Ranma ½ Not a Leg to Stand On

[Lawra]

Another terrible no good idea that's primarily a setup for jokes.

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“Ooh, he’s cute.” Nabiki exclaimed, standing at the front door with his older sister Kasumi, and her father Soun.

Just outside the door, a raven haired teenage boy with cool blue eyes was standing underneath an overly large umbrella to protect him completely from the pounding rain. Since he was wearing nice black silk clothing she could understand the need for rain protection. Strapped to his back was a tall traveling pack that was worn enough to imply a great deal of travel. And standing like a human next to him with a similar backpack slung over one shoulder, was a giant panda.

“But what’s up with the panda?” She asked almost as an afterthought to the visually prime boyfriend material. Though there was something off about him, like he shouldn’t really exist.

“Father, that’s a panda.” Kasumi added to herself just to confirm the reality of this situation.

“Growf!” Said panda barked at her and held up a wooden sign. #Tendo! It’s great to see you!#

“Saotome!” Her father joyfully greeted. “I’d know you anywhere! Is this your son, Ranma?”

“I am.” The young man answered like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Come in, come in!” Soun yanked Ranma inside so hard that he let the umbrella go.

Nabiki gave the panda one last glance before following her father into the home, using the time to check out Ranma’s backside. ‘Certainly works out.’ She noted appreciately.

“So this is him?” Akane asked dismissively, standing in the way of her father with her hands planted firmly on her hips in defiance.

“Akane, don’t be annoying.” She rolled her eyes at her little sisters confrontational attitude before introducing herself to Ranma. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Nabiki. Please ignore my weird sister.”

“I’m not weird!” Akane protested vehemently.

“Please don’t fight, girls.” Soun half pleaded and half ordered, shooing Akane back towards the living room.

“My old man needs, some hot water, do you have any handy?” Ranma asked as he was pulled past the kitchen.

“I’ll get him some.” Kasumi hastily volunteered just to do something normal.

“Are you excited, son?” Soun asked Ranma and practically shoved him into a kneeling position next to their table.

“I’m not exactly sure what you think I should be excited about.” He admitted and slipped off his traveling pack. “When Pop is a panda it’s easy for him not to say much.”

“I forgot that I had put a kettle on earlier.” Kasumi laughed lightly to herself as she brought in the item.

#Thanks# The panda held up another sign and delicately poured the steaming liquid over his head. Nabiki raised an eyebrow in curiosity as the water slowly soaked down through the white and black fur. Within five seconds there was a sudden and smooth change that overcame the panda into a middle aged man wearing a dingy white gi and bandana.

“You’re always getting into something, eh Saotome?” Her father laughed jovially and patted the former panda on the back.

“It’s become a tradition!” The man laughed loudly and joined in patting her father on the back as they hugged each other.

“He was a panda.” Kasumi remarked absently as she took back the kettle and then stared at it with a frown developing.

Ranma ignored the strange occurrence and grabbed his father by the front of his magically appearing gi to drag him away from her father. “Yes yes, terribly tragic story about a cursed training ground. But what’s going on, old man?”

“Some fiance he’s supposed to be. Knows even less about it than us.” Akane snickered.

“That’s all?” Ranma blinked several times and shrugged in response before letting his father go. “Well you sort that out. I need to go make sure my umbrella doesn’t blow away.”

Nabiki shared similar dubious looks with her sisters, watching the boy casually stroll back towards the front door.

“It’s true, Tendo. Our last destination turned out to be a cursed training ground and now we’re slaves to the temperature of water!”

“So it wasn’t the kettle that changed you.” Kasumi concluded but still reached out to experimentally pour some of the still warm water on her youngest sister’s head.

“Ah! Kasumi!” Akane screeched in alarm.

“So what does Ranma turn into?” Nabiki asked, having picked up the inclusion of her possible fiance in the brief explanation.

“Old man, you didn’t pawn my heated blanket, did you? It’s cold.” A new voice with a distinctively female lilt asked along with a barely noticeable rasping of something dragging across the wood floor.

Appearing around the corner was a girl with similar features to Ranma, wearing the same shirt, and with hair that was a bright red with strands of gold mixed in. What really caught Nabiki’s eyes was the complete lack of pants, and the fact that this girl’s lower body was a scale covered tail that extended down back around the corner. The majority of her serpentine body was covered in vibrant hues of red forming a mix of stripes and oblong shapes while the bottom was a dull lighter shade. She held herself up high enough to negate the lack of legs and as she moved forward her hips undulated with excess movement that carried all the way down her tail.

All conversation stopped as Nabiki along with her family stared in shock at the mythological creature slithering her nearly five meter long body into their living room to start digging into Ranma’s travel pack.

“Boy.” Genma coughed into his hand.

“Huh?” The redhead looked up long enough to realize that she was the clear center of the attention. “Did you decide that quick? Stupid umbrella was up against your wall so I had to get wet to get it.”

“This is my son’s cursed form. Hot water also turns him back.” Genma explained helpfully.

Ranma rolled her eyes as she pulled out a big blanket from the pack. “Now where’s an outlet?” She asked and slid over to the wall next to the television.

“Well-- I-- guess your curse isn’t so bad.” Soun hesitantly proclaimed.

“What curse?” Ranma turned to Soun, her upper body being held at what would be normally an awkward angle. “Being a little ectothermic isn’t a curse. Even though it feels like it sometimes.” She lamented and finally found a spot to plug the electric blanket into. Moving with surprising speed and coordination, the naga curled herself up into a tight ball beneath the blanket with a happy exclamation.

Nabiki’s eyes slowly traced over the now hidden form before locking onto her father. “Daddy-- these are your friends?”

zx

Two Months Ago in China

Balancing on top of a bamboo pole, Genma smirked down at the pool below, satisfied that he had paid his son back for turning him into a panda. ‘Let’s see how you like it, boy!’

“Oh no! Young Mister Customer fall in-- uh-- I no remember. No one fall in that spring for too long time.” The portly guide who had greeted them scratched at his chin deep in thought.

As Genma jumped down to land near the Chinese man, struggling to keep his new bulk from throwing off his coordination. Ranma finally broke the surface and collapsed face down on the edge, coughing up an excessively large amount of water before laying still. ‘Hmm, smaller, red hair, and still human.’ His finely honed survival instincts started to scream at him that perhaps Ranma would have a poor reaction to this training mishap. His son was hung strung like that sometimes.

Warily tiptoeing up to be just outside of arms reach of his child, he stretched out and gently nudge Ranma with his foot. In response, the new redhead coughed another large amount of water before raising his head to focus on him. Ranma’s features had become softer and he now looked like a foreign girl.

‘Uh oh!’ Genma turned to flee the moment Ranma started to move but he found himself quickly roughly spun around repeatedly before being crushed from all sides by something thick and scaly. Genma struggled briefly to free himself before the thick red serpents tail tightened around him like a vice. Laying on his side on the ground, he looked up in growing dread at his son, who’s gi had come open to reveal sizeable breasts.

“Man, I feel kind of funny.” Ranma commented and stretched her arms up over her head. While she possessed a normal human upper body, it changed quickly below her waist to be a snakes tail.

Genma croaked out a growf before regretting it as Ranma squeezed him even further. ‘I’m dead! I’m dead! I’m dead!’

“Oh, Young Mister Customer, please no kill Old Mister Customer.” The Guide hurriedly begged.

“I guess.” Ranma shrugged noncommittally and Genma immediately felt the coils slacken enough to breath. “But I reserve the right to do it later. He’s my old man after all. If anyone is going to do it, it’s going to be me.” She boasted and completely unwrapped from around him to wrap her tail up in a big spiral underneath her.

Ranma blinked and looked down at her new body as though she finally realized what had happened. Gingerly she reached down to touch where the scales started to confirm their existence. “Ooh, that feels weird. Maybe I could get used to this.”

Genma righted himself to sit on his backside. ‘At least the boy isn’t chasing me all over the valley.’

zx

Present day the next morning

Akane knocked loudly on the guest room door, grumbling underneath her breath at how annoying it was that she was volunteered to wake up their new houseguest. “Ranma! Breakfast! Time to get up!” She yelled into the wood and received no response.

Her frown grew and she threw the door open creating a loud smack as the wood hit the end of it’s rail in the wall. She stomped into the room before coming to an abrupt halt. Genma was already up sharing stories with her father downstairs. Ranma however was still covered by the electric blanket and had not taken the opportunity to change back when offered hot water. So Akane was left staring at the exoticly pretty red haired face sleeping peacefully, with a blanket covering a lumpy inhuman form.

“Um-- Ranma-- breakfast.” She knelt down next to the cursed teen’s head and gently nudged her. ‘She’s not poisonous, is she?’ Akane suddenly put a respectable distance between herself and the snake girl.

“Not hungry.” Ranma mumbled and rolled over to her other side, the blanket shifting oddly in response along with the soft rubbing of scales against each other before everything settled.

“LIsten you, you’re not going to insult my sister by letting the special breakfast she made for you and your panda father go cold by sleeping in!” Forgetting about the possibility of a venomous house guest, she ripped the heated blanket off of Ranma and threw it to the side. “Now get up, get changed back into a human, and ACK!”

zx

Nabiki could certainly appreciate this moment and with her camera handy she could share this joy with others. ‘For a price of course.’ She verified to herself and patted her captive sister on the head. “How you doing, sis?” She asked rhetorically and received a glare of death in return for her pleasant question.

“If I move-- she squeezes.” Akane whispered as calmly as she could, most of her body wrapped up by the serpentine tail of Ranma’s cursed form. The redhead herself was happily hugging Akane’s shoulders like a she was giant teddy bear, while still dozing.

“Hmm?” Ranma moaned as her upper body languidly rose away from Akane as she stretched her arms. Rubbing away the sleep from her eyes, she finally noticed that Nabiki was in the room. “Morning.”

“Morning.” Nabiki returned slowly.

“Let me go!” Akane squeaked in a small voice, still being squeezed tightly by Ranma’s snake tail.

“Aww! But you’re so warm.” Ranma complained while quickly complying with Akane’s demand. “Can we sleep together again?” The redhead excitedly asked as the youngest Tendo sister made her escape out the door.

“No! And change back into a human you perverted moron!” Akane yelled as she took off out of the room.

“She always this high strung?” Ranma asked Nabiki casually.

“Only with boys she likes.” Nabiki answered, hoping that Akane would get chosen for the engagement. Ranma was a clear money making opportunity and not husband material. Regardless of his real body being quite attractive. “Say Ranma, you wouldn’t be interested in posing for some photos, would you?”

“Why would you want to take pictures of me?” The snake girl asked cluelessly.

“A pretty gaijin with your-- uh-- uniquely long lower body? You’re very photogenic.” She left out all the money she would make off pictures of a legitimate naga. ‘Or is she a lamia? Maybe a gorgon? Whatever she is, she’s money with scales.’

Ranma’s look of confusion was instantly replaced by a cold calculating stare that tugged on some deep instinctual part of Nabiki’s brain in a bad way. “Oh, you want to sell pictures of me.-- So long as I get eighty percent of the profit that’ll be alright.” She shrugged and switched to smiling goodnaturedly. The snake half didn’t wait for a response before slithering across the floor after Akane. “I better go find out what she was so upset about. Don’t want to be a bad house guest.”

Nabiki quickly snapped a picture of Ranma’s exit, feeling a little put off that her purpose was so quickly found out, and that she was expected to agree to demands. ‘I’m sure we can work something out.’ She thought with a predatory smile.

zx

Casually strolling along the top of a chain-link fence, Ranma had a good feeling about the day. The day was warming up nicely and it seemed like his father had finally found a decent place to crash for once. Maybe he’d end up engaged to one of the three Tendo girls but he wasn’t overly concerned with the result of that.

“Don’t you dare talk to me at school.” Akane snapped, still looking at him like she wanted to rip his spine out through his mouth.

“If that’s what you want.” He sighed and hopped off of the fence to land a respectable distance away from the girl wearing a blue uniform. “I really am sorry that I wrapped you up like that. It’s-- ya know, instinctive. I’m usually much more gentle. I haven’t strangled my Pop, yet.”

“Just-- shut up.” The girl growled with her eyes shut and fist shaking.

Ranma decided to focus past the girl’s attitude, chalking it up to Akane being a city girl who didn’t get out much, and needed time to adjust to anything new. So he spent the rest of the commute trying to memorize the neighborhood sights. He hadn’t been to school for nearly a year and he wasn’t really looking forward to being stuck in a room the entire day. But if his old man wanted to stay in the area for a while he would just have to put up with it. He had the patience of an ambush predator after all.

Reaching the gates flanking the school's main entrance, he paused while Akane stomped forward with increasing agitation. An older boy was blocking the path to the school halfway across the courtyard wearing a kendogi with hakama and holding a wooden practice sword. Forming a half circle audience behind him were a couple dozen boys.

Nabiki suddenly appeared from Ranma’s right from behind the gate. “Come on, Ranma. You don’t want to get tangled up in Akane’s morning ritual.”

“Okay.” He paid little attention to Akane as she was challenge to a duel by the older boy. Akane wanted her space so he was happy to give it and it was certainly not his place to butt into her duel. After all, she was from the Anything Goes school of martial arts and should always be prepared for a challenge. “Say, can you point me to the office? My lazy old man didn’t fill out any paperwork.”

“I don’t usually do this many favors in the same day, but I think I can make an exception.” The middle sister answered with a smirk.

zx

Akane slammed her bookbag down on her desk before slumping into her seat. Dealing with Kuno Tatewaki every morning was frustrating but at least the other morons who had followed him had given up. At the start of the year he had proclaimed that if anyone wanted to date her then they needed to defeat her in a fight. Which they had all taken to mean that she would automatically date whoever got lucky with a punch first. ‘As if I want anything to do with them.’

“Rough morning?” A recent transfer student named Kuonji Ukyo asked with his familiar and friendly tone.

“Rough everything.” She answered and straightened out her long hair to fall behind her properly.

He was the only boy that Akane ever felt comfortable to talk to. Probably because he was the only one who didn’t spend their entire lives dedicated to hitting on her. Actually, Ukyo never showed any romantic interest in her at all. Which was almost too bad, he was attractive in a very bishounen sort of way. Several of the other girls in the class had made an attempt to date the boy but he had politely declined all requests.

“Does it have something to do with that boy who was walking with you?” Yuka asked, taking her seat one desk up and to the left.

“It does, my dad’s letting him and his father stay with us.” She avoided mentioning the possibility of being engaged to that freak half snake girl-boy.

“What’s his name? He looked really familiar.” Ukyo asked, sounding intensely curious.

“Ranma.” She answered absently, trying not to clear her head so she could get through the school day.

“Saotome?” Ukyo finished with an odd mix of hopefulness and something with a harder edge. Akane leaned away as the boy loomed over her.

“You know him?” She asked.

“Oh yea-- I know him.” Ukyo didn’t add anymore before taking his seat across the room.

“What’s up with him?” Yuka wondered, hooking her bookbag to the side of her desk.

“I don’t know, not like Ukyo-kun has to live with him.” Akane answered and joined the rest of the class in quieting down when their homeroom teacher finally entered the class.

 

[Lanceavalon]

...Wat? Seriously I red this and I want to hit you, you have to many fics as it is. Even if you are the only person that still posts fics here regularly.

 

[chronodekar]

That was a good read.

-chronodekar

 

[grant]

Not bad or anything.

 

[AzaggThoth]

Makes me curious how different things will be with Shampoo.

 

[Lawra]

...Wat? Seriously I red this and I want to hit you, you have to many fics as it is. Even if you are the only person that still posts fics here regularly.

Here's what happens when I don't write what is currently infesting my mind. I don't write anything. At all. So you get to put up with my brief flights of fancy or nothing will be going on.

Makes me curious how different things will be with Shampoo.

Well I did have the idea to have all the other jusenkyo cursed end up with something strange or mythological. Like Ryoga is going to be a talking bunny with wings. Who may or may not be some competent magical girl's companion who only gets mentioned. And who will have been almost lunch for Ranma.

Genma's the only one who got a pass on that because he's predivergence point.

 

[AzaggThoth]

Well, I meant more along the lines of if Shampoo would have figured out or been clued in on Ranma's cursed status before the whole kiss of death thing. I'm sure a naga/lamia/gorgon isn't a common sight even in backwater China. Would it have been easy for Ranma to fight her on the log with a snake body or would he have requested hot water and a chance to put on some pants first?

 

[Lawra]

Well, I meant more along the lines of if Shampoo would have figured out or been clued in on Ranma's cursed status before the whole kiss of death thing. I'm sure a naga/lamia/gorgon isn't a common sight even in backwater China. Would it have been easy for Ranma to fight her on the log with a snake body or would he have requested hot water and a chance to put on some pants first?

Well Ranma has magic pants so they just appear. (They were a gift) Wouldn't feel the need to switch back for that. Swallowed a bit of water and ended up with some mental smoothing.

Not sure on what Shampoo would do. Certainly Ranma would be instantly noticed if showing up in cursed form but do they have a negative or positive view of them? Eastern mythology is rather back and forth on that.

 

[nuclear death frog]

Well... this is definitely new. I'm pretty damn sure of that.

I am not convinced this is a good thing though.-_-

 

[shinzero01]

I like.
A lot.

 

[Lawra]

After School

Ranma regarded the young man who had been following him with curiosity and a smidge of predatory aggression. Coming home from his first day of school, he had noticed that he was being followed. Not particularly liking being anyones prey, he had lost his pursuer, and doubled back to turn the tables.

Tiptoeing along the cinder block wall above his completely unaware pursuer, he crouched down directly above his head. The other boy was mumbling to himself, clearly upset over losing Ranma’s trail, and ignoring the world around him.

‘Wasn’t he in Akane’s class?’ Ranma mused, being in a separate one from his prospective fiance. Even though he had been assigned to another classroom, he had noticed the other boy when eating lunch outside since he carried a very large battle spatula strapped to his back. Something about that tickled his memory but he couldn’t put his finger on where he had seen anything similar.

Gripping the block beneath him, he lowered himself silently from the wall. Slinking forward silently, Ranma tapped his stalker on the shoulder. “Hey.”

The spatula toting boy shrieked in a very feminine way and jumped forward to unholster his weapon. In a smooth well practiced motion he spun around to face Ranma with the weapon held in front of him. Brown eyes widened in alarm and before Ranma could chastise the other teen, he had to weave out of the way of a barrage of razor sharp throwing spatulas.

His hand snapped out to calmly catch the last of the small projectiles between two fingers before it could embed itself in his nose. “No introduction?” He asked with disapproval while slowly lowering the mini-spatula.

“Here’s all the introduction you deserve!” The rather pretty boy pulled out a baseball sized cloth wrapped bundle from behind his back and launched it at him.

Feeling cheeky, Ranma tried to use the little spatula to flip the bundle upwards but as soon as he made contact it exploded.

zx

“Kasumi-san, do you mind if I use the bath?” Ranma asked evenly, standing in the living room door with his body completely covered in sticky white flour.

“Of course not--.” Kasumi paused as she looked up from the book she was reading. “You’ve got white on you.”

“That would be why I’d like to take a bath, thanks.” He added with a discouraged sigh and stomped off towards the bath area, leaving a faint trail of white flour falling in his wake.

zx

Taking a very deep breath to try and calm herself, Kasumi’s hands gripped her book tightly. ‘It’s alright-- this is a good thing. It’s all the justification you need to put this engagement on your sisters. They’ll understand.’ When Ranma finished his bath she would politely but firmly ask him to clean up the mess that he had made. Even though he was a guest, she didn’t think it right that a possible family member act so irresponsibly.

It was a full forty-five minutes before she heard the odd shuffling that signified Ranma in his cursed form. Nabiki had already returned and went up to her room after grabbing a small snack. Akane was still at her after school club so she wouldn’t be home for another half an hour. Ranma slid into the doorway with a towel wrapped around her chest.

“Ahh! That felt great!” The cursed teen exclaimed happily and ran a hand through her unbound red hair.

‘This is it, time to stand up for your home!’ Kasumi firmed her jaw and was just about to ask Ranma to clean up her mess when the girl continued.

“Do you have a vacuum? I’ll get this flour cleaned up.” Ranma asked, her long serpent body slowly sliding into view to pool underneath her.

“Huh? Oh-- yes I keep all the cleaning supplies in the closet underneath the steps.” She answered, deflating under the preemption of her demand that Ranma clean up after himself.

“Got it, lemme just go get a shirt, and then I’ll have this damned flour cleaned right up.” The girl smiled toothily and continued on her way down the hall.

‘Maybe I misjudged him.’ She watched the last bit of Ranma’s length vanish, while trying to remember the last time her sisters ever volunteered to help with keeping her home clean. ‘I guess there’s no harm in letting him try.’ She tried to relax again and opened her book to pick up where she left off.

It was only a couple minutes until she heard the vacuum roar to life in the hallway. Kasumi smiled and raised her mental opinion of Ranma even further as she listened to the oscillating tempo of the vacuum. She noticed that the pattern changed about halfway to the door, like Ranma was pausing every so often. The mystery was solved when Ranma passed by the doorway. Nabiki was taking pictures of the snake-girl as she cleaned and Ranma was posing for her like some sort of pin-up.

‘Nabiki and Ranma are getting along well.’ Kasumi noted happily because usually her sister had problems making friends.

Soon enough the noise died down and her sister and Ranma made their way back towards the steps while loudly discussing what compensation the pictures should come with. She was just getting back into the story of her book when she noticed that someone was watching her. Slowly looking up, she found that Ranma had somehow silently returned to the living room to wrap around her in a tight circle. Directly in front of her, the redhead had her face propped up by both hands with her elbows resting on her snake tail.

‘How did she?’ Kasumi nervously closed her book and pulled her arms in close. “I-- didn’t hear you come in.”

“Didn’t want to disturb you any further.” Ranma answered pleasantly.

“That’s very-- nice of you.” She glanced at the brightly colored scales that were coming very close to touching her and felt a moment of revulsion that she tried to squash down. “Thank you very much for cleaning up after yourself.” She added gratefully, trying to ignore the slimy looking scales that surrounded her.

“You’re welcome.” The redhead perked up as if feeding off her unease and her serpentine body spun slowly to raise her upper body closer to Kasumi. “I’ve always thought a clean house is important and you’re the one who takes care of things here, right?”

Kasumi nodded, unable to look away from Ranma’s unblinking, and mesmerizing blue eyes.

It was Ranma who finally looked away, the cursed teen noticing that she had pulled her limbs in as close as she could to her body. “I’m sorry, do you have a thing about snakes?” Ranma asked and immediately shifted the bulk of her body to be farther away while still closer than Kasumi would like. “I don’t bite, I promise.”

“You’re very comfortable-- like that, aren’t you?” She said and immediately felt embarrassed for drawing attention to it.

“That’s cause I had a bit of an-- oopsie, when I fell in the spring.” Ranma admitted and pulled herself up slightly to sigh. “Jusenkyo didn’t like that I swallowed enough water to drown. Messed with my head a little bit.”

“How horrible!” Kasumi exclaimed in horror. “Is there anything you can do to fix it?”

“I’m not sure what would need to be fixed.” Ranma answered with a tiny shrug. “Sides, I like being more calm and patient. I didn’t always think things through that well.” The redhead giggled to herself.

“But you turn into a-- you’re part snake.” She said, struggling to understand how anyone handle turning into a creepy crawly snake.

“Way better than a panda.” Ranma boasted and sat up straight to puff her chest out. “What’s your problem with snakes?”

Kasumi’s eyes widened at the direct question, unsure how to answer.

“We’re not slimy or anything.” The naga girl tightened around her once again. “Go ahead and feel. I don’t mind.”

“I don’t know.” She looked down at the brightly colored snake tail dubiously. The only times she had ever been around snakes were either through a large and safe piece of glass or shooing away the small ones that would try to live around her home. And Ranma was by far the largest reptile she had ever seen.

Seeing that Ranma was waiting expectantly and not wanting to be rude, she very hesitantly reached out to poke at the coils with a single finger. She had expected it to feel wet or greasy but instead the scales were dry and surprisingly smooth. Kasumi pulled her hand away quickly when she realized that she was lingering and that she was touching a houseguest. “Different than I thought it would be.” She admitted, even though she still felt like she should go wash her hands.

“Get away from my sister you perverted monster!” Akane’s sudden shout and the loud stomp that followed made Kasumi jump in place. Ranma screamed in pain with a hiss that sent shivers down her spine. The redhead moved with amazing speed to unwrap from around her to get in Akane’s face and to rise up to loom above her.

“That-- hurt.” Ranma snarled, continuing to hiss sinisterly as her coils undulated angrily beneath her.

“Akane, that wasn’t very nice.” Kasumi chastised her youngest sister and shakily rose to her feet.

“But she was hypnotizing you! I know she was, I’ve seen the Jungle Book!” Akane stood her ground as best she could when faced with a predator doing her best to intimidate her.

“I’d never do that.” Ranma protested and backed off slightly.

“So you could!” Akane pointed out in victory.

"Could not!"

“Akane, you’re being very rude. We were just talking.” Kasumi tried to softly defuse the situation before it could escalate further.

“But Kasumi.” Akane whined, unwilling to stop furiously glaring at Ranma.

Ranma snorted and relaxed herself. "Are you going to say you're sorry?" The redhead asked and gingerly cradled the very tip of her tail that was bent at an awkward angle.

"Why would I apologize to you?" Akane scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Because it's impolite to stomp on your guests when they've done nothing wrong." Ramna explained before Kasumi could answer her sister with a similar explanation.

"The only thing I'm sorry for is that my dad thinks a freak like you should marry one of us." Akane replied dismissively and stormed out of the room.

“Oh my.” Kasumi exclaimed softly. “I’m really sorry, Ranma. Akane is usually such a sweet girl-- though often a violent maniac.”

“A maniac, hmm?” Ranma mused with a short soft hiss, her lower half curling up into a tight ball. “Maybe I could help her get over that.”

 

[chronodekar]

An interesting read, but I'm seeing signs of "Ranma is the guy/gal who comes in and solves everyone's problems" issue. And Akane is just being rude here. Far as I can tell, she didn't really have any 'bad' impressions of Ranma when they met, so it feels unlike her to go bashing the guy up.

-chronodekar

 

[Lawra]

An interesting read, but I'm seeing signs of "Ranma is the guy/gal who comes in and solves everyone's problems" issue. And Akane is just being rude here. Far as I can tell, she didn't really have any 'bad' impressions of Ranma when they met, so it feels unlike her to go bashing the guy up.

-chronodekar

Ranma most certainly will not be solving everyone's problems. Less likely to jump into actions that cause problems, yes but there are still times where excitement will overcome rational thinking. What makes you think Ranma is going to be solving everyone's problems?

Akane's reaction is rather extreme but she did walk into finding Ranma wrapped up around her sister and having suffered Ranma's embrace in the morning thinks that same thing was going to happen. She's also lashing out a little bit because Ranma is kind of scary and intimidating, has to try and assert some dominance.

 

[pacifist]

What makes you think Ranma is going to be solving everyone's problems?

Ranma being calm, not overtly arrogant, and emotionally perceptive are usually signs of the author planning to solve everyone's problems.

With Nabiki you get bonding over money.

With Kasumi you get polite interaction and appreciation of her hard work.

You might be going in a whole other direction but it hasn't been made apparent yet. Still these feelings are just because of what other fics have done not what you've written so far.


As to Akane's rudeness as you said large snakes don't give most people warm fuzzies.

 

[Lawra]

Ranma being calm, not overtly arrogant, and emotionally perceptive are usually signs of the author planning to solve everyone's problems.

More like I'm interested in avoiding the usual tropes.

With Nabiki you get bonding over money.

Till she realizes how stingy Ranma is or that Ranma has a limit to how far he'll allow himself to be extorted.

With Kasumi you get polite interaction and appreciation of her hard work.

And Ranma may or may not like to watch her squirm. :snigger: (Notice Ranma's interest piqued when seeing that Kasumi was having an 'ew' reaction)

As to Akane's rudeness as you said large snakes don't give most people warm fuzzies.

And Ranma is a very large snake. May not be the longest but a lot more heft than any normal snake has.

 

[moon so bright]

I like this story. Also, no matter how many fics I read it in or if I see it in the manga, Kasumi saying "she's just a violent maniac" or some variation thereof, always makes me laugh.
I cannot wait to see her almost eat Ryoga-the-magical-girls'-companion's magical girls, and maybe Ryoga too.

 

[Lawra]

Akane stared at her unfinished homework and tapped her pencil incessantly on her desk. Sighing, she leaned back on her rolling chair to swivel side to side while staring up at the ceiling. She was finding it impossible to concentrate because her mind refused to let her forget the mean things she had said to Ranma. The cursed boy had been so upset by what she had said that he had even declined to have anything for dinner.

“I should apologize.” She vocalized and stood up, resolving to do the right thing.

Purposely striding from her room in search of Ranma, she began her search in the guest room. Finding that empty, Akane continued on downstairs, and finally came across Ranma in the living room watching television. Her unwanted houseguest was still in his cursed form and was curled up into a big ball. Her human body was propped up on her snake half, using it like a giant pillow. If Akane didn’t know better, Ranma could have passed as just another human laying on an odd snake themed piece of furniture.

Her father and Genma sitting next to the open exterior door facing the koi pond playing a very animated game of shogi. From the look of smug superiority, her father was currently winning.

She didn’t usually have a problem with snakes but when Ranma’s blue eyes slid over her she struggled momentarily with hesitation. There wasn’t anything inherently threatening in the redhead’s gaze, but something about it put her on edge. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to blurt out an apology but a heavy thunk on the wooden floor interrupted her.

“Saotome Genma!” Ukyo bellowed as she stood in the yard with her feet planted apart and hand poised over her battle spatula.

“Ukyo-kun, what are you doing?” Akane asked in confusion, her reason for coming to the living room immediately forgotten.

“If you’re here for a challenge, you’re supposed to use the side door.” Soun instructed, paying more attention to his shogi move than the angry young man yelling at Genma.

“I think you’re looking for my son, Ranma.” Genma ignored Ukyo as well to keep a close eye on the shogi board.

“He’ll get his too.” Ukyo snarled.

“Hey, why’d you attack me earlier? You some kind of psycho chick?” Ranma butted in irritably, remaining in her position resting on herself.

“I’ve never seen you before in my life.” Ukyo stuttered. “And don’t call me a chick! I’m a dude!”

“Ranma, Ukyo-kun is a boy.” Akane added, even if her classmate was a little too girlishly cute for his own good.

The snake girl turned on her side to prop her head up with one arm, looking annoyed that she was being questioned. She pushed the tip of her tongue out through her teeth briefly before saying. “Nope, she’s a girl.”

“Just-- just shut up! Keep laying on that weird bean bag, I don’t have time to put up with some stupid gaijin who doesn’t know a boy from a girl!” Ukyo pulled her spatula from her back. “Genma, prepare to face the wrath of the child you left behind!”

“I’ve had a crush on a girl!” Akane screeched in horror, causing Ukyo to stumble forward and barely keep from falling. “Pervert!” She yelled and grabbed the edge of the shogi board in both hands.

“Oh no, not the game!” Genma bemoaned in false horror as the pieces were spilled.

“I was winning!” Soun cried.

Akane ignored the two fathers and hurled the heavy board at Ukyo. The crossdresser hurriedly brought up her battle spatula to intercept the missile but misjudged its weight, and the shogi board barreled through her defense to bounce off her head. Ukyo dropped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut while the shogi board landed with enough force to bury itself in the grass.

“But Akane-- my game-- I was winning.” Her father whimpered until Akane turned to glare at him.

“Sheesh Akane, are you trying to kill her?” Ranma asked curiously, still lounging from her original place on the floor.

“It was a nice throw.” Genma complimented and crossed his arms. “Good strength too. We went through four boards before we had one made from steel reinforced concrete. Anything Goes Shogi is not for the feint of heart.”

‘I never knew that stupid heavy thing was part of a martial art.’ Akane fumed.

“So-- Pop.” Ranma slowly purred as she uncoiled herself to approach her parent. “Who’s this girl claiming to be Ukyo?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, boy.” Genma nervously replied, quickly getting surrounded by his cursed son’s coils.

“He-- she said child you left behind.” Akane pointed out, glaring at the man as she quickly tried to piece things together. Her eyes widened as a sudden realization hit her. “Is she your illegitimate daughter?!”

#I’m just an innocent panda!# Genma signed, having somehow found cold water. Which was apparently the wrong thing to do as Ranma tightened around him to immobilize her father. #I’m endangered!#

“Just fess up already, old man.” Ranma rolled her eyes and squeezed Genma even tighter. “Not like you need air to write on a sign.”

#I’ll tell you!# The panda frantically scribbled.

-------

I'm going to edit the class scene to have Akane be more interested in Ukyo.

 

[pacifist]

Now there's something I haven't seen before. Nicely done.

 

[AzaggThoth]

Akane's hesitation to apologize to Ranma is cute in a general stubborn teen kind of way. The line about a crush on Ukyo almost had me spiting on my screen so it could work if left as is as a shocker that still sort of works. But if you think altering earlier bits to better set it up fits better then more power to you. Beaning Ukyo with the reenforced concrete shogi board was a bit out of left field but... I honestly could see Genma and Soun having something like that so I'm not going to complain.

 

[Lawra]

Now there's something I haven't seen before. Nicely done.

Equal opportunity pervert bashing. -_-

Akane's hesitation to apologize to Ranma is cute in a general stubborn teen kind of way. The line about a crush on Ukyo almost had me spiting on my screen so it could work if left as is as a shocker that still sort of works. But if you think altering earlier bits to better set it up fits better then more power to you. Beaning Ukyo with the reenforced concrete shogi board was a bit out of left field but... I honestly could see Genma and Soun having something like that so I'm not going to complain.

Wanted to reverse the canon thing where Ranma was about to apologize but heard her insulting him.

I'm just going to hint at her wishing he would pay her more attention. No big fantasy with Ukyo sweeping Akane off her feet, smiting Kuno, and them leaving to live happily ever after or nothing.

 

[Lawra]

Having used some hot water to return to human form, Ranma knelt next to the unconscious form of a girl claiming to be his childhood friend. She had been moved inside and was now laying on the floor with an icepack on her forehead where a significant bruise was forming.

Akane was kneeling across from him looking embarrassed with her sister Kasumi next to her looking pleased with her application of first aid. Soun was futily trying to place all the shogi pieces back on the board where they had been but Genma had been able to sneak away the moment he was released. It was a trick that Ranma had yet to figure out.

“So Ukyo’s father made a deal with your dad for an engagement.” Akane summarized to break the silence.

“I guess it’d make sense if Ukyo was a girl.” Ranma added and crossed his arms.

“But she knows your father.” Kasumi pointed out.

“Someone picking a fight with my old man really isn’t that out of the ordinary. Still doesn’t change that the Ukyo I know isn’t a girl.” He explained with a shrug.

“You change into a snake girl with cold water.” Akane sarcastically remarked and rolled her eyes.

“Yea-- why couldn’t it be hot water?” He sighed wistfully, being cruelly forced to miss out on long soaks in a deliciously warm bath.

Akane just stared at him in confusion before looking down at Ukyo and muttering. “Weirdo.”

“I think what Akane means to ask, is could it be magic?” Kasumi asked diplomatically.

“Maybe-- still not the Ukyo I know.” He partially conceded. The Ukyo unconscious before him didn’t carry any lingering male scent like he did when he changed forms. “Say, Akane. What were you trying to say to me earlier?”

“Huh-- oh-- it was nothing.” Akane answered nervously.

‘I thought she was going to apologize.’ Ranma didn’t feel like pressing for an apology, far more interested in getting back at Akane in a more creative way. “I’m going to go practice a bit.” He announced and smoothly rose to his feet.

“But what about Ukyo? She could wake up at anytime.” The youngest Tendo sister asked worriedly.

“If she acts up again, brain her with some bricks. Worked pretty well last time.” He answered with a negligent shrug.

“This should be heavy enough.” Kasumi somehow produced a heavy frying pan to give to her younger sister.

“Th-- thanks.” Akane slowly took the makeshift weapon with a strained smile.

zx

Ukyo’s head was pounding when she finally came to. Struggling to sit up caused a light blanket to slide off of her and for the pounding in her skull to increase. ‘How long was I out?’ She wondered and blinked her eyes trying to see into the dark room. A large beam of moonlight was spilling into the room from the open doorway illuminating a third of the floor.

Seeing that her weapons were laying against the wall, she immediately slid her feet out of the blanket, and made her way across the room without making a sound. She paused, realizing that Akane was sitting against the wall asleep with a heavy frying pan laid across her lap. ‘Ugh this has become such a mess.’ She groaned and grabbed her tools.

‘Obviously a head on assault doesn’t work. I’ll have to get Genma alone. Maybe challenge him to a duel-- if he can even be honorable enough to show up for one.’ She reasoned before a loud hissing made her glance back into the darkened room just as a very large reptilian tail finished slithering out of sight into the dark.

“Leaving so soon?” The foreign girl from earlier asked, the hissing only momentarily abating before resuming with even more intensity. For a brief instant, Ukyo saw a pair of eyes shine red, and the vague outline of a large form in the corner.

“What are you?” She questioned warily, backing away defensively. Akane was still sleeping against the wall, oblivious to what was going on, and she considered waking the girl up.

“Let’s just have a little chat, then-- maybe you can leave.” The girl continued in a very threatening tone, her voice coming from the darkness directly to Ukyo’s left. She barely started turning before a form exploded out from the darkness.

zx

Elsewhere

Sayuri tiredly slid open the door to her room, took one deliberate step into an established spot, and flicked her light on. Instantly a loud chorus of tiny voices erupted in rapturous cheers from the floor. Smiling wearily she knelt down to address the congregation of mice, some dressed in little makeshift clothes, and carrying tiny weapons.

“Hail.” She greeted as enthusiastically as she could at this hour to the several dozen furry occupants to her room.

“Hail!” The rodents returned as one, many bouncing up and down in jubilation. “Hail the return of the Late-Night Studious Priestess!”

“And if you’ve been good for Mr. Bun-san then I have brought an offering for the Feast of Quiet Returns.” She asked sweetly and turned to the plush dog bed that Mr. Bun-san was lounging on. He was her magical advisor of sorts and publicly her pet. His bed was situated on top of one of her dressers.

In response to her question, the moderately sized floppy eared bunny with light gray fur shuffled his snow owl wings, and sat up. “Are they going to keep cheering if I say yes?” The bunny asked tiredly in a rough teenage male voice full of annoyance.

“Awww Mr. Bun-san, that’s not how things work here. Remember, this was their home long before it was yours.” She playfully teased.

“Hail! The great dressing down of the tenth occasion in that many occasions to be dressed down!” The mice cheered briefly before quickly quieting in thought. After a pregnant pause one brave mouse spoke up. “And the twentieth successful observance of ‘Don’t Let The Bunny Get Lost’!”

Sayuri giggled at the sour look that her rabbit gave the mice before pulling out a hand size chunk of cheese, causing the room to become deathly still. “Since you’ve been so good, here you go.” She knelt down but still dropped the cheese into the waiting mass of rodents, who exploded in muted cheering as they rushed off back up the various steps and ramps into their home inside a converted dresser to start the feast of quiet returns. Well, as quiet as hyper religious intelligent mice who celebrated everything with the same amount of enthusiasm could be.

“It’s a good thing you finished your school homework earlier with how long that took.” Her rabbit advisor noted in disapproval before hopping heavily from the dresser down to her bed.

“Tanuki always want to talk and talk and talk.” She groaned and flopped onto her bed. “And the pictures of their kids-- if you don’t see every last one of them and listen to every story they take it as an insult.”

“You’re still in one piece, so success!” The bunny nodded to himself.

“Success will be being able to stay awake tomorrow in school.” She whined.

zx

Akane sat cross legged on the porch watching through narrowed eyes as the two Saotomes sparred around the koi pond. ‘I guess they are pretty good.’ She admitted mentally, tapping the frying pan that Kasumi had given her yesterday into the palm of her hand. Ukyo had been gone when she had been woken up by the sounds of fighting outside and she didn’t fail to notice the almost smug look of satisfaction on the younger Saotome’s face.

‘I bet he ate Ukyo.’ Her eyes narrowed even further. ‘Waited for everyone else to go to sleep then gobbled him-- her up.’

“Breakfast!” Kasumi announced sweetly.

“Breakfast?” Genma questioned excitedly a second before Ranma used the opening to kick his father into the pond.

“You’re such a glutton, Pop.” Ranma teased his father who was now rising from the koi pond as a giant panda.

#Be grateful! It’s the only thing that saved you!# Genma pulled out a wooden sign to taunt Ranma with.

“As if I need saving from you.” The boy laughed haughtily up until he realized that she had slid in behind him and turned his head enough to look. “Oh, hey Akane.”

“Ranma, what happened to Ukyo?” Akane questioned slowly, hefting the heavy frying pan repeatedly.

“She left a couple hours ago. We had a nice little chat and I think we were able to work everything out.”

“How convenient!” She snapped and shoved her makeshift weapon in his face. “You ate her, didn’t you?! Confess!” She accused.

“You really are a strange and angry girl, aren’t you?” Ranma remarked casually as though he was talking about the weather and cocked his head to one side.

“You’re not even denying it!”

“Akane, would you quit shouting?” Nabiki grumbled irritably as she made her way into the dining room. “It’s too early in the morning to listen you carrying on about something ridiculous.”

“Good morning, Nabiki.” Kasumi greeted as she was setting the table.

“Well I’m not really that hungry so I’ll just go get cleaned up.” Ranma ignored her to excuse himself from breakfast.

“Because you ate Ukyo!” She cried but none of her family were paying attention. Her hand tightened on the handle of the pan, the metal warping under the pressure. ‘Fine then! I’ll get proof and then they’ll have to listen to me.’

zx

Kuno Tatewaki fought back a wince as he awoke in the school nurses office. His love, his very reason for existence had not been kind during their morning spar this day. ‘So spirited.’ He gushed and painfully rose up into a sitting position. The nurse had learned long ago that he only needed a brief rest to recover so she did not hover over him. He became aware of something most amazing as he found that the love of his life, Akane was waiting nearby for him to wake.

“My love! You have awaited for me to awake from my slumber?” He joyously launched himself towards her only to be met with a fist deep into his stomach.

Akane reluctantly pulled back from her punch as he fell back onto the bed struggling to catch his breath. “Upperclassman, I need your help.”

“Of course I will go on a date with you.” He wheezed, struggling once again to stand until Akane held up her hand.

“Not that, I need help with a demon that is taking over my home.”

“As a noble samurai it is my duty to vanquish such creatures whenever they threaten the lovely innocence of a fair maiden such as yourself!” He boasted, rising to his feet to pose heroically.

“Yes-- well, she hides in the form of a young man named Saotome Ranma who’s attending school with us.”

“Tell me, my love. What manner of beast is she?”

“A snake monster and she’s very dangerous. Cold water will reveal her true form.”

“Foul magics.” He deduced.

“She may have even eaten one of my classmates.”

Kuno gasped loudly. “I shall not rest until this evil is cleansed then! And when I have saved these sacred halls of learning, I shall allow you to date with me!”

“Okay-- maybe, but first you have to get rid of her.”

“Of course! The justice of heaven is slow but sure! I Kuno Tatewaki shall not rest until I have accomplished this task!” He declared, grabbing his boken, and storming from the office.

zx

“Hey Saotome! You’re up!”

“Alright, alright.” Ranma answered his classmate and lazily stood up from the long bench to walk around the fence onto the baseball field. Grabbing a bat and helmet on the way, he stepped into the batter’s box, and took a half hearted stance waiting for the pitcher.

“Hey new kid, try to hit this!” The pitcher poorly hid a smirk behind his glove before throwing the baseball with as much force as he could.

Watching casually as the ball passed him by without attempting to swing, he heard several snickers, and jokes from the boys playing in the field.

“You’re supposed to swing!” The pitcher joked, earning a few more laughs.

“Oh! I didn’t know that, I’ll try to hit it this time.” Ranma called out amiably. When the next pitch came he hit the ball in a hard line drive that streaked past the pitcher’s head close enough to ruffle his hair, and flew deep into the outfield to bounce off the fence.

“Was that alright?” He joked to the frozen teen while starting to jog around the bases, keeping an eye on the boy playing centerfield scrambling for the ball. ‘These games are so tiring.’ He lamented, wishing he hadn’t taken the bait, and had simply struck out. At the very least his slow speed and the small field made it only a base hit. Team events were always so boring, nobody was ever near his level, so he was always left waiting impatiently on others.

“Great hit, Saotome. If you work on your hustle around the bases you could play for my baseball club.”

“Sorry, Sensei. But I’m interested in another club.” He lied, hoping that he wouldn’t be hounded by yet another overzealous school club advisor.

“Saotome Ranma!”

 

[Fellgrave]

Well, that's new. I don't think I've seen Akane being the one to six Kuno on Ranma before.

Nice chapter.

 

[Lawra]

Well, that's new. I don't think I've seen Akane being the one to six Kuno on Ranma before.

Nice chapter.

And there's absolutely no possible way that this could backfire on her. :evil2:

 

[PCHeintz72]

Well, that's new. I don't think I've seen Akane being the one to six Kuno on Ranma before.

Nice chapter.

Hmmm... Ranma-'chan' aka Ranko sicced Kuno on Ranma once.

I want to say I've seen Akane do so at least once, but I cannot remember where.