As the header says this is a corrected version of the revision I sent out a
few days ago. It seems my spellchecker went screwy once I put it on auto
correct and a billion or so errors were caused. Almost every sentence ended
with wrong capitalization and punctuation. I would like to thank CCMax for
pointing this out (And all the other mistakes too.) very, very much.
Disclaimer - I don't own the copyrighted characters in this story. Any new
characters though are mine.
Content - Uh, just to be cautious there are sexual references in the story.
Under the warm afternoon sun the birds sang their song and the leaves
rustled in the wind while Soun Tendo cried. In his right hand he held a
postcard with a picture of a Panda eating bamboo on the front of it. He
flipped
it in his hands and back again before silently reading the neat handwriting
for
the third time.
Dear Daddy,
We're currently in China but will be back in Japan soon. In fact we
should arrive home the same day this postcard does. See you soon.
Love,
Nabiki
*Oh, joy! My daughter and her fiancee will soon return home. And once
they do they can be married and then the Saotome and Tendo lines will be
united
and the future of the dojo and my family will be secured!* Soun Tendo once
again flipped the postcard over as more tears came to his eyes.
Nabiki and Ranma 1/2 Part 1
By: Mike Malaspina
The forms of two young human teenagers raced down the rain slicked
street. Behind them the form of a much larger creature struggled to keep up.
The young man and woman slid to a halt and turned to face their pursuer,
which
happened to be a large black and white panda that looked like an over stuffed
toy enlarged and brought to life. "Listen up old man! If you think for one
instant that I'm going home for the first time in eleven years like THIS,
you've got another thing coming," screamed the boy glaring at the panda.
"Growf," grunted the panda who seemed to be thinking.
"Don't hurt yourself old man," chimed in the girl with a smirk and a
look that suggested she was just itching to fight.
The panda looked offended and in response took up the fighting stance
that would have looked better in use by a man. The girl smiled and followed
suit while her male companion silently mouthed, "Why me?" to the air. In a
few
minutes the girl had beaten the panda into unconsciousness.
As the boy's arms wrapped around the girl from behind she was startled
but almost instantaneously calmed down and leaned into the embrace resting
her
arms on top of his. "You know Ranma, the old man deserves it but you pick
some
of the absolute _worst_ times to fight," said the teenage boy as he rested
his
cheek on the girl's soft hair.
"Yeah, he does deserve it!" she exclaimed pulling out of the loving
embrace frowning. "And this isn't just some stupid fight," a smile lit up her
features, "it's a plan."
"Well, Ranma, I'm proud of you," said the boy smiling, "we can now
change back before we go home _and_ you were thinking things through. But you
did forget one thing."
The girl's smile, which had continually gotten bigger and brighter as the
boy praised her, fell. "Oh, and what's that?"
"How are we going to carry an unconscious panda?"
"Damn."
--------------------
"Kasumi! Akane!" rang out the voice of the eldest Tendo as he finished
reading the postcard for the... Imagine that, he'd lost count. "I have
wonderful news. Come quickly!"
In the kitchen of the Tendo home, the eldest daughter of Soun Tendo and
his dearly departed wife Kimiko and pillar of the household, Kasumi Tendo,
dried her hands on a kitchen towel before exiting to see what her father
wanted.
Meanwhile in the Tendo's dojo the youngest of the three Tendo daughters,
Akane, smashed an innocent brick into a good amount of dust and numerous bite
sized pieces. That is, if you would and could bite a brick. When she heard
her
father's summons, she stopped and debated between setting up one more final
brick or going to see what he wanted right away. *It sounds important,
practice
can wait.*
--------------------
As Akane and Kasumi sat across the table from their father, Akane's
yellow gi made a sharp contrast to Kasumi's modest sweater, dress and apron.
Soun, prideful as ever of his children, looked them over. *What did I do to
deserve such wonderful little girls?* he thought to himself. He smiled and
could barely hold the excitement in. *Finally, after all these years my three
daughters will be reunited! I can't wait to see how excited Akane and Kasumi
will be.*
"Father, you wanted to tell us something?" asked Kasumi.
"Oh!" Soun was broken out of his reverie by Kasumi's polite
interruption, "I'm sorry, girls, I have great news. I just received a
postcard
from your sister; she will arrive home today!"
"Wow, how long has Nabiki been gone anyway Dad?" Akane's voice conveyed
excitement but also some apprehension. After all she barely remembered her
sister Nabiki. It would be weird to suddenly have another sister. Even though
three more practicing martial artists in Nabiki, her fiance and his father in
the house would be nice.
"Eleven years, two months and seventeen days" stated Soun.
Akane bigsweated for a moment.
"That's a really long time. Do you think she'll be a better martial
artist than me?" asked Akane hoping that she wouldn't be. Not that she wanted
her sister to be a failure but martial arts was one of the few things that
she
was really, really good at. She couldn't cook or swim, but boy could she beat
people up.
"I'm not sure, Akane, but, if she is, you'll have to understand it's
because she has been training constantly for 11 years with Genma who is my
equal in the art. And though it shames me to admit it, I have not been the
best
of sensei to you Akane," said Soun tears coming to his eyes.
"Yes, you have Daddy! You've been a great sensei," Akane exclaimed,
seeing her father on the verge of tears.
"Really?" asked Soun hope gleaming in his eyes.
"Of course, Dad. Would I ever lie to you?" she lied. Ever since Mother
had died Soun hadn't actively trained her except occasionally the last year.
"Thank you Akane. It pleases me so much to hear that my daughter thinks
me a good teacher," Soun said, tears in his eyes, but tears of happiness
instead of sorrow.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
A startlingly loud knocking from the front of the house made Akane
jump slightly.
"That must be the Saotomes and Nabiki now. I'll go let them in," said
Kasumi recovering from the surprise first.
"Thank you, Kasumi," said Soun as Kasumi stood, smoothed out her dress
and went to answer the door. *Kasumi is always such a good hostess. If only
she
had a husband. Or even a boyfriend!* Soun began crying more so. "Why can't
Kasumi meet a nice..."
"Ahhh! Kasumi look out," screamed Akane interrupting her father's cry.
"Huh?" said Soun smartly looking in the direction that his youngest
daughter was pointing. When he saw what she saw, he too screamed out,
"Kasumi,
look out! There's a ferocious panda behind you!"
"Oh my! Where?" Kasumi looked around not seeing any pandas except the
nice one carrying the little girl with the red hair, pigtail and wet clothes
that had come in with the girl, who she assumed was, Nabiki. "Father, I don't
see any ferocious pandas."
Soun face faulted. Akane just stared at her sister in amazement, jaw
agape. The panda put down the girl and got a kick in the shins. Nabiki for
her
part sighed, once again asking the sky, "Why me?"
"Sorry, about this," said the girl, shame evident in her facial
expression.
"Who are you and where is Saotome and his son?" questioned Soun as he
returned to his feet. "And where is my daughter?!"
"Right here Daddy," spoke up Nabiki moving out from behind Kasumi and
into view.
"There you are Nabiki but where are Genma and Ranma?" asked Soun in a
now calm voice.
"I'm Saotome Ranma," said the girl.
"Is that your panda?" asked Akane breaking her self imposed silence.
"You could say that," answered Nabiki with a smirk.
"Well, then Ranma, I'd like to welcome you to my home!" said Soun as he
rushed forward and locked Ranma in a backbreaking hug. Soun's eyes went wide
as
he suddenly squeezed Ranma closer to him and then patted along his sides.
"Urk!" He exclaimed before promptly fainting.
--------------------
As Soun Tendo regained consciousness he prayed he hadn't felt what he
thought he felt on Ranma's chest. *Ranma is a boy... So, I must have been
seeing things. That's it! I was just seeing... Errr, feeling things!* he
thought as he began to hesitantly open his eyes still not certain in his
'seeing... um, feeling things' theory.
"Ooohhhh... My head," moaned Soun wishing he'd kept his eyes shut just a
little longer.
--------------------
Kasumi gently dabbed a wet cloth at her father's head as a now male
Ranma explained why he turned into a girl. "... got here was cause'a some old
lady with a bucket of water cleaning the side walk."
Akane stared at him in disbelief. "I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't
seen it for myself," she said.
"I wouldn't have either, before it happened to us," said Nabiki.
"Ah, the path of a true martial artist is fraught with many perils,"
said Genma trying to sound wise but not pulling it off to well.
"Perils! How can you...," Ranma's rant was cut short by the moaning of
Soun.
"Ooohhhh... My head."
"Father, are you all right?" asked a worried Kasumi.
As he saw male Ranma he smiled broadly, "Yes, Kasumi, I should be fine!"
He also noticed that the panda was, thankfully, gone and a man in a dirty
beat
up white gi with glasses was in his place. *Ah, there's Saotome.*
"That's good to hear Mr. Tendo. I swear I can explain why I was girl!"
Ranma blurted out.
Soun fainted.
--------------------
"Ranma, what do I always tell you about thinking before you speak?"
scolded Nabiki.
Ranma allowed a smile to come across his face, "To do so."
Nabiki tried to bat Ranma in the head out of anger but it ended up being
a playful thing and the two found themselves in a hug quickly. Ranma ended
the
embrace almost as fast as it began.
"I'm... so-sorry Nabiki. I'll try and think before I say somethin' next
time. I promise," said Ranma, who still a little adverse to public affection,
blushed and smiled.
"Thank you, Ranma. Why don't you all go downstairs and get something to
eat? I'll explain to Daddy when he wakes up," suggested Nabiki.
Genma hearing a mention of food was up and gone in a shot. Kasumi
smiled, "What a good idea Nabiki. Come with me Ranma-kun, Akane, I'll make
you
and Mr. Saotome some snacks."
"All right," said Ranma and Akane in unison. They both looked at each
other and blinked. As they followed Kasumi down stairs Nabiki thought over
how
to say what she had to tell her father. At least one of the things she had to
tell him.
--------------------
As Ranma ate he sat in silence thinking pensively. *I hope Mr. Tendo
realizes that these curses are Pop's fault... He wouldn't blame me would he?
What if he doesn't think I'm good enough for Nabiki? It's not like we could
just run away from her family. I mean I could leave Pops anytime but it's
different with Nabiki. Damn you, old man! If this curse gets between me and
Nab-chan, I'm gonna kill you!*
--------------------
Nabiki watched as her father sat up and turned to her, "Nabiki, what
happened to me? I had the most disturbing dream that Ranma was a girl and
then
a boy. And then said he could explain why. And for whatever reason there was
a
panda with you when you first arrived. Hold on just a moment. If you're here
then I didn't dream you arriving... What's going on?" Asked Soun in a rush.
Nabiki sighed and began to very slowly explain what had happened over
the last year in the lives of Nabiki Tendo and the Saotome men.
--------------------
As Nabiki finished explaining, her father was eerily calm and it
bothered her. "Father, are you all right?"
"Do you still love him?" he responded.
"Huh?"
"Do you still love Ranma despite the curse?"
Nabiki looked shocked. "Of course!" she exclaimed as she rolled her
eyes. "It's just a stupid curse. Nothing changes about Ranma except the
outside
and it's the inside that counts. I love him because of who he is not because
of
his body," *Though I have come to love his body as well.* she thought with a
smile. "Besides I have a curse just like his. How could I reject him for
something like that when I'm in the exact same situation."
"Then this isn't so bad after all!" shouted Soun as he hugged his
daughter, the tears beginning to flow.
Nabiki had developed a twitch and would have been pulling her face off
the floor but her father's hug kept her upright. He had sounded almost like
he
was going to call off the engagement, whether she wanted him to or not.
Finally
it was just too much and the second different Tendo today fainted for a
family
total of three times. It was two shy of the record of five though.
**************************************************************************
"I try to keep it positive and play it cool. Shoot up the play *
ground and tell the kids to stay in school." - Eminem *
*
"It's all fun and games till somebody pokes an eye out. Then *
it's just fun you can't see." - James Hetfield *
*
**************************************************************************