"A superhero?" Ranma asked, sounding doubtful.
"Of a sort," the sphere said. "She's not a Japanese girl, but is quite nice none-the-less, or at least once you get over her little hang-up."
"Okay," Ranma said. "So...umm...who is she?"
"Well, first off, she's not of this world."
"...(long pause as Ranma's eyes turn rather owlish)...WHAT?!?!?!"
"Well..." Believe this writer, if the sphere had a humaniod upper body, it would've had its arm up, with its hand behind its head and a sheepish face.
"You see... she's from an alternative earth."
"A what?"
"An alternative Earth Saotome, as in a mirror image of this very planet you live on, but with some differences. Am I right?" Nabiki cut in and took on an air of professionalism as it gave the sphere her best no-nonsense face.
"Uh...heh, heh, yeah...that's right!"
"Wait, this can not be, Ranma must marry Akane, it's a matter of honor as it's stated in our agreement. Even you can not void an agreement between two clans and their honor. Right Saotome?" Soun turned to his partner in crime in order to give his boast more legitmacy.
Genma jumped into the picture, in panda form, and stuck out a sign, [Quite right] flip [it is a matter of honor] flip [Ranma must marry a Tendo] flip [and Akane was chosen].
"You stay out of this!" Akane's bellow shocked the two fathers into submission, one in misery and tears. The other into shock and bad memories of his own wife's temper.
Turning the to the glowing and floating sphere, Akane was about to add her own two cents, when the sphere spoke.
"According to whose honor has no matter in what any of you say. This mission came to me as a direct order of the Kami relam itself. Cause...you see...uh..."
Getting frustrated over being ignored, Ranma's curiousity got the better of his his building anger. "Uh, what're ya keeping from me?"
Shocked from its own muttering, the sphere spoke, "Well, you see...you aren't supposed to be on this world anymore."
Massive Blink. Even Kasumi was astounded by this little revalation, as even a flying Ryoga paused in mid-flight. He was literally frozen in the air over, about to scream his ever present war-cry when he heard the biggest and most shocking announcement of his life.
"WHAT?!?!?!?" Everybody screamed in a mixture of emotions.
"Heh, well you see, he was supposed to be born here, but his official records up there...well, it says he wasn't supposed to live beyond the Neko-ken training."
"Oh." Ranma didn't know how he was supposed to feel about that. I mean, how's anyone supposed to feel to learn that you've lived beyond what you were meant too.
"Excuse, but can you elaborate a little on that," Cologne spoke up.
"Uh, yeah. Well, you see, Saotome Ranma's time on this planet was recorded to have ended shortly after his fifth birthday. On the day of his first day of training in the Neko-ken, he wasn't meant to live beyond that. How he was able to get by the secruities placed so something like this wouldn't happen, remains unknown. But, Ranma wasn't supposed to live through that, let alone til his sixteenth birthday."
Cologne looked down in thought as she rubbed her chin, "I see."
However, the sphere continued, "You see, he would've been remained forgotten about. A glitch in the system that would've never been recognized, that is until he fought Saffron."
"Can you explain that," Nabiki asked.
"You see, though Saffron was becoming a bit of problem with his arrogance problem, it was already going to be taken care off. After his current life-span would be over, he was going to be raised different by his next care-taker. The one who would take over afterwards would've been Kiima, who would've raised him more disciplined. However, that's not going to happen now. Though Ranma took care of that problem early, it in a way screwed up heaven's plans. It's easily fixed, mind you, but it allowed us to notice the big boo-boo, you could say."
Everyone was left staring with owlish eyes, leaving for the first time in history, the Kunos, speechless; along with all of the NWC. But Ranma was able to organize enough thought to bring the topic back at hand.
"Oh...so, who am I supposed to be engaged too, and what world should I be living in?"
"Ah, I'm glad you reminded me. Well, the world you'll be placed in is not that different from where you live in now. Well, it is, but you'll be making more of difference to the world. As a matter of fact, you can say you'll be getting an upgrade to your body."
"Upgrade?"
"Yes. You see, in the world you'll be living in is one where you were meant to bring great change. Though, whether for good or bad, depends on you, after all free will is still in effect. After all, you're life-span may be planned in advance, but how you live it and die in the end, remains up to you."
"Oh. So, again, who am I supposed to be.."
"Well, you see, you aren't engaged yet, but you are soul mates."
"What?!?!" Akane, Ukyou, Shampoo, Kodachi (who knows how she got there) and curiously enough, Kasumi and Nabiki shouted.
The rage on the first four girls, two fathers, rivals, and elder were about to get out of control. Seeing this, the sphere glowed with power before coating everything in a magnificent lite blue explosion of light.
When Ranma was able to get his vision back under control, and his blinking eyes started to clear the spots, he was shocked by what he saw. The world, all around him had stopped moving, as if reality were a film in large player and pushed to pause. Though, only Ranma and the floating sphere remained un-effected.
"Well, that gets rid of all the distractions. Now, Ranma..."
"Hey, why didja do that for?!?!"
"I apologize Ranma, but their own selfish needs and wants were getting in the way of telling you about your new life. And quite frankly, it was getting on my nerves. Now listen up wild horse."
Blinking in amazement at the steel edge of the sphere's voice, Ranma gave it his full attention.
"The girl your supposed to be with is a mutant."
"Uh, what's that?"
"I'm getting to that. A mutant is a person with powers they were born with. I won't go into too much detail as it'll only fly over your head. But suffice to say, she's strong and has the potential to only get stronger."
"Oh." Jealousy seemed to be rearing it's ugly head at the thought of someone stronger, but was stomped upon by the sphere.
"Anyway, despite that potential, her powers are more of a curse. Something in her has put it out of her control, and despite having people who can help her with it, you'll probably be better for her with you martial art knowledge. And despite the fact that you don't use it as much, your advanced know-how on meditation and pressure points that Tofu taught will really help her."
"Uh, how so?" Ranma scratched himself at the base of his pig-tail.
"Well, you see...uh, look it'll just be big help. Now, back to Rogue, since your her destined, doesn't mean it'll get you the girl. After all, though he isn't a soulmate like you, she has another interested in her whose compatible with her. His name is Gambit, but again, I'm giving you too much enough. Suffice to say, you'll have competition for her favor."
Blinking in shock, Ranma spoke, "You mean, I'll be the one doing the chasing and not the other way around?"
Noticing the almost hopeful edge to his voice, and gleam in his eyes, the sphere answered truthfully. "Yes."
"WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!"
Sweatdropping at Ranma's antics, the sphere shocked him with a bolt of energy in order to get him calmed down. "Anyway, before I was rudely interupted..."
Smoking, and angry, "Yeah right, HE was rudely interupted."
"Ahem!"
Ranma quieted and stood up, at full attention.
"As I was saying, you'll have competition, but that doesn't save you from you usuaul luck with the ladies. Though you be attracted to Rogue, others will go after you as well. It'll be up to the both of you if you end up engaged and married to each other as it should be."
"Okay."
"Excellent. Now, I must warn you, you won't be a mutant like her, but within you is the knowledge to let you touch her. A pressure point technique that'll let you be with her, but I can't tell you as you have to re-discover that on your own."
"Sure, I guess that's alright. I mean, I never was for one for free power-ups, but can't you give me a hint."
Staring at him, one could almost see the look of someone saying 'I-just-told-you-what-would-help-and-you-weren't-listening-YOU-IDOIT!, even if the sphere had no face.
"Anyway, I'll be sending you on your way. No memory of your life here will remain, at least the past year and half. Plus, the last six months before that will be altered as well."
"What do ya mean?"
"What I mean is, your experiences when you first met the Tendos and onward will be earsed from you. Though the techs you created will be within you still, you'll have to rediscover them on your own, again. Plus, your history will be altered with your memories."
"Okay, but how so?"
"Well, for one, your parents are dead."
"WHAT?"
"Yeah, sorry about that, but it'll have to be that way for you to fit in. You're mom'll be made to have died at your birth, while your dad died while training you. Except he'll have died, in your new memories, shortly at Jusenkyou. You'll still be cursed, but your dad drowned, instead of he being knocked down first, it'll be you. Thanks to a cheap-shot of course, but you came back up, as a girl, shocking him and kicking him into the pool of his death."
"Hey!"
"I'm sorry about that Ranma, but it'll have to be that way. Anyway..."
"What do you mean it'll be that way?!? Why can't it be some other way. I mean, I already had a lousy dad, and crazy mom, but I still loved them. Come on, can't it stay slightly that way. Can't they come over with me?"
"Nope, against the rules. Only you were supposed to have died at the Neko-ken training pit, and your parent live. End of story. Now, after Jusenkyo, however no Amazons exist on this version of Earth, taking care of that mess. After that, it'll be up to you and how fate may attempt to guide you to Rogue. If you'll listen and follow it's advice, it'll be, again, up to you. Now, get ready for your trip cause it's about to begin."
"What, now! But I'm not ready..."
"Sorry, Kami's orders."
So, the sphere watched Ranma wince out of his old existence and into a new one. He just hoped he could handle living on Earth-XE, after all, the Evolution universe was no picnic, but then again...neither was his old life here.
Turning to look at the frozen forms, the sphere set on to do the remainder of its duties. Altering memories so Ranma's old existence was gone from here, and his new life would be a better one with no excess baggage. After all, honor was all well and good, but that boy had too much, and would've eventually sucked the life of him. Either forcing him to live of a life of eternal loneliness, or committing sepukku to regain the honor his father destroyed. And his pervertedly obsessive mother drilled into his head constantly.
So, the sphere signed, as it had a long workload ahead of it, "Good luck Ranma in your new life. And I hope you and Rogue will be happy."
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(Posted Tue, 24 Oct 2006 08:55)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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