The idea for this Fic comes from reading Revial and the varios Bets.
Title: A Little Earlier
Part 1: Akane meet Ranma
Today was Akane Tendo's first day of seventh grade, and first day at Mac
Arthur. Mac Arthur Junior High was a remodeled former high school. It was
an unsettling day. Before when she went to a new school Nabiki and Kasumi
had been there before her. They would be able to put her fears to ease.
This was also the first year she had started without her mother's special
lunch and trip to the store for new clothes.
A tear rolled down Akane's cheek as she looked down at her red and blue
school uniform.
"Some �ing wrong?" a boy Akane's age asked.
"Just thinking about my mother," Akane said. "And I can't find room 204."
"That's because you're on the third floor," the boy said. "Come with me,
that's where I'm headed. I'm Ranma Santome."
"Akane Tendo. You're in class 7-D too?"
"Yeah, and I'm really going to have to do lots of catch up work," Ranma
said. "My dad and I just got back from a two year long martial arts
training trip."
"That must have been fun. I'm a martial artist too, but my Father would
never do that," Akane said as they entered the stairway.
"Not all of it's fun. Dad has some strange ideas about training. What
style do you do?"
"A small school of Unrestricted Martial Arts. Dad says that we are one of
two families that practice it."
"I guess I must be from the other," Ranma said.
"Can we spar sometime?" Akane asked, as they reached the top of the
stairs. "Dad hasn't been up to much practice lately."
"Sure, if you'll help me with my homework sometime," Ranma said.
"We can work on it together," Akane smiled.
Akane was seated by her sister Nabiki in the cafeteria. Today's lunch
didn't look very appetizing. Apparently Kasumi needed a little more help in
the kitchen. A look over at Nabiki's revealed that Nabiki hadn't noticed,
but then she was too busy trying to get in on the new school's rumor market.
"Is this seat taken?" Akane looked up. It was Ranma.
"Go ahead, Ranma," Akane said.
"Is there a problem with your lunch?" Ranma asked.
"My oldest sister made it. I think she needs some help," Akane said,
before taking a tiny bite. "It doesn't taste bad, but it's looks leave
something to be desired."
"At least you have someone to make your lunch," Ranma said. "I had to
make my own this morning."
"I rather if my mom could make it again," Akane said sadly.
"Don't cry Akane," Ranma said. "I hate it when a girl cries."
"I'm sorry. Things just keep reminding me of my mom. It's been almost a
year since she died. You would think I'd be over it by now."
"I didn't know." They ate in silence for a while.
"Yuk, cherry pie," Akane said, opening her dessert container.
"What's wrong with cherry pie?" Ranma asked.
"Nothing, but Kasumi keeps making it," Akane said. "I think it's the only
dessert she knows. After a year of it, I'm tired of it."
"Trade you for this packaged chocolate pudding?" Ranma said. "Homemade
cherry pie has to be better than the packaged stuff Dad buys."
"Okay," Akane said as the exchange was made. "Mmmmm chocolate."
"Chocolate, where did you get chocolate," Nabiki said, suddenly turning
toward her sister. "I didn't get chocolate pudding?"
"I traded for it Nabiki-chan," Akane said. "Surely a deal maker like
yourself find a similar deal."
"Whose your friend?" Nabiki said.
"This is Ranma Santome, Ranma, my sister Nabiki, the ice queen," Akane said.
"Akane, I thought I told you to never call me that," Nabiki said. "A
pleasure to met you, Santome. Do you have another one of those puddings?"
"I gave my only one to Akane," Ranma said. "Maybe tomorrow."
"Darn," Nabiki said. "I guess I'll have to get to you earlier tomorrow."
"Not likely," Akane said. "He's in my class."
Akane looked up at Ranma. He was following her on the fence. They had
agreed to spare after school. He had really challenged their teachers.
She suspected that the Sensi was beginning to regret his first lecture on
the importance of asking questions.
"Ranma, why are you walking on the fence?" Akane finally asked.
"Dad's training, it teaches balance," Ranma said. "On of Dad's saner
ideas. You should try it some time. It works."
"I'm not trying it in this skirt," Akane said. "Does your Dad train you a
lot?"
"I think Dad believes that his life's work is training me," Ranma said.
"He makes everything training. Fortunately he's got to work two jobs right
now so he can get enough money to go on the next training trip, so I get to
spend a year actually going to school and learning something else other
than martial arts."
"I thought you liked studying martial arts," Akane said.
"Yeah, I want to be the greatest martial artist of my generation," Ranma
said. "But it's like you and cherry pie. After awhile you want something
else for desert. I want to learn about more than just martial arts, at
least for a while."
Akane and Ranma entered the Tendo home. "I'm home!" Akane shouted.
Soun Tendo entered from the garden. "Welcome home Akane," he said. "Who
is your friend?"
"This is Ranma Santome," Akane said. "I asked him if he would come home
and spar with me. Excuse me for a moment, Ranma, I've got to change into
my gi."
"So your name is Ranma Santome," Soun began. "Any relation to Genma
Santome."
Ranma gulped. This was not a good question to hear in his experience.
Still he wasn't going to lie. "He's my father."
"Your father and I studied under the same teacher," Soun said. "It's been
so long since I saw him last. It must have been shortly before my wife had
Akane... Oh why did she have to leave me..." Soun broke out in sobs. It
took five minutes for Akane to change. Ranma suffered though Soun's sobbing.
"Not again," Akane said, coming down the stairs in her gi.
"I'll take care of father," Nabiki said, as she entered the house.
"Kasumi should be home in a half-hour. You go spar with your friend."
Ranma relaxed in the furo. Akane had been a good sparing partner. She
was a little rusty, but she acknowledged that. Akane also didn't like to
lose. That was a problem, but with a little work, he could see Akane
making the matches truly even. She had thrown him, and only his father had
managed to do that recently. Of course pops was too tired to spar after
work lately, which was why Ranma was glad he'd found Akane. It was time to
get up though. Ranma stood and reached for his towel.
It was then that Akane opened the door. She was also in a state of
undress. She noticed Ranma, and blushed. "Excuse me," she said, backing
away.
Ranma covered himself and moved to the door. Trying to sound indifferent,
he said, "The bath is yours, Akane."
Akane retreated into the bathroom, as Ranma entered the changing room.
As he put his clothes on, he murmured, "she's cute."
--- End part 1 ---
Next Part: Add Ryoga and stir.
Authors notes:
Some of you may have heard of me. Yes I am that much MiSTed guy from
alt.startrek.creative, holder of more volunteer jobs than my main Trek
Character has titles. I met some of you at Katsucon 5, and I'm afraid this
little idea hit me soon after. I'd blame someone, but I'm not sure who.
The basic idea I've started with is that Ranma meets Akane 3 years earlier,
during his time at Junior High and becomes good friends long before some of
the complications are added. I've made some changes to the backstory to
help do this, they are:
1) Ranma isn't attending an all boys junior high
2) Akane's mother dies when she's 11, not 6 (I consider the stated 10 years
to be like the biblical number 40, to mean a long time, not necessarily
that number)
I've had somewhat of a hard time working with Akane's characterization.
Effectively, I've tried to peal back the Angry Akane back to an earlier
more tearful stage, but I'm not sure it's working.
Anyway, C&C would be most appriciated.
Stephen Ratliff
--
Stephen Ratliff
FAQ & Index Maintainer for Alt.StarTrek.Creative
http://www.runet.edu/~sratliff/FAQs
http://www.runet.edu/~sratliff/ascindex