She and "Haruka" and "Michiru" had known what they were getting into when they went to meet Tsukino Usagi - But Athena...
Though meeting "Pegasus" Seiya and his friends had been fun, she had to admit. Shiryuu and Hyouga and gotten them refreshments while Shun tried to talk his brother - well, full brother - Ikki into being somewhat less anti-social. Well, he'd actually turned up, which was as "social" as he cared to be, she supposed - well, assuming he'd had a say in the matter, that is.
She knew their "future incarnations" pretty well, of course, but it just wasn't the same, she had to admit.
Ahh, well. They'd had their fun - now, back to more serious business.
OK, then...
"Ami" waved her hand.
"Well, that Ranma-kun was...interesting."
"Yes. The gender-shifting thing being the least of it, too..."
Timeline A-1
"... What do you mean, you're going to be a girl now, for ever and ever!?"
Akane's rage was a had always been a ferocious thing, but now, her battle aura was ready to raise the roof. Quite literally.
"Just what I said, Akane. I'm never gonna be able to turn back male again. There's...there's nothing left there, any more."
No trace of the duality that he'd had for so long...
Ranma watched Akane break down and cry, then.
It felt awful. But still not as awful as actually seeing her dead.
... A girl, always, huh.
Ranma tried not to cry. Even if he wasn't a boy any more.
Timeline A-2
"... What do you mean, you're going to be a girl now, for ever and ever!?"
Akane's rage was a had always been a ferocious thing, but now, her battle aura was ready to raise the roof. Quite literally.
"I didn't say that, Akane! What I'm saying is that I'm gonna be locked in girl-form for the time being, and I have know idea how to "unlock" it. 'Kay?"
Akane groaned, and sighed, aura receding.
"... Granny Cologne?"
"Yeah, but not now, she's out like a light and Shampoo would kill me if I bothered her. And they're a couple of other people I could talk to to... Oyaji's probably gonna freak whichever way, anyhow."
Ranma sighed, then.
What bothered him even more was that his "female persona" didn't seem to be coming to the forfront, actually, but he couldn't talk to Akane about that.
Timeline A-3
"... What do you mean, you're going to be a girl now, for ever and ever!?"
Akane's rage was a had always been a ferocious thing, but now, her battle aura was ready to raise the roof. Quite literally.
"Ranko" didn't care a damn, frankly.
Well OK, maybe she did care a little bit, but...
"I didn't say that, Akane. But I'm still gonna be like this for a long time, probably, so don't freak, alright? I have enough of that with the panda."
A body, a proper female body, and it was all hers.
Yess!
Though for how long, now...that was the problem, wasn't it?
Timeline A-4
"... What do you mean, you're going to be a girl now, for ever and ever!?"
Akane's rage was a had always been a ferocious thing, but now, her battle aura was ready to raise the roof. Quite literally.
"Naaw, naaw, you're getting it all wrong, 'Kay? I'm what used to be the old "Ranma Saotome"'s female side. The male side is right there. See?"
Akane nearly buried her head into her futon.
"He's a baby, damnit..."
And so he was.
"Well, you see... I wanted a body of my own, he wanted a body that wouldn't be shifting on him all the time, it was all supposed to work out. And it would have, too..."
The ginger cat meowed, then. The young girl sighed.
"Oh, shut up you, you just got fed. - It's just that neither of us was thinking of what the Cat wanted, and... We ran out of energy. We think. - Though the cat-phobia thing seems to be gone, though!"
Akane burrowed futily at her covers. Maybe if she managed to go to sleep, this would turn out to be all a dream... Maybe.
The young girl, little baby, and cat all looked at her with trepidation.
"Awww, poor kid." Haruka snickered.
"Yes. It does make you wonder just when he's going to realize that the gender-shifting itself is not the main problem, here..."
Hmmmmmm. Athena sighed.
"Alright. Here's another set of important cusp points..."
**Timeline B-1
Tendou Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi looked across the room, sitting in seiza on the tatami mats.
The Saotome's looked back, likewise.
"Ahh, so... the portly man "hem'd".
"You've met Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi already, correct?" Souun bubbled.
"Oh, yes... thank you for a marvelous meal, old friend..."
"... Where'd the panda go, anyway?" Nabiki mumbled to Kasumi.
"I have no idea. It seems to move remarkably swiftly, for such a portly animal..."
"Ahh, em..." Saotome Genma coughed.
"This is my son Ranma, and my daughter Ranko."
The brown-haired boy and the red-haired girl looked back at them, stoicly. The girl smiled, a bit.
The boy, on the other hand, scowled.
"Wrong."
"... What? ... Ranma..."
"No. Tousan, this is utterly ridiculous. - Kasumi-san, were are the buckets? I need some hot and cold water here..."
"...Ranmaa...Come on, you don't have to..."
"Shut up, Tousan. The buckets, please? ...Oh, never mind. On the other hand..."
The Tendo's gaped as the boy simply jumped into the Koi pond next to the Dojo.
Akane gasped, looking from the pond to the room and back again. What... what?
The boy in the pond had turned into a replica of his sister, the second he hit the water.
"Oh, alright, alright..."
The boy sighed, and jumped over all of them, following his twin into the pond. Akane glugged, as Genma covered his face with his hands. Had she just seen the boy turn into a rather familier-looking girl, now?
"... Children. Why must you shame me so..."
"Shame...Ha ha ha ha, shame that.- Sorry, fish!"
Nabiki and Kasumi stepped nimbly out of the way as a whole scupper-ful of water came flying one Saotome Genma's way.
"So that's were the panda went..."
The Tendou's were starting to mix it up in a free-for-all when Akane's voice and crackling battle aura cut through the air.
"Alright, then. Which one of you sparred with me a hour ago, and which one of you saw me in the bath..."
**Timeline B-2
Tendou Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi looked across the room, sitting in seiza on the tatami mats.
The Saotome's looked back, likewise.
"Ahh, so... the portly man "hem'd".
"You've met Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi already, correct?" Souun bubbled.
"Oh, yes... thank you for a marvelous meal, old friend..."
"... Where'd the panda go, anyway?" Nabiki mumbled to Kasumi.
"I have no idea. It seems to move remarkably swiftly, for such a portly animal..."
"Ahh, em..." Saotome Genma coughed.
"This is my son ... Ranma. And you are..."
The brown-haired boy looked back at them. And scowled.
"Wrong."
"... What? ...Ranma..."
"No. Tousan, this is utterly ridiculous. - Kasumi-san, were are the buckets? I need some hot and cold water here..."
"... Ranmaa...Come on, you don't have to..."
"Shut up, Tousan. The buckets, please? ...Oh, never mind. On the other hand..."
The Tendo's gaped as the boy simply jumped into the Koi pond next to the Dojo.
Akane gasped, looking from the pond to the room and back again. What... what?
The boy in the pond had turned into a red-haired girl the second he hit the water.
"... Oh, son. Why must you shame me so..."
"Shame... Ha ha ha ha, shame that.- Sorry, fish!"
Nabiki and Kasumi stepped nimbly out of the way as a whole scupper-ful of water came flying one Saotome Genma's way.
"So that's were the panda went..."
"My name is Saotome Ranko, and I'm a girl, normally. Get it? Girl. Female person. Like, daughter."
Souun buried his head in his hands. The Genma-panda held out a placard.
(What's wrong with being a son, if fate sends you the chance to be?)
"Because I'm a girl. Moron."
The Tendou's were starting to mix it up in a free-for-all. Akane thought, furiously.
"OK, so he was a boy but he's not really, so..."
**Timeline B-3
Tendou Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi looked across the room, sitting in seiza on the tatami mats.
The Saotome's looked back, likewise.
"Ahh, so... the portly man "hem'd".
"You've met Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi already, correct?" Souun bubbled.
"Oh, yes... thank you for a marvelous meal, old friend..."
"... Where'd the panda go, anyway?" Nabiki mumbled to Kasumi.
"I have no idea. It seems to move remarkably swiftly, for such a portly animal..."
"Ahh, em..." Saotome Genma coughed.
"This is my son, Ranma. And you are..."
Ranma, on the other hand, was rather clearly being distracted. A very familier Ki was heading in his direction.
"... Ranko-chan, Ranko-chan, are you sure this is the right direction?"
"Yes, mum, hurry! Da and Ranma've come home!"
**Timeline B-4
Tendou Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi looked across the room, sitting in seiza on the tatami mats.
The Saotome's looked back, likewise. All seven of them.
"Ahh, so... the portly man "hem'd".
"You've met Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi already, correct?" Souun bubbled.
"Oh, yes... thank you for a marvelous meal, old friend..."
"... Where'd the panda go, anyway?" Nabiki mumbled to Kasumi.
"I have no idea. It seems to move remarkably swiftly, for such a portly animal..."
"Ahh, em..." Saotome Genma coughed.
"This is my son, Ranma, my daughter, Ranko, and my..."
Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi googled. And they'd thought they had lots of siblings and family...
"And so those are the Tendos Ranma-kun was talking about?"
"It seems like it." Ami sighed wistfully. "They are important to his life... see all those karmatic connections?"
"Though it is rather interesting that none of them were at the Convention with him..."
"Hmmmmm."
(Posted Thu, 13 Jul 2006 19:26)
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