Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A New Future 1 - Things Change ❯ Consequences ( Chapter 12 )

This is an alternate history (both the world in general and the Senshi in particular) continuation for both Sailor Moon and Ranma 1/2, set in a world with no space exploration, personal computers, cell phones, or anything else requiring a transistor. It is labeled hentai for the opening scene only (no lemons), and X for that scene.

This was originally published by me under the name Anduril at Anime Addventures, with the only changes being a few corrections in spelling, punctuation and the occasional word choce and a very slight plot correction. If you like the beginning of my story but think I've gone off the rails, or have your own ideas for a great branch-off, or think I'm taking too long to update and want to continue the story yourself, come to Anime Addventures and join in the fun!

I claim no ownership rights to any of the works of Rumiko Takahashi, Naoko Takeuchi, or anything in the GURPS Ogre and GURPS Tales of the Solar Patrol settings published by Steve Jackson Games. Everything else is mine.

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Akane glanced out of the corner of her eye at the almost full plate in the lap of the redheaded girl sitting next to her on her bed, and sighed as she watched Ranma push the food around without taking a bite. Should I say something again? Sure, the last time he — she took a few bites, but I'm beginning to sound like a nag ...

A knock sounded and Kasumi's voice came through the door. “Ranma? Akane? Dinner is almost over downstairs, I ... I think it's time.” Akane sighed in relief and looked over at Ranma. The smaller girl set aside her plate and stared at the door with the oddest expression on her face, a mix of relief and apprehension and anger... After a moment, Akane called out, “Thanks, big sis, we'll be right down!” Reaching over, she took hold of one of Ranma's hands. “Come on, Ranma, let's get this over with. Everything will be all right, you'll see.”

Ranma looked over at her, and smiled a strained caricature of her normal cocky grin. “ `Course it will, Ranma Saotome never loses, right?”

“Right!” Akane cheerfully agreed, carefully ignoring the way Ranma's voice had cracked slightly on the last word, and rose, pulling her love to her feet. Together they headed for the door, and Akane smiled to herself when Ranma didn't let go of her hand.

The two were still holding hands when they walked through the doorway into the family room, and Akane felt the demon sleeping at her core stir as she saw the fathers' eyes light up at the sight, and took a deep breath. Wait, she silently told herself, just wait. In a few minutes the pressure will be gone, and we can relax. Sure, dad will be disappointed, but what's done is done, and he'll just have to live with it. And Mr. Saotome ... She gave Genma a vicious smile, and her demon relaxed somewhat at his slight flinch.

The two girls walked over to the low table and sat at their empty places, and Nodoka, sitting next to her husband, frowned slightly at the two. “It is not proper for you two to be holding hands like that while Ranma is female. What will people think? The rumors could be ... bad. And Ranma why are you currently a girl? It is not manly to keep this form any longer than you have to.”

Ranma winced, and Akane felt her anger stirring again, and opened her mouth ... and Nabiki spoke before she had a chance to say ... whatever she'd been about to shout.

“I can answer your questions, Auntie,” she said, unusually serious and without a hint of her habitual smirk. Then, the smirk made its appearance in response to Nodoka's quelling frown. “I have good news and bad news, and I won't even offer my usual family discount — this time it's free!” Then Nabiki froze, and glanced at Ranma. “Uh, Ranma? I'm sorry ...”

Ranma just shook her head. “Don't worry about it, ya wouldn't be you if ya didn't talk money. And thanks fer offerin' ta break the news, but it's my problem.” Looking at the three adults, Ranma said, “Okay, the good news is that Happosai attacked me this morning, and this time he didn't survive.”

For a long moment the parents simply sat and stared, but finally Soun whispered, “It is true? The Master is finally dead?”

“Yes,” Ranma responded, “and the police have investigated and done the ... the autopsy, and everything, and say he's dead of a freak lightning strike.”

“Yes!” Genma shouted, slapping his old friend on the back. “Now we are the Grandmasters, and when the schools are joined, the Anything Goes school will be the most versatile, powerful, and famous school in Japan!”

“Except you're going to have to come up with another way to join the schools,” Akane ground out, gritting her teeth, and the two men stared at her.

“Another way to join the schools? Why?” asked her father, and Ranma sighed, slumping.

“Because whatever killed Happosai destroyed the curse, too, while I was a girl. I'm stuck like this now, will be for the rest a' my life,” she said, staring at the table, and all three adults stared at her, thunderstruck.

“How do you know?” Genma finally asked.

“Cologne said so,” the redheaded girl said, “and you know how long she's tried ta get me ta marry Shampoo. Now that's impossible, too.”

Suddenly, Nodoka drew in a deep, shuddering breath as her eyes teared up. “Ranma, this ... you can no longer be manly, and the contract —”

“No longer applies,” Nabiki finished firmly, and smiled wryly when Nodoka looked hopefully at her. “The contract specifies that if your son isn't manly he and your husband must commit seppuku. But you no longer have a son, and never will again. So, no son, no contract.”

Nodoka frowned, obviously conflicted, but Genma laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “The girl is right,” he said firmly. “The contract is voided with Ranma a girl.” After a long moment, Nodoka nodded and gave her daughter a relieved smile.

“I'm glad,” she softly said. “That contract was the most foolish thing two young romantics did, and it has been nothing but a burden ever since.” Looking at Ranma with a hint of mischief, she added. “And since I no longer have a son to be a man among men, I will simply have to make my daughter a woman among women.”

Everyone stared at her in shock and Ranma felt panic rising inside her, until Nodoka started to chuckle, then at the sight of her daughter's stupefied face the chuckles turned to laughter. Rising, she circled the table to kneel and embrace Ranma. “Forgive my little jest,” she whispered. “And whatever help you need, simply ask.”

“Thanks, mom, I will,” Ranma said, and Akane snorted.

“No, you won't,” she said. “You don't know how to ask for help.” The still slightly stunned black-haired girl grinned at Nodoka and her love. “Don't worry, Auntie Nodoka, I'll keep you up to date on Ranma's needs.”

“That will certainly be a great help to your stepmother,” Genma said solemnly, and Akane stiffened as Ranma simply closed her eyes with a sigh.

“Stepmother?” Akane growled as everyone else stared, and Genma nodded. “Of course. Since Ranma is now permanently a girl, the only way to fulfill the contract is for hi- er, her to marry Soun.”

“Sorry, but that contract is no longer valid, either,” Nabiki said with a smirk. “It calls for a marriage between your child and Dad's — nothing in there about a marriage to Dad himself. And since that's now impossible ...”

Genma frowned, then glanced at Soun. “Well, old friend, we will simply have to make a new agreement.” Then, as Soun (along with Nodoka and Kasumi) simply stared in stunned silence, he added, “It is the only way for the schools to be joined.”

Soun gave the two girls sitting across from him a troubled look, glanced down at where the table hid their still-clasped hands, and sighed and nodded. “You are right, old friend, it is the only way.”

Akane stared at her father, stunned speechless. He didn't ... he knows how me and Ranma feel about each other and he just ... why ... Then the demon at her core exploded to life, and she found herself rising, bringing the table up with her, dishes flying everywhere, Ranma pulling her mother out of the way, Nabiki rolling to the side while Kasumi sat frozen in place. Akane's vision narrowed on the two men in front of her even as her world went red, then the sight was blocked by the table slamming down on them and the Hammer sprang to life in her hands and Genma smashed through the window and her father was lying against the wall and she started toward him and ...

And someone was hanging on her arm and yelling at her to stop. Slowly, the tunnel vision widened and she turned to find herself looking at Ranma. “Enough, Akane, enough,” the redheaded girl said in a more normal tone as the hammer disappeared and she pulled Akane into a hug. “They're out, and they aren't worth it.” Finally, Akane drew a deep, gasping breath and nodded, and Ranma tightened the hug for a moment, then stepped back and looked over at where Nabiki was sitting up from her roll. “I'll get packed and be on my way,” she said and Nabiki nodded.

“You have Tofu's new number?” the middle Tendo asked.

Ranma nodded. “Yup, I'll give him a call in a week, find out where your new apartment is.” Looking over at Nodoka, she added, “Mom, when ya want ta pass a message to me, let Dr. Tofu know.”

A now completely confused Akane, Kasumi and Nodoka looked back and forth between the two girls. “What is going on?” Nodoka asked.

Ranma looked at her feet for a long moment, then said, “I'm leaving.”

“What?!” the women (other than Nabiki) shouted, and Ranma winced.

Nabiki spoke up, saying, “I and Ranma thought we knew how the fathers would react, and we were right — though you were a pleasant surprise, Auntie Nodoka — so we made plans. I was already planning on moving into my own apartment for college, this just speeds things up and means I have to find a two-bedroom apartment instead of one.”

“But why didn't you tell me!?” Akane demanded. “And when did you ... the stop at the infomat. Did you even use it, or just figure this out?”

“Oh, I used it, to look for two-bedroom apartments for rent,” Nabiki said. “As for why we didn't tell you, well ...”

“ `Cause you were so certain yer dad would finally turn against Pop,” Ranma finished. “It wouldn't make a difference in the end either way, and ... and I really didn't wanna fight with you.”

“And so you're just going to leave, just like that!?” Akane demanded, and Ranma nodded.

“Yeah, there's no way I'm stayin' around here where Pop can pester me,” she said, then dropping her gaze to the floor, whispered, “Come with me?”

Akane's building anger blew out in a heartbeat, and she stared at Ranma, then looked around the room she'd known all her life. Finally, she walked over to the redheaded girl still studying her feet and embraced her. “Of course,” she said softly. “Just give me time to pack and we can be on our way.”

Ranma returned the embrace and for a long moment simply stood there, then drew a shuddering breath and looked up with misty eyes. But all she said was, “I'll help ya pack, most a' yer stuff you won't need until Nabiki has an apartment for us, anyway.”

Then, breaking the embrace, Ranma walked over to hug her mother. “I'm sorry ta be running out on ya, Mom, I really didn't expect ya to ... to accept voiding the contract ...” Ranma choked up, and Nodoka simply returned the hug for a long moment, then reluctantly pushed the two apart.

“Go on, don't keep Akane waiting,” she said in a husky voice. “Just ... just let Dr. Tofu know when we can meet.”

“You got it, Mom,” Ranma replied in an imitation of her normal cocky manner, then walked over to take Akane by the hand and the two headed for the stairs.

 

Soun groaned as the room slowly came into focus. What had happened? He'd been at dinner, then Ranma and Akane had come in, and ... he jerked to a sitting position, then grabbed at his head as his vision blurred out in a stab of pain. Moving slowly to avoid a repeat, he looked around at the mess of the family room, table still overturned, dishes scattered about — and only his eldest daughter present, looking up from a medical textbook.

“So you are finally awake, Father, Akane must have hit you harder than Ranma thought,” the normally serene girl said in a brittle tone, and nodded toward the broken window. “Genma is still unconscious.”

“Akane, Ranma!” Soun gasped. “Where are they?”

“Already gone, I don't know where,” Kasumi replied. “But Akane gave me a message for you as they left.” She paused for a long moment, then as Soun started fidgeting said, “She said to tell you that you will need to find a new heir, because you now only have two daughters.”

Soun reeled in shock, tears beginning to flood from his eyes, and Kasumi smiled grimly as she rose to her feet, duty done. “Oh, and Father? You are going to need to hire a housekeeper — Dr. Tofu has offered me a job as his nurse for his new clinic, and after tonight's events I have decided to accept. I will be moving out tomorrow. Good night.” And she calmly walked out, leaving him alone in the wreckage.

 

Ranma sat back as she finished putting the last tent peg in place, and looked at the tent in the moonlight. “It's gonna be a little tight, especially with all the blankets the two of us are gonna need ta wrap ourselves up in — it's gonna get a bit chilly tonight,” she said, but Akane shook her head.

“No,” she said, “When we combine our blankets we'll be fine.”

Ranma turned to stare at Akane. “Ya mean, share the blankets?”

Akane nodded. “Yes,” she replied, then added, blushing, “and ... a lot more than just blankets.”

Ranma stared at her for a long moment, then stuttered, “Y-Y-Ya d-don't mean ...” her voice trailed off and Akane reached over and pulled her into a hug.

“Making love?” she whispered in the pigtailed girl's ear with only a slight quaver. “Yes, that's exactly what I mean ... when I said the fact you're a girl now doesn't matter, I meant it.”

“O-Okay,” Ranma managed to get out as she returned the hug, “but it's gonna hafta wait. I've ... heard it can get kinda messy and we don't exactly have a furo handy anymore.”

“Well, if we must,” Akane sighed with a mixture of regret and relief, and the two sat and stared out across the night sky, such as they could see through Tokyo's light pollution.

Finally, Akane shivered, and the two broke apart to grab the blankets and move into the tent. After they'd settled down side by side with the blankets over and under them, Ranma said, “Akane? There is something you can do for me. Promise me you'll give up the hammer.”

“What!?” Akane almost shouted, anger flaring. “But that's my most effective technique, why do you want me to give it up?”

“Fer the same reason I'm gonna be givin' up my confidence-based attacks — `cause if we keep usin' them we're gonna end up dead or worse.”

“How? And what could be worse?” Akane demanded.

“Ending up like Happosai,” Ranma responded, and Akane froze, her anger snuffed out.

“Ending up like Happosai?” she repeated, And Ranma nodded.

“I've been thinkin' about it fer awhile now, and today just cinched it. I've always been cocky, Dad insisted on it, but I've been gettin' worse. And your temper has been getting' harder ta control, more violent — and today ya completely lost it, attackin' yer own dad. I think it's `cause a' the emotion-based ki attacks. What if Happosai is how we'd end up if we kept usin' them, to the point where being cocky or angry is all we can be?”

Akane thought back over the past weeks and months. It couldn't really be true, could it? But if Ranma believed it, enough to give up techniques that had saved his — her — life, perhaps ...

“I'll think about it,” she finally said, then added wistfully, “Besides, I don't have much to get angry about any more, now that we're out of the dojo. But now, it's been a long day, let's get some sleep,” she finished with a yawn.

“Right,” Ranma agreed, and the two cuddled up together and drifted off to sleep.

Outside, a purple-haired cat looked down from a nearby tree and sighed. It's going to be a longnight, Xian Pu thought. I hope the other warriors great-grandmother has called for get here soon.