[Ranma][Fanfic] The Week Love Came to Town Part 1
drew
Explanatory intro: Hiya, this is drew. What you are about to read is the
first part of a seven part series. Each part of the series was written by
a different author in a progressive story fashion. Each part also
features a different day of the week-as there were 7 of us ^_^. The
authors are: myself, Andrew Huang, Blade, SKJAM!, Robert Morrison, Richard
Lawson, and Epsilon. It's been quite fun to work on this project, even
though it also involved a bit of work. After each part there is a small
bio about each author. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me
or anyone you choose. Hope you enjoy the story, and now, on with the
show...
The Week Love Came to Town
Part 1: Mondays Lead to Madness
or the Things We Do for a Letter
by Andrew Eoff
It was at this moment that the sun chose to slowly rise over Nerima's
horizon. Being a little tired, it decided that this morning it would take
its own sweet time. Besides, Mondays rarely led to anything eventful...
***
The noble Kuno Tatewaki slowly opened one eye. He was greatly pleased
to note that the beautiful Tendo Akane had been the first person to grace
his countenance this morning. He allowed the other eye to open and
focused both of them on the large picture of his love attached to the far
wall. Fate had indeed been kind. Was it not right that today should be
spent basking in the glow of this fierce, yet wondrous creature? He
risked a glance at the equally large photo of his other true loveＵhe
pig-tailed girl. Ahh, how could he deny her the blessings of his
courtship? His brain momentarily locked up as both beauties vied for a
place foremost in his affections. No, he thought, fate had decreed Tendo
Akane's place this fine Monday, and who was he to deny fate? Happy to
have made his choice, he prepared to arise and begin the day's labors of
wooing the beautiful Akane.
---
Elsewhere in Nerima, thoughts not nearly as noble were beginning to
percolate to the surface of someone else's mind. Saotome Ranma was in the
middle of a conversation with two of his friends when Akane suddenly burst
into the room.
"R-ranma!" Akane sobbed. "It's P-p-chan." she hysterically continued.
"What are you babbling about Akane? What about that stupid pig?"
"P-chan is R-ryouga!" she wailed. Ranma merely smiled and said...
At that particular moment Genma doused his son with a particularly cold
bucket of water. The now female Ranma suddenly yelled, "Oi old man!
Whatcha go and do that for? I was in the middle of my favorite dream!"
Genma merely responded, "That would explain the large smile on your
face. Dreaming of your iinazuke Ranma my boy? You make your father
proud, now prepare for this morning's practice." And with that Genma
tossed Ranma out the window towards the pond.
---
Elsewhere in the Tendo home, the occupant of the room whose door was
guarded by a duck bearing the name Akane was also enjoying her favorite
dream.
"Akane, I was so wrong! You aren't a lousy cook, in fact I think..."
the dream-Ranma was interrupted at that moment by the real Ranma's noisy
landing outside and his subsequent noisy disapproval at his method of
arriving there. Akane, realizing why she had started awake, vowed to get
Ranma for ruining her dream. Ooooh, she thought to herself. That noisy
baka can't even let me be a good cook in my dreams. He's going to pay for
this. A slightly malevolent smile found its way to her face as she
prepared for another typical day at the Tendo home.
***
The stage, being nearly set, requires the morning thoughts of but one
more soul. However, this morning, his thoughts are not at all peaceful.
The former Emperor Sanzenin was restlessly dreaming. In his dream 999
girls were laughing at him. He recognized the face of eachＵhey were the
girls he had graced with his special greeting. However, they seemed to
find amusement, not passion, in his kiss. It had something to do with the
last girl he had kissed. That red-head. She was the cause of all this.
When he had lost to her in the Charlotte Cup match, things had begun to
fall apart. No longer was he able to maintain his hold over women. The
face of the red-haired girl loomed large in his dream, and he was suddenly
awake, covered in sweat. Mikado shook his head, trying once again to rid
it of the pain he found there. He couldn't believe his failure. How
could this happen to him? He who had kissed 999 women. Surely there was
one yet who would receive his greeting? His thoughts once again drifted
to the one called Akane. He had a feeling she was the key to this mess.
If he could get her to kiss him, perhaps...his thoughts began to flow from
there.
***
Kuno and his faithful servant Sasuke made their way to the fabled
antique store where they had purchased many an item. The most memorable
of which was a certain egg. It had been reported as the progeny of a
Phoenix. Kuno had deemed such an item as a vital necessity and had been
delighted to make it part of his collection. This morning, however, his
thoughts were centered on the lovely Tendo Akane. He had decided it was
time to show more of his true feelings for her. A gift would suit
nicely. "Ah, Sasuke," Kuno began, "to find a worthy gift for my beautiful
love. Is it not a befitting task for this glorious morning?" Sasuke
merely nodded and soothed his master's ego. Kuno continued to wax poetic
until they reached their destination.
The store had undergone few changes. The money that Kuno had spent had
been wisely reinvested in other arcane possessions. The shop owner was no
fool and he occasionally hoped to earn more of the young nobleman's
money. It appeared that this morning he would be in luck.
As Kuno entered the store, he stepped up to the shopkeeper and began,
"Behold shopkeeper, I, the noble Kuno Tatewaki seek a gift for my
beloved. But no mere trifle will suffice. Nay, she must have only the
finest this shop can offer. A gift that will show her the esteem within
which I view her."
As he finished the shopkeeper, replied, "So, you seek a present for
your girl friend eh?"
Kuno looked down in indignation and replied, "Nay! I seek an object
worthy of being bestowed upon the goddess of beauty herself. Can you
provide such as this?" Kuno looked down at the shopkeeper with a look
suggesting the need for complete compliance with his wishes.
The owner merely nodded and began to shuffle off to the section in
which he kept those sorts of items. Kuno began to look at the various
trinkets and items the old man was peddling. His eyes passed over such
items as jewelry, fine clothing, perfumes, a yellowed piece of
paper...paper? What sort of gift was this? "Shopkeeper, what is this
piece of paper before mine eyes? What manner of rare gift could it be?"
"Ahhh, that is indeed something special, not that I believe in it mind
you." he began. "It is the love letter," he started.
"A love letter?" Kuno interrupted.
"No, not a love letter. THE love letter." the shopkeeper continued, a
bit of annoyance creeping in his voice from being interrupted. "Not that
I believe a word of the legend mind you, but that is The love letter. The
very first one. It was written for Izanami by Izanagi(*). Legend has it
that if someone gives this letter to another person, the recipient will
fall madly in love with the giver. It is very ancient and very powerful,
not that I believe in it mind you. But, you must be careful, if the
letter is then taken from the person, the spell is broken. Also, the
letter must be properly..."
At this moment, Kuno could no longer contain himself. The idea that if
he gave this letter to his beloved Akane she would return his affection
was too much for his simple mind to bear. Laughing maniacally, he smacked
the store's owner with a wad of bills and yelled "SOLD!" as Sasuke waved a
sign showing hearts and wedding cakes in the background.
***
For Ranma, the morning routine held few surprises. After placing the
old man in the pond a few times, they made their way in for breakfast.
Ranma surveyed the table and suddenly noticed a slight difference. His
normal place had some strange monstrosity set in front of it, while the
other places had a normal breakfast. "What gives?" he started, until
Akane interrupted him.
"I made your breakfast myself this morning Ranma. I figured after such
a 'horrific' drop from your window this morning, that you'd need something
nice to cheer you up." she beamed.
Ranma, for his part, was debating between a sudden fainting spell
brought on from training, or simple flight. When Akane noticed the large
sweat drop formed on his brow however, such thoughts were interrupted.
"You will eat your breakfast Ranma. Don't even try and get out of it.
I made this just for you. Kasumi didn't even help." Her smile took on a
slightly forced look, but she had managed to corner Ranma by the table
while she was talking.
Sensing no quick way out, Ranma decided to try reason. "Aw, come on
Akane. Isn't one shock enough this morning? You don't wanna try and kill
me with your cooking too?"
Akane quickly landed her fist in Ranma's face and merely replied, "You
will eat my cooking!" She accentuated each word of the sentence with
another blow to Ranma's head. Ranma, now sitting in front of Akane's
'breakfast', wondered what he had done to deserve this fate this morning.
Surely, nothing else could go wrong. He stared at a mouthful of Akane's
meal and hoped Kasumi had the family stomach pump ready.
***
As Kuno made his way back to the mansion, he discussed this morning's
fortune with Sasuke. "Ah, Sasuke. Have not the gods themselves smiled
favorably upon I, the noble Tatewaki? To think that I would be in the
possession of The Love letter, written by the gods themselves. And that
such letter will allow me to capture the heart of the active and
astounding Tendo Akane." It was at this moment that the equally lovely
pigＵailed girl found her way into Kuno's brain. The picture of her
stopped him in his tracks. The pigＵailed one! How could he deny her the
opportunity of falling in love with him? He had the means of freeing her
from that vile sorcerer Saotome. What was he to do? Which should he
choose? Which was more deserving? Which did he love best? Sasuke,
noticing the glint in his master's eye had removed himself a good several
paces when Kuno suddenly yelled, "I would have them BOTH!!! Aarrgh!
Whatever shall one such as I do? I cannot leave one behind while the
other follows." His lament continued as he made his way home. Surely he
would arrive upon a solution there.
***
Sanzenin wandered around, pondering his situation. Surely there was
some way out of the trap he now found himself in. He had decided that
Akane was indeed the key. Her involvement, as well that of the vile
Saotome, was necessary to restore his former glory. Ah, but how to go
about issuing the challenge? No mere letter would suffice. He remembered
the refreshing change Saotome had used. A fish sausage, now there was
innovation. But how to implement his own style of innovation? What
manner of challenge would help restore the glory of the Golden Pair, and
more importantly, recrown Emperor Sanzenin? As he thought, long and hard,
an idea came to him. He began to smile at its simplicity. He laughed at
its ingenuity. He had it! A love letter. What better way to restore his
glory than through a love letter challenge. Ah, yes, this was surely the
way to proceed. He began his preparations.
***
Kuno found himself in a quandary. Here, in his hands, he had the key
that would unlock the hearts of both his beloveds. But how to use it?
This gift was true torture. To have something so dear, and yet not be
able to use it... He slammed his fist into the wall yet again. Surely, he
thought, there must be a way to implement this most divine of presents.
Surely there was a way he could win his loves. But how? The shopkeeper
had said the letter could not be destroyed, it could not be torn, it could
not even truly be lost, for it would eventually find its way back. He had
been cautioned then, for the old man had warned it would most likely
surface at exactly the wrong time and place. If he could not divide this
letter between the two women most deserving, he needed a plan that would
ensure that the most deserving received it. But how to go about creating
such a plan? The problem made his head hurt.
---
Ranma looked up from the floor. He was unsure how he had come to be
here. The last thing he remembered was...breakfast. Oh yeah, it all came
back to him in a rush that sent him straight to the bathroom. Akane's
cooking, he muttered, as he left the bathroom. There had to be some way
to avoid it. Once he regained some semblance of health, he walked into
the living room. He noticed Kasumi in the background, going about her
normal cleaning routine. He then saw his father engaged in yet another
game of Shogi with Tendo-san. The rest of the house was quiet. Perhaps
Akane and Nabiki had gone to class. Great, he thought to himself, a
chance to relax for a change. Things couldn't be better, he thought as he
went to the kitchen to look for some real food.
***
Kuno smiled in a sort of gleeful manner. He had it. A method that
would ensure that his gift would be bestowed upon the proper woman. He
sent for Sasuke and began to instruct him.
---
The afternoon was shaping up to be pretty normal, Ranma mused. Once
Akane had returned from school things had resumed their normal
confrontational pace. Ranma, trying to get a bit of peace, decided to
check the mail. He was unaware of Sasuke, who had planted his Master's
gift and was hidden, left to make sure it found its way into the proper
hands.
Kuno had decided to let fate handle the matter, and so had addressed
the letter to both loves. Figuring the more worthy would find it, open it
and then come to him, realizing her newly found passion, he was happy.
The shopkeeper had said that addressing the letter would serve the same
purpose as hand delivery, provided the correct person was the first to
open it. Sasuke, aware that things were never that easy, merely frowned
upon realizing who was checking the mail. He had taken the liberty of
removing the only other piece of correspondence, some sort of letter from
a Sanzenin Mikado. His master had been quite clear in desiring no
obstacles in the path of his plan. Seeing Saotome take the letter, he
went to warn Kuno that things were indeed taking a rather different turn.
Ranma merely looked at the envelope. It was addressed to the Lovely
Tendo Akane or the Equally Fair Pig-tailed Girl. Well, he thought, that
left no doubts as to who it was from. Not seeing the pig-tailed girl
anywhere near by, he decided it was time for him to return a certain favor
to a certain kawaikune tomboy he knew. He quickly removed the letter from
the envelope, a large smile growing on his face.
---
"Oh Akane" Ranma called, "Hey Akane!" Where is that tomboy? he
wondered. She was never anywhere he wanted her to be. Just at that
moment, Akane came up behind him and yelled, "What?!"
After Ranma rubbed his head where he'd hit it on the ceiling, he turned
to Akane. "I've got something here for you. It's a letter." he smiled,
thinking, this is gonna be great. He hadn't looked at it, but knowing the
usual contents of one of Kuno's letters, he felt relatively secure. Akane
took the letter from a strangely smiling Ranma and began to read it.
Ranma wasn't sure what was going on, but this was not the usual reaction
Akane gave to one of Kuno's letters. First off, she was smiling way too
much. Second, upon finishing the letter, she placed it inside her gi,
next to her... that thought was quickly interrupted as Akane launched
herself at Ranma yelling "I LOVE YOU TOO!" What was that?
---
At that moment, Ryouga happened to be wandering behind the Tendo Dojo,
lost as usual. However, he managed to hear Akane yelling, "I love you!
You're so wonderful! I always knew you were my best friend." Ah, Akane,
he thought. No matter where I go, I hear the beautiful sounds of your
voice. How I wish I were hearing you say those things to me now in
person. At just that moment, however, Akane yelled, "Ranma, you're simply
the most perfect person I know!" Those words smashed through Ryouga's
heart as he realized two things, one Ranma had done something to Akane,
and therefore must pay, and two, he was standing right behind a rapidly
approaching Ranma.
---
Kuno charged over to the Tendo dwelling, righteous anger welling from
every pore of his being. How dare that foul Saotome ruin his plan! He
smiled evilly as he saw Ranma ahead of him trapped on one side by a
depressed looking Ryouga, and on the other by a love struck Akane. Ah the
vengeance of heaven shall be mine, he thought as he raised his bokken.
End Part 1
Author's notes: All characters created by Rumiko Takahashi. No credit is
claimed by this author whatsoever.
[*] Izanagi and Izanami are the two deities responsible for creating Japan
(according to Japanese mythology). For more details look in a book called
the Kojiki. Oh, the bit about the love letter is completely made up.
Well, let me explain a few things. My name is Andrew Eoff, and I've
written a couple fanfics: You Say It's Her Birthday, Akane Remembered, and
the new Transitions series (well, maybe series). I came up with the idea
to do a progressive Ranma story and to that end you have just read the
first part. It will now be up to the remaining authors to tidy up this
situation. Thanks go to Blade for helpful ideas in the preliminary stages
and the rest of the authors involved. Thanks also go to my wife for her
patience and her love of the series. I hope this story captures some of
the feel of the series. My Ranma 1/2 web site is located at
http://www.itsnet.com/~eoff/ranma.html Enjoy! Ja mata.
drew
gambatte ne