[Ranma][Fanfic] The Bet - Featherbrite's Tale
MetroAnime
Featherbrite's Tale, the Bet. RAAC version
by Gregg Sharp based on Rumiko Takahashi's situations/char
Metro...@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/greggsharp/index.html
1a: A Nervous Child (ANC)
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Many of the godlings, the kami, and even the
demons moved back out of the path of the newcomer.
It was not fear, it was respect. Respect of the
kind that prudent mortals gave to explosive devices of
uncertain temprament.
There were those who were not gods or
goddesses in the normal manner, but instead represented
more directly basic fundamental concepts that underlie
reality. Death was one of them, a somber fellow who could
be cruel or merciful, as the need was perceived. Life, on the
other hand, was a bitch.
This was the incarnation of the Fey. Not as sweeping
a power as Life or Death, but merely of the knowledge that reality
was a strange thing indeed. Toltiir had an odd relationship with
this incarnate, he had even impersonated her a few times.
"Titania," said Toltiir as he inclined his head, ears
flicking back briefly as an unpleasant memory returned to him.
"Puck," said Titania with a nod. "You know why I'm
here. I want to put in a change, here, when a six year old Ranma
Saotome has just finished his training in the Nekoken, and after
the tiny girl Ukyou has been left behind."
"The woods, then?"
"Exactly."
--------------------------------------------------------
Ranma wandered from the camp. He wanted to
go back and visit Ucchan. Why had the other boy been
running after him. Pops said to forget about him, but he
was Ucchan's buddy! It really hurt to leave another friend
behind.
Still, for whatever reason, they had the okonomiyaki
cart, so they were still eating well.
The tinkling of bells caught Ranma's attention.
A tiny pink glow, visible inside an enormous spider's web.
Ranma saw the huge and hideously black
spider, and seemed to split. One image was of a Ranma who
ran back to his camp, to later awaken and think it was all a
nightmare. That Ranma faded.
The other Ranma solidified and threw rocks and
the big hairy spider until it fell. A tree branch impacted the
thing three times until it was reduced to splattered bug bits.
"Thank you," came a voice like chiming bells.
"Could you please free me, little boy?"
Ranma turned and stared at the butterfly caught
there in the web. Carefully he freed it, using another tree
branch push the sticky webs away from the creature. "What
are you, anyway?" It kinda looked like that pixie on the
"Aura Battler Dunbine" ads he'd seen.
"You call my kind yosei here, though my kind
are called fairie elsewhere. Thank you, son of Adam, my
name in your reckoning is Featherbrite."
"My pop's Genma." Ranma wasn't
too sure what he was looking at. Pink pastel wings that
seemed a cross between a butterfly and a dragonfly,
the figure looked mainly like a human woman, nude,
with long pointed ears. There were other differences,
particularly with enormous (comparitively) long eyes.
"Well, then, son of Genma. You have freed
me, so ask me a wish, and if it is within my power, I
shall grant it."
"You must not be very strong if a
spider was gonna eat you. What kinda wish?"
"True. My personal power rating is not
impressive in the manner of my kind." The four inch
tall figure glided closer, examining the child. "Wow,
you've been through some serious problems." There
were aberrations in the child's aura she had trouble
interpreting.
"Can you grant a wish that I'm back home
with my mother?"
"If I knew where your mother was, I might
be able to take you there." Featherbrite paused. "Uhm,
why exactly are you here, and not with your mother?"
Ranma gave his muddled explanation of
why they were travelling, that he was to learn and
devote himself to the martial arts.
"Isn't that...kinda limiting?" Featherbrite
had no idea about normal human childhoods, despite
the number of centuries she had been alive. It all
just didn't seem right. "If you focus only on martial
arts, won't you be kind of stuck for the times you're
not fighting?"
"Dunno."
"Well, then, have you decided what you
want to wish for?"
"How about I wish you could be my friend?"
Ranma held his pinky up.
"You wish for me to be your friend?" The
faerie blinked. Well, certainly the child seemed to need
one. It was certainly an unusual wish. Seeing the child
nod in response, Featherbrite smiled. "Deal."
"Umf," Ranma nodded once, solemnly,
just like he'd seen his father do.
-----------------------------------------------
Ranma had just turned seven, and
Featherbrite was miffed at Ranma's father. This
was something that occurred on a regular basis.
"I can't believe that man, honestly,"
she huffed, her little bell-like voice breaking off
into the same monologue she usually had
regarding the youth.
"Oh, come on, Brite. He just wants
me to focus on the Art." Ranma looked a little
sadly at his present, though. The wooden
flute the diminuitive fairy had made for him was
smashed beyond even Featherbrite's ability to
put it back together.
"Ranma, I want to start teaching you
some things beyond the Art. Things that may
not help you in a fight, but that will help your
life outside the match." Featherbrite didn't add
that this was also to take a large stick and
forcibly insert it in Genma's eye. While most
faerie couldn't even begin to understand moral
behavior, they tended to tone it down around
human children.
She'd been able to observe a lot
more human behavior back when Ranma had
started attending school and thought she had
the basics down. Leaving Ranma for brief
periods to spend a lot of time in a human library
had helped enormously, though using faerie
magic to decipher the text had been a bit draining.
"Okay, I guess. Like a new game?"
"Yes," Featherbrite nodded happily.
"A new game entirely. If you stand in the middle
of this ring, I will take you to someplace new,
where a second here is an hour there."
----------------------------------------
"Ranma, I don't like this place," said
Featherbrite unhappily.
"It doesn't look that bad," said Ranma.
"Just a balancing exercise, nothing more. Combat
on top of bamboo poles. The only thing different
is the pools of water." His eyes didn't look towards
Featherbrite, he just seemed to talk out loud a lot.
"C'mon boy, follow me," Genma leapt
for the top of one of the poles, balancing himself
quite easily.
"Right behind you," Ranma also found
balancing on the bamboo quite easy.
"Don't fall in the springs," Featherbrite
floated above Ranma's head. "I see some things
here that are bad. Very powerful raw faerie magic,
beyond anything I can handle."
Ranma leapt into battle with his father,
ignoring his friend for the moment. Featherbrite
watched as Genma fell into one of the pools and
a panda emerged.
The Jusenkyo Guide was rattling off
something about curses which got Ranma's
attention. Unfortunately he should have been
paying attention to the panda.
"Ranma!" Featherbrite extended as
much of her magic as she could, trying to shield
him from the effects of the curse.
She felt the more powerful magic of
the spring warping her own magic, overwhelming
the shield she'd hastily placed over Ranma. All
the time that she'd brought Ranma over to the
faerie realm had left some residual magic too.
Ranma looked down at herself and
screamed. Featherbrite merely groaned and they
both listened to the Guide going on about how
a girl had drowned in the spring and now whoever
had fallen in the spring took the body of a young
girl. Though he'd never seen one with lightly
pointed ears before.
Ranma's attention went from her
breasts to her back, and if anything the shock
level was increasing.
Featherbrite apologized and was
explaining that her shield had been absorbed
and twisted by the magic of the spring. That
it looked like it wasn't permanent, but that
there was probably a trigger that would allow
a person in cursed form to return to normal.
Ranma removed the top of her gi
as she stepped out of the pool, dimly hearing
the Jusenkyo Guide stutter and stop. Ranma
reached over her shoulder, feeling the thin
surface behind her, then pulling it forward to
where she could see.
Ranma glared, first at Featherbrite,
then sought out the panda. Wings snapping
wide and to the sides, Ranma got really angry
and launched herself at the startled panda.
Featherbrite flew along as best she
could, but she was tired from the attempted
shield, and the other two had strong emotions
driving them on. Rescuing the Hibiki boy from
a fall took most of her remaining energy, and
she floated back towards Ranma's backpack
and some rest.
---------------------------------
"Don't eat that, Ranma." Featherbrite
had a feeling about this. Besides, if Ranma ate
faerie food while he was in the Realm, it would
be very bad.
"But I'm so hungry," Ranma replied,
practically salivating at the feast before them.
"Uh oh, Ranma," Featherbrite clung
to the girl's shoulder. "Remember when I told you
that only the 'pure of heart' could see me?"
"Yeah, go figure that oyaji can't see
or hear you."
"Well, there are others who can. A
magic wielder, or a psychic, or someone with ties
to the supernatural can see me. There's an old
woman over there who's staring at me."
"You sure she's not looking at me?
Are those damn wings showing again?"
---------------------------------
Cologne couldn't help but staring.
An Old One. She hadn't seen one of those in
years. It was associating with that outsider
woman. Now, did that mean the outsider was
a mage, with the Old One a familiar? No, the
relationship was clearly more friendly than a
master-slave one.
Shampoo had defeated her opponent
and was yelling at the girl about controlling her
panda. Cologne settled back to watch the fight,
as the little Old One pointed towards a nearby
kettle. The girl splashed herself, straightening
up as...
Cologne blinked. Shampoo had
challenged a man? This could be interesting.
A man who associated with the Old Ones, no
less.
The fight was brief, and once again,
Cologne was annoyed that Shampoo had never
managed to learn subtlety nor patience.
"<Shampoo,>" Cologne hopped
up to her Heir as she was picking herself off
the ground.
"<What is it, Great-Grandmother?>"
"<Give this one the Kiss Of Marriage,
then go with them, I will contact you shortly.>"
Puzzled, Shampoo complied.
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Genma waited until the amazon girl's
back was turned, then struck as hard as he could
manage, using one of her own bonbori.
Nothing would be allowed to interfere
in the plan to unite the two schools of Anything
Goes martial arts.
She hadn't explained that Amazon Law
stuff to Ranma yet, as something had seemed to
spook her about him. Genma knew that every so
often Ranma would be talking to something that
wasn't there. That sort of thing _would_ throw a
few people off.
Since it had occurred after leaving Ukyou,
and after the cat-fist, Genma had realized what it was.
Ranma was talking to that cat part of him - more insanity
left from the catfist, and leaving his friend Ukyou. The
shame of it, having a son that was so weak that little
things like that could leave scars.
Genma wiped the smirk off his face, then
went to check out of the inn. With any luck, nobody
would check that old steamer trunk until long after
they were gone.
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Featherbrite didn't buy it for a moment.
The way that girl had been looking at Ranma, there
was no way she'd just been following them to make
sure they left the amazon lands.
She knew Ranma agreed. Probably that
picu Genma had done something to drive her off.
Just like him, the old panda!
Featherbrite sighed and continued to
search, knowing she'd be able to track Ranma by
the bond they shared. This girl, though. Frankly,
she'd been hoping that Ranma would get mated
soon. Past time he had a mate, or two, or three.
Why humans had to be so uptight about these
things...
There were still questions Featherbrite
had that needed answers, and she hoped that by
observing Shampoo she could figure them out.
Except that the amazon seemed to be
able to sense her presence. Featherbrite had seen
the amazon get more and more nervous the longer
she was around Featherbrite. Hmmm. Well, she'd
see what she could do.
----------------------------------------
The panda tried to drag the girl
to the house, but she wasn't having anything
to do with it. Finally, Genma managed to splash
the darting winged girl with hot water after the
rains stopped.
After that, the panda was able
to stun Ranma with a street sign and drag
his unconcious body into the Tendo household.
Ranma woke up slowly, finding
himself surrounded by three girls and a man
of about his father's age. Moaning at the pain
at the back of his head, he took in the auras of
those present in the manner that Featherbrite
had taught him.
The man was a complicated blur,
always shifting from one extreme to another.
He had a bright glow that spoke of much
experience, but the strength was "off" and
Ranma didn't have enough experience to
tell what was wrong with this picture.
The oldest looking one was
radiating niceness. Beneath that there was
a great sadness, and personal self-sacrifice.
Ranma decided to be this girl's friend, to
try to break down the shell and see if she
could be healed.
The other two also showed
signs of that underlying sadness. The
second one had just erected wall after
wall around herself, while the younger
fairly burned with anger that was ready
to be unleashed as soon as she could
find something to focus it on.
Everyone in this family, Ranma
decided, really needed some help. They'd
all faced tragedy of some sort, and none of
them had coped that well with it.
"You wouldn't be..."
Ranma winced again as his
head began to throb. "I'm Ranma Saotome.
Sorry to trouble you."
"No trouble!" Soun gestured.
"My eldest daughter, Kasumi, she's 19.
My eldest daughter, Nabiki, she's 17. My
youngest daughter, Akane, she's 16. Pick
any one you want, she'll be your new bride."
"I told you, father, I HATE boys."
Nabiki speculated. The boy had
a thoughtful look to him, and he was kind of
cute. Maybe...
Kasumi observed carefully. He
didn't look THAT young. Something about
the way his eyes looked at her sent an odd
feeling along her spine.
Ranma decided. The angry one
didn't require additional pressure, the eldest
needed a friend, and the middle one had a
large loneliness in her aura.
"Nabiki. No offense to you
other two." Ranma smiled at both, noting
the stunned expression on the youngest
and the faint disappointment in the eldest.
"Interesting. Why me?" Nabiki
felt uncomfortable.
"Well, er, it's that kimono of yours.
Er, combined with your hairstyle, it just tells
me how complicated your personality really is."
Saotome special technique: verbal dodge.
Ranma thought for a moment then
sighed. They may throw everything out now,
but they'd find out sooner or later. "You may
not want this, though. When I was in China,
something terrible happened."
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Well, where to go, where to go...
Obviously, i've written this for the specific
purpose of annoying the hell out of certain
people. Here we have not only a more mature
Ranma, but one who knows something of magic,
can fly, and has some other odd talents taught
him by Featherbrite.
Featherbrite is fully intended to be
an ANC (Annoying New Character) who's also
cute and a bit alien. Faerie don't really share the
North American standard of morals, they're not
only a different culture, but a different species.
Her powers are vast, but are fairly limited in an
urban setting. Mainly limited to healing, the
influencing of minds, and manipulating nature.
She's also the sort of thing that could
have gotten little girls watching Ranma 1/2. Ick,
but then maybe Takahashi would have finished
the damn series. At least she doesn't go "puuu."
Kuno: sees Ranma-chan as a
water-sprite, and is a lot more accurate in this
instance. Ranma still kicks his behind, not
using magic, though Kuno accuses him of it anyway.
Akane: hates boys. Ranma's working
at being her friend, though. Without the hostility
generated by the mistaken identity, the bathroom
incident, or the pressure from them being forced
together, stands a good chance of getting along
with Ranma from very early on in their relationship.
Of course, she's still going to resent several things
about Ranma- he's better at the martial arts, knows
magic, his female form is not only cute but exotic
and can fly, and he's going to be the center of
attention, compared to what she's used to.
Nabiki: this Ranma's "true fiancee" but
is thoroughly weirded out by Ranma's cursed form.
When Ranma first uses magic, she's completely
thrown for a loop. The rules she's used to going
by have just been thrown out the window. Will
she want to learn everything that Ranma can
possibly teach her, or will she go the other route
and become surly and negative? On the other
hand, in that first episode she comes across as
rather lonely. Here's someone who has chosen
HER, not Akane.
Kasumi: Oh my. Ranma's magic isn't
very combat oriented or goes for big effects, but
it certainly comes in handy when you can weave
together the molecules in a broken teacup and
have the whole thing welded together as if it had
never been broken. He/she is certainly handy to
have around the house. Well, maybe Nabiki will
get tired of having Ranma...
Yes, I was planning on having Kasumi as able to
see Featherbrite.
Featherbrite: Cologne can see her,
and hear her. When Featherbrite knows about Shampoo,
she'll be quite happy with the news. Now Ranma can
settle down, and spend less time with his father! Even
though Shampoo can't see her yet, Featherbrite finds
herself liking the amazon for the face that Shampoo
usually keeps hidden. The faerie has a link to her
student and will be able to find him quite easily. She
can also open gateways to the Faerie Realm at "weak
points" and from there to still other realities. Brite
also has the faerie outlook on a lot of things, she
thinks once Ranma gets into regular matings, he'll
settle down quite a bit. Can she avoid a little helpful
meddling in this regard?
Shampoo: can't see or hear Featherbrite
to begin with. Gets to the point where she can almost
see a ripple or disturbance in the air as she gets used
to the faerie's presence. Is quite openly pursuing Ranma.
Isn't too sure about killing the obstacle (Nabiki) as said
obstacle isn't a warrior, and she gets the distinct impression
(Featherbrite's influence) that either killing or attacking
a non-warrior would lose her Ranma. Starts out as mentioned
earlier by being quite nervous around the faerie. Her martial
arts awareness of environment is getting all thrown off by
the fey folk.
Cologne: really, really, really, wants Ranma for
the tribe. Better yet, Shampoo (and even one of those two
Tendo girls) should go train with Ranma and learn the
ways of magic. Then Cologne returns home not only
with one of the Old Ones, but with Shampoo, Shampoo's
magic-wielding warrior husband, and possibly a co-wife
magic wielder to Shampoo. If it's good for the tribe, screw
her preferences that Shampoo be an only wife. Cologne's
saavy enough to swallow her pride when it serves her own
purposes.
Ryouga: still hunting for Ranma. Doesn't turn
into P-chan as he didn't get knocked into that pool. He
did wander around and fall in an entirely different pool.
Planned: Spring Of Drowned Monkey. He's still mainly
upset about the bread, though once he follows Ranma
into Faerie and gets lost...
Ranma: cursed form similar to orig series,
though a little taller, more slender, has wings that can
be folded flat against the body, can fly despite rarely
flapping the wings and that the surface-to-weight ratio
should keep her grounded. Able to use some healing
magics, and the following spells:
Repair Simple Object, Find Object, Shield, Aurasight.
He's also a little older, as he has been spending quite
a bit of time in the faerie realm, spending hours there
before returning home when apparently only seconds
have passed. Oh yes, he also plays (and can fight with)
a hardwood flute. All that time spent in the Faerie Realm
means he can really turn on the charm when he wants to...
Ukyou: will show up as usual, challenge, etc.
Featherbrite doesn't perceive things quite the same way
as others and will know immediately that Ukyou is a she.
Ukyou is too consumed with vengeance to be considered
"pure at heart" but when faerie pranks are played? And
when Ranma realizes that the ten-year-sauce is flawed from
his fault and tells Brite, the faerie decides to replace it.
Unfortunately, faerie food always has strange effects...
Overall flavor: less insanity, more magic.
Ranma & Company visiting other dimensions and
getting into all sorts of adventures as a result. Some of
which follow them home. Maybe one of the Faerie
Queens takes a liking to Ranma (i seem to remember
a number of stories like this) and tries to steal him
away to be her mortal lover...
ja ne,
gregg