Waaaah, to be forced to beg for C&C... <sniff>
Disclaimer time:
Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz Communications own Ranma
1/2. Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Gainax and ADV Films own Neon
Genesis Evangelion.
My deepest thanks go to my pre-readers: David Menard, Eric Oh, James
Merritt, Thomas Hackwood.
Corwin (ely7@inter.net.il or corwin@virtuallyjeannie.com)
http://lavender.fortunecity.com/friday/573/ranma.html
* Previous chapters can also be found at:
http://members.xoom.com/phu_lam/index.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/rfics.html
http://ranmaxovers.tripod.com
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: acoa-ch6-ffml.txt
A Couple of Angels
Chapter 6
Dozens of drooling boys were blocking the entrance to the school when
Rei and Ranma-chan showed up.
Getting a nasty flashback, Ranma asked the gathered perverts, "Whaddya
want?"
"We came to defeat you in honorable combat, so that we may date thee, oh
Pigtailed Goddess!" a brave boy, whom Ranma identified as Toji,
exclaimed, before whipping out a bokken and posing dramatically. Twin
lightning bolts clashed in the background behind him.
Rei blinked, while Ranma groaned and was about to pound the boys when
she got an idea.
Smiling sweetly, she batted her eyelashes at the crowd and asked them in
a sing-song voice, "Could you boys please move closer together?"
A couple of especially smart students hastily made their way into the
school building, while the others regrouped just as they were asked.
Ranma smiled again, and pointed a finger towards them, shouting,
"FIREEEBALL!"
Turning towards Rei, she gestured that the road was clear. Shrugging
slightly, Rei entered the gates, careful not to step on the charred and
still smoking students. Flipping her pigtail behind her shoulder, Ranma
smirked and followed her friend into the school.
--------------------------------------------------
"Ranma?" Rei said out of the blue, when they were eating their lunches
under the tree that Ranma claimed to herself.
"Yes?" the red-head asked, surprised that Rei would start a
conversation. It wasn't unheard of, but then again, it wasn't all that
common.
"What you did today..."
"You mean that fireball thingy?" Ranma queried.
"Yes. How did you do it?" Rei wondered, looking at her friend.
"Simple, with ki," Ranma answered, smiling at the memory of all the
perverts getting hit with her attack. Seeing that she wasn't getting
through to Rei, Ranma held out her hand, palm out, and concentrated,
creating a small, blue ball of ki above it.
"Go ahead, touch it, if you want to," Ranma encouraged Rei.
Hesitantly, Rei reached out and touched the ki ball, small sparks
circling her hand. Smiling, she said to Ranma, "It feels nice."
"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" Ranma agreed, smiling herself.
While Rei was fascinated with the small ki ball, Ranma said, "I usually
use the Moko Takabisha as my ki blast, but today I decided to try
something new."
This got Rei's attention.
"Do you mean that you have to say a word to trigger the attack?" she
asked.
"Not exactly. I mean, I can use ki blasts even without announcing them,
but they won't be as strong. When I say the attack's name, it helps me
concentrate better, that's all."
Seeing that Rei wasn't about to say anything, Ranma continued, "And I
thought that using an attack from Slayers would keep all those idiots at
bay. At least, if they know what's good for them."
"Slayers? What does that mean?"
"You don't know?" Ranma exclaimed in surprise. "I thought it was a
popular anime," she muttered under her breath.
"What is... anime?" Rei asked, frowning ever so slightly.
Ranma sighed and buried her head in her hands. After staying like that
for a half a minute, she suddenly got an idea.
"I'll tell you what, Rei. After school, we'll go look for a TV set and
some anime tapes, and you'll see for yourself. How about it?"
Rei sat motionless for a few moments, contemplating the offer.
Eventually, she gave a curt nod, and proceeded to eat her lunch.
--------------------------------------------------
"Hello, and welcome to Sony Tokyo," a woman in her mid-thirties greeted
Ranma-chan and Rei as they walked into the store.
"Hi, we'd like to buy a television," Ranma replied, tugging on her
pigtail.
"Certainly. Are you looking for any particular model?"
"Um... a system with a built-in video would be nice," Ranma mused out
loud.
"Yes, Miss. Please come with me," the saleslady ushered Ranma and Rei to
the televisions section.
Ten minutes later, Ranma's found a great system that was made for her.
Aside from a big screen, a VCR, great speakers and something called a
DVD player, a leather couch was offered as part of the deal. And it only
cost 2 million yen!
Easily picking the TV set and accessories up with one hand, Ranma walked
over to the cash register and presented her Nerv employee card. Smiling
inwardly, she said as casually as possible, "Send the bill to Commander
Ikari, Nerv."
Figuring they had nothing more to do in the store, Ranma handed the
stunned saleslady a piece of paper, saying, "Here's my home address.
Could you have my couch delivered there as soon as possible? I don't
feel like carrying it home myself."
As Ranma and Rei left the TV store in search of an anime one, the
personnel stared after them, trying to figure out the overall weight the
red-head was holding as if it were nothing. Once they got over the
initial shock, the cashier did the only thing she could - she sent the
bill to Commander Ikari.
--------------------------------------------------
"We're finally home, Rei!" Ranma exclaimed happily, opening her
apartment's door and putting the purchased items on the floor. Rei
walked over to her, and put a few of the bags with anime tapes that
she'd been carrying next to Ranma's pile.
"I gotta go get myself a fridge next time," Ranma mused, as she walked
over to the hot water tap and splashed herself.
Now male, Ranma went over to the boxes and started taking out the
accessories.
"Hey, Rei, want to give me a hand here?" he asked, pulling the TV out
and setting it on the floor.
The blue-haired girl wordlessly went over to the accessories Ranma was
unpacking, and started connecting them together.
Several minutes later the system was assembled and Ranma thought of
something.
"Rei, would you mind making us some snacks while I choose a tape to
watch?"
Saying, "Yes," Rei stepped out to her apartment, leaving Ranma alone
with the tape.
Going over the tapes they'd purchased, Ranma thought, 'Hmm... Street
Fighter, Gunnm, Fatal Fury, Ruroni Kenshin... Slayers! Yes, let's watch
Slayers today.'
--------------------------------------------------
"Pigtailed Goddess!" the same idiot with the bokken - Toji - that led
the Hentai Horde the other day exclaimed, "Let us beat you in honorable
combat, so that we may date thee, as our Master proclaimed!"
The crowd of boys gathered around him, some of which were bandaged,
shouted its approval. Even if Ranma had magic, they knew that there were
dozens of them against her. And, after all, sorcerers were supposed to
be weak in physical combat.
The smart boys, who fled from the previous fight, if it could be called
one, were suspiciously missing from this crowd.
"Oh, hell! Fire..." Ranma started yelling, as the boys scattered in
every direction.
Rei touched her friend's shoulder, stopping the attack.
"What is it, Rei?" Ranma asked, turning towards her.
Ranma's eyes widened and she smiled evilly, as Rei whispered her
suggestion to the red-head.
"Alright," Ranma said to the crowd wearily. "I didn't want to do this,
but..."
The boys tensed, awaiting a flurry of fireballs to come their way.
Instead, Ranma raised her arms before her, and started chanting. When
the boys heard the words, their faces became pale.
"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in
the flow of time."
A wind picked up around Ranma, flapping her pigtail wildly.
"In Thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness!"
A dark scarlet aura surrounded the red-head at those words, deepening as
Ranma continued chanting. The boys in the crowd started backing away to
the school's entrance.
"Let all the fools who oppose us be destroyed by the power you and I
possess!"
Once Ranma shouted those words, even the most moronic members of the
crowd picked up their feet and fled into the school, hoping to find a
spare pair of underwear in their gym lockers.
Ranma smirked, and dropped her hands, letting the aura and the wind
around her drop.
"Hey, Rei, you were right!" she exclaimed, turning towards her friend.
"Let's go inside, alright?"
"Wonder Girl!"
The shout, coming from behind them, stopped Ranma and Rei in their
tracks. Turning around, they saw a slightly winded red-head quickly
close the distance between them.
"Wonder Girl! I knew it was you!" Asuka gasped, trying to catch her
breath.
"Well, what other drop-dead gorgeous red-head with a knock-out body goes
to school here? Present company excluded, of course," Ranma replied
cheerfully. Even though she was genuinely happy to see her fellow pilot,
it didn't mean she couldn't have some harmless fun with her.
"Hello, Ayanami," Asuka, having recovered from her sprint by that point,
greeted the First Child, who nodded in return and said, "Hello".
"Say, Ranko... what exactly was the deal with all the boys running away
like crazy?" The Second Child asked, frowning slightly. After all, it
wasn't her fault that she had been so tired and had fallen asleep at the
end of the battle with the Seventh Angel - both of its parts - and
missed a day of school. Now, it appeared as if she'd missed on something
important.
Sharing a look with Rei, Ranma smirked and asked her new friend, "Asuka,
have you ever had the pleasure to watch anime?"
--------------------------------------------------
"That's what you did to them?!" Asuka cried out incredulously, as
Ranma's television showed Lina cast a Dragon Slave on a demon called
Joyrock.
"Well, sort of," Ranma answered, laughing nervously.
"It was most... entertaining," Rei added, with a hint of a smile on her
face.
"Gott in Himmel!" Asuka exclaimed. "You really are a Wonder Girl!"
'You don't know the half of it,' Ranma added mentally, before bowing
theatrically before the other red-head.
"Of course, I didn't actually go through with that 'Dragon Slave'
thingy," Ranma decided to explain, pausing the movie. "I can't throw
magical blasts."
"I knew that. Besides, a crater of that size in the school's courtyard
would be difficult to conceal," Asuka replied, shrugging her shoulders.
Ranma's eyes glinting suddenly, she said in a sing-song voice, leaning
back on her new leather couch, "That doesn't mean I couldn't match that
blast..."
"Huh? But you've just said you couldn't use magic!" Asuka shouted,
whirling on her friend.
"That's not what I said. My exact words were that I couldn't throw
magical blasts. Magic _does_ exist in the world," Ranma replied, winking
playfully. Asuka was so much fun to fool around with!
Before the shocked pilot of Unit 02 could find her voice again, Ranma
continued, "But I wasn't talking about that. I can sort of imitate what
you've just seen, and more, with my ki."
"What do you mean? Do you have any proof that ki and magic aren't
nothing more than fiction?" Asuka asked, confident that she'd caught her
friend in a lie.
"Why, certainly," Ranma answered.
Grinning, she extended her right hand and moved it to several
centimeters away from Asuka's head, palm pointing towards the red-head's
face. Suddenly, a small ki ball formed in front of Ranma's palm, and
immediately blasted Asuka in her nose.
"Owie," the unfortunate girl muttered, rubbing her nose. It wasn't
exactly sore, just... extremely ticklish. Annoyingly so, in fact.
"I rest my case," Ranma said with a stern face, before grinning from ear
to ear. Turning to smile at Rei, Ranma's heart melted at the sight of
the blue-haired girl tentatively returning her smile.
Despite the itch she couldn't get rid of no matter what she did, Asuka
had to admit that the whole thing was funny, and smiled towards her two
friends, before bursting into laughter, the Slayers tape long forgotten.
--------------------------------------------------
Ranma-chan, Asuka and Rei approached the school together silently, only
to see a crowd of boys blocking the entrance.
"Didn't you idiots get enough?" Ranma asked, cracking her knuckles
ominously.
"Alas, Pigtailed Goddess, but we've come here today to announce that
we're giving up on any attempts to beat you. Our hearts ache at the
thought that you shall never know the love of a man, but the foul magic
cast upon you is too powerful for us to overcome. Fear not, for we shall
not stand in the way of your path to your twisted happiness!"
Ranma's left eyebrow twitched so hard by the end of the speech that it
hurt. Showing considerable restraint, she said in a slightly wavering
voice, "Then why don't you morons get the hell out of my way while you
can?"
Asuka put a hand on Ranma's shoulder, only to remove it before she burnt
herself. Seeing Ranma in a whole new light, she glanced at Rei to find
out what the other girl thought of the situation. Rei, for her part,
kept a perfect poker face throughout the whole ordeal.
The crowd made no attempt to move. Toji, still leading the crowd, pulled
a bokken out of his schoolbag, and posed dramatically, proclaiming,
"We've also come here today to defeat the Fierce Tigress Asuka and the
Moon Goddess Rei in honorable combat, so that we may date them!"
Twin lightning bolts crashed in the background, followed closely by
thunder, but no one paid any attention to that, since everyone's eyes
were glued to Ranma at the moment. It wasn't the incredible battle aura
the girl had around herself. It was neither the electricity that danced
across her now white knuckles. The causes for everyone's attention were
Ranma's crystal-clear, glowing blue eyes.
"Date Asuka... and Rei? Beat up REI?!" Ranma growled incredulously,
before crouching like a tiger. "DIE!!!"
Asuka stood, open mouthed, as a red blur shot towards the crowd of boys,
who were too frightened or too stupid to defend themselves. As sounds of
gratuitous violence ensued, she paled as she tried estimating the girl's
power. From their original meeting and the subsequent fight, Asuka knew
that Ranma was powerful. However, discovering how much she'd been
holding back that day was rather unsettling.
'At least, she's not holding back this time," Asuka thought, glancing at
the direction of the school's gates, where ten students became airborne,
flying in different direction to impact against tree trunks. 'She can't
be holding back. It's not possible,' the pilot of Unit 02 tried to
convince herself, without much success.
In half a minute, the entrance was clear. Ranma deliberately made
herself slow down, and taught the boys a lesson they'd be feeling for
the next two weeks.
--------------------------------------------------
A few minutes into the first period, the PA system crackled, and came to
life. Muffled protests filtered in from the background, and Asuka could
swear she heard the principal's secretary say "You can't do this!"
followed by something breaking. The protests stopped immediately, and
Asuka picked up Ranma's voice saying, "Thank you," before addressing the
school.
"Yo! All of you, especially the perverted idiots without an ounce of
brain, listen up! I've got an announcement to make, and I'll keep it
brief and simple, so simple that even the stupidest of you can
understand! If I hear that anyone tries to beat up some girl to date
her, I'll personally deal with him. And when I'm through with him, the
poor bastard would beg for..."
The next words were unintelligible, as someone apparently tried to
wrestle the microphone out of Ranma's hands.
A female shriek tore through PA system, making people all around the
school's premises cover their ears in pain, before Ranma's voice was
heard again through the speakers.
"Ahem. But I digress. I'm sure you'll make the _right choice_!" Ranma
said, putting extra emphasis on the last two words, before disconnecting
the PA system.
"I guess that's where Ranko went to," Asuka whispered to Rei, who nodded
slightly in acknowledgement.
'I never knew our Principal could scream like that,' the blue-haired
girl thought, before concentrating on the lesson once more.
--------------------------------------------------
That day at lunch, Ranma approached Shinji, the rest of the boys fleeing
at the mere sight of her.
"Hi, Ranko," Shinji greeted her, even managing to do it without
stammering.
"Hey, Shinji," the red-head replied, sitting next to him. "I have a
message from your old man."
"Father?!" Shinji asked in a trembling voice.
"Yep. Get this - he wants you to go on a date! Actually, it was more of
an order than a suggestion."
"R-Really?" Shinji asked, blinking.
"Actually, you're also supposed to have fun on the date, but I figure
that's a given, right?" Ranma cheerfully said, playing with her pigtail.
"So..." Shinji started saying, before being cut off by Ranma.
"No." Thinking for a moment, Ranma added, "Don't ask Rei either."
"Um..."
"Asuka would probably break your arm, or something," Ranma mused out
loud.
When Shinji deflated, and then became introspective, the pigtailed girl
hazarded a guess. "And don't even think of asking one of the boys."
Shinji was on the verge of despair, when Ranma took pity on him.
"Go ask a normal girl out. How hard can it be? This school is full of
chicks. I'm sure lots of them would go out with a big-shot EVA pilot."
Seeing a girl passing by near them, Ranma called out to her, waving,
"Hey, class rep! Over here!"
"What is it, Ranko?" Hikari asked, coming over.
Smirking, Ranma said to her, "Shinji here's got somethin' to ask ya."
Giving the now panicking boy thumbs up, Ranma walked away, whistling,
with her hands behind her head.
"Yes, Shinji, what is it?" Hikari asked, looking at him.
"Um, well, that is, I got this order from fa... Nerv, yes, that's it,
and I have to ask you out..." the pilot of Unit 01 stammered, fidgeting.
"Are you asking me out?" Hikari inquired, her eyes widening in surprise.
"You don't understand!" Shinji pleaded with her. "It's an order! I have
to do it! Ask Ranko if you don't believe me."
Frowning, Hikari went over to where Ranma was eating her lunch with Rei.
"Excuse me, Ranko," the class president started saying, unsure of how to
ask the girl, "but Shinji said he got an order to ask me out, and that
you know about it."
Chuckling, Ranma put away her lunch, shaking her head.
"Shinji, Shinji, Shinji... I should've known he'd mess it up." Turning
her head to look Hikari in the eyes, Ranma continued, "Y'see, the guy
really wants to go out with ya, but he's afraid you'd turn him down. I
tried to build up his confidence, but he must've chickened out at the
last moment."
"So there isn't any order...?"
"C'mon, who'd give such a ridiculous order anyway?" Ranma exclaimed,
waving her hand. "The poor guy probably psyched himself so much that he
might actually believe that, though."
"I understand. Thank you," Hikari said, bowing slightly to Ranma before
returning to Shinji, who agitatedly waited for her arrival.
"Yes, Shinji, I'll go out with you," Hikari told him, before going off
to eat her own lunch before the next class started. 'Those EVA pilots
are weird, but I guess Shinji's alright. Maybe it's because he's a boy?'
--------------------------------------------------
While the pilots were still in school, Kaji, Misato, Ritsuko and Maya
gathered in Misato's apartment, taking seats around the table. Since
another Angel attack wasn't expected so soon after the previous one,
getting a day off was easier than usual.
"I suppose you all are wondering why I called you here today," Misato
started the meeting.
"Actually, it probably has something to do with this Ranma person,
right?" Kaji asked, smiling.
Ritsuko and Maya nodded their assent.
"How the hell does he manage to get into the GeoFront through all of our
security?!" Misato growled incredulously, showing Kaji's assumption to
be true. "And for that matter, who is he?!"
"I've never met him myself, but from what I heard from the guys in
security, this Ranma character can disappear into thin air!" Maya added
her two cents to the conversation.
"When I talked to him the other day, he seemed like a regular teenager
to me. Very arrogant and confident in himself, but nothing out of the
ordinary," Kaji said, before adding, "Although he did get that rose he
gave Rei out of nowhere."
"Did you say 'rose'?" Maya asked, leaning forward on her elbows.
"The brat had the gall to show up and ask Rei to a dance in the middle
of Asuka and Shinji's practice!" Misato complained angrily.
"Aww, you're just upset because they did right in their first try what
you've been trying to teach your charges for nearly a week," Kaji
replied with a grin, putting his hand around Misato's shoulders.
Shrugging off Kaji's hand irritably, Misato complained, grumbling.
"The bastard changed the tapes I was using, too! He said his version
sounded better... Ha!"
"Well, at the very least, it was very impressive," Kaji remarked,
causing Misato to growl. "Besides, I didn't see Rei resisting his
advances."
Sighing internally, Ritsuko coughed into her hand, getting everyone's
attention.
"What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room. Is that understood?"
Seeing everyone nod at her, Ritsuko continued, "For some time now, there
have been rumors of a certain character helping Nerv out on occasions,
playing the guardian angel to the pilots... These rumors are true."
Ignoring the gasps coming from around the table, Ritsuko said, "That is
not all. This 'guardian angel' is no other than Ranma."
"Ritsuko, you can't be serious!" Misato exclaimed, being the first one
to recover from the bombshell her friend had just dropped on them.
"Oh, I'm dead serious, Misato. I have seen this guy on tape, moving too
fast for our electronic equipment to record properly; shooting energy
bolts that not only penetrate through an AT filed, but actually harm the
Angels. If not for Ranma, we all might have already been dead by now."
"But are you sure it is the same person, Sempai?" Maya asked.
"It all finally fell into place, once Kaji told me about Ranma's
connection to Rei. So, unless Rei - our Rei - is seeing two super-
powered boys at the same time, this person can only be Ranma," Ritsuko
replied, burying her head in her hands. "You won't believe the headaches
this Ranma gives me... if what you guys told me was right, then you've
seen him alive after the first battle with Angels 7a and 7b, and none
the worse for wear!"
"What do you mean by that?" Misato asked, puzzled.
The Captain was about to ask for an explanation, when she heard Maya
gasp.
"That means... that Ranma was in that nuclear explosion!" Kaji exclaimed
at the same time, adding to himself, 'Interesting. Ranma... you've just
become my newest pet project...'
"I'm getting a headache from all the weird people here," Misato whined,
massaging her temples. "As if I didn't have enough problems with the
Saotome kid!"
"Huh? What do you mean, Ranko is not under your care," Ritsuko said,
adding silently, 'Under whose care is that girl, anyway? Got to check
that out later.'
"Like I said, she's weird. And recently she's been hanging out with
Asuka a lot. But I like what she's doing to Shinji even less."
"What? Don't tell me she's actually hurt him?!" Ritsuko exclaimed in
shock.
"Not physically, no. But the kid is so afraid of her... and lately, it's
only gotten worse. He managed to convince himself that Ranko knows black
magic and can shoot off fireballs. Go figure!"
Misato sighed, before adding, "I think that's because she's been putting
him down at school, like that Ranma kid, when he showed up at the sync
training. After all, poor Shinji didn't have much self-esteem to being
with..."
Ritsuko and Kaji looked pensive throughout Misato's rant, but composed
themselves at its end, giving each other a knowing glance. There was
more to this than met the eye. There had to be a connection between
Ranma and Ranko; they just had to find out what it was. Ritsuko decided
the best course of action would be to try and get as much information
out of the red-head during the upcoming sync test. Her EVA would be in
Japan by then. Kaji, on the other hand, decided to explore other
avenues. The brilliant plan that was used to defeat Angles 7a and 7b
didn't originate from him, and Kaji figured it was about time he visited
its source and asked a few questions.
Misato decided that there was only one way to get rid of her funk, and
hastily made her way over to the fridge. Beer cans were passed around,
and soon everyone was trying to wash away their problems with alcohol...
--------------------------------------------------
In the meanwhile, another meeting, this one between Seele and Commander
Ikari, was taking place.
"Your pilots' performance against the Seventh Angel was...
satisfactory," the Russian Seele member offered, stroking his jawbone.
"Captain Katsuragi's plan was executed flawlessly," Gendo Ikari replied,
nodding his head.
"What about the Fourth Child, Ranko?" the French Seele member asked,
leaning forwards on the table with his elbows.
"She has... strongly objected to synchronizing with any of our EVAs. We
are currently awaiting the arrival of Unit 03 from the United States,
which has been assigned to Pilot Saotome," the Commander of Nerv
answered, trying his best to remain calm.
"What a joke!" the American Seele member exclaimed. "Just throw her in
the brig until she cooperates!"
"No." Keele's calm voice cut through the agitated American's tirade. As
silence descended around the conference table, Keele continued, "We'll
wait to see the Fourth Child's performance in EVA Unit 03."
Turning towards Gendo, he added, "The rest of this meeting does not
concern you, Ikari."
Commander Ikari was left alone, staring into the shadows lurking around
his office.
Thirty minutes later, the Commander called Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki and
told him over the secure line, "Promote Captain Katsuragi to Major.
According to her profile, the first thing she will do is throw a party
and make all of the pilots attend."
Fuyutsuki asked, "Is that all, Ikari?"
"No. Send Kaji to observe the Fourth Child at the party. Authorize him
to use whatever means he deems necessary to determine Saotome's agenda."
"Very well," Fuyutsuki replied. Sensing that Gendo had nothing more to
say, he hung up the phone
Back in his office, Gendo Ikari crossed his arms before him on his desk,
and smiled.
--------------------------------------------------
The next day, Ranma's cell-phone, which she got along with her Nerv ID
card, ringed. Answering it, she listened for a few moments, before
saying, "Alright," and terminating the call.
Turning towards Rei, she said, "I just got a call from Nerv. They need
me to come over today after school and do a few sync tests."
Seeing the questioning look in Rei's eyes, Ranma added, "My EVA has
finally arrived..."
--------------------------------------------------
End of Chapter 6.