotome was an okay deal... the guy
kept ranting about the importance of pleasing his wife until the officer
named Asuma took the pair into his hands and sort of introduced him to Noa
- the girl who was in front of him now. "Uh, just goofing off... well,
actually," he stuttered a moment. "I was meditating! You know, letting
myself go over thoughts I didn't get to think about during the week... and
what you might be like," he finally answered in mock confidence. <Well, it
sounded pretty good,> he reasoned.
	Noa smiled. The breeze died down somewhat, but the early morning air was
still chilly. She crossed her arms feeling the warmth of her own torso warm
them. But the thickness of her coat wouldn't allow that anyway. "Aren't you
cold?"
	Ranma shrugged as he got up from his squatting position. His hands came up
to rub his own upper arms. "Now that you mention it..."
	"Let's go inside." Noa led the way to the main hanger.
	They walked together in the coolness of the morning and Ranma told Noa of
his training journey. He explained how he and his father had left traveled
all over Japan and halfway across China meeting all kinds of people. It had
been years since he had been back to Japan...
	There were people about by the time they reached the hanger. "Ohaiyo,
Izumi-chan," greeted a mechanic in his off-white jumpsuit.
	"Ohaiyo, Shige-san. Please meet Saotome Ranma, he's my... er... new
friend!"
	"Oy... right! I've heard! He's your friend." Shige grinned knowingly. But
even with his obvious good intentions, the way he had emphasized the word
"friend" still made Noa flinch. He immediately picked it up and apologized.
	"Think nothing of it," the pair exclaimed in unison!
	Noa brought Ranma over to where Alphonse stood. He was exceptionally tall
now that he was plugged into his charging station atop the raised carrier
bed. "This is my Alphonse." Her loving eyes told Ranma something was up.
And there was. Noa went on to tell him all about the adventures she had
shared with Alphonse, including a little bit about a mysterious black labor
she had encountered lately.
	"Well, I understand how you might feel attached to the thing... but you
make
it sound like you're in love!" Ranma stopped himself from going on and
pondered what he just said. He laughed out loud startling Noa.
	Noa recovered and turned her head to him. She plainly asked, "What's so
funny?"
	Once he calmed himself enough to speak, Ranma found himself unsure why it
was funny... "Uh, well, maybe not." He smiled sheepishly and started to
laugh
with his hand wandering up to support the back of his head.
	Noa didn't hesitate to join in the laughter, further confusing the young
martial artist. She thought reassuring him would be the best course of
action. "Don't worry," she breathed between giggles, "I know it does sound
a little strange." Having brought themselves down to level again, Noa
continued. "I do love him in a certain way. I always dreamed of piloting a
labour, and when I met my Pat-chan here, I just knew I would take full
responsibility for him... and I guess..." She thought she would let it drop
after her voice trailed off. This is embarrassing...
	"You do love it, don't you," Ranma offered. He tilted his head
understandingly. "I'm not too good with feeling and that kind of stuff
either, but I know that there are things that can't be put in words."
	The pair stood in silence a moment before a bulky man in a off-white
training dogi came up. "Ranma, my boy, I see you're getting along nicely!"
Genma patted his son roughly on the back, causing the younger of the
Saotome clan to slump forward slightly. But the boy did nothing but
grumbling under his breath. Genma eyed Ranma suspiciously. "You are getting
along aren't you?"
	"Right up until you arrived..."
	Noa stared curiously at her new-found friend with his father as they
headed back out to the open field behind the hangar. <That's quite the
relationship they have, she marveled. At least they talk - more than I
could say for poor Asuma.>
	Ending with that thought, Noa closed her eyes, content with the unusual
silence in the hangar. When she opened them, she jumped back in surprise.
"AH! How long have you been watching me here, Asuma!?!"

	On the field, the breeze had died down. And although Ranma had been hungry
when Noa came by, he figured he'd show his old man that man would always be
ready for anything - with or without breakfast. "Okay, Pops, here I come!"
His sweat would have fooled some, but he was hardly tired yet. Hungry… but
not tired. Ranma sprung from his stance and flew at his father with
lightning speed.
But Genma, for all his size, was still faster. He leapt forward and above
Ranma. In mid-air, Genma's two heavy feet pounded into his son's back. He
laughed as he dropped to the ground. "Face it, boy - you can't keep up with
your old man!"
	Ranma growled in anger - his face turning a pale shade of red. "I don't
think so!" And without further delay, his fist connected with his father
square in the chest, sending the man soaring across the field and past the
bluff. A splash of water later, a rather large silhouette, back-lit by the
rapidly rising sun, crawled onto shore. Ranma paid it no attention and
headed back to the hangar. This, no one would keep him from his share of
breakfast.

	Shige was pushing a cart of electronic testing equipment to the other end
of the hangar when a furry shape passed him holding a sign that said,
"Pardon me." Not knowing what else he could do, the young mechanic stopped
the cart and waiting for the panda bear to walk by. He blinked after the
bear as it  made its way up the stairs towards the barracks in the attic.
	"Shige, why are you standing around like an idiot?" Chief mechanic Sakaki,
an aged gentleman, stood behind him. "Get back to work!"
	The younger man, not much more than a boy when compared to his superior,
spun around. "Did you see that?!? There - there was..."
	"What are you blabbering about?! Just go on!"
	<He's gonna think I'm nuts,> Shige thought. "A bear." Shige paused waiting
to get a reaction from his supervisor. Sakaki's dark glasses hid his eyes
and any expression he might have had. Shige decided he might risk
continuing, "it had a sign asking me to pardon him as he walked by...
forget
it." <He does think I'm nuts.>

	In the cool dusk air, Ranma sat cross legged watching the sun set. It was
unusually cold for this time of year. And although he brought out a scarf
with him, he let it hang loosely from his shoulder, not bothering to wrap
it around himself. He thought about his stay so far and how he got here to
the SV2 hangar to meet some weird girl...
	<The old man says I'm engaged to this one... I've never heard of anything
like this. Jeez, an arranged marriage?! It's as if he was livin' in the
past! How did this happen? Oh...> Ranma's mind began to slip from him. It
began to run through significant moments in his life. From the time his
father had announced his plans to take him on a martial arts training trip
to the part where his father had eventually thrown him into a pit of hungry
cats. <Brrr...> the thought of the many glimmering eyes in the darkness
sent
chills down his spine. And then there were some pretty good times, though.
He remembered a nice boy he met half way to China... <Ah U-chan... I miss
you.
You were the greatest friend I had and those few days we spent together was
so much fun. And your dad's okonomiyaki was the best food I ever had,> he
remembered enthusiastically.
	<Oh but then we ran into that training ground full of puddles. Springs...
pools of weird cursed water that... that... no - that was too weird. Well,
less
weird than the time we ran into that tribe of warrior babes...
	But I still don't know how we ended up at Hokaido before reaching
Nerima...
Pops told me we were just stretching the trip a little to visit some
friends. He forgot to tell me about setting up an arranged marriage? Yeah
right, what crap! And that in about 2 weeks, we'll arrive at Mr. Tendo's
house. Oh yeah... Tendo-san... he runs a dojo, I think. That'll be cool. A
place to practice without having to move around from town to town. Even if
it's a martial arts household, I just hope the family isn't violent like
that warrior tribe we ran into... who knew that was the prize? We were
hungry!>
	And unfortunately for him, he would eventually meet someone at the Tendo
dojo that would put to rest any underestimates he had just made.
	This time, Ranma was so lost in thought that he left himself oblivious to
his surroundings. And as Noa crept up on Ranma's still seated form, she
half-expected the boy to turn around and surprise her in return. But even
as she stepped around and in front of him, he didn't react until she waved
her hand before his face.
	"Uh? Sorry!" Ranma got up and bowed foolishly. "I, uh, I was just
thinking... that's all."
	Noa stood feet together, arms behind her back, smiling. "What about," she
inquired?
	"Oh uh..." Ranma faltered, unsure if he should go on and on about his trip
again. He felt he had worn out that story enough that morning. After all,
he wasn't really the type to be a story-teller. "It was nothing." He
decided to try changing the subject, instead. "I was thinking about how I
managed to get engaged to a stranger."
	"Well, I don't think anything is going to happen between us - a marriage
is a very important thing. Our parents can't just shove us together!"
	Ranma was visibly relieved to hear that his supposed fiancee saw eye to
eye with him. But the sudden revelation left him wordless. Stupidly, his
mouth simply emitted, "I'm glad." Suddenly his head jerked up. "That's not
what I meant! I mean, er, you know! I'm glad you feel the same way I do
about marriage!" <Whoa - good recovery.>
	Noa laughed understandingly as she walked back towards the hangar. Ranma
followed. His thoughts were only that if marriage did indeed occurred
anytime soon, he felt he might enjoy being with someone like Miss Izumi...
---end chapter 1---
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