I promised some outtakes a while back. I've been working on them
sporadically. Here is the first batch; I'll probably do some more later.
Deborah
=============
Genma's Daughter: Outtakes
*****
"Well, of course it's true, Ranma. And I should know. Who else do you think
Genma and Souun would come running to once they found out they'd never have
sons to carry on the families' schools?"
All of the people in the room stared at Happousai in shock. Nodoka drew her
katana in one swift motion and waved it threateningly. Suddenly, there was a
*thwack*.
Nodoka looked over in horror at Ranko, whose neck the katana was in firm
contact with.
"Eeep?", she offered, before toppling over. Nodoka gasped.
"CUT!!" The director put her head in her hands. "NOW do you see why we use
props?!"
Nodoka rushed over. "Oh, sweetheart! Are you all right?" She helped Ranko up
into a sitting position.
Happousai bounded over. "I think she needs CPR!" He leapt, but fell short
when a fist smashed him into the floorboards.
Akane, whose fist it was, glared at him. "Don't bury yourself in the part!"
*****
Ranma awkwardly scooted over closer to Akane, and she looked at him briefly,
and produced a teary smile. "It's... it's OK. It just caught me by
surprise." Ranma nodded, and together, they watched the video as it played
out before them. As the next scene started, Ranma's face turned ashen.
On the screen in front of them two little girls were having a tea party. One
of them was the young Akane they had just seen in her mother's arms, and the
other was... was a little girl with red hair, blue eyes, and an eerily
familiar face: Ranko. Ranko-chan was wearing a frilly green sundress, her
lush red hair done up in a loose ponytail. She had two flowers in her hair,
doubtless in honor of her birthday. Akane-chan was wearing a yellow cotton
dress, and the two of them sat at a small play table with their tea set. On
the larger table behind them, Nabiki was playing shop with a toy cash
register. Occasionally, a seven year old Kasumi would come in from the
kitchen, where she was apparently helping her mother and Nodoka.
Suddenly, a black-haired boy darted into the picture, and yanked hard on the
red-haired girl's ponytail. She screeched, and she and Akane set off in hot
pursuit.
Ranma laughed. "Oh, geez, I'd forgotten about that." Akane glared at him.
"CUT!!"
The director turned to one of the crew. "I thought you said you edited him
out of that tape?" The man shrugged apologetically.
*****
Akane was really worried; this wasn't like Ranma at all. "What is it, Ranma?
What's wrong?"
Ranma looked to Akane, then to Nodoka, then down to the slightly worn
cream-colored carpet, which he studied intently. It showed its age, but was
spotless, no doubt thanks to his mother. "I... I..." he stopped, then tried
again. "I... remember. Th-that c-c-cat. And the... dr-dress. M-mom was
always tellin' me to not pick him up, 'cause I always got c-cat hair all
over" -- he swallowed -- "my dress. That picture's the first thing out of
all the stuff I've seen and heard that I actually remember myself. I
guess... I was too young to remember very much, but I remember that." He
shivered. "Oh... oh, Kami-sama, I'm... I'm... really a girl." He put his
head down on his knees and hugged them, trying to curl into a ball.
Suddenly he straightened up. "Is it time to learn flower arranging yet?" He
grinned.
"CUT!!"
Akane swatted him on the head. "Baka!"
>From off-camera, a red-headed girl moaned "Oniichan..."
*****
The curse... it... it..." Ranma mumbled something inaudible and once again
buried her face in her knees, trembling.
Akane was amazed. What could Ranma possibly be so ashamed of? "What did you
say, Ranma? What did the curse do?"
Ranma slowly raised her head, still not looking at Akane. "It makes me want
to paint sad clowns on black velvet." She turned away in shame.
Akane stared at Ranko for a long moment, before both girls dissolved into
gales of laughter. So did most of the other people on the set.
"CUT!!"
Akane, wiping her eyes, managed to choke out, "Oh, Sis, you have an *evil*
sense of humor!"
*****
The strange mood dissipated. Ranma looked down. "Yeah, Shampoo. We wanna
talk to the old... umm, to Cologne."
Cologne sighed and put down the chopstick she had been aiming. Why couldn't
she just have said it like she always did? Just like Ranma to spoil her fun
by not playing the game. She hopped into the dining area on her stick, which
hit a wet spot and promptly rocketed out from under her.
"Great-Grandmother!" The three girls rushed over, and helped the older woman
to stand up.
"CUT!! Are you all right?"
Cologne rubbed her posterior and turned to the director. "You know, if you
want me to do stunt work, you could at least pay me for it."
*****
She walked slowly up to the mirror, never taking her eyes from the girl
looking back at her. She had abused this girl almost as much as her father
had; now, she had to face her as a real person, someone who had had her life
taken away from her. "I'm sorry..." she said to her reflection. "I'm so
sorry..."
As she approached the mirror, she lifted her arm and reached out her hand
towards the reflection. The girl in the mirror did likewise, and their
fingertips met at the glass.
"Who are you?" whispered Ranma.
"CUT! Great..."
"And why are you talking to yourself?" continued the redhead.
*****
Akane noticed Ranma's quiet and pensive air as they walked to school, and
decided to leave him to his thoughts. He had a lot to think about. Instead
of trying to engage him in conversation, she just kept an eye on him as they
walked, and smiled when he glanced her way.
In plenty of time (for there had been no arguments to slow them down) they
approached Fuurinkan. As they passed through the gates, they both winced;
Kunou was waiting for them.
He stepped forward, bokken raised. "Saotome! Where is the pigtailed girl?
What unspeakable things have you done to her?"
Ranma scratched his head and thought. "Nothin' recently. Got any
suggestions?" Kunou's jaw dropped.
"CUT!!"
"Mommmmm!"
"Ranma, stop teasing your sister."
*****
Ranma stepped out of the shower, and Ranko stepped in. The "change" would be
added later through "morphing" on a computer.
"Action!"
Within a second the water turned to a cold trickle, and Ranma changed. The
shock caused her to open her eyes, and she whirled around to face out of the
shower stall. A couple of dozen boys were standing there, in various states
of undress, and casually, slowly, taking a good long look at her naked body.
Her eyes swung wildly from boy to boy, and she looked to be in shock. Her
small hands flew up to cover as much of herself as she could, which wasn't
much. Her mouth hung open. A couple of the boys giggled nervously. She
looked down at herself, then back at the boys.
Hiroshi turned to Daisuke. "You'd think these idiots would learn. He pounds
'em every time they pull this stunt, and they never remember." Daisuke
nodded. They turned back to Ranma...
...who had slid down to a sitting position in the shower stall and was
quivering, looking not at all ready to pound anyone. She looked around one
last time, and a terrified look came into her eyes. She opened her mouth,
and screamed.
"And.... CUT! Great job everyone!"
Ranko looked out at the boys. "Uh... guys... you can stop looking now." No
one moved. "Guys?"
"HEY, YOU PERVERTS! QUIT IT!" Kami-sama, I hate shower scenes...
*****
The door to his room slid open, and Akane was standing there in her pajamas.
"Ranma, are you all right? What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"
Ranma hung his head. "I... I..." He swallowed. "Yeah."
Akane came in and kneeled by his futon. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Ranma looked away for a moment, then back at Akane. "I... guess so."
Akane put a hand on his arm. "What happened to make you scream like that?"
Ranma sighed, and put his hand over his eyes. "Pop came back with some
Nanniichuan, and he dumped it on me, and my... my girl side was gone. Then I
looked in the mirror, and... and she was there, dressed like a girl." He
shuddered. "Her shoes didn't go with her dress at all."
"CUT!!"
The girl in question stormed onto the set, fuming. "OK, Mr. Fashion Expert,
just what do *you* know about shoes?"
*****
"Ranko, what do you see? In the mirror."
Ranko was confused. "I... I see me..."
"Look closely. Is that really you in the mirror, or someone else?"
Ranko did as she was told. She examined the petite, pretty, redheaded
Japanese girl looking back at her, and a wave of comfortable familiarity
washed over her at the sight; she felt a little better. "Yes... Yes, that's
me."
"Is that a boy or a girl?"
Ranko turned to Akane. "Have you had your eyes checked recently?"
"CUT!"
*****
"Ranko, what do you see? In the mirror."
Ranko was confused. "I... I see me..."
"Look closely. Is that really you in the mirror, or someone else?"
Ranko did as she was told. She examined the petite, pretty, redheaded
Japanese girl looking back at her, and a wave of comfortable familiarity
washed over her at the sight; she felt a little better. "Yes... Yes, that's
me."
"Is that a boy or a girl?"
Ranko looked again. "It's... I... I'm a girl."
Akane grinned. "You're sure now?"
"Pretty sure."
"Really?"
"Maybe I'm wrong. What do you think?"
"Looks like a girl to me."
"Looks like two, actually."
"Pretty cute, too."
"I like to think so."
"CUT!"
*****
"Ranko, what do you see? In the mirror."
Ranko was confused. "I... I see me..."
"Look closely. Is that really you in the mirror, or someone else?"
Ranko did as she was told. She examined the petite, pretty, redheaded
Japanese girl looking back at her, and a wave of comfortable familiarity
washed over her at the sight; she felt a little better. "Yes... Yes, that's
me."
"Is that a boy or a girl?"
Ranko and Akane looked at each other, and broke up into helpless laughter.
"Cut..." whimpered the director.
*****
Ranko shouted "Ryouga, please listen to me! This is senseless! I don't want
to fight you!"
Ryouga opened his eyes wide in mock surprise. "You don't? Too bad. I want to
fight you!" and with that he leapt again.
Ranko tried to dodge, but didn't move fast enough, and the two of them went
rolling in a ball until they came to a stop, Ryouga lying on top of her.
"CUT!!"
Ryouga's face turned ashen. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Are you OK,
honey? I'm sorry!"
Ranko reached an arm up around his neck. "Well, aren't *we* being forward.
We should do this more often..."
Ryouga smiled nervously, and suddenly slapped his hand over his nose.
"Can you guys wait until you're somewhere private, please?"
*****
Akane had already finished breakfast and was sitting in the living room,
while Nodoka worked in the kitchen cleaning up. Ranko's breakfast still sat
on the dining table. Akane looked up, and dropped the book she was reading;
she felt like she had seen a ghost coming down the stairs. A black-haired
ghost. Somehow, she had not expected to see him again.
"CUT!"
Ranma and Akane swung around to face the director.
"Huh? What is it this time?"
The director shook her head. "You're still walking like a guy. You're
supposed to be a girl in this scene!"
Ranma growled. "Hey, it's hard, y'know? I'm tryin'! Sheesh, why do I gotta
act like some dumbass girl anyway?"
Akane's book sailed through the air and bounced off Ranma's head. "'Dumbass
girl?!'"
Ranma glared at Akane and was about to reply when they were both interrupted
by a loud "CRUNCH".
A painful silence fell over the set, and all eyes turned to the petite
redhead who was sitting in a director's chair off to one side. She was
holding a crushed soda can, which was dripping, adding to the little puddle
of Diet Coke on the floor.
"Oniichan, do you remember just which 'dumbass girl' you're supposed to be
acting like?"
Ranma swallowed. "Heh... I... I didn't mean it that way..."
Ranko got up and stalked over to where Ranma stood. "So you just can't bear
to play me! Do you know how much I had to play you? Do you?!"
Oh man, here it comes. 'Thirty-eight manga volumes and four seasons of
TV'...
"Thirty-eight manga volumes and four seasons of TV! I had to pretend to be
you, be all macho and talk like a dockworker! In every chapter, in every
episode! How many times did you have to pretend to be me? One measly TV
episode and a handful of fanfics! And you can't handle that?"
Ranma sighed. "Yeah, yeah... whatever."
"Is it that much to ask to have a story once and a while about *me*?"
Ranma looked smug. "It's me that people wanna hear about."
Ranko fumed and looked him up and down. "You just don't want to admit you
can't do it."
Ranma blinked. "Can't do it? Whaddaya mean?"
"Just that. *I* can play *you* just fine. You can't play me, though. You
aren't a good enough actor to play a girl. That's why you're making such a
big deal out of it."
Ranma's jaw dropped. "What? Me, not a good actor?! You just watch! I'll do
this scene so good you'll think I was born a girl! Just watch me! Get ready
for some serious girl!" He turned around. "Where's my mark?"
As Ranko walked back off the set, she and Akane looked at each other, and
exchanged winks.
*****