To Save a Prince

                    A Ranma/Utena
                  Cross-over/Fusion
                       By KPJAM



Ranma is owned by Rumiko Takahashi
Utena is the property of Chiho Saito and Kazuko Tadano

Thanks for help on this part go to Corwin, Catwho, Eden_Lost, Nemesis_zero,
Yakumo, Troy Thomas, and Priss.  I can't express enough gratitude for your
patience.

find me at noirchloe@nyc.rr.com
------------


Ranma cowered at his father's feet, shivering, bound to a stake in the
ground. Not that he was coherent enough to move of his own volition, much
less try and escape again.

After the first attempted at learning the dreaded cat-fist, Ranma had
bolted, safely hiding from his father for countless hours.  This had
precipitated the bound state that he was currently in.  After that first
time he had struggled mightily, coming close to freedom on numerous
occasions, only to be stopped by his father's fist before freedom had been
obtained.  So after the initial failure of the training, he could only sit
patiently, quietly hoping that his father would eventually give up on this
particular training.

He wasn't sure how many attempts ago that first time was; his mind no longer
capable of thought, reduced to instinct.  The sounds of the cats below, and
the few that had yet to join the others in the pits, kept him at a
hyper-agitated state, frozen with fear, yet unable to be still.

He heard the last of the cats being thrown into the pit.  He heard the
hisses and fighting as they landed on their brothers, followed by the growls
and scrapes as they fought for dominance and space.  Ranma was familiar with
the process, having been the last participant among the cats before.

He tensed instantly when a strong hand picked him up him by the scruff of
his neck, grasping cloth and a fair amount of skin.  He smelled, as well as
felt, the cat-nip, fish-sausage and other cat-foods placed upon his body,
tied to string and placed loosely around him.  He was so numb by this point,
his father didn't bother fastening the strings tightly.

"Boy.  Prove you're not a girl and learn this technique," his father said,
as he freed Ranma's feet and hands of their bindings.

Ranma heard the words clearly, but failed to comprehend their meaning,
except as an immediate precursor to the cats.  He started to struggle, a
reflex action born of desperation and much too little, too late, as he felt
the grip disappear and he began to descend into the pit.

The word, "Stop!", yelled loudly, was the last thing Ranma heard...


A woman's yell tore through the sounds of the eagerly awaiting cats.

The woman's yell was the last thing of the outside world Ranma heard, as his
area of existence was instantly enclosed by the dimensions of the hole.  He
landed on his side, the cats squealed with displeasure as a hand-full of
them had been squished under the falling six-year-old.  He had an instant of
safety, the cats had been stunned by his intrusion into their domain, and
hadn't identified the exact source of the food smell, yet.  He used those
precious moments to acquire a foothold, before throwing himself into the
corner of the room.  Had anyone seen the movements they would have noticed
the feline movements the boy had unconsciously displayed.

He buried himself into the corner, survival his only goal, as the ravenous
cats in pit determined the source and placement of their future meal and
began attacking it and each other with abandon.  They didn't discriminate
between actual food and clothing and skin as they clawed at and scratched
the boy, who buried his face into the corner, protecting his ears and neck
with his arms.

He felt the claws and teeth bite into him and occasionally swatted at the
offending creatures, slowly losing more and more of his mind.  Anger began
to build in him, washing away the pain and he let out a low growl, a sound a
human shouldn't be capable of making, as his back arched and his legs
tensed...

He flinched when the first spray of water splashed against his head.  It
felt almost as if he had been slapped, the anger drained out of him
instantly and he felt his muscles relax.  He felt dizzy, lethargic really,
as if his mind was composed only of cotton.  The cats retreated from the
steady stream of water that raining down into the pit, giving him some space
as he slowly looked around, exhausted.  The feet in front of him registered
in his mind long before any words could, he craned his neck upwards as best
he could, only to be met by the night sky, as thousands of stars formed in
his eyes, growing until they covered the sky and formed a wonderfully white
background.

"It's okay, little prince," the woman who had screamed earlier said softly,
as she lifted the unconscious boy into her arms.


---------------------------


Nodoka hummed happily to herself.  Today she was meeting someone very
important to her, someone she hadn't seen in ten years.

The call informing her of the visit had been unexpected, but very pleasant.
Her house had been to quiet, too long; another person walking around inside
of it would be most welcome, even if only for a short time.

She jumped at the sound of the timer, rushing to the oven to remove the
cookies she had baked.  Cookies she used to bake often, years ago, but not
since.

She carefully removed the pan from the oven, smiling from the memories the
cookies brought forth.  The roses had formed perfectly and she placed them
on the counter to cool, before removing her apron and placing it in the
closet.

Moving swiftly through the house, she walked into her son's room, smiling
softly at the prospect of it seeing some use after so many years.  She
looked around and grinned, making one last check before its future occupant
arrived.  It was unchanged since their departure, her son and her husband's.
She idly wondered if Ranma remembered this room at all, having been removed
from it for so long.

She hoped he-- No, she knew that he would be 'A man amongst men'.  He had
the right genes and Genma had promised.  She knew Genma would never break a
promise to her, to others yes, but not to her.

Nodoka went over to bed, needing an outlet for her excitement, lovingly
fluffed the pillows and straightened the comforter one last time.  She tried
to remember the last time she felt this exhilarated, or anticipated
something as much as this upcoming reunion.  The birth of her son was the
only thing that she could think of.

She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and took a moment to
examine herself, pleased at how little she had changed in the last ten
years.  She could still turn heads, even after marriage and giving birth.

The doorbell rang, She squeaked with anticipation when the doorbell rang.
Rushing out of the room, she hurried to the front door, anxious to greet her
visitor.  She stopped at the door and took a few deep calming breaths. With
one final exhale she straightened her back, displayed a childish grin, and
opened the door.

"ANTHY!" she squealed.  Not waiting for a response, she rushed the young
woman and  wrapped her in a loving embrace.  "I'm so glad you're here.  We
have so much to catch-up on."

"I'm glad you could see me, Nodoka,"  Anthy mumbled.   Her words were
muffled by the over-enthusiastic woman's embrace.

Nodoka released Anthy from her embrace, but kept one arm slung familiarly
around the other woman.

"Come in, come in," she chirped excitedly, ushering the young woman inside.


"Wow!  You look exactly the same as last time I saw you!  I swear you could
still pass for a highschool-- no, a junior-high girl!"  Nodoka was serious
about the complement, although extremely jealous.

"Are you sure it's alright if I stay here for a couple days?"

"Of course, dear."  Nodoka was thrilled to have a guest, any guest really,
but Anthy was special to her.

"I won't stay long.  I need to rest before I start searching again."

"Searching.  What are you looking for?"

Anthy frowned and softly, "Utena."


---------------------------------------------


Ranma laid on a small hillside, next to his best friend Ukyou, staring up at
the stars.  They had snuck away from their fathers, who in turn, had been
discussing boring adult things and not paying attention to the activities of
their wards.

"Hey, Ranchan.  There's a shooting star!" Ukyou exclaimed, raising her hand
and identifying the moving point of light.

"Hmmm.  So?"

"You're supposed to make a wish if you see one," she explained patiently.

"Really?  Why?"

"Because then your wish will come true, jackass."

"Really?"  Ranma asked skeptically as he laid quietly for a moment.  All of
a sudden he bolted to a sitting position and cried loudly, "I wish to become
a prince and rescue my princess!"

"You're not supposed to say it out loud, or it won't come true!"

"But you didn't say that," he stated, worried.

"Everybody knows that, Ranma."  She shook her head sadly.

"But... It hasta."  Ranma pounded his fist into the ground.  "I promised I'd
become a prince.  If I don't, I'll break my word."

"Sorry, but it won't happen now."  Ukyou frowned and hung her head.

"It hasta.  If I break my promise I can't be a martial artist or a prince,"
the boy whined.

"Well you shouldna told me," Ukyou scolded him.  A second passed before she
began wondering about something else. "Why do you want to be a prince
anyway?"

"I... I just havta.  I just know for as long as I can remember, I've gotta
become a prince and save a princess.  I'll see ya later, Ucchan, I gotta go
practice so I can keep my promise."

The boy turned slowly and hung his head, walking back toward where he and
his father had set up camp.

Ukyou watched as her friend walked away, sad that the evening had ended as
it did, and that Ranma couldn't become a prince.   She remembered what her
father had mentioned to her last night, and was disappointed by the
implications of what had taken place moments ago; if Ranma could no longer
become a prince, then she couldn't become a princess when they married.


-------------------------------------------


Nodoka Saotome walked briskly down the street.  She felt excited and
hopeful, as today would be the day she had waited over ten years for.  She
was on her way to the Tendou's, having received word from a friend that both
her husband and her manly son were staying there.  The fact that they hadn't
contacted her directly had never concerned her.  Her only thoughts were that
he was safe and nearby.

She arrived at the bus station.  Although she could walk, taking the bus
would be much quicker.  Every second she wasted walking was a second she
couldn't behold the visage that was her manly son.

As she approached the bus-stop, she noticed a young woman sitting on the
bench looking downcast.  As she moved closer, she couldn't help but get the
feeling it was someone familiar.  Her face was mostly obscured by her hat
and jacket, but the purple hair sticking out and dark skin were extremely
familiar.

"Anthy?" she asked tentatively.

The woman in question slowly lifted up her head, revealing her long-time
friend's defeated face.

"Oh,  Anthy!"  she exclaimed.  Her voice had been raised, in part from
excitement, but also from worry; worry caused by the dejected look she had
been greeted with.

She moved swiftly to sit by her friend's side, disregarding the social norms
for a public place, and placed an arm around the girl she had attended
junior-high with.

"Hi, Nodoka," Anthy said listlessly.

She waited a minute, watching the morose young lady continue to stare sadly
into her hands. "What's wrong, dear?" she prompted, dropping the cheerful
tone in her voice for one more sympathetic and likely to encourage the young
woman to begin speaking.

"You haven't found Utena, have you?" she guessed from Anthy's manner and
solitude.  Nodoka hoped that it was that, feeling that was better than if
her friend had found rejection after so much time apart.

Anthy sighed deeply, before speaking.  "No," she muttered softly,
dejectedly.

"It's been what... ten years?"

"Yes.  I think I'm going to go back... back to Akio... back to Ohtori.  If
he'll still have me, that is?"

"I'm sure that won't be a problem.  Your brother loves you." Nodoka smiled
when she thought of Anthy's brother, such a 'manly man' he was.

Nodoka missed Anthy's sigh while she was reflecting on Akio, the most... She
stopped that train of thought immediately, it was improper to think of
another man when she was on her way to be re-united with her husband, and
her son.  She wondered if her son had turned out like Akio, she was hopeful
that was the case.  She would be satisfied if her son could be half as many
as Akio had been.  Akio was so dashing, so caring, so attentive...  'NO!'
Nodoka chided herself.  Her friend was here, she couldn't daydream about her
friend's older brother now.

"Why are you going back?  Are you just giving up?"

She waited as Anthy sat motionless, staring at her hands wrapped in her lap.
Nodoka wondered about what her answer would be.

She had been shocked when Anthy told her, all those years ago, that she had
left Akio.  She had firmly believed that Anthy would have remained at her
brother's side until one of them died.

"I have nowhere else to go.  Nowhere else to look.  Maybe I misunderstood
something?  Maybe she never left?  Maybe... Maybe I have to make my penance?
Make up for my sins?"

"What?  I don't understand, dear?"

Anthy turned to regard Nodoka.  "I know you don't.  There were a lot of
things that we didn't tell you.  You always accepted how little we gave you
as if it were enough."

"It was."

"I know you thought that; for you it was enough, more than enough.  That's
one of the reasons we both cared about you, we both reveled in you company.
You didn't ask questions and accepted what little we offered."

"It wasn't the same with Utena.  She forced our secrets out.  Even the
secrets we still didn't understand, or at least I didn't understand.  That's
one of the reasons I love her.  She knew!  She knew all the horrible things
we had done, I had done, and she still loved me, still tried to save and
protect me.  I failed her in the end, when it was most important.  I failed
to believe *in* her when it mattered the most."

"When I first started looking and didn't know where to begin, you were there
for me, to help and shelter me.  You remember... I was so confident I would
find her at first, and then things got harder.  I searched from town to
town, finding odd jobs as I went.  I thought that was my penance, my
punishment for my past sins and lack of faith in her, to wander aimlessly in
search of her.  To spend time reflecting and to show my faith in her that
way, the only way I could."

"Now I think it's more than that.  I think I have to make right what I
originally made wrong.  I think I have to make up for my sins against..."
Anthy paused and took a deep breath, determination shown on her face as she
looked Nodoka in the eye.

Nodoka couldn't turn away, transfixed by the unprecedented burst of
information and self-recrimination coming from the girl.  She didn't say a
word as Anthy struggled to continue, fearful that any sound would break the
spell and keep Anthy from finishing her speech.

As time dragged on and Nodoka was about to speak, Anthy continued.

"I think I have to makeup for my sins against Akio.  I had thought I'd
already done that, but as my searching grew longer, and times got harder, I
began to wonder if maybe I hadn't actually made up for them, maybe I had
only been covering the interest, without paying the debt?"  She snorted
softly, apparently deriding herself.

Nodoka felt stunned and lost, unable to think of anything to say, anything
to add.  She couldn't deal with so much new information so quickly.  Feeling
compelled to speak nonetheless, she brought up something that always brought
joy to her heart, her son.

"I'm on my way to meet my son, would you like to join me?"

"No, I couldn't..."

"It would take your mind off of things.  My son should be very manly by now.
Nothing cheers up a woman like attention from a manly man."

Anthy looked at Nodoka, regarding her friend silently for a few long seconds
before smiling fondly.

"You are so precious, Nodoka.  I hope you never change."

Nodoka had no idea what the other girl meant, but took the complement at
face value.

"I couldn't.  Not now. I hope you have a good time."  Anthy stood with those
words. "Well, I have to get going. Take care Nodoka-chan," Anthy said
wistfully.

"You too, Anthy-chan," she replied, thrilled that she had apparently lifted
her friend's spirits.

She smiled softly, watching Anthy walk away until she was obscured by the
bus.  Nodoka quickly boarded it and tried to refocusing her on her task at
hand- meeting her son.  Finding a seat in the rear, she sat down and had
visions of a dark skinned manly man wearing a red silk shirt.


----------------------------


Ranma sat across form his mother.  A contradictory set of emotions flowed
through him, merging and crashing, proving to be a volatile mix for the
already hyperactive youth.  He was in his girl form, nervously following the
hot water kettle passed around the room, while also yearning for it.  Hope
and possible damnation resided in that little kettle, as he both wanted to
grab it and declare his true identity to his mother, and yet feared that it
would accidently spill over him, exposing him to his mother who would decide
that he should commit seppeku.

"Ouch!" he yelped, as Akane pinched his leg.  "What you do that for!?!" he
roared.

"Auntie Nodoka was asking you a question!"  Akane yelled back.

"Ranko, dear," the sweet voice of his mother brought his full attention back
to her.

"Yes, Auntie Nodoka?"

"What school are you attending?"  The woman asked, behind her sunny smile.

"Furinkan.  I go with Nabiki and Akane," she replied as politely as she
could.

"How nice.  Does Ranma also attend it?"

"Yes."

"I hope you enjoy it.  Are their any cute boys there, other than my Ranma,
of course?

"Uh... I dunno."

"Oh.  What school did you attend, Auntie Nodoka?"  Akane asked, saving Ranma
from further embarrassment.

"Ohtori Academy.  It's a private ladder-school that I attended from
junior-high until first-year of High School.  My parents transferred me out,
wanting me to be closer to home.  I was thrilled that they felt that way,
although I missed the friends that I had made."

Ranma had stopped listening after she mentioned Ohtori.  The name had opened
up something in him; a drive... a desire that he had slowly forgotten over
the years.

"I have to save her," he whispered.

"What was that, Ranko, dear?"

"Huh... Oh, nothing.  I'm sorry, I need to go."  Ranma stood up quickly.

"Ranko!  Don't be rude," Akane admonished.

"I'm sorry.  I just felt dizzy for a second.  I'm going to go lie down.  I'
ll...  I'll be back down later."

He retreated quickly up the stairs, not giving anyone a chance to say
anything further.


-------------


Anthy walked into the tower room. He was there, as expected, sprawled across
the couch with his shirt un-buttoned and un-tucked, opened down the middle,
and showing portions of his chest.  He looked at her hungrily, sexuality
exuding from him.

She quivered with delight and revulsion as his eyes bored into her.  She
thought about bolting for a second, wondering if she could in fact pull this
off.  He looked exactly the same as when she left, still
attractive to the eye, but she was sure he was still as ugly to the mind.

"So you returned.  Why?"  he asked after a long silence.

"You know why?"  Her voice trembled and her hands sweated.

"I'd like to hear you say it."  He stood, and she watched the shirt flap
against his stomach, teasingly covering up most of his chest.

"I need you," she answered in partial truth, not trusting herself to lie, at
least not to him.

"Come here, Anthy," he commanded, she complied silently, unsure if the
action was part of her plans or at his request.


-----------------


Ranma swung down to Akane's window.  He had been tempted to just leave, he
was still tempted, but he wanted to be better than his father.  He didn't
want to leave in the middle of the night, without telling anyone.

His mother had left three days ago, and he had spent that time thinking.
The only time he could really think was when he was left alone, which only
occurred when he slept.   He had given up a lot of his precious sleep,
agonizing over his decision, a decision he had finally forced on himself.

He didn't know what it was, but that name, Ohtori, had struck major chords
inside of him.  He needed... no he had to go there, he had to do something
there.  He wasn't positive what it was, yet, but he knew the place had
answers.   Answers to why he was who he was?  Answers to why he pushed
himself so hard?  He knew he had to go there to become the prince that he
had been trying to become.  He knew he had to go there to save her, but why
he needed to be a prince and who she was, escaped him.

He knocked lightly on Akane's window, hoping he wouldn't wake anyone else,
hoping that she would let him go without causing a ruckus.  He repeated his
knock, while peering inside the darkened room, waving when he noticed
movement on the bed.

"Akane.  It's me. Ranma" he whispered, hoping to avoid an unpleasant
incident with her mistaking him for a pervert or a thief and attacking him,
or worse, screaming and waking the whole house.

The light on her night-stand was lit, and he could see her rubbing her eyes,
looking around the room.  He lifted his hand to knock again, but hesitated
as butterflies began fluttering in his stomach.

He waited patiently as she oriented herself before he knocked again, waving
and smiling at her when she looked his way.  The smile was forced, as the
butterflies turned to fists, one lodged directly in his abdomen, the other
fastened itself around his throat.

Akane slid the window open hastily.  "What do you want, Ranma?" she asked
irritably.

"I... I..."

"Well, why did you have to wake me up?" her voiced was demanding and he
hands formed fists.

He looked at her, annoyed at the slight rise in her voice that accompanied
her accusatory tone.

"I'm leavin'," he said softly.

"What?"  He watched the irritation in her features instantly change to
surprise.

"I got a go take care of some things."

"Oh.  So when are you coming back?" she asked curiously.

"I... dunno," he replied truthfully, a prince couldn't lie he told himself.

"Where are you going?"

"Just away," he said softly, not wanting to divulge more information that he
had to.

"Why can't you tell me?"  He heard the sadness in her voice, most likely
disappointed by his lack of disclosure.

"I gotta go by myself.  If the others know, they'll follow.  I need to do
this alone."  He tried to explain as honestly as he could.

"Why, Ranma?  Why all of a sudden?"

"I just remembered something.  Something I promised someone I'd do for em."

"Well what do you have to do? Who did you promise?"

He looked at her, noticing the sadness of her face.  He didn't know why she
was sad, he also knew he couldn't tell her what was driving him.  If she
even suspected it had something to do with a girl, she'd overreact.

"I can't really say what it is, cause I don't remember it that well.  It was
a friend I met on the road, with pop.  I just found a clue so I got ta go
check it out."

He watched as the disappointment in her face increased.  It seemed like the
more he talked, the worse he made her feel.  He was reminded as to why he
didn't like talking about serious stuff, when he talked about stuff like
this, he just made people sad or angry.

"Ranma, why so many secrets?  Can't you trust me?  Can't you ever just trust
me?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know why.  I just remembered it the other day.  I gotta
do this.  To become somethin'... someone more than I am.  I really had
forgotten," he said feebly.  "I'll... comeback when I finish.  I promise. '
kay," he took along breath when he had finished, happy with his
accomplishment.

She didn't answer him, just staring at him.

"There I said it.  That's why I came by.  I don't wanna be like pops and
just run.  Maybe it's not enough, but it's a start."

He looked into her eyes, seeing the moisture build-up and the reflection of
the stars twinkling in her eyes.  He realized she was what made him stay
this long, she was probably the reason he had forgotten his promise.  Akane,
his curse, everything that had contributed to his whirlwind life the last
half-year had contributed to his forgetting his goal.  Now that he
remembered he couldn't turn away from it again.

"What about your mother?" she asked quietly.

"I worry about her when I get back."

"Where are you going?" she asked again.

He looked at her for a moment, wanting to tell her, but didn't.  She had
asked for his trust, but could he trust her?  Sometimes he felt he could,
other times, he wasn't too sure.  He worried more about her following, than
her telling the others.  But if she followed, even without telling the
other, they would track her.

He wondered if it would be so bad to have her along though.  He had never
really considered it, but if she came along, the others would definitely
follow then, and all hell would break loose when they arrived, something he
knew he would ruin his chance to finding the answers he was seeking.

"Well, she prompted him.  Are you going to tell me?" she asked.  He saw the
worry in her eyes, and knew that not telling would hurt her, maybe as badly
as any insult he had thrown at her, but he just couldn't.  He turned away,
giving her his answer.

"Jerk!" she cried, he could hear the sobs in her voice as she slammed the
window shut.

"Be, well," he whispered into the night air, before leaping down from his
perch and leaving the Tendou's.


fin, prologue




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