Note: This is the same as the file attached to my last message. Four people
replied to that message, and after a bit of criticism for posting an attached
file someone did tell me how to get Word to cooperate.


    Draxon's Review Corner Presents
         A Tetsumi Production
               Ranma 1/2
       Crash-Course With Destiny

Part One - Prologue To War
Chapter One - Destiny by Dinner

	Is it bright where you are?
	Have the people changed?
	Does it make you happy?
	Oh so strange�

		-- Smashing Pumpkins, "The End is the Beginning is the End"

Late January, 1988

	Haratsu stood in the Tetsumi dining room as the guests filed in.  His normal
attire of heavy cotton robes was replaced by the more standard khaki and
button-up shirt combo and for the first time in weeks he was smiling.  He looked
back to the threshold of the kitchen to see Michelle nodding approvingly and
smiling.  Haratsu gave her a warm smile; she would be a major topic in his
discussions with the Tendo and Saotome families.  He smoothly made his way into
the living room, where the Tendo girls were passing time by lounging on the
sofas.
	"It is a good day to be a martial artist," he said slowly and with an
increasing tone of joy.  He smiled when his friend Soun nodded with the look of
a wise man.
	"It is indeed.  I must thank you for providing for my family's accommodations
in the past several days.  I must say your plan for rebuilding my ancestral home
is beyond all generosity I have ever experienced."
	"You've done more than I can ever repay, Tendo," he said cheerily, "You need
not thank me for my petty monetary offerings; if you had not reacted as quickly
as you did during the battle at Mt. Fuji I would be well in my grave by now. 
But we have more immediate concerns to address, and we can do so in good time.
Enjoy yourself until we call dinner; I am going to check on Apsu."
	"Of course," Soun said, his happy look dimming a bit, "How is your son now,
anyway?" Haratsu breathed a deep breath, then spoke softly to Soun;
	"He is living, and relatively healthy, but harmony is so absent from his chi
that he cannot harness it's power.  I will also confide in you that I suspect he
is hiding something from me; what I do not know.  Perhaps nothing.  He is still
in a bit of shock after the battle but after tonight I believe he will improve
dramatically."
	"That's good.  Regarding his chi; There is a man in Nerima named Tofu who may
be able to help.  His knowledge of pressure points and medicinal healing may
even rival your own healing abilities.  If you'd like I can arrange for him to
stop by or perhaps for Apsu to see him."
	"I would appreciate that.  Dinner should be starting in just about 30 minutes,
so I must be on my way to make preparations and to check on Apsu." He bowed
lightly and made his way up the stairs.  After a bit more navigating he found
himself at Apsu's door.
	"Apsu, why haven't you come down yet?" He asked after knocking on the door a
bit.
	"Uhh, just a second! I� got some water spilled on me in the bathroom and I need
to change."  Haratsu shook his head at the female voice's reply; Apsu had been
spending way too much time as a girl� and why had he hesitated to answer?  He
reached to turn the door knob.  Locked.
	"Open the door, I need to talk with you."
	"Can it wait?  I'm not exactly dressed properly to open my door."  Haratsu
fumed just for a second, then released his tension in a firm voice.
	"That's exactly what I suspected.  Now open the door.  Now."  Apsu complied and
the door opened slowly.  Haratsu walked into his son's room and closed the door
for her.  He looked at Apsu, who was obviously not dressed to be seen as she was
wearing a black silk dress; One of Michelle's favorites.  He closed his eyes for
a moment, and when he opened them Apsu was sitting on her bed with her head
hanging down.
	"Why are you wearing one of Michelle's dresses?"  The question came a bit
harsher than intended, but time was short.  He needed his son to be downstairs
with his manhood very much intact showing the Tendos and the Saotomes that the
Tetsumi family was strong yet thankful for their help.  Instead, his son was
sitting on his bed wearing a female body and female clothes.
	"I'm sorry.  I'll change."  Apsu's reply was forced, and very dry.
	"That wasn't my question.  Is this why you've been avoiding me for the past few
days, and either way; Why are you wearing one of Michelle's dresses?"
	"I� dunno."
	"Your disrespect exceeds any you have ever given me before, but under the
current circumstances I will allow it to pass.  I need you to be downstairs
immediately showing everyone that this night is a happy night.  It absolutely
will not do for you to continue in this emotional whirlwind as you have been for
the past week.  Has the temporary loss of your chi energies scarred you so badly
that you would sit groveling before me when before you have trusted me with
every problem you faced?"  He walked to Apsu's closet and produced a cotoroid
outfit, which he tossed back on the bed as he continued; "If you would now show
me the fact that your manhood is intact by changing into a suitable outfit I
will wait until tomorrow before I ask further of this."
	Apsu looked at the cotoroid shirt and pants, then shuddered a bit.
	"Apsu, if you do not show some initiative I will take you by the hem of your
dress and drag you to the living room where you can interact as a girl would. 
When you came to my crying about the compromise of your manhood two weeks ago I
did not hold it against you, for times were desperate and fear was allowable. 
When you cried over my supposed death I did not hold it against you; but rather
took it as a sign of love.  Now, however is not the appropriate time for fear,
sadness, or crying.  If you are acting like this because I saw you in your
current state you will be relieved to know that you are free to pursue the
exploration of your sexuality so long as you keep your manhood totally intact. 
Tonight, however, I want my son to make me proud of him by showing me that he
can overcome his own emotional burdens long enough to hear an announcement that
may well turn his life around for the better."
	Apsu looked up at her father for a second, then stood and paced across the room
nervously.  "I� thought you would hold harsher feelings.  I'm sorry.  I feel
like my life is so totally out of control now that it leaves me helpless� I
guess that's where the dresses come into play. I mean, if one feels helpless why
not dress the part?  You've trained me since birth to be a strong, yet sensible
and caring person.  I appreciate that and thank you for your years of labor. 
You've told me that all I must do to repay you for my martial arts training is
to ensure that our family line continues, and that it continues to grow stronger
with time.  Now I may not even be able to do that," she paused for a moment,
then walked to her bed and sat down before continuing, "My life energies are
locked deep within me now.  I may never again be able to harness the power of
chi.  I can't tell you how I know this, I just feel it� I had thought after I
woke from my first sleep in over a week that my manhood would at least be
salvaged, but I was wrong again.  I began to feel like my cursed form; what you
are looking at now, was more like another side of me than anything� I can't
really explain something I don't understand, but when I feel bad, which is most
of the time now, I can just swap forms and I feel better for a while.  You
finding out was not in my plans, I didn't want to disappoint you again."
	Haratsu made his way to the door, "Confusion, fear, lack of understanding, and
personal explorations are all allowed in this house so long as I am the master
of the school of Various Martial Arts.  The only condition is that you push all
four aside when necessary.  I had thought you would be more open with me
concerning your current issues, but we can discuss them later."  He opened the
door and stepped out, "I will leave you to yourself for a moment.  Please take
control of your emotions and come downstairs as soon as possible." The door
shut.  He walked to the stairs and stepped down them one by one.  His son's
current state confused and worried him.  He was allowing individual problems to
stack on top of him, and was obviously struggling under their weight.  It didn't
matter tho, after tonight Apsu would have better things to think about.  He saw
Michelle on his way to the dining room and told her to help Apsu get ready as
quickly as possible, then went to the kitchen to keep an eye on the food
everyone would be soon devouring.
	Michelle walked into Apsu's room to see her struggling with the zipper on the
back of her dress, "Need some help?  I know that your father was up here a
minute ago� What did he say?"
	Apsu turned to let Michelle unzip the dress, then faced her, "Basically he told
me that everything I've been trying to hide from him didn't matter.  I've been
scared to death of him finding out about this stuff and when he finally does the
only response I get is 'come on down stairs, now is not the right time'.  I
swear, I need to be fed nerve pills."
	"Well it's good that he isn't bothering you about all of this, but why did you
pick now of all times to be wearing a dress?  You know we are having dinner
downstairs and that it's supposed to be important."
	Apsu slipped the dress off, and laid it on her bed, "I don't know.  Actually, I
do; Ryouga and Ranma will be down there as well as Akane.  Ryouga and Ranma are
both awesome martial artists.  I'm supposed to be the best, tho.  I, not they,
but I alone can fling chi energy around like it is nothing and use it in nearly
any way I like.  I, the heir to the Tetsumi school, have the power to crush
demonlords without as much as a high yield chi blast," she slipped off her
borrowed panties and bra and gave them to Michelle as she spoke, "I alone have
the power to summon incredible healing power with a thought.  But you know what
else I am?  I'm the only person on Earth who could possibly have all that power
and not be able to use one damn bit of it."
	Michelle took the underwear from Apsu and sat it next to the dress, "Is that so
important to you?  Can you live without being able to fight the forces of hell
for a while?  I honestly think that if you came to terms with yourself you'd
find that all of that power you think is locked up is simply waiting for you to
clear your head and use it.  I was talking to the people your comparing yourself
to, and they all seem to think that knowing your okay is more important than
what you can blow up right now."
	Apsu sighed, "I guess I'll just get changed and get downstairs then.  I have no
idea why father wants to have half the neighborhood for dinner, but he wouldn't
have invited everyone if he didn't have something planned."
	Michelle kissed Apsu on the lips, not caring that he was female at the moment. 
Soon enough he'd be back to himself, and that was what mattered.  "I'll go down
and wait for you.  Let's see what this dinner is all about."

[�] 15 Minutes Later

	Haratsu gave an approving look to a very male Apsu, then stood and gestured to
everyone at the table. "I'm sure all of you are wondering why I would go through
the trouble of having such a large dinner on the spur of the moment.  Let me say
that I believe there are several topics that need to be thoroughly discussed,
and some possibilities to examine.  First of all, congratulations to everyone
involved in the rescue of Akane and Michelle," he gestured to the two to
emphasize, "Had it not been for your determination everyone would be missing
someone important in their lives.  In all my time as a martial artist I have
never seen four families unite on a single front so quickly and efficiently," he
was sure to say four, instead of three families to honor Ryouga's assistance. 
"However, we should all be aware of the mistake I made twenty years ago.  At the
time I thought Talarath must be dead; I had dealt damage enough to kill a
hundred men and was exhausted like never before.  There is a chance that
Talarath is yet still somehow alive," he took a second to allow that thought to
sink in, "I know that no obvious means of confirming his death are available to
us, so I've decided to learn as much about the history of that creature as
possible.  My first lead is a man in Honolulu that contacted me last week who
says that he has information I would find valuable.  I do not know why this man
would know to contact me concerning Talarath, and he would not tell me what he
knew over the phone but I have decided to travel to Hawaii and meet him.  If
indeed Talarath does still exist I would like to confirm now that our alliance
formed to save Akane and Michelle is still in existence."
	Soun looked at his daughters, "I am not much of a fighter these days, but if
Talarath is still alive you have my pledge that the Anything-Goes school will
join any campaign against him."  Haratsu looked to Genma, who gave a confident
affirmative.
	"If Talarath does exist, I do not expect for us to be able to initiate any
attack against him without him showing himself first.  Therefore, Talarath would
have before him the option of waiting as long as necessary for us to forget and
for our alliance to collapse.  It is entirely possible that he may wait two or
three generations and gain his vengeance on our families when it is least
expected," he paused for a few seconds, "I for one do not want my great
grandchildren dying because I failed to see that their future existence would be
safe.  Therefore I propose another option: If we cannot confirm either the death
or existence of Talarath our families must stay united as long as necessary,
even if that extends past our own lifetimes."  Unanimous approval swept the
room; No one present was about to argue against the safety of future
generations.
	Haratsu sat back into his chair, his primary point made, "I also think it can
be agreed that everyone is having a rough time adapting to life after that
battle.  Tendo-san, I have hired a contractor to rebuild your dojo from the
foundation up.  The job will take some time, however.  I also thought that since
I am heading to Hawaii on business, why not bring everyone else along?  Money is
not a rarity in my family these days, but trusted friends are.  If you want to
come, you are all welcome."  He smiled with delight as several affirmative
shouts filled the dining room.
	"It has been way too long since I got to sit back and relax!" Ranma announced,
already stretching with relief, "Hey Apsu, I've been meaning to ask if you could
teach me some of those fancier tricks of yours.  I've got plenty of techniques
to trade if you're interested."
	"I'm always interested in a new technique, maybe I could work on some of that
speed training I heard you're famous for." Apsu dodged with a vengeance anything
that could lead to a question concerning his ability to use chi.
	"Ahh man, your no fun! That's the basic stuff.  I guess I can deal with the
boredom tho, you should pick it up pretty fast."
	"Haratsu," Genma began slowly, but purposefully, "You said we were coming to
celebrate.  Obviously the continuing alliance between our families is reason
enough for celebration, but why were you in such a festive mood earlier even as
you thought of how to tell us that Talarath might still be alive?  There must be
more."
	"Your right. There is.  My family has had a rough time in the past few
generations.  I have no living relatives other than Apsu, and if he or Michelle
is killed before their natural times the Tetsumi line is finished.  I understand
that you are in a similar situation, Saotome Genma.  There is one other reason I
called you all here, and it is cause for celebration.  Apsu, Michelle, please
stand.
	"The final, and most important reason you are all here involves my son and my
future daughter in law.  They have lived together as fianc�'s for a year, and
the thought never crossed my mind to ask them to marry any earlier than age 18. 
Recent events, however, have led me to believe that waiting in life can have
only negative consequences.  Therefore, with you as my witnesses I hereby give
Apsu my consent should he choose to pursue marriage with Michelle."  
	Silence reigned supreme for a moment.  All eyes fixed on Apsu who fell back
into his seat, shocked.  After a few seconds he looked at Michelle, his face
asking all the questions.  When she nodded yes a smile creeped across his face
until it threatened to tear his lips, at which point he pushed his chair back
and with a fluid motion planted his lips all over Michelle's, to much applause. 
All the problems that just a moment ago had dominated his life seemed to vanish
and a carefree feeling radiated in all directions.  He kissed as if he were
trying to become one with Michelle, which had the side effect of causing him to
lose his balance in the process.  He didn't care; He let himself fall, and was
delighted with a childlike glee when Michelle came crashing down on top of him. 
Their kissing continued, and the dinner they were attending became an alternate
existence.
	If they had been listening, they would have heard nothing but cheers and as
much applause as the small crowd could generate.  Haratsu absolutely beamed with
happiness as he saw his sons reaction.  He'd begun to doubt that Apsu would ever
come out of the emotional pit he had lived in for the past few weeks, and
Michelle's quick acceptance of his unspoken question proved beyond a doubt that
she would be willing to carry on the family line with him.  "Please excuse them
for a moment, I think their modesty will return to them in time, although I make
no guarantees that it will happen tonight!"
	Genma stood, the radiant happiness of the Tetsumi family infecting him like a
virus, "No excuses are needed, my friend.  I have an announcement as well.  Your
family has been an example to everyone, and your cause for bringing us together
on this night has indeed turned out to be cause for celebration!"  He grasped a
bottle of sake and gestured around the table with it, "With your permission,
Tetsumi-san, I would officially like to begin the celebration, the way a real
celebration should be handled!"
	"Of course, Saotome, of course!  You and your son fought as hard as anyone to
ensure that our families could experience moments such as this, I want everyone
to drink until they are too drunk to walk to the couch!"  His happiness seemed
to transcend the limits of mankind; he began to unconsciously generate a warm
ocean-blue aura of chi that danced happily around him and cast tranquil shadows
across the walls.  With effort he broke his smile enough to speak clearly, "And
I won't be happy until everyone at this table has eaten enough food for ten
people!"  He expected his food supply to last hours, and into the next day if
need-be.  Granted, he didn't expect the massive appetite of the Saotomes, but
their eating habits were roughly comparable with that of his own, although he
had mastered speed, volume, and neatness at the same time.
	A festive mood held in it's grip everyone under the Tetsumi roof.  Ryouga began
to fantasize about his big moment with Akane aloud, and when he realized what
he'd done his face washed over with a bright maroon color.  Akane overheard him
asking someone to marry him, and a nagging suspicion told her he had said her
name.  She brushed it aside; Ryouga was a good friend, nothing more.  She
reached under the table and located Ranma's left hand, which she immediately
grasped and claimed for her own.  Her heart raced when she looked at Ranma�. He
was smiling!  *YES*
	Ranma smiled, "Are you inspired?"  Alarm klaxons blared their usual warnings in
his head like world war three had started, but a tac-nuke of determination and
hope silenced them before he could say anything to cause the war which they
warned about.  He squeezed Akane's hand; He was in the process of preparing
himself to say something he'd wanted to say for months, and there could be
absolutely *no* chance that Akane would misinterpret him this time.
	Akane's heart jumped around the world in a record two seconds, her chest began
to hurt slightly with the pounding within, so she decided to try and get the
waiting over with as soon as possible.  She looked around the table; Haratsu,
Genma, and Soun were eating like kings.  Apsu and Michelle were still attached
to each other in loving celebration, Kasumi was smiling as she ate, blissfully
unaware that her sister had decided to take a major risk in her relationship. 
Nabiki was eating and observing Apsu, a smile firmly planted on her face as she
began to plan how she would make money off of their wedding.  When Akane looked
at Ryouga he was staring straight into his food, although she could have sworn
he had been looking at her for just an instant. She set her gaze back on Ranma,
who was still awaiting an answer.
	"Kiss me."  She smiled awkwardly, three weeks ago those words would have never
come out of her mouth.  Ranma nodded and advanced slowly, mindful that everyone
was still in the room.  When his lips finally touched Akane's he melted like
ice.  His caution overridden by desire, he proceeded to learn what a *real* kiss
was like.  Akane grasped him in her arms and held him for dear life as a year of
locked up feelings burst out of her and straight into him.
	Cheers erupted from Soun, Genma, and Haratsu when they noticed Ranma's
initiative.  Soun proceeded to cry up a storm while Genma proclaimed how proud
he was of his son.  Nabiki sat staring at them with absolute disbelief, and the
feeling that a moment ago could be described as festive intensified until only
one choice of words would suffice; Unanimous joy and unconditional love. 
Haratsu slowly nodded in pure happiness; The omen he was witnessing before him
was too good to be true. He took Soun's hand with his right, and motioned Genma
to join them.  Genma placed his hand over Haratsu's, who looked from him to
Soun.
	"Let this omen become a pledge from me to you and both of your families.
Although not related by blood, our families share a common bond that cannot be
broken, therefore, my happiness is *your* happiness!"  The three drank intensely
to the pledge, and nobody noticed that Ryouga had left to sit in the living room
by himself.
	Michelle and Apsu finally broke their kiss for longer than the required
half-second for air.  They looked at each other for a few long seconds, their
hearts dancing to the unmistakable rhythm of love and their bodies demanding
more than they were receiving.  Michelle stood and pulled a dazed Apsu to his
feet, then proceeded to march to his bedroom with him never more than a step
behind.  Upon entering her soon-to-be husband's room she closed and locked the
door, then vocally declared that anyone interrupting her would be met with the
forces of hell.
	"So, where do we go from here?" Apsu asked, his first words since his father's
announcement.  Michelle responded, to his surprise, by picking him up and
throwing him on the bed.  She was still just 16, a virgin, and she decided she
wanted to keep that title; if only for a few more days.  "How far do you want to
go?"
	Apsu looked around.  He had indeed been flung a good four feet to a perfect
position on the bed, "Well, you've got me where you want me," he smiled with
perfect delight, "And you've got as much of me as you want."
	Michelle walked forward slowly, and began to slip off her blue and black silk
dress, "Okay, then.  There's just one rule for tonight:  My underwear stays on,
other than that, your *mine*!  She jumped on the bed and attacked.  Her opponent
was Apsu, and her goal was to induce a state of total happiness, joy, and
pleasure in him that would last well into the next day.  For the next two hours
the pair experimented on each other's body, finding new and unexpected ways of
inducing pleasure.  After some time Apsu fell victim to an attack on his
earlobes and drew into a totally submissive state of pleasure while Michelle had
her way with him.  The pair reached a quiet, but sweaty climax a moment later,
then collapsed in exhaustion.  They then proceeded to hold each other without
speaking, and after a few moments sleep claimed them and allowed them to dream
of more pleasures to come.
	Ranma and Akane laid on the Tetsumi's sofa in the living room.  They had
slightly less ambitious plans, and after listening to their fathers' drunken
talk of joining the Saotome and Tetsumi families in a generation or two had
settled in snugly on the sofa to talk.  Words came rarely, however, as both
Ranma and Akane feared more than anything else that they would say the wrong
thing and ruin the moment.  They communicated with the warmth and snugness of
their bodies, and as Akane's eyes began to close in sleep she could swear she'd
heard Ranma say it; "I. Love. You," capital letters and all.  She breathed in
slowly, and as if talking in a dream said, "I love you, too�"  Ranma smiled, a
few worries managed to surface in his mind; Such as what to say to Ukyou, how to
explain to Shampoo what had happened without getting the Amazon killed when she
attacked Akane, but these were trivial matters at the time.  He finally had
Akane, and nothing was going to change that. Nothing.  He thought for a moment
about the imminent marriage that his father was undoubtedly planning with Soun
in the dining room, and wondered to himself if he should try to stop it; After
all, he and Akane had always resisted any type of forced marriage.  After a few
minutes he decided that sometime soon it would no longer be a matter of refusing
a forced marriage; He had every intention of doing it willingly if Akane kept
her current attitude.  All the cuteness she had allowed to show through in the
last year was dim compared to her beauty in the present.  Ranma took a moment to
admire the girl that was now sleeping in his arms. The girl that had proven that
she was indeed his true fianc�e, Akane.
	Haratsu laid in his bed, tears streaming down his face like lazy mountain
creeks.  He'd finally fulfilled a promise that he held most sacred to his heart;
The promise he made to his father before delivering the finishing blow in a
desperate fight; The promise that three weeks ago he had thought all but broken;
To ensure, above all else, that the Tetsumi family would continue to exist past
his generation.  That alone was not enough to bring tears to his hardened face,
however.  He had always expected to be able to continue the family line;
assuring a permanent alliance with two other powerful families in a single night
went beyond even his capability to predict.  There was talk already of joining
the Tetsumi and Saotome ways of discipline into a single all-encompassing art
that would reign undisputed as the greatest martial art of the 20th century and
beyond.  He smiled beneath his tears of joy; The Tetsumi family had been
battered to near extinction in the 20th century, but nothing on Earth could
prepare the world for their comeback in the 21st.

-- 
Draxon-X@Bellsouth.Net

              Writer, Reviewer, and worshipper of the Red-Haired goddess.
                                 Long live Nene Romanova!
  "I don't know what's wrong with you, but I think I can probably make it a lot
worse."
                             --Ryouga Hibiki, A Demon's Delight