Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ One-Half a Wing and a Prayer ❯ Old School ( Chapter 27 )

Author’s Note: The NWC and the situations they found themselves in were the work of Rumiko Takahashi and were distributed by Kitty and Viz. I use them without permission, but with humble respect for those before me, and I write this with no intent to profit from the efforts of others. There is sex, there is violence, and some foul language. If any of these offend or you are a minor, be gone with ye, tis not for you.
P.S.: by now you know I do this for Janice.


“This is what your betrayal has earned you,” said an ominous voice.

Ranma shook her head, unable to make out her surroundings but somehow knowing she was somewhere she knew. Looking up she saw a dark form, tall and imposing that was leaning over her, holding her head up. It radiated menace, and she could feel fire flickering along its fingers where it roughly held her hair.

Blinking her eyes clear, she looked past the form at the burning ruins of a castle in the near distance. She let out a painful scream as she realized that her important people were still in there, and now there was nothing she could do to save them.

“You never should have abandoned me,” the voice spoke again, and Ranma was yanked upright to look into a pair of burning red eyes that pulsed with hate. “It will be a long road of pain before you can redeem yourself.”

Ranma wept, but managed to croak out, “Yes, Father…”

The form dropped her then, and soon another person was at her side, helping her up.

“You never should have fallen in love with that human, Sister.”

Ranma turned and took in the new form. Female, and only a few years older then her, she was wrapped in white leather straps and had a long mane of white hair. Behind her stretched out a pair of wings that were so like her own.

“I had no choice, Dizzy,” Ranma said, not really understanding the moment. “It struck like thunder, and I couldn’t turn away from it. Please forgive me.”

The taller demon leaned forward and lightly kissed her on the forehead, “I do…but Father never will.” Both of them turned to look once more on the burning castle, and Ranma’s eyes were drawn to the tallest tower.

Hung from the ramparts was a body, cut open and dead.

Ranma could only cry out, “NO!!!”


One Half a Wing and a Prayer
By Seth

Chapter 27
Old School


“NO!!!”

Ranma sat bolt upright breathing heavily in the darkness of Nabiki’s room. He shook his head as the last vestiges of the nightmare faded away and he sat there looking down at shaking hands.

“Are you alright?”

Turning he saw that his sudden awakening had also roused Nabiki and Shampoo, and the two girls were looking at him, worry evident in their faces.

Slowly he exhaled and answered, “A bad dream, that’s all.”

“Uh hum,” Nabiki said, concern still in her voice, “who do you think you’re fooling, lover boy? I didn’t catch much, but the last part of that seared into my mind.”

“That and you scream like soul being ripped out,” Shampoo added, giving Ranma a hug from the side. “Shampoo never wants hear that sound again.” Nabiki nodded her agreement and Ranma saw that there was no way out of the predicament.

Slowly he started, “I have no idea what it was, but it was so real. A castle, and someone coming in the night to…well…murder everyone in it. There was someone important, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I think…God help me…I think it really happened.”

“Some kind of repressed memory,” pondered Nabiki.

Ranma shook his head, “Yes…and no. I don’t think it happened to me. I don’t know. I was a girl at the time, and there were other…demons there. I can almost remember them, but it’s so vague, like it’s just out of reach.”

“Should I go looking around in there,” Nabiki asked, reaching up to place a hand on the side of Ranma’s head.

“No,” Ranma quickly retorted, “No. I’m not sure it’s something I want to remember. There was so much pain, the kind I had when I though I lost Shampoo back at the springs.”

The Amazon girl shuddered and gave Nabiki a small shake of the head. The brown haired girl sighed and leaned into Ranma, letting go of the dream and simply comforting him by adding her hug to Shampoo’s. Truth be told, she felt the need for contact just as much. She really had caught the tail end of the dream and knew the kind of pain that Ranma was referring to.

Slowly the teens settled down again, only to be rousted from bed a few moments later by Nabiki’s alarm clock going off.

“Freaking typical,” she groused, slapping the snooze button and sitting up again.

The morning progressed from there, Ranma’s dream almost forgotten in the bustle of activity. Ranma and Nabiki worked in the dojo with Akane and Soun practicing in the yard. Kasumi, Kodachi and Shampoo worked in the kitchen fixing a breakfast for the household.

On the roof, Happosai sat, contemplating the various life energies flowing around the property, a pair of blue silk panties on his head. Since arriving and discovering Ranma he had been testing the boy, finding his limits, and was now trying to figure a way to teach the boy wile undoing the rest of the damage Genma had done to him.

The trick was teaching Ranma what he…or rather she needed to know without telling the boy too much too soon. There was no way he was going to let the martial artist go off half cocked trying to fight a battle he couldn’t win.

The old master looked down as the family retreated into the house for breakfast. He took one last pull off his pipe, then doused it and put it away.

“Since there all eating,” he said with a smile, “no one will be upstairs. It’s time to go liberate some silky darlings.” Grabbing the edge of the roof, Happosai swung down to Nabiki’s room and slowly opened the window. Bouncing in, he listened to the early morning chatter at the Tendo breakfast table and counted the voices, then made a beeline for the dresser.

Sliding open the top drawer, the old man took in the small bounty of undergarments belonging to the middle Tendo sister. He smiled in glee at the rows of thongs, panties, and bras. He reached out a trembling hand towards a strapless black bra, and as his fingers grazed its silky surface there was a loud snap.

For a moment he looked at his hand in total amazement. Pulling his arm back, he saw that his entire hand was now gripped tightly by a small animal trap. Its steel jaw crushed into his fingers.

Finally he summed up his current feelings, “YEOUCH!!!”

Downstairs Nabiki could only smile at the yell and chuckle lightly into her miso soup.

No carrot for you just yet, old man, she thought to herself.

The day continued on relatively peacefully after that. Shampoo began classes at Furinkan in Ranma and Akane’s class and was quite the hit with the boys of the school. Hiroshi and Daisuke both worked up the courage to make lame passes on the well built beauty, but were shot down with a simple phrase.

“Ranma is husband. You no look strong enough to beat him for right to date Shampoo.”

“Oh come on,” Hiroshi cried to the havens. “First Nabiki, now this girl too? What do we have to do to get any action around here?”

Daisuke put in his two cents with a simple, “Amen, brother.”

The news that Ranma was married AND dating Nabiki spread like wildfire through the school and by lunch Ranma and Akane had been asked about the situation no less then a hundred times, much to the chagrin of the teacher who was interrupted any time someone new burst into the classroom in an excited frenzy to descend on the victim of the latest gossip.

Ranma, Shampoo, Nabiki and Akane met on the roof for lunch and let out a collective sigh.

“What the hell is wrong with these people,” Ranma complained as he leaned hard on the fence at the edge of the roof.

Akane smirked, “This place was almost dull before you showed up. Now it’s like there’s a soap opera in our school, and everyone wants to see what happens next.”

“Pretty accurate,” Nabiki admitted, “Between the stupid fights you get into and the romantic drama with the three of us, its no wonder they act like they do. I figure that Shampoo already has half the male population of the school daydreaming about her.”

“And the other half,” Ranma asked.

Nabiki gave a wide smile, “The oh so mysterious redhead that’s shown up every now and then. There’s already a rumor that I’m two timing you with your own sister. Now with Shampoo in the mix I bet we’ll be allegedly having an orgy by then end of the day. Maybe with Akane and Kodachi thrown into the mix as well.”

“Oh no,” the youngest Tendo groused, “Keep me out of your twisted little story. I’m already trying to live down the one Kuno is spreading about his ‘pig tailed goddess’ and me throwing ourselves at his noble feet.” She stuck her finger down her throat and made a gagging noise, illustrating her opinion of that.

“Shampoo agrees with Tendo sister,” the Amazon chimed in, shivering at the thought. “Stick boy hit head hard when little or something?”

The others chuckled at this, but Nabiki suddenly stiffened. Sending a mental warning to Ranma and Shampoo she scanned the area for what had set off her sixth sense. Soon she found that Happosai was once more on school grounds and making his way into the girl’s locker room.

“The old letch is getting an early start today,” Nabiki said, refocusing her eyes on the others. “I guess we should…”

“…beat the holy hell out of him,” Akane finished and drew a large mallet out of her book bag.

Ranma pushed off the fence and sighed, “I’ll go get him. He may be an old freak, but I don’t want any of you getting groped by him while he’s jumping around trying to escape.”

Akane smirked, “And you are going to go into the girl’s locker room? That’s a joke.”

“Not really,” Nabiki laughed and flicked a small amount of milk at her fiancé. “Now she looks the part.”

“Oh joy,” Ranma deadpanned, wiping the liquid out of her eyes. Shampoo smiled and stood, licking the milk off the redhead’s face.

“Maybe you make Shampoo purr later as reward for fighting old man.”

Akane crossed her arms and looked away, “Get a room, you perverts.”

“We already have one,” Nabiki chuckled, “but we can’t use it when we’re at school, now can we. Off you go, lover girl.”

Shampoo let Ranma go, and the demoness moved back to the fence, looking down to see how people were situated in the yard. Hopping to the top of the fence she gave a jaunty wave to the three girls and dove off. Her wings burst from her back and she silently glided into the nearby tree line and began working her way around to the locker room.

Silently approaching the building attached at the back of the gym, Ranma swooped between branches to keep her movements invisible not only to the sneaking Master but to the other students as well. Landing softly behind the structure she let her wings fold inwards and disappear.

With careful movements she moved along the outside wall, noting an open window where the miniature letch probably made his way in. Jumping up she grabbed the sill with her fingers and took a quick peek in.

Several lockers were already open and a small pile of neatly folded gym shorts were stacked on top of a brown cloth that Ranma recognized as Happosai’s ‘garment bag’.

Sliding into the open window, Ranma dropped to the ground and approached the last locker in a row that had quiet humming coming from inside. With a sudden burst of speed, she heaved the locker door open and reached in to grab the pervert. But when her arm withdrew all she held was a pair of lacy white panties.

“Good taste, don’t you think?”

Ranma whipped around to try and find the voice of the old man, but Happosai was nowhere in sight. Panning left and right, her eyes could not find him and she figured the old man was hiding himself somewhere in the room.

“Afraid to face me in the open,” she taunted. “That’s actually pretty smart of you, little freak.”

A chuckle sounded, and now Ranma realized that the voice was coming from all around her. Slowly she turned in place, trying in vain to find Happosai’s hiding place. She was thinking quickly, but there were no real ideas coming to mind.

“Lost already,” came Happosai’s voice. “I’m surprised; you have all the tools you need to find me. I guess no one has showed you how though.”

Ranma snarled, “What are you talking about, old freak.”

“A demon has power, but a human has even more. Why else would they need to feed on us? You are a blending of the two, whether you realize it or not. Even in your current form you still hold your humanity dear. The core of that is your soul, and from your soul you can draw incredible power.” Happosai saw that he had the redhead’s interest and dropped the invisibility technique that he was using. “The power you can wield with your soul can allow you to do things that no demon could dream of. My little illusion is just one of them.”

Ranma nodded her understanding of what the old master was saying and moved forward to stand before him. With blinding speed she then belted him in the head.

“What the hell was that for,” Happosai growled after pulling himself out of the dent in the locker behind him.

Ranma snorted, “A lesson is good and all, but you still snuck in to the girl’s locker room. Didn’t you expect some people to be upset with that?”

Happosai grinned, “Sure, but that’s not going to stop me from enjoying myself. So what do you say, help me pick up a few things here and I’ll show you how to use some new techniques. Do we have a deal?”

“Or I could set you up for the beating you deserve,” Ranma countered.

Happosai stiffened and slowly turned around, realizing that Ranma had maneuvered him so that his back was facing the door. Behind him stood Shampoo in cat-girl form, filing her already sharp claws casually; Nabiki who had a small collection of arrows from the archery club floating around her; and Akane who shouldered a mallet that would make Bugs Bunny tremble in horror.

“Oh crap,” the Master summed up.

Jumping for the window he tried to make his escape, but Ranma was hovering in front of the opening, her wings once more spread and a small flame dancing from her fingers. Evaluating his options and finding them few indeed, he drew on one of the few techniques that Genma Saotome had developed that were actually useful in situations like this.

“Crouch of the Wild Tiger,” he shouted and jumped in the middle of the four threatening girls and began bowing and scraping, trying to make himself look as pitiful as possible.

Ranma knew the style however, as she had seen it used with countless landladies. She knew that the next step would be to look for a way out that avoided angry females at all cost. Through Nabiki, Ranma positioned the other girls at the most likely of escape routes and waited for the old master to make his move.

Suddenly Happosai began to vanish from sight, his form dissolving into a transparent afterimage as he disappeared. Nabiki began wildly looking around the room, somehow unable to sense his mind. Shampoo had gotten down on all fours and had her head tilted back, sniffing the air with her cat form’s enhanced sense of smell. Akane just marched over and began to swat the floor where the little pervert had been.

Ranma took all this in, and knew that each girl was using the abilities they had honed to find Happosai. Shampoo’s hunter skills and animal like body and Nabiki’s psychic powers were the most powerful tools in the room. Even Akane’s random attacks had a small chance of finding the pervert.

He said I had all the tools I needed, Ranma mused. She considered what the old man had said, souls and the power of a human, and tried to work out what he meant. Nabiki searched for his mind and Shampoo, and to a lesser extent Akane, were searching for his body. Could she somehow search for the little master’s soul?

Closing her eyes in concentration, Ranma calmed her mind using meditation and began the process of reaching inside herself. She felt the demon fire inside her that she had used so often before, and once more drew upon it, letting it flow upwards, not to her hands but to her eyes. She focused her intent, molding the fire as it went until she felt it was ready, and then opened her eyes.

“Whoa,” she said, drawing the attention of the other girls. They looked towards her and saw the familiar sight of Ranma’s glowing eyes, but the blue orbs had adopted a flicker, and red fire danced in a ring in each eye.

“New trick,” Shampoo asked as Ranma’s eyes danced along her form.

Ranma smiled, “Sort of. I can see auras with this. You have a double image of your two forms. Nabiki has, I’m not sure, tendrils connecting her to the arrows she’s holding up.” Ranma looked at Akane, who flipped her middle finger at the redhead. “Sorry, already taken, Tendo. And did you know that your hammer is, well, infused with your aura?”

The others blinked at Ranma’s commentary and looked at each other while the demoness searched the room with her burning eyes. Suddenly she pointed to a bench off to one side and smiled.

“Have you been sitting there the whole time?”

Happosai once more dropped his technique and lightly applauded, “That took less time than I hoped. Well done, my girl.” He suddenly frowned and pointed an accusing finger at the redhead, “But you should not have used your demon’ gifts for this. I told you that human energy is stronger, and you have a great deal of energy to use. I suppose we’ll have to figure out a way to break you of this crutch.”

Nabiki looked at the old martial artist with half closed eyes, “You’re serious, aren’t you? Ranma’s demonic power has saved my life more than once, so why can’t she use it?”

“I’m not saying she can’t,” Happosai answered, pulling out his pipe and tapping it in his hand as he made his points, “But as a tool, just like any other tool, it has its limits. In addition he has no access to it in his male form. Finally, there are things a demon simply can not do, but a human can. The reverse is true, yes, but if Ranma is to truly grow he needs to be able to grow in all aspects.”

“And this involves my panties how,” Akane snarled seeing the item on Happosai’s bald head.

Happosai again began to sweat, “Can’t blame an old man for trying, now can you?”

“Want to bet!”

The hammer swing that Akane executed was fast, efficient, and excessive in every way as the bench split in half and a sizable crater formed in the locker room floor. Happosai had no time to react, and at the head of the overly large tool was lifted again the girls saw a very flat Grandmaster of the Anything Goes School.

For the rest of the day Ranma, restored to male form, continued to contemplate what the old man had said. The fact that he had activated a new power was set aside at the idea that he could do the same thing in human form.

Focusing inward he tried to find the energy that Happosai had spoken of. He remembered how the monks he had met long ago spoke of chi and how it flowed threw all living things. He thought about Granny Cologne speaking in hushed tones about the masters who could harness their own life force and use unbelievable attacks with ki.

He even contemplated the movie he had seen years ago about the space people and the Force they used.

After school he kept at it, returning to the dojo and dropping into the lotus position, resuming his meditation.

“Still thinking about all those panties?”

Ranma opened his eyes and saw Akane starting her kata. He saw that her jab had only been half scornful and decided to take that as a good sign.

He spoke, “I think the old freak was actually trying to tell me something. It clicks with some stuff I’ve heard over the years, and now I’m trying to put it all together.” He thought for a moment and then asked, “You know that hammer trick of yours? How do you do it?”

Akane blinked, startled by the honest curiosity in his voice, “I’m not sure. I get pissed off, pull it out and bam. That’s pretty much it.”

“No, I mean how do you get your aura to reinforce it like you do? Remember what I said I saw?”

Akane stopped her practice and considered what the pigtailed boy had asked.

Finally she answered, “I’ve never really thought about it before. I just take all that anger and…I guess I push it into the mallet. Then when I hit something the anger goes away and I feel a little better.”

“An emotional trigger,” came a voice from the door. The two teens turned and saw Happosai, apparently uninjured, sitting and leaning against the door frame. “A powerful thing, but very dangerous if used too often. You should be careful, my dear.”

“What do you want,” Akane growled. She stopped when Ranma put up a hand and saw that the young man was thinking overtime.

“Why is an emotional trigger dangerous?”

Happosai looked at the boy and answered, “You come to depend on the emotion, like an addict. After a while you start looking forward to the next time you feel it. Then you simply can’t live without it. In the end it can destroy you.”

Akane looked down at her hands. What Happosai had said fell too closely in line with the things her therapist had been saying for some time now, that anger was a weapon that cut its user as well as its target. Had she really been speeding along her own self destruction by lashing out at those that had done her harm? She looked up again when Ranma spoke.

“So if I don’t use emotions to trigger that power, what do I use?”

The old master shook his head, “There is no real trigger. You have to draw the power itself. Your ki resides in every cell of your body and infuses you with every action. What you can do is learn to feel your ki as it flows through you, harness it, and make it flow in the manner you wish. Both of you have this potential, but it’s up to you to figure out how to do it.” He stood and turned away, “Think back to our first fight, Ranma. Remember what you FELT during that battle before your change. That may help you find the answer.”

Ranma and Akane were silent after that, and Happosai withdrew from the dojo. Walking back into the house he passed Nabiki who was eyeing him with a small smile.

“And what can I do for you, Nabiki?”

She continued to smile, her hands drifting behind her back, “I have to say I’m honestly surprised with you. For a while I thought you were just in it to get your jollies, but it seems I was wrong. Here you go, you little letch.”

She flipped something towards Happosai, who caught it reflexively. He held it up and he saw that they were a pair of simple white panties.

“Why, Nabiki, I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything,” she replied dryly. “That’s your reward for Ranma’s night off. Don’t expect to get lucky after that one though. I don’t hand those out to anyone.”

Happosai folded the garment with care and tucked it reverently into his gi. He then looked up at Nabiki as she stared out at the dojo, her eyes unfocused as she mentally watched her fiancé work out the new problem before him.

After a time she asked, “What’s the hurry, old man?”

Happosai forced his expression blank, “What ever do you mean, Nabiki dear?”

The brunette sighed and looked down at the miniature master, “Teaching Ranma sideways, the only real way he gets things and the fact that in less then a week you’re already coaching him on stuff right out of a legend or something. Did you really think someone wouldn’t notice?”

“Not hardly,” he answered, “I just hoped it would take a little longer. I have a reason, but right now neither you, nor he, are ready for it. All I ask is a little patience and all will be explained in due time.”

Nabiki shrugged, looking uninterested, “If Ranma’s in danger, again, I think he should know as soon as possible. But I’ll leave it alone for now. Just remember, I could always just rip it out of your brain.”

“That’s not very polite dear. Besides, I’m a lot stronger then I look.”

Nabiki shrugged again, “I haven’t really tried yet.” She locked eyes with him and Happosai felt a sharp stab in his head. “Fudge ripple,” Nabiki told him plainly.

“Point taken,” Happosai answered and bowed his head slightly. “And now that you know, I’m off to collect a pint of my favorite ice cream. See you later, cutie.” The old man bounced away, leaving Nabiki to contemplate Ranma and Akane as they mulled over the old man’s words.

Nabiki knew that she still wasn’t a real martial artist, at least not on the level of her lovers or sister, and that she wouldn’t be able to help much. This led to a bit of frustration on her part. She knew that Ranma needed to develop as a demon and a fighter, just as she needed to continue to reinforce her mental abilities.

Ranma was being ‘taught’ by Happosai, and Shampoo was still being trained by Cologne, but Nabiki had turned down the intense training of her companions. This did leave her in a bit of a bind however as she had no mentor to look to.

She was still pensive that night at dinner, but no one really noticed as Ranma and Akane were in the same position. Shampoo silently asked her loves, and found that Ranma and Nabiki had problems that for the moment were outside her grasp.

“Shampoo not skilled enough yet to use ki like old man say,” she communicated to the others as they ate. “As for a mentor, Shampoo has no answer at all. I’m sorry, Sister.”

“No problem, Shampoo,” answered Nabiki, “I figured it was something I’d have to do on my own.”

Ranma entered the conversation sending, “Maybe I could help. My demon powers parallel some of yours. We could practice and make you stronger that way.”

“Good idea, lover boy. But you should work out the whole energy thing first. I think the letch is up to something, and you may need that extra edge up the road.”

Ranma nodded his understanding, but Nabiki could tell that the young man didn’t really want to let it go at that. She gave him a smile, one that she used to reassure him that everything would be all right.

Ranma for his part knew that it was only partly true, but he also knew how strong Nabiki was. He simply sent a wave of confidence to her, letting her know that he would be behind her no matter what. It was joined by a similar feeling from Shampoo and the three teens shared a smile between them.

“Ugh,” Akane grunted at them, “I’m getting sugar shock from watching the three of you look all cutesy at each other.” The table burst into a round of laughter at her comment, and with a smile Akane reassured her sister that she meant it in jest.

Later that night, Ranma once more stood in Nabiki’s room, looking down at the two women he loved as they cuddled in their sleep. He walked out of the room, returning a few moments later in succubus form. Dropping her clothes she went to Nabiki’s closet and withdrew her leathers.

Silently pulling on the outfit she had come to associate with her flying at night, Ranma planned a quick circuit of the town and then a shot at the new energy she was supposed to develop. As her corset cinched into place she let one gloved hand drift to her lips, giving two fingers a soft kiss and passing that along to the back of Shampoo and Nabiki’s heads.

Walking steadily to the window in her high heels, a feat that she was rather proud of, Ranma slid the glass open and hopped onto the sill, letting her wings unfurl from her back. Then with a push she cast herself into the inky night.

Flapping her wings to quickly gain altitude, the redhead pushed herself as high as she could, then began a lazy glide around the outskirts of the district, working in a slow spiral to the center of town and landing on the roof of Furinkan high.

Remembering the time she had flown Nabiki up here, Ranma had a warm smile as she strode across the top of the clock tower until her toes found the edge of the building. It made her wonder why she loved these high places so much, but she had found herself more and more comfortable on a rooftop, or perched on top of a telephone pole.

Pushing the silent musing aside, Ranma called up her demonic power, allowing a small portion to flow into her hand and form a small red ball of fire. She focused, trying to feel out the energy in the palm of her hand, and how it connected to her. She followed its path, searching for where it came from, and how she had so easily called it out.

With mental strain she was able to follow the energy to its source, not surprisingly located just above the juncture of her legs. She let go of the gathered energy in her hand and let it fade away now that she had what she set out for. Focusing further, Ranma attempted to find other points of energy within.

Sweat developed on her brow as her senses turned further inward, and at the edge of her perception she caught a blue flicker. Careful to act slowly and not disturb the calm she had achieved, Ranma focused more on the soft blue as opposed to the fiery red of her demonic power. The inner light was warm in a comforting way, and Ranma could almost make out how it traveled her entire body.

For a moment she thought that she would be able to fuel her demon form with this new power, eliminating her need to feed on others, but try as she may, she was unable to grab hold of the strange power. It slowly dawned on her that her demon energy and this blue light, her ki, were incompatible as they were. Only other energy, other life could sate her hunger.

At least now she knew it was there. Next she would have to figure out how to use it.

“Damn and I thought finding you would be harder.”

Ranma’s eyes snapped open to see a female figure standing a short distance away. She was lithe and agile looking, and had a figure similar to her own, but maybe slightly younger. She had pink hair under a baseball cap and wore a red jacket and denim shorts. Over her pert breasts was a tee shirt with ‘Jesus Saves…and only takes half damage’ printed on it.

Ranma blinked at the newcomer, looking over the rooftop to see how she had gotten up here. Seeing the slightly taller redhead’s confusion, the pink haired girl shrugged and with a rush of displaced air a pair of black wings unfolded from behind her, identical to Ranma’s own.

Taking a step back Ranma spoke cautiously, “Who the hell are you?”

“Ok, I guess I really wasn’t expecting the warm and fuzzy greeting anyway,” the girl said with a smile. “My name’s Alexis and as you can see, we’re a lot alike. I’ve been sent looking for you, and with that beacon of power you were giving off a second ago, you nearly made me cream my panties. What did you do, suck off every guy in the district?”

Ranma almost stumbled off the roof at the girl’s question. After catching herself and forcing a blush from her face, Ranma shoot an acidic look at the pink haired demoness.

“I was training,” Ranma said, keeping her voice as level as she could, “trying to learn the difference between my ki and demon energies. Now then, who sent you looking for me?”

Alexis smiled, “You really don’t know, do you? I mean, I can sense it, the connection is definitely there, but you don’t remember a thing. What do you remember after you ran out on Father?”

“I never ran from Pops,” Ranma snarled, “the old freak and Mister Tendo threw him out. Are you my illegitimate sister or something? Looking for Pops for payback?”

It was Alexis’ turn to blink in confusion, “I guess the Wannabe was right, you really aren’t my sister. But the connection is there, you are her reborn from that chaos magic in China. Can’t you feel it?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Ranma said. To reassure herself however, Ranma focused inward again, trying to find if there was a connection to this girl. Before she could search far however Alexis spoke again.

“I guess it doesn’t matter. Father still wants me to bring you to him. If you are a reincarnation and have lost all your memories I should tell you, it’s a very bad idea to disobey him.”

Figuring there was a threat in there, Ranma slid into a loose defensive stance and said calmly, “I have no idea what’s going on here, but I’ve just gotten my life back from one manipulative father. I don’t like the idea of going to another just because he demands it. The only way I’m going anywhere right now is by force, if you think you can.”

“You sure as hell don’t talk like Dizzy described you, but if it’s a rumble you want then a rumble you get.” With that Alexis hopped into the air and streaked towards Ranma.

Ranma however blinked hard and asked, “Did you say Dizzy?”


To be continued.

Endnote: This is going to be fun. I have to say that I am going to have a little problem with the arc after this one. Ukyo is making her appearance soon, and I still haven’t figured out what to do with her. Right now Janice and I think that making her the token normal girl is the best option, basically leaving her unchanged from the manga/anime. If anyone has a better idea drop me an e-mail. Until then, may the farce be with you.