A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By Donald McElreath
The Sound of Silence
Chapter 1: Meeting
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. She created
them, not me.
I don't have even a fraction of her genius.
__________________________________
Imagine if you will the city of Tokyo as seen from the air. The
sprawling metropolis, the
magnificent skyline. Now imagine descending, zooming in if you will, on
a part of that
great city known as Nerima. Nothing special so far you might think.
Just another of
several towns swallowed by Tokyo's expansion. But wait, zoom in some
more on a dojo
near Furinkan High School. It's built along more classic lines than the
houses that stand
around it, with a high wall surrounding a spacious yard. There is even
a koi pond ringed
by stones in the garden and a cherry tree in one corner. Nice, you may
think, but so what?
Look closer and you will see a middle-aged man with a mustache and long
black hair
sitting on the porch with something clutched in his hand, tears
streaming down his face.
He stands and walks into the house calling for his three daughters.
Again you might
think, so what? Ah, my friend, but this is where the fun begins.
__________________________________
Akane Tendo stood over a couple of cinder blocks in the center of the
old dojo dressed in
her yellow gi, her long blue black hair tied with a matching ribbon, her
arm raised. With a
mighty "Haya!" she brought it down, smashing the blocks into so much
dust.
"Ahh!" She pushed her bangs back out of her eyes. "That felt good."
"There you go again, Akane. No wonder the boys all think you're so
weird."
The youngest Tendo turned to see a girl with short dark brown hair
wearing shorts and a
T-shirt behind her.
"Why should I care?" came her response. "Not everyone thinks the world
revolves around
boys, Nabiki."
Nabiki put her hands behind her head, stepped back through the dojo's
sliding doors, and
headed back towards the house. "No? Then I guess this wouldn't
interest you."
__________________________________
"Fiance?"
Soun Tendo knelt at the table across from his three daughters. The
oldest, Kasumi, now
joined her younger sisters, peace seemed to radiate from her. She wore
a simple house
dress, her long brown hair held in a ponytail with a single white
ribbon. Nabiki had
changed into a kimono with intricate designs woven into the sleeves and
sat beside her
older sister. Akane, still in her gi, sat to Nabiki's other side.
"Yes. The son of a very good friend of mine," Soun began. "His name is
Ranma. If one of
you three girls were to marry him and carry on this training hall then
the Tendo family
legacy would be secure."
"Wait a minute!" Akane shouted. "Don't we get any say in who we're
going to marry?"
"Maybe you should wait until you meet him," put in Nabiki. "He might be
really cute.
Right Daddy?"
Soun laughed nervously as he stood and walked over to the porch.
"They should be here any minute. Ranma and his father have been on a
training mission
and recently crossed over into China."
"Wow! China!" <This might not be so bad after all,> thought Nabiki.
"What's so great about China?" Akane was less than enthused.
"How old is he? Younger men are so... young." This from Kasumi.
"What kind of guy is this Ranma?"
The question, coming in stereo from Kasumi and Nabiki, made Soun nervous
once more.
The laugh returned for a second.
"Ahem. No idea."
Nabiki leaned forward, her once excited expression having been replaced
by her usual
serious one. "No idea?"
"I've never met him."
Soun was saved from any further questions by the sounds of a commotion
coming from the
front hall.
Kasumi stood from her place at the table. "It seems we have visitors."
"Oh! It must be Ranma!" Nabiki and their father raced from the room.
"Saotome my friend! We've been waiting!"
Kasumi made sure her hair was straight while hoping Ranma proved older.
Akane voiced
her opinion on the matter with a disgusted snort.
Less than a second later Nabiki and Soun came running back around the
corner with fear
on their faces. The reason appeared right behind them in the form of a
giant panda with a
squirming, flailing bundle over its shoulder.
"Father... this... is your friend?" Kasumi asked as her father and
Nabiki turned to face the
intruder.
Soun shook his head vigorously.
Nabiki didn't seem amused. "Oh? So this panda just decided to drop by
for a visit!
Happens all the time."
Akane was about to express her own thoughts when she noticed that the
bundle on the
panda's shoulder was actually a person. The reason it caught her
attention was because the
'bundle' had just connected with an elbow to the panda's head, rocking
it to the side. In
response it set its passenger down in front of the startled Tendos. The
person, with red
hair in a pigtail, wearing a red Chinese style sleeveless shirt and
black pants with a deep
blue scarf around their throat, stared at them for a few seconds, then
seemed to draw
inward to the point of almost seeming to shrink.
Soun took a step forward. "You... wouldn't be... Ranma?"
The redhead started to make some sort of hand gesture then nodded
slightly, eyes lowered.
"At last! You've come!" The Tendo patriarch cried as he grabbed Ranma
in a crushing
embrace.
"Oh! He is cute!" <Not bad at all,> thought Nabiki.
Suddenly Soun stiffened. Something wasn't right here. He pushed Ranma
out to arm's
length and stared.
Nabiki moved closer and poked a finger at Ranma's chest. "_He_ is a
girl."
Soun Tendo, master of the Tendo school of Anything Goes Martial Arts,
realizing his
dreams were lost, handled this as only he could. The world started to
spin as he saw the
faces of his daughters, Ranma, and the panda flash by before...
THUD!
He fainted.
__________________________________
"Oh, poor Father. He's so disappointed," Kasumi said as she removed the
damp cloth from
her father's forehead where he lay in the living room.
"He's disappointed!" Nabiki wasn't happy. "Some fiance this is!"
Akane noticed as the redhead seemed to shrink even more into herself.
<Can't they see
what this is doing to hi... her?> "Stop it, you two! He... SHE... is
our guest!"
"This is all your fault Daddy!" Nabiki continued to make her
displeasure known. "You
should have made sure!"
"Saotome said he had a son!"
"Do you see a son here? Hmmm? Do you?" Ranma seemed to cringe as
Nabiki grabbed
one of her breasts.
Akane stood up. <I've got to get her away from them.> "Hey. Would you
like to see the
dojo?"
Ranma looked up, obviously confused.
"I'm Akane. Want to be friends?"
Ranma's face seemed to almost light up as she repeated the hand gesture
from before and
gave a happy nod.
__________________________________
The dojo's door slid open as the two girls entered.
"You do kempo, don't you?"
Ranma nodded as she came through the door. Akane could see the smaller
girl's eyes
glancing around as she seemed to relax a little for the first time.
<She seems so shy. She
hasn't said a word.>
"Let's have a little match, okay?"
Ranma became uncomfortable.
"Just for fun. Don't worry. I won't hurt you."
The other girl just continued to stand there with her hands clasped
behind her back.
<Maybe she isn't very good. I'll go slow.> Akane launched a punch only
to have Ranma
jump over it. A follow up kick meet with the same. <Maybe she's better
than I thought.>
The next two punches were faster but were dodged just as easily. Ranma
still hadn't
changed her stance or attacked.
"What's wrong? Attack me!" Two punches and a kick got the same results
as before.
<Okay. This time FOR REAL!>
Akane threw a punch aimed for Ranma's head at full speed and strength.
Just as she was
sure her fist was going to slam into the redhead's face Ranma
disappeared. Her fist
blasted a hole through the dojo wall just before Akane felt something
tap the back of her
head. Turning she found Ranma grinning with laughter in her blue eyes.
In proved
contagious and Akane couldn't help laughing out loud.
"Ahem. You're pretty good." She started for the door. "I'm just glad
you're a girl."
Behind her Ranma got a little nervous.
"It's just... I'd really hate to lose to a boy!"
Ranma got very nervous.
__________________________________
Nabiki had changed back to her shorts and T-shirt and was headed to the
kitchen when she
noticed her father sitting with a man his age wearing glasses dressed in
an old gi with a
white cloth over his head in the living room.
"Kasumi? Who's that old guy with Daddy?" she asked as she came into the
kitchen.
"No idea."
That made her frown slightly. She didn't like mysteries.
__________________________________
Ranma followed Kasumi into the guestroom carrying her pack. "You can
use this room
while you're here, Ranma."
She nodded and set down her pack. As she turned back to the older girl
she found a towel
and bath items being held out to her.
"Wouldn't you like to take a bath?"
Taking a step back Ranma shook her head and seemed to try to wave the
items off.
Kasumi's smile slipped just a little. "You must be all sweaty from your
work out. You
really must take a bath."
Ranma found she couldn't resist as the items were offered again. With a
sad nod she took
them and let herself be lead downstairs to the bath.
__________________________________
In the bath Ranma filled and dumped a pail of water over her head and
shivered.
Lowering the pail she just stared at it as the water dripped from her
body.
<What am I gonna to do? Can't trust Pop to explain, he never does
anything right.> She
glanced over at the furo. <A quick soak might help things.>
Just as she started to stand she froze and sank back on to the wash
stool, shaking. <Baka!
That'll only make things worse. They'll think I'm some sort of freak or
something.> Her
eyes returned to the pail, the shaking getting worse. <Isn't that what
I am? Maybe leaving
before anyone finds out? Don't have anywhere to go. Does it matter?
What am I gonna to
do? What am I gonna do?>
__________________________________
"Akane! Bath's ready!"
"Thanks Nabiki." Akane gathered her bath things and went into the
changing room
outside the bath. Closing the door she noticed Ranma's clothes in the
hamper.
"Guess we can share the bath."
After removing her clothes she picked up a towel and went into the bath
proper to find
Ranma sitting on one of the stools. But she wasn't washing. She didn't
seem to be doing
anything, except staring into the water pail in her hands. Akane had
come to realize that
Ranma was a pretty shy girl, but this was different. Something really
seemed to be
bothering the little redhead. <I wonder what's wrong?>
"Ranma?"
Ranma's head shot up, when she saw a naked Akane she froze. It lasted
only a second
before she closed her eyes and looked away. She was too distracted by
her roiling
emotions to hear Akane's startled gasp.
"Ranma? Your... your throat. What happened?"
Ranma's earlier posture had hidden her throat from view, but when she
raised her head
that changed. Crossing the smooth skin of her throat were several
jagged scars, obviously
old and deep.
When she didn't get an answer Akane tore her eyes from those scars to
Ranma's face. Her
eyes were closed and her head turned away. She wondered why, then
remembered how
shy her new friend seemed to be and wrapped the towel around herself.
"Ranma? Ranma, I'm covered up now. Please look at me."
Still getting no response she took the smaller girl by the shoulders.
She felt Ranma flinch
at the touch but she didn't pull away. Then Akane realized something:
how quiet Ranma
had been... where the scars were.
"Ranma? Please."
Opening her eyes Ranma slowly turned to face Akane.
"You can't talk, can you?"
Ranma expected to see pity or even disgust in Akane's eyes, but all she
saw was concern.
The eyes and face of a friend. The last of her emotional walls fell as
years of pent up
frustration, pain and loneliness burst free.
Akane became concerned when she saw the other girl start to shake and
her eyes fill with
tears as she shook her head. Suddenly Ranma sobbed and collapsed, or
would have if
Akane hadn't caught her. Silent, wracking sobs tore through Ranma's
body and Akane put
her arms around the redhead trying to give her what comfort she could.
'Kamisama! What happened to her?'
__________________________________
Akane was truly worried about Ranma. Every time she thought the smaller
girl had
calmed down, and Akane started to release her, Ranma would curl back in
on herself and
start sobbing again. After a few tries, Akane settled for just holding
her for as long as she
had to. It had been twenty minutes and though the girl in her arms was
only crying softly
now she didn't dare release her. Not yet.
"Akane? Are you... Oh my!"
Looking up, Akane saw Kasumi standing in the doorway staring at them.
"Oneechan, we're going to need a little while. Ranma," she looked down
at the girl
huddled in her arms, "Ranma isn't feeling well right now."
Kasumi's shock at finding their guest curled into a ball of misery on
the bathroom floor
cradled in her youngest sister's arms was replaced by calm
understanding. She didn't
know what had happened to her, but right now it was obvious that Ranma
needed all the
time and comfort they could give.
"Of course, Akane. Take as long as you need. Her father is waiting for
her at the table.
I'll tell him she isn't ready yet." With that she backed out, closing
the door behind her.
Akane only barely noticed her sister leaving. Her full attention had
returned to Ranma.
She couldn't have missed the way she stiffened at the mention of her
father.
"Ranma? You don't want to see him do you?"
A shake of the head.
"But you have to don't you?"
A nod.
Akane paused before asking her next question.
"Did he... Is he responsible for what happened to you?"
Ranma stiffened again, then nodded.
Akane's anger started to boil like never before. To think Ranma's
father had caused his
daughter enough pain to bring about a breakdown like this was
unforgivable. That didn't
even begin to explain the scars on the girl's throat. If it wasn't for
the fact that Ranma
needed her right now she would have run out to teach the man a _very_
painful lesson.
Akane Tendo made a vow then and there; she would never let that bastard
hurt Ranma
again. She would see to that.
__________________________________
Ten minutes later Akane was running back to the changing room after
having dressed.
She was carrying the pad of paper and pen that Ranma had indicated she
wanted. As she
stepped through the door she found Ranma kneeling on the floor dressed
once again in her
Chinese clothing, a small pail of water beside her.
"What's the water for?" Akane asked as she handed Ranma the pad and pen.
As soon as they were in her hands Ranma began to write. As she watched,
Akane could
see her friend getting really depressed again. <What did that thing
that calls itself her
father do to her on that training trip?>
Finishing, she tore the top sheet free and held it out to Akane, who
took it and started to
read.
Akane,
I'm sure what I'm gonna show you will make you hate me. But I can't lie
to you. You're
the first person to be nice to me in a long time. I'm sorry. I can't
ask you to forgive me.
Confused, she looked up from the note to see Ranma holding the pail and
looking at her.
The pail was raised and warm water flowed over red hair. In shock,
Akane watched as the
girl seemed to blur, shift and grow. In less than a second a handsome
black haired boy
knelt where a pretty red haired girl had been. He quickly wrote another
note and held it
out to her. Shocked and confused she took it and read.
I'm Ranma Saotome. And I'm cursed.
__________________________________
A short time later everyone was gathered at the table in the living
room. Soun sat at the
head with his daughters along one side and their two guests along the
other.
"I'll explain it once more," Soun began. "This is my old friend..."
"Genma Saotome. And this is my son Ranma."
Nabiki wasn't buying it. Ranma was a girl after all. "What's this all
about?!"
"Are you really her?" Kasumi asked. "That same girl?"
Ranma nodded.
"Hmmm. Where should I begin? I know..." Genma grabbed Ranma and threw
him
through the open doors and into the koi pond.
A moment later the red headed girl from before surfaced and glared at
her father.
Kasumi stated the obvious for everyone. "Now he's a girl."
Genma had moved to the edge of the pond, not even noticing the glare on
his child's face.
"My own son. So humiliating. So humiliating."
Ranma leapt over his head from the pond and kicked him into the water.
A panda with a
pair of glasses hanging from one ear stood up in the pond and faced the
girl.
*Who are you to talk, bamboo for brains?* Ranma signed.
"Father? Why are you friends with them?"
"They weren't like this before, Kasumi! Not before they went on that
terrifying training
exercise!"
Ranma turned back to the house and saw Akane staring at her. <She hates
me now.> Her
shoulders sagged as the anger at her father vanished, replaced by the
old feelings of
loneliness. <First chance I've had to make a friend in years and Baka
Panda had to mess it
up just like everything else.>
She returned to the table, miserable. Genma-panda didn't even look in
her direction as he
headed for the bathroom. A couple minutes later a human Genma returned
to his place at
the table.
"Ah, yes. It all happened three fateful weeks ago..."
__________________________________
The mountains of China. Three figures approach a group of springs with
bamboo poles
standing out of them. One is dressed in a Chinese uniform, the other
two in gis. For those
observers who believe they know what is about to happen could ignore
this. But Fate and
Destiny often play by their own rules and love surprises.
"Here, sirs. Is legendary 'Training Ground of Accursed Springs'."
"Are you prepared, Ranma?"
*I'm always ready to pound on you, Pop.*
"You very strange one, no, sir? This place very dangerous. Nobody use
now. Is more
than one hundred spring here and every one have own tragic legend!"
"Ranma, follow me!" Genma yelled as the two martial artists jumped atop
the poles.
"Ah! Sir! What you doing?"
"I won't go easy on you," Genma warned.
Ranma smirked. <Like he ever does.>
The Guide was in a near panic. "Please sir! Very bad if you fall in
spring!"
The two launched at each other. Attacks were blocked before they landed
on a new set of
poles and sprang into the air again. This time Ranma used his father's
leg to pivot around
above him and fired off a kick that sent the older man straight down
into a spring.
Landing on a pole Ranma smiled, glad to have beaten his father again.
The spring churned, then a large black and white blur shot from its
depths to perch on top
of a pole. A giant panda with a pair of glasses hanging from its left
ear now faced Ranma.
Ranma could only stare in shock.
"That is 'Spring of Drowned Panda'!" the Guide shouted from below.
"There is tragic
legend, very tragic legend of panda who drown there two thousand year
ago! Now
whoever fall in spring... take body of panda!"
The panda who was his father chose that moment to launch himself at
Ranma. <I'm outta
here!> Ranma thought, but his surprise slowed his reflexes just enough
for the panda's
paw to send him flying into another spring.
"Ohh! Not 'Spring of Drowned Girl'! There is legend, very tragic, of
young girl who
drown in spring one thousand five hundred year ago!"
A shapely red haired girl surfaced in the spring, ripped open her gi and
silently screamed.
"Now whoever fall in that spring take body of young girl!"
Observers should also remember that sometimes the surprise is in not
changing things.
__________________________________
No one spoke when Genma finished his story. Soun was the first to break
the silence.
"The Legendary Ground of Accursed Springs. Its true horror has always
been shrouded in
mystery. But now..."
Ranma's anger returned as she grabbed a convenient bucket, doused her
father and
attacked.
"Oh, what a tragedy!" Soun cried.
"Stop that!" Kasumi wasn't pleased, the man's treatment of Ranma was
horrible and she
couldn't stand to see more of it. She grabbed onto the panda's arm as
it got ready to swing
at the girl it was fighting. "You just went TOO FAR, Mr. Saotome!"
Nabiki joined her sister. "Yeah! Even for martial arts training!"
Kasumi was in the panda's face. "What EVER made you do something so
dangerous?"
A booklet fell to the floor and was scooped up by Nabiki. "It's
Chinese. A map... and
guide book? Something about 'training grounds'. Let me guess, you can't
read Chinese."
[Correct,] read a sign in Genma-panda's paw. Ranma hit her father on
the head.
Soun appeared and poured a kettle over Genma-panda's head.
"So, when doused with hot water, you return to human form."
"Well, it needn't be quite _that_ hot."
"When doused with cold water, you become a girl..."
Ranma dodged the stream of boiling water that he tried to pour on her.
"...but hot water
turns you back into a boy!"
"No sweat." Soun enthused, patting Ranma on the back. "Your problem
isn't so terrible
after all!"
Ranma looked like she thought Soun had lost his mind. <Who's he
kidding?>
"My daughter Kasumi, she's nineteen. And Nabiki, she's seventeen. And
Akane, she's
sixteen. Pick the one you want. She's your fiancee."
For Nabiki the choice was easy. There was no way she was going to get
engaged to a sex
changing freak like Ranma. "He wants Akane!"
Kasumi hesitated. It was obvious to her from the scene in the bath that
Ranma had not
had a happy life. It was just as obvious that his father, Genma, was
responsible for most,
if not all, of that. She didn't want to be engaged to him. He was too
young and the curse
scared her. But she wasn't ready to reject him out of hand either.
"Why doesn't Ranma tell
us what he thinks?"
"He can't talk."
The quiet words brought everyone to a halt, causing them to turn to
their source. Akane.
Nabiki watched as her little sister stood and leveled a glare at Genma
that made her
wonder where they were going to hide a panda carcass. She had seen
Akane angry before
but this went beyond anything she'd ever witnessed. Until that moment
she'd never really
understood the meaning of a towering rage. Now she did. The rage
seemed to flow off
Akane in burning waves. Her hair and dress even seemed to move slightly
in a hot breeze.
"Ranma's mute! That _thing_," Akane's finger stabbed at Genma, "did
something to him!
There are scars on his throat like some one tried to kill him! If you
weren't a guest in this
house you'd be dead right now!"
The whole room was stunned by the outburst.
Then Soun smiled. "It's decided then! Akane shall marry Ranma!"
Everyone facefaulted.
"WHAT?!" The shouted response almost knocked Soun over. Not even
Kasumi, who
could usually understand her father's some times odd thinking, was
completely baffled as
to his logic this time.
"I'M NOT GOING TO MARRY HIM!"
Akane regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She turned
just in time to see
the hurt look in Ranma's eyes before the other girl all but ran from the
room.
__________________________________
Kasumi sighed as she watched her youngest sister walk up the stairs to
her room. She was
going to have to talk to her later. It wasn't hard to see that Akane
was feeling guilty over
the way she'd rejected Ranma. But first she'd have to work damage
control to keep the two
fathers from having them married before the next day was out. Turning
back to the room,
she walked over to the men and interrupted their discussion of the
wedding plans.
__________________________________
Akane was more depressed than she could remember having been since her
mother's
death. She sat on her bed staring blankly at the opposite wall, her
thoughts in turmoil.
<How could I have said it like that. I know how fragile she... no
_he_... _he_ has to be
after what happened in the bath. It must have been _horrible_ traveling
around with only
that thing of a father for company.>
There came a knock at her door. "Akane?"
"Come in, Kasumi."
Her oldest sister came in, sat next to her, and put an arm around her.
She said nothing,
knowing Akane would talk when she was ready.
"How could I do that to him?" Akane finally began, her voice choked
with emotion. "You
saw him in the bath. He just came apart on me. I've never seen anyone
hurting that
much." Her head dropped in shame.
"Are you sorry?"
Her head shot up. "Of course I'm sorry, Kasumi. I hurt him when that's
the last thing he
needs right now. But what can I do? He hates me now."
"I doubt that, little sister. I think Ranma is a very sensitive and
caring person. He's just
very vulnerable right now. Talk to him and tell him why you said what
you did. I'm sure
everything will work out." She gave an affectionate smile. "And don't
worry about Father
and Mr. Saotome. I'll keep them from getting carried away until the two
of _you_ decide
what it is _you_ want."
Akane gave Kasumi a hug, glad that she was there. "I'll try, Oneechan.
I'll try. But not
tonight. I don't think I'm up to it right now."
Kasumi got up to leave, but had one more piece of advice to give.
"Okay, Akane. But
don't wait too long. You wouldn't want to lose a friend after all."
End Chapter 1
___________________________
C&C welcome.
Thanks to my prereaders (I'll get your names next time) without whom
this work would be far
less than it is.