Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Tribal Sisters ❯ Here's Neko ( Chapter 1 )

Genma bowed his head in shame. The man didn’t actually have a sense of shame, but for this occasion he thought it best to fake one. Soun Tendo, shocked that Genma seemed to suddenly have a sense of shame promptly forgave him. It went without saying however, that Soun wanted an explanation. After all if Genma couldn’t produce his missing son then how could they carry on the Anything Goes training hall.

The shameless man proceeded to tell him about his son Ranma. Please note that this is Genmas' account, and he didn’t want the incident to sound like his own fault, so the account might be somewhat skewed.

First Genma told how when Ranma was a mere child he, against his fathers wishes, subjected himself to dangerous Nekoken (cat fist training). As a result of the Nekoken training, Ranma was terrified of cats, and when the terror consumed him he would believe himself to be a cat.

Next, Genma explained how the impetuous Ranma had dragged him to a dangerous training ground called Jusenkyo, failed to read the Chinese warning signs and refused to head the guides warnings that the Jusenkyo pools were cursed.

Here is were the old man started to tell the truth:

While fighting over the bamboo poles of the ancient training ground Ranma knocked his father into the spring of drowned mountain lion. Seeing a fierce mountain lion emerge from the pool, a terrified, Ranma shrieked ‘BIG CAT BIG CAT" over and over again. He then lost his balance and fell into a pool. Not fully understanding what had occurred or why Ranma had seemed so terrified, Genma jumped to the edge of the pool and called to him. Unfortunately, all Ranma saw was a big cat waiting for him to surface from the pool. With each roar, Ranma’s terror grew. So caught was she in the Nekokens grip that she did not even realize the changes the Jusenkyo pool had wrought upon her now female body. Fearing that Ranma was drowning, Genma slashed his paws at the water, but found himself clawing at Ranma rather than reaching in to help the girl.

Suddenly, Ranma leaped from the pool and slashed at the mountain lion with fingers that somehow cut like sharp claws. Ranma, now taken over by the Nekoken slashed, and clawed, and meowed fiercely at his father until he fell unconscious. Terrified at the horrendous sight the guide screamed. With the acute hearing and high-strung nerves of any housecat Ranma ran away from the shrill sound, and was last seen moving deep into the mountains. By the time Genma regained consciousness Ranma was long gone, and he hasn’t seen his son/daughter since, though he searched for six months. The Tendo family cried for the lost heir who it seemed none of them would ever know.

"Such a terrible fate" Genma declared. "To be lost in the treacherous mountains of China, out of your mind, and in a body not your own. Oh Ranma, how you must have suffered." Tears then poured violently from Genmas' eyes, after all he needed the sympathy or the Tendos wouldn’t let him mooch at there home.

At that moment Ranma had just finished eating wild boar by an open campfire, and cuddled next to her Amazon tribal sister Shampoo, thinking about how great life had been ever since she had come to the mountain village.

This might take some explaining.

You see after Ranma ran into the mountains, she calmed down and crawled through the mountains for a while. Still, thinking she was a cat the girl chased some mice and birds then was drawn by the sound of cheering humans. Her housecat mind reasoned that if she approached the humans and looked cute enough they might give her some milk, or maybe even a fish.

When she got to the village a human girl was standing atop a huge log suspended by ropes saying something in a foreign language. This was Shampoo, who had just beat her latest opponent and was asking if anyone was brave enough to challenge her. Shampoo had bells and ribbons tied into her long hair, and as she moved her head to look for challengers they jingled and wavered in the breeze. Entranced the cat girl pounced on the amazon, knocking her from the podium, and pawed playfully at her hair. Shampoo tried to resist, but the girl positioned herself to lock out all of Shampoos joints, then began purring affectionately. Shampoo considered giving the red haired girl the kiss of death, but Ranma beat her to it when she began licking the sweat from her face.

Everyone stared at the strange girl, who had defeated the tribe’s strongest warrior, with a distinct fascination. Whispers and murmurs could be heard throughout the village. Soon Cologne, the village elder approached. Tension mounted amongst the entire village as the eyes of Ranma and Cologne locked. Anticipation grew in each Amazon, since they all new the elder had some plan to deal with the mysterious warrior. Suddenly, Cologne reached into her pocket and produced a rubber mouse stuffed with catnip. Ranma leaped at the toy and then began playing with it on the dirty ground as a kitten would. Everyone else face faulted.

"This poor child seems to be a victim of Nekoken training Cologne regretfully announced. It would appear her original mind has been completely consumed by the Nekoken madness. All that remains are martial arts skills and enhanced feline traits. Still perhaps she can be re-educated from within this state. I will adopt her into my clan. Shampoo, as of now this is your sister."

The girls of the tribe took and instant liking to Ranma. Since no one knew her proper name they began calling her Neko. Neko eventually accepted that she was not a cat and chose her sister Shampoo as the ideal human by which to model herself. She constantly imitated Shampoo, the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, even the way she opened doors. Shampoo liked having someone that admired her so, though it did get annoying at times, and soon they became true sisters. Nekos' mannerisms did however keep a feline quality to them and when she learned to speak Chinese her every sentence ended with a meow sound.

The Amazons were hardly the uneducated bumpkins people thought they were. Neko was demandingly tutored in reading and arithmetic. She had indeed retained all her martial arts skills from her former life as Ranma. Furthermore, she had cat like senses and instinctive fighting skills. Most impressive of all, she could somehow, with seemingly ordinary fingers, scratch effortlessly through even solid steel or any other surface. These were all benefits of the Nekoken. Impressed with her skills, Cologne taught her even more fighting techniques. For instance, she learned the chestnuts roasting on an open fire technique, the heavens dragon wave technique, and how to fight with bonbouri (another attempt to emulate Shampoo). Since warrior might was prized above all things by the Amazons Neko soon went from an unfortunate delusional girl to a popular and respected member of the tribe, even her embarrassing cat like tendencies were not criticized in the least.

It was a surprisingly long time before anyone, even Neko found out about her curse. You see there is no plumbing in the Amazon village. The drinking water came from wells and the girls all bathed in a natural waterfall which was cool and refreshing for the warm climate of the valley were the village was located. When someone accidentally spilled tea on her Neko was more shocked than anyone to find herself in a male body. It was at Nekos' own request that Cologne made her a magic bracelet that when worn would keep her in female form. Cologne recognized the Jusenkyo curse and explained it to her, though the girl did not like the idea that male might be her proper form.

Along with all this, every night, big sister Shampoo would tell her stories. These stories usually were of people who broke Amazon law, or men who tried to dominate over women, and received divine punishments. Since there was no TV or Xbox in the village, Neko listened to these stories with tremendous interest and begged to hear her favorite ones over and over again. Soon Amazon beliefs and values were engraved deeply into her mind. It reached a point were she viewed all things not Amazon as wrong and sinful. Nekos whole life, as she knew it was laughing, smiling, and learning amongst her friends in the village and she never wanted that to change.

This brings us to the present, a year and a half after Ranma entered the village. Cologne was called to the governing council of the tribe. Though she was a tribal elder and the strongest member of this very council she did have to be held accountable to the other members.

The council met in a huge dome like hut. Each of the seven members sat behind a desk that encircled the room and towered nine feet high. This was meant to both intimidate people called to council and hide the fact that no member was more than three feet tall. A two-foot tall woman, at the center of the desk, looked at Cologne with sympathy.

"We have gathered you here because of Neko, the girl you adopted into your clan. It is our understanding that you found this girl. She was amnesiac, and wondered through the mountains."

"You know that Spray," Cologne replied. "It is a small village and her hut is two doors from your own."

"Yes well, we recently communicated with outsiders and found Neko was a boy named Ranma Saotome, and authorities may soon search the tribe for her. We all love Neko, and she has the potential to high ranking tribe official. However, you know how outsiders jump to conclusions. They will likely think we started kidnapping outsiders and brainwashing them to join the tribe again."

Cologne knew what this meant all to well. Last time they were caught brainwashing outsiders the other outsiders sent them. First were the missionaries who tried to <civilize> the Amazons by forcing their barbaric beliefs on her people and ridiculing their current belief system. Then when they tried killing the annoying missionaries hordes of men with guns came intending to imprison the older members of the tribe and ship the children to horrific places run by the organization that sent the missionaries.

"How can we avoid this?" Cologne asked.

"Simple, we send Neko on a mission to return to Japan and live with her father for one Japanese school term. Afterwards she can return to the tribe or stay with her father, but it is no longer a legal problem for us, since no one can say we held her captive."

This seemed like an honest and fair way to handle the circumstances. Cologne didn’t like that. She wanted to keep the girl for herself. Perhaps she could find a way to sneak around the situation. "Very well Cologne agreed but I suggest we send Shampoo so that the girl doesn’t feel her new family has abandoned her." Neko, Cologne thought practically worshiped her sister and would never want to leave her. Surely Shampoo would keep her loyal to the Amazons.

The council whispered and murmured amongst themselves, and finally agreed to Colognes suggestion.

The plan was going perfectly. Neko didn’t even want to meet her father. All she knew was that he was the guy who tied her up with fish sausage and threw her to starving cats, and that he probably had a very sick perverted reason when he threw her into a cursed spring. Shampoo agreed to come only out of concern for her sister. Neko had completely forgotten the Japanese language. It took Neko three months of total immersion to speak fluent Chinese, so a week of lessons in Japanese from cheap how to books was disastrous. Neither Neko nor Shampoo could figure out how to use vowels or keep up with fast moving conversations. This meant it would be harder for them to bond with outsiders, since they couldn’t hold any meaningful conversations. Furthermore, she was so boggled with the Japanese lessons that Neko didn’t even finish memorizing what little information they had on Ranma Saotome. Cologne even arranged for Shampoo to arrive in Japan later than Neko, figuring that it would be harder and more traumatic if she had to meet her family alone; this would be another thing to make Neko long for the tribe. It was Colognes hope that Neko would hate Japan, and be eager to return to the tribe.

Nabiki, was bored. Every day was the same. She would watch Akane beat up every boy at school and turn down Kuno (taking a few bets as she did), sit through her classes, come home, do homework, and go to bed so she would be fresh to do it again the next day. It felt like something was supposed to have changed her life a while ago, but that something never came. What’s worse Genma had been mooching off them for over a year. Since he was usually a mountain lion no one dared critique the beast. He just lied around the house waiting to be fed, and occasionally played shoji with her father, he never even helped with the housework.

The middle Tendo girl sat down and mentally prepared herself for another boring day when all of a sudden the front door exploded. Standing at the center of the explosion was a red haired girl. The girl wore a white shirt, and red leotard pants. The shirt was odd in that the sleeves extended down the hand and were tied to one of her fingers. She also had wristbands, a breastplate, a belt and wore green ribbons in her hair.

"Nihao, Neko cheerfully announced."

"Who or what are you" Nabiki screamed.

Neko took out a piece of paper and read "Ranma Saotome, mew," from the sheet. Then declared that she was here to see (took another look at the paper) "Genma Saotome. Mew. Genma Saotome is my uh…" Curious, Nabiki asked to see the paper she was reading. Neko handed to her without a thought. It read as follows:

NAME: RANMA SAOTOME

SEX MALE

FATHER GENMA

MOTHER NOT KNOWN

SKILLS MARTIAL ARTS

SPOKEN LANGUAGES JAPANESE ONLY

RECEIVED NEKOKEN TRAINNING

AFRAID OF CATS

"Is the information okay? Mew." Neko asked.

"How should I know, its your life."

The girl gave Nabiki an embarrassed and apologetic look, so she decided to be more helpful. Being an excellent judge and manipulator of people chatted with her for a few minutes then made a revised the list based on what she learned. The new list read:

NAME: NEKO

SEX FEMALE

FATHER GENMA

SISTER SHAMPOO

GAURDIAN COLOGNE

MOTHER NOT KNOWN

SKILLS MARTIAL ARTS

SPOKEN LANGUAGES CHINNESE AND SOME JAPANESE

OTHER LIKES CATS

ADOPTED AND RE-EDUCATED BY AMAZON TRIBE

Nabiki then sold her the new list for fifty yen. The girl looked at her with trusting eyes and paid without a second thought. Nabiki immediately realized that a source of fun and profit had finally arrived.

Though it wasn’t her style Nabiki made tea for Neko and asked her to stay until the rest of her family returned from a shopping trip, and return they eventually did.

"Ranma, your alive" Genma proclaimed. "But why are you in girl form? Did I not raise you to be a man amongst men? How can you shame your father by disappearing for so long then returning to me like this?"

The girl didn’t even acknowledge this until Nabiki nudged her shoulder and reminded her that she was Ranma.

"You mean fat, bald, loud man is Neko’s Papa? Mew." Neko quietly asked Nabiki.

"Sorry" Nabiki apologized.

Nabiki then filled everyone in about how Ranma lost her old personality to the Nekoken and was re-educated by a female dominated tribe of mountain warriors. Everyone stared at Nabiki with stunned faces then as a test Genma grabbed the teakettle and poured hot water onto Neko. The girl hissed then scratched Genma’s arm. Genma screamed in pain as he looked upon the four gashes running down his forearm. Neko then came to her senses. She apologized for the overreaction then explained about the magic bracelet that locks her in whatever form she is in when she puts it on so she doesn’t have to turn into a yucky boy.

"Couldn’t you also wear that in boy form to remain male?" Kasumi asked.

"Of course not, it’s pink. Mew. Boys can’t wear pink. Mew."

Everyone just nodded and excepted that explanation, while Genma pleaded for a doctor.

Soon Genma and Kasumi left to wash Genma’s little scratch. Soun was still starring with a deer in the headlights expression so Nabiki introduced Neko to her youngest sister Akane. Akane looked at the girl, not sure how to regard her. She had been honest and upfront about her strange curse and connection to a weird foreign tribe, so Akane reluctantly decided to put the weird aspects aside and give her a chance.

"Hi, I’m Akane. Let’s be friends."

This greeting relieved Neko. She desperately missed all her Amazon friends and was afraid theses weird Japanese people would hate her.

"Yes please. Mew. Nabiki tells Neko that Akane is a martial artist. Mew. Maybe you and Neko could practice together. Mew."

Akane gave a competitive smile then said she would change into an obi and to meet her in the dojo.

Genma rejoined Soun and they shared a drink to help overcome the surprises of this strange day. Soun asked if it was okay to let Akane spar with the strange girl. "Relax Tendo," Genma replied. "My son would never under any condition strike a woman. It is against his nature. I’m sure whatever those Amazons did to him he will still go easy on your little girl."

Suddenly a large crash could be heard from the dojo. The crash was immediately followed by a "Yay, Neko won, Yay. Mew."

Akane wanted to get mad. Especially since she was hanging upside-down, her body embedded into a wall. But, Neko just had such a darn friendly smile on her face.

"Neko had fun Akane. Mew. But match not even. Mew. How about later Neko teach Akane some Amazon fighting secrets? Mew."

Akane stopped feeling like she lost to a boy. There was nothing remotely male about this girl. Moreover, Akane really wanted the training she was offering. So she smiled, agreed, and asked to be helped off the wall.

Later Akane accidentally walked in on Neko in the bath, but found that even when bathing Neko wore her little pink curse-sealing bracelet. They were just two girls, so there was nothing to be upset about, the two even scrubbed each other’s backs.

At the end of the day everyone was gathered in the main room of the Tendo house. Neko was told to sit across from Souns three daughters.

Neko told her father that it was getting late and they should go home, but Genma explained that they were living with the Tendos. Upon hearing this Neko bowed before Kasumi (seeing her as the clans matriarch) and apologized for the inconvenience, insisting that she would do all the cooking and housework to help make up for the trouble her and her father caused. Kasumi thought this was a welcome change from the other houseguests.

Genma scoffed at this behavior then he took on a sneaky smile, after all having a fiancée was sure to re-maculate his son, then Nodoka wouldn’t need to kill them.

"Ranma," Soun called. "Ranma." "RANMA!" but Neko just stared into nowhere as cats’ sometime do. Finally he said "Neko" and she turned her head to acknowledge Mr. Tendo. "Pleases choose any one of my three daughters for a wife."

"Wow Mr. Tendo, you must think very highly of Neko’s Papa to be willing to give him one of your daughters. Mew."

"Uh… I think you misunderstand," Soun tried to explain!

Neko was so excited. This was her first duty as the Saotome matriarch. She leaped up and demanded that the three Tendo daughters attack her, announcing that the best fighter would be allowed to marry her Papa. Upon hearing this Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi all rushed to play dead. Kasumi took a full second longer than the others to hit the floor so Genma declared her his new wife, but then he was slapped upside the head by Soun.

"You misunderstand son," Genma explained. "Me and Tendo have arranged that you marry one of these girls to carry on the anything goes training hall."

"But we’re all girls. Mew. Also, men can not arrange marriages. Mew. They are to stupid. Mew." After hearing this Akane gave Neko a high-five.

Genma thought of attacking Neko then and there but looked at the scratch marks on his arm and decided to try a calmer approach. "Look boy, just pick the one you think would make the best wife, that’s all I ask."

Neko then pointed to Akane. The youngest Tendo sister was a bit embarrassed at the spot her father had put her in, but she was also pleased. Neither took the engagement seriously it was just a sign of friendship or for being the best warrior that Neko picked her. She might have been angry if she knew the real reason. Neko actually picked her was due to the girls’ wide, child bearing, hips. Neko on the other hand took the idea more seriously. She didn't intend to marry another girl of course but by Amazon law the engagement would at least bind them like tribal sisters. Since they were now related she would have to make an effort to civilize Akane and convince her to join the tribe.

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Next Chapter.

Kuno, Gosenkugi, Ryoga, Kodachi, Ukyo. Who will get a kiss of marriage, and who will get a kiss of death. The answer will surprise you, unless it happens exactly the way you expect

Also, please, please, please send reviews to mediaminer or ataru85@uymail.com.

I want suggestions, criticism, anything.