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Open Minds
By Troy Thomas <Silentnova@go.com>

Ranma 1/2 and its characters are the properties and creations of Rumiko Takahashi. No intent for financial gain is intended. Excepting flames, if you have any comments or criticisms, feel free to send them my way.

***

Teaser

A teenager of seventeen years sat on the porch of a house, which sat under the sun, waiting for the day to end. He silently watched the clouds, floating in the sky which the colour of his eye's evenly matched, as they softly floated away towards, perhaps, another day.

Someone sat down next to him, so he turned towards the intruder of his peace. "Mom?" he asked.

"Hello Son. I just wanted to say, it's another day tomorrow."

A moment past, before he responded, "Thanks."

The two sat waiting until the clouds began turning the colour of twilight, and when all the sky was red, his shirt's colour, they again spoke.

"Ranma, I want you to wear a uniform to school tomorrow..." the mother said, her words surprising her son. "It's my wish you begin acting a little more responsible."

"Uh, okay...I guess." Ranma replied.

"And Ranma, 'It's the end of the beginning', not the beginning of the end." The mother smiled. "A man should know this."

"Hmm?"

"Nodoka." someone called from inside the house behind the mother and son. "Would you mind helping me with the rice?"

"Of course, Kasumi. I'll only be a minute!" Nodoka turned towards her son. "Ranma, what will I ever do with you?" Strangely, her words didn't sound harsh, but instead humour-filled.

She stood, and walked inside the house.

"She must be very hurt." a man said.

"Mister Tendo?" Ranma said, looking for the man.

"I expected so. However, she doesn't sound like she is going to give up." Mister Tendo laughed, tears of happiness flowing from his eyes. "It seems a Saotome never gives up, right Saotome?"

"You said it, Tendo."

"Pop?" Ranma looked, and saw his father, Saotome, a big bald man wearing glasses, and Tendo, a tall long hair man, setting up a game of Go just inside the dining room.

"I expect, right about now, Tendo, that she's formulating a plan to bring together our two families." said Saotome.

Ranma sighed, with much less resignation than contemplation.

"Ah, young love." said a young lady, her words designed to cause a blush on Ranma's face. He looked, and saw the young lady, only one year his senior leaning against the sliding door frame, which he sat near as he watched the night sky.

"Nabiki, could you set the table?" Kasumi again called.

The young lady, stood straight up. "One second, Kasumi." she replied, walking into the house.

"Ranma," Mister Tendo started, "would you mind looking for Akane? Dinner is almost ready, and..."

Ranma stood, and sighed in resignation. "I guess so..." He quietly added, so only he would hear, "But does she even want to see me? She's with her mom."

"Of course she does, but you just don't want to admit it." a shrunken voice answered.

Looking down, Ranma saw a shrunken old man. "What do you want?" Ranma growled.

"Some of Kasumi's delicious cooking, of course." The old man scuttled past Ranma. "The enchanting smell is alone enough to..." His voice disappeared as he did, behind a corner in the house.

"Humph." Ranma himself began walking inside the house. "May as well look for the tomboy, then."

He approached the house's entrance, grabbing his shoes on the way. A moment later, he opened the door, and began walking towards the entrance to the Tendo property. There, he turned right.

He walked, and he walked. He came to a fence, and hopped onto it, and walked along the fence. He past buildings, and bridges, and people, and pets, until he came to a tree, large and green.

Hopping off the fence, he walked past a tombstone which was near the tree, until he came upon one tombstone, where near a young lady with short hair, his age, sat.

"Akane," he whispered to the young lady, "it's dinnertime."

The young lady nodded, and stood. The two quietly walked from the tombstone to the grave entrance, and turned left. They walked slowly, and people, and pets, and cars, and bicycles past until they came upon a gate to a home and dojo.

They stopped.

The young man turned, and looked at the girl, and half-smiled.

"Fitting, considering you're half-a-man." the girl said, herself smiling. They locked hands, and walked inside the gate.

"So, how was your visit?" Ranma asked, as they neared the gate.

"It was peaceful. I had a lot to talk about with her."

"I'd guess so..." he answered, stifling a laugh triggering memories of days past.

"Jerk! It's not funny!" Akane said. "I almost died!"

"Maybe you just need to get better at defending yourself." Ranma smirked. "Then people might stop being able to kidnap you."

"What? Are you," Akane started in surprised, "offering to teach me?"

"Me? I couldn't teach you, even if I wanted to." He counted off his fingers. "One, you can't kick. Two, your skull is so thick..."

Akane squeezed his hand, hard, causing Ranma to gasp in pain. "Ha! You probably couldn't even teach me, you idiot." she stated, releasing his hand from her vice-like hands. "You just don't have it in you!"

Ranma stopped, and Akane stopped too. They stood in front of the house's entrance glaring at each other.

"I could teach you. It wouldn't be nothing at all to get into that thick skull of yours how to kick!" Ranma smirked. "I could probably teach you to be the second best martial artist in town!"

Suddenly, the front entrance to the house fell forward spooking both the teens, and two arms wrapped around Ranma in a large, powerful embrace.

"Ranma! You'd do that for Akane?" Mister Tendo's tears ran down off of his face onto Ranma's shirt. "Oh, Son, you make our schools proud!"

Ranma's father patted Ranma on the head. "Oh my son, to finally show commitment to our schools, and our futures, Tendo. I think I may finally be feeling the emotions of a fulfilled father!"

"You know Tendo, I think a celebration is in order..." Genma supposed. "With cake, and guests, and..."

"A honeymoon at the end!" the shrunken old man said, as he splashed Ranma and Soun with a bucket of cold water. Magically, Ranma transformed into a short girl with bright red hair.

Ranma quickly pushed Soun off of her, and tried to growl at the old man. However, the old man knocked Ranma down with a long pipe.

She quickly stood up. "What do you think you're doing, you old geezer?"

"Oh dear, beautiful Ranma. Oh sweet, wonderful Akane." he pleaded, with big, tear-filled eyes. "Might you two, on your honeymoon, please take me? I promise we'll have a wonderful time..."

"A pervert like you?" Ranma rumbled.

"You'd deny a delicate old man's wishes, Ranma?" the old man smiled. "But you mustn't worry, I won't hurt either of you, unless you want..."

The old man was suddenly sent flying by a powerful kick from Ranma.

Akane sent after the old man some biting words, "You're just so disgusting!" She looked at her father. "And just who said we're getting married?"

"Oh, why does she growl so?" Mister Tendo sobbed.

"There, there Tendo. Everything will be fine." Saotome said, patting Tendo on the back.

"Come on, Ranma!" Akane grabbed the red hair girl by the pigtail and walked inside the house. "Kasumi's waiting for us."

Once inside, with their shoes taken off, Akane and Ranma rounded a corner where waited Nabiki. "Akane and Ranma, or rather, should I say, Upperclassman Akane, and Upperclassman Ranma?" Nabiki smiled a voracious smirk.

"Uh, Nabiki?" Akane asked.

"I was interested in knowing if you knew a certain fact about a boy and his bokken, Upperclassman Akane?"

"What?"

Nabiki turned about, away from Ranma and Akane. "I thought not." She held up a hand, with four fingers and a thumb outstretched. "Do we have a deal?"

Ranma dug in her pocket, and procured five thousand yen, bringing it out into the air. It quickly disappeared.

"No questions asked. This deal is a real bargain, in case you two wanted to know." Nabiki turned back about, facing the two. "It seems Tatewaki Kuno has talked his father into hiring him as the official School Samurai, which means, Kuno, like me, is taking his college courses by correspondence!"

Both Ranma and Akane frowned.

"I hope you two have a fine first day of school tomorrow as seniors, by the way." Nabiki said, walking into the dining room.

"Great, the moron will still be at school." Ranma muttered.

"Yeah, and Kuno'll be there too." Akane muttered.

Ranma grimaced at Akane. "You trying to imply something, Tomboy?"

"Nothing." Akane casually strolled into the dining room, leaving the half-girl behind. "Dinner's getting cold, you know." she said, sticking her head out.

Without answering Akane, Ranma followed.

She sat at the table, and smiled at Kasumi. "Looks great!"

"Why thank you, Ranma!" Kasumi beamed.

"Ranma."

"Mom?"

"Your uniform, I'd like you to try it on after dinner, please. It's up in your room."

"Okay."

Saotome and Tendo soon walked in and sat down.

"Oh! Where's Grandfather Happosai?" Kasumi asked.

"The moon, I would think." Ranma answered. "Something about honey, wasn't it?" she asked Akane.

Akane nodded.

"Well, we'll have to give our thanks without him, then." Kasumi responded.

After giving thanks, everyone settled down and ate.

Following a wolfing down of part of his food, and some of his father's, Ranma stood and began walking to the bath.

"Ranma, you don't have to change..." Nodoka said. "In fact, I insist you not..."

Shrugging, Ranma turned and started for the stairs. She listened to what her mother was saying to Akane, "Kasumi and I had searched everywhere but we just couldn't find what we were looking for at all! And then we walked into that store in the mall over on..." Ranma heard no more of her mother's words as she closed the bedroom door behind her.

"Oh my." she said, her eye flinching as though agitated. She walked to the single article of clothing, hanging from the closet bar. She touched it, and screamed, "No way! I'm a guy damn it and I'm not wearing a dress!"

Abruptly, everyone in the house was in the room.

"Wow, part of me didn't even believe you bought a dress, Auntie Nodoka!" Nabiki said. She touched the dress. "Nice fabric. You're so lucky, Ranma."

"Wow, it is..." Akane seconded. "But why a dress, Auntie? I mean, Ranma's a guy!"

"Well Akane, I've always wanted a daughter!" Nodoka smiled. "And Ranma's such a great son, so..."

"No way! There isn't any way you're getting me in that!" shouted Ranma.

Nodoka gently took Ranma by the hand. "Could everyone please leave Ranma and me alone for a moment?" Without looking, she smartly said, "Genma and Soun, would you two step out also?"

"But Nodoka! The boy..."

"Get out!"

Not one second later, the door shut.

"I'm not wearing girl clothes!" Ranma quickly stated, looking into her mother's eyes.

"I'm afraid you are, Ranma." Nodoka gently squeezed Ranma's hand. "I've already had you registered as a girl, and I've spent a lot of money to be able teach you the ways of an honourable lady."

Ranma slipped her hand out of her mother's. She waved her hands trying to ward away whatever ideas her mother was entertaining. "No way! No way! I'm a guy!"

"And a wonderful man you are, my beautiful daughter! But you're already registered to go to school as a girl..."

"No way! The principle knows I'm a guy! Why would he..."

Nodoka blinked. "Well, the principle was actually quite happy to honour my request. He kept crying how it was such a great lesson for you to be taught!"

"Ah damn it! I forgot about the principle! Of course he'd do this, the bastard!" Ranma looked at the dress, and scowled. "Okay then Mom. I'll be a man and listen to you."

"A wonderful man, my son!"

Ranma looked at the dress. "I'll be a man, and I'll put the dress on."

"Thanks Ranma. I'll wait outside." Nodoka walked away from Ranma, but before leaving the room, she smiled at her son, who would be a daughter for her. "You make me proud!" said she, before leaving the room.

With the absence of her mother, Ranma scowled at the dress again. "Stupid dress."

A moment later. "Humph, it does sort of feel nice though!"

End Teaser

***

Author Notes:
Okay, tell me what you think. If it's funny, then I'm happy. If it's annoying, then I say I had some fun writing the goofy thing!

I'm sending this out to get comments and opinions about what I could do with it. I could easily write more, but if that's a good or bad idea isn't known to me. I just write the darn stuff. If you want more, then tell me you want more. It is my request.

Troy Thomas <Silentnova@go.com>

***

Check out my webpage:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~silentnova/index.html

I archive, write, link, and do almost all the wonderful things fanfic writers like. Check it out, today.
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