At last. It's back!
-
Quantum Destinies
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By Jurai Knight (sthesken@earthlink.net)
Chapter 10 - Girl Troubles
working order, and she was proud (in her own way) to sustain this sacred
trust. As the System Administrator, it was her vital duty to work the
long hours necessary for keeping all its functions in stable working
order. After all, her work here was all she had left, since the day not
too long ago when Kami-sama turned the Goddess Relief Office over to
Peorth's control for an indeterminate duration.
Old Man is probably off playing skee-ball somewhere.
wedding day, if she understood the significance of the ceremony he was
currently involved in correctly. She watched as he took the small cup
of sake from the robed and veiled woman before him, her face made up
Since you have 'makeup' just a little later in the sentence, I'd change
this 'made up' to 'covered' or 'decorated' something that doesn't sound
quite so much like the later words
with thick layers of white makeup so that it appeared to be that of a
porcelain doll.
Keiichi accidentily bumped into the woman, knocking her over. As she hit
the floor, she shattered into a million tiny porcelain fragments.
"Well, that explains it," Belldandy murmured.
However, despite her unexpected melancholy at the sight, the young
goddess was not worried for his future.
The sonuvabitch would die in a fiery wreck on his way to the honeymoon.
That would serve him right for settling for someone less than a Goddess.
The view briefly panned around the audience, showing another young
couple seated near the front for a moment. Both teens were dressed in a
traditional manner for this solemn occasion.
Leather jackets. Nose rings. The works.
The boy, a seventeen-year
old youth named Kinagi Tendou, wore his brown hair tied back into a
tight pigtail. He was only recently returned to his family from a
grueling, decade-long training trip studying the martial arts under his
father's friend, Genma Saotome. On his right sat an athletic-looking
and very attractive redhead, Ranko Saotome, his fiancee and primary
sparring partner of late. She was mainly watching the proceedings and
occasionally glancing at the boy seated next to her.
Kinagi? Any particular reason for that name?
So intent was Belldandy on watching all aspects
all the aspects (I think)
Behind Belldandy, the figure raised a hand and dissolved away into
amber light, a glow that quickly vanished into nothingness.
Ah. Another piece of the overall plot of the series comes into play.
Outside, Nabiki peeked in through the open window at the back of the
training hall, her body suspended by her feet from the edge of the roof.
She was dressed in one of her many Chinese-style outfits, this one being
composed of the usual black gi pants, but topped off by a sleeveless
sea-green silk shirt. She was finding that she liked the look of blues
and greens on her in her shirts.
AVST Nabby: I'm not taking over her mind. Nonononono.
her instructors would even notice any difference. One advantage she was
quickly discovering she possessed over her counterpart was her almost
eidetic memory.
Awkward: I think something more like
One advantage that she discovered she possessed over her counterpart
In the weeks and months to come, she was confident that
she would be able to use that ability to remain well ahead in all of her
studies even while she pursued a brutal new training schedule. In
addition to her time at the Academy, she planned to put in at least two
extra hours a day on top of that. She felt confident that five to six
hours of training daily
Yikes! That will only leave her time to eat, crap, and sleep. How is she
going to get into trouble if all she does is work out? ^_^
Nabiki could not bring herself to believe that she had let her
unexpected emotions for Ranma get the better of her, for that gave him
an advantage in their dealings that she did not find at all tolerable at
the present time.
'...that she found intolerable at the present time.' Works better for me,
but that might be more personal than anything else.
Whenever he was near her, he confused the trained
orderliness of her thoughts, and that was not acceptable
was unacceptable
to her. She
was not some blushing, shy little schoolgirl out of some romance manga.
She was Nabiki Tendou, sometimes called the 'Iron Bitch' of the Imperial
Academy behind her back,
Beats being called the 'Iron Dyke' of Ohtori, like Haruka is ^_^
That realization was still troubling, but much less so than the
alternative. The need to be the best burned deeply within Nabiki, some
of that, but not all, carrying over from the absorbed memories of her
counterpart. She knew that she must challenge Ranma again to regain her
place within her internal picture as to the proper state of things -
that Nabiki Tendou was the top fighter in the area, and most definitely
not a young man named Ranma Saotome.
I doubt anyone thinks she's Ranma Saotome (You did word that last sentence
a bit oddly)
The loss of money was a further annoyance to her. Overconfidence
had dealt her two irritating losses for the price of one: the loss in
combat to Ranma itself, and the loss
Wah! Loss four times in there. I think the best thing would be to delete
the first sentence completely and go with 'Overconfidence...' as the
opening to the paragraph.
of a fair amount of money on his
beating of all the spreads she established. She had even underestimated
his endurance for setting the time duration bets on the fight.
Serves you right for getting cocky, ya' wench.
******************************
Nabiki found herself standing in the familiar surroundings of the
Tendou Dojo, barefoot, and dressed in Chinese-style clothes with a blue
shirt. She was paused in the doorway, the walkway leading to the main
house lying behind her, and a
I think separating those into two sentences would be for the best, but that
might just be a style thing for me again. "...behind her. A hazily..."
"And you'll lose again," said the other Nabiki. She tilted her head
to one side slightly as she looked at the blue-shirted Nabiki. "Why do
you think you lost this time?"
"Ranma added Amazon techniques to his arsenal," replied Nabiki, a
bit puzzled by the question.
"Wrong," said the green-shirted Nabiki,
"You're a wimp."
"Thanks," replied the other Nabiki with a smile. "Oddly enough, it
reminds me a little of something that I once saw on a dubbed, American
science-fiction program, but that's beside the point. Now take a look
at Ranchan's eyes. Tell me, what do you see?"
Nabiki walked over and studied Ranma closely, noting the purposeful
gaze on his face. She turned and said,
"Eyeballs"
"He looks like he really wanted
to win."
That too.
"How so?" asked Nabiki, clearly not understanding.
Drop the 'clearly not understanding.' That's made clear by her question and
it's needless.
so strongly that they reach far, far deeper into
themselves than they otherwise ever would. I enter every fight with
that attitude, that hunger for victory, and I've always won in the end.
Except for the times I lost, but that goes without saying.
"So what do I do to beat my Ranma?" asked Nabiki.
"Do you really want to beat your Ranma?" asked the other Nabiki,
pausing in her attack upon the hapless target. "There's a way."
"Tell me!" demanded Nabiki.
"Drug him!" Nabiki said. "Slip something into his drink that will slow him
down and you'll achieve an easy victory."
"It's obvious," said the other Nabiki with a smile. "Develop your
speed even further, like this." After calling out a loud "Kachu Tenshin
Amaguriken!" she began swiftly demolishing the training dummy. Her
fists were mere blurs, each solid strike landing at nearly the speed of
sound, possibly even beyond it. As the target crumbled to dust under
the brutal assault, she continued, "It's one of my favorite techniques
out of all those in my arsenal. Train to use it, and your Ranma won't
be able to stand against your speed. I doubt Cologne would ever have
taught his counterpart the technique,
Wrong. At least the S 1/2, and probably the mainstream counterpart mucking
in his mind, both know it.
The other Nabiki went on speaking as she gracefully flowed around
the imaginary dojo's floor, "I'm actually sorta surprised that your
Ranma can give you so much trouble. After all, as much as I love my own
Ranchan, he's just not in my class as a fighter, and he never will be.
Since his mother gelded him. Makes you wonder if Genma knew what he was
talking about in Nodoka being too soft on the boy (not that Genma's child
rearing philosophies were any good. But he did make Ranma into a great
fighter)
A second one of the training dummies was obliterated with rapid,
powerful blows from the other Nabiki's fists, then she
I'd change to 'fists. She paused...'
paused and looked
at the dreaming Nabiki. "On a side note, the little bits and pieces of
that other Ranma that I can see getting filtered through your Ranchan's
personality are, well, kind of interesting. For example, I can pretty
much safely say that your Ranma, and I assume his counterpart in that
divergent timeline of his as well, is most definitely not quite as
'domesticated' as my own Ranchan can be at times.
Let's hear it for gross understatements. ^_^
officially become my fiance. I just have to work on teaching Ranma
who's gonna be boss between us," then she smirked for a moment, "namely
me. At least I don't have to worry about any other girls showing up and
complicating things.
Ohhh. She's just asking for it now.
I know I can handle Akane and Kodachi easily
enough."
Famous last words
With that having been said, the lucid dream faded away to a more
normal one.
Is it the one where she wakes up crying "Yes, Daddy! Spank me some more!"?
^_^
generation. Her father often told Ukyou that she resembled her aunt as
a young girl a fair amount,
Especially when it came to the hairlip problem.
something usually said whenever she was
being defiant.
Heh. Obviously not that compimentary.
Why her Aunt Yumi was living in Tokyo was a tale that
none of the adults ever seemed willing to tell. Her mother had once
admitted it was due to some sort of trouble with the Hibiki Clan when
she had been a teenager, but Ryouga had claimed ignorance of the matter
when Ukyou had once interrogated him about it several years ago. All
'the one time Ukyou had interrogated him about it several years ago.' works
better IMO
Akira Kuonji led the way into the shop, quiet now since it was long
after the dinner rush was over. A grin was on his face as he bellowed
at the top of his lungs, "I hear that someone is passing off pig slop as
okonomiyaki in these parts!" He then paused and waited for the results.
"One pig slop okonomiyaki coming right up," the woman behind the counter
shouted.
some minor activity behind the counter to hear them come in. She was
dressed in the typical garb of an okonomiyaki chef, seen throughout the
Empire:
Plaid top, Bermuda shorts, and a bright red nose that would beep whenever
anyone squeezed it.
snug black pants, tabi shoes, a tight-fitting white undershirt,
and a heavier, dark blue, short-sleeved shirt worn atop with the cuffs
rolled up.
Well, I was close.
"Of course not! It will be my pleasure," said Yumi with another
broad smile. She turned to study Ukyou for a moment. "It will be nice
to have a little help with the cooking and the cleanup. So what do you
say, Niece? You up to it?"
"Just try me," said Ukyou with a smile.
"No, I don't think that will be necessary. This isn't an incestuous lemon,
after all," Yumi pointed out.
"My husband and I trust that you will keep us informed as to how
Ukyou is doing, Sister-in-law," said Yukiyou politely. "I am sure that
the experience will do her good."
"Don't worry, Yukiyou," said Yumi more seriously. "The girl's
family, and I'll look out for her as if she was my own daughter.
"We'll get drunk at bars and pick up cheap guys only on weekends. Fair
enough?" Yumi asked.
*I think I'm going to love it here,* Ukyou thought with a smile.
Well, I think I can guarentee it'll be an experience you'll never forget,
at the least.
station the pigtailed scholar was. She continued driving her fists into
the heavy punching bag she was using, a brief fantasy of doing the same
thing to Akane Tendou the next time they fought filling her mind as she
did so.
I'd drop the 'as she did so.' It seems unecessary.
> *How dare yet another one of those pushy Tendou cows try and come
between me and Saotome-kun?* Kodachi thought with a huff as she paused
for a brief moment. *The very idea. He obviously needs someone of much
more refinement and intellect than either of those two lowborn savages
has to offer.
Asuka the White Lily?
However, the passionate feelings Kodachi felt growing within her for
this Ranma were quickly replacing the shy but loving regard she had once
held for his counterpart. Perhaps part of that was due to a certain
indefinable 'something' that she could sense within this Ranma, a hidden
strength of some sort that he had, one that seemed to call to her very
femininity with an undeniable power.
Or it could be your genetic programming reacting to his presence. ^_^
Just the mere thought of being
held close by him had the ability to bring a blush to her face, and her
occasional fantasies about him kept wandering off into some very erotic
scenes, ones that scandalized Kodachi sometimes.
The ones with the hamsters were her favorites.
stronger of late as her burgeoning feelings of love for Ranma grew. At
times, she wanted to simply grab the pigtailed boy and take him to her
bed, to explore the limits of carnal pleasure between them. Then, after
their mutual desires had been fully explored and satisfied, and she lay
there cuddled in his arms, that relaxed moment would be the time she
would admit to Ranma her true feelings for him.
But, like most men, he would already be asleep moments after his own
'desires' had been satisfied.
"Brother dear," replied Kodachi, stopping her workout and padding
over to one side of the mat in her bare feet to pick up a towel. She
dabbed at the perspiration on her face for a moment as she felt her
energy reserves begin to recover. "What brings you out to the training
hall so late?"
"My legs," Kunou answered.
hateful things about him in my presence, so I stilled your voice as best
I saw fit." She coolly returned Kunou's icy glare with one of equal
chill, her body lightly balanced on the balls of her feet, a gesture of
defiance that her brother ignored for the moment.
But then, he's good at ignoring things.
"I see," said Kunou sullenly. Their gazes remained locked, and
neither appeared willing to back down. Strain appeared in his voice as
he continued speaking. "So you choose this 'scholar' over thine own
flesh and blood?
Kodachi: Well, since I'm neither attracted to you nor into incest, the
answer is yes.
>He has so quickly poisoned your mind against me?"
Well, it doesn't take a whole lot, Kunou-baby
His ears ringing from the unexpected blow, Kunou shook his head and
then stared at his sister in shock. Blood dribbled from his mouth, a
result of his having bitten his lip during the surprise blow. *So the
vile knave has now brought my sweet and innocent sister to such a state
that she would raise her hand against her own family, against her own
brother,* he thought darkly. *And my beloved sister is not enough for
his base lusts. No, he has also claimed the heart of the fair maiden
Akane Tendou. How I have come to loathe you for these crimes, Ranma
Saotome. I swear I shall avenge myself upon you for these sins, and my
skills shall humble thee. I swear this upon my most sacred honor and
that of all my ancestors.* He paused to gather his thoughts, his visage
angry and grim.
And as we see, some things never change.
past few months, changed in a manner most grievous unto me, and now I
think I can see the reason for it. Thy womanly, vaporous passions for
this lowborn cretin have unhinged thy mind, and that madness has somehow
infected our beloved parents. I see that now."
Wow! He hit the nail right on the pointy end there.
"You are an idiot, Brother!" spat out Kodachi fiercely. "You seek
to guard me as if I were some little doll for you to keep 'safe' until
you deign to find a man 'worthy' of me, then you will gladly hand me
over to some popinjay of a chinless noble who you see as 'suitable' for
owning me. Perhaps someone like your friend, that lecherous Mikado
Sanzenin, for example.
Kunou: Don't be silly. He has a chin.
brother dictate to her who that would be. And she knew with certainty
who she would have that someone be. "I would not spend a single moment
of time with that loathsome lothario that you call friend, save you
trussed me up in irons and presented me as a gift for the gratification
of his perverse pleasures.
Kunou: Odd, I seem to recall Mikado mentioning that is just the way he
would like you.
"Sanzenin-kun's reputation with those of the fairer sex is surely
exaggerated," said Kunou with annoyance,
"Besides, he's gay," Kunou added.
vessels that has ever drawn breath.* Without thinking, he began to
laugh with an almost maniacal edge.
Almost? ^_^
"Kodachi," said Kensaiko thoughtfully, "fighting with your elder
brother is not the way to settle things between siblings.
Kensaiko: Use poison. Less messy that way.
"And you!" snapped Kensaiko, pointing at him with her now-closed
fan. "How dare you take up arms against your younger sister? Is the
boy your father and I are considering for your sister's husband so
repellent to you that it has caused you to take complete leave of your
senses?"
No. Kunou's senses were gone long before Ranma came to town.
*My brother is even more of an idiot than I dared imagine,* Kodachi
thought with irritation. *He refuses to admit that Saotome-kun is now
his better in combat.* She sighed softly, a gesture her mother noticed
even though her brother did not.
At least that broad is perceptive.
"Ah, Akane Tendou," said Kunou grandly, his anger forgotten as he
bathed in his glowing memories of her. "She is a noble beauty without
compare, a veritable warrior goddess clothed in mortal form, filled with
spirit and great passion.
A bit flowery, but true.
"She is of the lower nobility too, my son," said Kensaiko in that
same grim tone. "Why should I allow you, the heir to the vast holdings
of our Great House, to court such a one, a girl of a family that is of
nearly equal level to that of the Saotomes?
Heh. She has him there.
I had in mind a pristine
daughter of the high nobility for you as a wife.
ie: You're going to be the brood mare, Kunou-chan. Not Kodachi. ^_^
the object of my true love. Akane Tendou has shown me a spirit and a
strength of body that I have not seen in any of the daughters of the
high nobility, so I look upon it as my sacred duty to take such a strong
woman to wife and raise her to the peerage. Then, she shall bear unto
me strong sons to carry on the Kunou family legacy. That her bloodline
is of the same stature as that cursed Ranma Saotome is of no consequence
to me. I shall have Akane Tendou as my wife, and I shall allow none to
gainsay my desires in this."
Heh. Nice to see he is committed to her.
*My son takes after his father far too much,* thought Kensaiko with
a mental sigh. *Both of them tend to only hear what they want to hear.
It is a good thing that the women of this House are sensible enough to
hold things together. However, Kodachi is becoming more and more like I
once was as a girl, and I do not know whether to be proud of her or
annoyed.
Probably both.
meet Akane in person, as had been her original plan. She gracefully
walked over to the open window and gazed out at the night. "Husband,
what were you thinking?
That her genetic reengineering has made Akane superior to any normal high
born girl.
This has all the makings of a disaster of epic
proportions. Young Ranma shows great promise to make a fine addition to
our House, but this Akane girl is obviously ill-suited for my precious
son as the future Lady of this House. Far better that Tatewaki should
simply take her to his bed as a concubine, if he truly desires her so
strongly. Yes, that is far more suitable a position in this House for
one of her station.
Heh. Interesting take on Kensaiko's thoughts on Akane.
I shall speak to my husband of that.
ie: Tell him how it's going to be.
Kensaiko briefly snapped her fan open and fluttered it before her
face, even as she contemplated which Clan to make an overture to. After
several moments of thought, a name suddenly occurred to her, a family
currently rising in favor at the Imperial Court. *And they have only a
single daughter, still unattached, one who has so far rejected all
suitors. Yes, she will be perfect for my Tatewaki,* she thought with a
pleased look. *I believe she even shares his strong interest in
swordplay.*
Hehehe. I know who it is. And boy is she ever going to be put off. ^_^
With a smile on her face, Kensaiko went to inform her husband of the
decision 'they' had made concerning their son's future.
Typical woman.
"But Genma dearest," said Nodoka breathlessly, as he began quickly
undressing her when she drew near to him. "It has only been hours since
our last time...."
What? She's complaining?
"Oh my, Dearest," sighed Nodoka. "Oh, that feels so good." She
felt her passions rising up within her, even though Genma was still
being a bit quicker and rougher with her than was his usual manner. In
an odd way, it seemed to be adding to her excitement, almost as if he
was a stranger to her. She felt quite risque.
Boy, QD Genma is going to be really pissed when he finds out his wife was
enjoying S 1/2 Genma's 'action'. ^_^
******************************
Ranma slipped off his shirt, wincing a little at some of the deep
bruises on his body. Despite the pains he endured,
he had endured
Nabiki's aid in this one instance was for a good cause, as long as she
followed his lead and did not try to order him around like she clearly
seemed to want to do whenever she was around him.
heh. Good luck.
Before he fell asleep, Ranma also made plans on taking some time to
pound his 'father' into a fine paste sometimes
sometime
"You had me a little worried today, bookworm," said a voice suddenly
behind Ranma's right shoulder. He turned around and saw the other Ranma
behind him, dressed in a red shirt and black gi pants.
Which one? He's got two running around in his head.
"Nabiki cursed to turn into a guy is just too damn funny for words,"
said the other Ranma, pausing to watch as a few random memories floated
by, drifting like soap bubbles in the breeze. "I wish I could see the
look on my Nabiki's face if she ever learned that." He watched a memory
float by, one originating from another world, of a slightly different
Shampoo beating up Kodachi in the gymnastics ring. An odd look appeared
on his face.
Ah, so it's mainstream Ranma then.
"I beat her once, and I can beat her again," said Ranma confidently.
"Those Amazon techniques from that other world helped."
I can just see S 1/2's Ranma's disembodied voice shouting out something
like 'Damn straight they did, Bookworm!" He'd be more than happy to take
the credit.
A thought suddenly struck Ranma, and asked, "Just out of curiosity,
where is that other Ranma?"
"He's back there somewhere, I guess," said his counterpart, casually
gesturing at the Tendou household. It was sort of hazy-looking, as if a
fog had rolled in over it. "It's kinda hard to explain."
Heh. So they are still seperate identities.
"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you to start training yourself even
harder, bookworm," said the other Ranma with a grin as the scene began
to fade to a hazy whiteness. "You'd better be prepared to beat your
Nabiki again after she trains herself some more, 'cause there's no way
in hell that I ever wanna see any Ranma second best to a chick.
Actually he could never tolerate being second best to anyone, not just
girls.
"Ranma Saotome is the _true_ Heir to the Anything-Goes School of
Martial Arts," said the other Ranma confidently. "No girl is ever going
to claim that while I have anything to say about it."
The dream imploded with an inaudible pop, reverting to the regular
chaos of normal dreams.
Is it the one where he wakes up shouting, "Spank me harder, Mother?" ^_^
*I should have heard from the boy before now,* thought Genma with
great concern. He paused for a moment to study this version of Nodoka
in the dim light, looking so fragile and alone in bed by herself. He
sighed softly at the sight, wondering what his own Nodoka was doing, how
she was managing to cope without him.
Don't worry about her. Lots of hot sex going on.
present bulk, he felt as fat as one of those lazy panda bears in the
public zoo,
Heh. The comparison made all the more ironic by the fact he has no curse
here.
attractive. He had been home with her for almost two days, and he was
still keeping her at arm's length.
I can't see that lasting long.
detected some very familiar noises coming from the backyard, the quite
distinctive sounds of someone doing martial arts training. Yawning,
dressed in only a long shirt, Shampoo opened the window of her small
room, expecting to see 'Pop' working out with Ranma, but she only saw
Genma training by himself. She leaned out the window, wondering to
herself in a soft whisper, "What Pop doing? Lazy Pop never train this
hard before."
Not without Ranma around, anyway.
Unaware that he now had an audience, Genma kept at his exertions,
rather pleased and surprised at his new body's performance. Despite the
annoyingly thick layers of fat on it, this body had very good endurance,
he is still able to give Ranma a good work out, so I should say so.
like a daughter, for some reason that she could not fathom. That notion
had been gradually building up since the three of them arrived on her
doorstep. *Could he perhaps want Shampoo to marry Ranma? It would be
the manly thing for Ranma to do, after all. How else will I ever get
grandchildren?*
heh. Since she didn't get much of a chance to raise Ranma, it isn't
surprising she's eager for grandchildren to help raise.
*What the hell is that old man up to?* wondered Ranma suspiciously
as he watched Shampoo sparring with Genma. He had just woken up due to
another odd dream, but apparently not early enough. This one had him
acting as some sort of spear-carrier to a martial artist Nabiki, herself
the Heir to the Anything-Goes School and a far more capable fighter than
he was. *Yeah, right, as if that could ever happen,* he snorted. *No
way that I'd ever be second-best to any chick.*
Yeah. That would be a version of hell for this Ranma.
they had so quickly found something in common between them. She stirred
the soup she was making, adding a few small pinches of salt and spices.
As she did so, her eyes lit up and she bopped her head lightly with one
fist as she smiled more ruefully. *I forgot to tell him about his date
with Ukyou later today. I'll let him know while he eats his breakfast.*
Oops.
*That little punk has no respect for his elders,* Genma thought
angrily, vaguely remembering the brutal beating he had received during
his attempt at sparring with Ranma. *Ungrateful boy! Even if it kills
me, I'll regain the proud physique I had before I was trapped in this
pathetic shell, and then I'll show him what a true master of the martial
arts is capable of.*
true. he is hamstrung by the fact this body is so out of shape.
His adrenaline surge finally giving out, Genma collapsed facedown on
the floor of the kitchen, unconscious.
Heh. Very nice work. With any luck, I might get to the second half
tomorrow.
D.B. Sommer