This is pretty much unchanged. Mostly, I fixed up the grammer and spelling,
cut the recaps and otherwise cleaned it up. The first part of chapter 1,
where I described Nerima as a sort of magical place remains.
I feel, (and I stand by this), that Nerima in the Ranmaverse is a place that
exists in the world, yet stands apart from it. I did, however, clean up the
description of the place.
The prolouge isn't really part of the story and has little to do with it in
any real way, shape, or form. It was more of a jokepiece, but the basic idea
is there and I thought you might like it to read it.
Also, I'd like to stress two other points;
One, I know what I'm doing. Trust me. ;-) Things are happening the way they
are for a reason.
Two, I'm from the dubbed Anime end of Ranma fandom. Therefore, these are the
Dub versions. Please bear that in mind when you C&C.
Finally, special thanks to Doug and Gary who C&C'd chapters 1&2. Thanks,
guys.
Also, I'd like to thank everyone else who wrote in to tell me what they though
t.
You know where to send the C&C,
--Komodo
=============
Prolouge
In this world are two forces which shape it. Destiny, which determines who
will save the world, and Fate, who decides if they will succeed.
While Fate is something of a slacker, that is, he leaves the success bit up
to Chance; Destiny takes his job very seriously.
Bearing this in mind, let us turn our attention to Destiny's little office.
It's a small cramped place, as it is appropriate for someone who keeps track
of each and every soul on the planet. At the moment, he was attempting to
iron out the destiny of a man with teeth and curly hair who, even though he
was not from Earth, insisted on solving it's problems.
Rather rude, don't you think?
In any case, there he was, minding his own business like any good cosmic
entity when he became aware that someone was attempting to kill one Nashumira
Okasa, a resident of Nerima, a district of Tokyo, Japan.
While this was normally none of his concern, he had already chosen Okasa to
do great things with physics and so he had to keep the little bugger alive.
The easiest way to do this would be to give him superpowers, but no, that
simply wouldn't do. A bodyguard then. But who?
Normally he would simply pick Ranma Saotome, but he had already dumped enough
on Ranma's shoulders as it was. After all, that whole thing with the fish was
due to happen any day now. What about one of Nerima's other martial artists?
The Kunos were a definite no.
Ukyo Kujoni? No, not strong enough.
Shampoo? No, she was directly involved with the fish.
Ryouga Hibki? That was assuming he made it, and besides, Fate had other plans
for the boy.
Akane Tendo? No, hers and Ranma's were tied too closely together. Picking her
would be like picking Ranma.
Genma, Nodaka and Soun were all out, as was that whatever it was that lived
in the Tendo Household.
Ah yes, there was the perfect choice. Smart, realistic, and a survivor. But
she had no real fighting ability. She needed an edge.
What could he give her?
Then it came to him.
Yes, that would do nicely.
Chuckling to himself, Destiny reached out and made one single adjustment to
the ancestry of his chosen which would eventually filter down to her. He then
adjusted Nashumira's line to make the two associates.
With that taken care of, he reached for his coat and hat. Time to go have a
talk with that teeth and curls fellow.
**********
Chapter 1
Like most major cities, Tokyo, Japan, has districts. Usually, these were
originally towns that simply got absorbed when Tokyo expanded its borders.
One of them, Juuban, has lately been the home of many sightings of girls in
sailor suits battling monsters.
Then there's Nerima.
Nerima's a small, quiet district on Tokyo's northwestern side. Its mostly
home to traditional Japanese restaurants, shops, and artists. Canals run
through it, and the air is filled with the smells of food, oils and the quiet
tinkle of chimes blowing in the breeze.
Years ago, the area was home to magicians, sorcerers, and alchemists. Some of
what they wrought still lingers and in the quiet early morning light, a
person can feel it, a slight tingle along the hairs on the back of one's
neck. Nerima is alive. Not alive as Mr. Webster might define the term, but
nevertheless, there is a sort of awareness about the place, which gives rise
to many tales and traditions.
One of those tales tells of how Nerima is protected by a Guardian. A physical
powerhouse which is usually in the form of a great white tiger, though it has
been known to use other forms.
Of late, the current Guardian is believed by those who follow such things to
be one Ranma Saotome, a teenaged martial artist who has managed to come out
on top in almost every challenge he has come to.
ALMOST every challenge. . . .
================
"OH ho ho! Oh Ranma, darling!"
"Kodachi!" Ranma yelped, as he leapt out the way of the spiked gymnastics
club that came whistling down from the rooftops and darted around the corner,
ducking the spiked rings bit into the brick.
He didn't want to run, but he was supposed to meet Akane at the Cat Cafe and
he didn't want to be late.
It was at that point that a car turned the corner and splashed him with water.
Now aside from the fact that Kodachi's supposed true love was wearing
silk--which is absolutely destroyed by water--there's another problem
Ranma groaned as he felt the tingling sensation that signaled the change.
"Why now?" She asked no one in particular as she leapt to the roof of a car,
avoiding the gymnastics clubs that hammered the spot where she had been
standing a moment earlier.
Using the car roof as a springboard, Ranma jumped to the top of a light pole
and from there to an awning, which catapulted her to the roof of a small
store.
Kodachi followed.
"You! Where is my darling Ranma?"
"I'm right here." Ranma pointed out, even though she knew it was useless.
Like her brother, Kodachi firmly believed that Ranma's boy and girl half were
separate people. Unlike her brother though, Kodachi believed that the girl
half was evil.
"I know where YOU are, I want to know where Ranma is!" Kodachi screamed and
lashed out with her ribbon. Ducking, Ranma sprinted to the edge of the roof
and leapt off, aiming for the top of the next building. Unfortunutly, she
miscalculated and instead plunged down to land in a heap of trash piled along
the narrow alley between the two buildings.
Ramma rolled over and tried to stand as Kodachi approached, carrying a spiked
club. But her body refused to work.
"At last, I will eliminate you, and then Ranma will be mine." Kodachi
chuckled and took a firm grip on the club. "The ribbon was coated with my
paralysis powder and these spikes are coated with poison. Your death will be
slow and painful. Oh ho ho ho ho!"
Ranma's eyes widened and she redoubled her efforts to stand. But her body
refused to cooperate and she could only lay there.
"Good-bye," Kodachi said simply, raising her club. Ranma closed her eyes and
said her good-byes, bracing herself for the impact. But instead the world was
shattered by a loud roar.
Opening her eyes, Ranma saw Kodachi being menaced by a huge white tiger.
"So," Kodachi's eyes narrowed as she made what seemed to be one of the
infamous Kuno leaps of illogic. "My brother is correct, Ranma Saotome does
consort with the forces of darkness!" She looked over at Ranma. "And it's
your fault, witch!" With that, she bounded away into the street and vanished
into the crowd.
For a moment, the tiger seemed ready to give chase and then it stopped and
looked back at Ranma. It stood there, glancing from the mouth of the alley
and Ranma's prone form then it sighed and padded over to him.
Carefully, it leveled him up onto its back and then turned and ran, moving
with such grace that Ranma was not jostled from her precarious perch.
================
Kasumi hummed to herself as she took the laundry down, eyeing the clouds
gathering on the horizon. It would rain tonight, or perhaps tomorrow and she
made a mental note to get the raincoats out for Ranma.
Turning, she witnessed a giant white tiger leap over the back wall and land
lightly on the grass.
"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped, dropping the laundry. On the beast's back was Ranma.
"Inside," Kasumi said, indicating the house. "quickly, before anyone sees."
Once inside, Kasumi slid Ranma from the tiger's back and then crouched over
her.
"Kodachi. . .paralysis powder. . ." Ranma groaned.
"I'll summon Doctor Tofu," Kasumi said gently. "Now rest." With that, she
touched a specific spot on Ranma's neck, causing the pig tailed martial
artist's eyes fluttered and closed.
Standing, Kasumi stood and looked at the tiger, which had not moved. "Go
now," she said firmly. "You are no longer needed in this matter."
The tiger shuddered and then began to shrink, gradually resolving into a
teenaged girl dressed in blue overalls and a red shirt.
Nabiki Tendo looked up at Kasumi with terrified eyes.
"Kasumi?" She asked quietly.
"Go wash your face and then lie down," Kasumi said. "I will explain
everything after Doctor Tofu examines Ranma."
Nodding, Nabiki stood and staggered up the stairs.
When she was gone, Kasumi walked to the phone and dialed Tofu's number. While
the phone at the other end rang, Kasumi glanced back at Ranma, her expression
one of worry.
Why did it have to be Nabiki? And why now?
================
Chapter 2
Akane beat Tofu to the front door by about one minute and she was fighting
mad.
"That stupid baka promised he'd meet me!" Akane shouted as she kicked off her
shoes and stormed into the house. "I'm gonna kill him!"
"Akane," Kasumi said quietly as she placed herself in Akane's path. "Ranma
has been hurt."
Like water down the drain, Akane's anger vanished.
"What happened?"
"Kodachi-" was as far as the older girl got before Akane's anger flared to
life again.
"I'm sick of her!" Akane exclaimed as she turned to the door. "I'll teach her
to mess with me!"
"Akane," Kasumi said. "What about Ranma?"
"Oh gosh!" Akane exclaimed and ran for the stairs.
"Ranma's in the living room!" Kasumi called.
"Oh! Thanks!" Akane called back and Kasumi heard the thunder of pounding feet
as Akane made her way back towards the living room.
Turning as the doorbell rang, Kasumi turned back to the door and let Doctor
Tofu in.
After escorting him to the living room and making sure he had everything,
Kasumi headed up the stairs to Nabiki's room.
Upon entering, she found her younger sister barricaded behind a pile of
cushions in the far corner, wrapped in blankets and shaking violently.
Remembering what her mother had told her, Kasumi sat on the bed and waited.
================
When Ranma opened her eyes, she found herself staring into Akane's and Doctor
Tofu's.
"Wha?"
"Well hello, Ranma," Tofu said as he shone a bright light into Ranma's eyes.
"Care to tell me what happened? Kasumi mentioned Kodachi and her paralysis
powder but she couldn't really give me any details."
As best she could, Ranma recounted the entire event. Tofu said nothing until
she was done.
"One question."
"Yeah?"
"How did you get out of the Nekoken?"
"Huh?"
"You were rescued by a giant white tiger?"
"Yeah, so?"
"A tiger is a type of cat."
"So?" Ranma looked from Tofu to Akane and back again. "What's with the funny
looks?"
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Tofu asked, holding up three fingers.
"Three," Ranma said. "You gonna cure me or not?"
"In a moment," Tofu said as he went to the phone. Neither Akane or Ranma
could hear what he said, but about five minutes after he hung up, Shampoo
burst into the room.
"Nihao!" she called cheerfully.
"Hello Shampoo," Tofu said pleasantly and upended a bucketful of cold water
on the Amazon.
Shampoo vanished to be replaced by a Siamese/Persian mix cat.
The effect on Ranma was immediately apparent.
"C-c-cat!" she screeched, leaping from the floor and half stumbling, half
running backwards until she hit the couch.
"Thank you Shampoo," Tofu said and emptied the tea kettle full of hot water
onto the cat.
"Why Doctor do that?" Shampoo demanded.
"It was an experiment," Tofu said and turned to Ranma.
"Was there anything else about this tiger that rescued you that struck you as
odd?"
"Well, it seemed kinda smart," Ranma said, staring up at the ceiling as she
relaxed.
"Why Airen not act crazy?" Shampoo whispered as she leaned over to Akane
"Tiger type of cat. Ranma should be acting crazy when tiger mentioned."
"We don't know," Akane whispered back. "That's probably why you're here."
"An intelligent white tiger?" Tofu mused. "Anything else?"
"It was. . .big." Ranma said after a moment. "Bigger then at the zoo."
"Now that's interesting," Tofu replied, as he poured himself some tea. "It
sounds like the Guardian."
"Who?"
"Its an old story. Nobody really knows where the Guardian comes from. She
appears when she's needed and disappears when she's not." He pushed his
glasses back up his nose. "A lot of people think you're the Guardian, Ranma."
"What this have to do with Ranma not acting crazy?" Shampoo demanded.
"At a guess? The Guardian doesn't trigger the Nekoken because she's not
really a cat."
"Shampoo not really cat."
"You are when doused with cold water," Tofu replied. "Let me put it another
way. When you get wet, you physically, for all intents and purposes, become a
cat. The Guardian, however, is a magical construct, or so my research
suggests. Therefore, she doesn't trigger Ranma's Felisphobia."
"Well that's a big help," Akane grumbled. "And what about the ghost cat?"
"Same difference. It may be a ghost, but it's still a cat." Tofu paused and
took a sip of tea. Then he frowned as he set it down. "Still, I am bothered
about one thing."
"What that?"
"The Guardian awakens only when Nerima's in danger. What's going on that woke
her up?"
**********
Two hours passed before Nabiki spoke.
"Kasumi?"
"I'm right here," Kasumi said gently.
"What's happening to me?"
'Only that you're paying the price for an ancestor's sins.' Kasumi thought
darkly. "You're going to be fine, Nabiki," She said aloud.
"I don't feel fine," Nabiki whispered.
"It will pass."
"How long?" Nabiki demanded, a trace of her old self emerging.
"Soon. Why don't you come out of there?"
"Don't wanna."
"Very well," Kasumi said and resumed waiting.
================
Since Kasumi hadn't started dinner, the rest of the house elected to order in
from Uuchan's.
"So where's Kasumi?" Ukyou, who had been invited to stay for dinner, asked.
"Upstairs doin' stuff probably," Ranma said as he started in on his fourth
okonomiyaki.
"Oh."
================
It was dark out by the time the barricade of cushions finally came down and
Nabiki, stiff and red in the face from crying, emerged, still wrapped in
blankets and carrying a stuffed penguin. Kasumi smiled slightly when she saw
the stuffed bird. Mister Pen-Pen, Nabiki had named him.
"Hello, Nabiki," Kasumi said as though she had just entered the room instead
of sitting on the bed for four hours straight.
"I'm scared," Nabiki said softly.
"I know," Kasumi replied. "Would you like to tell me about it?"
Nabiki got on the bed and pressed herself against the wall, holding Mister
Pen-Pen against her chest.
"It was like I was me, but I wasn't me," Nabiki said, her voice subdued. "And
this voice in my head kept telling me to protect. Protect what? Ranma? He
doesn't need protection."
"He did today," Kasumi reminded her.
"Oh. Yeah," Nabiki looked away. "What's happening to me Oneechan?"
"You are the Guardian," Kasumi began. In the past four hours, Kasumi had
debated on exactly how much to tell her younger sister. The whole truth was
out of course, Nabiki could never accept it, not in her present state. Nabiki
would have to be told part of the truth then. "A long time ago, back when
Nerima was first founded, the villagers fell victim to a horde of bandits.
Every year, they had to pay a tithe to them or be killed. Then one year, as
the time for the tithe approached, one of the village women sought out a
witch, offering herself and her descendants in return for the power necessary
to defeat the bandits.
"The witch agreed, granting her the power to assume the form of any beast
necessary. The woman went back to the village, and using the form of a giant
white tiger, defeated the bandits."
"Is that why I turned into one?"
"Yes. A white tiger is usually the form each new Guardian first assumes and
primarily uses throughout their lives. The Guardian's job is to protect."
"Protect what?"
"Nerima and all who are within it."
"But if that's true, then why now? Why am I changing now?"
"Because, between Ranma, the police, the town Martial Artists, magicians, and
such, there hasn't been anything they couldn't handle."
"So something's happening? Something they can't handle?" Nabiki asked,
sitting up straighter, her eyes narrowed in thought.
"Yes," Kasumi replied, pleased that Nabiki seemed to be adjusting to her new
situation.
"Who am I kidding?" Nabiki sighed and sat back against the wall. "I'm no
hero."
"Anyone can be a hero," Kasumi replied as she stood up. "But its late. Why
don't you sleep on it and we will talk some more in the morning?"
"Yeah, good idea," Nabiki agreed, sliding down onto the bed.
"Good night," Kasumi said as she tucked Nabiki in before leaving the room,
switching off the light as she closed the door.
Turning, she found herself facing her father.
"Kasumi?" he asked.
"Nabiki's running a fever," Kasumi said simply. "I was staying with her."
"Oh. We ordered from Uuchan's and Ukyou and Akane did the dishes."
"Thank you father," Kasumi beamed even though she was slightly irritated that
her kitchen had been invaded. "But I will just dirty them again to prepare
something for myself."
"No need for that, Ukyou left some okonomiyaki in the fridge. Looks like you
have some free time tonight." He chuckled slightly.
"How sweet of her," Kasumi said, a bit of ice in her tone.
"Yes, well, goodnight Kasumi."
"Goodnight father," Kasumi said and continued downstairs, consoling herself
with the thought that she could use the dishes from her dinner to keep her
hands busy while she worked on the problem of Nabiki being the Guardian.
Dinner, however, proved to be on paper plates.
"Of course," Kasumi sighed and reached in for the food.
================
Nabiki stared at the clock and then rolled onto her back, looking up at the
ceiling. Two in the morning and she couldn't sleep.
Being the Guardian had been so interesting. . .
There was a sort of raw power there, a force she could reach out and grab.
And then. . . .
'And then what?'
Grumbling to herself, she threw the covers back and sat up. She wouldn't be
able to sleep until she knew what she was going to do and she couldn't come
up with any answers here.
================
Awakened by a scraping noise, Kasumi peered out the window and saw Nabiki,
Mister Pen-Pen in hand, climbing the ladder to the roof. Satisfied as to the
source of the noise, Kasumi went back to bed.
'Now then, Doctor,' she thought to herself as she got comfortable and closed
her eyes. 'where were we?'
================
The demon looked down at one of its pawns, who was sleeping peacefully, a
wooden bokken in one hand, and picture of a pig-tailed girl in the other.
So, amusing, these humans, such a belief in their own innate goodness. After
all, it had been evil that had led to the creation of this pit's precious
Guardian.
Seething, the demon left the room. So close, it had been so close! Sooner or
later, the town would have run out of tithes and then the bandits would have
burned the town to the ground. Then it could sift through the grounds at its
leisure and find the Key.
But then, the white tiger had appeared, bringing down its men with appalling
ease.
The demon had fought, or tried to, but the tiger proved to be powerful,
slaughtering the host and forcing the demon to flee.
But now it had its chance again. The Key was close, a tangible presence. The
spell that kept it safe was drawing near the end of its life and the one
person in the town who could re-cast the spell was unaware he had the power.
Once he was dead, there was nothing between the demon and its prize.
"Soon you shall be free, Master," The demon hissed to itself as it returned
to its host. "Soon we will have our revenge."
================
Nabiki watched the glow on the horizon that signaled the sunrise.
She had long ago stopped feeling the cold, her thoughts still a chaotic whirl.
As the first rays of light peeked overhead, she felt it, a tingling along the
hairs on the back of her neck. Looking down, she saw something she had never
noticed before.
Nerima seemed almost like a slumbering giant under the first light of dawn.
In the deathly quiet, the occasional breath of wind seemed almost like the
breathing of someone sleeping.
It was then that Nabiki began to understand.
Sure the place was strange. At times it could pass for a madhouse, and led
the rest of Tokyo in property damage, but it was alive. The people made it
live through their hopes, dreams, love, laughter, tears, and joy.
It was her home and she loved it to death, even if she'd never admit it.
She looked down at her hand and held it up, studying her palm.
"The form of beasts. . ." she mused and concentrated.
Gradually, her hand blurred and reshaped itself into a nine fingered, two
thumbed, scaled, fur and feathered monstrosity.
Relaxing, she watched it flow back into a human hand.
It was then the sun finally peeked over the horizon, bathing her in the
warmth of its light.
Nabiki then and there made her choice.
Somewhere out there, something had arisen and woken up the Guardian, forcing
her into the role of protector.
A role she didn't want.
So whatever it was had just screwed up her carefully ordered life and her
lips twisted into an ugly smile as she made herself a solemn promise;
The bastard was going to pay for that.