No Need for Ranma!
(A Ranma One Half / Tenchi Muyo / Sailor Moon Alternate 
History)
By Ammadeau
Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org
http://members.tripod.com/~Ammadeau/fanfiction.htm

As always, C&C, questions, comments, volunteers for pre-readers, 
and suggestions for a new title are welcome.

Great thanks to my pre-readers of this series: Angus MacSpon, 
Larry F, Jonas Fang, and Lord Talon.  Also to Gensao for hosting 
the previous version on his Tenchi Muyo Fanfic Archive 
(http://members.xoom.com/gensao/).

Thanks to everyone who ever e-mailed my about this story.  This 
revision would have never happened without your support.

Note:  Even though this is technically a revision, everything in the 
prologue is new.

On with the story:

	Three women sat around an image that floated in the air
between them.  It is not precisely correct to say that they were
sisters, for they had no mother or father.  Nor were they 'born' of
the same source.  Nevertheless, they were sisters in a sense that
went deeper than normal sibling relationships.
	The image they watched was three dimensional, and had no 
apparent means by which it was being projected.  To  another, the 
phenomenon might have been thought of as inexplicable, but to 
these three, it was trivial.
         On it were displayed the images of many planets; some
teeming with life, others cold and dead.  Words on the screen
indicated various statistics on the planets, and where applicable,
the life which they contained.  The sisters had watched planets start 
from the most primitive ecologies and evolve into galaxy-wide 
civilizations, only to fall apart and devolve back into their primal 
state.  They had watched this happen many times over.
         "This has grown tedious for me," the middle sister suddenly
declared as she brushed a blue lock of hair away from her pink
eyes.
        "What has?" the youngest sister asked her, glancing up at
her taller sibling, though her spiky red hair nearly made up for the 
difference in height.
        "All of this.  This watching, waiting, and hoping, only to
have them turn back on themselves in the end, over and over again.
Indirect influence isn't enough.  They are such children that we
need to take them by the hand and guide them if they will ever
achieve what we want of them."
        "What are you planning to do?" the youngest asked.  She
could tell that her middle sister had already had something planned
for quite a while now, waiting until now to put it into effect. After
their latest setback, this must have seemed like an appropriate
time.
        "I will descend down to the universe and attempt to guide
one of these groups.  This planet shall serve as my nexus," the
middle sister said, gesturing to one of them.
        "But you will have to limit yourself in order to do that."
        "Yes, but there is no choice if our goals are ever to be
achieved."
        The youngest thought over this for some time before
saying, "All right, then I will descend as well.  My methods are not
yours, so I will take another group and guide them as I believe they
should be.  I will choose this remote planet as my nexus.  Perhaps
one of us will be able to succeed."
        Both turned to face the eldest sister, wanting to hear what
she thought of their plans.  Some moments passed before she
spoke.
        "In the end, our goals will be achieved whether we interfere
or not.  It is only a matter of when.  As of now I am inclined to
wait and see what will be before taking action.  You are free to do
as you wish.  I am curious how your experiments will turn out."
        The two younger sisters nodded and then vanished.
        As she stared at the display, the eldest sister began to smile
slightly.
        "My Lady?" asked a figure which had just materialized by
her side.
        "It has begun," she told him, though her eyes never left the
image before her.
        "Yes, Lady Tokimi," D3 responded.
        The images of two planets were now displayed before her.
The first would soon be renamed Jurai by its inhabitants, while the
other would eventually be known as the Earth.

Prologue

        The Masaki family had been blessed for the second time in
two years with the birth of a child, a girl whom they named
Achika.  Katsuhito was more than a little worried, as he cradled
their first daughter, Nodoka, in his arms.  His wife had always been
strong in spirit, but unfortunately not in body.  The doctors were
saying how she had been lucky to survive this birth with such a
frail constitution.  They had even advised abortion, which
Katsuhito, being a Shinto priest, found unthinkable. Eventually
though, he agreed with them.  His faith was strong, but not as
strong as his love for his wife.
        But in the end, his wife wouldn't hear of it.  "The child that
grows within me begs for life.  Would you deny her, because of the 
possibility that she might end mine?"

	While she had survived giving birth, Katsuhito's wife had 
been weakened; so much so that for a year afterwards she was 
bedridden and unable to take care of her daughters.  She tried to 
play with them each day, but it exhausted what little strength she 
had.  Katsuhito did his best to keep visits short and low key so his 
wife could conserve her strength.  Because of this, mother would 
always be a distant figure on a bed to Achika and Nodoka.
        It wasn't long before Mrs. Masaki was in and out of the
hospital every week.  Despite having some of the best medical
care, her condition only worsened.  She would spend the final year
of her life in the hospital, with Katsuhito making daily visits to be
by her side.  Her only regret was having her daughters grow up
barely knowing their mother.

        Only four years after the birth of Achika, Katsuhito became
a widower, though he was far from alone.  He had his daughters to
keep him company as he did his best to hide the pain in his heart
from them.
        His oldest, Nodoka, was now six and, despite being such a
tender age, had taken up some of the duties of a mother around the 
house, such as cooking and cleaning.  Achika, even at age four,
wanted to help, but her father wouldn't allow it.
        Katsuhito had forbidden Achika to work, mainly so he
could have her happy and always by his side.  She was the child
that more resembled his dead wife and brought him the most 
comfort to his grief.  Nodoka most resembled his mother, and
possibly due to responsibilities left behind that he did not want to
be reminded of, the former Jurai prince tended to ignore his elder
daughter.  This was something that he would come to regret for
many years to come.

        Little Nodoka did everything she could to get her father's 
approval, but nothing seemed to work.  Nodoka loved Achika 
dearly, but she sometimes felt jealous of her sister, who got to play 
with father all the time while she was barely spoken to. After all, 
she was the one who had taken responsibility for the chores and 
kept the household working; but Achika, who didn't do any work, 
was the one father fussed over.  Watching her father in his morning 
practice, she came up with an idea.
        "Daddy, can you teach me kendo?" Nodoka asked him right
after he had finished his daily katas.
        Katsuhito looked a bit startled by the question.  "A little
girl like yourself doesn't need to learn kendo.  You should be
practicing girl things instead."
        "I'm tired of girl stuff!  I want to learn kendo!"
        Katsuhito tried to talk her out of it, but Nodoka was
determined to whine until she had her way.  The old priest
eventually gave in, if just to stop her complaining.
        "Our family's sword style is very special and also very
secret.  You mustn't ever teach this to anyone else, without my
approval.  Is that clear, Nodoka?"
        The little girl simply nodded.
        "Nodoka, this is serious.  Do you swear on your word of
honor never to teach this to anyone else without my approval?"
        She thought about it seriously for a few moments, before
replying, "I swear, Daddy."
        "Very well, this is how we begin . . ."

 ***

        A week after starting middle school, Achika couldn't help
noticing that her sister always ate alone, while she ate with some of
the few friends that she had just made.  Things had changed
between them ever since the elder Masaki sister had started school.
They used to be as close as siblings could be, doing everything
together, except when Nodoka was doing her chores.  Lately
though, they had grown somewhat distant.  They rarely talked or
did anything together anymore.  Achika thought that Nodoka had
made friends at school that kept her busy, but that appeared to not
be the case.
        "Why don't you come eat with us?" Achika asked her.
        "I don't want to," Nodoka replied, though it wasn't entirely 
true.
        "Why not?"
        "Just go with your friends, sister."
        Achika had grown to be sweet and gentle, in many ways
the very image of their mother, while Nodoka had grown to be as
stubborn as their father.  That's not to say that Achika didn't have a
determined streak in her, however.
        She grabbed her sister's hand and said, "You're eating with
us whether you like it or not!"
        Nodoka laughed and relented.  She realized that it was silly
of her for being mad at her sister for being so well liked.  And she
had been a fool for staying away from Achika for so long.

 ***

        'How did it happen?' Nodoka wondered as she watched
her sister and her 'friend' chatting on the other side of the
school yard.  Achika denied that she and Nobuyuki were any more
than friends, but it was obvious to anyone who was looking how
close they really were, as if no one in the world existed but them.
        There was no major event that had brought them together,
at least as far as Nodoka had noticed, but little by little they had
grown closer, spending more and more time together, until Nodoka 
hardly saw her sister anymore.  She was envious, but was it of 
Nobuyuki for spending time with her sister, or of Achika for 
having found someone to love?
        "Nodoka!" a girl shouted as she ran up to the elder Masaki
sister, distracting her from her thoughts.
        "What is it?"
        "There's a pervert in the locker room!  He's stealing our
underwear and no one can stop him!  Please, you've got to help
us!"
        Nodoka considered saying no.  The girls had all but ignored
her for close to three years of high school, but the moment they
needed her help, they came running.  However, along with kendo, 
Nodoka had taken up with bushido, and so was honor-bound to 
help those who could not defend themselves.  She didn't like the 
idea of a hentai get away with anything either, especially going 
through her locker.  Grabbing a broom as a makeshift weapon, she 
followed after the girl.  She didn't expect to see a little old man 
jumping around like a jackrabbit, a bag filled with bras and panties 
slung over his shoulder.
        With her broom held out in front of her like a bokken, Nodoka 
shouted, "Stop!  What kind of sick old man steals women's
underwear?"
        He took one look at her and shouted, "Sweeto!"  The little
ecchi made a dive for her chest.  Nodoka was too shocked to move.
        The mini-hentai was stopped at the last moment by a young
man who stood between him and Nodoka.  He was about Nodoka's
age, perhaps a bit older, dressed in a training gi and with his black
hair tied in a loose ponytail.  Nodoka noticed that with his glasses
he looked like a somewhat older and muscular version of
Nobuyuki.
        "Master, this time you go too far!  I can't stand idly by and
let you molest this girl!"
        "Standing up to me already, are you?  I'll soon show you
the error of your ways."
        The old man began to cackle as he and his student began to
fight in earnest in the middle of the girl's locker room.  Most
people fled until Nodoka was the only other person who remained,
broom still held ready.
        The boy was about to receive what would have been a very
painful blow, when suddenly the pervert was batted out of the
window.  He looked up in surprise to see Nodoka standing over
him, the now broken broom held high and a very satisfied
expression on her face.  He couldn't help seeing the way the light
from an open window danced through her hair.
        Nodoka finally noticed him and offered a hand to help him
up.  He took it and said a bit nervously,  "Thank you.  I'm Genma
Saotome.  Nice to meet you."
        "I'm Nodoka Masaki.  Tell me Saotome-san, do you always
hang around women's locker rooms?"
        Genma was suddenly very embarrassed.  "Well, no, but my
master has some peculiar habits."
        "Why do you call a man like that master?"
        "You might not believe it, but he's one of the greatest
martial artists in the world and its an honor to be able to learn
under him.  I hope to surpass him someday."
        Nodoka smiled as she saw Genma's eyes shine with
determination.

        Nodoka usually didn't ask her father's permission for
anything.  Having practically lived without his guidance for her
whole life, she didn't think he had the right to tell her what to do,
not that he tried very often.  Having a boy over for dinner,
however, wasn't something she could just do without starting a
huge argument over it at least, which she didn't want to happen in
front of her guest.
        "Daddy?"  Nodoka asked him in the sweetest voice should
could manage.  It was the way Achika asked for things, and while
it had the highest chances of success, it also made Nodoka feel sick
to her stomach.
        Katsuhito studied his elder daughter for a moment.  She
was almost never polite to him, which meant that she was about to
ask him for something, most likely something he wouldn't be
happy about.
        "Is it all right if I had a guest over?"
        "Who is this guest?" Katsuhito asked suspiciously.
        "Oh, just a boy that I met at school,"  Nodoka replied,
trying to sound casual.  She wasn't going to mention that this
particular boy had dropped out of high school to follow some old
perverted martial arts master around or that he was currently
waiting in the bushes outside the house.
        The old priest nearly laughed out loud in relief.  While he
had been upset at first to learn that his daughters were starting to
take an interest in the opposite sex (even more so that the opposite
sex was taking an interest in them), after a time he came to accept
that his daughters would eventually find husbands and start to have
their own families.  It helped that he and Nobuyuki got along so
well.
        "Does this boy have a name?"
        "Of course he does.  It's Genma Saotome," Nodoka told
him, starting to feel the strain of the sweet girl act.
        "Genma . . . Saotome?" Katsuhito said slowly, surprise
evident in his voice.  He should have known that his eldest
daughter would choose to bring over the absolute worst boy
possible.
        He had heard of Genma Saotome, probably every priest in
Japan had heard of him by now.  He was a pupil of the legendary
martial arts master Happosai, who was more known for acts of
thievery, lechery, and just plain indecency more than his skill at
martial arts.  Even though he'd only been the evil old man's pupil
for a few short years, Genma had already made a name for himself
in such areas as well. It could be that the mere association with 
such a lecherous old man had blown Genma's reputation all out of 
proportion, but when his daughters were concerned, Katsuhito 
erred on the side of caution. He had even heard that Happosai had
taken another student in order to spread his horrible ways.
        "There is no way I'm going to let Genma Saotome or
anyone associated with him in this house!"
        "But Daddy!"
        "No, my word is final.  If it were just about anyone else, I
would be able to permit it, but that boy is just plain bad.  Nodoka, I
don't want you to see this Genma ever again, is that clear?"
        "What??" Nodoka asked, very much surprised.  It was the
first time that she could think of her father actually giving her an
order.
        "Trust your father's judgment on this.  You would be better
off never having heard the name Genma Saotome."
        Nodoka nodded, acting properly submissive, while on the
inside she was wonder what made Genma so special that he could
make her father suddenly interested in her welfare.

        Nodoka was currently secretly meeting with Genma in the
woods that surrounded her father's shrine.  She'd been meeting
with him about once every week since her father had forbidden her
to see him.  Doing something against her father right under his
nose added to the excitement of their relationship for Nodoka.
        Usually, Genma would eat the food she cooked just for him
and they'd talk about what it was like to be on the road or having a
stable home.  This time, however, Nodoka had remembered to
bring a bokken.  She wanted to test out just how good this
infamous martial artist was.
        "Why don't we have a little sparring match today?"
Nodoka asked him out of the blue.
        "Wha?" Genma responded, his mouth half stuffed with
rice.
        Nodoka giggled at such a comic sight.
        Genma looked embarrassed.
        "Well, I told you before that I've been training in kendo for
a long time and you've been studying under your master for a
while.  The kendo club at school doesn't allow female members
and my father refuses to fight with me anymore, so I want someone
to test my skills against."
        "I don't know if I can fight a girl."
        "Why not?"
        "Well, my master would kill me if I find out, since he
thinks that women shouldn't be learning martial arts.  He firmly 
believes that a woman's place is being a housewife."
        "It also makes it easier when he tries to grope them."
        "Fair play isn't one of the master's best traits," Genma
admitted.
	"Please?" Nodoka begged in a sweet voice while batting
her eyelashes like she had seen other girls do.  Since Nodoka was
the first girl to actually pay attention to him, Genma had no
defense against this tactic.
        "Oh, all right, but just some light sparring.  I don't want you
to get hurt."
        "That's sweet of you Genma," Nodoka practically purred.
The aforementioned martial artist blushed beet red.
        Genma found Nodoka to be a lot more skilled than he had
expected and he didn't have to hold back quite so much as he had
planned.  Still, she hadn't had anything like the intensive training
that the master had put him through and he finally won the match
by pinning Nodoka to the ground.  He suddenly realized where he
was, and how close her lips were to his, and then jumped off of her
in embarrassment.
        "I've never seen anyone use kendo like that before," Genma
said to cover his embarrassment.
        What he failed to notice was Nodoka's similar embarrassment.  
"It's my family's style.  I think my father and I are the only living 
practitioners."
        "That might be useful in beating the old freak . . . I mean
training with my master.  Do you think you could teach it to me?"
        "I wish I could, but before my father would teach me I
swore an oath that I wouldn't teach it to any other without his
permission.  I seriously doubt he'll let me teach you."
        "Yeah, but you hate his guts anyway.  Why should you
keep your word with him?"
        "I gave him my word and I will not go back on it for any
reason.  As a martial artist yourself, you also must respect the way 
of bushido."
        "Okay, I guess I can understand that."

        By daring to meet Genma by her father's shrine, Nodoka
had made it almost inevitable that the two would meet.  She had
planned it that way, hoping her father would be able to see that
Genma wasn't as bad as people made him out to be.
        Genma was waiting as close to the shrine as he dared.
Even though he knew that Katsuhito wasn't there, there was
something ominous about the place.  It could have been the bad
experiences he had had with the master in similar temples.  He told
himself that he had nothing to worry about since Nodoka had said
her father was away at some conference and wouldn't be home
until tomorrow.
        He was very lucky that his master had decided to take Soun
off alone to bring him up to speed before they all set out on
training, since it gave him time to be with Nodoka.  Still, it was
inevitable that that master would return and he would be forced to
say good-bye.  Genma knew he was good, but he still was light
years away from the master's skill.  And no one escaped the master
for very long.
	He was waiting for Nodoka, because she wanted to practice 
with him again, but had forgotten her bokken.  Genma had offered 
to train her in kempo, but Nodoka had found that it felt wrong for 
her.  Besides, it dropped her skill level so low that sparring was 
nearly impossible.
        Nodoka had told him to wait right there, and while reluctant
to be so close to the shrine, he hadn't moved from the spot.  She
had said that she would only be a minute, but to Genma tensely
waiting, it seemed that a half an hour had passed already.

        Katsuhito grumbled as he made his way to the Masaki
shrine.  He was in a bad mood.  Not only was the Shinto 
conference that he'd been looking forward to for months canceled, 
but no one had seen fit to tell him until he arrived there.  All that
pointless traveling meant nearly a whole day wasted.
        As he turned from the path, he noticed a boy waiting at the
foot of the shrine steps who hadn't seen him because he was
looking up at the shrine in the distance.  Katsuhito was a little bit
puzzled at what the boy was doing there.  This was a remote shrine
so it got few visitors, even so he had put up a sign saying that he'd
be away for two days.  'And why is the boy waiting at the foot of
the steps rather than at the shrine itself?'
        Katsuhito took a minute to study the boy.  He looked to be
about eighteen with dark hair tied up in a loose pony-tail.  A white
gi hid a rather bulky frame, one that was almost entirely composed
of muscle.
        With a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach,
Katsuhito realized just who it was.  'So Genma Saotome dares to
show his face around here?  He must be casing out the Masaki
temple in order to rob it.  No wonder he wanted to get close to my
daughter.'  Without bothering to announce himself, Katsuhito drew
his bokken and attacked.
        Genma's battle-hardened reflexes saved him from what
could have been a serious injury had the blow connected.  He was
surprised to find an old man looking at him with murder in his
eyes, holding a bokken like he knew what he was doing.  The
priest robes that the guy was wearing confirmed Genma's worst
suspicions.  He had finally met Nodoka's father and it was obvious
that the guy didn't like him very much.
        Genma didn't want to fight Katsuhito, but the priest didn't
give him any choice. He had to start fighting back just to avoid
getting maimed.  The old guy was good with that bokken, too
good, he might even have been a match for the master.  No matter
how hard Genma fought back, it was obvious that Katsuhito was
winning.  He had to think a way out of this and fast.
        "Saotome School of Martial Arts Final Attack!" Genma
declared.
        Katsuhito paused and adopted a defensive posture, readying
himself for anything.
        "Run away!" Genma shouted and did just that.
        The old priest was too stunned to follow.  By the time
Nodoka had come down the stairs, he was in a rage.
        "Daddy, what are you doing here?" she asked, startled, as
she subtly looked around for signs of Genma.
        "What am I doing here?  I'm the caretaker of the Masaki
shrine!  What was that lout Genma doing here?  I thought he was
going to rob the temple."
        Nodoka laughed a little at that.  People sometimes called
Genma a thief, but she had never seen him actually steal anything
from anyone and besides he had been too frightened of her father
to go near the temple even when he wasn't there.  She guessed that
Genma's fears weren't entirely unjustified.
        "Oh, we were just going to have a little martial arts
practice.  He's been helping me with my training."
        "I thought I told you to never have anything to do with that
man."
        Nodoka laughed again.  "Oh daddy, don't tell me you were
serious about that?"
        "I was dead serious and I still am.  Nodoka, you don't know
the evils that some men are capable of.  That one is just completely
untrustworthy.  You must never see him again."
        Nodoka didn't think this was so funny anymore.  She had
gotten used to seeing Genma every day, he was a part of her life
now.  "What gives you the right to say what I can and can not do?"
        "I'm your father!"
        "Then why didn't you act like it?  You've done nothing but
ignore me since mom died and now you want a say in what goes
on in my life?  Forget it, I'll do what I think is right."
        "Nodoka," Katsuhito said in a very stern voice.  "As long as
you live under my roof, you have to follow my rules.  I forbid you
to have anything more to do with Genma Saotome.  That man will
only ruin your life."
        "Well, then I'm leaving home!"
        "What? Why?"
        "Because I love him!" Nodoka declared marching away
from her stunned father.  Just before she was out of his sight, she 
turned around and added, "And I don't love you."

 ***

        It was a very small wedding ceremony; there were only
four guests, who happened to have been married recently, each in
ceremonies much larger than this. Achika, Nobuyuki, and Soun 
and his new wife all knew that the size of the wedding didn't matter 
to the two people standing at the alter.  Katsuhito had forbidden 
this marriage, but he couldn't stop the love between Nodoka and
Genma.

 ***

        Genma inched through the house, large backpack slung
over his shoulder and sleeping Ranma in his arms.  Why couldn't
his wife see that he couldn't possibly train the boy here, with all
the distractions?  They needed to be on the road, living hard off the
land, and traveling to exotic training grounds.  Not even a seppuku
pledge had been enough for that woman.  He had no choice but to
sneak off in the night, using the skills that his master had taught
him.  Nodoka would come to understand that this was what was
best for the boy.
         As Genma crept over the threshold, he nearly had his head 
severed by the katana that suddenly appeared at his throat, 
gleaming with the reflected moonlight.
         "Going somewhere, husband?" Nodoka asked him in a
deceptively calm voice.
        "Just going out for a stroll," Genma replied, failing
miserably to sound casual.
        "With our son?"
        "Thought the boy could use some fresh air."
        "And a backpack full of supplies?"
        "Well, that's just in case I wanted a quick snack."
        "Go back to bed, husband."
        Genma took one look at the steely determination in his
wife's eyes, not to mention her steely katana, and replied, "Yes,
dear."
        "And husband?"
        "Yes?"
        "Don't even think about trying this again."

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