This is a teaser, about 20-30% of the finished fic. I'm putting it
out now because (a) I've been posting some spam lately and I want
to put things back in balance, and (b) to reassure people that I
still exist. :-)
I welcome comments, of course, particularly since this is a first
draft (what there is of it), but there are a number of errors in
it that I am already aware of. The most glaring of these is that
Ranma must not transform into a guy while Nodoka is there, and
what is more, he is scared to death of Nodoka's katana; the section
in what follows where Ranma is awake and male will be recast so
that he is female and his reactions are more in canon. [In fact,
re-reading this before posting it, I realise that Ranma's reactions
are *completely* wrong; he's way, way OOC with regard to his mother
in this part. This Will Be Fixed.] A number of character reactions
will change as a result, of course.
Still, some people might like this. So, without further ado, I
present, for your entertainment:
Wild Child 2 - Nodoka-san no Ko [actually, just a teaser]
by David Eddy
Last modified: Thursday, 4 February 1999
A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga
series, Ranma 1/2. The characters of Ranma 1/2 are
the property of Takahashi Rumiko and her licensees.
Warning: Occasional adult concepts. Some readers may
be offended by some of the material contained herein.
Onna-Ranma lay comfortably in her bed,
luxuriating in the padded resilience of the futon
beneath her and the warmth and enveloping weight of
the bedding on top of him. The house had cooled down
with the coming of night, and now it was distinctly
pleasant to be ensconced in her room.
But she wasn't sleepy. Her mind kept going back
to Ranko. Something she had said was bothering him,
keeping her from dropping off to sleep.
"Ranma-oniichan... you're a macho twit, just like
most of the males in creation. You seem to be a great
martial artist, but what if you want to teach a girl?
What then?" she had said. "I was hoping I might get a
little training out of Martial Artist-sama here, but I
can see he needs a big attitude adjustment first," she
had then said to Akane.
Akane's voice floated into his head, a memory
from his former life. "Ranma, you jerk! Why won't
you attack?! How the hell am I supposed to learn if
you never attack?!"
Suddenly feeling restless, Ranma turned onto her
side in bed. Still not feeling comfortable, she
decided to get up.
Silently she padded to the kitchen. The rush of
water as he filled her glass and the sound of the
pipes was loud in the silence of the sleeping house.
Bars of moonlight cut across the kitchen bench and
floor, painting the familiar shapes of the kitchen in
argent and black.
"I don't hit girls," she had said this afternoon.
But that wasn't true, was it? She had dealt with
Shampoo with few enough qualms... why? And a little
later, she had fought Kodachi in that stupid martial
arts gymnastics thing. Admittedly, she'd held back,
fighting only just hard enough to win...
Ranma finished her water with a loud gulp and
placed the glass quietly on the sink. Moonlight made
the beads of water clinging to the glass sparkle, and
she stopped for a moment to watch one droplet wriggle
its way hesitatingly down the side of the glass.
With a sigh, Ranma turned and returned to her
room... or rather, tonight, the room she shared with
both her mother and Panda-chan. Slipping beneath the
covers again, wriggled a little to settle herself and
tried to visualise herself in ten years' time, running
the dojo. But somehow the image refused to come.
Instead, a smiling Akane kept slipping into her
thoughts.
* * *
Ranko lay in the dark quiet of Nabiki's room,
listening to the elder girl's breathing. Normally an
easy sleeper, tonight the gentle arms of Morpheus were
avoiding her. The old house was filled with creaks
and groans, night noises that would spark her back to
alertness each time she thought she might be getting
sleepy. At least the apartment had been quiet, she
mused to herself.
Looking idly around the room, Ranko noted the way
light of tonight's half-moon made peeked through a gap
in the curtains and painted Nabiki's cheek in argent,
making it almost seem to glow. Elsewhere in the room,
shades of grey delineated the shapes of Nabiki's room:
The desk and chair, the various oddments in the
room... At her feet the wardrobe against one wall,
next to the head of Nabiki's bed... and the bed
itself, positioned under the window to get maximum
benefit of any cooling breeze in summer.
Sitting up a little, Ranko looked again at
Nabiki's sleeping face. The moonlight that gently lit
her cheek cast the rest of her face into stygian
shadow. For a long moment Ranko looked, wondering.
Then she lay back.
Trying again to beckon sleep, Ranko put thoughts
of Nabiki out of her mind by idly wondering to herself
about her brother and his relationship with Akane.
*Akane* certainly wanted to have a relationship with
*him*, she was sure, but she was holding herself at
arm's length. A couple of reasons for that popped up
in her head, but she thought she had Akane pegged.
Her nervousness during the bath and her reaction to
her final question about doing it with Ranma in his
girl form were a flare-lit tipoff that she *did* in
fact find Ranma's girl form attractive but she pushed
him away because she hated herself for that same
attraction.
After all, everyone knew girls didn't do the
nasty with other girls. She smiled wryly to herself
at her own irony.
Thoughts of the others, though, failed to keep
the central issue away from her mind for long. She
was incredibly nervous, wondering what tomorrow would
bring, wondering whether she could take another day as
tumultuous as this one had been: Reunited with her
brother (and father), had her existence denied in the
most vehement possible way, and finally things had
reversed themselves once again when her own mother had
stood up for her and affirmed her status as Ranma's
twin... though only at second hand, since her father
had been too *cowardly* to show himself so the whole
matter could be resolved right then and there.
So now here she was, in limbo, with no prospect
of resolving things in sight. Still, even this was
better than life alone with her mother. The currents
of relationships and feelings in this household were
complex and many-layered, with rips and tides to catch
the unwary, but still she felt attracted to the people
here. Yes, to Nabiki, but who knew whether anything
would come of her initial attraction to her? The real
thing she determined was that she was not going to be
taken away from her brother now that she had found
him.
Wriggling contentedly under the covers at the
thought, Ranko relaxed into the enveloping warmth of
her futon and, as though summoned, sleep long-delayed
finally claimed the gently-smiling girl.
* * *
The alleyway was dark but Ranma felt safe. She
was coming back from school the quick way after
working back to get something done for her club. It
was late, but Ranma felt secure. She was, after all,
a top-notch martial artist... maybe even the best in
the world.
When three thugs melted out of the darkness,
Ranma grinned to herself. She loved giving low-lives
what they deserved.
"Well well, if it isn't a pretty girl far from
home. Let's go and play a little, little girl."
Ranma grinned like a shark. "I don't think so,
punk. If you don't back off you're gonna wish you'd
never been born."
Raucous laughter greeted this sally. "Girl's got
spunk," said one of the punks behind her.
"Imagine *her* being able to do *anything*
against us," sneered the other.
"Back off or you'll regret it," she warned.
All three broke into laughter... not threatening
laughter, but of sheer amusement. Ranma's blood began
to boil. When the first thug reached for her, still
chortling, she let him have it, a blow that smashed
his ribs like kindling. He went down with a bubbling
scream even as she dealt with the other two similarly.
The three punks lying on the ground, Ranma dusted
her hands and began to walk off, until she realised
that the moans of pain were not moans at all... they
were laughter. Laughter that grew and grew until
somehow it was applause.
The auditorium buzzed as Ranma stepped onto the
mats of the main fighting arena. Contestants from all
the unarmed disciplines were here. The creme-de-la-
creme, plus Ranma. Of course.
"In this first-round bout, here meet..." The
crowd cheered and applauded the gi-wearing young man
with short-cut black hair and a slender yet muscular
build. The announcer waited for the noise to die down
before continuing, "...and Saotome Ranma!" The crowd
applauded, but mixed in were some hoots of derision.
Ranma eyed her opponent carefully. He eyed her
back. "I will endeavour not to hurt you, ojousan," he
said quietly. "You do not belong in a place like
this. Please forgive me. It is not right for a man
to hit a woman." The crowd echoed his statement like
some eerie Greek chorus.
"Just you defend yourself!" she replied
furiously. Realising that he was probably trying to
bait her, Ranma forced herself to be calm.
The referee gestured for them to bow, which they
did, and then started the contest. "Begin!"
For ten long seconds nothing happened, the battle
for the moment mental rather than physical. Then her
opponent attacked with a gentle thrust to the solar
plexus. Ranma carelessly batted it away and, furious,
gave the hapless young man her "Kuno kick".
Stunned silence fell as Ranma stepped back and
the boy collapsed to the ground. Then the cheers
erupted. The referee checked the boy and signalled
the fight over, and his assistant -- probably his
coach, Ranma realised -- carried him from the ring.
After relaxing for a moment, feeling good about
herself, Ranma went over to where the boy and his
coach were in consultation. She felt cold, uncertain.
There was something about...
When she was the glistening of the knife, Ranma
froze. The coach was not consulting with her defeated
opponent, he was begging with him, she realised. She
couldn't move, even when he stared at her, the
gentleness in his eyes replaced by fury mixed with
regret. With growing disbelief, she stood helpless as
he ripped apart the front of his gi to expose his
stomach.
Something held Ranma fast, preventing her from
stopping him. She tried to call out, to scream, but
she made no sound.
"I cannot live with the fact that I was defeated
by a mere woman!" he cried. "Thus do I expiate my
shame, and the shame of my ancestors!" And he plunged
the tanto into his gut, his face a terrible rictus as
he pulled the razor-sharp knife in the ritual strokes.
Blood and offal were everywhere, and Ranma struggled
furiously against whatever was holding her, screaming
in protest despite her inability to make a sound. In
the background the announcer matter-of-factly
announced the next bout even as Ranma scrubbed herself
under the steaming-hot water, trying to wash the
blood, the guilt, trying to *change* *back* but
nothing did any good ohgodhelpme helpme
Ican'tchangebackI...
* * *
In the guest room, Ranma moaned quietly, mumbling
indistinctly.
"Ican'tchangeicantchangeowhycantwhywonthehit..." For
a long moment there was silence and then, "No!" She
tossed in her futon, almost throwing the cover from
herself, but then she turned over again and settled
down into a more peaceful sleep.
* * *
Sunrise found Akane shaking Ranko's shoulder.
Ranko reacted almost instantly.
"Gnwa?" She blinked a couple of times to clear
her eyes before focusing on the figure kneeling at her
bedside. "Akane?" She looked around briefly. "What
time is it?"
"It's a quarter to seven. I was just going for
my run, and wondered if you'd like to come along?"
"Come along?" Ranko finally focused on Akane
sufficiently to note that she was dressed in running
shorts and a sweat shirt. "Unh, yeah, sure. Just let
me find my stuff." She glanced again at Akane's
clothing and added, "Cold out there?"
Akane shrugged. "A bit." She got up and turned
to go. "I'll wait for you downstairs."
Ranko nodded wordlessly and sat up fully,
throwing off her covers. Her toes curled a little as
she stepped off Nabiki's rug onto the bare boards, but
she didn't let that deter her as she quickly unzipped
her pack and began to rummage for running clothes.
"Going out?" asked a sleepy voice.
"Sorry, Nabiki-san, I didn't mean to wake you,"
said Ranko. "Akane asked me out on her run." She
paused, drawing breath to ask a question, but Nabiki
beat her to it.
"Have fun, then. Me, I think I'll keep my bed
warm, thank you."
Ranko smiled and quickly changed. "See you
later," she said as she walked out the door.
Nabiki watched the door close, then glanced at
her clock. Shaking her head, she snuggled more deeply
under the covers. "Not even seven o'clock, on a
Sunday morning no less." She lifted the curtain, saw
the almost horizontal, orange-gold light of sunrise,
and shook her head to herself. "Martial artists."
* * *
Onna-Ranma woke to an unfamiliar pattern of
footsteps in the house. They were light, almost
enthusiastic. Her sister, she concluded with a smile.
Then two sets of footsteps, the gate opening and
closing... Akane and Ranko, going out running.
With a sigh she sat up. Her mother lay in her
futon, with her father - Panda-san, at the moment -
lying dead to the world at the far side of the room.
Thoughts from last night had not gone away as she
had hoped; if anything they had only intensified
overnight. She shivered briefly as images from her
dreams - she supposed - flitted through her head.
Ranma decided to get up and do some training; maybe
she could put them out of her mind through exercise.
But first, the kitchen.
Running water, a splash, a sigh of utter relief.
* * *
Akane pulled up by the dojo gate smiling. She
took a few deep breaths of the cool, crisp air and
took in the sights and sounds around her.
Ranko puffed up a few moments later, her steps
heavy and uneven. She bent over, chest heaving, and
fought briefly not to collapse to the road in sheer
relief. It would be way too undignified.
"That was nice!" said Akane with a smile which
faded as she took note of Ranko's distress. "Are you
okay, Ranko?"
"Yeah," said Ranko, her breathing beginning to
slow. "I think I'll survive."
"Oh well, come on into the dojo. I want to do
some training before having a bath."
"Uh... yeah... sure."
Ranko followed on rubber legs as Akane opened the
gate in the high wall surrounding the Tendou property,
then closed it after she had passed through. They
walked side by side to the dojo, then stopped abruptly
in the doorway. The dojo was already occupied.
In the centre of the floor, Ranma was performing
a kata, gracefully, flowing through it almost
casually, Ranko thought. She watched him, the voices
of her teachers echoing in her head: 'Your movements
must be precise and definite!' 'No, *finish* the
forms! Don't slur your movements like a street
tough's speech!' To her eyes Ranma appeared to be
doing it all wrong, but she *knew* from the stories
that he was a top fighter.
She turned her head to ask a Akane about it, but
the question died unspoken as she noticed that Akane,
in an unguarded moment, was watching Ranma raptly.
Ranko turned back to see that Ranma was simply
continuing his... um... kata, she eventually decided,
calm, his face handsome in repose.
Ranma was aware of the two girls arriving at the
dojo. It took firm concentration to keep his kata
going even though the two girls' accusations from
yesterday surfaced in her mind anew. The discipline
of a lifetime's training reinforced his will and he
continued without a wobble, though he didn't lose his
awareness of the other two.
He had already made his decision. He swallowed
as he reiterated it to himself. No longer "don't
fight girls," he had decided. Something had changed
in him; for some reason it felt wrong, wrong to adopt
that kind of attitude. Still, something in him
rebelled at the notion of treating them like she did
guys.
But he felt she needed to make amends for
yesterday. Coming to the end of the pattern, he
stopped, faced the two girls, and swallowed again.
Ranko watched as Ranma swallowed, his Adam's
apple bouncing up and down nervously. He looked ill
at ease, a sudden contrast with his apparent peace of
a moment ago. The sudden lack of his everpresent
confidence was surprising and relaxing, and Ranko felt
her spirit expanding to fill the void, like grass
standing up after a hard wind.
"What's up with you, bro?" she asked.
Akane jerked, suddenly focusing on him. "Ranma?"
"I... I..." Ranma's mouth worked briefly before
he braced himself to continue. "I just... I'm sorry.
For yesterday."
"Eh? What are you talking about, Ranma?" asked
Akane, astonishment writ large on her face.
"Ranko was right." His face stiffened into
formality as he hid his embarrassment behind ritual.
"I was wrong to refuse to fight you. I most humbly
beg your forgiveness." He bowed stiffly.
"Oh, wow, really?" burst out Ranko. She jumped
forward and impulsively hugged Ranma. Still stiff
with mortal nervousness and with his eyes turned away
from the girls, Ranko's leap took Ranma by surprise
and the two of them went down on the floor in a tangle
of limbs. Ranma automatically grabbed Ranko and
managed to keep her from crashing into the wooden
floor of the dojo by hugging her to his chest. "Oooh,
Ranma, you're *so* impulsive," she gurgled, struggling
to hold back laughter. "But what about Akane-chan?"
Ranma tossed Ranko off himself in a panic.
"Akane, I can expl..."
Silver laughter filled the dojo. Ranma's frantic
explanation died in his mouth and he watched,
dumbfounded, as Akane laughed at the antics of the
pair. A deeper, contralto laugh joined Akane's, and
Ranma turned his head to see Ranko sitting untidily on
the dojo floor nearby, also laughing. He couldn't
help but smile himself depite his lingering
embarrassment.
"It's so pleasing to see you children enjoying
yourselves so."
The laughter stopped, and the three children
looked uncertainly at the matronly figure of Nodoka,
who stood in the doorway of the dojo. Behind her the
bright morning dimmed suddenly.
"I came over to say that breakfast will soon be
ready. And afterwards..."
A long, foreboding silence fell. Ranma and Ranko
shared a glance. Finally Akane nervously asked,
"Afterwards?"
"Afterwards, I thought it'd be nice if we all
went to the zoo!" said Nodoka sunnily. She then
looked in mild confusion at the three teenagers
arrayed on the floor, limbs twitching. "What? What
did I say? Would you rather go shopping?"
- - -
Ain't I a bastard for cutting it off there? Just as
things really start to pop? (Or they will once Ranma
becomes female [from the start] in the section above.... :-)
*evil laughter, fade to black*
--
David Eddy - Senior Consultant, Progress Software Melbourne
dje@progress.com
Screening Coordinator and Subbing Bunny, Melbourne Anime Society
My home page is at http://nabiki.newberry.edu/DEddy