Sorry about the formatting error. This time it should be right.
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 far less than it is.