Because the world can always use another Ranma alternate history 
fic...


They Shall Be One Flesh


	 Ranma Saotome sat alone at the dinner table in the Tendo Dojo,
 staring into a cup of tea.  Akane Saotome sat across from him, her
 hand tracing the curve of the delicate wood, also alone.  Later, each
 went upstairs.  They met in their bedroom, and Ranma watched Akane
 silently cry herself to sleep. 
	This was their honeymoon.  They had met for the first time 
yesterday.  


	 Ranma rose early the next morning to do his exercises.  He couldn't
 wait until his Pop got back; nothing compared to sparring with a real
 person.  He ran smoothly through several kata before he noticed Akane
 standing in the doorway, dressed in a gi.  Her long black hair flowed
 down her back; it looked as if it had not been combed.  "I practice
 here every morning," she said when he came to a stop.  "You have to
 find someplace else."
	"Oh," Ranma said.  "You really do martial  arts, then?  I think your 
dad said." 
	"Of course I do," Akane said.  She entered the dojo and 
stood with her arms crossed under her breasts, scowling pointedly. 
	"Uh, yeah," Ranma said.  "Do you want to spar?"
	Akane's scowl deepened.  "Ranma, I don't think you understand," she 
said.  "I hate you.  I hate that I am married to you and I hate that 
you didn't do anything about it.  Get out."
	Ranma was a little taken aback by her bluntness.  "Be that way," he 
said.  "It's not like I care."  His mind raced for an insult, 
something that would really get to her.  "You are so uncute, anyway." 
	Akane's face turned red.  She walked towards him, her hands clenched 
into fists.  "Half-girl pervert!" she shouted as she swung wildly at 
her husband.  Ranma dodged easily and ran out the door. 
	He wandered the Tendo home for a few minutes, admiring the 
furnishings.  It was really a nice place; he wouldn't have minded 
living here.  
	A knock sounded at the door, and after some searching 
Ranma opened it.  A fairly tall girl stood on the doorstep, a cheery 
smile on her face.  She wore a modest dress and carried a small 
basket.  Ranma recognized her.  She was one of Akane's sisters. "Hi," 
he said.  "Nabiki, right?"
	The girl giggled. "Oh my, no," she said.  "I'm Kasumi.  Good 
morning, Ranma."  Kasumi moved to enter, and Ranma stepped aside to 
allow her in.  "I know it's still your honeymoon, but I thought you 
might like some breakfast."
	Ranma nodded gladly.  "Breakfast sounds great," he said.  
	"Just let me set up in the kitchen," Kasumi said as she made her way 
there.  "Is Akane awake yet?"
	"She's in the dojo," Ranma said.  He watched Kasumi cook for less 
than a minute before becoming bored.  "I guess I'll go watch TV," he 
said.
	"Stay for a while," Kasumi told him.  "We didn't get much 
chance to talk before the wedding."
	He sighed, taking a seat on the counter.  "What do you want to 
know?"
	"I'd just like to get to know you better," Kasumi said.  "Tell 
me about yourself."
	Ranma blushed.  "I'm not much good at talking," he said.
	Kasumi busily chopped some carrots.  "What are you good at, then?" 
she said.  
	"Martial arts, for one thing," Ranma said.  "I'm probably 
the best martial artist in the world."
	"Really," Kasumi said.  "How impressive.  You must have worked very 
hard."
	"Yeah," Ranma said, nodding.  "Pop and I have been training on 
the road for years."
	"Are you sad that's over now?" 
	"What?"
	"Now that you've settled down with my sister," Kasumi explained.  
"Breakfast is almost ready," she said.  "Would you please get your 
wife?"
	A horrible thought dawned on Ranma.  "Nabiki, where's Pop 
staying?"
	"Kasumi," she said.  "And we're all at the motel just up 
the street."  She turned to ask why he wanted to know, but he was 
already gone.

	Ranma leapt to the next balcony, pausing only long enough to peek in
 the window before continuing on.  If she didn't find Pop soon, she
 would have to go talk to the desk clerk, and she was a girl.  She
 wasn't really comfortable talking to people as a girl, yet,and it was
 raining, so it would be difficult to change back.  But the next
 window revealed a huge, fat, panda, snoring loudly enough that she
 could hear it from here, and she was saved the trouble. 
	"Hey, Pop," Ranma called, rapping on the window.  The panda either 
didn't hear her or pretended not to.  Scowling, Ranma forced it open 
and jumped inside.  She found the bathroom and splashed herself with 
hot water, then filled a cup and poured it on his sleeping father.  
"Wake up, Pop.  I need to talk to you."
	"What is it, boy?" Genma said, pulling his clothes out of nowhere 
and putting them on instantly.  "Why are you not with your wife?" 
	"Listen, old man," Ranma said.  "When are we going to leave?"
	"What do you mean, son?"  Genma sounded irritated already, which was 
not unusual but also not promising.
	"You know, leave.  Go off to continue our training, maybe look for a 
cure.  Leave, like we always do."
	 Genma stood now, and there was a hint of regret in his voice.  
"We're not going to leave," he said. 
	Oh gods, Ranma thought.  The wedding.  The marriage.  He had 
supported the marriage, forced it on her.  "Not ever?" he said, his 
stomach turning.
	"You have a responsibility to your wife, boy.  If you have any honor 
or respect for your family name, you will uphold it." 
	"I can't do that," Ranma said.  "I don't want to do that.  I'm 
sixteen!" 
	"What did you think it meant when you said 'I do,' boy?  You must!" 
	"I didn't mean it!" Ranma practically shouted.  "I thought it was a 
sham, I thought we would use it to bum a couple of meals and go, 
leave her behind!  It's not like I've never been engaged before."
	"We will stay here!" Genma shouted.  "And you will show respect to 
me, show respect to your father-in-law, and show respect to your 
wife!"
	"Screw you, old man!" Ranma exclaimed, slamming his fist into 
Genma's gut twice and his face once before the older man could 
respond.  "My life is ruined!"
	Ranma took a step towards his father, his fists shaking with rage, 
before turning and jumping out the window, into the rain.  The sudden 
shock of the curse disrupted his balance, and he was barely able to 
grab onto the balcony to prevent himself from falling. 
	After a minute Genma rose and knocked on the door to the room across 
the hall.  "Tendo?" he said.
	"Yes?"
	"I think perhaps we should get back to the dojo earlier than we 
planned.  Things may not be going as well as we had hoped."


	  Akane was concentrating.  She gazed at the cinderblock before her,
  studying its square lines and its craggy surface, searching for the
  best way to effect its destruction.  She concentrated to distract
  herself, because she did not wish to have time to consider the ruin
  the last two days had made of her life.  It wasn't working
  particularly well.
	 When Ranma and his father, well, Ranma and her panda, as it had 
been, had first arrived, Akane had felt sorry for her.  She had even
 considered asking the girl to spar.  Of course, then the panda had
 run into the kitchen -- it was strange, she thought, that he had
 known where it was -- and splashed himself with hot water.  Things
 had gone downhill from there.  Her father had immediately brought up
 the promised engagement and Genma had suggested that a wedding take
 place immediately.  Her father had loved that idea, of course, and
 for no reason that she could understand Ranma had gone along.  At
 least Nabiki had been on her side; Kasumi had just stood there
 smiling.
	She was going to kill her father, she had decided.  And
 Ranma, for supporting the wedding when she had made it clear she
 wanted nothing of the sort, and his father, and her sisters, for
 volunteering her for this torture. She would stand over them, blood
 dripping from her hands, an unholy smile on her face, her pale golden
 wedding band shoved up Ranma's ass.  "Enjoy that, pervert?" she would
 say.  
	Akane swung her hand down with as much force as she could
 muster, crushing the fantasy along with the cinderblock.
	 "Akane?"  Kasumi's voice was a surprise, but Akane was too tired to 
react immediately. 
	"Hi, Kasumi," she said weakly, giving a little wave.  "What are you 
doing back already?"	 
	Kasumi approached the younger girl quickly, concern evident on her 
face.  "You look awful, Akane," she said.  "Come let me take a look 
at you."
  	 "I'm fine," Akane protested, but she knew better than to 
expect she could keep her eldest sister away.  
	Kasumi put her hand on Akane's brow.  "No fever," she said, "but --" 
 Her eyes narrowed.  Kasumi brushed her sister's hair back, frowning 
slightly.  "Akane," she said, "have you been crying?"
	Akane almost laughed, the question was so ludicrous.  "What did you 
think?  I would just be happy about being forced into a marriage? 
Maybe you did think that.  You volunteered me." 
	Kasumi frowned seriously now, a sign of extreme disapproval.  "I 
wasn't trying to hurt you, Akane."
	"So what were you trying to do?  Make sure Dr. Tofu chooses you?" 
Kasumi blinked.  "You did a pretty damn good job of that!  My life is 
over because of you!"  Akane backed out of the dojo, her face 
contorted in anger and sadness.  As soon as Kasumi was out of sight, 
she turned and ran up to her room to cry.  The sight of Ranma's 
bedding on the floor only brought a new wave of tears.
	Before long there was a knock at the door.  Akane could guess who it 
was.  "What do you want?"
	"To talk."
	Akane sighed.  "Come in." The door opened slowly, more slowly than 
Akane would have imagined possible.  Kasumi quietly stepped inside 
the room and carefully pulled the door shut.  She took a moment to 
collect her thoughts before speaking.  "I didn't realize you would 
resent me this much.  I guess I should have expected it."  Akane said 
nothing.  "I'm sorry I pushed you into the marriage instead of 
letting him decide, Akane.  I guess I was afraid."
	The bedspread tossed and turned under Akane's fitful hand.  "Thank 
you," she said; slowly, as if the words were being pulled from a 
vise.  "I forgive you."
	"That's not the only thing that was bothering you, was it?"  Kasumi 
saw an affirmative in the reticent silence.  She  gracefully sat next 
to Akane, taking her hand.  "Tell me what's wrong."
	Akane turned away.  "I don't want to talk about it."
	"I really think you should.  It would make you feel better."
	With a sigh, Akane hung her head.  "It's just that -- my life is 
over, like I said," she began.
	"Of course it's not," Kasumi said. 
	"It is!" Akane insisted.  "Look at all things I'll never get to do." 
	"You can do anything you want, Akane." 
	"I can't!  Kasumi, I have never been on a real date.  Not once.  
Now, I never will.  I'm never going to fall in love, or get engaged, 
and I'm never going to be independent and I'm never going to be 
free!"
	"Some girls would relish the security," Kasumi said. 
	"I can take care of myself," Akane said sharply.  "And there's other 
stuff, too.  I can't deal with being married!  I mean, what am I 
going to do if he wants to, you know."  Akane gestured miserably.  
	"I'm sure he'll understand if you have reservations," Kasumi said.  
"He seems like a nice boy."
	"He's not even a boy!" Akane exclaimed.  "Besides, he didn't say a 
word to me all day yesterday!"
	"Did you try to talk to him?" 
	Akane froze, her lips moving soundlessly. 
	"Most people tend to act friendliest to someone who's friendly 
themselves," Kasumi said. 
	"Well, no, I guess I didn't, but -- " 
	"I would say you have to learn to talk to him if you want things to 
ever get better."
	 "But look what he did to me," Akane finished lamely. 
	"I just think you should concentrate on making the future better," 
Kasumi said.
	"I don't know if I can do that," Akane said, resting 
her head in Kasumi's lap, her voice trembling. 
	"Please, Akane," Kasumi said.  "It's for the best.  Trust me."  
	"I'll try," Akane said.  "I'll try."  Kasumi gathered her into a 
warm hug, and Akane began to cry softly.  "Thank you," Kasumi said.  
	She smoothed Akane's hair and gently pulled up her sibling's head to 
face her.  "I made some breakfast," she said.  "Would you like some?" 
	Akane started to shake her head, but her growling stomach 
interrupted her.  She giggled despite herself.  "How do you do it, 
Kasumi?" she said, wonderment in her voice.  "How do you always know 
what's right?"
	"Mother taught me," Kasumi said distantly, rising to fetch food for 
her surrogate child.

	 Ranma came back to the Dojo because she was hungry.  She had walked
 the streets of Nerima for more than two hours after speaking with her
 father, but it hadn't made her thoughts any clearer.  She was
 married, to a girl who hated her, no less.  It looked like there was
 no getting out of it, either.  Her pop had suddenly discovered a
 sense of honor, and no matter what her pride told her, Ranma didn't
 think she could function without the old man.  Finally the siren call
 of her stomach had become stronger than the urge to stay away from
 her wife, and she had made her way back to the Tendo home.
 	Ranma  didn't want to disturb anyone, so she crawled in the kitchen 
window.  Unfortunately, Kasumi was standing there; doing the dishes, 
it looked like.  "Hello?" Ranma tried.
	"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed, dropping a plate to the floor with a 
crash.
	"Sorry!" Ranma said quickly, leaping to Kasumi's aide.  "Are 
you okay?"
	Kasumi blushed.  "I'm fine, Ranma," she said.  "You just startled 
me."  Turning, she studied the newcomer.  "Would you like some hot 
water?"
	"Sure," Ranma said.  "Thanks."   Tapping her feet, the 
redhead smiled nervously.  "Uh, do you have anything to eat left?" 
	Kasumi smiled.  "There's plenty.  Just let me put this pot on to 
warm up, and I'll get some for you, okay?"
	"Great!" Ranma said.  She waited impatiently for Kasumi to hand her 
first the pot, and then a plate piled high..  Ranma leapt into the 
food with abandon, scooping it into his mouth faster then he could 
chew.
	A voice rang out of the hall.  "Hello?"
	"Oh my," Kasumi said.  "It's father.  I had better start on lunch if 
everyone's going to be here."  She raised her voice.  "Hello, 
father!"
	Ranma stood and, continuing to eat, found his father-in-law.  Soun 
stood with two large bags in his hands, framed by Genma in his panda 
form and a disgruntled looking Nabiki.  They all looked damp.  
"Growlf," Genma said.
	"Son-in-law!" Soun shouted, dropping the bags and running to embrace 
Ranma.
	"Really, Daddy," Nabiki said.  She shot Ranma a nasty look, 
grabbed one of the bags and trudged up the stairs.
	"Hello, Mr. Tendo," Ranma said, attempting to fend the older man off 
without putting down his plate or stopping eating.  
	Seeing that his attempts were being rejected, Soun frowned and 
settled for patting Ranma's shoulder. "Akane!" he called.  "Akane, 
come down here." 
	"Daddy?" Akane's voice floated down the stairs.  "What are you doing 
back?"
	"He was afraid you two were having too much wedded bliss," 
Nabiki answered from the bathroom.
	Kasumi walked into the room with a pot of warm water and handed it 
to Genma, who grunted his thanks before pouring it on himself.  
"Ranma," he said, changing the subject none too smoothly, "tomorrow 
you must begin to attend school."
	"Akane and Nabiki go to Furinkan High School," Soun said.  "I'll 
walk you there tomorrow morning, since we have to register Akane's 
name change anyway." 
	"What!" Ranma said.  "No way I'm going to school."
	 The house shook and the stairs rattled as Akane ran down to 
confront her father.  "What name change?" she spit out, her face 
livid.  Ranma didn't think she had even noticed that he was standing 
there.
	"To your married name, of course," Soun said. 
	"I'm definitely not going to school," Ranma said, trying and failing 
to attract some attention.  His father glared at him momentarily.  
	"But you don't have to tell them!" Akane was saying.  She stared at 
her father with a mixture of betrayal, hope, and sadness.  He shook 
his head firmly, and Akane turned and ran up the stairs. 
	"Oh my," Kasumi said, shaking her head.  

	 This is getting silly, Akane reflected as she cried into her 
pillow.  This was the fourth time today she had run up to her room to 
cry.  She hadn't done it once yesterday, and she didn't consider 
herself to be naturally weepy.  She generally preferred, well, a much 
more active response to her problems.  But she couldn't decide who to
 fight, because everyone was against her, and everything was so hard,
 and she knew it was only going to get harder.  She had decided that
 Kasumi was right, that she needed to make some effort to talk to
 Ranma, about anything, really.  After all, she thought bitterly,
 we've got the same name now.  
	She didn't notice Nabiki quietly watching her begin to cry even 
harder.  

 The middle Tendo sister sighed as she walked into the kitchen. 
 Kasumi was happily preparing lunch, humming a little tune.  Nabiki
 didn't recognize it.  She leaned provocatively against the
 refrigerator and sighed again.  "Akane doesn't seem very happy, does
 she, Kasumi," she said.  It was not a question.
	"I suppose not," Kasumi said, "but I'm sure she'll learn to deal 
with it.  She's a very strong girl."
	"He's not going to be good for her," Nabiki said.
	They could both hear their fathers laughing uproarously in an 
adjacent room.  "You know, Saotome, I'm glad we married them right 
away," their father said.  "A marriage is different from an 
engagement.  You can't run away from it, you can't pretend it's not 
there, you can't deny it.  Think about all the whining we won't have 
to listen to." 
	"Very true, Tendo.  It was certainly the best thing to do."
	Nabiki scowled and turned to her sister.  "I have one thing to say 
to that."
	 "Hmm?"
	"Annullment."
	"Oh my."  


	 Akane Saotome walked into the living room quietly.  Ranma Saotome 
lay alone on the floor, staring at the TV.  Akane's hand rested on a
chair; she rocked on the balls of her feet.  Taking a deep breath,
she spoke.  "Ranma, you might want to go to bed early," she said. 
"We've got school tomorrow."
	 Ranma looked up at her.  "Thanks," he said.  

End part 1 


This will probably extend to no more than five parts.  I'm not 
interested in retelling the whole story of Ranma 1/2, but I will try 
to deal with all the most important characters.  The real focus of 
this series will be the relationship between Ranma and Akane, 
though, as their marriage both forces them apart and forces 
them together.  Please send C&C, especially about characterization 
and dialogue -- does it sound like something anyone might actually 
say? 

 Thanks for reading.  


Thomas Schmidt
Tschmidt@trader.com

Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takhasi, Viz Communications, and a lot of
other people who are not me.