The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and rights
holders.
Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation
of Naoko
Takeuchi. All original content is the creation of Samuel Phoenix.
Recognition is given to
John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story,
and to
Harold Ancell who has been a near constant source of input, information, and
ideas.

Awkward Consequences
Chapter 10: Nice Kitty...
PsyckoSama (syp104@psu.edu)
http://www.fanfic.net/~psyckosama/


In a sing-song tone Chibi-Usa said, "To have your lover ask for your
hand while in his arms after embracing your passion for one another...
That's so great!"

Beneath her outwardly teasing veneer, Chibi-Usa envied Ranma and
Hotaru. Despite the strange goings on of late, they looked happy. Happy
and in love.

She wished she could find someone special. A handsome prince to whisk
her away... wait, scratch that. She'd had her fill of "handsome
princes". They were all arrogant pricks that wanted into her panties,
and onto her parents' throne. Most of them couldn't care less about
her. If any of them were like Pegasus or even her father, she'd
consider it, but no. They just wanted her body and political power.

Taking a look at Ranma she thought for a moment. If a handsome prince
wouldn't do, maybe the figurative white knight, a virtuous warrior who
fought to protect and help others... or possibly shy and cute, a kind
heart who would be as devoted to her as she would to him. She wondered
if Ranma had any cute martial artist friends that fit the
description...

She turned her head to Ranma, and was surprised by his glassy eyes
expression. The color had drained from his face, and he was trembling
with fear. He looked like he was seeing something horrible. Chibi-Usa's
hand automatically moved to her transformation broach, as she followed
Ranma's line of vision to the source. Chibi-Usa blinked. It was only
her grandmother and Diana. Was it Diana he was afraid of? She was the
only new thing, unless Ranma had an overwhelming phobia of *tea*. Was
he afraid of a cute little kitty cat?

The aforementioned kitten smiled a cute feline smile and cocked her
head toward Ranma, letting out a curious "meow".

With a loud scream, Ranma bolted backward, slamming into the wall, his
face overcome with sheer mindless terror. The impact knocked a vase
placed on a shelf above him over, showering the young man with cut
flowers and water.

Chibi-Usa's jaw dropped as Ranma's hunky body quickly shrunk and
shifted into one befitting a supermodel. So he DID change into a girl,
and one with a body that any woman would kill for! It just wasn't fair!

Chibi-Usa's gaze quickly shifted. Hotaru looked just as confused as she
did, and her grandmother was just gaping in suprise.

Not noticing the change, Ranma stayed pressed against the wall, looking
at the small cat like she was some demon. Chibi-Usa caught a glimpse of
his eyes, and saw terror, a pure stark terror that chilled her.

Hotaru ran over to Ranma and grabbed his arms. "Ranma, what's wrong?"

"C-c-cat!"

Hotaru quickly turned her head to the moon cat, yelling, "Get out of
here!"

The kitten blinked and let out an inquisitive meow, apparently confused
by Ranma's plight.

Hearing the meow Ranma let out another fearful yelp and jumped back
into the wall. Chibi-Usa swore that she saw a spiderweb of cracks begin
to spread across the plaster.

Chibi-Usa's brow furrowed. She'd apologize to her friend later. Through
gritted teeth she said, "Diana! Go upstairs!"

The small cat sighed, and slowly began to trot out dejectedly, taking
her jolly time.

"NOW!" the princess commanded.

In response the cat jumped, and ran up the stairs as quickly as her
little kitty legs could carry her.

As soon as Diana was gone, Ranma slid down the wall with a loud sigh.
The redhead was obviously still shaken but was no longer incapacitated
with fear. Ranma's breathing calmed in a few seconds, and 'she' looked
down at 'herself'. He sighed in exasperation, and chuckled morosely to
himself. After a second he turned to look at everyone.

Ikuko looked at the small indent in her wall, and at the man turned
woman. "Wha... What's going on here?"

"I have an explanation, really!"

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

Hotaru gawked blankly at her beloved. What the hell was going on, and
how could a simple visit to Chibi-Usa's turn out so badly?

"I have an explanation, really!"

Hotaru stared at him. Was he going to explain the curse or the utter
terror that Diana brought out in him? Exactly what the hell was going
on? How could someone as fearless as him be afraid of a harmless
looking kitten?

"You're a man... but now... you're a woman? This... that's impossible!"

"It's a curse," replied Ranma with a sigh. "I picked it up in China. My
pop got the stupid idea to go to a cursed training ground called
Jusenkyo."

"He took you to a *cursed* training ground," asked Ikuko is a skeptical
tone.

"Yeah! He just saw the Chinese words 'training ground' and he was set
to go! Stupid old jerk..." Ranma sighed, and continued his story,
"Jusenkyo has lots of springs, and each has a curse. You fall into a
spring and you turned into what first drowned in it when ya get wet. I
fell in the Spring of Drowned Girl."

Ikuko placed down the tray of refreshments, and shook her head,
"This... this just isn't possible. It can't be real!"

Hotaru's hand unconsciously moved to Ranma's shoulder. "Is it any less
believable than magic girls and youma?" asked Hotaru, trying to help
make her fianc�'s case.

Ranma sighed, and replied by taking Ikuko's hand and placing it onto
'her' chest. He then dumped a cup of steaming hot tea over his head.

Ikuko's eyes opened to their limits as she felt and saw Ranma morph
from the gorgeous woman to his natural form.

"Proof enough?"

Ikuko blushed and backed away from Ramna, trying to process all of it.
"Okay, I believe you", she said with a deep sigh.

After a few seconds, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Now why did you ruin
my wall?"

Ranma turned around and looked at the wall. There was a small,
supermodel shaped crater in it. He put his hand behind head and
nervously laughed to himself. "Er... sorry!"

"Ranma, why were you afraid of the cat?" asked Hotaru.

Ranma sighed and sat down. "That's gotta do with my damn, idiot old man
too."

Hotaru blinked. Some how she should have guessed that... "What else did
he do, Ranma?"

Ranma sighed. "It's a side effect of something called the Neko-ken."

"Ranma, I have this feeling that I really don't want to know, but what
*is* it?..." asked Hotaru.

"It's a special technique," replied the martial artist.

"How does a 'special technique' make you afraid of cats?" asked Chibi-
Usa.

"Simple," replied Ranma, "The 'training' involves wrapping the student,
preferably a young child, in fish sausage then throwing him into a pit
full of starving cats. Didn't work the first time, so he kept trying
until it did, using different foods."

All three women's jaws dropped at they stared in horror at Ranma. The
three women's eyes met, and it was obvious that their thoughts mirrored
one another. What kind of monster was Ranma's father? Hotaru had known
he was a complete and total idiot from Ranma's description but this...
this was just monstrous! Who could do that to their own child?!

Hotaru's grip on Ranma's arm tightened, and she looked him in the eyes.
No one could be that stupid, could they?

The troubled look in Ranma's eyes was a definitive 'yes'.

"How old were you?" asked Ikuko, her voice completely numb.

Ranma shrugged. "Six..."

Ikuko just gawked at the young man in disbelief. "Six? You were only
six years old?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Ranma-kun, where was your mother during all of this?" asked Ikuko.

With a sigh, the pigtailed youth said, "I was on a ten year training
trip. I was in Osaka. She was in Tokyo."

"I... can't believe that anyone human could do that to a little kid..."
murmured Chibi-Usa.

Ranma scowled. "He's done lots of crap like that. What really ticks me
off about the Neko-ken is that the baka didn't even bother to read the
next page."

"What did it say?" asked Ikuko.

Ranma sighed. "It was a warning in big happy lettering that said 'Only
an idiot would teach someone the Neko-ken, because the student will go
insane'. Heck, that's only half of it!"

Hotaru's grip tightened even more. How could it be any worse?

Ranma, sensing her unease, pulled his arm away, and put it around her
in a hug, which she quickly accepted.

"How can it be any worse?" asked Chibi-Usa. It was obvious from the
haunted look in her eyes that she really didn't want him to answer
that.

"You saw. I can't even look at one of those evil little monsters
without running away in terror, but I didn't tell ya what happens if
I'm around 'em too long..."

Ikuko sat down. It was obvious from the her look of revulsion that
Ranma's story had made her very nauseous.

"Ranma-kun," she interrupted, "He seriously thought that was some kind
of martial arts training?"

"Martial Arts training, Saotome Genma Stupid Style. You don't think,
you just do, and hope it doesn't blow up in your face," he said flatly.
"I learned the technique, but it wasn't what the baka-panda expected."

"What do you mean by that?"

"As I was saying, if I'm around cats too long the technique takes hold.
I kinda go berserk. I'm almost invincible, but I go crazy from the
fear, lose my mind, and start ta think and act like a cat. I have no
memory of it, but I've been told the only way ta get me to snap out of
it is to get me to fall asleep or activate my curse."

Hotaru silently looked at her beloved and let the story of the Neko-ken
run through her mind over and over again. Hotaru's hand slowly drifted
to her belly. Ranma's father was a monster as much as any of the
enemies she'd ever faced. What kind of bastard could do that to their
own child... and if he could do something like that to his child, why
not his grandchild, her child. This went beyond child abuse. It was
just callous, sadistic cruelty...

She took a step away, out of his arms, and looked at him. "Ranma," said
Hotaru in a voice that could have come from a crypt. All heads turned
to her.

"Er... yeah Hotaru?" asked Ranma.

Hotaru's eyes narrowed into a cold edged glare of death straight from
Sailor Saturn at her worst. "If your father EVER even thinks about
doing anything remotely like that to our baby, then I WILL KILL HIM!"

Ikuko took a step back, surprised but the pure venom in sweet, kind
Hotaru's voice. After a second her eyes widened and she looked at the
young woman, her eyes shining with maternal concern.

"Hotaru-chan," asked Ikuko, "did you just say 'our baby'? Is there
something I don't know?"

Hotaru face was quickly drained of its anger. Oh shit... she'd just
screwed up yet again. She slowly turned to the concerned and very
confused lady of the house. Hotaru decided to tell her the truth; she
would know anyways in a month or so, and Ikuko had always been a good
mother. She had raised Usagi and, to a degree, Chibi-Usa very well. She
had even given her some of the mothering that Michiru-mama didn't have
the experience to provide. She really deserved to know, but still,
after what happened with her 'parents', she was afraid.

"Hai..."

"Hotaru-chan? It's okay, you can tell me." stated Ikuko.

"Do you promise that you won't tell Chibi-Usa-chan that she can't
associate with me?"

Ikuko backed away. "Why would I ever do something like that?"

Hotaru gulped, and hoped that the older woman wouldn't think any less
of her. "Ikuko-san, I'm..."

Hotaru's confession was interrupted Ranma as he placed his hands on her
shoulders.

She looked up to him, and into his eyes. She saw a small amount of
frustration, but she could tell by how he was looking at her, that he
was with her in this. They were going to be a family. Time to act like
one.

The look of unease gradually faded from Hotaru's face, replaced with
contentment.

With a sigh, she turned back to the lady of the house. "Ikuko-san,
Ranma and I..." she blushed and looked down. "We're going to have a
baby..."

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