Here's an idea for a "restart" concept I've never seen
anyone try before. If it's been done, tell me; if not,
would anyone want to see it continued or take over? (It's
never a matter of "if nobody C&Cs, I won't write"; I need
motivation and deadlines, a proverbial "kick in the pants",
to get going.)
If you like or dislike it, let me know, or maybe offer some
suggestions.
Ja,
Shunsuke
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"As Fragile As Stone"
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction
by Shunsuke -|||
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Brick, made of volcanic rock. New or old, it was just as
hard, and new or old, it came in many natural shapes. Rock
can be cut into shapes that are strong or weak; the hardest
obsidian can be as fragile as shale, and the softest
sandstone as impenetrable as diamond. It was all about
finding strengths and weaknesses, not judging the stone by
its physical characteristics.
Akane kept her breathing slow and her manner calm, just the
way her father had as he trained her. Three bricks placed
upon the stand, she raised her hand to strike. With calm
and precision, the knife edge of her hand met the surface.
"KIYAAAHH!!!"
With a smile, Akane looked down through the cloud of dust at
her handiwork, which was appreciated by a photographically
inclined audience.
"Woohoo, sis! Nice one," Nabiki said with a smile and a
friendly clap. "Still looking to pound the boys at school,
hm?" Nabiki walked into the dojo, careful not to let the
dust catch onto her slippers.
"No, just working off a little steam," Akane said, wiping
her brow with a towel. "You know how Kuno is."
"Tell me about it," Nabiki said, rolling her eyes. "I saw
your handiwork down at the infirmary today. Anyway, I
came out here to tell you something. Daddy says he's got
a surprise for us, he wants us inside."
"What it's about?"
"I don't know, but he seems happy about it. Ta ta!" she
said before leaving.
"Surprise?" Akane said to herself, toweling off. "It
probably means bad news for me," she began, then growing
quietly morose, said under her breath, "It always does."
* * * * *
"Girls, I have some news for you," began Soun Tendo, a
pleased look on his face, "An old friend of mine, Genma
Saotome, is coming to visit, and he'll be bringing his
son Ranma with him."
"But how does this involve us, father?" Kasumi said aloud.
"Well, many years ago he and I decided we would join the two
families in the school of Anything-Goes martial arts by
arranging a marriage. If one of you would marry him, if
would assure the future of the school."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Nabiki said, "Arranged marriage? In
this day and age? Please, daddy, enter the 20th century."
"But, father, I..." Kasumi began, then with a quick, maybe
even hopeful glance at Akane, said, "Never mind."
"Arranged marriage? That doesn't sound so bad," Akane
said, not hiding her enthusiasm very well.
"Not so bad? Akane, that's easy for you to...o-oh, sorry,
Akane I didn't mean it like that," Nabiki said, regretting
the words. She looked down at the table, rather than see
hurt on Akane's face.
"So who is this Ranma? How old is he, father?" Kasumi
asked.
"Is he rich or good looking?" Nabiki said, continuing the
thought.
Akane listened intently for any knowledge of what Ranma was
like. Despite the insult, Nabiki was right, it was a good
opportunity for Akane. At worst, she could hold her own
against him if he turned out to be a jerk.
"I have no idea, I've never met-" Soun said before a knock
on the door was heard. "That must be them!"
Kasumi stood up to answer the door while Nabiki and Akane
kept prodding their father with questions.
"C'mon, daddy, you wouldn't arrange it without *some* idea
of who he is or what he's like, would you?" Soun was about
to answer Nabiki's question when Kasumi returned to the
room, almost at a run.
Behind her, a walking panda carrying a young girl entered
the room, placing her on the floor.
"Aw, it's a girl...and she's really good looking, too....
Just what I need," Akane thought to herself, dejected at
this turn of events.
Soun looked in shock before asking the redhead the most
obvious question.
"Y-you wouldn't be Ranma, would you?"
"Yeah, I'm Ranma Saotome," she said before bowing her head
to look at the floor, "Sorry 'bout this."
With the loudest of thuds, Soun passed out on the floor.
* * * * *
"Father, are you awake?"
Finally aroused from his unwanted slumber, Soun Tendo looked
at the girl and panda, not quite as shocked, but still very
disappointed.
"Look, daddy, this is a girl," Nabiki said, grabbing Ranma's
breast, "See the difference?"
"Would you stop that, please?" Ranma said in a quiet voice.
For the last few minutes, Akane had sat in the room silently
while Kasumi had tended to their father and Nabiki tried to
shake him awake. Akane didn't know what to make of the
situation, to hope that she might have at least a new friend
instead of a fiance, or worse, competition for the boys'
attentions. That was the last thing she wanted.
"Hi, uh, Kasumi? Could I have some hot water?" Ranma asked.
"I can make you some tea, that won't be a prob-" Kasumi
began as she stood up, but Ranma interrupted her.
"No thanks, Kasumi, just water," Ranma said with a smile.
"I can explain all this. You see..." Ranma began, telling
the story of how he and his father received curses from the
springs of Jusnekyo by falling in. The story was not very
believable, but when Ranma demonstrated the curse by
pouring hot water on himself, revealing a handsome teenage
boy, the Tendo family looked on in shock.
Except, Akane, of course. She looked on with newfound hope.
"That...that's amazing," Soun said, "To think magic actually
exists."
"Yeah, great. Magic. Just what I needed."
"That's not all that exists, boy," Genma said, pouring
water onto himself and giving Ranma a whack on the head
while he was at it. "Next time, share the water quicker!"
"Hey, old man! You're the one who got us cursed in the
first place!" Ranma quickly stood and punted his father
into the Tendo home's koi pond. Back as a panda, Genma was
unconscious, face first on the edge of the pool. A steamed
Ranma (in more ways than one) sat down.
"So now you get it? Cold water activates the curse," Ranma
said while emptying a vase on his head, "And hot water turns
be back to normal," proving that was true as well.
"Well, your problem's not so bad after all!" Soun said,
surprising Ranma by putting an arm around his shoulders.
"These are my three daughter: my oldest Kasumi, she's 19.
Nabiki is 17, and my youngest is Akane, she's 16. Pick any
one you want, she'll be your fiance."
The sisters sat silently but not calmly; each had their own
way of reacting to the situation, and they telegraphed it
right to Ranma. Only one of them looked happy about things.
"Yeah, so the old man told me about an hour ago," Ranma said
with a look at the three girls. "Look, Mr. Tendo, I know
it's about honour and stuff, but do I gotta make a choice
right now?"
"Akane would be the best choice, father, they're closest in
age."
"Couldn't agree more, Nabiki said with a smile."
"Really?" Akane said, surprised, looking to her sisters.
"W-wait a minute, I ain't ready for this, y'know. I ain't
marrying her!" Ranma was fumbling for words, not wanting to
say the wrong thing. But even without trying, his fear and
indifference told Akane everything she needed to know. She
handled this the same way she always had.
She ran to her room and cried.
"Aw, man...." Ranma really looked dejected as he sat where
he was, seeing the older sisters going to comfort their own.
"Don't worry, son, things will work out for the best," Soun
said, smiling to Ranma, while inside displeased at how this
turned out.
* * * * *
"Akane?" A knock at the door.
"Go away!" came a yell from beyond. Despite her words and
the thrown teddy bear, it wasn't enough to stop them coming
in. On her bed, Akane was curled up, holding a stuffed toy
to her chest, sobbing heavily.
"Akane, I can understand how you feel," Nabiki said, causing
Akane to sit up quickly.
"Oh, shut up! Like you would know," she said half-heartedly
throwing the doll toward her sisters. "It's always the same,
it'll always be the same. Nobody wants me!" she bawled to
herself. "Martial arts, that's all I've got to offer. He's
supposed to be a martial artist and even he doesn't want me!"
Her sister sat on the bed, touching her in a way that was
meant to comfort her, but the tears kept coming.
"I even get rejected for an arranged marriage. He's my
worst nightmare!" Akane said, now hugging her pillow.
Kasumi and Nabiki looked silently back toward the door to
see Ranma standing there. Doing it for Akane's benefit, he
lightly rapped on the door frame, waiting to be invited in.
The two sisters smiled to him, then left the room wordlessly,
closing the door behind them.
"Hey...Akane, right?" he began tentatively. "Back at the
table, I...I wasn't insulting you, it's just I haven't been
around girls much. I dunno how to deal with them...you."
He grabbed the chair from her desk and sat down beside her.
"I know, Ranma, I know. I overreacted, and I'm sorry."
"You know, they were probably being nice, and-"
"I don't want pity either!" she said, maybe a little too
harshly. "You don't understand, Ranma," Akane said, taking
the mirror from her headboard and looking at herself in it.
"If you were just average looking, it wouldn't be a problem,
but you're..." she began, blushing at her unintended
compliment.
"Thanks," Ranma said with a sheepish smile.
"You're so good looking as a boy, and when I saw you as a
girl, I thought I'd be competing with *those* looks too-"
"Competing? I don't compete with nobody over stuff like
that. I mean, I like my face, but...." 'Discretion was the
better part of valour' Ranma had heard somebody say, and
Ranma figured he'd better shut up and start being discreet.
"Look," he said with a smile, "It wasn't about your looks
that I said I don't wanna get married yet. It's just, well,
I'm 16, for crying out loud! So are you!"
"I know what you're trying to say, Ranma, and I appreciate
it."
"Hey, it's not like you can't get a husband on your own. I
mean, somebody's gotta be that much into martial arts and
girls into fitness, and-"
Akane turned her head to look at Ranma as he spoke. The
look in her eyes clearly spoke two words to him: "shut up".
"Just forget it, Ranma, go. You're saying it without
trying to. I appreciate the intent, but the condescension's
killing me." Akane turned away from him to face the wall,
hugging her pillow. "Please go. I don't need this or you
right now."
"Okay, Akane. I guess...I-I'll see you at breakfast."
Ranma stood and stepped out, closing the door gently.
"G'night." Akane didn't reply.
* * * * *
In the silence of her own room, Akane lay thinking.
"An arranged marriage. Could this ever work?" She looked
at herself again in the mirror, looking for some feature,
some angle or profile that was best, even one part of her
face she could make attractive to Ranma. She knew she was
deeper than the mirror, that she had personality, that her
face was unimportant, but she still couldn't accept it.
Sixteen years of being told you're ugly can wear you down.
An /omiai/ had its appeal for her, but could he ever love
her for herself? Running her fingers down her face and
cheeks, she hoped, prayed to her mother, that maybe she
could do it.
"Don't give up yet," she told herself, "Maybe martial arts
*are* what attracts him, not looks."
She smiled to herself before turning out the light.
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End
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--
Buddhist A: "Do you believe in reincarnation?"
Buddhist B: "Not you again!"