[Ranma/Xover][FanFic] The Bet - Reluctant Bet 6
Gregg Sharp
the RAAC posts. Complete versions of chapters can be found
at Studio aesir.
http://www.pathcom.com/~minazuki/
now on with the fic while i try to figure out the problem...
Reluctant Bet: segment 6
Akane Tendo, superhero?
yo people, if you're taking this seriously, well, that's not
the point of any of this. After reading *yet another*
Akanefic (Ranma chooses Akane, both immediately reconcile
all their differences and start getting WAFFy with no sign
of conflicting egos anywhere, Nabiki has the Amazons
deported through a court order and her control of the
Immigration Department and Justice system, Ukyo goes into a
vengeance mode beyond anything that Ryoga ever did, etc,
etc, etc) it would be my natural tendency to write something
that some would perceive as Akane-bashing but lets try
something different, ne?
First scene is a little dark, but i received a request to
show more details.
-----------------------------------
Kasumi was aware of the sphere in between his hands and the
spreading numbness in his body.
The black shortsword was yanked from his body, the blade
disappearing from where it had been thrust forward just
below the sternum.
A voice from some gruff-sounding man penetrated the roaring
in her ears. "Pukin' lowlife uppity mortal! How dare you get
the last piece of cheesecake?!"
Another voice, with what sounded like an American Southeast
accent, from a woman answered the first voice. "Geez, Ares,
you're putting on a bit of gut yourself. Why kill him over
day old CHEESECAKE for crying out loud?"
The first voice yelled back. "SHUTTUP! You're just some drow
filth yourself! As for guts..."
Another wave of pain, this time across Kasumi's abdomen.
"You want that cheesecake THAT much?"
"You stupid mortal swine!"
"Elmekia Lance!" There was the sound of thunder crackling.
"I didn't know you knew that attack."
"Honey, y'all forget I'm a drow archmage. There ah things I
can do with magic yah'd think tweren't possible."
The numbness spread, the room around him fading out as
Kasumi felt a calming darkness enfold him. Comfortable and
warm, it made the noises and pain retreat for a moment.
Then pain began anew, a single knot of flame at the center
of his being. Like a slow teleport of a Vidalia onion,
Kasumi could feel each layer of cells come into being
birthed in what felt like fire. The flames stretched out
further and further in a spiral, bones forming, then
connecting tissues, then the organs, the muscles, and
finally the skin. Kasumi would have screamed except that his
heartbeat still did not beat nor did breath stir within his
lungs.
Finally Kasumi drew a breath, once again whole, with only
the echoes and aches of the experience filling him. He
blinked eyes open to see a French cafe of sorts in a busy
plaza.
A gnarled and ugly dwarf with a concerned expression sat
near the person Kasumi recognized as the drow elf Edema.
"That looked like it hurt."
"You could say that," Kasumi felt his lips form the words.
-----------------
Kasumi gently set down the sensory globe and mumbled
something about getting a nice hot bath. She seriously
considered "borrowing" some of her father's sake.
Akane looked at the way her sister was trembling and
wondered what she was going to do about this. Get angry at
the kuronin? Try to find out what happened from Kasumi?
Akane saw how shaken her sister was, and how Shampoo was
following Kasumi and mumbling something about getting all
the blood off. Akane eyed the innocent-looking sphere and
decided that picking it up was not on her list of things she
needed to do.
Nabiki didn't trust the sphere either, and merely eyed it
warily as if it might suddenly scuttle forth to attack her.
After noticing that neither of the remaining girls wanted
to try it, Edema carefully used the sack it had originally
come from to gather the sphere up and put it away again. She
gave points to both the Japanese and Chinese girl for
handling it so well. Of course, in Edema's case the
experience had brought flashbacks to indoctrination from
Lolth priestesses.
Akane finally decided on a course of action. SHE wasn't to
blame for any of this. Neither was Nabiki or Kasumi, who had
just been victimized by a fast talking con-man. Shampoo had
just been victimized as well.
Edema's fingers traced a glowing pattern in the air. A
moment later, the dark elf vanished.
Akane couldn't blame anyone for the problems they faced,
save one. There was, after all, only one person she could
hold responsible for this mess. "Genma Saotome! Prepare to
die!"
Akane took four steps out the dojo door before she
discovered a cunningly disguised pit trap.
SPLURT! Akane hit a vat of jello with exactly the sort of
sound effect one would expect.
The trap door gradually shut itself again, though the
square of fake grass would clue in anyone paying attention.
-------------------
Kasumi settled into the furo as Shampoo trudged in and
began rinsing herself off.
"That... hurt," Shampoo groaned.
Kasumi murmured agreement.
"{I don't suppose you speak English? My Japanese, quite
frankly, sucks.}"
Kasumi tried to focus her eyes in the direction of the
Chinese girl. "{I do OK in high school, but it's been a
years few. Better at French. Know some Chinese but not
goodly at speak that either.}"
Shampoo was silent until after she'd slid into the water
and had relaxed slightly. She held a hand up in front of her
face and noticing it was still trembling. "{He goes through
THAT every time he dies, and he's died an awful lot of
times. And did you feel it, before and after the agony?}
Kasumi nodded slightly. "{Despair. He hurt. Old wound never
heal. Many many new ones. He dangerous maybe. Think 'not
die' way to keep him from taking own life?} I'm too tired to
try and revive my old English skills, Shampoo. -How about
Chinese. I speak good this yes?-"
"Maybe Shampoo just have to struggle with Japanese, then."
Shampoo wanted to say so much, so much was absolutely clear
right now. Unfortunately it was all she could do to keep her
newly passed out ally from sliding under the water. Actually
Shampoo was quite impressed with how well Kasumi had held
up.
----------------
Toltiir was many things. Meddler was one of those. Powerful
was another. He predated the Yggdrasil system and (if he had
wanted to) could have met power-for-power a number of the
Great Old Ones of the Cthulhu epics. (In truth both tended
to stay clear from the other's territories, simply because
comedy and eldritch horror were not entirely mixable.)
There were a few problems involved with being an entity of
vast cosmic power and a tendency for Puckish
mischieviousness, not to mention a limited attention span.
One sterling example being the time he had destroyed an
inhabited star system. While he'd put everything back
together immediately upon learning he'd done it, the natives
had still had to deal with such bizarre things as one of
their outer planets now being made of frozen banana
meringue. And a planet in that starsystem that had once been
similar to the planet Venus of the star system Sol had been
rebuilt as the Planet Of Hot Springs.
Which was where Urd was taking a moment to relax and talk
shop with a fellow named Eros.
Urd smiled slyly as she eyed the Greek god through lowered
lids. Just because she had Brett didn't mean she couldn't
appreciate a well tuned form, after all. "...but it is
precisely because he *doesn't* have much trust left in him
that I've taken an active hand here."
"I looked at his file," Eros complained. "You remember
Tomoko?"
"Yes, a Japanese girl who wanted to get a job in America.
He got her resume, copied and sent it out, filled out job
applications for her, gave out her phone number to
employment agencies, and when she got a job with a computer
chip manufacture company sent him a nice little 'thank you
and goodbye' postcard. Not that unusual for his life." Urd
checked the pins holding her hair in place and thought about
coming back with her boyfriend. Or, for that matter, her
brother.
"If one is once bitten, twice shy, then how in Kami-sama's
name are you going to get him to lower his guard enough to
get close to ANYONE? Much less Nabiki who's nearly as
mercenary as Tomoko?"
"I'm not planning on getting him together with Nabiki. Even
that nice (if overly concerned with money) Nabiki who just
made Goddess Of The Quick Yen over in one of the alternate
Heavens (1)."
"Well it can't be Kasumi9. She's already dumped him without
even realizing he was interested." Eros turned speculative.
"And now she's involved with the God Of Crossovers."
"No, my plan is that because his trust has been abused
repeatedly, I go for another path to exploit."
"Lust? Guilt? Fear?" Eros sat upright all of a sudden. "Not
the marionettes?"
"No, and they're actually closer to fatima. They are
cyborgs whose organic parts are developed from an egg cell
from a donor- in this case the Ukyo Kuonji and Shampoo of
that timeline. Hephaestus is working on something involving
them, not that HE has a clue."
"A contest?"
"Yes, a sort of Private Bet among people who either feel
some sympathy for the fellow or have other reasons for
trying to give him a break." Urd started ticking off on her
fingers with each name. "Myself, Hephaestus, Tyche, Sif,
Hanali, Ishtar, and Haurvatat."
"Count me in," said Eros with a grin. "It'll be tricky,
though, love spells or arrows won't work directly on him due
to the Binding. The most you might be able to manage is
amnesia, as his memories were recently dulled by Toltiir and
the kitty is liable to have left that option open. Anything
else, you'd require the Ultimate Force to override it."
"Well, yes." Urd smirked as she leaned back in the water.
"Therein lies the challenge."
----------------------
The Rider timeline:
Akane backed up, her chi levels exhausted, surrounded by
dozens of the TK-500 combat Thug-droids.
Genma laughed evilly from within his TK-1000 Devastator.
"Give it up, Yellow Rider, your pathetic akashic arts cannot
compare to the glory of the Iron Empire! Surrender now and
marry my son, and you will be well cared for. Fight on, and
you shall perish!"
"NEVER!" Akane, the Yellow Rider, exclaimed fairly loudly
despite being exhausted. "Earth shall never bend its knee to
you and this technocratic nightmare you have spawned! Have
you forgotten your own humanity in your mad quest for
power?"
"Last chance, Rider. Do you surrender?" Genma's voice left
no room for bargaining.
"NO!" Akane managed one last magnificent gesture of
defiance.
"Why did I bother?" Genma made a responding gesture. "Units
One through Twenty Five. Use the gas cannisters."
"WHAT?!" Akane watched as green vapor swirled around her.
"Hiding behind your minions because you're too afraid to
face me?"
"No," said Genma as Akane began to sway, "merely sensible.
Units Twenty Seven and Twenty Eight, empty four sets of drug
darts into her. Just in case you're faking, my dear. Then
I'll let you see the destruction of the other Riders before
your execution."
--------------
Target Timeline
"So what did you want to show us, Shampoo?" Nabiki was a
bit uncertain about having the Amazon around. Plus, of
course, she was concerned about Akane having vanished
abruptly without a trace.
"Shampoo steal this tape from Ranma one time he trying to
find something in his pack and he start unloading it. When
ask him, he say is tape of alternate world TV series he pick
up for someone he know." Shampoo smirked. "Shampoo see two
other tapes when we in Pokemon world. Very interesting."
"Oh, let me see." Kasumi took the videocassette from
Shampoo and blinked at the cover. "Oh look, that's *you* on
the cover Nabiki." Kasumi blinked as the tape was snatched
from her grip.
Nabiki stared. Yes, that looked like an anime version of
herself. But what did "Supersoldier" mean in context with a
boy named Ranma Saotome? "Tape ": The Legacy Revealed"?
Nabiki decided she wouldn't find out otherwise and put the
tape in.
The music began to play.
"Where have all the good men gone,
And where are all the gods?"
Nabiki stared as she saw herself and Kasumi with their backs
against a streetlamp, the darkness seeming to come alive
with thugs.
"Where's the street-wise Hercules,
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight,
Upon his wild steed?"
On the screen, Shampoo slid to the feet of the two, having
obviously been in a bad fight. The camera panned up to do a
close-up of Kasumi as she began to pray.
The Shampoo in the living room frowned and the Kasumi next
to her crossed herself.
"Late at night I toss and turn,
And dream of what I need."
The storm seems to gather overhead as the crowd of villains
begins entering the light. Then a round shield bounces off
three thug's heads to slap into a gloved hand.
"I need a hero!
I'm holding out for a hero
till the end of the night!"
Shampoo, Nabiki, and Kasumi blinked as this powerful gaijin
fellow biffed and bammed his way through the thugs in
seconds. The obligatory pan of allies revealed some
characters that none of the watchers could place. The
likewise obligatory parade of enemies revealed a few
characters that some of those present DID recognize.
"MOUSSE is BAD GUY? Obnoxious, stupid, blind, has no sense
of humor, Shampoo can attest to all this. Nearsighted in
mental as well as physical sense, pushy, can't get a clue if
you beat it into him, but villain?" Shampoo blinked. "He not
competent enough for villain."
Nabiki gasped as the ending shot of the opening sequence
showed herself leaning on the arm of this powerfully built
blonde and looking... smug? Satisfied? Content? Confident?
In the background was Akane, Shampoo, and a few people she
didn't recognize. Behind all of them was that curious round
shield with the concentric circles around a central star.
"Episode 9: The Shield Revealed," said a voice from the
tape. Nabiki gulped as she recognized HER voice. "In the
last episode:"
-----------
"BAH! RYOUGA SMASH!" A greenskinned muscleman attempted to
reduce the blonde guy into a fine red paste. His blow to the
pavement in front of Furinken High School blew the windows
out of the first story.
There was Kuno fallen, and the big guy with the green skin
noticed the samurai trying to regain his feet. "STUPID STICK
BOY ANNOY RYOUGA FOR LAST TIME!" Another massive piledriver
was aimed at the samurai.
Only to be stopped by a shield held by the blonde man.
"Enough, Hulk. It is against the Code to attack those weaker
than yourself."
"Weaker... yes. Not bully..." The Hulk staggered back as if
the words had struck him with more force than anything the
military had.
"And now..."
---------------
Nabiki's jaw dropped as her character moved off from the
crowd and made a major speech (apparently all internal as
her mouth didn't move) about choices made and given. Here
she was deciding whether to put her past behind her, or if
her engagement to Ranma would be a mutual liability and she
should get out of it now.
Kasumi was pleased to hear Nabiki's character making such
an impassioned explanation of the code of Bushido and the
discussion of a modern woman's role in society. It was quite
moving. Oh if only their Mother was alive to see this. Maybe
they could send her the tape anyway.
Shampoo frowned. Where was she? Did she only appear in the
opening credits? What a rip off! Oh, that's right, she *did*
rip it off. Shampoo gave a cat smile in rememberance.
Akane, in the backyard, under the hinged lid of the pit
trap, covered with jello, whipped cream, and chocolate
syrup, sneezed and wondered exactly WHO was going to pay for
this!
In the foyer, three sets of eyes continued to watch the
tape.
Kasumi smile turned up a notch as she observed her
screenself advising Nabiki on honor and duty, as well as
packing her younger sibling's bags for a long trip. She got
some good lines.
Nabiki stared as her screenself hugged the big blonde and
talked him into going with these Americajin. Then Akane
declared that Ranma was a fellow warrior and would not be
going alone with these "Avengers" people.
Shampoo waited impatiently for her OWN screenself to appear
but she never did. Which frustrated the heck out of the
Amazon.
------------------
Dead Millenium:
Grey laid yet another of the women out on a hospital bed
and was glad that he'd reverted to his latest cyborg form in
THIS timeline. Despite the many limitations to it, it was
both more versatile and durable than he was as a human.
He spared a glance out the window, taking in the view of a
world not only dead but sterile. If, as in the Yamato
series, a world had a life force, this one had been drained
until it was in a coma.
Tech level was high. At least on a level with that Roman
Empire world or some of the futures he'd visited. Having
found four bodies encased in crystal and finding their life
signs failing, Grey did what he considered the most sensible
course of action. Bring them to the nearest hospital and see
what he could find.
Four young women apparently in their mid-20s. All dressed
in cheerleader outfits. The Senshi of Crystal Tokyo.
The most recent time he'd seen them, it had been in person,
they'd been about fourteen years old, and all of them had
been pursuing a guy called the Pheonix Mage. They'd also
been in fairly good health.
Taking a small wire from his secret compartment, Grey
activated the box at the end and fitted into a dataport. The
other end went into his own network.
>User unrecognized. Authorization?
>Username:
Grey winced. He didn't want to try hacking some computer
system whose capabilities were completely unknown. Maybe a
general access would work.
:Visitor
He blinked at the computer's reply.
>'Visitor' is obvious. State reason for access.
Grey shrugged. Either a very user friendly interface or
some form of AI.
:Designate 'Grey'. Friend. Seek information on medical
condition of Senshi. Cybernetic systems insufficient for
detailed analysis/treatment.
>Analysis of present actions fits explanation and facility
directives. Units designated Senshi determined to be Sailor
Scouts. Bringing power up. Beginning scans.
Grey took a better look at the Sen... Scouts now that he
wasn't having to use the IR and UV enhancements. Using his
own scanners to confirm what he thought he'd seen earlier,
he sent the data to the facility.
:My initial analysis was dehydration and malnutrition, even
though magical stasis was used and they're in Scout mode.
Discoloration and comatose state seemed to indicate a
poison, but my scanners are insufficient for this task.
Anything?
>Initial analysis correlates with Visitor. Facility unable
to determine nature of pathogen. WARNING: will use up
available energy within 48 hours.
:Is Scout state interfering with scans?
>Possibility deemed likely.
:Estimate probability that return to human will allow more
accurate diagnosis and treatment.
>Too many variables. Course seems to have highest
probability for success.
Grey considered briefly, keeping the wire connected but
looking back at the Scouts again. A cyborg was useful in
many ways, but magical problems were another thing entirely.
He *could* simply abandon this world and move on, but...
:Query: Would finding and removing the henshiin pens be
sufficient to return them to normal from their Scout
identities?
>Unknown. WARNING: Lifesigns in Mercury Scout destabilizing.
:If I succeed in transforming them initialize treatment
immediately.
Grey detached the wire and turned his attention to the
Scouts. Now if they had to hide a henshiin pen, where would
it be? He winced. With HIS luck...
------------------------------
the Rider timeline
Akane threw herself against the forcefield again, which
proved as impossible to damage as the last twenty times she
threw herself against it.
There, twenty feet away, she could see her Yellow Rider
sentai costume as it fed along a conveyer belt to drop piece
by piece into the acid bath. The helmet, gloves, boots, and
belt had already been swallowed up. Next was her official
Riderman Watch, the Yellow Rider fannypack, and her Yellow
Rider hair ribbon, then the spandex uniform.
That her official Yellow Rider bra and panties were not
present WAS noted by her.
There was a splash as the watch went in. Of course when the
helmet went most of the nifty gadgets she could have used to
let people know where she was went with it. The watch was
the backup transmitter among other things.
Akane looked at her bindings and cursed. Even if she could
get out of the cell, the LAST time she had been captured and
fitted with these things, all it had taken was a press of a
button and her arms and legs would be under remote control
again. The only way she had gotten out THEN had been that
Genma's son had betrayed his father for her.
And then, while she had regretted having to do it, Akane
had betrayed the son and turned him into the JDFA. Besides,
Ranma had just deluded himself, there was no room in Akane's
heart for anyone other than her true love - Shutaro Mendo!
Ranma had vanished from HIS cell in Stronghold, and now she
knew where he had gone.
The thought that Ranma might break her out anyway had been
ended when she had seen him stop by her cell long enough to
place the Mendo ancestral sword on the conveyor belt. It had
been destroyed even before her helmet.
Akane tried again as she watched her gloves and boots join
the rest of her equipment.
Shutaro would never have willingly given up his sword. That
left only one possibility.
Akane sat in the corner of her tiny cell and prayed she
would join Shutaro soon.
--------------
Target Timeline:
"Oh dear," Kasumi said, watching the other tape that
Shampoo had brought.
Ranko: "But I'm against violence."
Akane: (angrily) "Ready OR NOT!"
Nabiki blinked. "Let me get this straight. The person she
was so angry at, whom she wounded by striking at from
behind, turning him physically AND mentally into a girl, she
gets upset at, drags her off to the dojo and tries to
severely injure him. Why?"
Kasumi considers this for a second. "Maybe she likes him?"
Shampoo watched for another five minutes. "Japanese couple
treat people they care about what injured like that?
Japanese people must be strong to survive courtship
rituals."
Nabiki frowned as something occurred to her. "Hey, why
aren't *I* in this episode?"
"Shampoo not there either. Not like this. And why is so
important about dojos be joined?"
"Who's the little creep? This 'Happosai' fellow. Why not
call the police and have him carted away?" Nabiki had more
questions every minute the video went on.
Akane: "Change back. Ranma. I don't care if you ARE rude and
insensitive and inconsiderate. I know I complain all the
time but sweet and innocent just isn't you."
"Uh HUH. So she loves him for being rude and insensitive
and inconsiderate?" Nabiki groaned as another scene of
Akane-flailing-around-with-a-blunt-trauma-instrument
occurred. "THIS is a depiction of the mainline?"
"That what said." Shampoo stopped the tape at the end of
the "Am I pretty?" episode. "Ukyo have manga we take. So we
agree?"
Kasumi frowned, unsure, but a glance at the pokeball in the
apron pocket convinced her. "Agreed."
Nabiki nodded with a bit more certainty. "It's a deal. We
do everything we can to keep from rejoining the mainline."
Shampoo held out her hand, the other two placing their
hands over hers in formal acknowledgment of the pledge. "So
be it. We do everything we can to keep this timeline
seperate."
"I wouldn't mind so much if it were that one where Ranma
was the blonde hunk," added Nabiki, "but if I had been
present in that 'Pretty Womanhood' episode I would *not*
have put up with little sister bullying that poor girl. Even
if there was an obnoxious jerk inside there, that girl
hadn't done anything to deserve that."
"Then we do. Now only problem is HOW we do."
-----------------------------
Rider Timeline:
Akane watched her last piece of equipment take the acid
plunge and begin fizzing.
Then someone familiar to her rolled a television in front
of her cell and she gasped. "Shu-chan!"
The immaculately dressed (as always) scion of the house of
Mendo took a moment to brush back his hair. "Akane. You're
looking well, if a bit underdressed."
"QUICK, LET ME OUT! They'll find you here!"
"I don't think so," Shutaro smiled affectionately at the
girl. "Do you remember that night in Paris?"
"What?!" Of all the things she had expected her Shu-chan to
talk of, this was not on the list.
"Do you remember when you left me, all alone, without
transportation in what you knew was an area that your
enemies were active in?" Shutaro smelled the rose in his
lapel with a thoughtful expression as if considering.
"I got an emergency page from CONTROL! It said to drop
everything and come to HQ." Akane frowned. "Hurry up and get
me out of here! This is dangerous!"
Shutaro inclined his head to Akane. "What you didn't know
is that Shutaro Mendo, wealthy playboy and egotist, was
replaced that night by a replicoid. It was easy from that
point to monitor your whereabouts and follow the inevitable
trail. Rider HQ has already fallen. Most of your teammates
have been executed. Soon my Masters will split the world up
between them."
Akane backed up in horror. "What about Happosai?"
"He gets France."
"AH HA!" Akane posed triumphantly, then dropped the pose
when she noticed how this moved her anatomy. "This was all a
plot to get Happosai out of Japan, wasn't it?!"
"You've figured it out," admitted the android, "conquering
the world was a small price for such a feat.
"As for you, Tendo-san, your execution is scheduled for two
weeks from now. Enjoy your stay."
Akane shuddered as she saw what was playing on the
television. This was cruel and inhumane treatment of a
prisoner!
"I love you, you love me..."
----------------------
Target Timeline:
Ukyo woke up to find Sakyo and Shan were driving the truck.
"Uhm, what happened."
"You not believe." Shan concentrated on driving.
"Honey, we got messed up in some of that weirdness Grey was
talkin' about. We were out for a lot of it, but from what
the dwarf was sayin' he was only interested in me and Shan
here. We got a couple of upgrades, other than that I'm still
running diagnostics."
Ukyo blinked. "Upgrades?"
"Shan has some nifty things she want to try when we get
settled." Shan grinned behind the wheel.
Sakyo nodded absently. "Atmospheric condenser unit. Oh, I
discovered one of the enhancements allows me to store
templates based on an individual's physical appearance,
skills, and some memories."
"So... that plan we spoke of..." Ukyo eyed her twin.
"Already updated your backup," Sakyo said as she tapped her
head.
"Good," Ukyo said, meaning it. One less thing to worry
about.
(1)- Rune With A View can be found at
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/9854/bet/ranma_the-bet
.rune-with-a-view.txt
-----------------------------
http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com/
metro...@mindspring.com
"Fill the cup of happiness for others,
and there will be enough overflowing
to fill yours to the brim."
Rose Pastor Stokes