Crossover Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Path of Chaos: Ascension of Supremacy ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Lord Rance 
Anime/Manga: Crossover Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Mecha / Romance / Martial Arts / Comedy / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 02.02.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.0K | Visits: 4.0K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Crossover Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Mecha / Romance / Martial Arts / Comedy / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 02.02.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.0K | Visits: 4.0K | Status: Completed
PATH OF CHAOS
- Lord Rance
Disclaimer: "If the Pen is mightier than the Sword, then why the heck
did we invent the Sword then?! Stab everyone in the eye with a Pen
then!"
Seriously though, the anime ain't mine. Nor was the manga. The idea I'm gonna write is mine though.
Author Notes: Some scenes are... well... hmmm... forget it.
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PROLOGUE: ACCIDENTS HAPPEN AT THE WORST TIMES
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Foreword:
In the beginning, the Darkness encompassed everything.
In the midst of it all, the swirling mass decided its sentience.
From the Darkness, came the Ancient Gods.
For thousands of years They ruled the Cosmos, partaking on their resources.
Fluttering from one world to the next, like grazing butterflies.
In the middle of the Ancient Gods' rule, the Darkness acted again.
This time, creating Three from Its own Essence.
The First, known as the Righteous One, the Second, the Nightmare.
The Last, assimilated most of the Its Essence, is Chaos.
The Righteous One, organized a rebellion against the Ancient Gods.
Along with the help of the others, they eventually won.
Driving back the Ancient Gods into Eternal Imprisonment.
They were undisputed in the Cosmos.
The Righteous One claimed Heaven, or Asgard, or Olympus.
The Nightmare claimed Hell, or Nifelheim, or Hades.
So many names, all mean the same.
But the Last was the most surprising of all.
The Chaos, being most part of Darkness, refused to be tied down.
Control was never a part of Its nature.
Like Its ancestor of Darkness, Chaos chose to travel.
Forever roaming by Its own, maintaining the Balance of Everything.
- Excerpts from The Book of Darkness: Alpha and Omega, author unknown.
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Ranma Saotome was taken to a training trip by his errant father, Genma, since he was still a baby. As soon as he learned how to walk, he was taught and trained to be the best in the martial arts world. The "Anything Goes Martial Arts" style was then incorporated in him. The style consisted of being able to adapt into any kind of situation, whereas this style has absolutely no rules to follow. During the course of the journey, a huge mishap seemed to have befallen on him. The famous cursed springs, Jusenkyo, was well-known as a huge training ground for the greatest martial artists.
Attracted by the gossips about the grounds, they both went to the cursed springs and trained, not heeding the warnings of the guide. Landing a blow on his father, Genma fell into the "Spring of the Drowned Panda". In retaliation, the angry panda bopped the shocked Ranma into the "Spring of Drowned Girl". Since then, when splashed with cold water, the curse activated, leaving Ranma as a girl and Genma as a gigantic panda. Hot water reversed the curse.
After the long training, he was brought to Japan to finally meet his fiancee, Akane Tendo. A rocky start for them, followed by dozens of challenges and fanatic fiancees, their relationship started as such. Ranma battled gods, dragons, giant orochis, the phoenix and many other mighty foes and had become one of the most powerful martial artists in the world.
The latest challenge in Ranma's life was defeating Phoenix God Saffron. Kiima, Saffron's trusted follower, kidnapped Akane and nearly drowned her in an unnamed uncursed spring. Surprisingly, Akane survived the ordeal. The spring was later named "Spring of Drowned Akane". Kiima used Akane's form to lure Ranma into Mount Phoenix, home of Saffron.
The battle ensued, destroying everything around China. The Jusenkyo was totally destroyed. Finally defeating the Phoenix God Saffron, Ranma had unwittingly declared his love to Akane. The wedding was set, and the invitations were distributed. But still the wedding ended in... disaster. Eventhough this happened, Ranma and Akane grew closer, and still remained engaged (this time more or less without any hesitation it seems from both sides) and postponed their wedding plans till they conclude "unfinished businesses (like stray fiancees, unruly idiotic guys, etc.)".
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In Heaven...
Belldandy appeared as she came sliding out of the mirror that hung across the room. It has been a long time since she last visited Heaven, mainly because of her work at the Goddess Relief Hotline Office. She was still bound by that contract she has bestowed upon a mortal, but she thought that she could use some time off to visit her sisters. Also, she has been kind of worried because they haven't been down to the shrine for days now.
She walked along the well lit corridors and opened the huge door at the end of it, to the huge room where the universal computer Yggdrasil was being maintained. She looked around and saw her errant sisters Urd and Skuld, haunched over a computer terminal, their faces reflecting that they were in some serious work that needed their undivided attention.
Urd turned to the sound of footsteps approaching them and smiled a little. She saw Belldandy walking towards them with a slightly worried expression on her face.
"Hello, Urd and Skuld. How are the both of you? Why haven't you been down to Earth lately?" Belldandy asked in a pleasant tone.
Skuld looked up from her terminal to face Belldandy. "There is a really weird file that we've been trying to get access into..." She said with a serious tone.
Belldandy pulled up a chair and sat beside them. "Really? I thought you have access to all the files in the Yggdrasil?" She asked with a slight frown.
Urd sighed and replied, "That's just it. This file is encrypted with a password that only Kami-sama can see. But that should be impossible, so we are checking to see of there is some sort of a mistake."
Skuld said, "I had all the names listed, and this one with the name 'Saotome Ranma' has an asterisk mark at the left of his name. When I tried accessing it..." she then pressed a button when the name was highlighted. A beep was heard and a huge sign saying 'FOR KAMI-SAMA'S EYES ONLY' was seen.
Belldandy nodded in understanding. "Well... have you asked Kami-sama
about it?"
Urd and Skuld had this really incredulous 'Huh?!' expression and looked at each other, saying in at the same time, "Why didn't I think of that?!"
Urd stood up quickly and picked up the phone nearby, tapping her foot impatiently. The other line was finally picked up, and she began her conversation with who presumeably was Kami-sama.
"Yes father, there's this weird file that we have come across... yes, the file's name is Saotome Ranma... yes... what?! He is?! Is that why we can't see it? Can't we be given access to it? No father... it's just that it was so interesting... alright... no meddling in the file... alright father! I understand... I will tell Skuld and Belldandy too... don't worry, we'll visit soon... thank you father..." then with a weird expression of surprise, she slowly put down the receiver. Urd just stood there looking dumbly at the receiver, making no moves whatsoever.
After seeing Urd won't make a move for a while, Skuld became impatient. "Well??" she directed to Urd, tapping her fingers on the console. Urd snapped out of her reverie and looked at Skuld. After gulping air for strength, Urd said, "This Ranma is a special case. I was able to get access, but meddling with his life is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to anyone... even us goddesses. It would seem that only Kami-sama has the power to make a few minor adjustments to it."
Belldandy was dumbfounded. "What's so special about him? Does he have a Destiny?"
Urd could only shrug.
Skuld turned to Urd, saying, "What exactly did Father say?"
Urd sighed. "Father said that the file is currently being restricted. If anyone wants to see it, He explicitely asserted that His permission is needed."
Skuld whipped her head towards Urd, a questioning look on her face. "So... we can't see it?"
Urd sighed and nodded. "Ranma is a special case. Kami-sama is not into the specifics about him though. Just that we protect and guard his file."
Skuld frowned. "If he's so important, then why is he out there?"
Urd shrugged. "It would seem father has some plans for him. The scary thing here is, father is making sure nobody touches Ranma's files."
Belldandy continued to read Ranma's file. She was awed at what the boy's exploits have been. She also grew to dislike Ranma's father, who has subjected his son to numerous life-threatening actions. She also admired Ranma's determination and his love for the Art. Suddenly she gasped as she read the latest addition to his exploits. "Kami-sama... he defeated... Saffron?!"
Skuld almost jumped from her seat and looked at the file. "Y-you're right! Even as a mortal, he's really strong!"
Urd nodded again. "Yes... well, I'll make sure to watch over him. Who knows what weirdness could happen to him, right?" She licked her lips in anticipation as they watched the picture on the screen with growing interest. Belldandy, Urd and Skuld's godly hormones went into overdrive when they saw Ranma's picture.
Urd struggled to close her gaping mouth. "W-wow... never thought he was such a looker..."
Belldandy blushed furiously, berating herself for thinking naughty thoughts. <I already have Keiichi... but Ranma is... Ranma is... oh my!>
Skuld's eyes glazed over when she saw Ranma. This only happens when she eats ice cream. You can now wonder what the little pervert's thinking right now...
Hey, goddesses have feelings too, you know.
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It was a normal typical day in Nerima. Birds chirped everywhere, people jogged along the sidewalks, old ladies with buckets and saddles poured water all over the street for apparently no reason at all, the sound of the public repair crew repairing some damages around town, the resident martial artists scrambling and bickering among themselves... yes! This was the normal day. Imagine what it's like when it's the weird day. Just wait 'til Valentine's Day...
"THAT'S IT! I can't take them anymore!" Ranma screamed on top of his lungs as he ran across the streets of Nerima. Behind him was a horde of young ladies running after him, mainly Shampoo, Ukyou and Kodachi. He still remembered one time when it all became too much.
-FLASHBACK-
It all started when Ranma was casually walking along the park. So far, so good, everything was as peaceful as tranquil water. It's several months after that thing about the failed wedding, but it was still fresh in his mind.
Now normally, Ranma was a very forgiving person. No matter how much of an honorless, gutless and idiotic of a father Genma was, he never took after the louse. Ranma learned a little about tact, although it wasn't enough. Compared to his father though, he was a saint.
However, lately Ranma had experienced a lot of pain in his body, a foreign feeling for him. It all started with that weird fever he had all those months ago.
A very high fever struck Ranma down, making his body scalding hot. He even managed not to change with cold water. When water got into contact with him, the water boiled instantly, allowing him to maintain his male form for quite some time. He remembered that he can even stand in a tub of cold water, and not manage to change at all. Of course, the cold water had become boiling in a matter of seconds, but that's besides the point.
He was, in a way, semi-cured of his curse.
There was a downside, though, since his body functions suffered a lot. His reflexes became almost nil, and his sense of perception was shot to hell. His head had this pounding headache, and his body was wracked with internal pain. Ranma felt that his blood was on fire, as he could even feel it flowing back and forth in his veins while he had the fever.
It was a huge price to pay for a small temporary cure for the curse, and in the end he finally transfered some of his fever's intensity to his mother. The 'cure' lost its power, and his life reverted back to his 'normal' decorum. But the upside was, he was able to let his mother see him in all his male glory, even if it was only for a short time.
Ranma shook his head in sadness. It has been so long ago, and there was still no cure for his curse in sight. Not that he minded that much, though, but he would still like to get rid of it. In some ways, he knew it was probably some sort of a punishment for him, for listening to his father's stupidity about the opposite gender.
Although, his current questionable state of mind and body weren't the only things that escalated his irritation these past few days. There was also that wedding attempt...
Well, imagine youself getting married. All dressed up in a really nice black tux that fit snugly against your skin, with a cask of your supposed to be cure right in front of you. Granted that Akane and he were roped into this, which at that time he still didn't understand why Akane took that chance (well probably he thought that Akane was bribed into giving in by the nannichuan). The guests were there, the food is immaculately arranged for later... yep, everything was good.
Yeah right.
Suddenly the door was blasted open, pouring several of his pursuers with assorted of different purposes. Not counting that blasted Ryoga who just tore down one side of the dojo wall, again.
Ranma couldn't forget about that one. Ukyou throwing bombs everywhere, endangering innocents. Shampoo as well, and when there is a Shampoo, there's always the Mousse, then Ryoga hears about the nannichuan, his father, Genma, swiping it away, Kuno bringing a real katana, Kodachi dressed in a black wedding gown, Nabiki counting her yen, Happosai drinking the nannichuan...
Hell on Earth...
In the end, it was always his fault, for accummulating what they call, 'Past Debts'. Stupid panda accummulated it all under his name after all. They all agreed to postpone the blasted wedding up until the time is 'right'.
So basically the day after that, everything remained peaceful for a bit. Everyone was apologetic about what happened, Akane seemed a bit nicer... take note, a bit... Nabiki also did a bit of a 180 when it was done and all, which surprised Ranma. She helped Ranma pay for the damages to the dojo. Also Ranma really busted his father up for his part in all of it.
Peace has reigned. Oh... for about one and a half weeks.
After that, things seemed to pick up once again. Akane became a bit more violent again, Ryoga started attacking him again, Ukyou and Shampoo were back to their exploits, while Kodachi and Kuno were nuisances again. While Nabiki ran interference when things get heated up, for some reason like a homing missile, his pursuers still find him wherever he tended to go.
Then it happened, the innocents suddenly get involved.
One particular moment was when Akane started bashing him once again while Ryoga spouted something about 'How dare Ranma badmouth Akane's cooking'. Akane bashed him, or at least tried to, but he dodged to the right. He landed right in front of a group of small children crossing the sidewalk going to school. Ryoga, being Ryoga, just saw red (well, that was what Ranma was wearing after all in that day) carelessly fired a really huge Shi Shi Hokodan towards Ranma's position, and yes, towards the children's position too.
For some reason, Akane still couldn't get the fact that Ranma is just defending himself, screaming something about him picking on poor Ryoga.
Ranma, being Ranma, took one look at the frightened kids' faces and valiantly stood in front of the group, taking the full brunt of the chi attack. He didn't really put up much of a defense for himself, because he passed off some of his ki to the school children behind him, because of the expected shrapnel that is going to fly after the chi attack's contact. Not to mention that his whole body suddenly flared up in pain, but he bore the grunt of it and was slammed for it.
Well, that left a really bloody Ranma, who is by now unconscious, on the torn ground.
Ryoga started jumping up and down about him beating Ranma when he finally noticed the tearful eyes of the school children, which according to the marks on the ground, were in fact protected by Ranma.
Add also the effect of the children shouting, "You killed him! You murderer! You tried to kill us too! He protected us!"
Well, that got Ryoga really paralyzed in shock. He almost killed those kids!
Akane likewise dropped her hammer in shock. She hadn't notice them before this happened. She just assumed that Ranma was gloating that he could take the attack, then tease Ryoga again. Well... Ranma wasn't moving now...
Meanwhile, one of the kids ran to an adult, telling them what happened and in effect the adult ran to a payphone to call for an ambulance.
Took him a few days to recover from that one, all the while glaring at Akane, who seemed silent in the corner. He also punched Ryoga out to the horizon, to which Akane didn't say anything about. After all, Ranma did save the kids.
-END FLASHBACK-
"Ran-chan! Wait for me!" Ukyou cooed as she ran after the guy.
Ranma twisted halfway on his jump and scowled at the girls, saying, "Will'ya just leave me alone?!"
"Shampoo make special noodles for airen!" Shampoo called out to him.
Kodachi released her maniacal laugh. "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! You sluts can't have my Ranma-sama!"
Ranma rolled his eyes as he continued running towards the Tendo Dojo. This was another typical morning for him. He had just gone to jog when all of the sudden, he was ambushed by the girls. He reached the Dojo first, slamming the door against the pursuers. Inside, Kasumi walked up and welcomed him.
"Oh my, you are home early. I trust you had a good run, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked innocently.
Ranma snorted. "Are ya kiddin' me? Those crazy girls ambushed me again! That's the third time this week!"
"What's going on out here?" Akane came down from the flight of stairs. She was dressed up for her workout but she was disturbed by the commotion downstairs.
Kasumi turned to greet the youngest Tendo. "Well, Ranma-kun has been ambushed again, Akane."
"Ranma," his father Genma called out from his Shogi game, "To solve all of that, you have to set the wedding between Akane and you..."
"That's right Ranma..." Soun nodded, trying to find an opening in Genma's side.
Ranma just kept silent, clenching his fist in a small fit of anger. Akane noticed this, for even if she didn't admit it much, she knew Ranma better than anyone else right now.
"I'll give you a discount. 15,000 yen to dispose of them all..." Nabiki peeked her face out from the kitchen door, a piece of toasted bread still hanging in her mouth.
Akane retorted, "C'mon you guys, stop that! We're not gonna be forced into this AGAIN!"
As Akane scolded the family, the wall on the right side of the door to the dojo collapsed, exposing Shampoo with her hand raised up in fair greeting, followed by Ukyou and Kodachi. Shampoo and the rest of the girls glomped blantantly at the fuming Ranma, not noticing that his aura was already rising to dangerous levels.
Finally losing it, Ranma let loose a mild aura burst, making the glomping girls squeal in surprise and was forced to let him go. They went wide-eyed as they watched Ranma glowing faintly. A light blue glow emanated from his body as he closed his eyes in slight anger.
<Damn it! What the hell's wrong with these people!?> Ranma thought angrily to himself. He winced slightly as his backside lit up in pain again. He still couldn't understand why he was having them, but he can't go to a doctor. It would be a sign of weakness, and he wasn't about to allow his pop to rattle him on about that. The engagement thing was enough stress for him, thank you very much!
"R-ranma..." Akane began nervously. This was the first time she actually seen Ranma burn up much of his ki. <He usually keeps his Ki level in check...> she thought to herself. She watched as Ranma turned to the other fiancees and started barking orders to them about 'not ruining his day any more than it is' and stuff. Rather than being usually angry at seeing Ranma being glomped by the other girls, she just kept to her side and stayed silent. Apparently, Ranma is in a VERY BAD MOOD and she didn't want any part of it.
"LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" Ranma pulled unto his hair for emphasis. His face was contorted in anger. "THAT'S IT! I dissolve each and every engagement that has been declared for me!"
He turned to see Akane's hurted gaze, repenting, "Well... maybe except ours, I think." Akane's eyes widened in surprised and blushed terribly. Ranma breathed out in exasperation. <Now why did I do that? Oh well... it's not like I didn't think about this or something...> he thought.
The other girls finally got wind of their situation and was about to voice out their complaints when Ranma stomped his foot on the wooden floor, making everyone jump. "Nobody says a word in this! This is my decision and that's final!"
Everyone fell silent.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Ranma saw his Genma and Soun going to make a remark. He lifted his finger and pointed it at them, saying, "You shaddup! It's my decision and not yours! Everythin' you said before mean nothin'! If anyone's gonna be praised for this, it shoulda been me!" And with that, Genma and Soun slumped back down the floor.
Ranma then stood still in the middle of the dojo, wincing every now and then. He was just standing there though, as if he was expecting something. After several minutes of awkward silence, everybody save Ranma were wondering what he was thinking about. Suddenly, a crowd of thumping feet filled the air.
After hearing this, Ranma chuckled silently.
"You vile sorcerer! Prepare thyself to be skewered by my blade!" Kuno shouted as he entered through the whole the girls made. Nabiki groaned inwardly as she watched the misled swordsman march to his doom <Still the same stupid idiot...>.
"Ranma!!! What did you do to my Shampoo?!" Mousse screamed, following Kuno's lead into the dojo. He pulled out his wing blade(tm) out from the hyper weaponspace compartment.
A black blur suddenly followed inside, carrying a light blue bra in its right hand and a bucket of cold water in its left hand. "Ranma-chan! Wear this bra for me!" said the little gnome Happosai.
"RANMA!!! PREPARE TO DIE!!!" Ryoga burst through the door as the splinters flew everywhere.
Akane stood up in protest, shouting, "Ryoga! Stop it!" but her plea fell on deaf ears.
Suddenly, Ranma's face slowly unfurled from wincing. It was as if something huge was lifted from his back, and with this, Ranma smiled evilly. His body seemed to react differently to battles, and it was as if it set aside the pain it felt for more important matters, like disposing of the fools that tried to attack him.
To everyone present, they had a hard time following all the motion. Kuno slashed his bokken directly towards Ranma, who lifted his hand and caught the wood niftly with his index and middle finger. He twisted it quickly and Kuno lost his grip unto the hilt.
Without looking, Ranma landed a strong kick on the bucket Happosai was going to throw at him, making it hit the gnome on the face. He turned on his heel to throw the captured bokken towards Mousse, whose eyeglasses were hit perfectly. As Mousse stumbled momentarily, Ranma regained his footing and launched a quick roundhouse kick to his gut, causing him to be thrown back and hit the wall with his face.
Ranma sidestepped Ryoga's Bakusai Tenketsu finger, elbowing Ryoga's arm as he used his momentum to anticipate the distance. Ryoga's arm shot upwards, exposing his face long enough for Ranma to land a punch squarely on the face. Ryoga winced as he felt the punch drill right through his face, following the sudden change of momentum straight to the other wall. Ranma's stance changed, and started gathering energy unto his right hand.
After a second, he shouted, "HORIZONTAL REVISED, HIRYUU SHOUTEN HA" and with that, a small, refined tornado erupted from his fist, hitting Happosai on the chest, pushing him to hit Kuno outwards the hole on the door.
Akane gasped audibly. She knew that Ranma can't possible throw the revised version, especially since he needed temperature change to even enforce the original Hiryuu Shouten Ha.
When everything died down, Ranma sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm just takin' it easy on ya all y'know... and I think now's the time to show ya you're not as good as you think..."
It was true, though. Ranma's battle prowess had thrived on constant challenges. In that year he has been in the Tendo household, there has been only little time of respite for him. He has been attacked systematically, allowing him to become more alert and stronger each time. His instincts have evolved into a higher form of discipline, and his reactions became somewhat automatic for him. Even in sleep, he can fend off enemies that tried to take him by surprise.
Ryoga pulled himself out of the hole he made on the wall. He heard the comment Ranma made as he was pulling himself, and that got him angry.
"What did you say?!?!?! I'm gonna kill you!!!" Ryoga lunged once again towards Ranma, his fist running straight towards Ranma. The punch connected, the impact created a moderate vibration that was felt around the dojo. When Ryoga removed his fist, he was shocked to see Ranma as he stood there taking the blow of the punch to his face. Ranma wasn't moved at all.
"Are ya done?" Ranma asked in an annoyed tone. He didn't seem to wait for a reply as he took Ryoga's fist and pulled him, landing his knee on Ryoga's chest. Ryoga took a sharp intake of air as he felt his lungs shook at the blow. He was shot back to his place on the hole he was thrown back to in the first place.
"I'm really tryin' to hold back here. All I ask was you all to leave me alone! I can't have a single day of peace!" Ranma shouted angrily.
Ranma quickly turned and went straight up the flight of stairs to the room he shared with his father. After a few moments of silence, those who were left behind finally breathed, looking at each other with questioning looks. Akane stood up and followed Ranma. When she reached the door to his room, she slowly opened it and saw Ranma shoving some clothes in that backpack of his.
"R-ranma..." Akane called to him softly.
Upon hearing her voice, Ranma momentarily stopped his packing and looked at Akane. His harsh expression from earlier was already gone, and only a neutral expression remained. As he faced Akane, his face softened immediately. "Sorry 'bout that, Akane..." he sighed, sitting down on the wooden floor indian-style, "I shoulda have not let loose that much ki when I blow off steam the next time that happens..."
"It's okay... you have every right to be mad today..." Akane went inside the room, sitting next to Ranma.
Ranma looked into her eyes. There was a hint of sadness in there, and he
could see it clearly. He smiled warmly and said, "Don'cha worry bout
it... I just wanna go somewhere to let my mind off things..."
Akane sighed loudly. "Somewhere... huh..." <You're gonna leave me again, Ranma?> she thought.
"Yeah..." Ranma shrugged as he sat down on the tatami floor. He looked up to the ceiling, and contemplated on telling Akane what was really happening to him. He closed his eyes and continued, "Something's happening to me, Akane. I dunno what, but it's happenin' all the same."
"Huh?" Akane asked curiously, glancing at Ranma on the side. "What do you mean? Are you in trouble?"
Ranma shook his head. "Nah. Nothing like that. It's just that... I feel there somethin' ain't right in my body lately." Patting his chest to prove a point, he said, "It all started when I had that high fever... the pain... somehow it jus' stayed. Sometimes it ain't all that bad, but most of the time it's there. It's like my body's on fire. It fades when I'm in a fight, but when I'm sitting still it starts up again, or when I'm stressed or somethin'..."
"Ranma... why do these things happen to you?" The short haired girl began, leaning to Ranma's side.
"I dunno, but there's somethin' wrong with me." Ranma stated again, "I need to find out what, and find some cure for it."
"I see..." Akane said softly, gazing at Ranma seriously.
Ranma saw an expectant light in her eyes. He broke the gaze and looked down on the floor. "Oookay... would ya like to come with me then?"
She was visibly delighted. "R-really? Y-you don't mind me coming along?" she asked.
Ranma nodded. "Sure! Why not? I just wanna be away from here for a while. Maybe visit okaasan or somethin'... then we can go for that training trip together, so whaddya say?"
Akane stood up and nodded vigorously. "Uhn! Of course I'll go with you!"
Ranma blinked and beamed. "That's great then! Then let's get---"
Whatever Ranma was going to say was interrupted by a sudden explosion, which caused the floor to blow up. As the dust cleared, Happosai was seen standing beside the hole, with a weird object in one hand.
"Ranma..." Happosai muttered, "You have disrespected me for the LAST TIME! I will teach you not to mess with the Grandmaster of Anything Goes Martial Arts! Prepare to meet your punishment!" and with that statement, the object in Happosai's hand started to glow bright yellow.
Ranma quickly regained his composure and shoved Akane out of the way. The object suddenly shot out a bright beam of light that hit Ranma on his chest, causing him to scream out in pain.
Akane's momentary disorientation was dispelled when she heard Ranma's scream. "Ranma!" she called out to him, watching as his body began to phase out of existence. She struggled to her feet but it was too late, as she reached for him his body already phased out too much, causing her frantic hands to pass through his body.
Ranma's eyes opened for a bit. The pain in his body returned, but this time it was tenfold. When he saw Akane's image blur for a moment, he tried reaching out to her but he sees her hand passing thru him. He whispered, "Akane..." But then, he slowly phased out of his world.
When Ranma's body disappeared, Akane fell to her knees, her eyes tearing up. She turned to Happosai sharply, and saw the old man was too stunned to move at all. "That was NOT supposed to happen..." she heard the old man mutter under his breath.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!" Akane screamed on top of her lungs, trying to control her growing anger. Happosai visibly winced at her tones, obviously he had no idea how to explain the phenomenon at all.
"I-I don't know what happened! This should only cause him to lock up into female form, just like the Cat Tongue technique! Unless this is the wrong artifact..." the last sentence faded from his mouth.
"I DON'T CARE! JUST BRING HIM BACK NOW!!!"
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==To Be Continued...==
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A rewrite, obviously. Sorry, but I have a new theme going on. The path is all the same, but in a different approach.
You're gonna see it the next chappie.
Thanks for patronizing. Ja ne.
- Lord Rance
"Chaos is the counterbalance in all of what is in the universe. Without the unknown factor, the predictability as well as the creative potential of the different lifeforms in all of the known multiverses will be corrupted and thus, no real freedom is attained." - Some quote I found somewhere.
- Lord Rance
Disclaimer: "If the Pen is mightier than the Sword, then why the heck
did we invent the Sword then?! Stab everyone in the eye with a Pen
then!"
Seriously though, the anime ain't mine. Nor was the manga. The idea I'm gonna write is mine though.
Author Notes: Some scenes are... well... hmmm... forget it.
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PROLOGUE: ACCIDENTS HAPPEN AT THE WORST TIMES
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Foreword:
In the beginning, the Darkness encompassed everything.
In the midst of it all, the swirling mass decided its sentience.
From the Darkness, came the Ancient Gods.
For thousands of years They ruled the Cosmos, partaking on their resources.
Fluttering from one world to the next, like grazing butterflies.
In the middle of the Ancient Gods' rule, the Darkness acted again.
This time, creating Three from Its own Essence.
The First, known as the Righteous One, the Second, the Nightmare.
The Last, assimilated most of the Its Essence, is Chaos.
The Righteous One, organized a rebellion against the Ancient Gods.
Along with the help of the others, they eventually won.
Driving back the Ancient Gods into Eternal Imprisonment.
They were undisputed in the Cosmos.
The Righteous One claimed Heaven, or Asgard, or Olympus.
The Nightmare claimed Hell, or Nifelheim, or Hades.
So many names, all mean the same.
But the Last was the most surprising of all.
The Chaos, being most part of Darkness, refused to be tied down.
Control was never a part of Its nature.
Like Its ancestor of Darkness, Chaos chose to travel.
Forever roaming by Its own, maintaining the Balance of Everything.
- Excerpts from The Book of Darkness: Alpha and Omega, author unknown.
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Ranma Saotome was taken to a training trip by his errant father, Genma, since he was still a baby. As soon as he learned how to walk, he was taught and trained to be the best in the martial arts world. The "Anything Goes Martial Arts" style was then incorporated in him. The style consisted of being able to adapt into any kind of situation, whereas this style has absolutely no rules to follow. During the course of the journey, a huge mishap seemed to have befallen on him. The famous cursed springs, Jusenkyo, was well-known as a huge training ground for the greatest martial artists.
Attracted by the gossips about the grounds, they both went to the cursed springs and trained, not heeding the warnings of the guide. Landing a blow on his father, Genma fell into the "Spring of the Drowned Panda". In retaliation, the angry panda bopped the shocked Ranma into the "Spring of Drowned Girl". Since then, when splashed with cold water, the curse activated, leaving Ranma as a girl and Genma as a gigantic panda. Hot water reversed the curse.
After the long training, he was brought to Japan to finally meet his fiancee, Akane Tendo. A rocky start for them, followed by dozens of challenges and fanatic fiancees, their relationship started as such. Ranma battled gods, dragons, giant orochis, the phoenix and many other mighty foes and had become one of the most powerful martial artists in the world.
The latest challenge in Ranma's life was defeating Phoenix God Saffron. Kiima, Saffron's trusted follower, kidnapped Akane and nearly drowned her in an unnamed uncursed spring. Surprisingly, Akane survived the ordeal. The spring was later named "Spring of Drowned Akane". Kiima used Akane's form to lure Ranma into Mount Phoenix, home of Saffron.
The battle ensued, destroying everything around China. The Jusenkyo was totally destroyed. Finally defeating the Phoenix God Saffron, Ranma had unwittingly declared his love to Akane. The wedding was set, and the invitations were distributed. But still the wedding ended in... disaster. Eventhough this happened, Ranma and Akane grew closer, and still remained engaged (this time more or less without any hesitation it seems from both sides) and postponed their wedding plans till they conclude "unfinished businesses (like stray fiancees, unruly idiotic guys, etc.)".
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In Heaven...
Belldandy appeared as she came sliding out of the mirror that hung across the room. It has been a long time since she last visited Heaven, mainly because of her work at the Goddess Relief Hotline Office. She was still bound by that contract she has bestowed upon a mortal, but she thought that she could use some time off to visit her sisters. Also, she has been kind of worried because they haven't been down to the shrine for days now.
She walked along the well lit corridors and opened the huge door at the end of it, to the huge room where the universal computer Yggdrasil was being maintained. She looked around and saw her errant sisters Urd and Skuld, haunched over a computer terminal, their faces reflecting that they were in some serious work that needed their undivided attention.
Urd turned to the sound of footsteps approaching them and smiled a little. She saw Belldandy walking towards them with a slightly worried expression on her face.
"Hello, Urd and Skuld. How are the both of you? Why haven't you been down to Earth lately?" Belldandy asked in a pleasant tone.
Skuld looked up from her terminal to face Belldandy. "There is a really weird file that we've been trying to get access into..." She said with a serious tone.
Belldandy pulled up a chair and sat beside them. "Really? I thought you have access to all the files in the Yggdrasil?" She asked with a slight frown.
Urd sighed and replied, "That's just it. This file is encrypted with a password that only Kami-sama can see. But that should be impossible, so we are checking to see of there is some sort of a mistake."
Skuld said, "I had all the names listed, and this one with the name 'Saotome Ranma' has an asterisk mark at the left of his name. When I tried accessing it..." she then pressed a button when the name was highlighted. A beep was heard and a huge sign saying 'FOR KAMI-SAMA'S EYES ONLY' was seen.
Belldandy nodded in understanding. "Well... have you asked Kami-sama
about it?"
Urd and Skuld had this really incredulous 'Huh?!' expression and looked at each other, saying in at the same time, "Why didn't I think of that?!"
Urd stood up quickly and picked up the phone nearby, tapping her foot impatiently. The other line was finally picked up, and she began her conversation with who presumeably was Kami-sama.
"Yes father, there's this weird file that we have come across... yes, the file's name is Saotome Ranma... yes... what?! He is?! Is that why we can't see it? Can't we be given access to it? No father... it's just that it was so interesting... alright... no meddling in the file... alright father! I understand... I will tell Skuld and Belldandy too... don't worry, we'll visit soon... thank you father..." then with a weird expression of surprise, she slowly put down the receiver. Urd just stood there looking dumbly at the receiver, making no moves whatsoever.
After seeing Urd won't make a move for a while, Skuld became impatient. "Well??" she directed to Urd, tapping her fingers on the console. Urd snapped out of her reverie and looked at Skuld. After gulping air for strength, Urd said, "This Ranma is a special case. I was able to get access, but meddling with his life is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to anyone... even us goddesses. It would seem that only Kami-sama has the power to make a few minor adjustments to it."
Belldandy was dumbfounded. "What's so special about him? Does he have a Destiny?"
Urd could only shrug.
Skuld turned to Urd, saying, "What exactly did Father say?"
Urd sighed. "Father said that the file is currently being restricted. If anyone wants to see it, He explicitely asserted that His permission is needed."
Skuld whipped her head towards Urd, a questioning look on her face. "So... we can't see it?"
Urd sighed and nodded. "Ranma is a special case. Kami-sama is not into the specifics about him though. Just that we protect and guard his file."
Skuld frowned. "If he's so important, then why is he out there?"
Urd shrugged. "It would seem father has some plans for him. The scary thing here is, father is making sure nobody touches Ranma's files."
Belldandy continued to read Ranma's file. She was awed at what the boy's exploits have been. She also grew to dislike Ranma's father, who has subjected his son to numerous life-threatening actions. She also admired Ranma's determination and his love for the Art. Suddenly she gasped as she read the latest addition to his exploits. "Kami-sama... he defeated... Saffron?!"
Skuld almost jumped from her seat and looked at the file. "Y-you're right! Even as a mortal, he's really strong!"
Urd nodded again. "Yes... well, I'll make sure to watch over him. Who knows what weirdness could happen to him, right?" She licked her lips in anticipation as they watched the picture on the screen with growing interest. Belldandy, Urd and Skuld's godly hormones went into overdrive when they saw Ranma's picture.
Urd struggled to close her gaping mouth. "W-wow... never thought he was such a looker..."
Belldandy blushed furiously, berating herself for thinking naughty thoughts. <I already have Keiichi... but Ranma is... Ranma is... oh my!>
Skuld's eyes glazed over when she saw Ranma. This only happens when she eats ice cream. You can now wonder what the little pervert's thinking right now...
Hey, goddesses have feelings too, you know.
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It was a normal typical day in Nerima. Birds chirped everywhere, people jogged along the sidewalks, old ladies with buckets and saddles poured water all over the street for apparently no reason at all, the sound of the public repair crew repairing some damages around town, the resident martial artists scrambling and bickering among themselves... yes! This was the normal day. Imagine what it's like when it's the weird day. Just wait 'til Valentine's Day...
"THAT'S IT! I can't take them anymore!" Ranma screamed on top of his lungs as he ran across the streets of Nerima. Behind him was a horde of young ladies running after him, mainly Shampoo, Ukyou and Kodachi. He still remembered one time when it all became too much.
-FLASHBACK-
It all started when Ranma was casually walking along the park. So far, so good, everything was as peaceful as tranquil water. It's several months after that thing about the failed wedding, but it was still fresh in his mind.
Now normally, Ranma was a very forgiving person. No matter how much of an honorless, gutless and idiotic of a father Genma was, he never took after the louse. Ranma learned a little about tact, although it wasn't enough. Compared to his father though, he was a saint.
However, lately Ranma had experienced a lot of pain in his body, a foreign feeling for him. It all started with that weird fever he had all those months ago.
A very high fever struck Ranma down, making his body scalding hot. He even managed not to change with cold water. When water got into contact with him, the water boiled instantly, allowing him to maintain his male form for quite some time. He remembered that he can even stand in a tub of cold water, and not manage to change at all. Of course, the cold water had become boiling in a matter of seconds, but that's besides the point.
He was, in a way, semi-cured of his curse.
There was a downside, though, since his body functions suffered a lot. His reflexes became almost nil, and his sense of perception was shot to hell. His head had this pounding headache, and his body was wracked with internal pain. Ranma felt that his blood was on fire, as he could even feel it flowing back and forth in his veins while he had the fever.
It was a huge price to pay for a small temporary cure for the curse, and in the end he finally transfered some of his fever's intensity to his mother. The 'cure' lost its power, and his life reverted back to his 'normal' decorum. But the upside was, he was able to let his mother see him in all his male glory, even if it was only for a short time.
Ranma shook his head in sadness. It has been so long ago, and there was still no cure for his curse in sight. Not that he minded that much, though, but he would still like to get rid of it. In some ways, he knew it was probably some sort of a punishment for him, for listening to his father's stupidity about the opposite gender.
Although, his current questionable state of mind and body weren't the only things that escalated his irritation these past few days. There was also that wedding attempt...
Well, imagine youself getting married. All dressed up in a really nice black tux that fit snugly against your skin, with a cask of your supposed to be cure right in front of you. Granted that Akane and he were roped into this, which at that time he still didn't understand why Akane took that chance (well probably he thought that Akane was bribed into giving in by the nannichuan). The guests were there, the food is immaculately arranged for later... yep, everything was good.
Yeah right.
Suddenly the door was blasted open, pouring several of his pursuers with assorted of different purposes. Not counting that blasted Ryoga who just tore down one side of the dojo wall, again.
Ranma couldn't forget about that one. Ukyou throwing bombs everywhere, endangering innocents. Shampoo as well, and when there is a Shampoo, there's always the Mousse, then Ryoga hears about the nannichuan, his father, Genma, swiping it away, Kuno bringing a real katana, Kodachi dressed in a black wedding gown, Nabiki counting her yen, Happosai drinking the nannichuan...
Hell on Earth...
In the end, it was always his fault, for accummulating what they call, 'Past Debts'. Stupid panda accummulated it all under his name after all. They all agreed to postpone the blasted wedding up until the time is 'right'.
So basically the day after that, everything remained peaceful for a bit. Everyone was apologetic about what happened, Akane seemed a bit nicer... take note, a bit... Nabiki also did a bit of a 180 when it was done and all, which surprised Ranma. She helped Ranma pay for the damages to the dojo. Also Ranma really busted his father up for his part in all of it.
Peace has reigned. Oh... for about one and a half weeks.
After that, things seemed to pick up once again. Akane became a bit more violent again, Ryoga started attacking him again, Ukyou and Shampoo were back to their exploits, while Kodachi and Kuno were nuisances again. While Nabiki ran interference when things get heated up, for some reason like a homing missile, his pursuers still find him wherever he tended to go.
Then it happened, the innocents suddenly get involved.
One particular moment was when Akane started bashing him once again while Ryoga spouted something about 'How dare Ranma badmouth Akane's cooking'. Akane bashed him, or at least tried to, but he dodged to the right. He landed right in front of a group of small children crossing the sidewalk going to school. Ryoga, being Ryoga, just saw red (well, that was what Ranma was wearing after all in that day) carelessly fired a really huge Shi Shi Hokodan towards Ranma's position, and yes, towards the children's position too.
For some reason, Akane still couldn't get the fact that Ranma is just defending himself, screaming something about him picking on poor Ryoga.
Ranma, being Ranma, took one look at the frightened kids' faces and valiantly stood in front of the group, taking the full brunt of the chi attack. He didn't really put up much of a defense for himself, because he passed off some of his ki to the school children behind him, because of the expected shrapnel that is going to fly after the chi attack's contact. Not to mention that his whole body suddenly flared up in pain, but he bore the grunt of it and was slammed for it.
Well, that left a really bloody Ranma, who is by now unconscious, on the torn ground.
Ryoga started jumping up and down about him beating Ranma when he finally noticed the tearful eyes of the school children, which according to the marks on the ground, were in fact protected by Ranma.
Add also the effect of the children shouting, "You killed him! You murderer! You tried to kill us too! He protected us!"
Well, that got Ryoga really paralyzed in shock. He almost killed those kids!
Akane likewise dropped her hammer in shock. She hadn't notice them before this happened. She just assumed that Ranma was gloating that he could take the attack, then tease Ryoga again. Well... Ranma wasn't moving now...
Meanwhile, one of the kids ran to an adult, telling them what happened and in effect the adult ran to a payphone to call for an ambulance.
Took him a few days to recover from that one, all the while glaring at Akane, who seemed silent in the corner. He also punched Ryoga out to the horizon, to which Akane didn't say anything about. After all, Ranma did save the kids.
-END FLASHBACK-
"Ran-chan! Wait for me!" Ukyou cooed as she ran after the guy.
Ranma twisted halfway on his jump and scowled at the girls, saying, "Will'ya just leave me alone?!"
"Shampoo make special noodles for airen!" Shampoo called out to him.
Kodachi released her maniacal laugh. "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! You sluts can't have my Ranma-sama!"
Ranma rolled his eyes as he continued running towards the Tendo Dojo. This was another typical morning for him. He had just gone to jog when all of the sudden, he was ambushed by the girls. He reached the Dojo first, slamming the door against the pursuers. Inside, Kasumi walked up and welcomed him.
"Oh my, you are home early. I trust you had a good run, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked innocently.
Ranma snorted. "Are ya kiddin' me? Those crazy girls ambushed me again! That's the third time this week!"
"What's going on out here?" Akane came down from the flight of stairs. She was dressed up for her workout but she was disturbed by the commotion downstairs.
Kasumi turned to greet the youngest Tendo. "Well, Ranma-kun has been ambushed again, Akane."
"Ranma," his father Genma called out from his Shogi game, "To solve all of that, you have to set the wedding between Akane and you..."
"That's right Ranma..." Soun nodded, trying to find an opening in Genma's side.
Ranma just kept silent, clenching his fist in a small fit of anger. Akane noticed this, for even if she didn't admit it much, she knew Ranma better than anyone else right now.
"I'll give you a discount. 15,000 yen to dispose of them all..." Nabiki peeked her face out from the kitchen door, a piece of toasted bread still hanging in her mouth.
Akane retorted, "C'mon you guys, stop that! We're not gonna be forced into this AGAIN!"
As Akane scolded the family, the wall on the right side of the door to the dojo collapsed, exposing Shampoo with her hand raised up in fair greeting, followed by Ukyou and Kodachi. Shampoo and the rest of the girls glomped blantantly at the fuming Ranma, not noticing that his aura was already rising to dangerous levels.
Finally losing it, Ranma let loose a mild aura burst, making the glomping girls squeal in surprise and was forced to let him go. They went wide-eyed as they watched Ranma glowing faintly. A light blue glow emanated from his body as he closed his eyes in slight anger.
<Damn it! What the hell's wrong with these people!?> Ranma thought angrily to himself. He winced slightly as his backside lit up in pain again. He still couldn't understand why he was having them, but he can't go to a doctor. It would be a sign of weakness, and he wasn't about to allow his pop to rattle him on about that. The engagement thing was enough stress for him, thank you very much!
"R-ranma..." Akane began nervously. This was the first time she actually seen Ranma burn up much of his ki. <He usually keeps his Ki level in check...> she thought to herself. She watched as Ranma turned to the other fiancees and started barking orders to them about 'not ruining his day any more than it is' and stuff. Rather than being usually angry at seeing Ranma being glomped by the other girls, she just kept to her side and stayed silent. Apparently, Ranma is in a VERY BAD MOOD and she didn't want any part of it.
"LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" Ranma pulled unto his hair for emphasis. His face was contorted in anger. "THAT'S IT! I dissolve each and every engagement that has been declared for me!"
He turned to see Akane's hurted gaze, repenting, "Well... maybe except ours, I think." Akane's eyes widened in surprised and blushed terribly. Ranma breathed out in exasperation. <Now why did I do that? Oh well... it's not like I didn't think about this or something...> he thought.
The other girls finally got wind of their situation and was about to voice out their complaints when Ranma stomped his foot on the wooden floor, making everyone jump. "Nobody says a word in this! This is my decision and that's final!"
Everyone fell silent.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Ranma saw his Genma and Soun going to make a remark. He lifted his finger and pointed it at them, saying, "You shaddup! It's my decision and not yours! Everythin' you said before mean nothin'! If anyone's gonna be praised for this, it shoulda been me!" And with that, Genma and Soun slumped back down the floor.
Ranma then stood still in the middle of the dojo, wincing every now and then. He was just standing there though, as if he was expecting something. After several minutes of awkward silence, everybody save Ranma were wondering what he was thinking about. Suddenly, a crowd of thumping feet filled the air.
After hearing this, Ranma chuckled silently.
"You vile sorcerer! Prepare thyself to be skewered by my blade!" Kuno shouted as he entered through the whole the girls made. Nabiki groaned inwardly as she watched the misled swordsman march to his doom <Still the same stupid idiot...>.
"Ranma!!! What did you do to my Shampoo?!" Mousse screamed, following Kuno's lead into the dojo. He pulled out his wing blade(tm) out from the hyper weaponspace compartment.
A black blur suddenly followed inside, carrying a light blue bra in its right hand and a bucket of cold water in its left hand. "Ranma-chan! Wear this bra for me!" said the little gnome Happosai.
"RANMA!!! PREPARE TO DIE!!!" Ryoga burst through the door as the splinters flew everywhere.
Akane stood up in protest, shouting, "Ryoga! Stop it!" but her plea fell on deaf ears.
Suddenly, Ranma's face slowly unfurled from wincing. It was as if something huge was lifted from his back, and with this, Ranma smiled evilly. His body seemed to react differently to battles, and it was as if it set aside the pain it felt for more important matters, like disposing of the fools that tried to attack him.
To everyone present, they had a hard time following all the motion. Kuno slashed his bokken directly towards Ranma, who lifted his hand and caught the wood niftly with his index and middle finger. He twisted it quickly and Kuno lost his grip unto the hilt.
Without looking, Ranma landed a strong kick on the bucket Happosai was going to throw at him, making it hit the gnome on the face. He turned on his heel to throw the captured bokken towards Mousse, whose eyeglasses were hit perfectly. As Mousse stumbled momentarily, Ranma regained his footing and launched a quick roundhouse kick to his gut, causing him to be thrown back and hit the wall with his face.
Ranma sidestepped Ryoga's Bakusai Tenketsu finger, elbowing Ryoga's arm as he used his momentum to anticipate the distance. Ryoga's arm shot upwards, exposing his face long enough for Ranma to land a punch squarely on the face. Ryoga winced as he felt the punch drill right through his face, following the sudden change of momentum straight to the other wall. Ranma's stance changed, and started gathering energy unto his right hand.
After a second, he shouted, "HORIZONTAL REVISED, HIRYUU SHOUTEN HA" and with that, a small, refined tornado erupted from his fist, hitting Happosai on the chest, pushing him to hit Kuno outwards the hole on the door.
Akane gasped audibly. She knew that Ranma can't possible throw the revised version, especially since he needed temperature change to even enforce the original Hiryuu Shouten Ha.
When everything died down, Ranma sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm just takin' it easy on ya all y'know... and I think now's the time to show ya you're not as good as you think..."
It was true, though. Ranma's battle prowess had thrived on constant challenges. In that year he has been in the Tendo household, there has been only little time of respite for him. He has been attacked systematically, allowing him to become more alert and stronger each time. His instincts have evolved into a higher form of discipline, and his reactions became somewhat automatic for him. Even in sleep, he can fend off enemies that tried to take him by surprise.
Ryoga pulled himself out of the hole he made on the wall. He heard the comment Ranma made as he was pulling himself, and that got him angry.
"What did you say?!?!?! I'm gonna kill you!!!" Ryoga lunged once again towards Ranma, his fist running straight towards Ranma. The punch connected, the impact created a moderate vibration that was felt around the dojo. When Ryoga removed his fist, he was shocked to see Ranma as he stood there taking the blow of the punch to his face. Ranma wasn't moved at all.
"Are ya done?" Ranma asked in an annoyed tone. He didn't seem to wait for a reply as he took Ryoga's fist and pulled him, landing his knee on Ryoga's chest. Ryoga took a sharp intake of air as he felt his lungs shook at the blow. He was shot back to his place on the hole he was thrown back to in the first place.
"I'm really tryin' to hold back here. All I ask was you all to leave me alone! I can't have a single day of peace!" Ranma shouted angrily.
Ranma quickly turned and went straight up the flight of stairs to the room he shared with his father. After a few moments of silence, those who were left behind finally breathed, looking at each other with questioning looks. Akane stood up and followed Ranma. When she reached the door to his room, she slowly opened it and saw Ranma shoving some clothes in that backpack of his.
"R-ranma..." Akane called to him softly.
Upon hearing her voice, Ranma momentarily stopped his packing and looked at Akane. His harsh expression from earlier was already gone, and only a neutral expression remained. As he faced Akane, his face softened immediately. "Sorry 'bout that, Akane..." he sighed, sitting down on the wooden floor indian-style, "I shoulda have not let loose that much ki when I blow off steam the next time that happens..."
"It's okay... you have every right to be mad today..." Akane went inside the room, sitting next to Ranma.
Ranma looked into her eyes. There was a hint of sadness in there, and he
could see it clearly. He smiled warmly and said, "Don'cha worry bout
it... I just wanna go somewhere to let my mind off things..."
Akane sighed loudly. "Somewhere... huh..." <You're gonna leave me again, Ranma?> she thought.
"Yeah..." Ranma shrugged as he sat down on the tatami floor. He looked up to the ceiling, and contemplated on telling Akane what was really happening to him. He closed his eyes and continued, "Something's happening to me, Akane. I dunno what, but it's happenin' all the same."
"Huh?" Akane asked curiously, glancing at Ranma on the side. "What do you mean? Are you in trouble?"
Ranma shook his head. "Nah. Nothing like that. It's just that... I feel there somethin' ain't right in my body lately." Patting his chest to prove a point, he said, "It all started when I had that high fever... the pain... somehow it jus' stayed. Sometimes it ain't all that bad, but most of the time it's there. It's like my body's on fire. It fades when I'm in a fight, but when I'm sitting still it starts up again, or when I'm stressed or somethin'..."
"Ranma... why do these things happen to you?" The short haired girl began, leaning to Ranma's side.
"I dunno, but there's somethin' wrong with me." Ranma stated again, "I need to find out what, and find some cure for it."
"I see..." Akane said softly, gazing at Ranma seriously.
Ranma saw an expectant light in her eyes. He broke the gaze and looked down on the floor. "Oookay... would ya like to come with me then?"
She was visibly delighted. "R-really? Y-you don't mind me coming along?" she asked.
Ranma nodded. "Sure! Why not? I just wanna be away from here for a while. Maybe visit okaasan or somethin'... then we can go for that training trip together, so whaddya say?"
Akane stood up and nodded vigorously. "Uhn! Of course I'll go with you!"
Ranma blinked and beamed. "That's great then! Then let's get---"
Whatever Ranma was going to say was interrupted by a sudden explosion, which caused the floor to blow up. As the dust cleared, Happosai was seen standing beside the hole, with a weird object in one hand.
"Ranma..." Happosai muttered, "You have disrespected me for the LAST TIME! I will teach you not to mess with the Grandmaster of Anything Goes Martial Arts! Prepare to meet your punishment!" and with that statement, the object in Happosai's hand started to glow bright yellow.
Ranma quickly regained his composure and shoved Akane out of the way. The object suddenly shot out a bright beam of light that hit Ranma on his chest, causing him to scream out in pain.
Akane's momentary disorientation was dispelled when she heard Ranma's scream. "Ranma!" she called out to him, watching as his body began to phase out of existence. She struggled to her feet but it was too late, as she reached for him his body already phased out too much, causing her frantic hands to pass through his body.
Ranma's eyes opened for a bit. The pain in his body returned, but this time it was tenfold. When he saw Akane's image blur for a moment, he tried reaching out to her but he sees her hand passing thru him. He whispered, "Akane..." But then, he slowly phased out of his world.
When Ranma's body disappeared, Akane fell to her knees, her eyes tearing up. She turned to Happosai sharply, and saw the old man was too stunned to move at all. "That was NOT supposed to happen..." she heard the old man mutter under his breath.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!" Akane screamed on top of her lungs, trying to control her growing anger. Happosai visibly winced at her tones, obviously he had no idea how to explain the phenomenon at all.
"I-I don't know what happened! This should only cause him to lock up into female form, just like the Cat Tongue technique! Unless this is the wrong artifact..." the last sentence faded from his mouth.
"I DON'T CARE! JUST BRING HIM BACK NOW!!!"
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==To Be Continued...==
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A rewrite, obviously. Sorry, but I have a new theme going on. The path is all the same, but in a different approach.
You're gonna see it the next chappie.
Thanks for patronizing. Ja ne.
- Lord Rance
"Chaos is the counterbalance in all of what is in the universe. Without the unknown factor, the predictability as well as the creative potential of the different lifeforms in all of the known multiverses will be corrupted and thus, no real freedom is attained." - Some quote I found somewhere.